I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

After that, Yun Shuyue came more frequently.

Having learned from her first experience, her nervousness had largely subsided. Unlike Hua Nongying's fiery passion and Liu Ruoxue's icy resistance, Yun Shuyue neither took the initiative nor resisted during dual cultivation, but simply cooperated quietly with Li Hanshan's guidance. This lukewarm attitude actually saved Li Hanshan a lot of effort.

Nourished by the pure Yang energy, Yun Shuyue's cultivation steadily increased. Her foundation at the peak of the second level of Foundation Establishment was completely solidified, and she showed a faint tendency to break through to the third level. Li Hanshan's seventh level of Foundation Establishment was also completely consolidated, and his spiritual power was much more condensed than when he first broke through.

During this time, he didn't neglect his alchemy skills either. In the alchemy room on Jade Peak, he successfully refined several batches of Foundation Establishment Pills, with increasingly higher quality. Mid-grade pills were now the norm, and occasionally he could even produce one or two high-grade ones. He also became adept at refining commonly used pills such as Qi Cultivation Pills, Qi Restoration Pills, and Spirit Cleansing Pills, achieving a success rate of over 90%. Even Jiang Nianwei, when she occasionally came to check on him in the alchemy room, couldn't help but show some surprise at his rapid progress.

He visited Liu Ruoxue every few days. Her cultivation had broken through to the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, and the extremely yin and cold energy within her body was gradually becoming docile under the harmonization of pure yang energy. Of course, she would still say what needed to be said, "The transaction is complete, you can leave now," and then turn her back, leaving him with a cold back of her head.

However, Li Hanshan noticed that the jade bottle she placed on the ice jade bed was always empty.

This ice cube, though it says it doesn't want it, its body says it doesn't.

On this day, Li Hanshan was playing with a small beast in his cave. The little beast would point its paws in a certain direction from time to time, then look up at him with pleading eyes, asking for pills as "treasure hunting fees".

Just as he took out a few Qi-replenishing pills from his storage bag, a communication talisman suddenly flew in from outside the cave and hovered in front of him. The talisman burned, and the Third Elder's old and deep voice came from it: "Core disciple Li Hanshan, proceed to the sect's main hall immediately."

Li Hanshan frowned.

Hua Nongying sat up from the stone bed, her expression slightly changing: "Third Elder? What does he want with you?"

"I don't know." Li Hanshan put the little beast into the spirit beast bag and stood up.

"I'll go with you." Hua Nongying stood up.

Li Hanshan shook his head: "No need. The Third Elder is, after all, a sect elder, and he won't cause trouble in the sect's main hall. You can wait for me in your cave."

He flew towards the sect's main hall on the main peak, riding his flying sword. The main hall, perched high on the peak, was entirely constructed of azure jade. Eight massive stone pillars stood before the entrance, each inscribed with dense array patterns and emitting a faint spiritual light. The hall doors were wide open, and several figures could be vaguely seen inside.

As Li Hanshan stepped into the main hall, his gaze swept over the people inside, and he paused slightly.

There were three people in the hall. The Third Elder sat in the head seat, still with that unfathomable demeanor. Deacon Lu was also present, but the third person made Li Hanshan's heart sink.

It was a woman in a long purple dress, with a captivating figure and stunning beauty. She stood sideways in the hall, casually gazing at a mural on the wall, as languid as a dozing cat. Hearing footsteps, she turned around, her mesmerizing eyes sweeping over Li Hanshan, a smile appearing on her lips.

The quasi-saintess, Qin Muyue.

The demoness who almost took him by the waterfall in the Monster Mountain Range.

"Disciple Li Hanshan greets the Third Elder, Elder Jiang, and the Holy Maiden." Li Hanshan remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he sensed something was amiss.

This time, it's probably aimed at him again.

He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Even if I am born with a pure yang body, I am already quite old. Why are you witches always staring at me?

The Third Elder spoke up: "Li Hanshan, I've called you here because I have a task for you."

Li Hanshan's heart sank. Sure enough, nothing good ever came from his visits to the sect's main hall.

"Please enlighten me, Third Elder," he said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

The Third Elder said, "The Holy Maiden has a mission that requires her to go to the Southern Frontier, and she specifically requested your assistance. During the mission, you will be at the Holy Maiden's command in all matters."

They specifically asked for my assistance?

Li Hanshan understood almost instantly that this mission was just a pretext. Qin Muyue, that vixen, had failed in the Demon Beast Mountain Range, and now she was using a more respectable method.

"Third Elder, my cultivation is too low; I fear I may be a burden to the Holy Maiden."

"There's no need to refuse." Qin Muyue interrupted him, her tone languid yet unquestionable. "If I say you can, then you can, unless you think I have a problem with my judgment."

Li Hanshan opened his mouth and looked at the Third Elder. The Third Elder simply waved his hand: "You and the Holy Maiden can discuss the mission yourselves. I have other matters to attend to. You may depart once you are ready."

After saying that, he left the main hall.

Only Li Hanshan and Qin Muyue remained in the main hall.

Qin Muyue turned around and looked at him with a half-smile: "Old man, what are you still standing there for? Let's go."

"Now?"

"Now."

Li Hanshan inwardly groaned, but circumstances forced him to follow. The two exited the sect's main hall one after the other. Qin Muyue casually tossed out a small flying boat, which swelled in the wind, transforming into a jade boat several meters long.

"Come up."

Li Hanshan jumped onto the flying boat, and Qin Muyue stood at the bow. With a gentle wave of her jade hand, the flying boat transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the gate of the Hehuan Sect.

The protective array opened a gap, and the flying boat passed through it, heading south.

Standing on the flying boat, Li Hanshan watched the mountains and rivers rushing past below, his heart filled with apprehension. He had already summoned Xiao An; in case Qin Muyue really intended to attack him, Xiao An, though unable to withstand a Golden Core cultivator, could at least buy him a moment's time, creating a chance for him to escape.

The flying boat had been sailing for half a day, and Qin Muyue remained standing at the bow, her back to him, without uttering a word. The mountain breeze ruffled her long hair and skirt, and her alluring figure, bathed in the setting sun, exuded an indescribable sense of loneliness.

Suddenly, Qin Muyue stopped the flying boat.

Li Hanshan's heart tightened, and he secretly made a hand seal for the Fire Escape Technique.

Qin Muyue turned around, looked at his tense expression, and suddenly laughed.

The smile was no longer as lazy and dangerous as before; instead, it carried a hint of...helplessness?

"What, afraid I'll pick you here?"

Li Hanshan did not answer, but his guarded posture said it all.

Qin Muyue gave a soft snort, her laughter fading, and her tone became calm: "Don't worry. I didn't bring you out this time to extract your pure yang energy. Completing this mission is the more important thing."

Li Hanshan was slightly taken aback: "What mission?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Qin Muyue turned around, her tone returning to its lazy cadence. "Old man, hold on tight."

The airship accelerated again, heading south.

We flew for several days. The further south we flew, the more desolate the scenery became. The once lush forests gradually thinned out, replaced by patches of gray-black wasteland. A faint, chilly atmosphere permeated the air, and even the sky turned gray and hazy, with no sunlight for days.

Li Hanshan had a vague guess in his mind.

This environment, with its heavy yin energy, is probably related to the Yinming Sect.

Finally, on the morning of the fifth day, the airship came to a stop in front of a huge black swamp.

No, that's not a swamp at all.

Li Hanshan stood at the bow of the ship, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Across the vast land ahead, an area stretching to the horizon was shrouded in a thick, impenetrable black mist. Within the mist, countless broken walls and ruins could be vaguely discerned—former cities and sects.

The entire area was imprisoned by a massive array, its light a dark gold, flickering in and out of the black mist, isolating that land of death from the outside world. Even so, the chilling aura still penetrated the array, sending a shiver down Li Hanshan's spine.

Within the black mist, countless ghostly spirits wandered. They were densely packed, like a black tide, and every now and then a few would crash into the light of the array, emitting mournful shrieks.

Li Hanshan felt a chill run down his spine.

The number of spirits here is well over a million.

"Where is this place?" he couldn't help but ask.

Qin Muyue stood at the bow of the ship, facing that land of death, and remained silent for a long time before speaking.

"This is where the Yinming Sect used to be located."

She raised her hand, pointing to the depths of the black mist: "Hundreds of years ago, when the five sects joined forces to attack the Yinming Sect, the Yinming Sect fought back desperately. At the last moment, they used evil magic to detonate the sect's spiritual veins, turning the surrounding thousands of miles into a ghost realm. The number of Yinming Sect cultivators who died in that battle, the disciples of the five major sects, and the mortals who couldn't escape in time, totaled no less than ten million. Their souls were trapped in this ghost realm after the battle, turning into countless vengeful spirits."

Li Hanshan felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

Tens of millions of wandering souls?!

"Although the Yinming Sect was destroyed, the methods they left behind were extremely vicious." Qin Muyue's voice became unusually serious. "Although this ghost realm is sealed with a great formation, every ten years, the Yin energy inside will expand to its limit, requiring someone to go in and clean it up, to kill those high-level Yin spirits that have absorbed too much Yin energy and whose strength has increased dramatically. Otherwise, once the great formation is broken, millions of Yin spirits will flood into the world, and the consequences will be unimaginable."

She turned around, looked at Li Hanshan, and a smile returned to her lips.

"This time, it's my turn."