A lone rider disappeared into the distance, kicking up dust as hoofprints scorched the ground.

  Upon returning home, Han carefully examined the four spatial pouches he had acquired, ensuring that none carried any tracking enchantments.

  "I need to find a place to deal with these pouches."

  Having encountered numerous foes, many of whom held significant status, Han had accumulated quite a collection of spatial pouches. However, this abundance presented a dilemma.

  Factions like the Huang family had custom-made spatial pouches, each marked with their insignia at the time of creation—an emblem of their identity.

  While standard pouches could be used freely, those bearing distinct symbols were problematic. Though Han possessed quite a few, he couldn't openly use them without raising suspicion.

  Moreover, he had no real need for so many. Even after gifting one to Shen Yu and the others, he still had plenty left.

  Carrying a dozen pouches at his waist would be like broadcasting an invitation for thieves to target him.

  Han already had an idea of where to offload these stolen goods.

  The journey back was tedious, but fortunately, he had An Lang to pester whenever boredom struck.

  Sharing hardships together!

  Upon reaching Heiyun Town, Han returned his horse to the government stables before walking back to the martial arts hall.

  The moment he stepped inside, he was greeted by the sight of Bai Ruoyue beating up Shen Long and Zhang Yuantao.

  "I thought you wouldn’t make it back today either," Bai Ruoyue remarked, effortlessly multitasking between conversing with Han and pummeling her unfortunate sparring partners.

  "Little junior brother, hurry and bring out my two corpse brothers!" Shen Long called out, wincing in pain. "Senior sister's strikes are getting heavier!"

  Bai Ruoyue smirked smugly. "That’s because I’m getting stronger."

  The sparring session paused as Bai Ruoyue approached Han, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

  "How was this trip? Any big gains?"

  Han met her gaze and nodded.

  "Quite significant."

  "Get some rest early tonight. Be ready to dream on time."

  With that, Han turned to leave—he had only dropped by to relay the message.

  But Bai Ruoyue grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?"

  "To Aunt Mo’s place."

  "You just got back, and you’re leaving again before the sun’s even set?"

  "Uh… is there a problem?"

  "You’re not allowed to go! Stay and tell me everything that happened on your trip."

  "You're really impossible."

  Left with no choice, Han stayed behind, indulging Bai Ruoyue with a recount of his adventures until she was satisfied. Only then did he return to Taolin.

  By then, night had almost fallen.

  —

  "You killed a Sunwalker?"

  Lu Qingmo was visibly surprised, though considering Han’s strength and his performance in the Ascension Hall, she soon found it reasonable.

  "The Huang family warriors tried to ambush you in the Black Mountains, but instead, they lost a Bone Tempering martial artist and a Sunwalker?"

  What a case of trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice instead. No—worse than that. They lost their whole damn chicken.

  Han had recounted everything that had happened in the Three Yin Valley, including how he had baited the enemy out and struck decisively to take their lives.

  His storytelling vividly captured the intensity of the battles, painting a sharp and gallant image of himself.

  "Aunt Mo, the Huang family’s cultivator was refining a Soul-Devouring Banner. If this gets out—"

  Lu Qingmo shook her head. "The Ghost Division of the Prefecture could use this as grounds to question the Huang family, but a single Soul-Devouring Banner isn’t enough to bring them down."

  "Across the empire, while the government holds ultimate authority, local factions remain deeply entrenched. Unless they commit an unforgivable crime, the Great Qi dynasty cannot easily take action against them."

  "The balance of power between the imperial court and regional forces has always been a challenge throughout history. Some noble families have existed longer than Great Qi itself."

  A family that had outlasted the dynasty… their strength was self-evident.

  Such families were a constant headache for the imperial court—too formidable to provoke lightly.

  Han remained silent, grasping the weight of her words.

  Even in his past life, in ancient history, the power struggles between the central government and regional aristocracies—

  "But for an elder of their clan to be refining such a sinister artifact… the Huang family clearly has serious issues," Lu Qingmo mused, lost in thought.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  After a moment, she asked, "Aside from the red lake, did you discover anything else in the Three Yin Valley?"

  "Yes. When I dove deeper, beyond the red waters, I reached the lakebed, which was paved with bluestone slabs. There, I found…"

  Han described what he had uncovered.

  "A Yin-Yang Eye revealing something imperceptible to the naked eye?"

  Lu Qingmo’s expression turned contemplative. Perhaps the one behind all this had been waiting for someone with precisely that ability.

  "To the highest heavens and the deepest underworld…"

  At his final revelation, her gaze sharpened. "Let me see your hand."

  She tapped his palm lightly, and the hidden seven-pointed star mark faintly reappeared.

  "This seems like a token—perhaps with additional functions."

  "Yes, it transmitted some information to me as well. It’s also the key to unlocking that place in the future," Han affirmed.

  "Buried beneath the Three Yin Valley lies a figure of great importance. They left behind something… and when either An Lang or I reach the Sunwalker realm, we’ll be able to claim their legacy."

  Han had no idea what lay within the Three Yin Legacy. The information he received was minimal, revealing only the conditions for unlocking it and the identity of its owner.

  "The one buried in that valley is..."

  "The Yin Mountain God."

  Indeed, another mountain god—but one who had been dead for who knows how long.

  "The Yin Mountain God..." Lu Qingmo repeated the name thoughtfully before shaking her head. "I've never heard of this deity before. However, anyone who has ascended to godhood must have surpassed the Manifestation Realm."

  "That explains why there were remnants of power beneficial to spirits. It must be because of this mountain god."

  The Yin Mountain God had been dead for at least a century, his existence too remote and obscure. Unlike the Black Mountain God, who was famous across the land, it was no surprise that Lu Qingmo had never heard of him.

  With a serious expression, she advised, "This is a rare opportunity, one you must grasp firmly. But when the time comes to unlock the legacy, you must also be extremely cautious."

  "The Huang family lost a Sunwalker cultivator there. They won’t let this go easily. There’s no way they’ll abandon the valley—sooner or later, they will tighten their defenses."

  "I know." Han smiled. He had already expected this but didn’t find it particularly troublesome.

  The decision of when to claim the legacy was entirely in his hands.

  If the minimum requirement was the Sunwalker Realm, then he could simply wait until he was even stronger before making his move.

  If the Huang family wanted to station heavy guards at the Three Yin Valley, then let them waste their efforts. It wouldn’t change anything.

  "Aunt Mo, between the Yin Mountain God and the Black Mountain God, who was stronger?" Han asked out of curiosity.

  "Though I don’t have any details on the Yin Mountain God, I can say with certainty that the Black Mountain God is far superior." Lu Qingmo shook her head.

  "Even among divine beings, there is a hierarchy. Some have barely met the threshold for godhood, while others have continued to advance even after their ascension, nearing the realm of true immortals."

  "If my guess is correct, the Yin Mountain God had likely only just surpassed the Manifestation Realm when he claimed his divine seat, far from the level of the Black Mountain God."

  "To the highest heavens, to the deepest underworld—this is the lifelong pursuit of many cultivators. Yet, so few ever achieve it."

  There was a tinge of melancholy in Lu Qingmo’s voice. It had once been her dream as well, but now, that dream was beyond her reach.

  "Even so, his legacy is bound to be a treasure that will stir up great turmoil. If word gets out, countless cultivators from Tianzhou will flock to claim it. You must keep this a secret."

  "A cultivator who has surpassed the Manifestation Realm is considered a formidable force anywhere in the world. In the lands of the Three Kingdoms, they can go wherever they please. And gods, with their long lifespans, are even more coveted."

  Hearing this, Han couldn’t help but feel eager. He wished he could break through to the Sunwalker Realm immediately and unlock the legacy to see what was hidden within.

  "But why was this mark also imprinted onto An Lang?"

  A doubt surfaced in his mind.

  An Lang... hadn’t done anything at all. And this mark wasn’t simply given to anyone who happened to be present—it was clearly copied from Han onto her.

  "Perhaps because of the connection between you two?"

  Han pushed the thought aside for now and took out the spatial pouch of the Huang family’s fallen Sunwalker cultivator. Some of the items inside were unfamiliar to him, so he needed Lu Qingmo’s insight.

  As for the pouches from the other three martial artists, there was nothing valuable inside—just common supplies.

  "Quite a few resources for ghost cultivation." Lu Qingmo nodded. "Many of these will be useful to An Lang at this stage."

  "His three spirit-bound ghosts were at the Nightwalker level," Han added as an explanation.

  "Oh? There’s even a Dream Spirit Flower."

  Lu Qingmo took out a seven-petaled flower shimmering in seven different colors.

  "This Dream Spirit Flower is quite valuable. When a ghost consumes it, they will enter a deep sleep, during which the flower’s power will weave a beautiful dream for them. Upon waking, their strength will have greatly increased, and any injuries they had will be healed."

  "Something like that exists?" Han was surprised, then shook his head with a wry smile.

  "An Lang is already lazy—she sleeps all day. This flower is practically made for her."

  "Young master, I can hear you!" An Lang, who was cultivating nearby, protested.

  Lazy? She was very diligent, thank you very much!

  Besides, sleep was a basic physiological need for ghosts!

  Maybe not for all ghosts, but for her, it was absolutely necessary.

  Still, this Dream Spirit Flower…

  What kind of dream would it give her? Hopefully, one where she was the unrivaled Immortal Queen, dominating the world—heh.

  Then, in that dream, she could do whatever she wanted!

  "Aside from ghost-related resources, there are also plenty of cultivation materials for ordinary cultivators."

  Plenty was an understatement—there were even more of those.

  After all, while the Huang family practiced ghost cultivation, their own development took priority. Every resource was first allocated for their personal use before being given to their ghosts.

  This was the reality for most cultivators who practiced ghost refinement.

  Lu Qingmo took out a few items and said, "Most of the common materials you should recognize. These, however, will be useful for your upcoming cultivation."

  "Nightshade Incense—this will help stabilize your breakthrough to the Sunwalker Realm and aid in later cultivation by easing the violent nature of sunlight. There are about thirty sticks."

  "Cool Mind Incense—when absorbing sunlight, the soul may become overheated and restless, making it difficult to concentrate. This incense resolves that issue. There’s quite a bit of it as well."

  "Soul Heart Fruit—a soul-nourishing plant beneficial to Nightwalker cultivators."

  "..."

  Huang Tianba had indeed carried some valuable items, many of which were supportive incense materials for Sunwalkers.

  An Lang had been researching Sunwalker incense, but receiving a batch for free was certainly a welcome surprise.

  As for soul-nourishing plants, there were none that could significantly benefit a Sunwalker cultivator.

  Anyone who obtained such treasures would use them immediately rather than store them in a spatial pouch.

  What would they keep them for? To gift to others?

  "There are also a few Daoist techniques here, all at the Sunwalker level. You can choose to learn them or not—none reach the Manifestation level."

  "However, there are two techniques related to ghost mastery."

  Lu Qingmo pulled out two books.

  One described the Soul Burn Technique, which allowed a ghost master to burn a spirit’s essence to temporarily amplify its power significantly. However, the consequences were severe—immense pain, loss of sanity, and a high chance of complete destruction. Even if the ghost survived, it would be crippled forever.

  Han took one look and dismissed it outright. An Lang had limitless potential—using such a technique on her would be self-destructive.

  If he encountered an enemy he couldn’t defeat, burning An Lang’s soul wouldn’t change the outcome.

  Might as well perish together as a pair of doomed lovers.

  Most likely, this was the reason why Huang Tianba’s spirit-bound ghosts had suddenly surged in strength before their demise.

  The second technique, however, was far more intriguing—it was a ghost cultivation art.

  Heaven’s Grace Technique.

  It allowed a ghost servant, with the master’s permission, to temporarily borrow a portion of the master’s power. There were time and capacity limits, but the potential benefits were clear.

  Seeing this, Han was delighted.

  Now An Lang could take on more lucrative missions!

  Surely, she would be just as thrilled.