After the human-fiend's physical body dissolved into dust and its soul was completely shattered, those residual vengeful spirits, having finally found justice and release from their grievances, dissipated into nothingness.
Only a pile of fine powder remained on the spot.
Along with a peach blossom hairpin.
The Guo siblings, Wei Lun, and the peach blossom spirit all looked on in a daze at this sight.
That formidable human-fiend had truly been dealt with so easily.
It felt somewhat surreal.
Little Qianjun was also stunned, taking several breaths to react. "Ah, Eldest Senior Brother, it seems it really is dead!"
"Yes, it is dead." Li Wangyi smiled and nodded.
"Wow, I am actually this powerful—oh no wait, Eldest Senior Brother is powerful!" Little Qianjun was both surprised and delighted, her gaze filled with adoration as she looked at her Eldest Senior Brother.
Guo Hengbei, Guo Nanjun, Wei Lun, and the peach blossom spirit all cast complex glances at Li Wangyi as well.
Guo Nanjun, in particular.
Previously, she had been annoyed with Li Wangyi for dawdling and wanted to snap at him to hurry up, only for this incredibly powerful and cunning Fifth Realm human-fiend to be dispatched by him with just a few words.
What a true personage of divine might!
Facing everyone's gazes, Li Wangyi resumed his refined and leisurely demeanor.
At some point, he had produced a paper fan. With a gentle wave, three wisps of righteous Qi transformed into three streams of "warm willow breeze" that drifted toward Guo Hengbei, Guo Nanjun, and Wei Lun.
The "warm willow breeze" was a unique healing art of the Confucian Sect, named after the poetic line about the spring wind brushing the face without chilling.
After the willow breeze swept over them, the injuries of the Guo siblings and Wei Lun healed by more than half, leaving only the need for a few days of quiet recuperation for a full recovery.
"Thank you, Young Master Li!"
"You are too polite, Hero Guo. Given how you protected me several times before, I hadn't yet thanked you; this is only right."
Guo Hengbei felt a twinge of shame.
Earlier, he had regarded Li Wangyi as an ordinary First Realm cultivator and repeatedly told him to retreat. Thinking back on it now, he felt utterly mortified.
Li Wangyi, however, had already walked over to the peach blossom spirit. "Peach Blossom, your foundation is fractured and your spirit heart injured. I..."
"Young Master Li need not say more, I understand," the peach blossom spirit interrupted. "For the spirits and monsters, the spirit heart and foundation are the root of everything. Once shattered, even the miraculous hands of a physician cannot reverse the Mandate of Heaven."
"Having witnessed three hundred years of the brilliant mortal world, I am already content."
With her mortal enemy dead, the peach blossom spirit appeared exceptionally detached. Her pale, tragic face bore no sorrow, only a tranquil smile.
She raised her hand to recall the peach blossom hairpin, clutching it tightly. Her expression grew peaceful, her eyes carrying a trace of lingering fondness and nostalgia, as if bidding a final farewell.
This scene stirred Li Wangyi.
The Guo siblings and Wei Lun also walked over.
Guo Nanjun suddenly spoke, "There is a way to heal Peach Blossom."
Wei Lun asked curiously, "What way?"
Guo Nanjun looked at him, then at her brother, and said, "You should be able to think of it too."
"We can think of it too?"
Guo Nanjun nodded.
Wei Lun looked toward their team leader.
Guo Hengbei said, "Deities! As long as Peach Blossom becomes the mountain deity of Xiufeng Ridge, she can rely on the mountain's roots, fortune, and mortal incense to nourish her spirit heart and mend her foundation."
Wei Lun's eyes lit up. As demon-catchers, they had encountered landscape deities transformed from the powerful souls of wild spirits.
The method Guo Nanjun thought of was indeed viable.
However, he quickly frowned and said, "To become an officially conferred landscape deity rather than some wild, licentious god of the mountains, there are only two paths: imperial bestowal by the imperial court or enfeoffment by a Divine Lord. Neither of these is easy."
The so-called imperial bestowal went without saying; it was the orthodox path by which landscape deities, city gods, land gods, and even stove and crop deities across the realm attained their positions and official seals, enjoying mortal incense while remaining under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, tasked with nurturing the landscapes and bestowing blessings or averting disasters for the realm.
As for enfeoffment by a Divine Lord, it was the granting of a divine title by a major deity of high rank, vast domain, and formidable magical power.
Just like high-ranking officials in the mortal world granting official titles and fiefs to their subordinates.
Guo Hengbei spoke up, "I can go and ask the Commander of the Prefecture Demon-Catching Office to petition the imperial court for an imperial appointment on Peach Blossom's behalf."
As a veteran demon-catcher, Guo Hengbei had some acquaintance with the Commander of the Hengzhou Demon-Catching Office.
After pondering, Wei Lun said worriedly, "I'm afraid it will be difficult. Firstly, the Commander might not be willing; after all, petitioning for the creation of a landscape deity is no trivial matter—it requires the personal brush of the sovereign. With the official rank of a prefectural demon-catching commander, his weight is still a bit too small."
"Secondly, because of the human-fiend's frame-up, the surrounding villagers currently have a—rather poor perception of Peach Blossom. Even if we immediately report the truth to the magistrate of Yuyang County and the Zhang family to make the facts public, it will probably be difficult to reverse the villagers' views in a short time."
"And without the recognition and faith of the common people, an imperial appointment would be of no use."
Guo Nanjun knitted her slender brows and said, "Then our only option is to ask for a Divine Lord's enfeoffment."
As soon as these words were spoken, all three members of the demon-catching team fell silent.
They had indeed encountered quite a few divine officials and deities, but none of them held a rank high enough to bestow the position of a mountain deity upon another.
This was a path that undoubtedly led nowhere.
The peach blossom spirit, however, had remained calm throughout. While they were discussing, she had already put away her peach blossom hairpin, picked up the small hoe she had dropped earlier, and continued weeding the peach grove.
This was likely her last time weeding.
Whether this peach grove would still exist after she was gone remained unknown.
Li Wangyi's voice suddenly rang out, "Actually, besides imperial bestowal and Divine Lord enfeoffment, there is a third path of conferment."
The Guo siblings and Wei Lun immediately looked at him.
"What is the third path of conferment?"
The peach blossom spirit couldn't help but lower her hoe as well, turning her ear to listen.
Li Wangyi slowly uttered four words: "Heaven and Earth Conferment."
Heaven and Earth Conferment?
The Guo siblings and Wei Lun exchanged glances, neither having ever heard of such a thing.
It was also the first time the peach blossom spirit was hearing of it.
Li Wangyi explained, "I once read in an ancient text that three thousand years ago, a certain deity achieved the divine throne through Heaven and Earth Conferment."
"Not only was the divine path smooth and unhindered, but it was also untouched by the rise and fall of mortal dynasties or the fluctuations of worldly incense."
"According to the book, if one can reach the absolute pinnacle of the Divine Path, a deity conferred by Heaven and Earth can live as long as the heavens and earth themselves, remaining immortal across the ages."
The Guo siblings and Wei Lun were somewhat shocked.
The peach blossom spirit could not help feeling a yearning in her heart.
"How does one achieve Heaven and Earth Conferment?"
"Three thousand years ago, who was the deity who received Heaven and Earth Conferment?"
"Are they from our Northern Zhige Continent?"
Little Qianjun, having put away her zither, also crowded close, her large eyes full of curiosity.
Li Wangyi replied, "The book didn't write who the deity of Heaven and Earth Conferment was three thousand years ago, so I don't know either. As for how to achieve Heaven and Earth Conferment—I can try."
"You will try?"
"Indeed. Peach Blossom was born to suppress the pestilence and malevolence of the landscapes in Yuyang and seven other counties. For three hundred years, she has caused the miasma in those eight counties to dissipate and the malevolence to recede. This is great virtue, to which Heaven and Earth can bear witness. Now that she suffers calamity and has neither court nor common people to rely upon, for Heaven and Earth to nourish her in return is entirely in accordance with the natural order."
Though Wei Lun hadn't studied books for many years, he understood the gist: it meant there was hope for Heaven and Earth to confer divinity upon the peach blossom spirit.
"What should we do? What preparations are needed?"
"We need to set up an incense table and incense candles to pay respects to Heaven and Earth, along with a memorial text. That will be enough."
"That simple? Then it's easy."
Using the smooth boulder from which he had just played the zither as an incense table, they carved peach branches into incense candles, leaving only the memorial text.
"Xiao Qian'er, bring the writing brush and ink."
Little Qianjun immediately took out the brush, ink, inkstone, and paper from her small book satchel, spreading them out on the boulder.
The peach blossom spirit had already walked over, personally grinding the ink for Li Wangyi.
When the ink was ready, Li Wangyi surveyed the entire Xiufeng Ridge, then gazed down at the eight counties below the mountain. Before long, the memorial text was already clear in his mind.
He picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and then wrote with flying speed in one smooth, unbroken stroke.
In an instant, a piece of memorial text sprang to life on the paper.
The Guo siblings, Wei Lun, the peach blossom spirit, and Little Qianjun all crowded around to look. At the top right of the memorial text, ten large characters were written: 《Petition for Heaven and Earth to Confer Divinity Upon the Peach Blossom Spirit》.
Since the conferment ceremony was being held out in the wilderness without so many cumbersome formalities, Li Wangyi gave a few instructions, using his arts to summon moisture and pollen to perform the "ritual cleansing and burning of incense," before beginning.
"Peach Blossom, I learned of this Heaven and Earth Conferment method from ancient texts, and I have never practiced or verified it. Whether it will succeed or fail remains unknown."
"If it succeeds, it will naturally be a joyous occasion for all; if it fails, the blame rests upon me. Do not grieve or blame yourself; we can seek other methods to heal your injuries."
Finally, he looked at the peach blossom spirit.
The peach blossom spirit smiled faintly. "I understand. Please, Sir, do as you see fit!"
Li Wangyi nodded and walked toward the incense table.
The boulder serving as the incense table was placed at the very peak of Xiufeng Ridge. Li Wangyi stood before it in his green robe, holding six peach-branch incense candles. His demeanor was vastly different from usual, turning solemn and focused.
Suddenly, Wei Lun's vision blurred, and he felt as though the figure of Li Wangyi standing before the incense table had grown ethereal, vaguely merging with the Heavenly Dao.
"Boss, this is..."
"A communion between man and heaven! This is a communion between man and heaven! Just what manner of person is Young Master Li? He is actually able to resonate and harmonize with the Heavenly Dao. Could he be some hidden reading seed from the upper academy of Hanshan Academy?"
Communion between man and heaven was one of the most renowned supreme arts of the Confucian Sect; unless one was a proud prodigy of the Confucian lineage or a peerless, pure scholar, it was impossible to comprehend.
Guo Hengbei never imagined that Li Wangyi, who was only in the First Realm, could execute a communion between man and heaven, harmonizing and matching with the Heavenly Dao.
No wonder he dared to attempt petitioning for Heaven and Earth Conferment.
To perform such an extraordinary act required extraordinary means indeed.
At that moment, Li Wangyi placed three sticks of incense on the table to pay homage to Heaven and stuck three sticks into the earthen altar to revere the Earth. Following that, he picked up the memorial text left on the table.
Nine thousand and eight hundred strands of righteous Qi in his chest surged simultaneously, and then his solemn, clear voice resounded across the heavens and earth:
"In the fifth year of Tianbao of the Great Wei, a Daoist nun stepped ashore from the Central Land and passed through Hengzhou. Seeing that Yuyang and its neighboring counties suffered from abundant miasma and thick malevolence—fearing it would breed malevolent spirits and render the land uninhabitable—she placed a peach blossom hairpin atop Xiufeng Ridge to serve as a restraining seal.
Once the peach blossom hairpin was placed, heavenly thunder cleansed it, wind and rain urged it, and frost and dew nourished it. After three years, the wall of the hairpin turned green, and Xiufeng nurtured spirit, giving rise to new shoots. Truly, this was born in response to the opportune time and grew by relying on the advantageous terrain.
As the new shoot grew tall, it became a peach tree; as the wood grew, the malevolent Qi dispersed, and as the peach tree flourished, the miasma vanished. This was because spiritual wood can nourish fertile soil, causing the landscape to transform. Once the landscape gained spirit, the lives of the people were blessed; planting millet and rice brought abundant harvests without disease or disaster, and so it has been for three hundred years.
Ah, is this not achieving supreme virtue by walking the path of ultimate goodness?
Yet while the peach tree accumulated virtue, the denizens of darkness eyed it with covetousness. A human-fiend, born in filth and raised in squalor, wished to attain the Great Dao. Instead of seeking it within himself, he coveted the root and spiritual essence of the peach wood flower spirit. Failing to seize it by force, he devoured humans to steal their skins, wreaking havoc in the mortal world, forging reward edicts, and employing those who walk the path of demon-catching to attack the peach spirit with swords. He hid among the crowd, waiting for a chance to strike, ultimately injuring the peach spirit and shattering her foundation.
Alas, does this accord with the heavenly principle of retribution for good and evil?
The virtuous suffer while the wicked run riot, the pure and good are harmed while demons prosper—such things I have never heard of!
Today, having arrived at Yutong Ridge by chance, subduing the demon and saving the spirit is only right and proper. However, the peach spirit's foundation is broken and her spirit heart injured; healing her requires the favor of Heaven, beyond the reach of mortal strength.
The Saint has said: Heaven and Earth possess the supreme virtue of cherishing life and bearing all things.
I humbly entreat the Lord of Heaven and the Mother of Earth to have mercy on her misfortune, to pity her tragic plight, to confer divinity upon her to make her whole, and to bestow a title to honor her virtue. This too is an act of supreme goodness!"
The main text of the 《Petition for Heaven and Earth Conferment Given to the Peach Blossom Spirit》 was three hundred and eighty-four characters in total. With every single word Li Wangyi recited, a strand of righteous Qi burst forth from his chest and merged into the heavens and earth.
When the entire memorial text had been read aloud,
his green robe shook, and he bowed in salutation: "Disciple of the Confucian Sect, Li Wangyi of Hanshan Academy, humbly petitions Heaven and Earth to confer divinity upon the peach blossom spirit!"
The Guo siblings and Wei Lun clasped their fists and shouted along: "Guo Hengbei, Guo Nanjun, and Wei Lun, demon-catchers of Hengzhou in the Great Wei, humbly petition Heaven and Earth to confer divinity upon the peach blossom spirit!"
Even Little Qianjun mimicked the bow with a serious little face, calling out in her tender voice: "Little Qianjun of Hanshan Academy, humbly petitions Heaven and Earth to confer divinity upon the peach blossom spirit!"
Rumble—
The moment the five of them finished speaking, the previously cloudless sky instantly churned with wind and clouds. Thunder exploded, and crimson, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple lightning flashed simultaneously, plunging from the sky like countless ribbons of colored silk.
At the same time, the mountain roots around Xiufeng Ridge trembled, rapidly rising and swelling. All the vegetation grew at an astonishing pace as if blessed by sweet dew, and in the span of a breath, flowers of every hue bloomed across eight hundred miles of wilderness.
The birds and beasts on every mountain and ridge collectively bowed toward the continuously rising and growing Xiufeng Ridge, pious and trembling.
The peach blossom spirit floated in mid-air.
Mountain mists, water vapor, and the colorful radiance descending from the heavens converged into a divine pillar of light that enveloped her, appearing sacred and majestic.
...
Several hundred miles away, Zhou Lengxi, Dong Xieyang, and Liu Buming, the three vice hill masters of Hanshan Academy, stood together at the highest peak of Hanshan, gazing eastward.
"Heaven and Earth Conferment—what a magnificent event unseen in three thousand years!"
...
The Star-Observing Platform of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in the Great Wei imperial court.
The Emperor, the Senior Grand Secretary, grand academicians, ministers of the six ministries, the Grand Commandant of the Five Military Governor's Offices, the Director of the Astronomical Bureau, and others had gathered in one place.
...
At Fengxue Cliff, a major sword-cultivation sect on the Northern Zhige Continent, Su Nanhui, the master of the cliff, sat atop the cloud cliff and gazed toward the south.
Amidst the sea of clouds outside the cliff, sword shadows darted back and forth, as if eager to head south.
...
Thousands of miles away, Donghua Mountain, the premier mountain of the Divine Path on the Northern Zhige Continent.
A cloud-patterned divine chariot soared from the divine palace, rising straight into the clouds and journeying westward.
*(PS: The "Petition for Heaven and Earth Conferment Given to the Peach Blossom Spirit" was written off the cuff. If there are any inappropriate word choices or incorrect sentence structures, I kindly ask my readers to forgive me.)*