Yin Ya awoke in a swamp north of Wu Yuan Mountain. Two Si State cultivators passing by noticed a purple light flickering in the reeds, thinking it was some treasure. Excited, they rushed over, only to find a strange creature in the mud.
After prodding the creature awake with a flying sword, the demon cultivators felt dizzy and hallucinated countless purple eyes opening in the world around them. Just as they were about to scream in terror, the creature beat them to it.
“What the hell is this place?!” it yelled.
The demon cultivators thought they were doomed, but the creature’s obsession with cleanliness kicked in, forcing them to find a hot spring for bathing.
Yin Ya had always been a clean, fragrant, and soft fox spirit, bathing every three days and thoroughly washing both his human and fox forms every five days. Finding himself covered in mud, he panicked and spent two full days bathing in someone else’s cave dwelling before calming down.
The hot springs in Si State contained some natural minerals that gave off a sleep-inducing fragrance. As Yin Ya’s mind cleared, he began to recall what had happened in the Ghost City.
He remembered Qi Yang tossing him a shiny crown. His hands moved faster than his eyes, catching it, and his consciousness was sucked in. He seemed to have eaten something that made him burp for a long time.
Planning to soak for two more hours before getting out, Yin Ya dozed off on a rock by the hot spring. Suddenly, he felt a cold, clearly feminine hand on his back, diligently scrubbing him.
Hmm? Such attentive service?
It was normal for Si State demon cultivators to keep servant girls for pleasure. Yin Ya contentedly allowed himself to be washed, asking, “You’re doing a good job. How old are you, little girl?”
The servant let out two dry giggles and said in a soft voice, “Hell Lord, would you like some soul wine?”
“What wine?” Yin Ya didn’t hear clearly and lazily said with half-closed eyes, “If it’s good wine, bring it over.”
A moment later, Yin Ya heard a sound beside him. Opening his eyes, he saw an ancient bird-shaped wine pot by the hot spring, with a bronze cup emitting a fragrant aroma.
In a completely relaxed state, Yin Ya took a sip without thinking. At first, he was hit by the strong alcohol, but then his expression suddenly changed. He splashed up from the water, exclaiming, “What kind of wine is this? Why does it taste like blood at the end?”
“My Lord, this is soul wine. Which flavor do you prefer? The soul blood of forest spirits or humans and animals?”
The voice was soft and gentle. Yin Ya turned his head to the right, and the wine cup in his hand clattered to the ground.
In the corner of the hot spring, two small ghosts were pushing a millstone. A ghost with a human head and snake body was biting the soul of a turtle spirit and throwing it into the millstone. As the small ghosts pushed, the turtle spirit’s soul quickly turned into drops of blood wine flowing into the wine pot below.
Yin Ya: “Pffft—”
He staggered backward, his legs giving way, and fell into the arms of the servant girl behind him. Just as he was about to tell her to run, he looked up and saw that the servant’s face had only one eye. Her pale, soaked hands gently embraced him as she asked tenderly—
“Hell Lord, would you like to change back to your fox form to wash your paw pads?”
Yin Ya fainted on the spot.
Four ghosts gathered around, trying in vain to wake him. As they struggled, voices came from outside.
“…Yes, yes, it’s him… He’s so handsome, even my partner is smitten! Miss Mian will surely be pleased… We’re friends, right? Eight hundred medium-grade spirit stones and he’s yours.”
The four ghosts quickly dressed Yin Ya and laid him flat, saying, “Let them take him away. All the ghosts within a thousand miles obey the Hell Lord’s commands anyway. There will be ghost servants to attend to him.”
…
Meanwhile, Nan Yan and Qi Yang disembarked from their flying ship near Qi Tian Yuan. Following the guidance of a small ghost summoned by Qi Yang, they had just reached the area when they noticed the streets were eerily empty of civilians. Cultivators wearing Tian Xie Dao waist tokens were everywhere, creating a tense atmosphere.
Logically, with the two States at a temporary truce and one State’s ruler accepting surrender, this area near Qi Tian Yuan should have been evacuated. However, judging by the patrolling cultivators, it seemed they had no intention of leaving.
“There’s a high-grade spirit stone vein nearby. One-fifth of Si State’s high-grade spirit stones come from here. They’re likely stalling to mine as much as possible before Chen State takes over,” Qi Yang explained.
“Would the Dragon Lord agree to this?” Nan Yan asked.
“A ruler wouldn’t personally intervene in such minor matters. If I’m not mistaken, Chen State will probably send Zhan Ting to handle reclaiming the frontline cities of Qi Tian Yuan, to consolidate his position.”
Spirit stone veins were places where spiritual energy accumulated. As long as the core wasn’t damaged, new spirit stones could slowly form over hundreds or thousands of years. But if Si State had a few more days to completely deplete the high-grade spirit stone vein, half of it might be permanently ruined.
After walking for about half an hour, Nan Yan noticed that passing cultivators would give them curious glances before hurrying away.
“Is Second Brother nearby?” Nan Yan’s fake face had been destroyed, so she had to wear a veil again—which wasn’t out of place, as Si State had many murderous and thieving cultivators, and three or four out of every ten people on the street wore masks.
Looking around, Nan Yan also noticed that most cultivators on the street were plain-looking. Occasionally, when a beautiful female cultivator passed by, her companions would quickly pull her into a secluded spot to hide.
As they pondered, a gruff voice called from behind, “Hey, you two. Turn around.”
Nan Yan tried to lift her veil for a look, but Qi Yang stopped her, holding her shoulder and turning to face the speaker himself. “What can we do for you, fellow cultivator?”
The speaker was a male cultivator with flowers in his hair and powdered face, appearing quite effeminate. Initially excited upon seeing Nan Yan and Qi Yang, his expression soured upon realizing they were both Foundation Establishment cultivators. “You two don’t look like you’re from Si State. Are you spies from Chen State?”
Qi Yang’s gaze swept over the five or six carriages behind the cultivator, all bearing the snake emblem of the Tianxie Dao and reinforced with sealing spells. Understanding dawned in his eyes. Having spent considerable time in Si State, he produced a token from a minor demonic sect and flashed it before the flower-adorned cultivator. “Fellow Tianxie Dao cultivator, what can we do for you?”
The token’s demonic aura couldn’t be faked. The flower-adorned cultivator, noting their exceptional aura, spoke eagerly, “I’m the steward of Tianxie Dao’s Palace of Extreme Pleasure. You must be aware of the situation in Si State. This city is closest to Qitian Plain. In two days, Chen State cultivators might come here to pillage. We’re following orders to gather scattered cultivators. Here’s your chance to join us at the frontline base. It’ll be safer to retreat together when the time comes.”
Experienced in dealing with demonic cultivators, Nan Yan elbowed Qi Yang and whispered, “A Tianxie Dao flower-picker?”
Qi Yang nodded slightly, about to dismiss the cultivator when another flower-picker approached in a carriage, looking pleased.
“Brother Qian, how was your haul today?”
The flower-adorned cultivator sneered, “With the chaos at the frontline, where can I find attractive men and women? We even had to release many Chen State prisoners. Why else would I be hunting in this deserted city? You look happy. Found something good?”
The other flower-picker grinned, “Indeed! A Foundation Establishment fox spirit! Miss Mian will be pleased… though I don’t know why it’s sleeping like a beauty and won’t wake up.”
Qi Yang felt Nan Yan’s grip tighten on his arm and looked down to see her eye twitching.
“Shall we go?” he asked.
“Let’s. Even a fox spirit’s chastity is worth protecting.”
“What if we’re too late?”
After a moment of silence, Nan Yan murmured, “Amitabha. Our temple has always had high hopes for Senior Zhen Fang. If he ends up disillusioned, we’re always ready to welcome him to shave his head and convert to Buddhism.”
Though Chen State was in turmoil, the flower-picker hadn’t expected much from Foundation Establishment cultivators. To his surprise, they volunteered to join the Palace of Extreme Pleasure, exciting him greatly.
“Those rumors outside are nonsense. Just some low-level cultivators feeling mistreated by Tianxie Dao, spreading distorted stories. Since you two are so agreeable, if you serve the Marquis’s golden and silver nuggets well, becoming inner disciples of Tianxie Dao won’t be difficult.”
The Yuxie Marquis of Tianxie Dao doted on his children, commissioning master craftsmen to build a flying Palace of Extreme Pleasure. Rare beasts and beautiful people flowed into the palace year-round, where Li Chi and Li Mian resided.
Following the flower-picker’s caravan, Nan Yan soon detected a sweet fragrance that induced a slight heat upon inhalation. She frowned, blocking out the scent.
Demonic cultivators indulged in sensual pleasures, often burning aphrodisiac incense in their lairs. Nan Yan looked up to see a twelve-story palace suspended above Qitian Plain City. Unlike typical palaces, it was asymmetrical, with colorfully dressed men and women visible through its winding corridors.
As Foundation Establishment cultivators, they were granted relatively high status and led directly to a room.
“Tonight, the Young Lord will be entertaining guests in the front hall to discuss important matters. If Miss Mian wakes up, she might summon you to the rear hall… though she’s probably busy today. Spirit cultivators are rare, especially fox spirits. You two can rest here for now.”
Naturally restless, Nan Yan peeked through the door after the flower-picker left. She noticed the palace was filled with Tianxie Dao’s core disciples, even spotting an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with two beautiful slaves. She muttered about the sinfulness of it all.
“We should rescue Second Brother tonight. Any later might be disastrous.” Nan Yan turned to see Qi Yang drawing something in the air. A moment later, a wisp of ghost fire appeared, floating to a corner and outlining a child’s shape.
It wasn’t a child, but a familiar ghost… the one they’d seen in Youquan Creek.
The little ghost huddled in the corner, kneeling slowly. “Greetings… Lord of the Underworld.”
“Indeed, we’ve met,” Qi Yang said, resting his hand on his ear. “Youquan Creek has a new master. Why haven’t you reincarnated?”
Having entered the mortal realm, the ghost’s power seemed greatly diminished, even fearing the Buddhist aura around Nan Yan. It prostrated itself, saying, “Not all the ghosts in Youquan Creek reincarnated. We… were trapped in the mortal realm by another force. We could only come to find the Lord of Youquan Underworld…”
Apart from those trapped in Youquan Creek, only Ying Zeweithelp was there at Mount Wue’r.
“Youquan Creek, as a soul-nurturing pool, is still too weak…” Qi Yang lowered his gaze, seemingly in thought. After a moment, he murmured, “But to single-handedly block Youquan Creek’s reincarnation cycle, preventing ghosts from being reborn… he must have gone mad…”
The little ghost spoke again, “Will the Lord go to save our Youquan Underworld Lord?”
Qi Yang asked, “What did you see?”
The ghost tensed, then said, “That woman with the ghost curse on her face is looking for a suitable person to transfer the curse to.”
Nan Yan interjected, “Wait, you’re saying Li Mian doesn’t want these men and women for service, but for their faces?”
Qi Yang replied, “Is there something wrong with that?”
Nan Yan took a deep breath and asked, “I have a question. You Underworld Lords, what’s the worst thing you’d do when you’re most angry, most furious, most irrational?”
Qi Yang recalled his actions in Youquan Creek, summoning the Yellow Springs, and smiled slightly. “Nothing much. All Underworld Lords have a technique called ‘Netherworld State Seal.’ When truly losing rationality and going mad, we can turn an area into a land of death, possessing all living beings like evil spirits, and turning them into walking corpses. Why do you ask? He’s an Underworld Lord now. Even with a ghost curse, resolving it should be…”
“You don’t understand,” Nan Yan said gravely. “For this fox spirit, you could threaten his life and he’d stay rational. But dare to touch his face, and he’d bring the whole world down with him.”