Yuchi Mengxing raced all the way toward the inner region of the mountain, moving so quickly that her small figure resembled a streak of sword light flashing through the forest.
Before long, she arrived at the boundary.
A faintly shimmering barrier stood before her.
Yuchi Mengxing slowed to a stop and curiously reached out.
The moment her fingertips touched it, she blinked.
It felt almost like pressing her palm against an impossibly clear pane of glass.
Solid.
Smooth.
Yet when she pressed a little harder, the sensation changed.
It suddenly felt like the surface of flowing water.
Ripples spread outward from beneath her palm, circle after circle, shimmering faintly in the air.
Yuchi Mengxing’s eyes immediately lit up.
“This is…
a barrier?” Her voice was filled with curiosity and excitement.
At that moment, an elderly ghost slowly floated forward.
His soul was faint and mottled, almost transparent in places, as though he might disappear at any moment.
“The beasts within the inner region are all at least Rank Four,” the old ghost explained in a deep voice.
“Long ago, our predecessors feared that these powerful beasts would escape and harm the people outside, so they established this barrier.” He glanced toward the dense forest beyond.
“At the same time, the inner region became an excellent place for younger generations to train.” “I see…” Yuchi Mengxing nodded thoughtfully.
Then her attention shifted from the barrier to the elderly ghost.
She studied him carefully.
“Old Senior.” “Hm?” “Your soul is already so faded that it’s practically falling apart.” The old ghost fell silent.
Yuchi Mengxing continued seriously, “I’m guessing the living world forgot about you a long time ago.
Why haven’t you gone to the Nether Realm to reincarnate?” The old ghost’s expression became melancholy.
He didn’t answer.
He simply hovered quietly in the air, as though some invisible attachment had chained him to this place.
Seeing his expression, Yuchi Mengxing sighed softly.
The mischievous light in her eyes faded, replaced by an unusual gentleness.
“The mortal world is only the mortal world,” she said quietly.
“Human lives are short.
A lifetime passes in the blink of an eye.” She looked at the old man’s fading soul.
“You must have had something you couldn’t let go of before you died.
Unfortunately, you fell before breaking through the Heaven Rank, so your obsession kept your remaining soul here.” Yuchi Mengxing shook her head, a trace of regret appearing on her young face.
“But a thousand years have already passed.” She paused.
“There probably isn’t anyone left in this world who remembers you anymore.” The old ghost trembled faintly.
“So why keep holding on?” For a long moment, there was silence.
Then the old man gave a long, weary sigh.
“You are right.” His voice sounded even older than before.
“A thousand years have passed…
No wonder this remnant of my soul grows fainter with each passing year.” He looked down at his nearly transparent hands.
“If I had managed to break through the Heaven Rank back then, perhaps this remnant soul of mine could have endured for ten thousand years.” “Maybe.” Yuchi Mengxing clasped both hands behind her back.
Then her eyes suddenly curved with a sly little smile.
“Old Senior, since you were kind enough to warn me about the inner region…” She tilted her head.
“I’ll send you to the Nether Realm and let you reincarnate.” The old ghost stared at her in surprise.
Before he could respond, Yuchi Mengxing had already reached into the shoulder bag hanging at her side.
She pulled out a thick stack of yellow spirit paper.
Her movements were so practiced that it looked as natural as flipping through the pages of a book.
With a flick of her fingers— Rustle!
The papers scattered into the air.
Yuchi Mengxing raised her hand.
Flames immediately sprang to life.
The pale yellow fire gradually deepened into orange-red as the spirit paper burned.
Thin streams of smoke curled upward.
Ashes drifted through the air like tiny black butterflies, carried higher and higher by the night breeze.
A faint burnt fragrance filled the surroundings.
Strangely, the atmosphere became solemn.
Even the little ghosts hiding nearby stopped moving.
None dared make a sound.
Yuchi Mengxing reached into her bag again.
This time, she withdrew a vermilion talisman.
Under the moonlight, the talisman paper gave off a faint glow.
The intricate markings drawn across its surface seemed almost alive, flickering with traces of golden light.
Yuchi Mengxing brought two fingers together.
Her expression became serious.
She formed a hand seal and abruptly threw the talisman into the air.
At the same time, an ancient incantation flowed from her lips.
The syllables were strange and difficult to understand.
The surrounding ghosts stared blankly.
They couldn’t understand a single word.
Yet for some reason, every one of them instinctively felt a deep sense of awe.
Before long— the night sky changed.
A thin crack suddenly appeared across the darkness above.
Then— Whoosh!
A pillar of golden light descended from the heavens.
It landed directly upon the elderly ghost.
His fading soul was immediately enveloped in a sphere of warm golden radiance.
Slowly, his body became lighter.
More transparent.
Then he began to rise.
The old ghost looked down at Yuchi Mengxing.
There was no longer any melancholy in his eyes.
Only gratitude.
Just before he disappeared, he suddenly raised one hand.
The space beside him rippled.
An ancient book materialized from the void.
Its thick cover was covered in cracks, and its pages carried the unmistakable marks of countless years.
The book’s glow was dim.
Yet even from below, Yuchi Mengxing could sense something profound hidden within it.
The old man’s voice echoed through the golden light.
“Junior, this ancient manuscript was also the reason I lost my life all those years ago.” Yuchi Mengxing’s eyes widened slightly.
The old man smiled.
“Now that I am finally leaving to reincarnate, I can no longer wait for my descendants.” His gaze softened.
“Let this manuscript belong to you.” The next instant— the golden light erupted brilliantly.
Yuchi Mengxing instinctively narrowed her eyes.
And just as quickly as it had appeared, the pillar of light vanished.
The old man’s soul disappeared with it.
Only a faint warmth lingered in the air.
Meanwhile, the ancient book slowly descended from above, as though supported by an invisible hand.
Yuchi Mengxing hurried forward and caught it.
The moment the heavy book landed in her arms, her heart gave a strange little thump.
She lowered her head and stared at the cracked cover.
There was definitely something unusual about this thing.
Something very unusual.
But this clearly wasn’t the place to study it.
Without hesitation, Yuchi Mengxing carefully tucked the precious manuscript into her shoulder bag.
Then she turned back toward the barrier.
“All right.” She rubbed her hands together.
“Now for the real business.” Yuchi Mengxing raised both hands and rapidly formed a series of seals.
Faint spiritual light gathered around her fingertips.
Her eyes sharpened.
Her aura sank.
Then she pointed directly at the barrier.
“Break!” The water-like barrier suddenly trembled.
Ripples spread wildly across its surface.
Then— Crack!
A tiny opening was forcibly torn through it.
It wasn’t large.
Barely wide enough for her small body to squeeze through.
But for Yuchi Mengxing?
More than enough.
Her eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, she bent down and slipped straight through the opening.
The instant she crossed over, the barrier behind her rippled softly.
The opening closed.
Within moments, the barrier returned to perfect stillness.
Not even the slightest crack remained.
Yuchi Mengxing finally stepped into the inner region.
This time, she didn’t immediately rush forward.
Her pace slowed.
Her round eyes darted left and right as she carefully observed the unfamiliar surroundings.
Excitement filled her face.
But beneath that excitement was unmistakable caution.
After all, she might be reckless— but she wasn’t stupid.
This was the inner region.
Even the weakest beasts here were Rank Four.
Still…
Yuchi Mengxing rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she stared deeper into the forest.
A sly smile gradually appeared on her face.
“Tsk, this place really is different…” Her eyes gleamed.
“Maybe I can just grab something around here and make a fortune.” With that thought, she continued deeper into the forest.
Her small figure bounced lightly between the trees like a mischievous little fox.
Clearly nervous.
Clearly cautious.
Yet still pretending— as always— that she wasn’t afraid of anything.