Under the trees at the foot of the mountain, Qin Shou watched those comical creatures leave before turning his gaze away.

He took out the Immortal Emperor Bell and began to study it.

Within the Sea of ​​Laws, a large, ancient golden bell floats. The bell trembles slightly, and endless runes flash, golden light permeates the air, as if billions of laws are interwoven upon it, presenting a terrifying and awe-inspiring spectacle of world destruction.

This was merely the result of Qin Shou's slightest thought.

It's unimaginable what it would be like if one day the full power of this bell could be unleashed; even immortal lords would likely be suppressed and killed.

Seven days later.

When Qin Shou awoke from his meditation, he saw the Holy Buddha lying by the Spirit Pool, foaming at the mouth and convulsing.

"What's wrong with him?"

Qin Shou looked at Song Ningsheng with curiosity.

Song Ningsheng said casually, "Oh, that? Last night, Yi Cheng and the others got drunk and were fighting over who could hit the monk on the head for fun. It just happened like this."

"???..." Qin Shou was stunned. "Yi Cheng, drunk, didn't hold back. Did she knock this guy out of his mind?"

Qin Shou was genuinely worried.

"Hehe." Song Ningsheng chuckled and shook his head. "It's alright, this monk's head is much harder than you think."

"Ooh no la la... Ooh no la la..."

The monk started convulsing again.

Seeing his pitiful state, Qin Shou couldn't bear to see him suffer, so he went up and slapped him unconscious, letting him get some rest.

"Want to play chess?"

Qin Shou walked to the peach tree, sat down, set up a chessboard, and looked at Song Ningsheng.

"What do you think?" Song Ningsheng chuckled and rolled his eyes, saying, "You evolve from a horse that travels for two days, and then you evolve into a celestial horse that can travel for seven days in a row. In short, it corresponds to the Big Dipper."

The ordinary cannon evolves into the Twin Mountain-Climbing Cannon, which can traverse two mountains to take the enemy's head. The Twin Mountain-Climbing Cannon then evolves into the Super Ion Electro-Optical Cannon, which can eliminate anyone in a straight line in front of it with a single laser beam.

While other soldiers advance step by step without ever looking back, you, on the other hand, can do somersaults when you encounter the enemy, and after somersaults you can dance the tango, walk diagonally, and even self-destruct when you reach the enemy's doorstep, expanding the self-destruction radius from a 3-centimeter radius to a 17-centimeter radius where nothing grows.

The most damn infuriating thing is that after I finally checkmated you, you pulled out a smaller "general" chess piece from your pocket and suddenly declared yourself emperor, the crown prince ascended the throne, and the imperial dragon aura blessed your side, with your combat power increasing at will, and even your pawns started growing wings and crossing the Chu River..."

"Alright, stop talking." Qin Shou couldn't take it anymore and said angrily, "If you can't win, you can't win. Why are you babbling on and on? It's not like I'm going to let you have your way."

Song Ningsheng: ? ? ? ?

Qin Shou put away the chessboard and lay down under the peach tree, looking dejected.

Petals fluttered down from the trees, crystal clear, drifting in the gentle breeze as if there were endless petals to fall.

"Hmm? Come to think of it, it seems like it's time for the Daoist Treasury Space to open again."

Qin Shou calculated with his fingers and murmured something.

Over the years, Qin Shou has obtained many unparalleled Taoist techniques in the Taoist Canon space and benefited greatly from them.

Moreover, each time they entered, they would see the consciousness of another person. Over time, the two seemed to become tacit friends who were complete strangers.

Every time Qin Shou entered, he would see the other party's divine sense flashing intensely, welcoming him as if to say, "Hey, good brother, we meet again."

It's just a pity that their divine senses couldn't communicate within that Daoist space.

"I wonder what kind of Taoist techniques, or even powerful Taoist magic, I'll obtain this time..."

Qin Shou's heart was filled with a little bit of anticipation.

In fact, over the years, he has always been obsessed with the large ball of light he first saw, but the entire Daoist Canon space seems to be endless, and he has never had the chance to see it a second time.

......

Time passes slowly, spring goes and autumn comes.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The spiritual herbs that Qin Shou had been waiting for had finally matured, and he could now refine the pills he wanted to make.

This time, he plans to refine three kinds of seventh-grade profound pills: one to increase lifespan, one to increase magical power, and another called the Lesser Bodhi Pill, which can help people achieve enlightenment. If the opportunity is right, it can even enable a mortal body to become spiritually connected and comprehend various mysteries.

Pills that increase magical power and the Lesser Bodhi Pill are very suitable for ordinary talents like Wen Qing, whose talent is decent but limited, and who works hard in cultivation.

After collecting the medicinal herbs, Qin Shou gave Chang Sheng a few instructions and returned to the front mountain to prepare for alchemy, planning to begin his secluded cultivation to refine pills the next day.

This time, the pill being refined is a seventh-grade Xuan Dan, which will likely take several months.

"Huh!"

In the evening, Qin Shou received a letter.

It was sent with warmth.

It's been many years since I last received a letter; perhaps she's just really busy.

Qin Shou opened the envelope and read it carefully.

The letters, as usual, recounted ordinary events, her insights from cultivation, and the troubles she encountered. Sometimes, Qin Shou would reply to interpret her words.

But this time, she added a sentence at the end that was quite different from usual.

"Inviting me down the mountain...?"

Qin Shou was stunned for a moment.

His gaze fell on the end of the letter: "[Next spring, when the flowers bloom, your disciple sincerely invites you, Master, to the capital of the Great Duan Dynasty for a visit. Your disciple has joyous news to share!]"

"What's the matter that absolutely requires us to come down the mountain?"

Qin Shou spread the envelope out on the table, rested his elbows and knees on his legs, and shook his chin in a conflicted manner.

The thing he regretted most in his life was sending his clone to the Heavenly Demon Abyss to save Demon Lord Yaoyao, which caused him to be "trapped in a mess." Otherwise, if he had left his main body on the mountain, his clone could have gone out and had some fun.

However, since my disciple has rarely invited me, I should still go.

Thinking this, a smile appeared on Qin Shou's lips.

"Master, Master, the geese are back!"

Today was another bumper harvest; Yicheng wore out the little shovel on his shoulder.

"Master, the ten-year term is up. I'm going down the mountain to visit my senior sister. I also want to go to the sea and visit Little Dragon Girl. I also want to go mining and see my old mining buddies..."

Yi Cheng excitedly rattled off a whole bunch of things.

Qin Shou looked at his chubby disciple and habitually patted her little belly.

Yi Cheng didn't make many friends at the foot of the mountain, but he still remembered the Little Dragon Girl very well. He just wondered if the little mermaid still remembered Yi Cheng.

As for the miners Yi Cheng mentioned, they were almost all ordinary people and are probably long gone.

"Alright, next spring, I'll take you to your senior sister's house."

"Really, Master! Are you going too, Master?"

"Yes, I went."

"Hey, Master, shall we go mining together? We'll have a competition, and the winner gets a big little red flower!"

"..." Qin Shou said, "You can go, but I need to focus on refining pills for your senior sister for the next period of time. You can't be distracted. Be good on the mountain, come home on time every day, don't dig too far when digging for treasure, and don't leave the Great Wilderness, or I won't take you anymore, understand?"

"Hmph, give this goose a few more years to grow its brain, and it'll be able to read a map. Then, even if Master doesn't take it, it'll be able to find Senior Sister's house on its own."

"Hey, look how capable you are."

Qin Shou smiled and nudged Yi Cheng's little belly.

...

The next day, Qin Shou began refining elixirs.

The autumn leaves have turned yellow, and the winter snow has arrived.

Across the vast wilderness, a world draped in silver, all things are desolate, with only the majestic and magnificent snow-white mountain ranges stretching endlessly.

In the canyons, in the caves, and on the mountaintops, one can occasionally see a few great demons absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, each quietly cultivating.

At this moment, Yi Cheng and his friends were still digging in the deep underground, chanting "one, two, one" in unison to cheer each other on. Their vigor and vitality stood in stark contrast to the vast and silent wilderness.

The scenery on Turtle Mountain remains unchanged.

The monks watched the show from behind the trees, while Song Ningsheng quietly drifted down to the mountaintop, silently watching the snow falling for thousands of miles.

The three brothers from the back mountain drank some more alcohol and then rolled around in the snow, kowtowing and swearing brotherhood.

In the sea of ​​flowers stands a building, nestled amidst the mist. Da Mei sits atop the building, her already exquisitely beautiful face holding a book as she quietly reads.

Flowers bloom, snow falls, the wind blows and bells chime...

Everything in the world seemed to quiet down and slow down in this icy and snowy world.

But suddenly, a loud explosion on the mountaintop shattered the tranquility.

"The oven exploded?"

Qin Shou was slightly taken aback.

Such a basic mistake hasn't happened in over a hundred years.

Why do I feel a little uneasy?

Qin Shou frowned.

Just as he was wondering what was going on, his soul seemed to sense something and suddenly trembled. But before he could investigate further, another ray of light broke through the sky outside the Great Wilderness and reached the mountaintop in an instant.

The light exploded, revealing Xiao Xuan's image and a desperate roar.

"Master, Lingzhou has sunk!"