The night deepens, and it’s time for the cultivation practice.

Driven by the mystical energy, a peculiar and immense heat surged from an unknown corner deep within her body, rapidly rushing into the Dantian. Changtian’s mystical energy was likewise stirred, like fish yearning for water.

He did not restrain himself, allowing the power to break free. The two currents of heat converged and entangled within her Dantian, transforming into a luminous green seed. The seed rooted, sprouted, branched, and leafed in her Dantian, manifesting the vivid shadow of a vibrant giant tree. Its hue resembled the finest green jade, yet every cluster of leaves and every line could not be carved even by the most skilled craftsmen. Although the giant tree was barely the size of a palm, it possessed the awe-inspiring majesty capable of claiming nature’s spiritual energy and connecting with the work of creation, covering the sky and blocking the sun, seemingly standing for billions of years since the beginning of time.

Fortunately, under Changtian’s keen Divine Thought examination, this scene existed only for a fleeting moment. In the next second, the giant tree suddenly disappeared, the leaves, roots, and tendrils reverted to heat, like the cycle of Taiji with two fish biting tails, completed a round of spinning before gently returning to each of their bodies.

After a long time, Changtian opened his eyes again, with a divine light shooting out, making people dare not look directly.

"Little baby, how on earth did you acquire this power?"

He murmured softly beside her ear.

After cultivation, she had already fallen asleep, and he did not expect her to hear.

This power was something he was very familiar with. It was the strong trump card that had accompanied him for tens of thousands of years, even kept him alive while trapped in God Demon Prison—the origin of the Eastern Constellations, the Green Wood Power!

This is the power that every demon in the Southern Continent covets, how did she come by it, still so discreetly, and never even used it?

The Green Wood Power was quite dormant within her. Could it only appear at this moment? Changtian was not surprised at its presence, because when she burned out her Divine Soul back then, the Green Wood Power was the unsung hero keeping the last thread of life force intact within her body. After several attempts to trigger it, it did not reappear until today’s maneuver drew it out.

He comprehended all changes, naturally noticing the Green Wood Power within his own body, which circled her Dantian before returning, the mystical energy grew just a hint stronger.

Do not underestimate this tiny increase, star power differs from moonlight, only by bathing in starlight can it passively grow, and at an extremely slow pace. The Green Wood Power obtained through her entanglement this time was at least equal to what would be earned over nearly a hundred normal nights.

The mysteries surrounding her were truly increasing.

#####

The room was silent, with only the crackling of the charcoal in the hearth.

She finally opened her eyes slowly again, there was no one else in this warm little room.

Changtian was not here.

She immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Ning Xiaoxian stretched lazily with a long yawn, her bones emitting light cracking sounds.

Sitting down before the table to apply makeup, she noticed the light coming through the window was dim. It seemed the sunlight had grown tired again.

Her hand holding the comb paused: "Could it be evening already?!"

She had been practicing under the strict supervision of the dark-faced instructor for the past few days, both physically and mentally extremely exhausted, surprisingly slept through without interruption.

She snuck a glance into the copper mirror and could not help but be stunned. Was this really her?

In the mirror, the woman had rosy cheeks, a complexion of white flowers, eyes holding autumn waves, shrouded in mist and water. The face was still that face, the brows and eyes the same. Yet there was a layer of captivating brilliance, corners of the eyes painted with starbursts, unexpectedly bearing seductive allure.

As she just descended the stairs, the innkeeper popped his head out, his plump white face adorned with a courteous smile: "Miss, you’re awake. The gentleman accompanying you mentioned before he left that he has some matters to attend to. He asked you to wait for him here."

In such an ordinary little town, what business could Changtian possibly have here? She was slightly taken aback, and then heard the innkeeper continue: "Are you hungry, miss? Should I have the kitchen prepare some food for you? Our inn’s sour and spicy pig intestines noodles are famous within five miles! You’ve slept for two days, so you should eat something appetizing." With many people coming and going here, he spoke tactfully, yet inwardly he admired the black-clad gentleman who walked out earlier—not only was he handsome, but he also stayed behind closed doors with this young lady for two whole days.

The last few words caught her full attention. Two days, two days?! More than a day had passed!

For a moment, she felt the innkeeper’s gaze on her was filled with a lewd smile!

Ning Xiaoxian no longer felt comfortable staying inside; without even looking at him, she said, "I’m going for a walk," and stepped out quickly. She moved swiftly, almost as if chased by a dog, leaving the innkeeper stunned for a moment before recalling that the gentleman had asked her to stay in the inn.

The hail from the day before was long gone. The climate here is much warmer than the Southwest, so the falling snow quickly melted into water and then froze into ice, making it very slippery. Without specially made shoes, ordinary people could take just a few steps outdoors before slipping. Thankfully, everyone was bundled up tightly like bears, so falling onto the ice wasn’t particularly painful.

Ning Xiaoxian walked the streets for quite a while, receiving many surprised looks from passersby, before realizing she was dressed rather lightly. Though she was clad in a large cloak, it couldn’t hide her slim figure, making her stand out from others. Cultivators are immune to cold and heat, and there’s no need to wear thick clothing. No doubt, Changtian also walked out gracefully without caring about others’ gazes.

Perhaps women have an innate sense of attachment. She had traveled millions of miles alone in the past and never felt any particular way about it, but waking up almost every day lately with him by her side, she had grown accustomed to it. Now that she was alone for just half a day, a sense of bewildering loneliness enveloped her heart.

She shook her head to dismiss these strange emotions, speaking to the Demon Eye hanging from her chest, "Changtian, where are you?" For this outing, the True Form of Ba Snake stayed behind in Hidden Stream to hold the fort, so they could only contact each other using the old method.

"Why did you come out?" His voice came through the Demon Eye, "Go back to the inn and wait; I’ll return in half an hour."

She softly replied, "Mm," and closed the Demon Eye.

Heh, since there’s still half an hour, there’s no way she’s going back now.

With the year-end approaching, the small town was getting busier. Street-side shops were bustling, selling food and sundries. She moved slowly with the crowd for a while until she saw a grand temple painted with gold and red lacquer ahead.

This little town seemed quite ordinary. Most houses were built with local mud and plaster, giving a gray and humble appearance, except for this large temple with its flying eaves and dougong. Its roof was adorned with colorful glazed bamboo tiles, and the walls were painted with beautiful tiles. Ning Xiaoxian carefully examined two of the paintings, which told stories of townfolk performing sacrifices and bountiful harvests.

Ah, so it’s a local temple. I wonder if it worships the Mountain God, Water God, Fox Fairy, Childbearing Immortal, or the Five Grains God.

On her westward journey, she had seen quite a few temples like this. Spirit monsters abound in the mountains and marshes; if they have helped humans, they might be worshipped as protective deities. These protective deities are entirely different from what cultivators refer to as the "God Realm." They might be low-level little demons or spirits, but once worshipped as a protective deity, locals would build temples for them and offer tributes. Long-term enjoyment of the mortal world’s offerings slowly grows their power, but this way of receiving offerings is not the right path; they still need cultivation to strengthen themselves.

So, most small temples she encountered along the way had become dilapidated or desolate because the power of these protective deities was too weak and often dealt with by passing demons or cultivators. The temple before her, covering roughly two hundred square meters, had been meticulously repaired, indicating that locals found it "effective," meaning the protective deity it housed was doing a good job!

Humans are practical creatures, and only protective deities that fulfill their wishes can enjoy luxurious homes and delicious offerings.

Since there’s still time, she followed a few women into the temple, finding that describing the incense offerings here as flourishing would be an understatement. The spacious temple hall was shrouded in mist, and devotees were bowing reverently. She carefully observed one ceramic painting after another on the walls, realizing the temple was dedicated to the Water God. From the murals, it was clear that the townspeople did not know what the Water God looked like and had therefore used the image of a long-bearded figure as a stand-in. It’s not surprising; many can sense the presence of a protective deity, maybe hearing its voice or seeing its shadow, but only a few have truly seen it.

The Demon Clan in this world is powerful and often indifferent to the lives of humans, so protective deities in local areas are highly cherished. Upon entering, her keen senses immediately detected a faint demon energy coiling around the statue’s Golden Body in the temple, though she couldn’t discern what kind of demon it was.

This piqued her interest instead. The demons in Hidden Stream were already strange and varied; having spent several years there, she’d learned a lot and was keen to see any new demon species. As she pondered, a few women ahead had finished their prayers, and one of them approached the table, softly saying, "I seek the Water God’s Talisman!"

Her companions were startled, hastily lowering their voices to urgently question, "Have you thought it through?"

The woman replied hesitantly, "The doctor said my father’s illness can’t be delayed; I must get the silver coins today." Seeing her firm resolve, the others stopped trying to dissuade her, merely sighing lightly.

The woman took a few steps forward, then paused, as though mustering the courage, before reaching for the fortune tube painted red on the table.

The fortune tube was entirely lacquered red, and the bamboo sticks inside were also red, which Ning Xiaoxian found quite peculiar. Usually, fortune tubes are black with bamboo sticks in their natural color—why was this Water God Temple so unique?