In the Upper Realm, nearly two thousand celestial gods stood at the edge of this vast void world, each controlling their own Realm of Emptiness, cautiously observing the movements outside.

The ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans were also tense, watching the space between the void and the Upper Realm.

Their strength was greater; their magnificent dharma power pierced the four cardinal directions of the Upper Realm, forming wefts and warps in its sky like lines of latitude and longitude.

The most nervous person, however, was not them, but Yang Bi.

At this moment, he stood on the Yin-Yang Bridge of a Realm of Emptiness, beneath which lay the twilight line dividing the Yin and Yang realms.

This bridge was called the Bridge of Life and Death, also known as the Immortal Bridge, identical to the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land of the Western Capital.

While others observed the gaze of the Celestial True God, he focused on the twilight line between the Yin and Yang realms. It rippled faintly, like water or dancing melody, utterly mesmerizing.

He had observed this twilight line multiple times, using its vibration frequency to calculate the spacetime oscillation frequency when the Yin and Yang realms merged.

The sun’s complete extinction and the merging of the two realms would be an immense event, inevitably stirring spacetime.

Previously, the Upper Realm could hide undetected from Despair Slope, but the two realms’ fusion would inevitably expose it. Unless every Realm of Emptiness in the Upper Realm could be simultaneously controlled to oscillate with this fusion, concealment might be possible.

Yang Bi had long calculated this frequency.

But he was a perfectionist, unwilling to make mistakes.

One wrong step could be a catastrophic annihilation for the Upper Realm.

Just then, the eyes of the Celestial True God extinguished.

Yang Bi’s spirits soared: “It begins!”

He stared intently at the rippling twilight line. Under the oscillation frequency, the Yin and Yang realms began to merge, causing spacetime to tremble along with them!

“Exactly as I calculated!”

Yang Bi let out a long breath, then looked up and swept his gaze across the Upper Realm. He saw the ancestral masters controlling their respective Realms of Emptiness, making the entire Upper Realm oscillate in sync with the rippling spacetime, showing no sign of discrepancy!

At the same time, in both the Yin and Yang realms, countless Heaven’s Listeners turned their gaze to the sky and earth. The exalted ones, venerated kings, and venerated lords expanded their Ghost and God Domains to their limits, listening to every movement in the world as the Yin and Yang realms merged!

They held paper and brush, their hands flying like the wind, scratching and scrawling down their observations from the moment of fusion.

Soon, these records were reported up the chain. The envoys reported to the officers, who sorted out anomalies and reported to the exalted ones. If there were no anomalies, a blank sheet of paper was submitted.

The exalted ones gathered and organized the data, filtering out the normal parts, recording anomalies, and reporting to the venerated kings. The venerated kings reorganized everything and reported to the venerated lords.

The Yin and Yang realms had a total of one hundred and four major regions, each with one venerated lord.

Nearly simultaneously, these venerated lords soared into the sky, rushing through the stars to arrive at the place where all the Rivers of Forgetting converged in the underworld: the Bridge of Helplessness.

This bridge spanned the River of Forgetting, vast and boundless. Countless wooden boats of underworld officers sailed beneath it.

A coffin hung under the bridge, bound by chains. Every now and then it would tremble, the chains clanking loudly.

There was a stall on the bridge. The one hundred and four venerated lords of Heaven’s Listeners landed and lined up to approach the stall, submitting their recorded anomalies to the stall owner one by one.

The stall owner was a young, beautiful girl with a round face, a sweet and charming smile, and a naturally babyish look. She wore a rainbow-colored Tang Dynasty garment—a transparent, colorless outer layer over brightly colored inner clothes.

This girl was Wen Wuyu, the Despair Slope disciple specifically responsible for underworld affairs.

She sorted through the information collected by the one hundred and four venerated lords at astonishing speed. After a moment’s thought, she pulled out a sheet of paper, stood up, and quickly walked to the head of the Bridge of Helplessness.

Several young men stood there, gazing at the rushing River of Forgetting.

“Senior Brother, it’s been organized.”

Wen Wuyu respectfully presented the paper to a young man in purple robes. He took it, revealing a surprised expression—the paper was blank, without a single word.

Standing nearby was Zhuang Wujiu, who had once crossed paths with Chen Shi. He looked at the paper in astonishment and asked, puzzled, “Junior Sister Wen, are you saying the Thirteen Great Clans left no trace?”

Wen Wuyu replied, “All Heaven’s Listener envoys, officers, exalted ones, venerated kings, and venerated lords in both realms observed simultaneously during the merger. No flaws were detected!”

The purple-robed young man looked up at the sky, intrigued. “The thirteen ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans are all extraordinary talents, but each has their own character flaws. Adding the one thousand nine hundred and sixty-seven sect leaders across the generations, the flaws are even greater. There’s no way they could have left no trace at all with just their own efforts. Someone must have guided them, teaching them how to avoid exposure. That person is now leading the Thirteen Great Clans in their confrontation with us at Despair Slope.”

This purple-robed youth was none other than the senior disciple of Despair Slope, named Zhong Wuwang. Among this generation of Despair Slope disciples, all had the character “Wu” (without) in their names, with Wuwang at the top, followed by Wujiu. Others included Wucheng, Wuhui, Wujiao, Wuji, Wuxie, and Wuyu.

Zhong Wuwang earned the title of senior brother not because he entered the sect first, but because he was the strongest.

Zhong Wuwang murmured, “He was able to uncover Junior Sister Wen in the Immortal Capital and now helps the Thirteen Great Clans evade our search. Who could this person be?”

Just then, he sensed a pair of eyes on him. He raised an eyebrow slightly, turned around to look at the void behind him, and smiled.

In the Upper Realm.

Yang Bi withdrew his gaze, avoiding direct eye contact with Wuwang.

Zhong Wuwang chuckled. “Interesting. Fellow junior brothers and sisters, retreat to Despair Slope quickly.”

Wen Wuyu, Zhuang Wujiu, and the others were puzzled.

Zhong Wuwang laughed. “That man from the Thirteen Great Clans has found us. He will stop at nothing, using every resource to kill me! And I can take this opportunity to assess the strength of the Thirteen Great Clans! Hurry, or it will be too late!”

The group was shocked and quickly departed in haste.

Wen Wuyu returned to her stall and tidied up. Her gaze fell on one dossier—it recorded an anomaly from Yin Mountain, concerning Chen Shi.

She said nothing, tucked the dossier away, and hurriedly left.

Yang Bi arrived at Jade Firmament Heaven to pay respects to the thirteen ancestral masters. He spoke in a deep voice, “Ancestral masters, I have located the Despair Slope visitor and identified one of them. This person must be the one among them who obtained the Innate Dao Embryo. If we capture him, we can learn everything about Despair Slope, including their cultivation techniques and ultimate arts.”

Hearing this, the thirteen ancestral masters were visibly shaken.

Ancestral Master Zhai Zhongming of the Zhai family quickly asked, “How did you find him?”

Yang Bi said solemnly, “I observed the movements of Heaven’s Listeners across the region—from the envoys monitoring the officers, to the exalted ones, to the venerated kings and lords—until I finally tracked down their leader. All Heaven’s Listeners answer to this man. Although the Despair Slope operatives are secretive, finding him is not impossible with careful effort.”

Ancestral Master Xia Gongjin of the Xia family asked, “How do you know this man is the one who possesses the Innate Dao Embryo?”

Yang Bi replied, “Back then, three Despair Slope disciples went to Xinxiang County to harvest the Innate Dao Embryo. I once forced Wen Wuyu out in the Immortal Capital, and I’ve seen Zhuang Wujiu in the mortal world. Neither of them obtained the embryo. That leaves only the third person who went to Xinxiang County back then—this person is Zhong Wuwang. Zhang You has also seen him.”

The ancestral masters nodded in agreement.

“Since he is alone, we can slay him.”

Yang Bi continued unhurriedly, “Having obtained the Innate Dao Embryo, he must be the senior disciple of Despair Slope. Everything goes his way, leaving him proud and impatient. Sensing my gaze, he knows I want to kill him, yet instead of fleeing, he will deliberately give me the chance to kill him to test his own skills. He wants to prove that his abilities come from his own effort and talent, not the Dao Embryo! Therefore, I beseech the ancestral masters to personally take action and slay this man!”

The ancestral masters of the Thirteen Great Clans exchanged glances. Fei Zichong, the ancestral master of the Fei family, stood up and chuckled, “You’re reluctant to bully the younger generation, so let me be the villain. I’ll go kill him.”

Yang Bi said, “Besides Ancestral Master Fei, I would also ask Ancestral Masters Gu and Yan to join in.”

Fei Zichong frowned slightly, displeased. “Are you worried I’m not a match for Zhong Wuwang?”

He had the aura of an immortal. Clear skies when happy, thunderous storms when angry—his emotions could interfere with reality itself, a truly terrifying ability.

Yang Bi replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, “It’s not that I doubt Ancestral Master Fei’s strength, but I seek certainty...”

Fei Zichong snorted and left with a flick of his sleeve.

Yang Bi remained composed. He bowed to Yan Weizhong, the ancestral master of the Yan family, and Gu Tong, the ancestral master of the Gu family, saying, “Please, Ancestral Masters Yan and Gu, descend to the lower realm together.”

Yan Weizhong and Gu Tong exchanged a knowing smile and stood up.

Yan Weizhong said, “Old Fei will be furious when he learns we’re also going down.”

Gu Tong laughed. “Yang Bi is cautious in his preparations, which is good, but he doesn’t consider the face of us old-timers.”

Still, the two departed the Upper Realm.

Yang Bi let out a breath, thinking to himself, “With three ancestral masters, even the Innate Dao Embryo is doomed!”

He showed no regard for anyone’s face. His only goal was to maximize his available resources and eliminate the enemy’s living strength!

Leaving Jade Firmament Heaven, he exhaled turbid air and muttered, “Brother Chen, in this era, there is no room for personal greatness!”

On the seventeenth day after nightfall, Mountain Lord Peak gradually found its footing under the leadership of Hu Feifei, Chen Tang, and the others. They led the people of Xinxiang County to reclaim farmland and plant crops.

Under the county government’s guidance, people cleared vegetable plots, built pigsties and cow sheds, and raised chickens, ducks, and geese—doing their best to meet basic needs. However, constructing houses would take time, and matters like weaving, salt mining, schools, markets, blacksmith shops, and tailor shops still needed attention—everything was in ruins.

This purple-robed youth was none other than the senior disciple of Despair Slope, named Zhong Wuwang. Among this generation of Despair Slope disciples, all had the character “Wu” (Without) in their names, with Wuwang at the top, followed by Wujiu. Others included Wucheng, Wuhui, Wujiao, Wuji, Wuxie, and Wuyu.

Chen Tang even felt that managing a single county was more complicated than governing an entire kingdom.

Just then, a commotion arose from the foot of the mountain. Chen Tang quickly sent his Primordial Spirit out of his body to look down. He saw countless ghost gods from the Heavenly Pool Kingdom arriving in a grand procession, bringing with them many little yakshas, ox-head lesser ghosts, and horse-face lesser ghosts.

Leading the ghost gods was an ape-like old man, short in stature, who called himself Lei Qu, chieftain of the thunder ape tribe. He had come under orders from the Heavenly Pool Ruler, bringing craftsmen to assist.

“I am Chen Tang. Chieftain Lei...”

Before Chen Tang could finish his sentence, Lei Qu’s expression shifted. He hurriedly bowed and said, “So it’s the Emperor Father! Forgive this old minister for not recognizing Your Majesty! Forgive me, forgive me!”

Chen Tang was silent for a moment before saying helplessly, “Ignorance is no crime, dao friend. You need not stand on ceremony.”

He could tell that this old white ape’s cultivation and strength were unfathomable—perhaps even equal to his own. Having such a powerful being call him “Emperor Father” unsettled his Dao Heart.

“Gwa-ji gwa-ji!” Several little yakshas were holding blueprints and arguing heatedly with Xinxiang’s craftsmen about how to build the school. They couldn’t understand each other’s language, and faces grew red with frustration.

Meanwhile, some ox-head lesser ghosts were discussing wages with Hu Feifei and others, while a few horse-face lesser ghosts had already started working on houses, only to be called back by the little ox-heads for a serious discussion about pay and whether meals were provided.

More ox-heads, horse-faces, and little yakshas busied themselves. Among them were the Thousand-Weave Tribe with eight arms, clanging away at forging, crafting farm tools and weapons. The Fire Qiao Tribe balanced furnaces on their heads, flames shooting from the tops, helping alchemists refine pills.

At the foot of the mountain, envoys from Wuwang City traversed the peaks to reach Mountain Lord Peak. A tall, gaunt ghost spirit carried lanterns, hanging them along the road as markers, finally opening a path between the two locations.

Some talisman masters from Red Mountain Hall prepared to descend the mountain to explore the surrounding terrain and draw topographic maps. The most critical task was finding nearby coal mines—this could provide fire. Without the sun, temperatures had plummeted sharply, and sunlight from the Qianyang Mountain Lord Temple alone was insufficient to keep warm.

Other talisman masters were drawing Call-Yin-Spirit talismans to distribute to the people of Xinxiang. These talismans could block Yin energy from invading, keeping everyone healthy.

Chen Tang let out a sigh of relief. The livelihood of Xinxiang County had finally been addressed. Though still difficult, things would gradually improve.

“Little Ten has become the Heavenly Pool Ruler and arranged everything quite well. The people of Xinxiang can be considered safe now,” he thought to himself.

The geography of Qianyang Mountain was extremely peculiar. It had two overlapping underworlds. The second layer contained the Ten Thousand Mountains, vast and boundless, filled with ghost gods and endless dangers. If Chen Shi hadn’t become the Heavenly Pool Ruler, the people of Xinxiang wouldn’t even have a foothold—surviving would have been impossible!

He suddenly realized he hadn’t seen Black Pot in a long time, and Chen Shi’s Wooden Cart was also missing.

Chen Tang quickly began searching.

During the migration of Xinxiang’s people to Mountain Lord Peak, Black Pot and the Wooden Cart had made great contributions, forcing the unwilling to relocate. After nightfall, Black Pot revealed its true form to guard Mountain Lord Peak, preventing ghost god attacks. But neither Black Pot nor the cart had been seen for two days.

After a long search, he found Wu Qingyu and informed her. Wu Qingyu smiled and said, “Look behind the mountain.”

Chen Tang looked toward the back of the mountain. Among the peaks, a giant dog lay crouched, its head taller than the surrounding mountains, fast asleep.

That was Black Pot’s mother, Huo Dog.

“Dad made a pact with her. We’re each other’s hostages.”

Wu Qingyu smiled. “Black Pot is with Little Ten, and she’s with me. Since she’s here, it means Black Pot is with Little Ten.”

Chen Tang’s heart stirred. “Where is Little Ten?”

“Huo Dog said he left the high ground. Little Ten and Black Pot are no longer there. Scholar Zhu is missing too.”

Chen Tang gazed at the layered peaks of Yin Mountain in the distance, a trace of worry rising in his heart. Now that Xinxiang was safe, where would Chen Shi go?

With the Yin and Yang realms merged, besides here, what other place was safe?

The Wooden Cart raced along. Little Duan sat inside on a cushion, yawning and drowsy. She curled up and leaned into Chen Shi’s arms.

Black Pot, having shrunk its size, ran ahead. Occasionally, it would revert to its true form, sprinting several steps to a hilltop, then dash back down and continue forward.

The Wooden Cart followed, adjusting its direction.

Ahead, Black Pot slowed down, and the cart slowed as well.

Chen Shi looked out of the cart. A dilapidated village came into view—no living people remained. Some ghosts were crouching in the shadows, tearing at corpses on the ground.

Chen Shi patted Little Duan awake, and the two stepped out of the cart. The Wooden Cart immediately lunged forward, its wheels spinning rapidly. It snatched a ghost that lunged at them and stuffed it into its gaping mouth, then pounced on another!

It was ferocious, startling the other ghosts into fleeing. Suddenly, the cart smacked its side, and the Huagai on top shot up with a whoosh, spreading open and rotating, expanding to several acres in size. It swept up all the ghosts inside like an umbrella.

The cart grabbed the stem of the umbrella, opened its huge mouth, and shook the ghosts from the umbrella into its gullet.

It let out a belch, then reinserted the Huagai into its frame.

Chen Shi walked into the village, looking around, and shouted loudly, “Is anyone still here? Is anyone still alive?”