Chapter 175 Green Hill Peak

Hu Li immediately sat cross-legged on the orb of light, his hands dancing before his chest to form a dozen or so hand seals in rapid succession. Finally, resting his hands upon his knees, he formed a spell gesture with each and closed his eyes.

After a dozen breaths, he opened his eyes and gave a slight nod to Feng Ke'er.

The order had been transmitted.

Feng Ke'er smiled faintly and praised approvingly, "Not bad."

The journey from the Southern Spirit Continent to the Central Spirit Continent took less than an hour. As soon as they stepped ashore, Hu Li whispered to Feng Ke'er, "They have already begun sending replies."

Feng Ke'er raised an eyebrow, "Let's wander around. Tell me as we walk."

Hu Li followed a step behind her, checking the contents of the incoming messages while reporting them one by one through divine sense.

Some said that while the Alliance loudly proclaimed equal treatment for all cultivators, in reality, their words sounded much better than their actions. Everyone knew full well that the Alliance was merely an association of aristocratic families, a tool used by the gentry to exploit and deceive the masses. Those black-hearted dogs were utterly ruthless.

Some said that Great Immortals held a transcendent status in the Spirit Realm; their lodgings, their provisions... everything they used was the absolute finest the Spirit Realm had to offer. They didn't have to spend a single half-spirit stone of their own, as everything was provided as offerings by the Alliance.

Some said it was rumored that Great Immortals also possessed identity jade tokens, but the Alliance wouldn't dare record their whereabouts.

Some said that apart from those Great Immortals holding prominent positions within the Alliance, the majority of them remained completely aloof from worldly affairs, and no one had ever laid eyes on their true faces.

Others said that these days, the passages were closed far more often than they were open. Where was one supposed to go to accumulate merit and cleanse inner demons? Who would dare risk never being able to return just to descend to the mortal realm to undergo tribulations? Without successfully passing tribulations, how could one advance to become a True Immortal? Thus, another impassable hurdle was destined to be added to the path of cultivation. True Immortal—something to be looked up to, but impossible to actually attain.

...

After listening to Hu Li's report, Feng Ke'er clapped her hands and laughed heartily. "Though most of their words are mere rumors and shouldn't be taken entirely at face value, when compared with all the things we've encountered so far... I realize that I was constantly worried my arrival in the Spirit Realm was illegitimate and unrighteous, which made me feel lacking in confidence everywhere I went. This is what they call letting suspicion create phantoms."

Hu Li's heart felt much lighter now as well. "Indeed. Aside from that time in the Western Spirit Continent and when we left the Southern Spirit Continent, we haven't actually laid eyes on any other Great Immortals."

"Whenever they have any needs, they simply summon the Alliance's stewards. Naturally, you wouldn't see them," Feng Ke'er remarked with a sigh. "Now this is the life of a true deity." Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she frowned as she asked, "How do you summon those stewards anyway? Are there specific hand seals? Fox, was that a summoning spell you used just now?" After transmigrating, she had self-studied a great many things, but she had never touched upon the subject of summoning arts.

This train of thought... was quite a leap. Hu Li scratched his head. "I am a demonic beast; my kind has only ever been on the receiving end of being summoned. Just now, I used secret sound transmission. It is a unique summoning technique exclusive to our Silver Fox clan."

"Being summoned?" Feng Ke'er asked, puzzled. "Summoned by whom?" It seemed she had never summoned him even once.

"Before we formed a blood bond, any human cultivator whose cultivation level was higher than ours could summon us. However, we deeply resent being summoned by unfamiliar human cultivators, so whenever we could resist, we simply ignored them. We don't know the methods for summoning. If we knew how, we would have devised countermeasures long ago. But after binding to a master, we only accept our master's summons, and no summoning hand seals are required. Theoretically, no matter how far apart we are, as long as we are in the same realm, the moment a thought arises in your mind, I can perceive it on my end." Hu Li felt a deep sense of wonder in his heart: to say his master was ignorant and ill-informed would be wrong, as she clearly mastered all eighteen martial arts to perfection. Yet to call her knowledgeable—she was completely unaware of even these most basic matters.

"Pity those stewards aren't you," Feng Ke'er wiped the sweat from her brow, realizing this truly made him like a worm inside her stomach.

Hu Li cautiously inquired, "Should I have my subordinates investigate further?"

"Forget it," Feng Ke'er waved a hand. "Judging by the sound of it, their cultivation levels aren't high; asking them would be a waste of time. I might as well figure it out myself."

Hu Li closed his mouth and followed silently behind her.

And so, the two of them walked one after the other in silence down a street in the Central Spirit Continent.

Feng Ke'er thought for a long while, yet could not come up with a method she deemed practical.

Among the other four continents of the Spirit Realm, the Central Spirit Continent was the only one that enforced a curfew, just like the Southern Spirit Continent. Seeing that day was turning to dusk while they didn't even have a place to stay, anxiety inevitably crept into her heart. She lamented silently: Perhaps the matter is actually very simple, just like Sun Wukong summoning the Earth Deity—all it takes is shouting out once!

Thinking of this, she came to a halt and looked around. Seeing no one nearby, she curled her right hand into a fist, covered her mouth, and softly called out, "Steward, come forth."

Nobody appeared.

"Pfft." A suppressed chuckle came from the fox behind her.

How awkward. Feng Ke'er blushed, cursing herself inwardly: How foolish! How stupid! With so many stewards around, if you just shout "steward," who would know whom you're trying to summon?!

Steadying herself, she gave a light cough and continued her summons, "Who is the steward in charge of residency matters? Come out!" Among the five continents, the Western Spirit Continent was jointly managed, and the Alliance had established no branch there. Of the remaining four, the Southern Spirit Continent's Alliance branch was the smallest in scale. However, it had recently been expanded, and the division of labor within was becoming increasingly specialized. As the Spirit Continent with the largest population flow, the Central Spirit Continent had the most detailed management of identity jade tokens, achieving a system where every single matter had its own dedicated steward.

Still nobody appeared.

This time, Hu Li couldn't laugh anymore, because if he had been in her shoes, he would have done the exact same thing.

Feng Ke'er scratched her head, took out her identity jade token, held it in the palm of her hand, infused it with spiritual power, and repeated her question word for word—if this still didn't work, she would simply have to make a "personal visit" honestly.

A flash of white light, and abruptly an extra person appeared before her—a middle-aged male cultivator dressed in a dark cyan robe.

He bowed deeply, lowering his hands to the ground: "This humble one is the chief steward of the Identity Jade Token Management Department within the External Affairs Courtyard of the Southern Spirit Continent's Alliance Branch. This humble one is called Yi Qu, awaiting the Venerable One's commands."

It worked! Feng Ke'er turned her head to cast a sidelong glance at the fox.

Hu Li stepped forward in a stride, blocking in front of her, cupped his fists, and said, "Chief Steward Yi, my master is prepared to settle down here. Summoning you here is to handle the residency procedures."

Chief Steward Yi raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping rapidly across the silver lotus imprint between Hu Li's brows, then lowered his eyes and replied, "Understood, this humble one obeys."

What followed next had almost nothing to do with Feng Ke'er anymore.

Chief Steward Yi summoned a guiding orb of light, leading the two of them to a place wreathed in auspicious clouds. He casually tapped a finger against a wisp of auspicious cloud. The barrier shattered, revealing dozens of floating peaks of varying sizes. Among them, some had the words "Peak of So-and-So" marked in vermilion characters, while others bore no markings at all.

"There are a total of fifteen Great Immortals in our Central Spirit Continent. Those marked with vermilion characters are indeed the blessed mountains of the Great Immortals. That the Venerable One is willing to settle in the Central Spirit Continent and henceforth offer protection to it is the great honor of us cultivators of the Central Spirit Continent. We respectfully request the Venerable One to choose a location among the unmarked ones to be your blessed mountain." Chief Steward Yi bowed and stepped aside.

Offer protection to the Central Spirit Continent? Feng Ke'er suddenly understood: the external rumors that the Great Immortals were provided for by the Alliance were indeed true. However, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Since one accepted offerings from others, it meant bearing responsibilities.

This big sister isn't going to sell herself out just for a house!

Feng Ke'er frowned and said to Hu Li, "Ask him, how should this word 'protection' be interpreted?"

Her words fell right in line with Hu Li's wishes. He gleefully relayed the message.

Chief Steward Yi was not qualified to reply directly to Feng Ke'er. He lowered his eyes and answered, "Reporting to the Immortal, the Central Spirit Continent branch is a part of the Alliance. Therefore, no matter how grand the rules of the Central Spirit Continent are, they cannot override the statutes of the Alliance."

A local tyrant combined with a slippery old fox! Feng Ke'er sneered inwardly.

Hu Li let out a cold, mocking laugh, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Then, this Hu would like to inquire, what statutes does the Alliance have?"

Upon hearing this, Chief Steward Yi clattered as he dropped to his knees, throwing himself flat upon the ground: "May the Immortal calm your anger; this humble one wouldn't dare."

"Recite them!" Who knew these damn statutes anyway? Hu Li genuinely wanted him to recite them out loud.

Thus, the pitiful Chief Steward Yi began to recite them tremblingly.

What was this called? Authentic borrowing of a tiger's might to intimidate others... Feng Ke'er paused, but quickly spat out mentally: This big sister is no 'tiger'.

After listening to Chief Steward Yi's recitation, she understood instantly. The so-called "protection" was actually quite simple: First, if the Alliance issued a subjugation decree, the Great Immortals of each continent were obligated to go to war without hesitation; second, if internal conflicts arose within a Spirit Continent that the Alliance branch could not resolve, the Great Immortals had the duty to mediate; third, if branch offices from other Spirit Continents or aristocratic families from other continents came to challenge them, the Great Immortals were required to lend assistance; fourth, every five years, the Four Spirit Continents held a Dharma Assembly, and whichever continent's turn it was, the Great Immortals of that continent were required to take turns giving lectures.

Hu Li let out a cold snort, repeated the key points, and sternly asked, "Chief Steward Yi, are these the four rules?"

Chief Steward Yi prostrated himself on the ground, stammering, "Reporting to the Immortal, these are indeed the four rules."

Hu Li turned around, cupped his fists in a bow, and said, "Please give your instructions, Master."

Feng Ke'er nodded slightly. "Very well, Fox, a forgiving person should be spared where possible."

"Understood, Hu Li obeys." Only then did Hu Li turn back around, saying with a cheeky grin to the person on the ground, "Chief Steward Yi, my temper is not very good, so offense was taken."

"Not at all, not at all." The cold sweat on Chief Steward Yi's forehead was truly pouring down fiercely.

Too lazy to get involved, Feng Ke'er put on an air of dignity and strolled over to the barrier, examining it closely: The fifteen peaks that had already been named were sparsely scattered among all the mountains. It seemed the Great Immortals all preferred tranquility and disliked bustling crowds; and while the mountains varied in size, they were all lush and verdant, showing no traces of artificial architecture.

How was one supposed to choose from this? After a brief moment of thought, she infused her fingertips with spiritual power and poked a medium-sized peak in the northeast corner. Her reasoning was: choosing that one meant having no neighbors.

The scene before her eyes blurred, and the surrounding scenery changed instantly. The three of them were now standing atop the summit of that very peak.

"We respectfully request the Venerable One to name this peak." Chief Steward Yi rose to his feet, holding up a palm-sized jade token with both hands.

Hu Li took it and respectfully presented it to Feng Ke'er, secretly rejoicing within: Unlike him, his master actually knew the written script of the Spirit Realm.

Naming things and the like was the most annoying task. This self-proclaimed naming idiot held the jade token and was utterly speechless. Carefree Peak, Ethereal Peak... all the names she could think of had already been snatched up by the preceding fifteen!

"Hu Li, have you thought of any good names?" she asked via divine sense.

Hu Li was stunned for a moment, and then a flush of red spread across his jade-like face: "Master, our fox clan usually adds the word 'hill' at the end... Since these peaks are full of lush greenery, how about we just call it Qingqiu?" Before Feng Ke'er could reply, he quickly overrode his own suggestion, "No, that won't do. This mountain peak is extremely majestic; how could it be desecrated with the word 'hill'..."

Qingqiu? Feng Ke'er looked at him, feeling as thoroughly struck by lightning as if she'd been roasted inside and out—that legendary largest den of foxes! Alas, was this destiny, or sheer coincidence?

On second thought, the name was both utterly cliché yet profoundly classic, and it had been passed down through the ages... Fine, it was just a code name anyway; she couldn't be bothered to waste those brain cells.

"Alright, let's call it Qingqiu Peak!" She infused spiritual power into her fingertips and rapidly wrote upon the jade token.

Hu Li froze, staring at her in disbelief.

Unfortunately, Feng Ke'er was looking down as she wrote and missed his excited little expression.

By the time Feng Ke'er finished writing and handed the jade token back to him, he had already managed to conceal the strange look on his face.

Chief Steward Yi muttered an incantation under his breath and tossed the jade token onto the ground. With a flash of golden light, where was there any jade token left on the ground?

Hu Li secretly infused spiritual power into his own identity jade token, which now read: Hu Li, destined guardian demonic beast to Great Immortal Feng of Qingqiu Peak in the Central Spirit Continent; cultivation level, first tier of the seventh grade.

With this, the residency procedures were considered complete.

Not daring to disturb them further, Chief Steward Yi bowed and respectfully withdrew.