At the mouth of the cave, Song Wanning erased the Divine Soul Mark from the Storage Ring and easily saw what was inside.

There were some Spirit Stones, various medicinal herbs, and several bottles of Elixir Pills.

There were a few Magical Treasures, but they were all used and low-grade. They likely wouldn’t fetch much money.

The rest consisted of a few Array Plates, talismans, and a change of clothes.

Even a Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Mountain Gazing Sect was still quite poor.

And this was the reality for most Cultivators.

For a Cultivator to advance, they couldn’t just absorb Spiritual Energy; they also needed external aids. Moreover, they needed Elixir Pills, equipment, and more to deal with dangers, making the path of cultivation extremely expensive.

Therefore, most Cultivators dabbled in the four major arts of cultivation, hoping to discover a talent that could provide another source of income.

Song Wanning’s status as an Alchemy Grandmaster alone was enough to make others burn with envy.

’As for all those displays of affection and declarations of love—how much was genuine and how much was false—she no longer cared in the slightest.’

After transferring the useful items into her own Storage Ring, she tucked away the one she had just acquired, planning to dispose of it later.

Her gaze fell upon the severed limbs on the ground, and she casually tossed a fireball at them.

...

"Esteemed guest, you’ve come to our Hundred Ghosts Sect. What business would you like to discuss?"

An old woman with salt-and-pepper hair sat across from Song Wanning, a wide smile on her face as she asked the question.

"I want to disseminate a message and a recording. This is the Memory Stone."

Song Wanning took out the Memory Stone and placed it on the table.

The Hundred Ghosts Sect had been founded over a thousand years ago and remained a stable power to this day. The influence it wielded was not to be underestimated.

This place primarily dealt in information. From major news, like who had just ascended, to minor gossip, like which family’s husband was having an affair—most any secret could be bought.

So when she produced the Memory Stone, the old woman was taken aback.

The Hundred Ghosts Sect rarely engaged in the business of deliberately spreading information.

But as long as the price was right, anything was negotiable.

The old woman’s smile widened as she quoted a hefty price.

Song Wanning raised an eyebrow. She casually tossed the Storage Ring onto the table, along with all the Spirit Stones she had recently acquired. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

’Using Liu Yao’s own Spirit Stones to make him infamous... he’d surely be very grateful to me, wouldn’t he?’

Suppressing a smile, Song Wanning concluded the transaction and left without another word.

The old woman picked up the Memory Stone, ready to make the arrangements. But when she activated it and saw the contents, she froze on the spot, her face instantly turning beet red.

"Th-this—"

"What a monster!!!!"

The old woman’s hands trembled with rage.

In the recording, Qi Xiezi was clearly a pure, innocent child.

’For Liu Yao to lay a hand on a child... he’s utterly despicable!’

Fuming, she immediately stormed toward the main hall to present the Memory Stone.

In the main hall, a woman in white sat upon the highest seat. When she saw the old woman enter, she languidly lifted her eyelids.

"Hall Master, please take a look at this Memory Stone."

"A moment ago, a Cultivator came to the Hundred Ghosts Sect to make a deal. She asked me to disseminate the recording in this Memory Stone..."

"Oh?"

The Hall Master’s interest was piqued. She activated the Memory Stone and watched.

Her sharp eyes immediately spotted the problem—the condition of the two individuals wasn’t right. They showed signs of having been drugged.

"Who is this man?"

The Hall Master pointed at Liu Yao, her expression serene, seemingly unaffected by the disgusting footage.

"That is Liu Yao, a Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Mountain Gazing Sect."

The old woman answered truthfully.

"Heh, so he’s from the Mountain Gazing Sect?"

The Hall Master let out a cold laugh and tossed the Memory Stone back to the old woman.

"See to this matter personally. Make sure everyone, from the grandest avenues to the narrowest alleys, knows about this!"

"And when you do, spread the story exactly as I’m about to tell you..."

She leaned in and whispered a few words in the old woman’s ear, then dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

As the old woman walked out the main gate cradling the Memory Stone, she suddenly remembered something and slapped her thigh.

"Ah, how could I have forgotten!"

’The Hall Master has a grudge against the Mountain Gazing Sect!’

...

After leaving the Hundred Ghosts Sect, Song Wanning turned into an alley. In a flash, her figure vanished without a trace.

No sooner had she vanished than someone else entered the alley.

"Hey, what the hell? I could’ve sworn I saw someone come in here!"

The man scratched his head. After a fruitless search, he too departed.

By then, Song Wanning was already far outside the city.

She had chosen the Hundred Ghosts Sect to spread the news for two reasons. First, their influence was vast, ensuring the message would reach every corner of the realm.

Second, she’d heard in her previous life that someone in the Hundred Ghosts Sect held a grudge against the Sect Master of the Mountain Gazing Sect.

The story went that when the Mountain Gazing Sect’s Sect Master was young, he had adventured with a female cultivator companion. Something happened midway through their journey, and the woman ended up dying tragically, devoured by a demon beast.

That woman had a younger sister who joined the Hundred Ghosts Sect. Step by step, she grew in power and influence, eventually becoming a Hall Master and seeking him out for revenge.

In her previous life, the Sect Master of the Mountain Gazing Sect had ultimately died a miserable death at this Hall Master’s hands. As for the exact details of what transpired, she had no way of knowing.

’But the fact that there was a feud between them was enough. By exploiting this conflict, the Mountain Gazing Sect was sure to suffer.’

At this thought, Song Wanning’s mood brightened considerably.

She mounted her flying carpet and headed toward the Artifact Talisman Sect.

As for Liu Yao...

’There were plenty of people who would take care of him!’

*

「Mountain Gazing Sect.」

Liu Yiyi paced anxiously around her room.

Her brother had said he was going to deal with Song Wanning yesterday, but there had been no word from him since. She couldn’t get in touch with him now, which left her feeling deeply unsettled, unable to sit or stand still.

When she received her brother’s message yesterday that Song Wanning had been captured, she had been overjoyed for the longest time.

At the time, she’d even regretted being too far away to personally see Song Wanning off on her final journey.

More than anyone, she wanted to see Song Wanning groveling and begging for mercy.

’She had imagined that very scene in her dreams countless times!’

What’s more, according to her brother’s plan, Song Wanning was to be violated by an Evil Cultivator and have her essence drained dry before she died!

She could barely contain her excitement just thinking about it, so she had made sure to remind her brother to record the entire scene with a Memory Stone.

’Even in death, Song Wanning had to be stripped of all dignity, left to be scorned by the entire world.’

"’Is she dead or not?’"

Liu Yiyi paced back and forth in her room. She sent out another Communication Talisman, but like before, there was no reply, as if a stone had sunk into the ocean.

"’This won’t do. I have to go check on Brother’s soul lamp. Don’t tell me something happened to him!!!’"

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she grew. She rushed out of the hall and hurried toward the Soul Hall.

She hadn’t gone far before she ran into someone.

Liu Yiyi’s expression changed. She wanted to turn and leave immediately, but the thought of her brother’s safety made her grit her teeth and press on.

"Senior Sister Wu..."

She bowed obediently, her lowered eyes filled with suppressed rage.

"Well, well, if it isn’t our Mountain Gazing Sect’s great hero. Where are you off to in such a rush? Don’t tell me someone’s challenged you to another duel?"

Senior Sister Wu’s tone was dripping with sarcasm, her disgusted gaze sweeping over Liu Yiyi.

’This treacherous bitch. She ruined the Sect’s prospects, damaged all of our interests, and even turned our Sect into a laughingstock.’

’Just thinking about it made her want to slap Liu Yiyi all over again.’

Liu Yiyi inwardly shrieked.

’This bitch!!’