Hammer in her left hand, sword in her right, the eldest sister is connected to both worlds.

Xue Lan's figure transformed into a dark afterimage, flying back a few steps to distance herself from Xiao Shuang and Liu Shu in front of her once again.

The Chonglou Illusionary Treasure Map flew from her sleeve to her front and unfolded, immediately blocking Liu Shu's attack for Xue Lan. As the images and text on its surface shifted, a strangely shaped weapon appeared, resembling a square cone. Flames erupted from around this weapon, and willow branches that came into contact with the flames were instantly ignited, screaming as they were withdrawn.

"No, you...you..." the system stammered, trying to say something, but was interrupted by Xue Lan.

The girl flicked her wrist, revealing a thin, dark iron whip at her waist, a thin layer of spiritual light covering it. She lashed out with the whip, dispersing the ghostly aura before her. Her almond-shaped eyes stared directly at Xiao Shuang, who was now completely shrouded in dense ghostly energy.

Liu Shu stood behind Xiao Shuang and raised her hand to cover her eyes.

"You kept many things from me before," Xue Lan said, her voice no longer filled with the heartache and regret she had shown before. The girl lowered her head, her slender fingers gripping the whip handle tightly, lost in thought.

“The Immortal Master is wise. It is not easy for plant spirits to take human form, but once they do, their cultivation will increase greatly. Before the Immortal Master arrived in Lu Family Village, I poured all my life's cultivation into the remaining roots, and I never withdrew them even when they were tainted by demonic energy. Now, the roots have spread all over Lu Family Village.”

Xue Lan sighed.

Seemingly provoked by Xue Lan's sigh, Liu Shu's eyes turned bloodshot, and she became frantic and confused. She grabbed Lu Shuang's small hand and rolled up her tattered sleeve. Xue Lan saw all sorts of scars.

The whip left long, bruised welts, and the man's kicks left large, dark bruises. The skin was festering, oozing pus and blood.

Lu Shuang's eyes had turned completely black, her entire eyeballs a terrifying darkness. But after being released by Liu Shu, the little girl immediately looked at Xue Lan and gave her a sweet smile.

"Sister, I can't bear to part with my mother!" The little girl's voice was clear and melodious, like an unknown little sparrow in the mountains.

“Immortal Master, Xiao Shuang didn’t jump off the cliff.” Liu Shu slowly spoke: “Xiao Shuang turned back because of her mother’s soft words. She was sent back to the man’s family and beaten to death! After Xiao Shuang died, the men of Lu Family Village were afraid that her spirit would cause trouble, so they dug a large pit under my tree roots and put her and that evil demon into it.” Crimson blood flowed from Liu Shu’s eyes.

"They died with resentment, their spirits lingering and forming their own. In the years that followed, this place became their mass grave where they dumped their bodies. Women who disobeyed were beaten to death, and baby girls were drowned because they were girls..."

"The stronger the demonic energy, the more terrified those scum become, and the more terrified they become, the more ignorant they become."

Beneath the willow trees atop the mountain lay a massive cave, within which lay a remarkably sophisticated array. Cui Wu discovered it as soon as he entered. However, the person who set up the array was clearly a novice; the technique was crude, and the materials were subpar.

Cui Wu was already a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. With his divine sense connecting with the Danfu Guanjing, he broke the formation in less than half an incense stick's time.

Lu Feng had already fled down the mountain along the path on the other side. Meanwhile, Old Mo, inside the jade pendant, continued cursing.

"Damn it, just one step away, just one step away!"

Lu Feng nimbly ran through the mountains, and it seemed he would soon be able to escape the territory of Lu Family Village.

The surrounding sky began to darken. The ground Lu Feng had just stepped on was instantly pushed up by the underground willow roots. After breaking through the soil, the roots pierced straight towards Lu Feng's back.

"Buzz!" A crisp sword sound reached Lu Feng's ears as the willow root behind him was severed. By the time Lu Feng came to his senses, the immortal in black was already in front of him. Cui Wu held a celestial sword in his hand, his eyes filled with a layer of ice, which made Lu Feng's heart tremble.

This time, the female cultivator's sword tip grazed his neck. The wound only scratched the surface, but the pain was real.

Cui Wu spoke calmly, his voice as cold as snow in the dead of winter: "You tricked my senior sister into coming up the mountain!"

The sword pressed down slightly, and Lu Feng's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat. The young man's limbs stiffened, and he dared not move, frantically calling out to Elder Mo in his heart.

"Old Mo, what do we do now? Old Mo!"

Old Mo didn't say anything, but Lu Feng cursed him in his heart.

However, Cui Wu did not make a move in the end. His senior sister said that it was better not to anger her than to take the person back.

"Get up and go back!"

Lu Feng had no choice but to turn around and walk towards the top of the mountain.

Cui Wu successfully captured Lu Feng, but things weren't going so well for Zhu He. The village chief who had been leading the group earlier was hiding behind Zhu He and Gu Yuan, trembling as he looked at the endless willow roots before him.

Gu Yuan's magical artifact was a light blue ribbon, perfectly in line with the style of the Jiangyun Sect. However, the junior sister acted decisively, using the ribbon to pull back the men who were trying to escape while simultaneously fighting the demon. The man who had previously been verbally abusive and interrogating her was struck by the ribbon and fell to the ground, landing face-first.

“Junior Sister Gu, my senior sister is still waiting for me on the back mountain to bring this person back. Here…”

"Senior brother, don't worry, leave this to me." Before Zhu He finished speaking, Gu Yuan agreed.

"Junior sister, please be careful in everything." Zhu He cupped his hands to Gu Yuan, then impaled the village chief on the tip of his sword and flew away.

On the mountainside behind the mountain, Liu Shu had lost his mind. Xiao Shuang was like a puppet being controlled, with ghostly energy continuously gathering around Liu Shu.

"Why is the Immortal Master silent?" All the willow branches gathered behind Liu Shu, as if they had grown out from behind her.

"Immortal Master, they died because of their own conscience..."

Countless willow branches flew towards Xue Lan, imbued with demonic and ghostly energy, as sharp as blades. Liu Shu attacked while simultaneously questioning Xue Lan:

“Lu Zhaodi died of conscience. As a wife, she had a duty to raise children. That’s why she died.”

“Lu Laidi died of conscience. Because she was the child’s aunt, she had to be sent back to be a second wife and worked herself to death.”

……

[This is feudal ethics, this is wrong, I'm so angry!] The system was furious in Xue Lan's mind.

That's the conscience that others expect them to have.

It is her husband's expectation, her family's reputation, and her father and brothers' face.

It was not their tender wishes.

When the willow spirit, who had just taken human form, first entered the human world, the human world taught her a lesson.

"Immortal Master, do you think she can forget this hatred and grudge?"

Liu Shu's voice was shrill and chilling, like the cry of a ghost from the depths of the underworld. The barrier that had hastily unfolded before Xue Lan shattered. The Chonglou Illusionary Treasure Map before her emitted a burst of golden light.

"It's come to this after all." Xue Lan sighed. She raised her hand, channeled her golden spiritual power, and pointed it at the Chonglou Illusionary Treasure Map in front of her, softly instructing, "Soft Golden Weave."

In an instant, countless soft golden threads appeared within the Chonglou Illusionary Treasure Map, materializing and extending out of the map with a soft command. They not only severed all the willow branches in front of them but also pinned the willow book not far away to the ground.

"Ah!" Liu Shu let out a shrill scream, her demonic and ghostly energy flying outwards. Captured by the Soft Gold Weave, she could not escape.

Xiao Shuang, who had been watching from a distance, finally showed some emotion. She slowly raised her hand towards Liu Shu, saying, "Sister Liu......"

As the little girl raised her hand, a dense black ghostly aura emanated from her.

Xue Lan took a few steps forward, raised her sleeve and swept it. The ghostly aura in front of her, upon touching the corner of the girl's black dress, sank to Xue Lan's feet like a dandelion soaked by rain.

“Yin and Yang are in order, Liu Shu. You've studied the classics for several years, surely you understand this principle?”

"Today you helped her slaughter the entire Lu Family Village. The ghost spirits' massacre of the village was extremely malevolent. Did you intend to attract people from the Thousand Realms of Ghosts..."

The girl drawled out the last syllable: "So you want to prevent Lu Shuang from ever being reincarnated?"