Yao cast a frigid glance over the surrounding motley soldiers, and at the corner of Zhong Shenxiu's mouth, a cruel smile fiercely bloomed. Such a smile from him was incredibly rare; even during his time in the Cultivation World, no one had ever witnessed it!

As the soldiers felt Zhong Shenxiu's gaze upon them, an inexplicable dread washed over their hearts. They yearned to flee this place of impending doom, yet their own legs refused to obey, leaving them paralyzed, awaiting the fate about to befall them.

Zhong Shenxiu once again held the jade pendant from before in his palm. Without him making any discernible move, the pendant began to emit a purple glow, eerily strange to behold!

"Very well, now it is time to finish you all!" As Zhong Shenxiu spoke, his other hand began forming intricate seals.

Simultaneously, emanating from Zhong Shenxiu as the center, a dome-like shield composed of green light started to spread outwards relentlessly. In mere moments, it enveloped every single soldier!

Then, it appeared as if something was erupting from within the soldiers’ bodies, flying straight toward Zhong Shenxiu. As these things exited, the soldiers collapsed like mounds of spoiled mud onto the ground!

Zhong Shenxiu flipped his wrist, and the things that flew toward him converged neatly in his palm. At first, they struggled ceaselessly in bizarre shapes, but soon they morphed into a slender cylinder, the thickness of a thumb, resting upright in Zhong Shenxiu's palm!

Zhong Shenxiu did not pause. Instead, he silently recited a profound and mystical incantation. As he continued chanting, this cylinder and the jade pendant began to float simultaneously, both emitting a soft luminescence as they drew closer to each other, as if resonating in harmony!

The instant the two made contact, a soft pop was heard, and the jade pendant shattered. This was immediately followed by a blinding, dazzling flash of light.

When the intense light faded, a truly astonishing scene was revealed: the form of Paji materialized before Zhong Shenxiu! Paji now appeared semi-translucent, her entire body hovering three feet above the ground like a phantom before Zhong Shenxiu, radiating a faint glow all around, observing her own existence with an expression of wonder.

A smile touched Zhong Shenxiu's lips once more, but this time, it held no trace of coldness. After a prolonged silence, he finally spoke, "Hey, woman, how does it feel?"

Only then did Paji retract her gaze and look at Zhong Shenxiu. Her eyes were filled with confusion, and after a long pause, she asked in a barely audible whisper, "I... I died, didn't I?"

Zhong Shenxiu’s mouth twitched again. "You indeed died, but that does not mean you have vanished!"

Paji looked at Zhong Shenxiu in bewilderment, unable to grasp the meaning of his words, yet she did not press further. Instead, she glanced toward Robin nestled in Zhong Shenxiu's arms and asked with concerned urgency, "How is Robin?"

In truth, Paji's soul had been sealed within the jade pendant all along, and she could hear and see everything happening outside. When she witnessed Robin lose control upon seeing her corpse, her entire soul was shaken. She ceaselessly called out Robin's name, urging her not to grieve, but her voice could not penetrate. She desperately wished to rush out and embrace Robin, but the immense power restraining her was insurmountable!

When she saw Robin suffer grievous injuries during the Heavenly Tribulation, falling into a realm between life and death, she shrieked in a frenzy, pleading with the heavens not to harm her daughter. But it was all in vain! Thankfully, Zhong Shenxiu arrived at the crucial moment; otherwise, watching her own daughter's soul scatter before her eyes would have been the cruelest thing in the world!

"Her condition isn't much better than yours!"

Mentioning Robin made Zhong Shenxiu’s brow furrow, though he quickly smoothed it out. He would find every means necessary to heal Robin. Fortunately, this world lacked nothing in terms of rare flora, and Zhong Shenxiu possessed numerous potent elixirs; healing Robin was merely a matter of time!

"Please, you must save Robin!" Paji pleaded earnestly.

"En," Zhong Shenxiu nodded seriously, then added, "Hey, woman, for Robin's sake, I need your cooperation!"

Paji's soul trembled slightly, and then she responded with an equally serious expression, "Tell me how I need to cooperate!"

"Robin's biggest issue right now is her inner demon. While I can mend her body, healing her heart is extremely difficult!" Zhong Shenxiu looked down at Robin, who seemed to be sleeping soundly, then continued, "The bell must be untied by the one who tied it. Robin's inner demon originated from you, so you must be the one to heal her heart!"

"Then what must I do?" An expression of absolute resolve dawned on Paji's face. For her daughter, she would do anything, including manifesting her soul!

Zhong Shenxiu met Paji’s gaze and said, "You only need to survive!"

Survive? Paji’s mind felt sluggish. She hadn't even grasped her current situation, so how could she survive?

Zhong Shenxiu didn't wait for her question and continued, "You heard what I said earlier. I will help you reconstruct your physical body, and you will be reborn as an entirely new version of yourself. All you need to do is follow my instructions..."

Paji nodded heavily, speaking only one word: "Good!"

"Furthermore," Zhong Shenxiu paused meaningfully, "I do not wish for events like this to happen again. Therefore, I will make you strong."

Strong? Paji paused again but quickly adopted a serious look. Yes, I must become strong, not just for myself, but more importantly, for my child. Such a thing absolutely cannot happen again!

"Please tell me how," Paji begged.

"You must be prepared for hardship and torment!" Zhong Shenxiu cautioned.

"Whatever the method, please tell me!" Paji was already resolved. After this ordeal, her soul and mindset had undergone a tremendous transformation.

"I will teach you a set of 'Ghost Cultivation' techniques!"

As he spoke these words, Zhong Shenxiu looked up toward the starry sky. This incident had left him deeply shaken. If he had been even a second later, he would have lost Robin.

In the past, it hadn't seemed like much, but now he fully grasped Robin's importance in his heart!

Not just Robin—everyone close to him was incredibly vital to Zhong Shenxiu at this moment. This event taught him a profound lesson: cherish everyone around you!

At this instant, Zhong Shenxiu's entire outlook on life underwent a revolutionary shift! (Who says 'Ghosts' lack emotion? It’s only because the time for deep feeling hasn't arrived!)

Paji beside him did not interrupt Zhong Shenxiu’s contemplation. She was still trying to decipher what this 'Ghost Cultivation' was, as she had never heard of it before.

In truth, 'Ghost Cultivation,' boiled down, was the method practiced by cultivators who had lost their physical bodies. Although training this technique was several times more difficult than for those with bodies, if mastered, their strength could surpass cultivators of the same level by severalfold!

"Woman, I will now begin teaching you a 'Ghost Cultivation' technique called 'Asura Thousand Feathers.' Commit it to memory first, and I will guide you through the details shortly," Zhong Shenxiu's voice finally drifted over again!

Thus, after a lengthy period of instruction and guidance lasting nearly half an hour, Paji finally gained a rough understanding of 'Ghost Cultivation' and her present state.

"What I have taught you is only the 'Initial Chapter' technique. Cultivate this for now, and once you achieve some proficiency, I will impart the next layer," Zhong Shenxiu added.

Seeing that Paji had memorized everything he explained, Zhong Shenxiu continued, "Your soul has expended considerable energy. I will first construct a place for you to cultivate. Once you have achieved initial mastery of 'Asura Thousand Feathers,' you will be able to freely enter and exit in soul form!"

Paji first nodded, then, as if remembering something crucial, suddenly asked, "Can others see me?"

What she truly wanted to know was whether her two daughters could see her!

Zhong Shenxiu naturally guessed her thoughts and quickly replied, "You only need to focus on your cultivation. Once you reach a degree of initial success, you will be able to control whether others see you through your intent! In your current state, only I and Robin can see you. Others will, at most, only sense your presence."

Paji asked no more questions. Her sole thought now was to cultivate this 'Asura Thousand Feathers' quickly. Seeing her two daughters in fits of madness and despair had utterly broken her heart as a mother!

Zhong Shenxiu wasted no further time. With a sweep of his hand, he retrieved an unworked piece of jade from his 'Medium Pouch,' followed by three Supreme Immortal Stones, and began the refinement process!

As seals flew and light flashed, the shape of the jade continuously transformed. Once the form was fixed, Zhong Shenxiu guided the three Supreme Immortal Stones to merge within it, forming an equilateral triangle at three distinct points!

At this point, a palm-sized artifact, shaped like a disc and containing a triangular magic array, was complete!

But it wasn't over. Zhong Shenxiu then dripped a single drop of 'Spiritual Milk' into the center of the disc to replenish its spiritual energy!

Now, this artifact was formally finished. As long as Paji cultivated within it, the effect would undoubtedly be twice the result with half the effort, and she would soon become a master 'Ghost Cultivator'!

Zhong Shenxiu held the disc in his hand, glanced at the somewhat astonished Paji, and announced, "This is the training ground refined for you, named 'Ghost Furnace'!"

As Zhong Shenxiu finished speaking, the disc in his hand abruptly transformed into a streak of light, instantly merging into Paji's body. Subsequently, Paji's somewhat translucent form became palpably real, and the light emanating from her body shone even brighter than before!

After teaching Paji the method for using the artifact, Paji’s figure vanished. Only the disc remained suspended in mid-air!

"I entrust my two daughters to you!" Paji’s voice echoed from within the disc!

Zhong Shenxiu merely nodded once, then stored the disc back into his 'Medium Pouch.' (To be continued, fastest updates here)