“Heaven and earth, yin and yang, eight directions and four extremities, heed my command, communicate with the netherworld…”
The incantation resounded, grand and magnificent, as if thousands of divine officials were chanting in unison. Shockwaves surged into the sky.
The earth-shaking commotion caused Wu Ming and the other three to repeatedly change expressions.
“Jade comes forth!”
At this moment, the City God of Heitai beckoned. The Hetian jade pendants representing one thousand virtuous merits flew from the four individuals.
“Decree! Return from yin to yang!”
The jade pendants fell into the hands of the City God of Heitai, turned into powder, and scattered into the air, forming a vast and resplendent jade-colored gateway.
Boom!
The great gate opened. A massive surge of yang energy poured forth like a river reversing its course. Where it passed, flames soared into the sky. If it entered the netherworld, it would immediately cause a great disaster.
Hum!
Inside the side hall, four gates rose magical barriers, completely blocking the torrent of yang energy.
“Such a grand commotion?”
Wu Ming was deeply shaken: “It seems the force separating yin and yang in this world exceeds my imagination!”
At this moment, within the side hall, yang energy surged like waves, repeatedly washing over them. Xu Ziquan and the others displayed expressions of pain.
Visible to the naked eye, wisps of black mist detached from their souls, making their spiritual bodies increasingly crystalline and pure.
“Seven days in the underworld inevitably tainted us with yin energy. This is essentially a detoxification process…”
Wu Ming fully understood this process and allowed the yang energy to cleanse away the lingering yin and dark energies within him.
Unexpectedly, the yin energy clinging to him was minimal—only a few wisps. In contrast, Xu Ziquan and the others exuded thick clouds of black mist. After purification, their soul bodies visibly diminished, a sight that sent chills down one’s spine.
“With the yin impurities dispelled, what are you waiting for to return to the yang realm?”
The City God of Heitai shouted. An invisible force emerged from the great gate. Wu Ming and the others bowed to the City God before successively stepping into the passage.
Wu Ming departed last. Before leaving, he had already secretly confirmed that the other side of the passage was indeed the yang realm of the world of spirits and deities. Only then did he take a step forward.
At the final moment, he couldn’t help but glance toward the high platform and met the golden gaze of the City God of Heitai, which carried an unusual expression.
Before he had time to think further, a mighty force surged forth, instantly enveloping Wu Ming.
…
“Is this… the yang realm?”
Bright sunlight poured through the skylight into the room. Wu Ming trembled and opened his eyes.
For a cultivator who had achieved the Yin Spirit, discerning whether one had returned to the yang realm and recognizing one’s own physical body was naturally effortless.
Wu Ming raised his hand and saw the very clothes he had worn that night.
“It seems certain that my true body has descended. This physical form hasn’t eaten or drunk for seven days—it feels somewhat weak…”
Wu Ming deeply inhaled a breath of spiritual energy and practiced his internal refining technique. “Proceed forward to become human, reverse to become immortal.” He refined qi into essence, replenishing the deficiencies in his physical body.
With renewed strength, he slowly stood up and heard a surprised voice from the side: “Brave one, you’ve awakened?”
“Brave one?!”
Wu Ming was momentarily confused. However, seeing that his five-colored ceremonial robe, the black-gold ring on his hand, and the Tian Gong ring were all still present, he relaxed slightly and turned to look at the speaker.
He saw an old Daoist priest gazing at him with delight and approval: “The Black Mountain Lord is tyrannical, establishing a realm to arbitrarily collect wandering souls. Fortunately, brave one was willing to descend into the underworld with your Yin Spirit to investigate. I truly admire you for this!”
“I volunteered to go to the netherworld?”
Wu Ming inwardly rolled his eyes, knowing this was the identity arranged by the Main Shrine. He made no comment and glanced around, his pupils slightly constricting.
Beneath him was clearly a Daoist formation, within which more than thirty people sat in precise positions according to the celestial pattern.
Among them, over a dozen were already lifeless, reduced to mummies.
“These brave souls performed such a noble act, but alas, I could only use my family’s ancestral Yang Jade to set up this formation to preserve their bodies. However, as the seven-day limit approached, only a few awoke…”
The old Daoist made a respectful bow and sighed deeply.
“Over thirty Revenants, and only I and Xu Ziquan’s group of four survived? This was even a minor side mission?”
Wu Ming had no desire to remain a moment longer in this room filled with death. He strode out the door.
Outside the main gate was a garden, vibrant with colors. Even the smallest leaf radiated vitality.
Wu Ming lifted his head. Warm sunlight poured down, causing him to squint involuntarily.
This long-missed sensation of life was something those who had never experienced the netherworld’s deathly silence and despair could never truly appreciate.
[Minor Side Mission: Lost — Completed! Reward: 200 minor merits!]
At this moment, a prompt from the Main Shrine appeared, followed swiftly by a large screen of information:
[Main Mission Activated: Redemption!]
[Mission Description: Since the great transformation of the ancient heavenly Dao, the grand stage of contention has begun. The Black Mountain Lord has established a realm, attempting to unify the authority of the netherworld, directly opposing the City God of Heitai, making war inevitable! And you have chosen the side of the City God of Heitai!]
[Mission Objective: Kill or expel the Black Mountain Lord! Success rewards 500 major merits! Mission failure results in annihilation!]
[Minor Side Mission: The Culprit — Kill the Black Mountain Lord! Reward: 100 heavenly merits! Kill each of the Black Mountain Lord’s eighteen mountain and river leaders, reward 500 minor merits per leader!]
[This mission scenario: Medium! Mission difficulty: Omega!]
[Note: Revenant Geng Shen 69, esteemed emissary of the Main Shrine! According to your privileges, you may choose to reduce the mission difficulty or double the reward!]
“Tsk tsk…”
Wu Ming read through it, his head aching.
“This Main Shrine really wants chaos, huh? Kill the Black Mountain Lord? Who are they kidding?”
Even if he used all his hidden cards, Wu Ming had little confidence facing the City God of Heitai, let alone the Black Mountain Lord.
“Even assisting the City God of Heitai to expel the Black Mountain Lord’s forces from the netherworld is an infernal-level difficulty!”
Of course, there was still an option—immediately using the Main Shrine’s authority to reduce difficulty.
But that was a last resort. Wu Ming already had plans in place. He could activate them anytime, so there was no need to make a decision immediately.
“Besides… in the mortal realm, there seem to be government forces and righteous sects whose help I might enlist…”
Thinking of this, Wu Ming’s scalp prickled slightly.
It turned out that during the last mission, he hadn’t considered things thoroughly, leaving behind some loose ends with the refugees. He imagined if he encountered Wu Hong again, the reception wouldn’t be pleasant.
He activated his spiritual sense, probing into the Suihou Pearl.
He saw that after the seal was lifted, the land god’s decree had become even more divine and mysterious, with tiny threads of green light continuously descending.
“It seems Huang Weiqing, Qing Mangzi, and the others did well in the netherworld…”
This divine decree and the dragon energy constituted a small capital, the only leverage for completing this mission.
“Daoist Brother Wu Ming!”
At this time, Xu Ziquan, Li Suihan, and Gong Yunshang also stepped out, their faces pale.
Seven days without food or water, even with their internal cultivation, required gradual recovery. Upon receiving their missions, their faces turned even paler, but they said nothing, each retreating to their rooms to recuperate and regain combat strength.
“Where is this place?”
Only Wu Ming, proficient in internal alchemy, continuously transformed spiritual energy into nourishment, remained strong. As time passed, his complexion grew ruddier, appearing energetic enough to wander about, causing others to marvel.
“This is the Yunji Monastery!”
A young Daoist acolyte, with two small topknots, appeared quite adorable: “The elders said you should all rest and recover carefully… This place isn’t only for you; even monks and shamans from other places have come…”
“Could this be what they call the Alliance of Orthodox Sects?”
Wu Ming found it both amusing and ironic: “It seems the Black Mountain Lord’s actions have indeed caused quite a stir. This is our opportunity…”
Wu Ming aimlessly walked out of the garden and into a large open square, where he encountered a thin, wiry Daoist practitioner. Upon seeing Wu Ming, the man halted in surprise: “It’s you!”
“You’re… that Daoist from the ruined temple!”
Wu Ming was momentarily startled but quickly recalled.
Wasn’t this the person he had discovered during his last mission in Heitai County, who seemed like a potential Daoist adept?
Little did he know, upon seeing Wu Ming, the Daoist practitioner’s eyes bulged, his mouth opening wide enough to fit several duck eggs: “You carry the aura of calamity, yet you still survived… No! You’ve already cultivated to a high level and opened your consciousness sea?!”
In an instant, the old Daoist felt his beliefs severely shaken, beginning to doubt his skills in physiognomy and fortune-telling.
“Originally, Master Cangwu and this gentleman were old acquaintances. That’s even better…”
The young Daoist acolyte, having found a scapegoat, gave a sly glance: “Since the brave ones needed rest after returning from the netherworld, perhaps Master Cangwu could inquire about their experiences there?”
“Yes, you may go now!”
Cangwu examined Wu Ming from head to toe, then flicked his sleeve, pointing to a small pavilion nearby: “Come, let’s talk over there!”
Inside the stone pavilion were stone tables and chairs, along with a teapot and several teacups.
Cangwu poured himself a cup of tea, held it with both hands, took a small sip, closed his eyes in satisfaction, exhaled deeply, and suddenly said: “It’s truly beyond my expectations that you survived and even embarked on the Daoist path!”
The words sounded somewhat unreasonable, but Wu Ming merely nodded slightly.
Indeed, this old Daoist possessed some skill. The last time Wu Ming met him, he hadn’t yet opened his spiritual eye. Now, observing again, he discovered that this old Daoist was also a practitioner of similar rank.
Of course, if they truly engaged in a magical duel, at such close range, Wu Ming could instantly kill him with his Five Thunder Palm technique.
“There’s so much I want to ask, yet I don’t know where to begin…”
Wu Ming smiled bitterly: “How is Heitai County now? What has happened since the Black Water Town incident?”
“You don’t know? You actually don’t know?”
Cangwu’s expression was astonished. Seeing Wu Ming’s genuine confusion, he sighed: “It seems since that time, you must have had some extraordinary encounter and secluded yourself for a while. Otherwise, how could your cultivation have advanced so much while remaining unaware of these events!”
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