When the green light had fully spread outside Emerald Peak, one could see a layer of purple light within and a layer of green light without. The two lights did not mix, remaining clearly distinct, their radiance flowing and dazzlingly beautiful.

“Alright, Emerald Peak is now under your control.” Eric Bennett saw that Grace Bennett's face was pale. Although it hadn’t taken long just now, it was clear she had expended a great deal of magical power, so he said, “I know it’s difficult for you to control the entire Ziluo Heavenly Barrier, but there’s no other way. In our sect, only you remain now, so please do your best!”

“Master, how can you say that? Not to mention that I naturally obey your orders, even if it’s just to repay your great kindness in saving me, I would gladly give my life a thousand times over without complaint!” Grace Bennett took a few breaths, and only then did her pale face regain some color. She lifted her head and spoke earnestly.

She was originally a thousand-year-old ginseng spirit, having absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, thus gaining her own intelligence. But precisely because she was a thousand-year-old ginseng spirit, eating her could grant five hundred years of cultivation, making her a rare and coveted spiritual medicine in the eyes of both righteous and evil sects.

Last time, she encountered two sword immortals who detected her spiritual aura and set up a formation to capture her. Although she was a thousand-year-old ginseng spirit, how could she resist the formation of cultivators? She was about to become a pill in someone’s furnace when she met Eric Bennett, who rescued her in a single move and transplanted her near the spiritual spring in the Ziluo Gorge.

In Ziluo Gorge, with no external threats and abundant spiritual energy, it was truly a paradise for Grace Bennett, so she was deeply grateful to Eric Bennett.

“However, now that Emerald Peak is completely entrusted to you, you can control the vast spiritual energy of the entire mountain. This energy draws the essence of the sun, moon, and stars above, and the earth’s veins and marrow below. I believe it will further aid your cultivation!” Eric Bennett smiled. “Moreover, in this palace, aside from the Zixia Ascension Sutra, you may read all other Daoist texts and secret manuals.”

“No, no, what I have done is merely my duty as a disciple. It is not even a fraction of my debt of gratitude. How could I dare to covet the master’s celestial secrets?” Grace Bennett hurriedly waved her hand.

“Grace Bennett, you are mistaken. You are my disciple and have the right to read our sect’s Daoist texts and secret manuals. It’s only because you are a ginseng spirit cultivating differently from humans that I haven’t taught them to you, but you are not forbidden from reading them. You have always been overly cautious and never set foot in the alchemy chamber. Now that you control Emerald Peak, there are things you should learn. Although our cultivation differs, I believe you will still benefit from them.” Eric Bennett continued, “The only reason I restrict you from reading the Zixia Ascension Sutra is because the sutra itself is a powerful magical treasure. If your cultivation is insufficient and you force yourself to study it, you will surely be harmed. Besides, you are a ginseng spirit, and if anything happens, I cannot predict the consequences.”

“Yes! I have always known the master’s great kindness!” Hearing such considerate words, Grace Bennett, though a ginseng spirit without human emotions, could not help but have her eyes redden.

“I’ve considered it. You are always cautious and rarely go out, and I trust the power of the Ziluo Heavenly Barrier. The only thing to worry about is if the Heavenly Demon transforms into my or the Crystal Fairy’s appearance to ask you to open the gate. You must use the Haotian Mirror to verify their identity.” Eric Bennett paused. “Actually, I can open the gate myself. Anyone else asking you to open it is almost certainly an impostor. Also, if my disciple Edward Foster encounters disaster, it’s possible that an evil spirit could use his soul to trick you into opening the gate. Do not respond to such attempts.”

“Yes! Grace Bennett understands.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you!” Eric Bennett thought for a moment, found no major flaws, nodded, and with a flash of treasure light, a few more beams of light shot out from the palace. The two merged, and with a faint thunderclap, turned into a streak of purple light that shot out like lightning, flying out of the Ziluo Heavenly Barrier.

In Guiyang County, Guizhou, there was a scholarly family surnamed Liu. The previous generation had served as Vice Minister of Rites, a third-rank official. Though not a paragon of virtue, he was loyal to his duties and never oppressed the people.

His son, Edward Foster, was born intelligent, passing the county-level exam at fourteen and the provincial exam at seventeen. With his father’s legacy, his official career was wide open. Unexpectedly, he never went to the capital for the imperial exam, nor did he seek officialdom. He married a wife, had two sons and a daughter, and devoted himself to Daoist cultivation at home.

In a flash, thirty years passed. Of his two sons, one had become a jinshi and was now serving as the magistrate of Liaoyang Prefecture, a young man of great promise. The other had passed the provincial exam and was studying at the local academy.

Over these thirty years, the Liu family owned more than eight thousand mu of good farmland and lived in comfort. They only collected one-tenth of the harvest as rent from tenant farmers, even less than the government’s legal tax. They often repaired roads and bridges, distributed porridge to the poor, and were known far and wide as a family of great virtue, sure to receive the blessings of the gods and Buddhas.

Unexpectedly, in a single night, a great fire broke out at the Liu residence. Not only was the home burned down, but more than thirty members of the family, including a four-year-old grandson, all perished in the flames, leaving no remains.

Because the Liu family was of official rank, the incident alarmed the local authorities. Both sons of the Liu family were granted leave to return home, especially the second son of Edward Foster, who had lost his own son and was overwhelmed with grief and rage.

When Eric Bennett arrived, it was only the morning of the second day, just an hour after the fire. The local authorities were already aware and a large group was investigating the scene.

As the saying goes, “Immortals do not reveal themselves in the mortal world,” so Eric Bennett did not immediately go inside to investigate, but watched from outside for a while.

“Oh my, I heard that not even bones were left after the fire inside!”