Subduing the Green Bird!

Golden light flickered in Fei Luo's eyes as he glanced at the fortune above the Green Bird's head.

To his surprise, he found that she bore little karmic retribution. This proved she wasn't wholly evil or beyond redemption.

As a transmigrator, Fei Luo had always believed he shouldn't waste the abilities he'd been given. He also believed in proving the Dao and attaining immortality through the system's rewards. And he couldn't bear to see the people of this era suffer in dire straits, so he wanted to uphold righteousness in the world.

But Fei Luo wasn't bloodthirsty.

Starting with the female ghosts outside Dong Xiaoyu's residence, he killed only those who deserved to die, be they human or ghost.

The Heavenly Venerable Dharma Eye allowed him to see all good and evil, black and white, clearly.

The Green Bird before him truly bore no karmic retribution, nor did she carry the heavy baleful aura of those vengeful ghosts.

Without the Heavenly Venerable Dharma Eye, Fei Luo was certain he never would have been able to tell that the woman before him was a demon.

As he spoke, dense magical power gathered around Fei Luo's fingers, coiling at his fingertips and radiating a chill that made the Green Bird's heart tremble.

"Spare me, young master. I had my reasons. Please show mercy. I'm willing to serve you as your slave and attendant, and stay by your side." A glimmer of human thought flashed in the Green Bird's eyes. She took on the form of a woman, dropped to her knees, and kowtowed to Fei Luo.

"Hmm?"

Fei Luo raised an eyebrow, a playful smile touching his lips. "So you're not stupid after all. Are you sure you want to serve me?"

Qing'er bowed her head again, utterly sincere. "I'm willing to serve you for the rest of my life and follow you in cultivating the Dao. I only ask that you take pity on me and spare my life."

The Green Bird could tell that Fei Luo was no ordinary man.

He gave her a feeling not much weaker than that of the Golden Core-stage Ghost King.

A human at the Solid Core Realm?

She had never seen a human at the Solid Core Realm in her life. Even among those old men, many had failed to reach the Solid Core Realm despite their advanced age.

A human so young who had reached the Solid Core Realm was likely a once-in-a-thousand-years genius among humankind.

Besides, the path of cultivation required a place to practice, companions, wealth, and teachers. None could be lacking.

The two spells Fei Luo had casually cast just now had left her awestruck.

What kind of terrifying power stood behind a young genius with such divine abilities, to have raised him?

And compared with the Ghost Venerable, following the man before her seemed like the safer choice.

The weak had no right to choose. They could only cling to the strong.

In the Spirit Illusion Realm, this was an ironclad truth.

"Oh?" Fei Luo looked at the woman before him and spoke slowly. "Then how about being my mount? I like riding."

"Young master, I'm willing to let you ride me. It's my honor to be ridden by you."

The Green Bird was overjoyed. A faint blush appeared on her face.

Though she felt shy, she offered no resistance. In an instant, a cloud of white smoke enveloped her, and she turned back into a bright-feathered Green Bird.

This time, she consciously enlarged her body several times. Her back was just wide enough for someone to sit comfortably.

Her downy feathers were especially soft and comfortable, no less so than a huge sofa from a later age.

Seeing this, Fei Luo hesitated for a moment.

When the Green Bird had just taken human form, she hadn't been as curvaceous as Ren Tingting, but her tall figure had still been striking, and her features had been lovely and delicate.

Now he was about to ride her, and Fei Luo felt a little awkward.

Apparently noticing his discomfort, the Green Bird spoke in a human voice. "Young master, you're still young. In the eyes of our demon kind, becoming a great person's mount is a tremendous honor. Please give Qing'er the chance."

Hearing this, Fei Luo didn't hesitate. He leaped up and settled onto the Green Bird's back.

At once, he felt as though he were sitting on a luxurious sofa. He was thoroughly pleased.

"Young master, hold on tight."

The Green Bird's pleasant voice rang out. She beat her wings and soared into the sky.

"We respectfully send off the living immortal!"

The villagers below stared blankly as Fei Luo subdued yet another demon woman with a mere turn of his hand. They immediately shouted together.

Their voices rang out and echoed through the village for a long time. Awe filled every face.

"You two, I'll head to Azure Heaven Town first." Fei Luo's hearty voice drifted down from the sky, echoing through the village and in the ears of the two Underworld Envoys.

"Master Fei Luo truly is a divine being. I can't even imagine how far he'll go one day," Zhang Wu said in astonishment, still marveling at all Fei Luo had done that day.

"Let's go. The young master has a mount now, so we need to keep up. This will be a grand battle against the Azure Sky Ghost Venerable. A fight of this caliber is once in a century in this age of declining cultivation."

The other Underworld Envoy spoke, gliding ahead like a phantom.

Zhang Wu nodded, watching Fei Luo riding on the Green Bird's back in the sky, then set off at a leisurely pace.

"Whew~"

The night breeze brushed past Fei Luo's face. He gazed curiously at the hazy, indistinct scenery below, marveling to himself.

He never would have expected to gain a mount on this journey.

Though his mount was female, and after taking human form she was a delicate beauty.

As something occurred to him, Fei Luo looked at the Green Bird beneath him and asked, "Qing'er, what's your name? Do you know anything about the Azure Sky Ghost Venerable?"

At his words, Fei Luo clearly felt the Green Bird's body tremble. Her voice, clear as an oriole singing in a secluded valley, carried a trace of apology. "I was discourteous, young master. My name is Qingshuang. I gained awareness by chance more than ten years ago and then took human form."

Qingshuang paused. The imposing, untouchable figure of the Azure Sky Ghost King came to mind, and her voice gradually turned cold. "Young master, the Azure Sky Ghost Venerable was originally from Azure Heaven Town. A hundred years ago, people said she was breathtakingly beautiful when she was alive and had countless suitors. But she was betrothed to Butcher Zhang in infancy..."

The Azure Sky Ghost Venerable was a woman surrounded by controversy.

Her parents, deeply indebted to Butcher Zhang's family, had arranged a betrothal between the two families' children before they were born.

As the Azure Sky Ghost Venerable grew up, her peerless beauty drew countless suitors among the wealthy, scholars, and men of standing.

Among them was a scholar surnamed Li, who won the Azure Sky Ghost Venerable's heart. The two secretly pledged themselves to each other and fell deeply in love.

But her father was a traditional man. He insisted on marrying her off to Butcher Zhang's son, who was now Butcher Zhang himself.

Butcher Zhang's family was wealthy in Azure Heaven Town. Still, the Azure Sky Ghost Venerable was proud and had never thought much of him.

Her parents had arranged the marriage, and she couldn't risk being branded an unfilial daughter. In feudal society, filial impiety—bringing shame upon one's parents—was a grave sin.

The Azure Sky Ghost Venerable's heart had already died. She planned to give her body to Butcher Zhang and her heart to the man she loved.

Had things gone as they normally would, the Azure Sky Ghost Venerable would have lived a miserable life, a poor woman destroyed by the social order and moral conventions of her time.

But fate was often uncanny. What happened next drove her to the brink of madness several times.