’Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best one!’

"I just heard those ghosts say that the Prefecture City is rounding up living people. Senior Brother Han Li shouldn’t be in any mortal danger."

Jiang Yi hadn’t expected the Ghost Country to be so treacherous. He hadn’t even gotten close to the Prefecture City, yet he had already run into a Yaksha ghost general.

After a moment of thought, he decided to slightly modify the Hidden Rune Technique he possessed from Nurturing the Dao Embryo, turning it into a "Presence Concealment Spell" to teach to his Grandpa, Yang Xun.

"Once we master this spell, we can absorb some Yin Qi and Dense Qi to mask our bodies. That will let us fool the insignificant minor ghosts and slip into the Prefecture City."

Yang Xun did as instructed. He spent several hours memorizing the entire text, then sat cross-legged to comprehend it.

With Jiang Yi’s astonishing Dao Wisdom to guide him, and having already crossed the Divine Barrier—which made his senses sharp and his mind agile—Yang Xun mastered the "Presence Concealment Spell" in just a single night.

WHOOSH!

Two wisps of indistinct Yin Qi emerged from the crowns of their heads, swirling like smoke to obscure their faces.

Instantly, the faint aura of life from the grandfather and grandson vanished.

Their bodies became like rotten wood, their flesh and blood seemingly frozen solid, no longer giving off the slightest hint of warmth.

"I’ve become an old ghost."

Yang Xun laughed.

"Then I’ll just be a little ghost."

Jiang Yi smiled.

Once their preparations were complete, the two of them left the tiled-roof house.

The hundred-odd ghosts that had been devoured and refined the day before had made no difference at all.

The village remained as bustling as ever, the cries of vendors rising and falling through the air.

These insignificant ghosts were mostly ignorant and dazed, possessing only faint Primordial Spirits, like the light of fireflies. They could only stiffly imitate the words and actions of the living.

The butcher was absorbed in chopping meat, the shop assistant shouted to attract customers, and the porters and street vendors paced endlessly back and forth along the main street.

That lively, bustling atmosphere, much like the bodies of the ghosts themselves, was all an illusion.

Although Jiang Yi was using the Hidden Rune Technique, the Qi Cultivation General Outline of the Mixed Refining Origin was already engraved into his very bones. As he ventured deeper into the ghost village, his Primordial Gate suddenly stirred.

’What pure Yin Qi! While I can’t feed it to my Bing and Ding Fire to increase my Cultivation, my Dao Embryo can devour it to nourish my physical form.’

An idea took root in Jiang Yi’s mind. Body Refinement and Qi Cultivation were completely different. The latter involved refining Spiritual Energy and prioritized purity, while the former required nourishing the body with Dense Qi and fusing with baleful auras to strengthen it.

’My Dao Embryo is at the Small Success stage. It’s already impervious to blades and spears, unharmed by fire and water, and can withstand the direct impact of low-grade Magical Artifacts.’

’If I can break through to the Mid-Stage, I should be able to fight a Disciple from an Ancestral Sect Dharma Lineage!’

According to the Cat Master, the combat strength of all Cultivators under heaven could be roughly divided into three tiers.

The Ancestral Sects were in a league of their own, possessing top-tier Dao Inheritances and superior resources. Their True Inheritance Daoists looked down upon all rivals, shining like brilliant stars across the Yanfu Vast Land.

Below them were the ’Teachings’ and ’Schools,’ whose disciples had a chance at achieving Flying Foundation Establishment, Dao Entry, and becoming a True Master.

Inner Sect Dharma Lineages were barely half a step above cultivators from regional clans, and not by much.

And as for Loose Cultivators and Wild Cultivators?

They were destined to be nothing more than cannon fodder, not even worth a second thought.

’Now I really have to find the source of this pure Yin Qi!’

The vertical golden mark between Jiang Yi’s eyebrows twitched slightly, then vanished in a flash.

He released his Divine Sense, sweeping it over the surrounding hundred-foot radius. It was like a careful inspection, and countless details became clear to him.

Before long, the pair found a small temple, barely half a foot tall.

"Such dense Yin Qi!"

Yang Xun was astonished. If Jiang Yi hadn’t led the way, he never would have discovered that this unremarkable ghost village actually hid a "hub" for gathering Yin Qi and refining baleful qi.

"There are small characters written on it."

Jiang Yi’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t read the words aloud. They simply flashed through his mind:

"Yin Department, Wanshou Country, Shangcao Prefecture, Changliu County, Dongxiang, Village Jia-4..."

This half-foot-tall temple was like some kind of local monument.

True Master Xuanmiao, who had been hiding in Jiang Yi’s robes the whole time, finally emerged.

Because of the presence of outsiders like Yang Xun and Han Li, the Cat Master had refrained from speaking.

But upon seeing the small temple, True Master Xuanmiao could no longer suppress his urge to explain. A faint Divine Thought drifted into Jiang Yi’s Primordial Gate:

"Back in the day, the Ghost Dao planned to build ten thousand nations, open up an Underworld to accommodate countless Ghost Cultivators, and support the Eighteen-Layered Halls."

"This small temple can be seen as the Underworld’s version of a City God, overseeing all the ghosts, suppressing Fierce Fiends, and establishing order."

Jiang Yi couldn’t help but marvel. Each Daoist Lineage was truly the supreme manifestation of the painstaking efforts of a Great Power or Daoist Monarch.

Creating an Underworld, while not as taboo as "establishing a cycle of reincarnation," was still a grand undertaking that affected the entire Yanfu Vast Land.

"According to my former master, at the very top were the ’Netherworld Monarch’ and the ’Great Emperor of Luofeng.’"

"Below them were the Ghost Emperors of the Five Directions, the Six Earthly Nether Palaces, the Nine Ramparts and Thirty-Six Earths, the Twenty-Four Prisons..."

Jiang Yi had Yang Xun stand guard while he himself silently sat down cross-legged, preparing to activate his Dao Embryo.

Now that the Ghost Dao had been annihilated and Fengdu had fallen, the Yin Department was a thing of the past. He didn’t need to worry about being held accountable for his actions.

’If it was just about creating an Underworld and establishing a Yin Department, it shouldn’t have threatened the foundation of the Immortal Dao. Why mobilize such a massive force against them?’

Jiang Yi was puzzled. Rumor had it that the Immortal Dao had wiped out three top-tier Dharma Lineages and lost several True Monarchs in the process, all just to suppress the Ghost Dao.

That was by no means a small price to pay.

"The Ghost Dao aligned itself with the Divine Dao, which effectively gave All Cultivators two new paths: become a ghost after death, or ascend to godhood."

"Cultivation is incredibly difficult. If one could become a ’ghost-god’ and attain a form of longevity, who would still want to be human?"

True Master Xuanmiao grumbled mentally:

"Forget the Immortal Dao. Just look at the Demon Dao and the Buddhist Dao. They all just sat back and watched, not one of them lifted a finger."

Jiang Yi understood. His thoughts raced. For the Daoist Monarchs and Great Powers at the very top of the Daoist Lineages, sometimes silence was a form of tacit approval.

No wonder the Ghost Dao fell first, followed by the Divine Dao, leaving behind nothing but two empty shells...

He gathered his stray thoughts and the golden light in his eyes faded. After confirming that poaching some Yin Qi from the remnants of Fengdu wouldn’t attract any trouble, his Dao Embryo roared to life!

A steady stream of dense Yin Qi, like water from a spring, gushed through the half-foot-tall mud temple and poured into his upright physical body.

’This is practically a treasure-trove for cultivation!’

Jiang Yi mused that ever since he had condensed his Perfect ’Saint King’ destiny, things had indeed been going smoothly for him.

’It seems my accumulated fortune is about to erupt!’

Yang Xun stood guard outside, driving away the ghosts that were drawn by the flow of Yin Qi and tried to get close.

However, the commotion from Jiang Yi’s cultivation grew more and more obvious, almost breaking through the concealment of the Hidden Rune Technique. The surrounding ghosts multiplied, becoming a vast, surging tide like a flooding river.

’I wonder how much longer Ah Yi will need?’

Yang Xun glanced back at the silent youth on the ground, then gritted his teeth and summoned his Black Slaughter Lock. Activated by his True Qi, the Magical Artifact—its rings interlocked like a great python—swept and tumbled through the air.

Large swathes of ghosts were smashed to pieces, dissolving into puffs of smoky Yin Qi that slowly sank into the ground.

But the ghosts were too numerous to eliminate completely, and Yang Xun was only wasting his True Qi.

’What am I going to do!’

Yang Xun had only just broken through to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer and didn’t have very deep reserves. After cutting down several hundred ghosts in one go, he was already feeling the strain of exhaustion.

Just as he was about to use a Ding Fire Daoist Skill, a tremendous, earth-shaking rumble came from outside the village.

Hundreds of attendant ghosts appeared, carrying a massive chariot. On top of it sat a Fierce Fiend with the head of a tiger and the body of a man.

"Such dense Yin Qi! I thought some treasure was being born, but it’s just two big, living humans! Oh well, they’ll make for a nice snack!"

An attendant ghost with a fox’s head, dressed like an advisor, giggled and said:

"The Ghost King Qin of the Prefecture City is marrying off his daughter and needs living humans for the ceremony! Why don’t we send them over to get on his good side..."

The tiger-headed Fierce Fiend bared its fangs in a savage grin.

"You don’t know shit! Every ghost for a thousand li around is scrambling to catch living people and send them to Shangcao Prefecture! How many of them do you think Ghost King Qin will even remember?"

"It’s better if I just eat my fill!"

The fox-headed attendant ghost gave a fawning smile.

"Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty’s insight is profound!"

Listening to the two ghosts converse, Yang Xun cried out inwardly:

’We’re doomed!’

But his feet seemed rooted to the spot, and he didn’t retreat a single inch. With no thought of backing down, a fierce expression appeared on his long, bald-browed face!

"The old one’s blood and qi are weak. Leave him for the minions to share! The young one, however... this king will enjoy him personally!"

The tiger-headed Fierce Fiend leaped from the chariot. The stripes on its face seemed to twist as billowing Yin Qi condensed into a potent, fiendish aura that directly assaulted the Heart Spirit. The aura was so terrifying that the insignificant ghosts in the area simply exploded.

Yang Xun formed a hand seal, preparing to control the Black Slaughter Lock. He was just about to bite the tip of his tongue and spray out his blood Essence to unleash his full power when a stir came from behind him.

A brilliant beam of light, straight as a column of smoke, shot from the crown of the seated Jiang Yi’s head. His entire body began to emit a vibrating hum from the inside out.

KRAK, KRAK! It sounded as if heavy shackles were shattering!

Jiang Yi slowly rose to his feet. He walked past Yang Xun, who had been guarding him, and faced the tiger-headed Fierce Fiend that had delivered itself to his doorstep.

A divine light shone from his eyes, and his blood and qi roiled like a boiling cauldron. This presence was so powerful it actually inspired a sense of dread in the tiger-headed Fierce Fiend, a creature that had devoured countless blood-meals.

"Your Majesty, that young one... he looks like bad news!"

The fox-headed advisor ghost’s legs were trembling.

"You two have arrived at the perfect time. I was just looking for a ghost to be my guide."

’Only one?’

The fox-headed advisor ghost shuddered, then immediately detonated its own body, transforming into a dense cloud!

It was just in time to dodge a swipe from the tiger-headed Fierce Fiend’s claws!

Jiang Yi watched this unfold with a faint smile, but then his right palm snapped open!

And the tiger-headed Fierce Fiend’s head was instantly crushed!