Seven days later.
The mist and clouds scattered brilliant colors, and the scenery was boundless. Peaks and rocks overlapped, while mountain streams and ravines wound about. A towering cliff overlooked the sea, its summit covered in a cascading forest of lush, layered greenery. Below, waves surged and crashed amidst a swirling shroud of clouds and mist.
The cliff top was so high that the reefs on the sea's surface were invisible. Only the endless roar of the waves could be heard—the crashing of broken surf against stone, the white water rolling onto the shore, sending up a continuous, thunderous din.
It was truly a magnificent Jueming Cliff, standing independent from the world, and an incredibly beautiful place for quiet cultivation!
“...The map says this is Jueming Cliff. The tower ship to the Rakshasa Sea Market passes by once every three months, but I don't know if we've found the right place.”
Nan Zhi held up the wolf skin map in her hand, studying it closely, and couldn't help but voice her doubts:
“But no matter how you look at it, this doesn't seem like a dock where a flying boat can moor, does it?”
She wore a dark, tight-fitting outfit, having swapped her skirt for trousers, with a matching front lapel draped over her waist. Every item that could represent the Demon Suppression Division had been put away. Only her high-bound long hair was adorned with the Azure Sea Sky Hairpin.
“How have you suddenly become illiterate? Doesn't it say 'Jueming Cliff' right here?”
Wanniang, dressed in red, held an umbrella in one hand and cradled a skull in her arm. She pointed smilingly at the boundary marker on the ground:
“There's even a poem written on it. Look: ‘No worries for the guests in the Wuwang Sea, tears flow endlessly on the Xuanyuan Stream. I advise you to turn back early, lest you meet your end on Jueming Cliff.’ Though the phrasing is neither strictly classical nor entirely vernacular, it has a certain charm.”
“To go to the Rakshasa Sea Market, one must board a spirit ship, cross the Wuwang Sea, and traverse the Xuanyuan Stream. The meaning of this poem, I suppose, is to advise those who travel here to turn back as early as possible, lest they regret it when they lose their lives.”
Nan Zhi patted the little hedgehog in her bosom and said gently:
“Hongluo, we've arrived.”
The moment she finished speaking, the red hedgehog in her bosom dropped to the ground. It hunched its body and transformed into a little girl dressed in pink:
“Wow! This is Jueming Cliff?! It really doesn't look like the mortal realm. Mistress, look! There seem to be people on the cliff top!”
“Then it must be correct. I suppose this is the place to board the flying boat.”
Nan Zhi shielded her eyes with her hand and leaned forward to look. Sure enough, she saw figures moving on the cliff top, faintly obscured by the thin mist.
There were men and women, humans and demons, with diverse and highly unusual appearances.
If ordinary people from below the mountain were to see this, they would probably mistake them for immortals strolling through the clouds.
—After bidding farewell to Bianjing, Nan Zhi did not go north to the Qingjing Sect at all. Instead, she did the exact opposite and traveled south all the way to the Liuzhou area.
She had no intention of participating in any sect selection.
In any case, the entry token given by the Qingjing Sect as compensation was merely a pass, and it would not expire.
At worst, she could wait until no one in the Qingjing Sect remembered Daoist Qinglong's case before considering whether to head to the Northern Seven Islands.
Although Daoist Qinglong's death was well-deserved, who could guarantee that he did not have close friends or old acquaintances within the Qingjing Sect?
Furthermore, a Nascent Soul Great Circle cultivator had fallen at the hands of a mere Foundation Establishment junior like her. Once the news traveled back, the name "Nan Zhi" would inevitably attract some attention.
Just as a pig fears getting fat, a person fears getting famous.
When it came to the Mayfly Wood and the Great Dao of Longevity, Nan Zhi did not believe no one would be tempted.
When that time came, she would face endless trouble. She would either have to join the Qingjing Sect for protection or continue to hold out, living in constant fear.
Even if she took a step back, out of the Qingjing Sect's three closely guarded cultivation methods, Nan Zhi already held two in her hands.
Besides, Nan Zhi was not actually a poor rogue cultivator. Rather than joining a sect to expend her time and energy, working herself to the bone every single day, she might as well live a free and unrestrained life outside.
She had once heard Xu Zi mention that there were immortal ships in Liuzhou. By taking a ship south across the boundary between the cultivation world and the mortal realm, one could reach the Rakshasa Sea Market ruled by the Dragon Clan.
Legend had it that cultivators from all over the world gathered there. Rogue cultivators, minor sects, sect disciples, demon cultivators, ghost cultivators, and spirit creatures—all sorts of factions mixed together. It was extremely bustling, comparable to a "transportation hub" of the cultivation world.
It was simply the perfect place for her to hide away and quietly develop her strength.
Nan Zhi planned to lie low for a while. At the very least, she would wait until she shattered her core to form a Nascent Soul and the Qingjing Sect no longer dared to hold her accountable before she considered setting off for the Northern Seven Islands.
Although she had not been able to leech any monster-slaying experience from Daoist Qinglong's death this time, it had at least made her rich overnight.
—Daoist Qinglong was, after all, a Nascent Soul cultivator and a master alchemist. The good things inside his storage bag were simply countless.
Just taking out a single item would be enough to make many people salivate with envy.
This was, after all, a collection accumulated over hundreds of years. There were spirit fruits, medicinal herbs, immortal medicines, and immortal pills that Nan Zhi had never even heard of.
Aside from the dharma treasures she could not use for the time being, there were also over a dozen pill recipes, which naturally included offensive alchemical pills like the "Hundred Ghosts Heart Demon Pill" and the "Heavenly Fire Pill."
Among them, what interested Nan Zhi the most was a type of pill called a "Sword Pill." This pill was similar to the "sword pellet" used by sword cultivators, capable of containing sword intent and possessing boundless power.
The only difference was that while a sword pellet required spiritual energy to activate, even an unarmed child holding a Sword Pill containing a cultivator's sword intent could transform into a sword immortal, capable of moving mountains, filling seas, and creating land or islands.
One moment, she was having a headache over her lack of combat experience and offensive techniques, and the next, Daoist Qinglong had delivered a massive gift pack.
Nan Zhi sincerely thanked every red-named monster who delivered gear to her:
“What a spectacular death!”
“It would be even better if you could die repeatedly!”
...
This place was rather peculiar. When the trio—one human, one ghost, and one demon—ascended Jueming Cliff, they saw only sharp peaks standing tall and deep mountain ravines. A few scattered cultivators sat cross-legged on smooth stone platforms, their eyes closed in meditation.
Herds of elks roamed the mountains, muntjacs and monkeys leaped about, and foxes and rabbits darted through the underbrush. It really did not look like any sort of dock. Instead, it felt as if the three of them had accidentally trespassed into someone's private cultivation retreat.
“Where is the ship? This is clearly just a sheer cliff. Does the ferryman actually have the ability to fly up here?”
Wanniang shielded her face with her umbrella and swept her eyes over Nan Zhi, speaking in a sweet, coquettish voice:
“Good Zhizhi, I wonder what the wine brewed by immortals tastes like. Is it as sweet and refreshing as the wine I brew?”
“You used to merely like brewing wine. How have you turned into a complete alcoholic now?”
Nan Zhi looked at her, guessed her intentions, and said in annoyance:
“Two days ago, when we were resting in Liuzhou, not only did you drink all the wine in the foot-shop by yourself, but the Wine Immortal even crawled out in the middle of the night and hung drunk from the rafters like wind-dried cured meat. If Hongluo hadn't been quick-witted enough to catch it when she got up in the night, the shop owner would probably have been scared out of his wits!”
“I don't know either. Ever since the Wine Immortal followed me, if I don't drink for a day, my bones feel all itchy and numb.”
Wanniang smiled and gently pinched Hongluo's chubby cheek:
“You've raised this little demon exceptionally well. It's only been a short while, and she's already grown such a plump layer of fat on her face. Truly succulent. Little Hongluo, the next time I drink wine, I'll carve the meat off your face to go with my wine~”
“You won't! You only dare to say it.”
Hongluo stuck out her tongue and made a face:
“Don't you know that hedgehog meat is gamey and smelly? If you eat it, you'll stink for three days! Besides, I have Mistress protecting me. You can't eat me, hehehe!”
Rate on N.U.
