Water Nymph of Laoshan

When the magic artifact exploded, a surge of magic power rippled down forty feet underground.

"Hm?" In a secret chamber deep underground, Instructor Ma, who was meditating, changed his expression and looked up in surprise.

"Is it a cultivator duel? No, it's just a single surge of magic power."

"I sent Zhang Xu back to retrieve the treasure, and he actually invited a cultivator?"

"Trouble. I was planning to go into seclusion... Ah well, I'll quickly put on the jade suit and slip away, giggle giggle hee hee..."

Instantly, countless streams of water poured from Instructor Ma's left eye, converging into a six-foot-tall water figure. Instructor Ma's robust corpse lay on the ground, shriveled and dry.

The water figure had no feet; its lower body churned like a gushing spring, flowing across the ground.

It also had no face; its countenance was like a clear pool, shimmering with light.

This was a Natural-elemental Demonic Creature's true form, awakened to sentience the moment it was touched by the Heavenly Dao. This was Shen Leling's original body.

Her location was beneath the Fort Master's secret chamber, in a second, hidden secret chamber!

Between the two secret chambers flowed an underground river filled with water like yellow sludge, coursing deep beneath the earth. This was the so-called 'Yellow Springs Water,' the most common extremely Yin and cold substance in existence, known to harm the primordial spirit. Cultivators' spiritual senses were not meant to come into contact with it.

Therefore, the first time she came, she hadn't discovered the secret chamber beneath the river.

Shen Leling had left in a huff last night, not just because Yan Nu had angered her, but also to investigate a discrepancy.

The spring Yan Nu mentioned... As a Water Spirit Physique, how could Shen Leling not know about it?

It was just that when she discovered it, only 'Yellow Springs Water' was buried there.

She had assumed it was naturally formed and hadn't thought much of it.

But Yan Nu said it was a clear spring ten years ago, and the Fort Master buried it... This was strange. Why would he destroy a clear spring for no reason?

Coupled with the fact that there was also Yellow Springs Water beneath the Fort Master's secret chamber.

Shen Leling immediately realized there was a second secret chamber. The Yellow Springs Water was intentionally diverted by the Fort Master through extensive excavation to conceal something, thereby destroying the original clear spring.

As expected, she searched downwards from the southwest mulberry forest and eventually found this second secret chamber.

Inside the second secret chamber, there were finally some good things: several bottles of elixirs that only cultivators could refine, and an extremely high-quality set of jade burial clothes, also known as a 'Golden Jade Robe.'

This was a burial garment exclusively for imperial family members of the Former Han Dynasty, with four thousand jade pieces of varying sizes meticulously sewn together with gold thread. All were top-grade white jade, warm and lustrous. The jade suit was crafted with exquisite skill, fitted seamlessly. She wondered whose tomb Zhang Xu had robbed to acquire it.

For mortals, this item was actually useless, merely preserving the corpse for an extremely long time. The idea of achieving rebirth through it was mere fantasy.

Many things were entirely different in the hands of mortals versus cultivators. For example, cinnabar, mica, and red stone fat were excellent materials for alchemy, but highly poisonous to mortals.

One man's honey was another man's poison.

The jade suit could prevent the leakage of essence and spirit. Furthermore, being extremely Yin and cold, it was actually a good item for raising ghosts and zombies... It also benefited monsters, allowing them to absorb the essence of the sun and moon with twice the result while wearing it, and it could resist many evil warding items!

"Zhang Xu was quite knowledgeable about metaphysics, even burying the jade suit under the 'Yellow Springs Water' for several years to enhance its grade."

"It wasn't a wasted trip after all. It'll make a perfect vessel for me! Hee hee hee..."

Flowing streams of water poured into the jade suit, which immediately became filled and moved as if alive.

Initially stiff and heavy as armor, as she took a few more steps and turned around, the jade suit was enveloped in mist and grew soft skin, delicate features, and even a magnificent jade-colored robe.

Her Water Spirit Physique greatly enhanced her transformation abilities. She could mimic any appearance in the world with lifelike accuracy and it was difficult to force her back into her original form.

With the Golden Jade Robe, it was even more effective.

"Why is there no more movement?"

Through the Yellow Springs Water, Shen Leling couldn't use her spiritual sense to probe the situation above. She was extremely curious about what had caused that brief, rapid, and instantaneous surge of magic power.

"That feeling is so familiar... Uh... Could it be the magic artifact exploding?"

Shen Leling recalled that after tricking Zhang Xu away, besides sneaking into the secret chamber, she also intended to acquire the magic artifact from the Zhang Family of Hua County.

Magic artifacts, unlike magic treasures, could be used immediately upon acquisition, and she had already planned how to trick them out of it.

But if the surge above was the artifact exploding, didn't that mean... the magic artifact Zhang Xu brought back was gone?

"I'll go up and take a look!" Shen Leling waved her sleeve, scattering a bean. It landed by the dirt wall.

She chanted softly, and water vapor condensed into beads around her, showering the bean like rain.

After absorbing all the water vapor, the bean immediately sprouted and grew at a rapid pace, transforming into a long, thick, and sturdy vine that burrowed into the soil above.

The soil was continuously pushed aside. After about half an hour, a tunnel was dug by the vine.

The tunnel was two feet wide, and the vines supporting the soil were wrapped around the walls in circles. Shen Leling, with her petite frame, twisted and turned as if a small fish swimming in the air, flying upwards along the tunnel.

Shen Leling crept back to the surface and swept her spiritual sense across the area, freezing in shock.

"Ah?"

No wonder she was so astonished. The Tea Mountain Fort was in ruins. Fort Master Zhang Xu, Instructor Han, and Instructor Hu had all been killed!

Most of the martial artists they kept were casualties, and the survivors had lost their courage, hiding in various buildings and peeking outside, where she had detected them with her spiritual sense.

"What happened?"

Shen Leling walked to Zhang Xu's corpse and stared at the large crater blown into the ground, utterly bewildered.

How long had she been gone? The Tea Mountain Fort had descended into chaos? She had a fleeting sense of a day in the cave feeling like a year on earth.

At this moment, she discovered a trail of blood. Following it, she found Yan Nu, bound in chains and covered in blood!

Yan Nu's hands were bound, and he was crawling on the ground, inching his way out of the fort, leaving a bloody path behind him.

His determination reminded Shen Leling of Yan Nu's words from last night: that he would definitely escape.

"This kid, he overturned Tea Mountain Fort by himself?"

"You... you call this escaping?"

Shen Leling was utterly shocked. She couldn't believe that in just half a day, Yan Nu had gone on a killing spree.

What happened? How did he do it?

Zhang, Han, and Hu, three people who were at least second-rate experts with exquisite martial arts and profound cultivation, were killed by someone who was half-dead.

"Alright, those two were killed by an explosion. So, Zhang Xu was too careless. The magic artifacts he brought were destroyed during the fight, causing an explosion, and he capsized in the gutter?"

"Then what about the others?"

Although Tea Mountain Fort wasn't much, there were two to three hundred such powerful clans and fortified manors in the entire Langya Commandery. But for so many martial artists to be wiped out by a teenager who hadn't learned martial arts and had only practiced the Great Emperor White Jade Scripture for a day was simply too outrageous!

Even if Yan Nu had a foundation in True Qi, his cultivation after conversion would be considered third-rate, and he wouldn't know how to use it.

Moreover, Yan Nu was injured and locked up in the execution ground. In this situation, Shen Leling couldn't understand how the people of Tea Mountain Fort lost. Logically, so many people should have been able to wear Yan Nu down to death!

"Hiss, these injuries are too terrifying!"

"Is his waist completely broken? It looks like he'll be crippled..."

Shen Leling examined Yan Nu and saw that his injuries were extremely severe. His heart was still beating faintly, but he was on the verge of death, his life force almost extinguished. Yet, he was still trying to crawl out? What kind of willpower was this?

"Spring water..."

Suddenly, Shen Leling heard an almost inaudible sound. It was Yan Nu silently reminding her that the spring water hadn't been dug yet.

"..." Shen Leling was stunned: "Idiot, stop crawling!"

"Tch! If I came an hour later, you'd be dead!"

Although she felt that Yan Nu was crippled and useless, Shen Leling didn't waste any more words. She still spat out a few pills, dissolved them with the living water from her Life Source Spring, and directly integrated them into Yan Nu's internal organs, allowing them to quickly permeate his entire body.

Yan Nu had been determinedly crawling outwards, but this treatment made his body go limp. Immediately after, he felt a spiritual sense urging him, 'Idiot, sleep quickly, sleep quickly,' making him dizzy, and he promptly fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing that he had finally stopped struggling, Shen Leling nodded. At the same time, she formed her fingers into a sword and lightly brushed against the shackles, which clanged as they were removed, freeing Yan Nu from his heavy chains.

She continued to perform her techniques, healing Yan Nu. Suddenly, with a whoosh, a talisman paper in Zhang Xu's embrace not far away ignited, burning his embroidered silk robes, and the fire grew larger and larger.

Shen Leling knew this was due to the 'Divination Talisman Paper' being fueled by demonic aura. She didn't pay much attention to it. She then opened her palm and released countless streams of water, which wrapped around Yan Nu like tentacles, pulling him into her embrace.

"Hehehe, even if you're crippled, you're mine now. Come with me!"

She found a warhorse and leaped onto it with Yan Nu.

She opened her mouth and a Spirit Pearl flew out, the size of a date, crystal clear and surrounded by mist.

Shen Leling circled the area a few times, absorbing all the Vital Energy and Essence Souls emanating from the dead bodies.

Although it wasn't as effective as absorbing from living people, it was still satisfactory.

She rode her horse along the path Yan Nu had taken, harvesting as she went. The mist surrounding the Spirit Pearl became even more concentrated.

In broad daylight, Shen Leling was completely unrestrained!

However, there were no more experts in the entire Tea Mountain Fort. The remaining low-level martial artists all hid in their houses, afraid to come out, only secretly observing this woman who had appeared out of nowhere.

Uncle Hong, of course, saw Shen Leling riding her horse so brazenly. Seeing Yan Nu on the horse, he hurried after her and called out timidly, "May I ask who this noble person is?"

"Hmm?" Shen Leling recognized Uncle Hong. Seeing him ask, she giggled.

Suddenly, she floated up, her water-patterned robe tightly cinched by a silk sash, exuding a faint, ethereal aura. Her beauty was unparalleled, her every feature exquisite.

"The Ancestral Dragon toured the east, eating longevity fruits; an Immortal has arrived to drink the blessed spring."

"Laoshan has always been a place of wondrous origins; Mysterious Water gave birth to me, Shen Leling!"

Her voice was as beautiful as a babbling spring. As she spoke, she had already ridden her horse into the sky.

The red-maned horse stepped on shimmering ripples, galloping through the air, soaring over the high walls, and disappeared.

"An Immortal! It's an Immortal!"

Many servants and martial artists ran over, gazing up at the scene.

Uncle Hong called out and knelt down. Knowing that Yan Nu had been taken away by an Immortal, he was no longer worried.

At night, the head of the Zhang family looked at the corpse covered in white cloth in the hall and angrily slammed the table: "Bullshit Immortal! Abomination! Damned abomination!"

No matter how gracefully Shen Leling had left, her demonic aura could not be faked.

Only Zhang Xu's body had been burned at the scene. The Zhang family had already determined that it was caused by the self-ignition of the Divination Talisman Paper.

Furthermore, with all the experts in the fort dead, Shen Leling had brazenly absorbed essence and energy in broad daylight and then ridden her horse into the sky. So, by the time the Zhang family arrived, her demonic aura still lingered in many places.

However, precisely because of Shen Leling's arrogance, the Zhang family's attention was focused on her. They didn't pay much attention to the reports about the lowly Yan Nu, assuming everything was controlled by the abomination behind the scenes.

"Father, my third brother was killed by the abomination. We must avenge him!" the head of the Zhang family said urgently to a person in the hall.

The man's long hair was unbound, his features handsome, dressed in an exquisite white robe with a cyan jade sash.

He looked about the same age as the Zhang Family Head, yet he was his father, truly skilled in maintaining his health.

This man had originally kept his eyes closed, but now he slightly half-opened them. "Are you done scolding?"

The Zhang Family Head was stunned, then steadied himself, bowed slightly, and said in a low voice, "Father, not only has Third Brother been murdered, but the Iron Token left by Old Ancestor has also been destroyed. This matter cannot be let go."

"What do you intend to do?"

"If your son remembers correctly, this Water Nymph of Laoshan... is that the monster that killed the Shen Family's direct descendant back then?"

"Yes, it happened twenty years ago."

The Zhang Family Head's lips curled slightly. "If that's the case, we can inform the Shen Family and ask their cultivators to deal with the monster, while we assist them. This will not only avenge Third Brother but also allow us to get acquainted with a true cultivator."

He spoke of revenge, but his so-called Third Brother was merely a son born of a concubine; he cared little for him. What he truly desired was to meet a profound cultivator.

After Old Ancestor's demise, the Zhang family's situation became precarious. Only a few clan members were still in secluded cultivation on Nine Flowers Mountain, their Dao cultivation not high. Living under others' roofs, they wouldn't produce any great powers for at least several decades.

Nowadays, monsters and demons were rampant throughout the land, yet the Zhang family's readily available forces were all martial artists, making it difficult for them to establish themselves.

Gou Xi had suffered a crushing defeat when campaigning against the rebels precisely because he lacked such foundational strength. He was toyed with by a 'Heavenly Righteous Immortal' of the Mystical Stage. The immortal didn't control anyone with magic but infiltrated them with illusionary arts, spreading rumors, and burning the granary, leading to Gou Xi's utter failure.

Similarly, if a powerful cultivator truly wanted to deal with them, the Zhang family would be in utter disarray.

Now that there was news of the Water Nymph of Laoshan in their territory, it was the perfect opportunity to collaborate with the Shen family.

However, his father said indifferently, "Oh, if you have a plan, then go ahead and do it."

The Zhang Family Head was extremely speechless. He knew his father's disposition was indifferent, lazy, devoted to martial arts, and detached from worldly affairs.

He hadn't expected him to be so unconcerned, even with his own son dead.

"Father, in front of the current Shen Family Head, I am but a junior. To meet an immortal, it would be better for you to handle this matter," the Zhang Family Head sighed.

His father rose, a gentle breeze rustling his robe.

"Too troublesome..."

Saying this, he floated away gracefully, leaving the Zhang Family Head in a state of disarray.

"Alas..." The Zhang Family Head sighed bitterly, but he could do nothing about his father.

His father, Zhang Suwen, was a Famous Scholar of Langya, known as 'Mr. Sleep Talker'...

Looking at his title, one could understand why the elders of the clan had bypassed his father and made his son the Family Head.

However, although Zhang Suwen was lazy, he was extremely dedicated to swordsmanship, as if all his thoughts were immersed in it.

His swordsmanship was astonishing, having once slain demons and earned him fame throughout the martial world.

It could be said that even without seeking help from cultivators, he could have avenged his son if he had been willing to act.

"Forget it, it still has to be me... Zhang Quan!" the Family Head called out the door.

An elder flashed in and bowed. "Family Head."

"You saw it too, my father is unwilling to act or show his face... This matter will have to rely on you. As for me, I will have to personally visit the Shen family," the Family Head said.

Zhang Quan immediately complied. "This old servant will certainly accomplish it and avenge Third Young Master!"

"Wait a moment!" The Zhang Family Head quickly stopped him. "Don't rush. I know you are loyal, but you are truly no match for that monster."

"The Water Nymph of Laoshan obtained many Daoist scriptures and elixirs from the Shen family's direct descendant back then, so she is no longer a mere wild creature... Coupled with her Spiritual Elegance, after twenty years, she has likely already reached the Spiritual Sense Stage!"

"This..." Hearing that it was the Spiritual Sense Stage, Zhang Quan's face turned bitter. He might not be able to kill her even if she didn't fight back; if she did... he would surely die.

The Zhang Family Head continued, "The clan's Divination Talisman Papers are few, making it difficult even to find her... Therefore, I will give you Old Ancestor's 'Bronze Contract.' You will burn incense and offer sacrifices, then use your essence blood as a guide to summon the old ghost within the Bronze Contract for assistance."

"Bring more men with you, and you should be able to eliminate this demon..."

"Hmm, if the old ghost within the contract has any other demands, you may decide for yourself."

Zhang Quan was overjoyed. The Family Head entrusting him with a Magic Artifact gave him confidence. Although it wasn't an Iron Token specifically for subduing demons, the Bronze Contract was also good. The old ghost within was knowledgeable and wise, skilled in Daoist arts, and very powerful.

He quickly said, "Family Head, rest assured, this old servant will not fail this trust."

The Zhang Family Head then said, "Listen, revenge is not the priority. Even if you fail, you must track this demon closely! I want to use this opportunity to invite Shen Wuxing."

p.s. Sorry.