"Senior Xie, are you not busy right now?" Qing Niao was whispering with Little Sparrow and suddenly brightened up upon seeing him, asking, "If you have some free time, could you lend us a hand?"

Before he could answer, Little Sparrow chirped, "I wonder if Senior Xie has trained in the Purification Technique? Although the situation in Mirror Lake Forest is much better than in Mizhang Ridge, it is still the Ghost Realm, and the pollution aura is quite terrifying for most cultivators."

Purification Technique? Ghost Realm?

Xie Chenyuan immediately thought of a crucial point— the ancestor followed Senior Jiang in the Void for trials, focusing entirely on enhancing the Purification method; with the earlier mention that the spiritual energy in this world was contaminated... all these factors combined, he suddenly realized that mastering the Purification Technique would widen the road ahead for him!

"I have also learned the ’Great Wilderness Heart Method’ taught by Brother Bai, though I haven’t used it much," he quickly replied, "I’m not sure what you two need me to do? As long as it’s not intense combat, I should be able to protect myself in the Ghost Realm."

Getting into the Ghost Realm isn’t something one can do just at will, and it’s known these two had cultivated in a Ghost Realm specially prepared by Senior Jiang for them. If he could travel with them, it would be a perfect opportunity to develop the Purification Technique.

Qing Niao smiled brightly and patiently explained, "Our brother assigned us a portion of the Ghost Realm called Mirror Lake Forest. At first glance, it’s just a forest and doesn’t seem dangerous, but the woods are dotted with numerous lakes that look like mirrors.

Some lakes have very troublesome monsters, others have towns at the bottom to explore, all incredibly interesting!

But the problem lies in defeating monsters that are difficult to kill due to contamination, requiring treasures found by exploring other lakes to restrain them effectively.

We’ve finally figured out the rules, and to purify Mirror Lake Forest swiftly, we want to invite Senior Xie to join us and use the Divination Technique to assist. This way, we avoid unnecessary detours; otherwise, finding solutions one by one through exploration would be extremely slow!"

She paused briefly and added, "Our brother said that he has control over at least forty Ghost Realms that need to be purified urgently. If Senior Xie could assist, firstly, it would benefit the cultivation of Purification Technique with future great use; secondly, by contributing together, our brother would undoubtedly be very pleased."

Can one even lack treasures or opportunities once earning brother’s concrete dedication and loyalty?

"That would be superb!" Xie Chenyuan agreed to the plan enthusiastically, asking eagerly, "Shall we set off now?"

Qing Niao nodded, reassuring him, "Don’t worry, senior. Even if the Purification Technique hasn’t been tested in actual combat, it’s fine, as that forest is very safe. Moreover, I can help cleanse any pollutants you may accidentally pick up."

"Right, right! As long as you stay away from the lakes, it’s absolutely safe!" Little Sparrow laughed crisply, "When we dive in to fight the monsters, they don’t chase us once we get on shore. It’s quite amusing!"

Hearing them, Xie Chenyuan grew curious, having heard of the Ghost Realm but never having explored one personally.

With preparations made, his eyes suddenly brightened!

The next second, he opened his eyes to find himself standing in a tranquil forest indeed.

"Operate the Purification Technique, and don’t let your guard down." Qing Niao saw him lost in thought and quickly reminded him, "The air here is polluted, and continuous inhalation could lead to contamination.

I’ll use Ice Flame to burn and purify early on; if it’s detected too late, even I may be unable to help, so ensure to operate the cultivation technique to resist."

Xie Chenyuan was secretly alarmed, realizing his inexperience required reminders.

Activating the ’Great Wilderness Heart Method’, a faint glow surrounded him as he continued to observe.

All he saw was an endless forest, unfortunately losing its original vibrant green after being polluted, though the once lush and serene scene was still discernible.

Sunlight streamed brilliantly through the branches overhead.

No wind, no birdsong, making the overly quiet, life-less forest feel somewhat excessively serene.

Lakes of various sizes stretched across the forest floor, the smallest two to three meters in diameter, the largest no more than ten meters— describing them merely as lakes felt exaggerated when merely glancing from the surface.

The waters were ever so calm, mirroring the bright daylight and tree branches like arrayed mirrors.

"Are these your markers?" Xie Chenyuan noticed a red flag planted by the nearest lake while another not far off had a blue flag.

Little Sparrow nodded and replied, "Yes! These are places we’ve explored, red flags signify, there’s a monster inside, specific details written on the flag; blue means no danger..."

Glancing around, there were at least hundreds or thousands of mirrored lakes. Exploring and recording each would be far too time-consuming.

He slightly smiled, rotating a divination disk with his right hand, "Just a moment, I’ll cast a divination."

"Buzz~"

The Divination Technique met no resistance here, with a gentle hum, Xie Chenyuan envisioned a clear image within his mind — under the rippling water lay countless long snakes covered in eyes.

The image shifted, the snake shadows fighting with indistinct figures, where a descending silver ring radiated dazzling light, forcing the eyes all over the snakes to close, their overpowering presence reduced significantly.

"There is a Snake Demon under this lake, requiring a silver ring to restrain it." He soon opened his eyes, pointing to an unexplored mirrored lake.

Qing Niao and Little Sparrow quickly marked it and noted the crucial information;

Xie Chenyuan proceeded to divine the next mirrored lake, visualizing a scene of ancient, decaying fortresses in his mind, atop the walls, skeletal hands reached out, seeking to grasp invaders into the walls...

Flag by flag adorned lake edges, indicating a far more efficient survey compared to diving in to explore each. Qing Niao increasingly felt inviting Senior Xie for assistance was a brilliant idea, immediately recording a video to report accomplishments to her brother.

[Qing Niao: Look! The wonderful use of the Divination Technique! With Senior Xie’s tremendous help, we shall rid Mirror Lake Forest of all monsters in ten days, no, maybe just half a month!]

[Little Sparrow: Precisely! Before Senior Xie’s help, Qing Niao Sister and I had to dive into lakes, and we were in a mess when encountering monsters whom we couldn’t fight off!]

[Qing Niao: You can skip that part of the story]

[Little Sparrow: ...Then there’s nothing much more to say]

[Jiang Yuan: Listen to Ling Di’s insights and practical teachings on the ’Great Wilderness Heart Method’ more, Xie Chenyuan just started practical application so be cautious, exit immediately if things go awry for Qing Niao to check. Safety first]

[Xie Chenyuan: Will do! I’m still new to it but I’ll diligently cultivate, aiming to join the Purification of Ghost Realms soon!]

[Yun Mo: Senior Xie is quite formidable, safe despite being inexperienced. I had a close call when trying earlier...]

......

"Ling Di, Xie Chenyuan has also come around to training the Purification Technique, assisting Qing Niao and Little Sparrow with purifying the Ghost Realm." Jiang Yuan, clicked to close the message interface, calling out, "Find some time to guide him thoroughly, his purification aura seems quite unstable."

Old Dog was fiercely battling Celestial Soldier souls, barking, "After I’m done, I’ll elaborate on the insights and breakthroughs from my recent cultivation.

Often when the Realm isn’t sufficient, understanding the cultivation technique lags a lot, listening to my insights first then grasping from practical application hastens progress."

The difficulty of the Ghost Ship dungeon had increased significantly, and even with Ling Di equipped with Elixir and Immortal Jade for continuous replenishment, it took three days of relentless attempts to defeat the final big boss.

[Side Quest: Heaven-Swallowing Divine Dog]

[Task 6: Use the key to open and enter the Ghost Ship, and supervise the contracted pet Ling Di complete the second trial, completed. Reward: Fragment of Heaven-Swallowing Divine Dog’s waist tag +1 issued]

[Task 7: Place an Immortal Jade in the helm, start the Ghost Ship to head for the Lost Divine Hall. Reward: Lost Divine Hall Key +1]

A flashing large light-blue cursor marked the path, leading Jiang Yuan straight to the helm, from where he retrieved an Immortal Jade from his account and placed it in the slot.

"Woo~ Woo~ Woo~"

The resounding horn blared atop the deserted deck as if valiant warriors were sounding the call to embark.

Then, lights flickered over the dim, abandoned Ghost Ship, reflecting a kaleidoscope of jewels and treasures; the sails rose; the ship creaked as it began to fly forward steadily.

Illuminations from the bow pierced through the darkness of the cavern, with Ling Di at the ship’s window in awe-stricken doggy delight while the Ghost Ship skimmed past a massive black chasm, advancing into the heart of the war remains...