After crossing over, he has no taboos among the zombies.

Chapter 1385

Life in Aurora Village moves at a pace as slowly as the water in a stream.

Whenever Long Qingyao carried her bamboo basket to the vines on the mountainside, she could always see Qin He's figure.

Sometimes he would lean against the bluestone outside the cave, his fingertips swirling with wisps of very faint ink-colored air, his eyes vacant, lost in thought.

Sometimes he would squat by the stream, huddle together with the children chasing butterflies, tease the little crabs in the crevices of the rocks with a twig, and laugh heartily.

"Senior Qin, Aunt Zhang steamed sweet potato cakes today and also mixed them with Sichuan pepper sauce."

She handed him the bamboo basket, her gaze falling on his fingertips—the wisp of ink, touched by the sunlight, shimmered with tiny golden light, much like the aurora borealis in the night sky.

Qin He took the wooden box, picked up a piece of cake and put it in his mouth, raising his eyebrows slightly: "This sauce is quite potent, it tastes better than the one in the Yunlai City restaurant."

He chewed on a pastry, his gaze sweeping across the direction of the village. "Are your people learning to farm?"

"Yes, Uncle Li said that Xingtian should be cultivated in the direction of the aurora's movement, otherwise good wheat will not grow."

Following his gaze, Long Qingyao saw several members of the Long family following the men in the village, helping to plow the fields. Their movements were clumsy but earnest, and their trouser legs were covered with black mud that seemed to possess a spiritual quality.

"What a magical place." Qin He popped the last bit of pastry into his mouth.

Over the past ten days or so, Qin He has gradually figured out the situation in the village.

The people here practice a technique called "Star Absorption Technique." They don't need to meditate or cultivate diligently; they can naturally absorb the power of stars from the aurora while plowing the fields, grinding flour, or even putting their children to sleep.

The oldest woman in the village, Granny Long, has no cultivation, yet she is twenty years old and can still go up the mountain to pick fruit, all thanks to the nourishment of this spiritual energy.

However, this technique has a strange aspect: once you reach the Dao Palace realm, it becomes extremely difficult to advance even half a step further.

The power of the stars is too gentle, lacking the drive to break through the barrier to the Divine Bridge Realm.

What's even more incredible is that once you leave this Earthly Mountain, the power of the stars becomes as thin as water. If you practice this technique again, it's no different from ordinary breathing exercises. If you want to advance, you have to dissipate your power and start practicing another method.

"It's quite comfortable." Qin He looked at the group of people chatting and laughing on the ridge of the field, his tone tinged with emotion.

He had seen too many cultivators who fought to the death for the sake of their cultivation level, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone integrate cultivation into the mundane world like this.

Long Qingyao bit her lip and finally asked the question she had been holding back for days: "Senior, are you... really a demonic cultivator?"

Qin He paused in his hand as he unwrapped the pastries, then looked up at her. His eyes were deep, like a bottomless abyss, yet they lacked any of the ferocity of the "demon" his people spoke of. Instead, they reflected the drifting clouds above, clear and bright.

“If the Divine Court says I am, then I am. It’s just a code name. As for what I really am, that’s none of their business.” He put another piece of pastry into her hand. “Try it. It won’t taste good when it gets cold.”

Long Qingyao nibbled on the pastry, its sweet aroma carrying a faint spiritual aura.

She recalled the scene she witnessed last night: Qin He squatted at the village entrance, wiping away the tears of a child who had fallen and was crying. A small, dark flower condensed from his fingertips, and the petals were even covered with starlight, which made the child stop crying and start laughing.

His appearance didn't match at all what Grandpa had described as a "ruthless demon who kills without hesitation."

“Grandpa said that the ancestor is in your banner.” She spoke softly, her voice a little tight. “We all know that the ancestor used the clan’s members as sacrifices in order to break through… but he is still the ancestor of the Dragon family.”

The black demon banner in Qin He's sleeve was slightly hot, but it didn't make a sound.

He gazed at the distant Diji Mountain peak, where the clouds and mist at the summit had thickened, and the streak of light that pierced through the heavens and earth was faintly visible.

“He’s reflecting on his actions.” After a long pause, Qin He finally spoke. “These past few days, when the aurora was at its peak, he always used my spiritual sense to look at the wheat fields in the village.”

Long Qingyao was stunned. She couldn't imagine that the ancestor, who was described by the clan as dignified to the point of being cold, would be staring blankly at a wheat field.

The two walked slowly along the stream, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The sound of wooden mallets beating clothes echoed through the village, mingling with the laughter of women and the playful frolicking of children, creating a remarkably vivid atmosphere.

“Grandpa said I can choose for myself whether or not to become your disciple.” Long Qingyao stopped, her fingertips gripping the hem of her clothes. “He said the Long family is no longer qualified to make decisions for me. Becoming your disciple would make me an enemy of the Divine Court, and I would have to live in hiding for the rest of my life.”

Qin He also stopped and looked at her.

The girl's cheeks were slightly red from the sun, and her almond-shaped eyes were full of struggle, but without a trace of timidity.

He suddenly remembered that at the Long family mansion, she was pinned to the ground, trembling with fear, yet she bit her lip and refused to beg for mercy.

"No rush," Qin He said calmly. "Although the 'Star Gathering Technique' in this village can't break through realms, it can cultivate your character. If you want to live a peaceful life, staying here for the rest of your life isn't a bad option."

"In this dog-eat-dog world, the cycle turns too fast. Most people can't live as well as those living here in their entire lives. It's just a matter of gambling and unrealistic expectations."

"On the path of cultivation, it takes countless bones to become one person, but with reason, it is not difficult to make a choice."

As soon as the words were spoken, a pale purple light suddenly appeared on the horizon. The aurora had appeared ahead of schedule; thin strands of light hung down from the clouds and fell on the stream, creating layers of halos.

"But I want to become stronger."

Long Qingyao's voice broke the silence.

She raised her head and looked at Qin He with a firm gaze: "I want to protect the remaining members of my clan, I want to know why our ancestor did what he did, and I want to see the outside world, not the kind of world where I can see it from behind someone else."

"Just like you, you'll leave here too, won't you?"

"A tranquil harbor is certainly alluring, but the passion in one's heart is ultimately hard to suppress. On the path of cultivation, there are difficult choices, but it is simply a matter of making a move without regret."

Qin He raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.