From Muyun Domain to Ancient Thunder Marsh, there are no transmission arrays on the way. To save time, Xie Jingshan took a Smoke and Mist Light Boat from his Mountain and Sea Building when Jiang Yuebai went to Hongyan Building in the workshop to send a message to Lii Jiuchuan.

As fast as lightning, as light as smoke, fearless of any harsh weather, it’s considered the top-grade among flying magic treasures for multiple people.

Xie Jingshan diligently controlled the Smoke and Mist Light Boat, which resembled an upturned boat, racing through the high sky. He turned to look at the few people behind him.

Ge Yuchan sat on the roof of the cabin, practicing the Flying Needle Technique on the Ten Thousand Years Mystic Ice. The Mystic Ice, which even ordinary magic artifacts found hard to penetrate, was punctured effortlessly by her ordinary needles.

Moreover, she precisely hit the same hole each time until she fully inserted one needle before moving to another spot.

Watching this, Xie Jingshan felt a twinge in his waist, then looked at Yun Shang, who sat at the cabin door, holding Jixiang, facing a line-up of five spiritual rats.

"Jixiang, just open your eyes and see which one you like; you can take it now or take them all. Just go into the chamber with them, and I’ll take care of them during pregnancy and delivery, so you won’t have to worry at all."

Squeak!

"Don’t like these? No problem, I have more, and today I guarantee you’ll find a satisfactory one. Come, come, look at this flower-furred rat, it feeds on spiritual flowers and always carries a floral fragrance. Smell it, isn’t it fragrant..."

Xie Jingshan’s temples twitched wildly. Normally, Yun Shang was silent and even blushed if someone looked at her twice, how come she acted possessed when facing spiritual beasts?

"...Don’t run, I’ll be gentle, I guarantee not to pierce you, really, trust me..."

The sound from inside the cabin was Jiang Yuebai’s. Xie Jingshan leaned sideways past Yun Shang and looked inside, finding Jiang Yuebai pinning Little Green to the ground with a carving knife in her hand.

Jiang Yuebai was very perceptive, turning her head to make eye contact with Xie Jingshan.

"What are you looking at? If you keep staring, I’ll carve a talisman on Little Huo Dou’s forehead too."

Woof!

Little Huo Dou bared its teeth, barked at Jiang Yuebai, emboldened by someone backing it up. When Jiang Yuebai raised her knife, Little Huo Dou quickly shrank back.

However, as soon as Jiang Yuebai turned her head, Little Huo Dou re-appeared, glaring fiercely at her.

Jiang Yuebai ignored them, holding down Little Green to stop it from moving, aiming to carve two talismans on Little Green’s lantern.

Currently, Little Green isn’t weak; its toughness is enough to make even a Golden Core Master vomit blood upon collision.

Yet, it still has a nature similar to the Ghost Lamp, strong in appearance but weak inside, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Coupled with its special traits, it’s prone to accidently causing trouble being out and about.

So, carving Divine Concealment and Turtle Breath talismans on it, turning it into a lantern that can invisibly at will, perfectly solve these issues, no longer needing to stash it away all the time.

It could also appear and disappear unpredictably, launching a surprise attack.

Jiang Yuebai held Little Green steadily, swiftly carving the two talismans on the lantern. However, the talismans were quickly consumed by the fire spiritual energy on Little Green, unable to stay.

Jiang Yuebai had anticipated this situation, with two solutions in mind: one was to find materials that can withstand Little Green’s fire spiritual energy to refine talismanic sand, and the other was to carve several times a day; over time, the talismanic power would remain on the lantern.

Currently, she didn’t have anything on hand, nor clues what material to use, thus opting for the second method, carving it three hundred times daily!

As Jiang Yuebai’s main body held down Little Green to carve talismans, the Crane Feather Avatar and the Puppet Avatar sat opposite, one solving problems, the other drawing.

The problem-solving involved analyzing the "Green Dragon Spear Technique" and "Burning Hundred Spear Technique."

The drawing concerned the Array Map of the Eight Arrays Plate’s sixty-four array signs, approaching completion; once checked and confirmed, refining could proceed.

Handling simultaneously three tasks, enthralling!

The four took turns controlling the Smoke and Mist Light Boat, traveling night and day, finally spotting the undulating mountains, thunderclouds gathering on the horizon, silver lightning flickering on and off after more than ten days.

Crack!

The sky turned dark, thunder light tore through the darkness, colliding with the mountaintop with a majestic and fierce momentum. Getting caught by surprise, Jiang Yuebai shuddered slightly while maneuvering the Smoke and Mist Light Boat.

Traversing the Thunder Marsh being inevitable, yet she couldn’t help feeling nervous inside.

"Is that Yin Mountain over there?"

Yun Shang joined Jiang Yuebai’s side, pointing to the barren mountains with exposed black rocks in the distance.

Jiang Yuebai raised her eyes to look over; indeed, it was Yin Mountain, the place where she endured hardship for five years.

"Let’s go take a look."

Jiang Yuebai adjusted the boat’s course with the Jade Talisman, heading directly for the Yin Mountain Mine.

Upon arrival, they found the mine entirely abandoned, mine carts overturned and scattered, the wooden houses where people once lived half-collapsed and covered in cobwebs.

As they got close, poisonous insects and rats started fleeing from all the various ruins.

Ge Yuchan approached Jiang Yuebai, "I heard after the Land of Azure Flame’s mines were excavated, this mine gradually became abandoned. Later, when the major sects’ hidden realms gradually opened, this place became even more deserted."

Yun Shang nodded, and Xie Jingshan emerged from the cabin, his body emanating acute Sword Qi, having just finished cultivation.

"Why did we come here? Oh, I remember now, I haven’t seen where you trained at the Yin Mountain Mine. I read in your hand-written notes, it’s the place that laid the foundation for your later rise, let’s go, show us around."

Once mentioned by Xie Jingshan, Yun Shang eagerly nodded.

Ge Yuchan also cast a curious look, "After traveling for days, it’s time to find a place to rest a bit."

"Alright, then let’s go take a look."

Jiang Yuebai smiled gently, steering the Smoke and Mist Light Boat around the mountain head, seeking the small spot on the hillside as remembered.

Before long, Jiang Yuebai found the cliff she used to observe lightning.

The Smoke and Mist Light Boat landed, and Jiang Yuebai was the first to jump off the boat, her foot landing on dry leaves, the clear sound sent shivers through her body, raising an indescribable torrent of emotion.

The past vanished like smoke, as if it were just yesterday.

Jiang Yuebai’s breathing quickened slightly, and she walked alone towards the valley’s depths.

Rumble!

Muffled thunder roared, lightning illuminated the dark valley; Jiang Yuebai seemed to see her former self busily bustling every day, traversing the small area with a hatchet in hand.

Reading, practicing, farming, painting talismans, splitting bamboos to make puppets...

The originally cultivated spiritual field had been thoroughly ravaged by small beasts, covered in thick dead leaves, and the bamboo grove beside rustled in the fierce wind.

No one dug the bamboo shoots beneath so many tender green bamboo branches had newly sprouted.

Rustle rustle rustle...

Pushing through the bamboo grove, Jiang Yuebai sighted her bamboo house built against the mountain. It had weathered twenty-some years but still leaned firmly on the mountain, merely strewn with dead leaves and a few white spider webs.

Stepping into the small courtyard overgrown with wild grass, a few Fire Thorns unexpectedly sprouted amidst the weeds in the field on either side, and a slightly spiritual red-striped viper coiled below, hissing towards Jiang Yuebai.

Jiang Yuebai chuckled, ignoring it, pushing open the door. The harsh grinding of the door hinges echoed through the valley, sending a shower of dust plummeting.

In the dim room, the bamboo table, chairs, shelf, and bed she had personally crafted remained. If she remembered correctly, the bamboo cup she casually placed on the table before leaving hadn’t moved.

"Through all these years, no one else has come here."

Jiang Yuebai mused, and after pondering briefly, smiled again; who would yearn for such a dilapidated, barren place?

Revisiting these old haunts, she was overcome with a sense of nostalgia.

Though those days were bitter, there was always a burning passion within, goals and drive, willingly placing herself under the stroke of lightning for body refining.

Unlike now, even the mere thought of it, the heaven’s tribulation has her quaking with fear.

Utterly unworthy!

Suddenly, Jiang Yuebai remembered something, rushing to the area behind the house, crouching down, using her hands to part the thick layer of dead leaves, uncovering the long-inactive Talisman Array and dirt.

Dirt smeared on her clothes, rubbed on her face, after unearthing three or four broken gourds, she finally found one intact.

It was as if finding a long-lost treasure; Jiang Yuebai abruptly smiled, the smile tingling her nose.

Covered in mud, Jiang Yuebai ran to the front of the house, where Xie Jingshan, Yun Shang, and Ge Yuchan were approaching, and eagerly raised her wine gourd.

"The spiritual wine I buried twenty years ago, do you want to try it?"

The three looked at her, her face and body covered in mud, where was the Golden Core Stage leader of the Heavenly Interence Sect, Master Wangshu?

At this moment, she was purely like a child, eager to boast and share good finds with friends.