Amidst the towering mountains and deep valleys, a tiny grave sat nestled amongst a jumble of stones.

Covering an area of about two zhang square, it was constructed from piled rock and further reinforced with Daoist techniques. Though small, the tomb had consumed Zong Shou’s entire night of effort. In the wilderness of the deep mountains, there was no shortage of carrion beasts. Even if buried deep underground, the body could be dug up. Zong Shou had simply used stone for a coffin, built a stone cavern, and thus constructed this stone grave.

Within the desolate mountains, there was nowhere to shop. No paper money, incense, or anything of the sort could be procured. He had carried nothing useful with him. Zong Shou could only light two sticks of sandalwood, then improvise a soul-summoning banner from local materials. He used water in place of wine, pouring it before the stone marker. “Gong Xinran, though we knew each other for less than a day, I deeply admired your kindness and sincerity. It is a pity that the world is unpredictable; after one meeting, it has become an eternal parting. Though this mountain place is lonely, it excels in beautiful scenery, rich spiritual veins, and potent Yin energy—it is an excellent Yin resting place—” As he spoke, Zong Shou suddenly felt something amiss. Previously, he had thought this spot perfect, not only far from the Blood Valley but the only suitable place within hundreds of li to inter a corpse. But upon closer thought now, rich spiritual veins and potent Yin energy—wasn’t this the perfect ground for nourishing vengeful spirits and baleful corpses? Considering Gong Xinran’s state just before death— He had ways to guard against vengeful spirits. But this baleful corpse, he absolutely had to incinerate Gong Xinran’s remains. Right, he remembered the spiritual veins beneath were seemingly two Yin veins? No, were they four or five? Without a compass nearby, he couldn't measure. Zong Shou broke out in a cold sweat, shaking his head violently. He thought that since the woman had already declared her wishes fulfilled, she likely wouldn't return as a spirit. Changing the burial site would be troublesome, and he had no time.

However, his tone shifted again. He coughed lightly. “Senior Sister Xinran, rest assured below. I will certainly deliver that secret Martial Classic to your younger brother. In the future, your family will surely come to move you; Zong Shou will never break his promise! Primordial Ancient Buddha, Compassionate Dao Lord, and that Boundless Ink Venerable, please come and protect my Senior Sister Xinran. What a shame, I cannot recall the soul-calming mantras of both the Buddhist and Daoist schools—”

He bowed slightly, concluding the offering. Zong Shou secretly offered a wry smile, thinking himself truly useless, unable even to protect the woman cherished by that man. If he had known this, he should have followed them up the mountain back then. Even if he couldn't defeat Gao Yi at the time, as long as he could evade that Xiantian master afterward, he should have been able to protect Gong Xinran and escape with his life.

With a sigh, Zong Shou looked down at the heavy, golden tome in his hands. In slaying Gao Yi and the unidentified Martial Master, besides obtaining that bottle of medicine, he had also acquired quite a few elixirs used by Martial Cultivators. This secret Martial Classic had, of course, been snatched back as well.

Only now, Zong Shou was filled with doubt. The secret Martial Classic was rumored to have been authored personally by the three supreme Martial Saints of the Barren Cloud Era. It recorded one hundred and forty peerless martial arts secret techniques of that age, along with the foundational martial insights gleaned from the Saints' own experiences. It was regarded by all martial artists as a classic of the martial path. It was said the three Saints compiled this scripture with the intent of widely disseminating the martial arts within it, allowing all common folk to practice profound martial techniques. Yet, the current total known count was less than two hundred, always controlled by the great sects and established families, vastly diverging from the original intent of the three Saints. However, in later ages, while some portions of this book remained hidden, the majority had already spread.

“Gao Yi spent two years just for this Martial Classic Secret, which is merely one copy? Does this book perhaps hold some other profound mystery?” Zong Shou felt a slight bewilderment, but upon deeper contemplation, it was somewhat understandable. Even a copy could indeed be considered a martial treasure capable of establishing a family line for a newly rising clan. He had seen this book in his past life. A more complete variant of the Martial Classic Secret also existed within Mount Qiantian. Zong Shou did not wish to delve into its secrets and directly stored it in his waist pouch. He felt his burden had increased again. “Without the Void Ring of later generations, it truly is troublesome—”

Thinking this was improper, Zong Shou picked up a sword and began sketching a talisman array around the stone grave. These were talismans capable of purifying malevolent spirits. Zong Shou had learned very little of them in his previous life; he studied runes only to glimpse the Great Dao and spiritual laws recorded within those characters. This greatly benefited his martial sword arts—he had even created a sword technique specifically for this purpose. But this branch of Dao, focused on suppressing vengeful spirits and clearing Yin malevolence, was something he had barely touched.

Struggling to complete the talisman array, Zong Shou’s brow remained tightly furrowed. This array was something he had glimpsed occasionally in his past life, said to be extremely effective at suppressing vengeful corpses. Now, he was merely copying the hazy memory, tracing the outline. “It seems a little off, but the Yin energy has indeed sunk downward. It shouldn't escalate into a place of Yin malevolence, right?” Stroking his chin, Zong Shou muttered uncertainly, then shook his head irresponsibly, deciding not to worry about it anymore. After all, it would take at least ninety-nine years for a Baleful Corpse to fully manifest. At worst, in two years, he could have the Gong family move her away quickly.

And just moments later, a slender figure was seen in the distance, standing atop a massive lion, speeding rapidly toward this spot. She leaped across the distance of more than twenty zhang, descending gracefully next to Zong Shou.

“Young Master, I have already cremated those corpses into ash and scattered them in the Corpse Demon Mountain as you instructed. As for Gao Yi, he has most likely fallen into the bellies of those fierce beasts by now—” At this point, Chu Xue glanced at the grave marker, her eyes also holding a trace of sadness. “This Sister Xinran is truly pitiful. In the Nine Springs below, she likely regrets encountering such a beast in human form—”

Zong Shou did not entirely agree. It was a case of ‘possession invites disaster.’ As long as this Martial Classic Secret existed, even without Gao Yi, Gong Xinran would likely have lost her life. He shook his head slightly and looked at the Phantasmal Shadow Lion beside him. Seeing the massive beast’s eyes filled with entreaty, Zong Shou frowned. “Why did you bring it again?”

Chu Xue heard this and immediately looked dejected. “This lion insisted on following me; Xue’er couldn't shake it off. Should I ask the Young Master to drive it back?”

Zong Shou recalled the previous scene of Chu Xue riding the lion and felt a surge of annoyance. He supposed it was fine; although the Phantasmal Shadow Lion wasn't the optimal choice for a guard beast, having an additional Xiantian spirit beast now was still somewhat helpful. “Forget it! Since the corpses have been dealt with, we can set off back. Right, open your mouth! Ah—”

Chu Xue was confused and also uttered an ‘Ah.’ Then she felt a small, red pellet tossed into her mouth. “Young Master!”

Chu Xue was about to complain and spit out the contents of her mouth, but then she detected a sweet taste on her tongue. She tentatively chewed, finding it purely fragrant and icy-sweet, and unconsciously swallowed it. “So sweet! Young Master, what is this? It smells so good—”

Zong Shou smiled and leaped onto the lion’s back. “What else could it be? Naturally, the Human Extreme Pill!”

Chu Xue’s body stiffened, rooted to the spot. After a long while, seeing Zong Shou and the Scythe-Tail Lion already moving further away, she quickly hurried to catch up.

And just a moment after the two departed, a massive bolt of lightning suddenly struck down from above the stone grave, and countless dark clouds gathered. Nine cracks, each over a zhang wide, abruptly split open in the surrounding ground and rapidly spread toward the location of the tomb. And on the stone marker, the three characters of Gong Xinran began to drip thin streaks of blood.