My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The ghostly soldiers outside waited a few moments, but received no response, so they spoke again:

"If it is inconvenient for you, sir, I can wait here. The local earth god said that you may come whenever it is convenient for you."

The voice was even more respectful, even pleading.

Miao Gui was stunned.

He had been traveling through these mountains for three years and had become accustomed to the rampant and domineering behavior of those ghostly soldiers.

When have I ever seen them begging so humbly?

Just then, Ye Qingfeng opened his eyes.

The moment those eyes opened, it seemed as if two beams of light flashed.

He looked towards the door, his brows furrowing slightly, and raised his right hand, tapping his thumb lightly on his knuckles a few times.

Shen Zhaoyue had been observing him silently from the side. Seeing him calculating, she couldn't help but ask:

"Master, what's going on?"

Ye Qingfeng did not answer.

He calculated for a few moments, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and suddenly he let out a cold snort:

"There are quite a few guests tonight."

The voice carried a hint of amusement, yet also a hint of coldness.

Lu Yang and Miao Gui exchanged a glance, neither of them understanding what he was talking about.

Ye Qingfeng stood up.

He walked up to Lü Yang and reached out to take the azure flying sword from his back.

The sword trembled slightly in his hand, emitting a low hum, as if responding to his touch. The light on the sword shifted and shimmered, casting his face in half-light and half-shadow.

Ye Qingfeng handed the sword to Lü Yang:

"Leave this sword here."

Lü Yang was taken aback:

"Immortal Master, what is this...?"

Ye Qingfeng looked at him:

"If anything happens, just call out 'Please, my darling, lend a hand.' This sword will protect you."

Lü Yang took the sword with both hands and nodded emphatically:

"Disciple understands!"

Ye Qingfeng then looked at Shen Zhaoyue and nodded slightly, which was considered as giving instructions.

Shen Zhaoyue didn't speak, but simply held the hilt of her sword and stood next to Lü Yang.

Seeing this scene, Miao Gui finally couldn't help but speak up:

"Taoist priest, the ones coming from outside... should be the ghost soldiers of the local earth god."

Ye Qingfeng looked at him.

Miao Gui felt a chill run down his spine as he was swept by that gaze, and quickly explained:

"In these 100,000 mountains, each region has its own 'Earth God'."

They are called local deities, but they are actually evil spirits. They somehow obtained the real seal of the local deity, occupied the temple, and pretended to be gods and ghosts.

They govern the ghostly soldiers and demons of this area, as well as the mountain spirits and wild monsters; they are the local tyrants.

He paused, then added:

"But don't worry, Taoist priest. You even chopped down those three ancient corpses. That evil local deity is definitely afraid of you. The fact that it sent someone to invite you is probably because it wants to curry favor with you, not because it wants to harm you."

Ye Qingfeng nodded slightly upon hearing this, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes:

"No wonder when I was calculating just now, I always felt that the other party was somewhat majestic and imposing, yet stained with blood. It turns out that it was an evil spirit that had obtained a divine seal."

Miao Gui nodded repeatedly:

"Yes, yes, that's it! Once you get the divine seal, you can pretend to be a god and trick people into offering incense. On the surface, you seem majestic, but in reality, it's all bloodshed."

Ye Qingfeng did not ask any further questions.

He turned and walked towards the door.

With one step, the person disappeared into the inn.

......

Outside the inn, the rain was pouring down.

But there wasn't a single drop of rain on those ghostly soldiers.

They stood in the rain, as if surrounded by an invisible barrier that kept all the rainwater out.

The pale figure appeared and disappeared in the night, as if it might vanish at any moment, or as if it would stand there forever.

There were four ghostly soldiers in total, wearing tattered armor and holding rusty spears.

Their faces were hidden in the shadow of their helmets, making their features indistinct; only two eerie green eyes were visible, glowing faintly in the darkness.

Suddenly, a bluish-gray figure appeared in front of them.

It just appeared out of nowhere, without any warning.

One moment there was nothing, the next moment the person was standing there.

Several ghostly soldiers took a half step back in unison, instinctively raising their spears, but then realizing something was wrong, they quickly put them down.

They looked at the person in front of them—

His bluish-gray Taoist robe remained spotless in the rain. The torrential rain, falling only three inches above his head, automatically slid to the sides, not a single drop touching his body.

He stood there with his hands behind his back, calmly watching them as if they were a few ordinary ants.

The ghost soldiers were stunned.

What's going on? Why did this Taoist priest suddenly appear?

But immediately, the leading ghost soldier reacted, quickly concealing his astonishment and bowing respectfully:

"This humble one has met a master!"

The three ghostly soldiers behind him also quickly followed suit and bowed.

Ye Qingfeng looked at them without saying a word.

The leader of the ghostly soldiers felt a chill run down his spine, but he forced himself to speak:

"I have come on the orders of the local earth god to invite you to my residence for a chat. The earth god said that he has long admired your great name and has prepared a small feast in the hope of making your acquaintance."

As it spoke, it secretly glanced at Ye Qingfeng, then quickly lowered its head again.

This master is far more terrifying than they imagined.

They saw everything that happened in the inn just now.

Those three ancient corpses have been lurking in this inn for hundreds of years. Even the local earth god finds them troublesome and is unwilling to provoke them easily.

But this master swordsman cut him down with a single sword stroke and then set him on fire.

That's what they saw with their own eyes.

Standing before this master, they felt an invisible pressure enveloping their entire bodies, making even breathing difficult.

The leading ghost soldier gritted his teeth and said again:

"If the esteemed master is unwilling, I will immediately return and report, and I would never dare to disturb the esteemed master's quiet cultivation."

Ye Qingfeng glanced at it and suddenly said:

"lead the way."

The ghostly soldier was taken aback, then overjoyed:

"Yes! Yes! Please, sir!"

With a wave of its hand, the three ghostly soldiers behind it immediately dispersed and carried out a sedan chair from who-knows-where.

The sedan chair was entirely black, its material unknown, and strange runes were embroidered on the curtains, appearing and disappearing in the rain.

With the help of four ghostly soldiers, the sedan chair remained steady and motionless.

The leading ghost soldier bowed and said:

"Please get into the sedan chair, sir."

Ye Qingfeng glanced at the sedan chair, and without hesitation, stepped inside.

The sedan curtain fell.

Four ghostly soldiers lifted the sedan chair, their feet barely touching the ground, and instantly they soared into the air.

They run extremely fast, yet with remarkable stability, traversing the rain as if walking on flat ground.

The torrential rain fell on the sedan chair without making a sound, as if it were blocked by some force.

......

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains ten miles away.

Inside that temple, the local earth god was sitting serenely beneath the statue.

The altar in front of it has been completely changed.

All those bloody chunks of flesh, those still-beating hearts, and those piles of limbs had vanished.

Instead, there were several plates of exquisite pastries, a plate of bright red fruit, a pot of steaming wine, and a few kinds of spiritual fruits whose names I didn't know.

The stench of blood in the temple had disappeared, replaced by a faint scent of sandalwood.

The paper figures have been put away and replaced with several bright oil lamps.