This was the ancestral shrine that Jiang Shengxiang had organized the villagers of both villages, together with disciples of Biliu Sect, to build for Yao Ranran.
After the completion of the Ranxian Shrine, people came every day to kneel and worship. The incense never ceased.
Today, the black storm that rolled up above Gu Ling Mountain drew the entire village to the shrine to gaze upon the immortal statue. Those kneeling before Ranxian Shrine lined up in a long procession.
At the foot of Gu Ling Mountain, a soft white radiance expanded outward around Yao Ranran. Every movement of her hand, every step, released a gentle and elegant light.
But Yao Ranran herself remained unaware.
She tirelessly swung the Nine Lotus Ring. Though it already obeyed her like an extension of her own body, moving with the merest thought, she did not stop.
The sun gradually sank into the western hills. Nine snow lotuses bloomed within the black mist, only to vanish in an instant, returning to her hands.
"That's enough practice for today. Time to go back."
Such was the life of a cultivator—simple and without unnecessary socializing. Yao Ranran was deeply satisfied. She continued nurturing the Nine Lotus Ring, walking up the mountain path.
Elsewhere, Xiao Rong and Tang Xiangyin carried lunch boxes up to Lone Star Peak.
Tang Xiangyin climbed gracefully to the summit, brushing away loose strands of hair from her forehead. Lifting her red skirt, she instinctively looked toward Gu Ling Mountain.
What met her gaze was pitch black.
But a moment later, a dazzling white!
"What is that?"
Tang Xiangyin lowered her skirt and raised a hand to shield her eyes. The blinding light forced her to turn away.
Xiao Rong skipped along the path, teasing the wildflowers and brushing snow off their heads.
"Xiao Tang, are you calling me?"
Hearing Tang Xiangyin's exclamation, Xiao Rong thought he was being addressed and hopped faster to catch up.
Tang Xiangyin dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, slowly adjusting to the glow on Gu Ling Mountain.
"No, Xiao Rong, look over there!"
She pointed with her hand.
Xiao Rong tilted his head.
"Ah! What is that? Did the sun fall onto our mountain?!"
He clapped both hands over his eyes, nearly in tears.
So dazzling!
"How could it be the sun? The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It would never fall onto Gu Ling Mountain!"
Tang Xiangyin studied the glow carefully, then suddenly realized, "Xiao Rong, that must be the moon! The moon has fallen on Gu Ling Mountain!"
Xiao Rong rubbed his eyes. Catching Tang Xiangyin's shocked expression, he forced his eyes open wide again to look.
"Really? The moon actually fell onto Gu Ling Mountain?!"
The two of them stared in a daze at the moving light for a long time.
Until the white glow finally reached the mountaintop.
Xiao Rong cried out, "Xiao Tang! The moon is about to enter our Taoist temple!"
Tang Xiangyin was so startled she lost her words. "Mm… mm… ah!"
At the temple gates, Yao Ranran paused, glancing toward Lone Star Peak.
"These two—Xiao Rong and Xiangyin—are getting more and more ridiculous with their flattery. I'm just coming home, and they're comparing me to the moon? Do they really have to be so accurate?"
Composed, she pushed the door open, though the corner of her lips couldn't help curving upward.
"It really went inside!"
Xiao Rong gripped Tang Xiangyin's hand, staring at the glow slipping into the temple with shining eyes.
"Let's go back quickly! Maybe Fairy Ranran has already caught it!"
It took Tang Xiangyin a long moment to find her voice again. She grabbed Xiao Rong, and the two of them rushed back toward Gu Ling Mountain.
As Yao Ranran entered the temple, the Phoenix that had been resting suddenly shot upright.
"Did I scare you?"
Yao Ranran asked in surprise, then chuckled. "A divine beast, frightened by this? Impossible."
The Phoenix gave no response. She strolled into her room.
Thump.
The Phoenix's slender legs bent, and it dropped to its knees.
Don't ask why—it didn't know either!
"Hurry, hurry, let's see if Boss is back!"
Xiao Rong urged anxiously.
The two of them rushed forward like a gale, not even sparing a glance at the kneeling Phoenix as they bolted to Yao Ranran's door.
"Boss, are you home?"
"Fairy Ranran, a moon just ran into the temple!"
Yao Ranran straightened her robe.
"These two are really putting on a show. They're even shouting like it's real."
With a soft laugh, she opened the door.
"I've already caught the moon."
She played along mischievously.
Xiao Rong and Tang Xiangyin took her words at face value.
The instant she stepped out, their eyes went wide together.
A strange impulse rose at the same time in their minds—
They wanted to kneel and bow!
"Is this the meal you brought me?"
Just as their knees were about to give out, Yao Ranran spoke.
Xiao Rong snapped back to her senses, pupils shaking. "Boss… you ate the moon?!"
"Uh… Was this some new form of praise?"
Yao Ranran's lips curved in a faint smile. "Even if I eat the moon, I still need to eat dinner."
No way she was letting them steal her food!
Xiao Rong's jaw dropped so wide it almost fell off. Her mind spun with visions of Yao Ranran devouring the moon.
Tang Xiangyin was equally stunned, too shocked to speak, just standing with her mouth open.
Yao Ranran blinked.
Were they overacting a little too much?
"Alright, I'm going to eat now."
She turned, went back inside, and shut the door.
The two of them stood frozen outside like puppets.
Behind them, the Phoenix slowly got back to its feet.
"Yao Ranran, you need not hide anything from this sovereign. You are the one I have chosen. If you suffer injury during your mission, you may demand pills from me."
The Dark Underworld Marrow trembled once again. Yao Ranran glanced at the words in the void, then waved her sleeve, scattering them into mist.
"Heaven and earth are vast, but nothing is greater than a meal for the common folk."
She tossed the Dark Underworld Marrow onto the bed, letting it continue to buzz, and dug into her food.
Mumbling between bites, she muttered, "This Demon Sovereign is so strange. I don't even want to talk to him, yet he keeps rambling."
And endlessly praising her, too. Praising her for what exactly? What had she even done?
Yao Ranran rolled her eyes, trying to recall, but couldn't think of a single so-called mission she had completed.
After finishing her meal, she lounged lazily on the bed, turning the Dark Underworld Marrow in her hand.
"Since this Demon Sovereign cares so much, I might as well… request a few pills."
On the other side of the Dark Underworld Marrow—
Li Luoqi watched the text slowly appear before him, his lips curling into a rakish smile. "As expected. She hasn't replied all these days because she's been hiding somewhere to recover from her injuries.
Golden Marrow Pill, Unity Pill, Blood Lotus, Red Phosphorus, Shui Yun Pill… No problem. My Demon Domain has plenty of these!" He maintained his careless smile.
Until the words kept appearing, stacking into a list taller than several men. His smile froze.
"Mixed Yuan Stone, Xuanhai Ice Essence, Silk from a hundred-zhang silkworm, Ink Gold, Crimson Sun Iron, Spirit Beast Feed Pills…
Yao Ranran, do you take me for a fool? What kind of injury needs Spirit Beast Feed Pills?!"
Li Luoqi's eye twitched uncontrollably.
Staring at the mountain of words sprawling enough to circle a hill, he nearly swept them away in fury.
Only for his protector to rush forward and stop him.
"Demon Sovereign, you mustn't! Yao Ranran is clearly suffering from madness. There's no need to lower yourself to her level!"