ATLAS TRANSLATES

Wuxiang Spirit Mountain lay a hundred miles west of the Endless Sea.

Rain whipped through the mountain, leaving devastation in its wake. Only half of the pavilion’s curtains remained standing.

A sword pierced through with a sharp sound.

The man clutched the new hole in his chest, stumbling backward several steps.

“I’ve told you many times,” he gritted his teeth. “I had nothing to do with your sister’s death! Why are you so stubborn?”

Xing Shuishui wiped the blood from her cheeks and replied seriously, “But in this world, who else knows mirror techniques besides you?”

She appeared only thirteen or fourteen, with cloud-like hair and peach-blossom cheeks. Her small frame looked especially fragile in the rain. Disliking swords, she frowned at the still-dripping blade before throwing it to the ground.

The man’s spiritual sword lay broken in three pieces—enough to make him a laughingstock across the land!

The man gazed at the scattered bones on the ground, feeling grief rise in his heart. He glared at her viciously: “I’ve cultivated for ten thousand years, killed countless spirit cultivators. In the end, I’m going to die by the hands of a mere three-hundred-year-old peach spirit!”

“That’s right—not only did I kill your sister, I wanted to tear her into pieces, grind her bones to dust, and make your entire Lihuo Manor pay! What does it matter if you’re the master of Lihuo? Going against heaven’s will brings divine punishment. You showed no restraint, massacring my entire mountain. Today, I’ll send you to join your sister in the yellow springs!”

He suddenly threw his head back and howled, tearing open his flesh to extract a dragon bone. Du Dizhu’s true form was a flood dragon. Though too beaten to show his original shape, the dragon bone remained an ancient sacred object. Sensing the threat, it transformed into a dragon bone blade, instantly releasing tremendous pressure.

Xing Shuishui’s eyes remained calm as she gripped a spirit blade, smiling faintly: “Qitong.”

The spirit blade erupted in flames, red and otherworldly.

“Old fool,” Xing Shuishui said, “I won’t send you to the Yellow Springs¹. I’ll make you vanish into ash, never to be reborn.”

The flames of Lihuo entwined around the dragon bone blade. The previously imposing blade crumbled to ash in the blink of an eye.

The man coughed up a mouthful of blood and raised his head with difficulty: “Xue Jiuling…”

His current wretchedness matched his former glory.

“Even if I’ve lived an evil life, kidnapping women and loving to eat young boys and girls—your sister, I didn’t kill her!”

“My biggest regret now is joking about making your sister my concubine back then. Otherwise, you little wretch wouldn’t have fought with me for hundreds of years, always saying I killed your sister. Sometimes I really wish… that bitch was killed by me…”

Xing Shuishui thought this person talked too much and moved to end it. But the sky suddenly changed, dark clouds gathering. An invisible membrane seemed to form between her and Du Dizhu—neither Lihuo’s flames nor Qitong’s blade could advance even half an inch.

Du Dizhu burst into laughter: “Heaven hasn’t abandoned me after all!”

His voice turned cold: “Xue Jiuling, I told you you’d face divine punishment!”

Before his words ended, lightning tore through the sky, striking directly at Xing Shuishui. Its speed and terrible power could even suppress an immortal’s ascension!

Nine bolts of divine lightning was extreme punishment for any living being.

Xing Shuishui’s meridians shattered, both eyes blinded, yet she desperately tried to look at the mortal world one last time. She remembered the year she first transmigrated to this world, when her sister had looked at her with the same expression, happily telling their mother she had a little sister now.

Such regret—she had almost killed that old fool.

Her consciousness quickly filled with endless pain.

It hurt so much.

So much pain.

Xing Shuishui thought she must have died, in the 3,620th year of Jieyuan.

In the void, someone whispered in her ear.

“It wasn’t Du Dizhu who killed her. It wasn’t him.”

“The one who killed your sister wasn’t him.”

She thought: It was him who killed her.

The voice persisted relentlessly. It changed into different voices—men, women, children, elderly.

“It wasn’t him who killed her.”

“It wasn’t him.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Xing Shuishui, stop deceiving yourself!”

Hearing this name, Xing Shuishui thought it must be an illusion, since that was her name before transmigrating.

She had been called Xue Jiuling ever since coming to this world.

Before she could think further, her head suddenly hurt terribly, her whole body weak and powerless. Someone kept nagging beside her, talking endlessly. Unlike the voices from before, this one was particularly harsh and cruel.

“Oh! You little slut finally woke up? Aren’t you fond of stealing? I’ll let you steal to your heart’s content!”

“So shameless, you dare to wake up.”

Huh? What?

She suddenly opened her eyes, still confused, when someone forcefully pushed her into water. She swallowed a belly full of water, the sudden suffocation making her mind clearer.

“You dare steal from the young miss? You’re so bold! If not for the young miss, you would have starved to death by the roadside long ago, you ungrateful thing! The young miss shouldn’t have been soft-hearted and saved you back then!”

Though Xing Shuishui didn’t understand what this “young miss” business was about, the urgent matter was getting this person to let go.

“Your Honor, I’m wrongly accused! I didn’t steal anything! Let me explain!”

Hearing this, the old woman gripping her did loosen her hold. Xing Shuishui finally had a chance to look around the courtyard. The layout was very elegant, with golden bells chiming under the eaves—clearly a wealthy household. Even the old woman before her had an imposing manner, as if afraid she wouldn’t flay Xing Shuishui alive.

Who were these people?

After sorting through this body’s remaining memories, she finally understood this was the mortal world a hundred years later.

The original owner of this body was also a small peach spirit, with spirit power so weak she could be mistaken for a mortal. Having no offensive abilities, she had nearly starved to death by the roadside, until this household’s young miss Passing by, the little peach spirit barely survived.

However, this family was clearly no good either.

The young lady had a terminal illness, and to extend her life, they had harmed countless men, women, and children in the city. They finally found a cure, but it needed one key ingredient – the spirit core of a peach spirit.

This little fool clearly didn’t understand, helping count money for those who had sold her out.

When someone brought a jade carving of a fire toad to the young lady, the little peach spirit saw through it immediately. This was no mere carving, but a fire toad spirit sealed within, a monster that could devour half the city once revived. Seeing the seal was clearly weakening, she stole the carving to protect the young lady from harm.

Who would have thought she’d be discovered? Without explanation, she was held underwater, crying out with no response from heaven or earth. These people were used to being tyrannical, treating lives as worthless.

Perhaps because she was a peach blossom spirit in her past life, Xing Shuishui felt immense pity for her fate. Since they wouldn’t appreciate her good intentions, let them face the consequences.

She pretended to be frightened: “I discovered a mechanism on the jade carving. I wanted to figure it out before telling the young lady, to make her happy… you misunderstood.”

The old woman snarled: “Give me that jade carving!”

Xing Shuishui was eager to get rid of this hot potato. She retrieved the carving hidden in the dog hole. The old woman immediately snatched it, asking coldly: “Where’s the mechanism? Where is it? If you dare lie to me, I’ll tear your mouth apart.”

Xing Shuishui pointed at the base, saying: “There are many mystical arts in this world. I’ve pondered this mechanism for a long time but don’t know its purpose. Best not to touch it carelessly before understanding what it does.”

The carving’s base was decorated with gold, silver, and jewels, easily evoking thoughts of wealth and prosperity.

The old woman’s eyes gleamed with greed, ignoring all warnings. She shoved her aside: “Get lost! Don’t I know better? You little wretch, trying to lecture me?”

Xing Shuishui clutched her bruised waist, nearly knocking over a water vat. Ouch, she hit hard.

The door creaked open as Xing Shuishui returned to her quarters. She examined the room carefully – broken roof, walls covered in cobwebs and moss. She couldn’t help but laugh. They wanted her spirit core yet made her sleep here?

She heard rustling and became alert, looking toward the sound.

An old man was climbing through her window.

The little peach spirit had no relatives, and she had no memory of this person.

This old man was strange. His clothes weren’t like common folk’s, but rather like the formal wear of gods at temple festivals – exquisitely crafted without a trace of stitching. He was hunched over, very short, only reaching her waist. His left hand held a gold ingot, his right a jade ruyi scepter. After jumping down, he adjusted his clothes, looking very elderly.

Xing Shuishui worried he might fall and try to blame her.

“Don’t be afraid, young friend. I am the Earth God of heaven, the Land Immortal of the mortal realm. I come by heaven’s decree to help you catch the mastermind who harmed your sister.”

Xing Shuishui realized those voices she heard after death weren’t hallucinations.

They kept saying it wasn’t Du Dizhu, it wasn’t Du Dizhu.

But it clearly was him!

Xing Shuishui feigned confusion, saying frantically: “Who are you? I don’t know what you’re talking about! Help! There’s a perverted old man breaking into my room!”

The Land Immortal said: “Don’t slander me! I came with sincere intentions to help!”

He chanted an incantation, and a dagger appeared in mid-air. The blade was small but exquisite, seemingly carved from blood jade.

“Young lady, look carefully. Look, I’ve brought your divine weapon. Isn’t that sincere enough?”

Returning to its owner, Xing Shuishui wiped the blade’s back, asking with a smile: “Is Du Dizhu still at Wuxiang Mountain?”

The Land Immortal looked embarrassed: “Your sister’s death has nothing to do with him.”

Xing Shuishui: “He’s the only one who knows mirror arts.”

“How do you know there isn’t a second person who has mastered it? Don’t let yourself be used as someone’s weapon!” The Land Immortal’s beard nearly twisted with anger.

He changed the subject: “I have a string of divine bells that can help you identify the real culprit. If it truly is Du Dizhu, I won’t stop you.”

Xing Shuishui asked: “Where are the bells?”

The Land Immortal’s expression suddenly turned strange.

Xing Shuishui was puzzled. After several changes in expression, he finally said: “To be honest, young friend, what you see is only my projection. The bells are naturally with my true form.”

“Then where’s your true form?”

He stammered: “It’s been captured.”

Xing Shuishui: “??”

“I met some spirit hunters on the road who mistook me for an earth spirit and captured me. How ridiculous! Do I look like an earth spirit to you?”

Xing Shuishui suggested: “Why don’t you just tell them you’re the Land Immortal?”

Land Immortal: “That’s embarrassing. How could I show my face if word got out?”

His form began to fade as he repeatedly urged: “Young friend, you must help!”

Xing Shuishui was troubled. With so many spirit hunters in the world, how could she find him?

On the first day after the old woman took the jade carving, nothing happened.

On the second day, everything went on as usual.

On the third day, just as Xing Shuishui was thinking about how to escape this hellhole, the old woman stormed in again with others, furious.

“What mechanism? You dare deceive me!”

Xing Shuishui glanced at the jade carving in her hand. The seal marks on the base had vanished, and the fire toad’s ruby eyes looked eerily strange. If you don’t court death, you won’t die.

“You must be itching for punishment, daring to deceive me. Today I’ll teach you what rules mean!”

She didn’t need to say more – Xing Shuishui kept her distance.

Seeing her run, the old woman pointed at her: “You dare run? Your life belongs to the young lady. Catch her!”

Soon, several maids and old women were chasing Xing Shuishui around the courtyard. Despite her frail appearance, she was harder to catch than a rabbit. Her pursuers were soon out of breath.

Suddenly, the jade carving in the old woman’s hand shattered. The fire toad spirit descended upon the mortal world, and the moonlight outside was replaced by the monster’s massive form.

It dragged its body, covered in disgusting slime, its black skin like a pool of dark water, constantly making creaking sounds.

The head of the household returned with his daughter. As soon as they pushed open the door, their faces turned pale with fright.

“What’s happening? What is this thing?”

“There’s a monster! Run!”

“Ah—”

The mansion was in chaos. The fire toad spirit had clearly been hungry for a long time. It devoured anyone it saw, with screams echoing through every corner of the residence.

Xing Shuishui looked back as the old woman pulled out her hairpin and lunged at her with hatred. The fire toad spirit was faster, swallowing her in one gulp.

“I guess I didn’t take your body for nothing,” Xing Shuishui muttered.

Though the fire toad spirit looked fearsome, it wasn’t actually strong and posed little threat. Monster hunters would likely arrive soon.

She bit her finger and drew a concealment talisman on a piece of torn cloth to hide the monster’s aura.

After the fire toad spirit had ransacked the entire mansion and found no one else to eat, it turned its full attention to Xing Shuishui.

Xing Shuishui pushed open the main door and ran outside with all her survival instincts, but the stone tiles in front of her suddenly cracked.

The people on the street scattered in terror at the sight of such an enormous creature.

Xing Shuishui fell and saw stars. She struggled to get up and looked ahead.

Its eyes were like pools of blood-red moons. She didn’t know when it had appeared before her. This was her first time seeing a fire toad spirit with red eyes—weren’t they usually white?

While lost in thought, the fire toad spirit had already opened its mouth and extended its long tongue toward her.

She looked down at the tongue that had wrapped her up like a dumpling.

Help!

Being caught by the fire toad spirit was awful. Xing Shuishui was lifted off the ground and thrown into the air, the violent weightlessness making her stomach churn.

She gripped Qitong, not wanting to use it unless absolutely necessary. Many people in her past life had seen this spiritual weapon.

“Don’t eat me! Look how skinny I am, there’s barely any meat on my bones. Big brother, why don’t you look for someone else?”

“To be honest, I’m cursed with bad luck. Do you know what that means? It means eating me will bring you eight generations of misfortune!”

“Help! Help! A monster is eating people!”

Xing Shuishui pinched its tongue hard. The fire toad spirit actually paused and didn’t immediately bite down.

She thought her method had worked, but then noticed several sword glows in the sky and realized belatedly that it must have been wary of the cultivators.

Several cultivators came riding their swords, their long hair floating, bathed in golden light. From their attire, they seemed to be from a small local sect, with ordinary cultivation levels. But from the expressions of the common people, it was clear they held high status here.

“Monster! Release that young lady! Don’t continue down this misguided path!”

“I advise you to be sensible! See this meteor hammer? It can smash your grandmother’s head!”

Several swords pointed at it.

But Xing Shuishui sensed contempt from the fire toad spirit. It stared at them like it was looking down on insects, apparently able to understand human speech.

This was very strange.

Fire toad spirits were very common and weak monsters, barely intelligent. Though frightening to humans, for cultivators, fighting one was as simple as popping a balloon. Why wasn’t it afraid?

“Monster, prepare to die!”

Several swords flew out together. Xing Shuishui was afraid they might accidentally stab her to death, but the fire toad spirit not only didn’t retreat, it moved closer to them.

Something bizarre happened—the swords were absorbed as soon as they touched its skin. Some of these were even spiritual weapons! Its skin was like living mud, transforming into tentacles that wrapped around several cultivators’ necks. The other cultivators were shocked, then heard the fire toad spirit screech and forcefully spit out several mouthfuls of blood.

“Senior brother, this monster is too strange! We can’t defeat it!”

“Weren’t Lingshan’s people supposed to arrive in three days? Let’s ask them for help!”

“There’s no time!”

Xing Shuishui’s eardrums were about to burst from the screeching.

The fire toad spirit stared at her coldly, opening its bloody mouth to swallow her.

No good, something was wrong with this fire toad spirit!

Seeing her life flash before her eyes, Xing Shuishui couldn’t care about anything else. She gripped Qitong, ready to strike quickly.

Hopefully she’d be fast enough that no one would see clearly.

But at that moment, a cold laugh appeared out of nowhere.

Below the pagoda’s bell tower, countless peach blossoms gathered together, blocking the fire toad spirit. In this world, there was actually someone who could draw talismans with peach blossoms, creating deadly force everywhere.

Xing Shuishui turned her head, her cloudy hair floating.

Under her sleeve, Qitong was somehow covered in separation fire. Her wrist burned hot. She could feel an unusually thick killing intent—even when facing Du Dizhu at the peak of Wuxiang Mountain, it had never erupted with such intense killing intent.

Who exactly was this…

The peach blossoms scattered, and someone descended from above her head.

Yellow talismans spun around him, creating a humming sound.

The young man wore white clothes and had black hair, with red tassels at his collar. He had handsome, refined features—even immortals would exclaim at his excellence.

He narrowed his eyes, his lips like smoke at the horizon, his face like peach blossoms reflected in spring water, enough to hide the coldness between his brows.

As he raised his sword, the end of his vermillion headband flew before his face, tangling with his high-bound hair.

He curved his lips. A powerful pressure descended.

The fire toad spirit couldn’t move.

“Heh…” The young man’s face was full of mockery. “You truly don’t know what’s good for you.”

It’s actually a celestial master!

Xing Shuishui pressed down hard on Qitong, forcefully extinguishing the separation fire. Of heaven, earth, mystery and yellow, all below yellow rank were considered uninitiated. Spirit cultivators reaching mystery rank were already powerful enough to guard a region. But this person? How old was he? He seemed less than twenty yet was already astounding all directions.

The fire toad spirit sneered, “Monster hunter, aren’t you afraid I’ll lose my temper and eat her?”

Xing Shuishui: “…”

“Oh, so you can talk. I thought you were mute.”

The voice was harsh and grating. Xing Shuishui hoped this demon hunter would let her leave soon, as she dangled in mid-air like a hanged person.

To appear genuine, she kept crying out, “Don’t… don’t eat me.”

The fire toad spirit laughed sinisterly.

The young man’s voice was ice-cold: “Do you think you’re in any position to bargain with me?”

As the fire toad spirit tried to speak, he drew his sword in a beautiful arc, cutting off its tongue.

Then, with lightning speed, an exorcism talisman flew onto its body. After a piercing scream, before it could even react, the fire toad spirit’s body turned to white smoke and dissipated into the air.

Xing Shuishui suddenly felt weightless, her dress billowing. She instinctively looked at the young man, somewhat dazed.

The young man hovered in mid-air, glancing at her coldly.

“He Lian, that girl is going to fall, catch her!” called someone below, their voice clear but urgent. Even without seeing the person, one could sense their character.

He Liansheng remained unmoved. His silver sword returned to its sheath as the peach blossom began to fall—an unthinkable situation.

Fine, she’d fall then.

Xing Shuishui closed her eyes. A broken leg or arm would heal in a few days.

She couldn’t appear too unusual or provoke him.

The person who spoke grew angry: “He Lian! Cultivators should do good deeds and accumulate virtue. If you continue to disregard human life like this, I’ll tell Uncle He Lian immediately. I’m sure he’ll have a good talk with you when we return to Lingshan!”

The young man’s tone suddenly turned fierce: “Li Guanyu, are you threatening me?”

The peach blossoms turned to blades, releasing a murderous aura.

He looked over, and Xing Shuishui could feel his malice—he seemed to want her to fall right onto Li Guanyu’s head. This demon hunter… being from Lingshan wasn’t surprising.

“He Lian!”

The voice grew more anxious.

Li Guanyu made a hand seal, and a wind arose beneath Xing Shuishui, slowing her descent.

Her dress floated in the wind as people below screamed and scattered, afraid of being hit. They knocked over fruit baskets, apples rolling everywhere as people fell over each other, spilling wine and creating chaos.

Just as Xing Shuishui thought she would really fall, her body suddenly felt light.

She opened her eyes in surprise as the young man roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him, showing no gentleness.

The peach blossoms in the young woman’s hair fell as her light peach-colored dress pressed against the young man’s body, the air filled with the scent of peach blossom wine. He Liansheng’s movements paused slightly. Xing Shuishui instinctively grabbed his silver armguard, her water-colored dress hem lifting to reveal a delicate white ankle. Clearly frightened, she didn’t dare look up at him.

He Liansheng glanced her over, noting the tears in her eyes with contempt: “Cry again and I’ll throw you down.”

Xing Shuishui looked at him innocently: “But… I’m afraid of heights.”

If she didn’t cry, how would he believe her?

She gripped him even tighter. He Liansheng gave her a warning look.

Xing Shuishui thought that if there weren’t so many people watching, this demon hunter would probably have already turned her into a sieve with his sword.

Fortunately, she had been clever enough to draw a concealment talisman while running. No matter how displeased he was, he wouldn’t kill a mortal in public.

They landed safely, drawing cheers from onlookers.

“Lingshan! I never thought I’d see someone from Lingshan in my lifetime. What fortune!”

“As expected of Lingshan! They said they’d arrive in three days, but they’re already here and eliminated the demon with one strike. When they act, it’s truly impressive!”

Xing Shuishui straightened her dress as Li Guanyu approached.

This was the sister who had spoken earlier—she was heavenly beautiful, cold and proud, easily reminiscent of mountain snow and ice.

Seeing the cyan-colored family crest, Xing Shuishui understood—it was indeed the Li family she had thought of.

Among the righteous path, Lingshan held the highest position, revered by all and served by all nations. Not just anyone could enter Lingshan to cultivate; it was passed down through four ancient cultivator families. These two people—one surnamed Li and one surnamed He Lian—both belonged to Lingshan’s four great families.

She remembered that Lingshan’s people were extremely proud and wouldn’t even bother with demons unless they were causing widespread chaos.

Why would they come to such a remote place?

Li Guanyu smiled kindly at her, accompanied by a young boy carrying a sword. The boy looked exactly like Li Guanyu, probably her brother, though his gaze was as unfriendly as the other one’s.

“I am Li Guanyu, this is my brother Li Guanxing. The one who helped earlier was our fellow disciple He Liansheng. We came here to eliminate demons, and we’re sorry for frightening you.”

Xing Shuishui: “My name is Xing Shuishui. Thank you, Sister Guanyu, for saving me. Otherwise… I would have died.”

She didn’t mention He Liansheng at all. Li Guanxing looked at He Liansheng with interest. He Liansheng’s face showed contempt.

Li Guanyu hadn’t noticed and spoke gently: “Ah, Xing like the Xing Tian of legend, and Shuishui like moonlight on water—what a beautiful name! Where does Miss Xing live?”

Xing Shuishui thought for a moment: “I have no home.”

After all, her original mansion was destroyed and its people eaten, with no one knowing who she was.

She simply said: “I’ve been orphaned since childhood, homeless. I heard I still have a grandfather alive, so I’ve been searching for him everywhere. I didn’t expect to run into bad luck today and encounter the fire toad spirit.”

Li Guanyu was full of sympathy: “This area has serious demon problems. One can be caught at any moment without care. Miss Xing, with no cultivation abilities, it’s too dangerous to be alone. If you don’t mind, you can stay with us temporarily.”

Xing Shuishui’s expression froze.

Wasn’t this like jumping from a wolf’s den into a tiger’s mouth?

Li Guanxing immediately objected: “No way.”

“Just because she says she’s an orphan, we should believe her? There are so many homeless people in the world, does Sister need to protect each one of them?”

Li Guanyu: “Guanxing, be quiet. Meeting someone is fate. For those who practice the Dao, cultivating kindness is most important. You saw it today – Miss Xing was almost eaten by that creature.”

Xing Shuishui had important matters to attend to and didn’t want to get too close to the Lingshan people, fearing they might discover her true nature. So she said: “I’m afraid I’d be too much trouble for Sister Guanyu, and… I feel quite safe on my own. Today was just an accident. The streets are full of people – how could there be monsters?”

Li Guanyu said seriously: “That’s not necessarily true. Many creatures like to transform into human form. Like that earth spirit He Lian caught a few days ago – it looked like an old man, no different from ordinary humans.”

Xing Shuishui froze.

After all this running around, it turned out they had captured him! What terrible luck. If it were ordinary cultivators she could trick them and save him, but encountering Lingshan was truly the worst misfortune. One wrong move and it would become like the Calabash Brothers trying to save their grandfather.

She showed gratitude on her face: “Sister Guanyu, you’re so kind. I don’t know how to repay you.”

Li Guanxing rolled her eyes. She had hoped He Lian would stop this, but He Lian just walked over playfully, step by step, clearly up to no good.

Xing Shuishui immediately became wary.

He Lian conjured a peach blossom and tucked it into her hair, saying unhurriedly: “How did you know it was a fire toad spirit?”

1. In Chinese mythology, the Yellow Springs (Huángquán) is the underworld, or realm of the dead, located beneath the Earth. It is also known as Diyu.  ↩︎