Up the mountain.
Lu Guiyi invited Lin Zhao and Tang Guangjun to have dinner on the mountain before leaving, but Lin Zhao couldn't refuse and had to stay.
After all, Winter Spring Sword Sect was a "self-reliant" sect, and its foundation was slowly accumulating. For example, the immortal-grade coiled dragon wall on Lu Guiyi's waist, and Leng Yan's immortal gourd, these would all be counted as Winter Spring Sword Sect's assets in the future. Therefore, the dinner was not particularly sumptuous. There was no shortage of wild game from the mountains and fish from the water. After all, Winter Spring Sword Sect still had over a dozen female sword cultivators in the Mid-Fifth Realm, but there were no more exquisite delicacies.
Fortunately, Lin Zhao and Tang Guangjun didn't mind much. They sat down together, accompanying Lu Guiyi and Leng Yan for dinner and drinks.
Afterwards, Lin Zhao and Tang Guangjun returned to Snow Domain Heavenly Lake.
...
Afternoon.
In the center of Ning City, a hotel suite apartment on the top floor.
Leng Yan, with her slender jade legs, basked lazily in the sunlight. This was her afternoon rest time, and she also took the opportunity to handle some matters in the Sheng Tian Guild online. She frowned and reviewed the daily reports from the two vice guild leaders and several group leaders. Some required her approval for supplies, while others were internal conflicts within the guild that required her, the guild leader, to mediate personally. In short, it was a pile of things, but they had to be done. After all, she was the leader of the Sheng Tian Alliance, and she had no choice.
It wasn't until two-thirty in the afternoon that Leng Yan finished processing all the matters using the mobile phone's holographic projection system. Then, she lay lazily on the sofa and initiated a video call with her subordinate, the vice guild leader and good sister, Broken Kite. The moment the video connected, Broken Kite laughed and said, "Are you particularly happy today? I heard that Lin Zhao went to Winter Spring Sword Sect and gave you an immortal gourd. This immortal gourd... I've only seen it in official materials, and very few players have seen it. And the immortal gourd that Lin Zhao gave must be of high quality."
"Indeed, it's not low."
Leng Yan smiled and said, "It's of the superior immortal grade."
"..."
Broken Kite was a little speechless and tut-tutted, "Sigh, why don't I have a boyfriend like that?"
Instantly, Leng Yan also lay on the sofa listlessly, pouting her small mouth, "I also wish he were my boyfriend, but you know his personality, he's very dull. What can we do?"
"What else can we do? Create opportunities if there are none!"
Broken Kite said earnestly, "Ayan, Guild Leader, I might be very direct about some things. Look at Lin Zhao's living environment. Shen Xingchen is one of us, so we won't talk about her. Let's talk about Chen Xue. The legendary Xue Qiancheng, beautiful, sweet-voiced, and capable. In the Scarlet Moon Knights, if Lin Zhao is the emperor, then Chen Xue is the prime minister. They are together day and night. Who can guarantee that Lin Zhao won't fall for Chen Xue? Moreover, there's also Roman. In terms of appearance and beauty, she doesn't lose to you much. She's a little vixen who can bring down a nation, and perhaps one day she'll make Lin Zhao hers. In this regard, we need to be proactive."
Leng Yan was surprised, "How can we be proactive?"
"Create opportunities!"
Broken Kite said, "Don't overthink it, just listen to me!"
"Amazing."
Leng Yan gave a thumbs up, "With so much ability, why don't you have a boyfriend yourself?"
"It can't be helped. Those who like me, I don't like. Those whom I like... don't like me..."
Broken Kite smiled faintly, "Alright, alright, let's talk about your matter. Lin Zhao gave you such a high-grade immortal gourd, and he even brought the twelfth-realm Tang Guangjun to support your Winter Spring Sword Sect and wiped out a whole group of evil spirits. It's unreasonable to not reciprocate such a great favor without any gesture. It just so happens that you can use this as an excuse to invite Lin Zhao for hot pot."
"Hot pot..."
Leng Yan smiled, "Okay!"
"Not just hot pot!"
Broken Kite looked at this "Leg Goddess of the National Server," hailed as one of the top three beauties in the national server, with disappointment, "You need to do something different, such as your own attire and makeup, to make him feel that you've put in effort, to make him feel that he's different in your heart from others. That's how it should be. I suggest you wear a JK uniform tonight for your date. It would look better."
"Ah?"
Leng Yan's pretty face blushed slightly, "JK is what students wear. I graduated from university two years ago. Wearing it again... won't it be inappropriate?"
"What's inappropriate about it?"
Broken Kite said, "Do you have one? If not, I'll send you one. A new one, unworn. I wanted to wear it for my ex before, but that scumbag cheated on me before I had a chance to wear it."
"Oh~~~"
Leng Yan narrowed her eyes and smiled.
Broken Kite's cheeks flushed, "Alright, don't tell anyone, or I'll fight you."
"Got it, I'll send someone to get it from you right away."
"Mm!"
...
In the game, Ghost Realm.
As night fell, Nine Nether Dragon Court was in ruins.
The Nine Nether Dragon Court of the past no longer existed. After the battle between Old Daoist Wang, Lin Wanhua, and Qi Liandao, the Nine Nether Dragon Court had now become a ruin. The true dragon's phantom body was gone, and the human sages and thirteen-realm demon cultivators had all departed one by one. It was now a scene of emptiness.
"Rustle..."
With the sound of footsteps, a petite and exquisite figure appeared in the ruins of the Nine Nether Dragon Court. It was Tan Xin, the ancestor of the Coffin Bearer lineage and the Ghost Emperor. At this moment, Tan Xin's eyes were filled with a deep crimson hue. Her understanding of death had reached a new level. Furthermore, her damaged three souls and seven spirits from the previous battle had been repaired. What's more, Tan Xin had repaired her three souls and seven spirits in the depths of the Great Wilderness, defying the heavens and triggering a celestial lightning tribulation. She had actually used this opportunity to break through to the thirteenth realm, turning misfortune into fortune, and becoming the first ascended Ghost Emperor in thousands of years.
Now, Tan Xin revisited the old place. Her love for Qi Liandao had long since vanished. It was all just a pretense. The Great Dao is unfeeling; why waste time on romantic affairs?
"Sigh..."
Looking at the dilapidated scene in the Nine Nether Dragon Court, Tan Xin sighed. If that battle hadn't happened, if Old Daoist Wang, that annoying old guy, hadn't intervened, perhaps she would have already been the ruler of the Nine Nether Dragon Court. She frowned. A strong scent of blood wafted from behind her, and a zombie figure descended gracefully. It was her twelfth-realm roaming zombie. The arm severed by Lin Wanhua had been refined and regrown. Now, this roaming zombie was roughly equivalent to the peak of the twelfth realm, with formidable combat power. Furthermore, from the coffin on her back came the sighs of a woman, filled with sorrow. A twelfth-realm vengeful spirit was Tan Xin's second greatest gain from her trip to the Great Wilderness. In the Great Wilderness, she had almost died, but in the end, she returned safely.
Now, Tan Xin's combat power was terrifying. If she used the Azure Soul Fusion Technique, coupled with a roaming zombie, Tan Xin's combat power could probably rival the fourteenth realm.
However, this time Tan Xin returned to the Ghost Realm, she was no longer as ambitious as before. All she wanted was to properly organize the mountains and rivers of the Ghost Realm, and not let the Ghost Realm continue to be desolate.
Therefore, Tan Xin had arranged to meet someone at the Dry Pine River.
...
Late at night.
Tan Xin, riding a streak of blood-red light, hovered above the Dry Pine River, the coffin on her back, and the twelfth-realm roaming zombie, reeking of blood, standing beside her. Her beautiful eyes looked into the distance. The woman, almost blending with the moonlight, was arriving as one with her sword.
Clad in snow-white robes, Lin Wanhua, the Lord of Fusong Great Wall.
Enemies met, but there was no anger. Both were thirteenth-realm cultivators and could see things clearly.
"Speak."
Lin Wanhua smiled, "Why do you want to see me? If you want to join forces with Liu Bai to kill me on the Dry Pine River, I advise you to give up that idea. I'm only a spiritual avatar; my true body is at the Washing Sword River."
"So I don't plan to kill you either."
Tan Xin sighed softly and said, "Back then, when I was young, I followed my master and traveled the Jianghu, starting to witness the various human hearts and dark sides of the world, as well as those who bully the weak. To this day, my master has long since rotted somewhere, and I have become the thirteenth-realm that he could only dream of but never achieve. Now, I don't have that much ambition in my heart; I just want to rebuild the mountains and rivers of the Ghost Realm."
"Indeed."
Lin Wanhua said, "Of the four realms, the Ghost Realm is the most dilapidated."
"It can't be helped."
Tan Xin smiled bitterly and said, "Who made our Ghost Realm weak? Even the Ghost King is only an eleventh-realm, and the Ghost Emperor is only a twelfth-realm. Their combat power is there. It is precisely because of this that the Demon Realm directly placed the water aspect of the water and fire conflict in the Ghost Realm. No one in our Ghost Realm dared to utter a single word of protest. But this will not happen in the future, because I, Tan Xin, will rebuild the realm!"
Saying that, Tan Xin looked at the peerless woman standing in the wind ahead, "Lin Wanhua, I intend to reclaim the position of Ghost Emperor, and within the next decade, the Ghost Realm will remain neutral, no longer be swayed by the Demon Realm or the Neon Rainbow Realm, and maintain a peaceful relationship with the Human Realm. Are you willing to agree?"
"Yes."
Lin Wanhua slightly raised an eyebrow and said, "I can even help you drive away some uninvited guests."
"Mm."
Tan Xin smiled and nodded, looking at the water of the Dry Pine River. "The water transport of the Dry Pine River is the lifeline of the Ghost Realm. Liu Bai, if you've had enough, you can leave. Return the Dry Pine River to the Ghost Realm, how about it?"
Lin Wanhua narrowed her eyes, looking at the Dry Pine River, and smiled, "Do as she says, don't force me and Tan Xin to join forces."
The river water was turbulent, and deep at the bottom of the river, a giant figure slowly rose. It was the thirteenth-realm demon king Liu Bai, clad in armor and wielding the Azure Wave Cudgel. But Liu Bai only frowned. If he refused to leave now, he might not be able to escape. Once Tan Xin developed killing intent towards him, Lin Wanhua would surely seize the opportunity to join forces with Tan Xin. Lin Wanhua would certainly not refuse an opportunity to chop off a direct disciple of the Demon Ancestor.
For a moment, Liu Bai's giant figure appeared somewhat dejected. Under the moonlight, he headed north, leaving the Ghost Realm.
...
Real world, evening.
A Cloud Shadow-class VTOL transport aircraft landed on the helipad on the top floor of Ning City Center. Lin Zhao arrived as promised to accompany Leng Yan for hot pot. It had indeed been a long time since he had seen her. He had been too busy with things in the game during this period.
Brothers, I forgot to ask for recommendation votes in the last chapter!