2. Farewell to Qingshan, where the world is vast.

◎Finally, we can farm!◎

"Where did you come from? What do you want with our White Tiger Hall? Go away, this is not a place for a girl like you." A burly man with a rough, rural accent planted his broadsword in the ground, trying to scare Yan Yunzhao away.

"Fine, if you won't tell me, I'll find it myself." Yan Yunzhao said calmly, about to stride forward, when several burly men rushed over with broadswords.

"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences! Learn from your grandfather's power!"

Yan Yunzhao stepped back and dodged to the side, quickly tapping several acupoints on the men with one hand, sealing five of their pressure points. They collapsed to the ground, unable to move, and their broadswords clattered to the ground.

"Want to be my grandfather? You'll have to train for several thousand more years." Yan Yunzhao bent down, took the tokens from their waists, and leisurely walked up the mountain with his hands behind his back.

Outside the White Tiger Hall.

The guards on duty lingered their gazes on Yan Yunzhao and the token in her hand, asking with some skepticism, "You're not a brother of our White Tiger Hall. Where did you get this token?"

Yan Yunzhao glanced at the plaque at the entrance; the words "White Tiger Hall" were written in a flamboyant and arrogant style. Looking at the guards and the woodcutter, all were incredibly strong. She needed to conserve her magical energy; forcing her way in would likely require considerable effort.

Yan Yunzhao could tell at a glance that the guard was a low-level demon in human skin, whose intelligence had not been developed, meaning he couldn't understand human language at all.

On a sudden impulse, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, putting on a pitiful look: "My family suffered a misfortune, so I was unable to fulfill my childhood promise to the Hall Master. After searching for many years, I have finally found this place. Please, elder brother, do me the favor and let me recognize the Hall Master, even if it's just to see him once."

The guards looked at each other, unable to make up their minds for a long time, so Yan Yunzhao's performance became even more tragic.

"Alright, alright, take him in. The noise here might anger the hall master." A guard waved and pushed open the heavy door.

Behind the door, a large, dilapidated wooden hut stood askew, a stark contrast to the grandeur of the entrance. Its shabby appearance amazed Yan Yunzhao. The rotten wooden table and the yellow earth certainly resembled a small martial arts sect.

Although the hall was shabby, there were quite a few people inside, all dressed in tiger skins, each one burly and strong, sharpening their large knives like fierce demons.

However, calling them human wouldn't be quite accurate. Although they have noses, eyes, and all four limbs intact, they still possess some animalistic characteristics. Some have long, sharp teeth that protrude from their mouths, while others have strangely colored eyes and thick facial hair.

Yan Yunzhao climbed onto a rickety wooden table, stood on it, and called out loudly, "Where is the Hall Master?"

"Looking for me?" A rough, deep voice came from there. Yan Yunzhao looked in that direction and saw several burly men escorting a person as they walked over, causing the ground to shake.

With each step they took, the table beneath Yan Yunzhao's feet wobbled a little more.

She nimbly jumped off the table, looked up and saw the man standing in front of her, his imposing figure casting a shadow in front of Yan Yunzhao.

"What do you want?" The hall master had a blue face and fangs, and his long, unkempt beard hung messily on the animal bone chain around his neck.

“Robbery.” Yan Yunzhao looked up at him and said firmly.

After a moment of silence, a wave of uproarious laughter erupted.

"Haha... What did this little girl say? Robbery? Hahahaha... I'm laughing so hard I'm almost in tears."

"So ignorant and arrogant! Stew her up to nourish the eldest brother!"

"Stew it! Stew it!"

Enraged, the hall master bared his fangs and brandished his large sword as if he were about to chop Yan Yunzhao into mincemeat.

She had initially thought that the White Tiger Hall was just a small gang spontaneously formed by bandits from the mortal realm, but as she walked along, she observed that the people in the hall were extremely evil and had long been corrupted by demons. She then realized that they ate human flesh and their sins were so grave that they were beyond redemption.

"I originally planned to rob some valuables and leave, but now it seems I can't let you live. So I'll rid the people of this scourge once, and at least comfort the souls of the deceased." Blade was drawn, its hilt gleaming with a chilling aura, and Yan Yunzhao gripped the hilt tightly, ready to strike.

Since the demon race was slaughtered by the immortal realm, the demons have been routed and roughly divided into five ranks: Earth, Profound, Weapon, Strategy, and Ultimate.

The White Tiger Hall was full of half-human, half-demon beings, but she was only at the Earth Rank, so she was confident she could handle them.

"What arrogance. I am Feng Baihu, the leader of the White Tiger Hall. Remember my name before you die." Feng Baihu exhaled a heavy breath, his eyes glowing with a blue light, and a strange black arm extended from behind his head.

“I should be the one to say this. I am Yan Yunzhao, an inner disciple of the Qingshan Sect of Qingshan Peak. You madman, go in peace.”

Before anyone could even gasp in surprise, dozens of cold lights flashed, and Yan Yunzhao landed steadily with his sword in hand.

The moment the cold light of the blade faded, dozens of people inside the hall fell silently, their blood spreading all the way to the door.

After the demon vanished, it turned into wisps of white smoke, which were completely absorbed by the talisman on Yan Yunzhao's wrist. The golden characters flickered on and off, and after only a moment, she felt that the spiritual energy around her had been replenished by more than half.

She looked at the pool of blood, where black blood crisscrossed, a truly gruesome scene.

"A life for a life, such a demon deserves to die." Although Yan Yunzhao comforted himself with this thought, his hand holding the Blade Snow trembled uncontrollably.

She carefully navigated around the mountain of corpses and pools of blood, cut off the black arm behind the leader's head, and then stabbed him several times with her Blade Snow sword.

This black arm still harbors demonic energy; if not dealt with carefully, it might regenerate. Blade Snow's spiritual power is pure and yang, making it a natural nemesis of demons.

Before leaving, Yan Yunzhao searched the hall and found that although the White Tiger Hall was shabby, it had a lot of valuables. She counted out enough money to survive in the wilderness after going down the mountain, took some travel expenses, and left the White Tiger Hall without hesitation.

"Not enough. Go kill another one," Xiao Fu ordered.

Yan Yunzhao was taken aback for a moment: "So much spiritual energy isn't enough?" Then he thought about it and found it quite interesting. "This is the first time I've ever absorbed spiritual energy from a demon. But this has already broken the rules of the Immortal Realm. If we are discovered, we won't have enough lives to survive."

“That’s not how it works, because only you will die.” After saying that, Xiao Fu’s light faded away silently.

Unable to deal with it, Yan Yunzhao picked up Blade Snow and traversed another mountain peak. In the distance, he saw a cluster of abandoned houses shrouded in black smoke, and knew that a demon must be lurking there.

If the White Tiger Hall was half-human, half-demon, then the demons on this mountain are genuinely formed from resentment. Although they are troublesome to deal with, they contain even more spiritual energy.

This village has been abandoned for decades; the wooden fences are rotten and the earthen walls are crooked, as if the slightest loud noise could cause it to collapse.

Yan Yunzhao found a relatively spacious courtyard to set up the formation. She picked up some soil from the ground, sniffed it, and a foul stench wafted out. Just as she had guessed, it was indeed the work of a demon. Judging from the density of the black mist shrouding the courtyard, it should be a high-grade demon.

She picked up a wooden stick, dipped it in water, and drew an intricate array in the courtyard. As she finished the last stroke, the copper bells on the demon-binding rope jingled and clanged.

"All things return to heaven, evil things are banished." Yan Yunzhao activated the incantation, and as soon as he finished speaking, a strong wind swept through the courtyard, causing the copper bells to ring violently. A cloud of black mist appeared above the formation, rampaging wildly.

It appears that this monster was recently formed and has not yet taken on a human form.

Yan Yunzhao's sleeves fluttered as she struggled to exit the formation, chanting incantations. The blood-red demon-binding rope tightened further, and the demon's actions became increasingly rampant.

Unable to withstand the intense pressure, Yan Yunzhao was blown back several steps by the whirlwind whipped up by the demon. The Demon-Binding Rope rapidly thinned, and it looked like it was about to give way.

"Oh no..." Setting up the formation did not consume any magic power, but when Yan Yunzhao was preparing to reinforce the ropes, he found that the magic power in his body was almost completely depleted.

"Little Fu! Don't absorb the magic power!" she shouted, transferring the last bit of magic power in her palm to the Demon-Binding Lock.

"It wasn't me. It was this demon with deep resentment that suppressed your magic power."

Seeing that she couldn't hold out much longer, Yan Yunzhao unleashed a snow-white longsword from her sleeve, piercing straight through the black mist before the demon could charge at her. The black mist turned into dust and slowly fell to the ground, where a luminous white bead condensed and hovered in mid-air.

The small talisman absorbed the spiritual energy of the bead, and Yan Yunzhao felt her previously suppressed magical power replenish itself. Looking around, she understood and used her Blade Snow to cleave open several ceramic potted plants in the courtyard.

Sure enough, it contained many talismans and skulls, all evil items used to raise demons. These pottery jars and bonsai, though seemingly haphazardly arranged, were actually each precisely placed at the core of the formation, aiding the demons in their cultivation.

Yan Yunzhao breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this demon had not yet fully matured, otherwise it would have harmed countless villagers in the surrounding area.

"A monster...a demon!" A scream came from behind Yan Yunzhao. She turned around suspiciously and saw a villager covered in dust and dirt fall down behind a tree in fright.

"The monsters have been cleared away..."

Before he finished speaking, the villagers had already rushed over with their broadswords.

"Monster, die!"

The villagers were wielding their broadswords haphazardly, leaving Yan Yunzhao completely bewildered. He nimbly dodged backward while hurriedly explaining, "Uncle, you must be mistaken. I've already killed the monster."

"You ate it! You're a monster too!"

Yan Yunzhao felt helpless and was considering how to explain the process of absorbing spiritual energy to him when dozens of villagers carrying axes and hoes rushed in through the dilapidated courtyard gate.

"Monster, give me back my mother!" the villagers shouted angrily, as if they wanted to chop Yan Yunzhao into mincemeat.

"Everyone, please listen to my explanation, I am not a monster..."

His words were drowned out by the roars of the crowd. As their calls for condemnation grew louder and louder, Yan Yunzhao had nowhere to retreat, so he simply jumped onto the roof.

"Everyone! I am Yan Yunzhao, a disciple of the Qingshan Sect. There must be some misunderstanding. I have already dealt with the demons..." She took out her disciple's token and explained using amplification.

"She's lying! I saw her eat that monster with my own eyes! Everyone, follow me and kill her!"

After some incitement, the villagers, who had been quiet for a moment, became restless again, and they all picked up axes and tried to climb onto the rooftops.

The celestial realm has decreed that no one may attack mortals. Yan Yunzhao was unsure how to resolve the villagers' misunderstanding. After a moment of hesitation, she climbed over the wall, quickly drew a formation, and made her escape.

It was already late when they returned to the sect.

Yan Yunzhao paced back and forth in the room: This formation still needs someone to cooperate and delay the demons for a while.

Just as I was worrying, Zhu Qianqian's voice rang in my mind. She transmitted her voice and said: Yun Zhao, I can help you escape with the Spirit-Gathering Grass.

Yan Yunzhao's eyes lit up, and he immediately had an idea.

She had been worried about who could go to the demon tribe to stall for a while in her place, and how to make sure that both of them were inside the teleportation array. Now, with Zhu Qianqian's help, everything was solved.

That night, Yan Yunzhao slept soundly, having recharged her energy. Just as dawn broke, she packed her bags and sneaked into Zhu Qianqian's room.

Zhu Qianqian was already waiting inside. Yan Yunzhao was about to express her gratitude formally when she covered his mouth, her dark eyes signaling him not to say anything more. Indeed, with so many people around today, caution was paramount. Yan Yunzhao placed the Spirit-Gathering Grass on her back and carried her on his back.

Influenced by the medicinal properties of the Spirit-Absorbing Herb, Zhu Qianqian soon fell into a deep sleep, and Yan Yunzhao lightly carried her to the front of Qingxu Hall.

Everyone waited in front of Qingxu Hall, and when they saw Yan Yunzhao coming, they made way for him.

Today she was sent away from the sect, and the sect leader did not come. She was not surprised, after all, this master was only in name. Three years ago, when she was the first among all the disciples of her age to break through to the Qi Refining Realm and followed the sect's rules to become the sect leader's disciple, he frankly said that she should let herself cultivate on her own and that she did not need to call him master.

Without the sect leader present, the plan proceeded smoothly. With Xiao Fu's assistance, she drew the formation according to the method of grafting in the book, and none of the elders and disciples present noticed anything unusual.

Before stepping into the teleportation array, Yan Yunzhao, carrying Zhu Qianqian who was hidden by the Spirit-Gathering Grass, took one last look at the elders.

People with different values ​​cannot work together. Although they had spent twenty years together, she had no feelings for the elders. They treated her as nothing more than a bargaining chip to exchange for benefits.

After bidding farewell to Qingshan Gate and stepping into the formation, Yan Yunzhao found himself on a soft grassy field after a dizzying spin.

She set her teleportation point on a scenic hillside.

After going through this ordeal, she finally understood what the phrase "abnormal spiritual energy" meant.

She and Zhu Qianqian were teleported to two different locations using the same array. The huge fluctuations in spiritual energy caused the teleportation to be unstable, and Yan Yunzhao felt as if she was about to be torn apart during the teleportation.

She had no protective magical artifacts to rely on, and could only activate a spell to create a protective shield, but the effect was minimal. In comparison, Zhu Qianqian was much luckier, having the protection of a divine artifact inherited from the sect leader.

Judging by the time, she should have arrived at the demon tribe by now. Zhu Qianqian's cultivation is higher than hers, so there's probably nothing to worry about.

After her accidental death, she was reincarnated into this world. Over the years, she has suffered a lot of cold treatment in Qingshan Sect. Only Zhu Qianqian was willing to talk to her. She would scold her for not knowing manners, but secretly she would help her take care of the vegetable garden.

The reason why she was disliked was quite simple: her parents had passed away when she was born, and everyone called her a jinx and wanted to stay far away from her. With the knowledge and memories of her previous life, she showed a talent that far surpassed her fellow disciples in the sect. However, she spent her days burying herself in farming in the back mountain and rarely interacted with her fellow disciples. Over time, she became the object of jealousy of many people.

If it weren't for Zhu Qianqian, she probably wouldn't have found another person in the entire Qingshan Sect willing to help her escape. A warmth filled her heart as she took one last look in the direction of the Qingshan Sect.

Although she left the place where she had lived for more than 20 years, she had no regrets. Perhaps she had long known that she did not belong to this hypocritical and aloof immortal sect.

If the sect leader knew that his granddaughter was being sent as a hostage, I wonder how furious he would be.

Thinking of the sect leader's furious expression, Yan Yunzhao couldn't help but chuckle.

She walked briskly down the mountain, but before she had taken more than a few steps, the once clear sky suddenly darkened, and a deafening rumble accompanied by thick dark clouds approaching from afar. The dark clouds pressed in, as if a sudden rainstorm was imminent.

A fierce wind swept in, howling and carrying large raindrops that pounded on the ground.

"This barren mountain is full of trees, it would be terrible if it attracted lightning."

Yan Yunzhao frowned slightly, glanced at the dark clouds rumbling in the distance, and lifted her skirt, preparing to run.

Just as she feared, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky before she could even dodge to an open space.

In an instant, the entire sky brightened as if it were daytime, and Yan Yunzhao's hurried escape was frozen in place. The world seemed to stand still for a moment, without a sound.

She was frozen in place, unable to move, watching helplessly as the rolling lightning bolt struck her. She cried out, "Could I be this unlucky? I just escaped and now I'm going to die?"

A blinding white light enveloped her vision, followed by an excruciating burning pain that coursed through her entire body. Yan Yunzhao collapsed to the ground, feeling as if ants were gnawing at her internal organs. She curled up in agony, cold sweat pouring down her face.

In her dying moments, she heard Xiao Fu scream desperately, "It's a heavenly tribulation!"

Heavenly Tribulation...?

She hasn't even reached the tribulation stage yet, so why did she summon a heavenly tribulation...?

Unfortunately, Yan Yunzhao's consciousness then became chaotic, and he could no longer understand.

[Author's Note]

The next chapter will begin with clearing land and opening a restaurant.