A white cloud drifted leisurely across the horizon.
Gu Zhao pointed at the landscape below. "If we carve a path through the mountains and build bridges over the waters along this valley, it won't take much effort," he said casually. "As long as wheelbarrows can pass through, it will be enough for the two regions to trade and share resources."
Thousands of years ago, a single plank road connecting the Shu Region and Guanzhong was enough to turn the former into a reliable rear base for the latter. In Gu Zhao's eyes, the Southern Border was mountainous but not particularly treacherous. Even if they had to take a few detours, they could still carve out a trade route connecting the Southern Border to the Central Plains.
Once the road was open, the unique local products of the Southern Border would flow continuously into the Central Plains in exchange for food, knowledge, tools, clothing, and other necessities. While it might not instantly turn the Southern Border into a paradise, doubling or tripling their quality of life so they no longer had to worry about basic survival would certainly be achievable.
Bai Yiqi listened carefully, but after a moment of thought, she shook her head. "Palace Master, you are oversimplifying things. The situation in the Southern Border Mountains is incredibly complex. The mountain folk have vastly different customs, and some tribes even hold deep-seated grudges against one another.
"On top of that, these lands are teeming with Demons, Spirits, and Gods. Some are reasonable, while others possess foul tempers. Some are friendly toward humans, but others treat the mortals in their territories as their exclusive property. Some refuse to associate with outsiders altogether, and some even harbor old grudges against Cyan Hill Mountain.
"Let alone fostering trade between the various regions of the Southern Border, merely building a single road from Cyan Hill Mountain to the Central Plains would be an arduous, monumental task fraught with endless obstacles."
Gu Zhao replied nonchalantly, "If they're reasonable, we reason with them. If they have foul tempers, we beat them until their tempers improve. If they're friendly, we make friends. And if they treat their territories as their exclusive property, we pay them a visit and 'negotiate' until they change their minds.
"As for those who hold grudges against Cyan Hill Mountain... the Celestial Fox Lineage has always been kind to humanity, and most of you are Spirit Monarchs. I imagine anyone who considers you an enemy isn't exactly a saint, right?"
Bai Yiqi stared blankly at him. Hearing him speak with such grand, sweeping ambition, tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes. At his final question, she hurriedly replied, "They are sinister and ruthless. They treat the mortal commoners like livestock and slaves."
Gu Zhao nodded. "In that case, there's no need for negotiations at all. Doesn't that make things even more convenient?"
Bai Yiqi was left speechless, her eyes wide with shock.
She and her sister had stayed at the Daluo Palace for several days, so they were naturally familiar with the sect's modus operandi. The palace was truly dedicated to upholding righteousness and eradicating evil, displaying a hatred for wickedness that bordered on zealous. They were even more radical than the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court recorded in the ancient texts of Cyan Hill Mountain.
"But the ones who hold a grudge against us are incredibly powerful!" Bai Yixuan, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, skipped over and chimed in. "Celestial Monarch Ba, Xiong Wuji, and the Red-haired Ghost all have several thousand years of Dao Practice. There's also the Earth Element Divine King; rumor has it that he is not far from achieving Ten Thousand Years of Dao Practice!"
Gu Zhao maintained a straight face. "I never said we were going to wipe them out right this second."
The elderly Daoists chuckled at his words, and Ye Ruyan and the other three Guardian Star Officials couldn't help but smile. Naturally, they didn't believe they were incapable of defeating such foes; they simply needed more time to prepare. After all, the true enemy they were preparing to face was the Great Sun Profound Light Celestial Demon Ancestor. This was the terrifying entity who had descended to the mortal realm ten thousand years ago, churning the winds of chaos and nearly transforming the entire world into a Demon Realm.
Compared to this Demon Ancestor, both Celestial Monarch Ba and the Earth Element Divine King were little more than insignificant specks.
Bai Yixuan didn't fully grasp the implications, but Bai Yiqi had discreetly gathered enough information about the Daluo Palace's true background. Seeing the absolute confidence radiating from the group, she couldn't help but feel a profound sense of awe.
***
Suddenly, a violent gust of black wind whipped up from nearby. The black wind billowed out from a cavern in a mountain ravine. As it breached the surface, it swirled in a tight circle. Faint sounds of eerie weeping and maniacal laughter echoed from within it—a chilling, sorrowful wail steeped in twisted malice.
A moment later, the dark squall surged down the ravine, sweeping ominously over the forest canopy. The birds and insects in the mountains fell dead silent, while tigers and leopards cowered on the ground, reacting as if they had encountered their ultimate predator.
Since Gu Zhao and his group were at a high vantage point, they had a clear view of the black wind's trajectory. Past seven or eight mountain peaks lay a small mountain village nestled in a forested valley beside a trickling stream. The village was quite small, housing perhaps no more than a hundred people who lived in humble thatched huts and survived by fishing and hunting.
Perhaps spurred by some instinctual premonition, an elderly man in the village who was weaving straw sandals suddenly lifted his head, furrowing his brow as he gazed into the distance. Though he saw nothing but the blue sky, white clouds, and a gentle breeze, a sudden wave of dread washed over him.
He squinted his eyes. In the distant horizon, a brief flash of light pierced the sky. Then, a peculiar black-and-white phenomenon plummeted from the heavens, landing several mountains away from the village.
"It's the gods!" The old man hastily dropped his straw sandals, fell to his knees in devout reverence, and kowtowed toward the horizon.
By his fourth or fifth kowtow, the creeping dread that had gripped his heart vanished. It was as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his chest, leaving his entire being feeling lighter and refreshed. When he finally completed his ninth kowtow and looked up, he noticed that the other villagers were still going about their daily chores, entirely oblivious to what had just occurred.
"Phew—" The old man let out a long sigh of relief. After thoroughly scanning the sky once more and finding no further anomalies, he picked up his materials, sat back on the small wooden stool by his door, and resumed weaving his straw sandals.
***
Meanwhile, at the exact moment the old man had been kowtowing, Taoist Qingwei had drawn his longsword. With a single strike, he conjured a Tai Chi Diagram that instantly enveloped the black wind.
A mere Ghost with just over three hundred years of Dao Practice was absolutely no match for Taoist Qingwei. As the Tai Chi Diagram rotated slightly, the black wind was halted in its tracks. Caught in the gravitational pull of a localized cyclone, it was forced to spin helplessly in a tight circle.
"Who dares—" a voice shrieked from within the dark squall. But before the entity could even finish its threat, it abruptly changed its tune. "Senior, please spare my life!"
Its pleas fell on deaf ears. A tremendous suction force erupted from the Tai Chi Diagram, dragging the swirling black wind into its vortex and hoisting it violently toward the glowing symbol in the sky.
The black and white halves of the Tai Chi Diagram converged as Yin and Yang rotated in perfect harmony. They emitted two distinct streams of Sword Qi—one of Pure Yang and the other of pure Yin—which seamlessly blended into the terrifying vortex. Even from a distance, the Ghost trapped inside the black wind could feel the piercing chill of the Sword Qi. The oppressive energy mangled the dark winds and threatened to tear its Divine Soul apart.
"When did I ever offend you, Senior?!" the entity in the black wind screamed in terror. "I am willing to kowtow and apologize! Please, spare my life!"
Taoist Qingwei ignored him completely. With a slight downward flick of his sword tip, the black wind was entirely swallowed by the Tai Chi Diagram. As the Yin Yang Sword Qi swept over it, the entity in the black wind managed to hold on for a mere four or five breaths.
By the time the old man in the distant mountain village had completed his sixth kowtow, the Ghost had been thoroughly executed. Its Ghost Body, concealed within the tempest, was shredded to nothingness, and its Divine Soul was utterly annihilated by the Sword Qi.
With the Ghost vanquished, Taoist Qingwei sheathed his longsword. The glowing Tai Chi Diagram dispersed into the air, transforming into wisps of perfectly balanced Yin and Yang energy. This gentle, abundant surge of life-giving Spiritual Qi then rained down upon the surrounding mountain forest.
In an instant, the foliage turned a vibrant, dripping emerald, and countless wildflowers burst into bloom. Within a radius of two to three miles, the area had miraculously transformed into a localized blessed sanctuary, overflowing with rich Spiritual Qi.
Effortlessly smiting a Ghost with three centuries of Dao Practice hadn't delayed the group's journey in the slightest. Before long, the majestic silhouette of Cyan Hill Mountain came into view in the distance.