Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The wind whistled in my ears, carrying with it the earthy smell unique to the land abandoned by the gods.

The stone lion's four hooves seemed to move with the wind, treading steadily through the void.

Su Qing sat upright on the broad back of the stone lion, her red clothes fluttering in the wind.

She squinted slightly, her gaze sweeping over the desolate, gray earth below.

There is no greenery here, only endless black rocks and cracked yellow earth. Occasionally, you can see a few huge animal bones half-buried in the soil, which have turned grayish-white after thousands of years of weathering.

Gu Xiang stood half a step behind her, his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his posture upright like a pine tree.

The three disciples of the Moving Mountain Sect rode two other stone lions, standing guard on the left and right sides of the front, their expressions extremely respectful.

"Your Majesty."

The younger disciple on the left couldn't help but turn around and glance at Su Qing before quickly lowering his head again, as if even looking at her would be a desecration.

"Ahead lies the Cliff of Broken Souls. After crossing the cliff, travel another hundred miles to reach the Abyss of Burial Gods."

Su Qing nodded slightly, her expression indifferent.

"In this land forsaken by the gods, the earth element is so violent that ordinary cultivators can hardly move an inch. Yet your Mountain Moving Sect has adapted quite well."

Su Qing's voice was cold and aloof, carrying an air of superiority.

The older disciple, named Zhao Shanhe, smiled wryly upon hearing this and cupped his hands in greeting, saying:

"Your Majesty, it's not that our disciples have adapted well, it's just that... there's nothing we can do."

"The sect's mental cultivation method, the Mountain Moving Technique, is inherently close to the earth element. Although cultivation is difficult in this land abandoned by the gods, it can be considered as having some geographical advantages."

"But this advantageous location was obtained by trading the sect's fortune over ten thousand years."

Su Qing raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Zhao Shanhe sighed, his gaze becoming somewhat distant.

"Your Majesty should know that ten thousand years ago, our Mountain Moving Sect did not have a foothold here."

"At that time, the Mountain Moving Sect was located in the place where the spiritual veins of the Central Plains converged. The sect had several Great Saints and a Quasi-Emperor in charge, making it one of the top sects in the world."

At this point, a hint of pride appeared on Zhao Shanhe's face, but it quickly faded away.

"And then?" Gu Xiang suddenly asked, his voice low.

Zhao Shanhe glanced at Gu Xiang. Although he didn't know the identity of the man in black, he didn't dare to be negligent since he was the Empress's guard.

"Later... the sect suffered a great calamity."

The round-faced disciple on the right picked up the conversation, his tone tinged with resentment.

"At that time, a great calamity struck the heavens and earth, and evil spirits from beyond the realm invaded, causing immense suffering to the people of the Central Plains."

"All the major sects are trying to protect themselves, but our Mountain Moving Sect's founder is stubborn and led the entire sect to fight against the evil forces."

"That battle was earth-shattering."

"The sect has exhausted all its resources, suffering heavy casualties, and is on the verge of being wiped out."

The round-faced disciple's eyes reddened as he spoke.

Su Qing listened quietly, but a ripple of emotion stirred within her.

This kind of foolishness—willing to exterminate an entire family for the greater good—is somewhat similar to the simpleton behind him.

"Just when the sect was about to be destroyed, a great demon suddenly appeared."

Zhao Shanhe's voice suddenly became impassioned.

"That great demon... he was a truly peerless powerhouse."

"She was dressed in red, walked barefoot, and had nine enormous fox tails behind her that blotted out the sky. As soon as she appeared, she suppressed the evil spirits within a radius of ten thousand miles."

Su Qing's fingers, resting on her knees, trembled slightly.

Red clothes, bare feet, nine tails.

This description sounds so familiar.

She subconsciously touched her face.

Su Qing remained expressionless, simply asking calmly:

"What happened to that powerful demon afterward?"

Zhao Shanhe's eyes were filled with reverence.

"After that great demon saved the sect, he did not ask for any reward, but simply stayed in the back mountain of the sect for a period of time."

She said she prefers peace and quiet and finds Zhongzhou too noisy.

"The patriarch then gave up the sect's best spiritual peak for the great demon to rest on."

"Those days were the most glorious time for the Mountain Moving Sect."

"Although the great demon is somewhat lazy and usually only likes to sunbathe and sleep, he occasionally gives the patriarch a few pointers, which greatly benefit the patriarch."

Su Qing's lips twitched slightly.

Lazy.

Sunbathing.

go to bed.

It's confirmed; it's that lazy bum who's the real deal.

"And then?" Su Qing suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and continued to ask.

"Later, the great demon introduced two distinguished guests."

Zhao Shanhe's expression became even more solemn.

"They were a perfect couple; the man was incomparably handsome, and the woman was stunningly beautiful."

"They call themselves the Phoenix and the Phoenix."

Gu Xiang gripped the sword hilt tightly.

Phoenix and Phoenix.

Those are the two Phoenix Emperors.

It is also the source of his and Su Qing's destiny.

Unexpectedly, in this land forsaken by the gods, I was able to hear about their past.

"The Phoenix Emperors and that great demon seemed to be old acquaintances. The three of them drank and talked about the Dao in the back mountain for several days."

"The patriarch was fortunate enough to be by his side, listening with rapt attention."

Zhao Shanhe's tone suddenly turned heavy as he spoke.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long.

"The two Phoenix Emperors seem to be hiding from some enemy, or perhaps being hunted down by the Heavenly Dao."

"Before they left, they left behind a sycamore sapling and entrusted it to the patriarch to take care of."

"He also stated that this tree is related to a great destiny in the future, and if it can be protected, the Mountain Moving Sect can be guaranteed to prosper for ten thousand generations."

"For the sake of this sapling, the patriarch made a decision."

Zhao Shanhe pointed to the desolate land beneath his feet.

"The patriarch said that the people of Zhongzhou are too numerous and their eyes are too dim to guard such a divine object."

"Therefore, he used his great mountain-moving supernatural power to uproot the entire sect and relocate the whole sect to this land abandoned by the gods."

"Although the environment here is harsh and the spiritual energy is thin, it is remote and has a natural earth-elemental array to conceal the secrets of heaven."

"Our patriarch offered the sect's fortune as a sacrifice and made a vow here to guard the phoenix tree for generations until the phoenix returns."

The wind seemed to be getting stronger.

The wind made everyone's robes flutter loudly.

Looking down at the desolate land below, Su Qing felt a tightness in her chest.

For a promise.

For a vague and illusory destiny.

A once-glorious major corporation willingly exiled itself, guarding this godforsaken place for ten thousand years.

We will guard it until talent dwindles and the tradition is severed.

They even went so far as to distort the ancestral master's last instructions, turning them into a desire to refine the phoenix tree in order to awaken the ancestor's obsession.

What is this?

Blind loyalty?

Or is it sorrow?

"What about the great demon?" Su Qing asked. "Did she come with you too?"

Zhao Shanhe shook his head.

"Great demons are naturally free-spirited and dislike being bound by constraints."

"She showed up to see the sect off when it moved."

"She left behind a Dharma image to guard the sect's main hall, saying that it could protect the sect should the sect be wiped out."

"After that, she left, saying she was going to seek some kind of opportunity with the Broken Emperor."

"Since then, the sect has honored the Great Demon Lord as the Goddess Houtu, offering sacrifices to her day and night with incense burning continuously."

Su Qing fell silent.

The cause and effect here is truly a chaotic mess.

"Your Majesty."

The round-faced disciple, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke, his voice choked with emotion.

"The disciples are incompetent and unable to safeguard the legacy of our ancestor."

"The earthy atmosphere of this forsaken land is too heavy, constantly eroding the meridians of cultivators."

"The geniuses in the sect either die young or their cultivation stagnates."

"For thousands of years, no saint has ever emerged from our sect."

"Even the ancestor who is currently asleep only managed to stay alive by sealing himself in the divine source using a secret technique."

"If we don't find a solution soon... the Mountain Moving Sect will be wiped out."

As the round-faced disciple spoke, tears streamed down his face.

It hit the stone lion's back and dried instantly in the wind.

Su Qing looked at his young yet weathered face and sighed inwardly.

In this world, who has an easy life?

Gu Xiang stood behind her and gently touched the back of Su Qing's hand.

That was a silent comfort.

This is also a reminder.

No matter how pitiful the Mountain Moving Sect may be, they stole the Wutong Tree and disturbed Su Qing's true form; this is a mortal enmity.

Sympathy is one thing.

Every single debt that needs to be settled must be settled.

Su Qing came to her senses, her eyes regaining their coldness.

"If that's the case, why did you disturb the paulownia tree at Falling Phoenix Slope?"

"The patriarch instructed you to protect it, not to steal from it."

Zhao Shanhe trembled and quickly knelt down on the stone lion's back.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"The disciples were forced into this situation!"

"The ancestor's lifespan is coming to an end, and his divine source will soon be unable to be sealed."

"Elder Liu deduced the secrets of heaven, saying that the phoenix tree on Falling Phoenix Slope has matured, and the vitality it contains is enough to allow the Ancestor to live another life, and even... even help the Ancestor break through to the Quasi-Emperor realm!"

"In order to ensure the continuation of the sect and to prevent the Mountain Moving Sect from losing its lineage, Elder Liu... that's why he resorted to this desperate measure."

"We thought that as long as we extracted the life force from the tree and left the roots, it could grow back in the future..."

Su Qing gave a cold laugh.

"Will it grow back?"

"That's the sacred tree where the phoenix roosts, not the roadside weeds."

"To damage the foundation is to destroy the Great Way."

"You are cutting off your own escape route."

Zhao Shanhe lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise his head, his whole body trembling.

"This disciple knows his mistake...this disciple knows his mistake..."

"Please, Your Majesty, have mercy and save the Mountain Moving Sect!"

The other two disciples also knelt down, their cries carried away by the wind, making the scene seem particularly desolate.

Su Qing did not speak.

She looked ahead.

At the edge of the gray sky, a huge crack appeared.

It's like a gaping maw of a deep abyss, stretching across the land.

Black mist surged from the cracks, churning and roaring.

That place is the Abyss of Burial Gods.

Su Qing could sense a familiar and comforting aura emanating from the depths of the abyss.

Get up.

Su Qing said calmly.

"Take me to see Elder Liu."

Zhao Shanhe and the others felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They quickly got up and urged the stone lion to move forward faster.

Gu Xiang watched Su Qing's retreating figure with a complex expression in his eyes.

He knew that Su Qing had softened her heart.

Although she said she would settle accounts, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to kill these pitiful creatures who had kept their promise for millennia.

This is his Qing'er.

Stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside.

Despite being a demon, she is more compassionate and righteous than many others.

The stone lion leaped over the Cliff of Broken Souls and plunged headlong into the boundless black mist.

The surrounding light dimmed instantly.

An oppressive atmosphere enveloped us.

Su Qing straightened her back, her red dress standing out starkly in the darkness.

Regardless of the difficulties the Mountain Moving Sect may have.

Regardless of the cause and effect ten thousand years ago.

Nowadays.

She wants to take back what belongs to her.

Su Mu Zhe: The Old Story of Moving Mountains

The clouds are flying in disarray, and the wind is ominous.

In this desolate wasteland, who has made a promise of love?

Old stories fade like smoke in the wind.

The Nine-Tailed Fox once covered the sky and used this place as a pavilion.

My heart is heavy with sorrow, for the past is gone.

My homeland is hard to return to; only tears remain.

Do not say that the path to immortality is too arduous.

With a single, unwavering conviction, one can disregard life and death.