ven't had the soup, you can't cross the Naihe Bridge."I gazed at the river flowing beneath the bamboo raft, one by one, souls imprisoned below, gazing upward at those above.I couldn't help but ask, "W...Mu Wanchen introduced me with a hint of pride. The lord's son, Beidang Xi, slightly pursed his lips and bowed to me, saying, "Since you are the princess, I should pay my respects to you."

Given his rugged attire, I thought he was from a savage tribe, but to my surprise, he is quite polite.

Ancient people placed great emphasis on the order of heaven, earth, ruler, parents, teacher, elder and younger, superior and inferior. Regardless of his age, he was still a prince. As for kings and queens from other cities, they would be one rank lower in status.

"No..." I wanted to say, it wasn't necessary.

Mú Wǎn chén smiled and glanced at me, saying in a low voice: "It's only right to treat him like this. Let him know that he needs to be respectful towards you, so he won't dare to have any improper thoughts."

An unreasonable thought Look at myself, this unkempt appearance. I'd be perfectly safe walking down the street like this. Mu Wanchen is worrying too much.

After bowing, Bei Tang Xi turned and mounted his unusual beast. He bowed to us again and said, “I’ll be going first. I’ll turn back and tell my clan not to come. Head in this direction for five hundred miles, there’s a large lake. We’ll meet there in two days!”

"Five hundred miles in two days How is that possible" I frowned.

"Haha, with the ability of your husband, Your Highness, this is not a problem. Farewell!"

His rebuttal came as another wave of noise, dust swirling in its wake.

I waved my hand, scattering a bit of dust, and said to Mu Wanchen, “Look at me now, who would even have evil thoughts about me I'm not bragging, but I've been safe from start to finish. My sister is the school flower, she attracts all the attention.”

Mu Wanchen shook his head. "A scholar has his own radiance. Compared to the people here, you are naturally endowed with brilliance... making others respect you, even afraid to look directly at you, that's the effective way to protect yourself... Some budding threats must be nipped in the bud."

Is it that serious

But then I thought, if Mu Wanchen wasn't by my side, if I encountered some strange person and they wanted to kill or injure me, I wouldn't even be able to call for help—this place is like a prehistoric wasteland, with vast oceans surrounding it, nine regions stretching across it, and countless islands, fairy mountains, and stars scattered throughout.

Perhaps here there are only two things that can protect oneself—status and power.

Hearing Beidang Xi's words just now, the divine witch and wizards live in a place called "Yun Zhong Xian Shan," and the people on land all submit to the divine witch.

And the city where we are staying temporarily was once a ghost town.

Were all the people inside originally dead Swallowed by a ghost realm within the mirage, with both sinister Qi and illusory mirages, how long could an ordinary person survive Perhaps this is why it's become an abandoned city in ruins.

"To live in such a haunted place... those shamans are really heartless. You're their descendant in the mortal realm, at least treat you better..." I looked at the silent city and said with displeasure.

"... It was probably a thousand or hundreds of years ago, by now there isn't even a bone left in this city, it must have been cleaned up. After so long, any evil energy would have dissipated." Mu Wanchen wasn't disgusted by this place.

I also know that having a roof over your head and a place to call home is already a blessing.

"Was that divine messenger a fox spirit She, she had a scent on her... even with the herbs covering it up, I could still smell it." I wrinkled my nose.

"Haha..." Mu Wanchen rubbed my head, "She's a nine-tailed fox from the Qingqiu Mountain. She's good at shapeshifting and deception, loves to eat humans, and often uses the sound of a baby crying to lure people in..."

"She eats people!!" I was startled.

"You silly girl, if she ate people, she would be a beast forever… Even if she could shapeshift, she'd be a beastly demon. Facing tribulation would be like courting death. But now she can shapeshift and even become one of the Divine Witch's messengers. How do you think she cultivated"

"How does one practice cultivation These strange occurrences are beyond my comprehension..." I shook my head.

Although they are animals, they are spiritual. They hear the Way in the morning and reflect on it in the evening... In fact, they are like humans, with kind thoughts, good deeds, virtuous words, diligent efforts, and refined minds... However, it is harder for animals than for humans to attain enlightenment.

Mu Wanchen let out a light sigh: "In the matter of cultivation, people are gifted by heaven, but how many people will devote themselves to it Not to mention deep cultivation, even in their daily lives, they have nothing to do with the word 'cultivation'. Therefore, the world is filled with anger... Master once talked about this matter, and he could only sneer."

"A cold snort" I imagined the aloof tone and expression of the Emperor.

“He said, the earthly karma is like a mountain, hard to solve, and the blood pool of hell is full of sins like the sea, hard to change... With no good thoughts and rampant malice, it's easy for those with ill intentions to use it to overturn the balance of yin and yang.” Mu Wanchen frowned and said.

"The master also said that the three families, monasticism, Taoism, and secularism, actually have very limited power in the yang realm. Monasticism is a foreign religion, although it has integrated into the local culture, but how many great masters are there now who preach and educate believers, and how many believers truly believe"

"Taoism has always been about not transmitting knowledge casually, and only passing it on when the timing is right. It emphasizes fate and follows the principle of emerging during chaotic times to help the people and retreating into seclusion for cultivation during periods of peace."

"Not to mention witches... Since the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, witches entered the imperial court. Behind the governance of the country and the people, there were always shadows of witchcraft. Even during the Qin and Han dynasties, the notion of immortality reached its peak, but it also started to decline from then on… When that Mr. Beidang Xi just now announced his surname, I had a general idea of his background."

Mu Wanchen held my hand, and we walked slowly along the edge of this field of wheat.

Originally, the surname Beitang originated from "Beigong," a descendant of the Ji clan who took their fiefdom as their surname. The family thrived for about six hundred years. However, during the late Qin Dynasty, they suffered a disaster and fled during the chaos. When fleeing, they triggered a secret method left behind by their ancestors, and only a small number of descendants survived and arrived here.

About ten million years ago, the Ten Witches of Ling Mountain were still active in the human world. Those wise men who had met them by chance left behind their teachings. When a calamity came to wipe out their race, there was still a glimmer of hope.

I frowned slightly and said, “I’ve heard sighs several times, and faint whispers too, but the voices are so ethereal and indistinct that I can’t tell if they’re male or female.”

Mu Wanchen stopped in his tracks, lowered his gaze to look at me: "That should be one of the Divine Shamans. I suspect it's... the Witch Mother."

The Witch Mother... the only woman among the Ten Witches of Ling Mountain, it's unclear whether she is compassionate or willful. This goddess is too elusive to fathom.

"We...should we just go back" I couldn't help but say, "I feel like fate is being manipulated here, and it makes me very uncomfortable. I'm also worried about you."

"What are we going to do Leave these people behind After all this turmoil, there are hardly any left…" Mu Wanchen's eyes flashed with a pang of pain.

I know, now the remaining people, including those who are temporarily living in Miao Wang City, the Wu Wangshan City's direct subjects, add up to only one-third of the original number.

This could also be another form of natural selection, the law of nature.

But seeing these people suffering, Mu Wanchen couldn't just stand idly by.

"...Let's get Lord Jiejing out first, then we can figure something out." I shook my head, not daring to say more.

I'm afraid.

I'm afraid I might become cruel.of being the most powerful mage, Shen Qingrui would definitely not shirk from such a task. After the head steward assigned her the mission, she set off for the neighboring province.After two days, I c...