Deep in the night, in the Ghost Realm.
A mountain of corpses buzzed ominously, its death aura incredibly dense. This was the seventh day Tan Xin had been refining the corpse mountain, and progress was agonizingly slow. But she had patience, after all, a wise old scholar from the Confucian literary world had once said, "The road may be long, but with every step, one will reach the destination; the task may be difficult, but with every effort, it will be accomplished." Although Tan Xin didn't think highly of those itinerant scholars roaming the martial world, all that pretense of calligraphy and literary talent, the air of scholarly grace – what was the point? They spoke of benevolence and righteousness, yet their eyes still strayed towards pretty girls, didn't they? In contrast, Tan Xin disliked men who were too scholarly. She preferred them to be rugged, with chests full of fiery red hair.
So, Tan Xin detested scholars, but the old scholar's words held truth. If not for her persistence, and for stepping over her master's skull to climb a few rungs higher, how could she have achieved what she had today? An eleventh-realm Coffin Bearer was exceedingly rare in history. Once Tan Xin could refine this corpse mountain and absorb its immense death energy, she would be at the very least at the peak of the eleventh realm. And if luck favored her, perhaps she could touch the threshold of the twelfth realm, becoming one of the few twelfth-realm Coffin Bearers in all of history.
However, Tan Xin, meditating with her eyes closed, was unaware that a faint red thread drifted in on the breeze, silently tying itself to her little finger. The other end of this thread of fate was tied to a young Taoist priest hundreds of miles away. After tugging on the red thread, the young Taoist couldn't help but smile. "Alright, alright, time to help my dear wife reach the twelfth realm sooner~~~"
With that, he berated the green-robed woman beside him, "Aren't you leaving? You cheap thing!"
Shu Fan's face remained expressionless. "Yes, Master."
She rose into the wind, while the young Taoist, Qi Lian Dao, surprisingly sat on Shu Fan's shoulder, a smug look on his face, showing not a shred of concern for her.
...
Early morning.
The corpse mountain buzzed, and most of the surrounding death aura had been refined by Tan Xin. The entire mountain was now tinged with blood. Finally, the refinement was nearing completion. In less than the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the colossal corpse mountain shrank, eventually becoming a mere meter-high mound of earth. After further refinement, with a *whoosh*, the entire corpse mountain transformed into a streak of bloody radiance that seeped into Tan Xin's brow, appearing within her spiritual void and becoming her innate artifact.
Instantly, Tan Xin's body trembled as a tempestuous change occurred within her. The power contained within a corpse mountain was truly immense. Her spiritual void buzzed, ravenously absorbing the strength of this ancient corpse mountain. Soon, it reached its limit. A blood-red imprint materialized on Tan Xin's forehead, officially marking her as a peak eleventh-realm Coffin Bearer!
"Hahahahaha~~~"
Ding Chunqiu couldn't help but laugh, kneeling on one knee before Tan Xin and cupping his fist. "Congratulations, Master, on your strength advancing further!"
"Congratulations, Old Ancestor!"
A group of players, all embodying pure villainy, also knelt one by one, looking as if they shared in her glory.
Furthermore, a throng of elders, protectors, venerated guests, and ordinary disciples from the Coffin Bearer lineage prostrated themselves on the ground, offering their congratulations to their Old Ancestor.
"Good, good!"
Tan Xin, despite her youthful appearance, exuded an incongruous air of arrogance and disdain as she smiled. "Rest assured, now that I've reached the peak of the eleventh realm, I will absolutely not mistreat any of you!"
"Old Ancestor!"
A protector chuckled. "Now that Old Ancestor has reached the peak of the eleventh realm, with the support of tens of thousands of us, and holding a corpse mountain, you are practically a new Ghost King! Congratulations, Old Ancestor!"
"Hahahaha, excellent!"
Just then, the blood-red imprint on Tan Xin's forehead suddenly trembled. Immediately, her brow felt as if it were about to split open, and her entire spiritual void resonated with countless cracks. Tan Xin coughed out a mouthful of blood, collapsing to her knees. At this moment, heavenly lightning rumbled from the sky, her limbs spasmed violently, her eyes became vacant, and her entire being felt as if it were on the verge of shattering.
"Old Ancestor!"
"Master!"
A large crowd rushed forward. Even Ding Chunqiu knelt before Tan Xin, his heart filled with dread. "Please, don't! If Master dies, my future is gone! I invested so much universal currency to reach this point. If Master is gone, I'll lose everything!"
At this moment, Tan Xin opened her mouth, and streams of lightning seemed to bore into it, like a divine punishment from heaven!
...
"Everyone, step aside!"
Just as everyone was at a loss, a figure in green ascended the mountain. It was a young Taoist priest, carrying a bamboo basket on his back, who shouted, "Stop crowding around Tan Xin! Do you all want to die?!"
The crowd was startled and quickly retreated.
"Little Taoist!"
A Nascent Soul realm Coffin Bearer summoned a hairy zombie and sneered, "Who are you, and why have you suddenly appeared in the territory of our Coffin Bearer clan? Speak quickly, or you'll die!"
"Silence!"
The young Taoist ignored the threat, his voice booming, "Isn't the most important thing right now to save your Old Ancestor, Tan Xin?!"
"Esteemed Daoist friend!"
A Star River realm Coffin Bearer frowned. "Our Old Ancestor has suddenly become like this. She just reached the peak of the eleventh realm. Do you know what's happening?"
"Of course, I know."
The young Taoist touched the lotus crown on his head and said calmly, "I am a Taoist priest, specializing in matters of ghosts and spirits! Your Old Ancestor is indeed blessed to have found and refined a corpse mountain. This is her fortune. However, after refining it, her cultivation has reached a bottleneck. A peak eleventh-realm Coffin Bearer cultivates by reversing yin and yang, bearing immense heavenly misfortune. She has already incurred heavenly wrath and human resentment. The reason Tan Xin has become this way is because her peak eleventh-realm cultivation has triggered an unavoidable life-and-death tribulation!"
"Ah?!"
The Star River realm Coffin Bearer's expression turned horrified. "From what I've heard from our predecessors, life-and-death tribulations only occur at the thirteenth realm of ghost cultivation. Why has our Old Ancestor, at the peak of the eleventh realm, provoked such a tribulation?"
"That's why Tan Xin is extraordinary!"
The young Taoist said coldly, "Now, I will perform a technique to temporarily suppress the life-and-death tribulation within Tan Xin's body. Are you willing to protect the Dharma?"
"We are willing to protect the Dharma!"
A group of Coffin Bearers nodded in unison.
Qi Lian Dao immediately set down his bamboo basket, retrieved a golden talisman from its lower compartment, and with a thought, placed it on Tan Xin's forehead. He then pressed his finger to Tan Xin's brow. Instantly, the power of the life-and-death tribulation was borne by both of them. Tan Xin's suffering lessened considerably, while Qi Lian Dao was instantly drenched in sweat.
After about the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the lightning no longer spewed from Tan Xin's mouth and nose. Finally, this life-and-death tribulation was temporarily suppressed. As Qi Lian Dao removed the talisman and placed it back in the bamboo basket, Tan Xin opened her beautiful eyes. She looked at the refined-looking young Taoist before her – the very type she disliked. Yet, he had just saved her life!
"What is your name?" Tan Xin asked.
"I am Qi Lian Dao."
Qi Lian Dao bowed respectfully. "I am a wild cultivator from the mountains. In my youth, I studied Taoism with my master and have cultivated to this Nascent Soul realm. I've only learned the superficial aspects of many mountain techniques, but I am quite proficient in the ways of ghosts and spirits. Seeing your condition just now, I knew your life-and-death tribulation had been prematurely triggered. Thus, I used an ancestral talisman, along with the techniques I learned since childhood, to temporarily seal this life-and-death tribulation and delay its onset."
"Qi Lian Dao, thank you."
Tan Xin's complexion was still not good, but she was, after all, at the peak of the eleventh realm and possessed a twelfth-realm wandering corpse. Killing a mere Nascent Soul realm Taoist was too easy. Thus, a wild and wicked thought flashed through Tan Xin's eyes as she smiled, "It seems you are quite capable. Why don't you stay by my side? If you can help me overcome this life-and-death tribulation, I will bestow upon you the title of strategist for the Coffin Bearer lineage. When I truly become a Ghost King and dominate the land, I will even grant you the title of National Advisor."
"Ah?!"
Qi Lian Dao pursed his lips and feigned a look of being overwhelmed with gratitude, his small face flushed. "Old Ancestor, your kindness is truly... I am truly worried that my abilities are insufficient and I would disappoint Old Ancestor's good intentions!"
"Just tell me, do you have the confidence to help me overcome the great life-and-death tribulation?"
"Yes."
Qi Lian Dao nodded heavily. "If Old Ancestor is willing to cooperate fully with me, I have at least an eighty percent... no, a ninety percent chance of helping Old Ancestor overcome the life-and-death tribulation and become a true twelfth-realm cultivator!"
"Mm."
Tan Xin nodded and smiled. Now, this frail Taoist looked somewhat more pleasing to her eyes.
...
Eleven o'clock in the morning.
Lin Zhao had still not woken up. Although he had said yesterday that he would wake up a bit later to catch up on sleep, sleeping for ten hours straight was indeed a bit excessive. Could there be someone he was reluctant to leave his bed for?! Roman pursed her red lips and glanced at Lin Zhao's door. It shouldn't be. Chen Xue was watering flowers in the garden, Shen Xingchen was sitting on the sofa playing with her phone, and Xiao Xue was helping Sister Ju stir-fry in the kitchen. Could there be another woman?
As Roman was lost in thought, Lin Zhao finally woke up. He had just finished washing up, pushed open his door, and appeared with a bright smile, full of energy. Roman felt as if she were seeing a ray of light.
"Awake?"
Shen Xingchen looked up at him and smiled. "Are you ready?"
"Mhm!"
Lin Zhao smiled. In the entire studio, only Shen Xingchen's mind could keep pace with his. He lightly swung his arms. "After we eat and drink our fill, it's time to log in and stack the God-Slaying Blood-Drinking attributes. I'll stack it for 24 hours straight. I don't believe I can't defeat that final boss!"
"Alright!"
Shen Xingchen smiled. "Then today I won't do anything else but collect 10 True Martial Scrolls. You can find me then."
"Mhm!"
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile. "Good going, Xingchen. Anyone who marries you in the future will have accumulated eight lifetimes of good fortune!"
Shen Xingchen smiled faintly, a thought flashing through her mind. Why don't you marry me? Are you afraid?
Immediately, her pretty face flushed crimson. What was she thinking? This guy belonged to A Yan! She hurriedly convinced herself that she wasn't thinking about anything else, but had promised to assist him wholeheartedly. Naturally, she had to consider everything for him every step of the way, and do as she said. Shen Xingchen was not one to break her word.