Chapter 61 – Joy City (7)

He Yuntian’s attempt to frame someone had not gone smoothly. He hurriedly fled, hiding here and there for most of the day, and when he finally realized the plague god had not caught up, he broke into a satisfied smile — the Transformative Netherwater was his.

The one He Yuntian had dubbed the plague god was, at this very moment, standing in confrontation with Zhan Changfeng.

He had the appearance of a young man — blue robes, a jade crown, graceful and handsome, every bit the refined gentleman — and he still held golden leaves in his hand. Was he not the very Male Ghost from the old manor, the one who had spun a tale of love and enmity with the Female Ghost?

The moment he laid eyes on Zhan Changfeng, his brow furrowed. He clearly remembered the incident at the old manor. Then he glanced at Gongsun Long, whose eyes had rolled back until only the whites showed, nearly in a state of idiocy. The Male Ghost’s emotionless, desireless gaze shifted ever so slightly. “You actually used a soul-searching technique. You are truly vicious.”

That day at the old manor, he should have nipped this one in the bud.

Zhan Changfeng had long since dug up the entire history of the old manor. This ghost was called Mu Yunxi — he had married into the Yun family as a live-in son-in-law, and later killed his wife and children to perfect his Dao-heart.

She found the whole thing rather fascinating. “Mu Yunxi, when you annihilated the Yun family, did it ever occur to you whether your own actions were vicious?”

“Mortals are mere ants — not worth speaking of.” Mu Yunxi raised his eyelids. “I have long since severed my ties to the mundane world. My Dao-heart is without flaw. There is no need for you to waste your efforts trying to shake it.”

And that counted as being shaken?

She was genuinely curious.

“Does your sect know of the things you have done?”

“I act under my master’s orders.”

Zhan Changfeng’s expression turned serious. “It seems a battle between us is inevitable. This sovereign is the Ghost King of the Yizhou Outskirts — may I ask what path my fellow Daoist walks?”

Mu Yunxi knew full well she was lying, but propriety demanded an answer. “A disciple of the Supreme Demon-Slaying Sect.”

The Supreme Demon-Slaying Sect. Zhan Changfeng struck this sect off her list of candidates — she would absolutely never join such a foolish sect in the future.

Using murder to sever worldly ties was one thing if it were merely his own method, but to have a master’s blessing for it on top of that.

She truly did not understand the cultivation world very well. Could something like one’s state of mind really be mended through such means?

Zhan Changfeng flicked her sword to scoop up Gongsun Long and, wreathed in the Ghostfire Dark Lotus, hurled him toward Mu Yunxi — time was pressing, she could not afford to waste another moment.

Gongsun Long, cocooned in ghostfire and already nearly charred to cinders, was struck by a stream of qi that Mu Yunxi shot out and instantly turned to ash.

But in that brief delay, Zhan Changfeng had already fled far away.

Mu Yunxi’s expression was icy. This person had a shady background and cruel methods — left unchecked, they would surely become a scourge upon the cultivation world. Setting aside the Transformative Netherwater for now, he gave chase after Zhan Changfeng.

The sixth level’s yin wind cut to the bone. Even though she had already shifted into her earth-soul form, she found it somewhat difficult to endure. But with a pursuer behind her and the Supreme Yin Qi ahead, there was no room to retreat.

When she broke into the seventh level, the spirit-senses of several great ghosts swept over her, then quickly retracted. The towering lotus branches around her stood perfectly still, while waves of yin energy churned and howled — not a ghost’s shadow was to be seen.

Those who could reach this place were ghost cultivators of extraordinary talent. Such an opportunity was rare, and at this moment, no one was willing to waste their time on anything else.

Zhan Changfeng did not linger either. She plunged headlong into the eighth level. Here, the yin energy had condensed to the density of a solid, and every step forward required pushing against a pressure that could split mountains and cleave stone. Pure, concentrated yin energy was driven into her body by the heavenly might, stirring her Pure Yin power — it felt as though her entire soul was being torn apart.

Her aura began to fluctuate in chaos. Her perception had nowhere to extend; all five senses were dulled, dulled, until they were nearly gone.

The one thing Zhan Changfeng could be certain of was that she had entered in a straight line. As long as she kept to that straight line, she would reach the platform’s heart.

Mu Yunxi chased her to the eighth level. The golden leaves that usually surrounded him had gone dim and lightless. He had no intention of cultivating the ghost path, so his power had grown little compared to before — were it not for the Golden Decree and other such treasured artifacts bolstering him, how could he have displayed such might time and again?

But having come this far, he could not simply retreat. He sat down cross-legged, adopting the posture of someone prepared to wait until the end of time.

Zhan Changfeng had long forgotten about him. The Pure Yin power within her body stirred restlessly, grinding back and forth across every inch of her Bones — it was clearly attempting to temper her body on its own. She forcefully suppressed the Pure Yin power and stumbled onward. The green liquid beneath her feet grew ever more pure. Through the Haze, through the Gaps between branches and leaves, she glimpsed a wisp of floating white light in the Distance.

Pushing aside the final leaf, she saw the Supreme Yin Qi standing alone and solitary. The white light transformed into green liquid, seeping into the stone lotus, rippling across a pool of water and a pool of lotuses.

Zhan Changfeng had thought only of finding it, but had never considered what she would do with it once she had. Claim it for herself?

It was so vast and mysterious, ancient as eternity, like a law of heaven. Zhan Changfeng felt joy in her heart, but could not bring herself to feel any desire to possess it.

She had only a single inheritance, yet no one to pass it to her. So why not take heaven and earth as her teacher, and complete her own Dao?

Zhan Changfeng sat down cross-legged and stilled her heart, quietly sensing it, seeking to understand it. The surrounding yin energy gradually swirled like a storm, burrowing into her marrow. Lotus branches swayed, and clusters of ghostfire gathered around her.

Zhan Changfeng’s Pure Yin energy had not come to her through proper means — it had been stripped from the souls of ghosts. Although it had been refined by the Ink-Jade Archer’s Ring, it still carried the traces of the original owners’ life-soul aura. This was one of the lingering side effects.

The second was this: energy that had been taken from others was ultimately not energy she herself had comprehended. She could absorb ordinary yin energy, but she could not truly cultivate the heaven-and-earth Supreme Yin Qi.

Yet both of these hidden dangers could now be resolved in one stroke.

The ghostfire tempered her body; the yin energy cleansed her flesh. The Bones forged from Pure Yin energy, under repeated grinding and compression, became translucent and crystalline, without a single blemish.

And though she had not fully understood the Supreme Yin Qi, she had come to command Pure Yin energy far better than before. From this point on, she would need neither the Ink-Jade Archer’s Ring nor the stripping of ghost souls — she could absorb Pure Yin energy on her own.

Zhan Changfeng ended her meditation. Her spirit and soul were clear and bright. She had gained tremendously from this experience, and an unexpected joy was that she had fully mastered the Pure Yin Bones — even when shifting into her earth-soul form, the yin energy would no longer burden her physical body.

This was all thanks to her understanding of the wisp of Supreme Yin Qi before her.

Zhan Changfeng performed a teacher’s salute toward the Supreme Yin Qi. Its Dharma was worthy of her bow.

This time, the Supreme Yin Qi had not descended for her. She would not take it by force. One day, she would guide a wisp of Supreme Yin Qi that was truly her own.

Zhan Changfeng did not leave. She intended to cultivate here until Ghost City disappeared.

Where the Supreme Yin Qi resided, the heavenly might was at its most immense. She cultivated the passage to Reincarnation, using her soul to resist the heavenly might, tempering the strength of her soul in the process.

At the third crow of the rooster, inside a small courtyard by the Street, Qingke True Sovereign clasped his hands in farewell, and Mengyuan True Sovereign managed a grudging bow in return.

“Fellow Daoist Ruhe, safe travels.”

Ruhe True Sovereign returned the courtesy. “Fellow Daoists, safe travels.”

Ghost City vanished, like a lingering dream slipping away.

They dropped out of thin air onto the Street of Xiaohan Town.

Ruhe True Sovereign thundered, “Wretched disciple!”

Mu Yunxi trembled all over and turned to look at Ruhe True Sovereign, murmuring, “Master.”

“Why have you fallen into the ghost path?”

“Master!” Mu Yunxi dropped to both knees and kowtowed. “Your disciple wishes to shed his ghost body and return to the mortal world. Please, Master, make the decision for me!”

Ruhe True Sovereign let out a long sigh. “So be it. Your trial of emotional tribulation and your death tribulation have both passed. With the blessings accumulated over many lifetimes, and returning to cultivate the immortal path — your Future is beyond prediction. Only, can you endure the suffering of shedding a ghost body?”

“I can endure it!” Mu Yunxi said with conviction.

“Then come with me.” Ruhe True Sovereign waved a hand, drew him into his sleeve, and in a few steps had vanished from sight.

This scene had unfolded right there on the Main Street, with people coming and going all around — yet no one had seen a thing. It was the cultivators who had suddenly appeared that drew everyone’s attention.

Those cultivators dared not linger. In no time at all, their Figures had also disappeared. The real priority was to slip away quietly and exchange the things obtained from Ghost City for Arrow Tokens!