The Qiao Mountain Yellow Emperor's Sacred Tomb had been repaired and worshipped by emperors through the dynasties, but given the immense lapse of time, it was modest in comparison, not only to the tombs of current emperors but even to those of vassal kings.

Shi Feiyang began by finding an incense burner and lighting the "Dragon Essence Descending True" incense he had made himself instead of the usual "Heaven and Earth Harmony Fragrance," praying earnestly for a while.

Then, he started planning. Integrating the celestial "Circulation Star Palace" above with the earthly dragon veins and ley lines of the land, he devised a majestic architectural blueprint.

In recent years, with Qingcheng, Snow Mountain, and other regions continuously planting trees and grass in the Northwest Region, and with increasing lakes in the Tarim Basin, climatic changes have been spurred in the surrounding areas. This has led to consistent rainfall increases in the Northwest, greening the mountains along the Yellow River and enriching the vegetation.

Shi Feiyang had plans to transform the Northeast as well. Besides the renowned Changbai Mountain, there were the Greater Khingan and Lesser Khingan ranges, which regrettably failed to prevent the cold waves from the poles from descending in winter, resulting in the Northeast being particularly frigid.

He intended to raise these two mountain ranges, blocking the cold waves. The warm moist air from the oceans during summer could also be retained, instantly making it a blessed land.

Future generations would migrate there for agriculture, extending all the way to the Heilongjiang River, and the issues of the Northeast would naturally resolve.

Looking at the verdant Northwest Plateau, he was again moved to tinker with the mountains and rivers, his heart swelling with lofty aspirations and pride.

Han'er watched him standing atop a high cliff, his head against the blue sky, surveying the distance, seeming to embrace the entire world in his chest. His aura bore no resemblance to that of any Sword Immortals she had seen before; she was captivated by the sight. Dai Xiangying, standing beside her, was similarly enraptured, feeling an impulse to stand by Shi Feiyang's side.

Shi Feiyang soon had a "well-devised plan" and began construction from the foothills.

To ensure sincerity and purity of intent, he did not employ Divine Demons as labor but worked with his own hands, building a Five-Colored Archway with Five-Colored Divine Sand.

The archway was a towering nine Zhang high and had five connected arches, each one in the colors blue, red, yellow, black, and white. They were opaque like mutton-fat jade on the inside with a layer of translucent glaze on the outside, sparkling and crystal-clear.

Atop each arch were reliefs of clouds, thunder, dragons, phoenixes, tigers, and elephants, and in the center, the words "Xuanyuan Sacred Mountain" were inscribed in large characters.

From the archway inward, stairs made of jade slabs melted from Five-Colored Crystal Sand were laid down—thirteen Zhang in total width, with the middle section being five Zhang wide and the sides three Zhang, extending all the way up from the mountain base to the front of the Sacred Tomb.

The Emperor's Sacred Tomb had no real entrance; entry required the use of Immortal Law to burrow underground, unconnected to the outside. The tomb Shi Feiyang found was a later construction, which he flattened, and according to the "Circulation" measurements, he built a palace directly above the true Underground Palace. It was cast with Five-Colored Crystal Sand, not meant for the living but more akin to a temple. In the main hall, he cast a statue of the Yellow Emperor, and in the side halls, offerings to figures such as Feng Hou, Qi Bo, Ying Dragon, and female demon spirits. He had never seen these people, so he constructed the statues from imagination: the Yellow Emperor dignified, Feng Hou elegant, Ying Dragon with wings spread, and the female demon spirit with an angry glare—all strikingly lifelike.

Then he built a smaller palace to the west, enshrining Emperor's Masters like Guang Chengzi, Chi Songzi, and Ning Fengzi.

In the east, he constructed a stele hall. Many had erected steles for the Yellow Emperor through the ages, documenting his achievements. Shi Feiyang forged a larger Five-Colored Divine Tablet in the center, inscribing the Emperor's achievements he knew of and the Circulation Golden Talisman. Once finished, he would set up a Mountain Protection Array with this tablet as the focal point.

Lastly, at the very front, he built a side building with not Five-Colored Divine Sand but immense timber and rocks. This was for visitors coming to pay their respects to bathe and change clothes, making preparations. He would reside there during his three-year guardianship of the tomb.

From the side building led the downward Five-Colored Stone Steps; halfway down the mountain, he built a Hexagonal Pavilion. Along the path, he cast numerous ferocious creatures like tigers, elephants, bears, and rhinoceroses, all in pairs, guarding each side.

With his power to move mountains and redirect rivers, these tasks were quite effortless. Provided he had enough crystal sand, he could cast everything exactly as he envisioned, the final product perfectly matching his mental image.

The only bothersome part was that side building, but with the Five Elements Essence Qi in his possession, he could chop trees, encourage their growth, or even cause the rocks to grow...

While he was busy with construction, suddenly from the mountains behind, a dark light flew over, seeming just and not evil, landing in front of Shi Feiyang. The black Evil Qi unfolded to reveal a woman dressed in black gauze.

She was short and ugly, but her speech was pleasant to the ear, a soft dialect from the Jiangnan region: "Fellow Daoist, who might you be, daring to construct palaces and temples here in the Qiao Mountain Sacred Tomb?"

Shi Feiyang retorted, "And who are you? What right do you have to inquire about my name?"

The visitor was taken aback, sensing that Shi Feiyang was not to be trifled with, and replied, "This Daoist is called Xuan Shu, having resided in seclusion behind Qiao Mountain for many years."

"Oh, so you're Xuan Shu."

This person wasn't very famous in the original work, only appearing a few times, but was a master of an off-path, having no corporeal body and advancing from a Ghost Immortal to an Earth Immortal. Her petite and grotesque form was the result of her Nascent Soul as the foundation, painstakingly condensed and cultivated bit by bit.

She was also one of the off-path experts who actively sought out the support of Emei Sect and Buddhism.

Shi Feiyang told her openly, "My surname is Shi, and I've come to Qiao Mountain this time to guard the tomb of our human ancestorial Emperor Xuanyuan for three years. Afterward, I shall enter the Imperial Mausoleum to pay respects to the Holy Lord's Relics and then request two treasures from the Holy Lord."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Shu's eyes flashed sharply, and her expression changed significantly, "You intend to steal the treasures from the Sacred Tomb?"

Shi Feiyang chuckled lightly, "The Immortal Law prohibitions in the Sacred Tomb will lose their effect in three years; the treasures within should emerge into the world. Those were meant for us, the descendants, to face the great tribulation of Heaven and Earth. How could it be considered stealing? Don't tell me you are here to guard the Yellow Emperor's tomb, forbidding anyone from touching even a blade of grass or a piece of wood?"

Xuan Shu had intended to retort, but found herself at a loss for words upon hearing his response.

In fact, she too had planned to wait three years and then enter to obtain something to aid her in transcending her tribulations.

The timing of the emergence of treasures from the Sacred Tomb was highly confidential; after all, deducing matters related to the Yellow Emperor was no easy task.

Besides Fen Tuo Master and Jile Perfected, two supreme experts who were contemporaries of the Yellow Emperor, and three Demon Corpses, this virtually unknown Fairy Xuan Shu was one who knew which treasures were inside and when they would appear.

She had deduced that after the Immortal Law restrictions inside the tomb ceased to function, high-level practitioners from the Buddhism and the Righteous Path would come for the treasures. She didn't know specifically who would come, but she inferred it to be a female, presumably one of the Divine Nuns.

She planned to enter after this person left, hoping to pick up whatever they deemed unworthy.

She had settled in these mountain sanctuaries for many years, quietly striving in her cultivation. She had previously used her unique Escape Skill to reach deep underground, making it as far as the sleeping chambers, only to be repelled by the Immortal Law prohibitions and dared not overstep.

In Xuan Shu's mind, the destiny of the items in the Sacred Tomb was predetermined, mainly intended for that Divine Nun, and the remaining few items were hers. Her thought was to secure these items to survive her tribulation before continuing her secluded cultivation. When tomb raiders eventually came seeking treasures, she would guard the tomb on behalf of the Yellow Emperor until her Ascension.

Her plan was sound, but the sudden arrival of Shi Feiyang threw decades of her preparations into disarray!

She had been secretly observing Shi Feiyang for months. She knew of his arrival on the mountain the moment it happened but remained distant, intimidated by his unfathomable Daoist power and mana. It wasn't until she saw Shi Feiyang constructing various buildings and setting up arrays that she felt compelled to reveal herself and inquire.

After listening to Shi Feiyang's response and counter-question, she said, "The treasures within the Sacred Tomb indeed ought to be unsealed, but according to my calculations, they should fall into the hands of a Divine Nun. I see that you, Daoist friend, do not seem to be of any demonic or evil sort. You mustn't let momentary greed lead you to defy celestial laws."

Shi Feiyang did not wish to engage in further idle talk, "Your calculations are flawed if they led to such an errant conclusion—go back and recalculate, and see who is truly meant to possess these two treasures!"

Having cultivated in solitude atop these mountains for many years, Xuan Shu was unfamiliar with the reputation of Shi Feiyang. Unable to gauge him, she refrained from rashly chasing him off and flew back to her cave instead.

Within her cave resided a disciple named Lin Yingxue, also bodiless, who had not reincarnated but had continued cultivating on the basis of her Yin God foundation to become a Ghost Immortal, though not yet reaching the Realm of an Earth Immortal.

After returning, Xuan Shu dispatched Lin Yingxue to keep watch over Shi Feiyang's movements.

She began to silently make her calculations again, only to find that the Gua Xiang that had always been reliable were now chaotically intertwined, failing to provide clear results.

After much thought, she suddenly remembered Master Ren, the Divine Nun of the Cold Mountain, whom she had once paid respects to.

She steadied her mind, wrote a letter, and dispatched it to the Great Snow Mountain using a Flying Sword Transmission.

Before long, her Flying Sword returned from the horizon, with a reply from Master Ren attached.

In the letter, Master Ren recounted the background of Shi Feiyang in detail, including his origins from another world beyond their realm. In conclusion, Master Ren wrote, "All Techniques are void; karma is not. Shi Feiyang is both righteous and nefarious, at times upright, at other times devious—overall, his nefariousness overshadows his righteousness. Take caution in your actions."

Master Ren did not instruct Xuan Shu what to do or not to do, but merely shared the information and advised her to be cautious.

After reading Master Ren's reply, Xuan Shu immediately made a decision, "Shi Feiyang must not be allowed to seize the two treasures from the Sacred Tomb! Such Cosmic Treasures should only fall into the hands of practitioners within the Orthodox Sects of Buddhism and Daoism—outsiders and Evil Demons are simply unworthy!"

She even believed that she herself was not worthy of those two treasures; it had to be that Divine Nun who should acquire them, and then she would follow in and pick up what was left, not daring to take much, just enough to aid her in transcending one layer of Heavenly Tribulation.

But from her own observations and the description in Master Ren's letter, Shi Feiyang was said to possess Divine Skills so vast and mana so limitless, it was no exaggeration. It was unbelievable that he could refine nine Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Swords in one go!

She planned to seek allies to join her in confronting Shi Feiyang and drive him away.

However, having spent years in seclusion deep in ancient caverns, with only a ghostly disciple by her side and rarely interacting with outsiders, seeking help would be difficult.

After much consideration, she thought of someone who, although she had little acquaintance with in the past, had also lost their physical body and progressed from a Ghost Immortal to an Earth Immortal!

When that person had undergone their tribulation, she had observed from thousands of miles away the extraordinary phenomena it had caused. If that person was willing to assist her, with two Earth Immortals and the Magical Treasures she had crafted over the years, perhaps they could manage to expel Shi Feiyang.

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