To speak honestly, though Little Head Ghost called Jian Chou a demon in every sentence, this was actually only based on the destruction she had caused in the extreme region initially. Moreover, he wasn’t the only ghost who said this—everyone said so.

He truly didn’t think Jian Chou was a bad person in his heart.

Hadn’t they benefited greatly from saving Jian Chou back then? So after eighty years had passed, though he felt Jian Chou had become much more frightening, he didn’t think she would do anything to him.

But who would have thought she would suddenly say such a thing!

Killing ghosts at the drop of a hat!

Little Head Ghost only felt cold all over, instinctively hugging Big Head Ghost beside him and trembling: “Great, Great Venerable, how can you be like this?”

“Is it wrong?”

Jian Chou was naturally just teasing them. She wasn’t someone who was bloodthirsty by nature. It was just that this Little Head Ghost’s mind was far too active, and he wouldn’t behave without being scared. So she still maintained a stern expression.

“You said you’d rather die than go, so dying would be perfect—then you wouldn’t have to go.”

“I…”

To survive, or to die?

Die this way, or die that way…

Damn it, if you can avoid death, avoid death; if you can delay death, delay death! How can a ghost living in this world not have times when they must bow their heads for survival?

When people are strong and I am weak, it’s better to kneel obediently.

Little Head Ghost was about to cry.

He looked at Jian Chou’s expressionless face that didn’t seem to be joking at all, then looked at Qu Zhengfeng beside her who didn’t seem like a good person either. In the end, he very wisely accepted his fate. That fawning smile reappeared on his face, as if those refusal words had never come from his mouth at all: “Little Head Ghost is utterly loyal to Great Venerable Jian Chou, naturally willing to go through fire and water! What is that Zhang fellow? Not to mention you want to invite Judge Zhang—even if you wanted to invite the Yama Lords, Little Head Ghost would carry this head in his hands to help you bring the person over!”

There he goes, smooth-talking again.

At this moment, Jian Chou truly wanted to change her words and say “then let’s not invite Zhang Tang and invite Lord Qin Guang instead,” but seeing these two ghosts’ pitiful appearance, she couldn’t bring herself to scare them further.

She only smiled: “Stop being glib. I’m in a hurry.”

“Then what message do you want to send? Big Head and I will leave the Eighteenth Layer of Hell immediately and go into the city to find Master Zhang.”

Little Head Ghost, who had clearly recognized the situation, no longer harbored any wishful thinking.

He and Big Head Ghost had originally been hiding here for decades to avoid Zhang Tang’s murder to silence them. Now that they had to go before Zhang Tang to deliver a message, there was naturally no need to hide anymore. Going out wasn’t a problem either.

What remained was to see what message Jian Chou wanted to send.

Qu Zhengfeng naturally knew nothing about any Zhang Tang or Zhang Geng. From beginning to end, he had been listening silently beside them, only vaguely hearing that this Zhang Tang knew Jian Chou and had done some things together. Now he was a Grand Judge and favorite under Lord Qin Guang of the extreme region’s Eight Directions Yama Halls.

Jian Chou’s affairs were for Jian Chou to handle herself.

At this moment, he only watched without interjecting.

Jian Chou pondered for a moment, thinking of many things to say, but ultimately thinking of the various aspects of this Master Zhang who could barely be considered an acquaintance, she shook her head and dismissed the idea.

Zhang Tang had been a minister of power on the solitary island in the human world and was definitely not stupid.

She smiled faintly and said to Little Head Ghost: “No need to say much. You only need to tell him that this old friend of his has arrived and is waiting for him to come meet me here in the Eighteenth Layer of Hell.”

That simple?

Little Head Ghost was somewhat dumbfounded and completely couldn’t understand what effect such simple words could have. He thought to himself that if he were Zhang Tang, he definitely wouldn’t come to provoke such a big trouble.

However, though he thought this in his heart, he didn’t dare say it out loud.

He only carefully looked at Jian Chou and confirmed once more: “Just this one sentence?”

“Just this one sentence.”

Jian Chou was extremely certain, waving her hand to indicate that the two of them could set off to deliver the message. But just as they were about to leave, she suddenly remembered something and called them to stop.

“Wait, you’ve been hiding in the Eighteenth Layer of Hell all these years. Do you know any news about that Immortal Wuzhong in the City of Wrongful Death? Is he still in the city?”

“We don’t know about that.”

Obviously, though this Immortal Wuzhong had been formidable back then, he had been quiet all these years. Big Head Ghost and Little Head Ghost weren’t important figures either, and having stayed in such a godforsaken place as the Eighteenth Layer of Hell for decades, they knew even less about three things when asked.

This answer was within Jian Chou’s expectations.

But thinking about it, she had always had many speculations about this great power hidden in the extreme region. Having received much kindness from this senior because of past events, she decided to try.

She took out a jade slip and lightly touched it with her fingertip.

A strand of soft white light immediately poured in.

Then she handed this slip to Little Head Ghost: “After you see Zhang Tang, go search in the old alleys of the City of Wrongful Death. If Senior Immortal Wuzhong is still there, help me deliver this slip. After that, the matter will have nothing to do with you.”

Though he very much doubted whether they would still be alive after meeting Zhang Tang to deliver another message to that old man, since Jian Chou had instructed it, Little Head Ghost could only suppress his doubts and take the jade slip. He looked at it rather curiously a few more times before putting it away, then asked: “Then we’re leaving?”

“Go ahead.”

Timing waits for no one, so naturally the sooner the better.

Jian Chou nodded to indicate they could leave, then watched as the two heads, one big and one small, disappeared at the entrance, heading toward the exit of the Eighteenth Layer of Hell.

After the two ghosts left, Qu Zhengfeng finally spoke: “Who is Immortal Wuzhong?”

In this small stone chamber, everything was dim and gloomy. Only a few rays of the unique murky light of the extreme region came through the entrance. Dust and grass fragments floated in the air, and the old, decaying smell filled their nostrils.

Jian Chou looked for a long while before turning around.

When Qu Zhengfeng asked this question, she had already slightly furrowed her slender, delicate brows and began to consider. But in the end, she said: “I don’t know this senior’s true identity, but if my guess is correct, Your Majesty the Sword Emperor should also have some connection with this person.”

“Connection?”

This answer was somewhat unexpected for Qu Zhengfeng, making him frown at once. His face showed some sharpness like a sword being unsheathed as he turned to stare at Jian Chou.

Jian Chou smiled: “This story, if told, would be quite long…”

The sky of the Eighteenth Layer of Hell was even more gloomy than the sky above the ten-thousand-li badlands of the extreme region’s surface. But it was too empty and calm, with withered grass stretching endlessly. The forest of death housed dangers remaining from ancient times, and sleeping ruins concealed the cruel secrets of time’s passage.

The figures of Big Head Ghost and Little Head Ghost had disappeared in the distance.

On the ten-thousand-li badlands of the extreme region, the center showed no gobi yellow sand but was completely flat until it became dangerous at the distant sky where black clouds surged.

A hundred li outside Ghost Gate Pass, thousands of buildings rose from the flat ground.

The Shijiu Zhou cultivators were stationed here.

For cultivators, even on the extreme region’s territory, constructing temporary buildings was extremely convenient and simple. Having been in a standoff before Ghost Gate Pass for nearly ten days, the stationed buildings had long been layered upon layered, appearing quite magnificent at first glance.

Using fifty li outside Ghost Gate Pass as the boundary, within the boundary was the extreme region’s badlands where earthly yin essence surged, while outside the boundary one could feel completely different heaven and earth spiritual energy from the earthly yin essence.

Heaven and earth spiritual energy unique to Shijiu Zhou.

This battle between Shijiu Zhou and the extreme region was essentially to reclaim the reincarnation control rights seized by the extreme region, but the key to victory lay in the confrontation between heaven and earth spiritual energy and earthly yin essence.

Wherever the Shijiu Zhou cultivators occupied, they established formations connecting to the outside, causing heaven and earth spiritual energy to surge up and gradually squeeze the space of earthly yin essence. This created a better combat environment for cultivators who relied on heaven and earth spiritual energy for cultivation, naturally also continuously squeezing the territory of extreme region ghost cultivators.

But now they were stuck at Ghost Gate Pass, unable to advance even one step further.

Many great cultivators couldn’t help but feel anxious thinking about it.

As a major sect with deep foundations in the central region, and having prepared for today’s Yin-Yang Boundary war for eleven cycles, Kunwu and Yashan naturally had special personnel carrying many spatial artifacts that could transform into cave mansions. Upon reaching this place, they needed no special effort—just casting a spell and throwing them on the ground created mansions that were either magnificent or exquisite.

The temporary war council hall was also transformed from an artifact.

At this moment, Hengxu Real Person stood in this great hall, looking at the extreme region map floating in the hall with deeply furrowed brows.

Obviously, the current situation of prolonged failure to break through was not optimistic.

But Fudao Shanren sitting on the other side seemed not anxious at all. Before him sat a huge white jade plate that had already accumulated quite a pile of chicken bones, proving he had been sitting here for a long time, gnawing for a long time.

At first glance, it seemed no different from usual.

But Hengxu Real Person clearly knew that things were different—many things were different. Ever since Qu Zhengfeng proposed going to the snow region together with Jian Chou at Mingri Xinghai, he had already sensed something was wrong. He just hadn’t thought anything major would happen at the time, so he didn’t stop it but tacitly allowed it.

Who could have expected today…

The extreme region and Shijiu Zhou seemed to belong to the Yin and Yang realms respectively, making communication difficult in the past. But now that they had forcibly opened the Eastern Extreme Ghost Gate, getting news from Shijiu Zhou wasn’t as convenient as before, but it wasn’t impossible either.

Half an hour ago, someone came to tell him that the Mingri Xinghai cultivators and the Yashan cultivators who had previously launched the surprise attack on the snow region had all gathered at Yashan. After Yashan’s Senior Sister Jian Chou appeared briefly, she had disappeared without a trace together with Qu Zhengfeng. Those assembled cultivators also seemed to be departing for somewhere.

The timing was too sensitive now—Hengxu couldn’t help but be suspicious.

He stared at this extreme region map for a long time before finally closing his eyes, sighing, and saying: “You and I have known each other for over a thousand years, but regarding what happened in the extreme region back then, you still harbor resentment, unwilling to let go, and unwilling to trust Kunwu again.”

Trust?

Fudao Shanren casually threw the finished chicken bone into the plate, grabbed his dirty robe that could no longer show its original color, and wiped his hands before raising his head to look at Hengxu.

In his voice, one couldn’t distinguish joy from anger.

“The heroic souls who perished from my Yashan are all watching from the Thousand Cultivators’ Tomb. Even if my heart wanted to trust you, I wouldn’t have the courage.”

Yashan, the heroic souls of a thousand cultivators!

Hengxu Real Person only felt a depression in his heart. Not knowing what Fudao and Yashan were plotting behind the scenes, and with the approaching period of Kunwu’s hundred-year great tribulation as indicated by the Zhou Tian Star Formation, he couldn’t suppress the suspicion and restlessness growing in his heart.

He slowly opened his eyes. In his gaze that usually penetrated heavenly secrets, a rare gloom passed through: “Fudao, eleven cycles ago, I already explained to you. What happened back then was my failure to perceive, which caused Junior Brother Shen to make a great mistake, missing the opportunity and implicating Yashan. Now the Yin-Yang Boundary war has restarted, and the battle situation is deadlocked. Yet you find it hard to let go of old hatred. I fear this battle will be burdened by the secret struggle and deadlock between us two, between our two sects! Back then, I made a great mistake due to a moment’s misjudgment, and for eleven cycles, this heart barrier has been hard to overcome. Could it be that Brother Fudao also wants to repeat the same mistake today due to this moment’s misjudgment and make another great error?”

“A moment’s misjudgment?”

Fudao heard the sincere distress he was forcibly suppressing in his words, but these light words “a moment’s misjudgment” sounded extremely harsh! He couldn’t help but sneer coldly, rising with a flourish of his sleeves and raising his voice in questioning!

“Is your misjudgment, Hengxu, really as simple as just a moment’s misjudgment?!”

As he said, they had known each other for far too many years.

Fudao Shanren had always been straightforward and obstinate in nature. Even after becoming Yashan’s Law Enforcement Elder, he hadn’t changed one bit. Hengxu Real Person, however, had never shown his emotions on his face. Even his master probably couldn’t see through what he was thinking back then. He, Fudao, had once thought he could see through, but later realized it was all bullshit!

The longer he knew him, the more he felt this person was unfathomable!

“Your junior brother Shen Jiuhan was exceptionally talented and caught up from behind, quite favored by your master. But in the Yin-Yang Boundary war eleven cycles ago, he was pig-headed enough to dare harm my Yashan!”

“Was he mad, or were you, Hengxu, mad?!”

“First Shen Jiuhan, then Yashan, then your disciple Xie Buchen, and my disciple Jian Chou! Hengxu, oh Hengxu, what I fear is not that you misjudged once and made a great mistake, but that you misjudge with every thought and still don’t know to repent!”

His withered body tensed, and his usually improper face had already turned red from this moment’s explosive emotion, showing an unprecedented solemnity and deep anger!

Like a volcano that simply couldn’t be suppressed!

The longer it was suppressed, the more terrifying it became when it erupted!

This sharp, staring gaze—where was there any resemblance to the former Fudao Shanren who didn’t care about anything?!

“…”

Hengxu Real Person faced him across the floating map in between, but all the emotions that had previously appeared on his face sank away at this moment, like a bottomless black pool.

Long silence, long staring.

He didn’t speak for a long time. When he opened his mouth again, he was already calm without the slightest ripple: “I haven’t gone mad. I only fear that the mad one is you.”

“Hahaha…”

Hearing this sentence, Fudao Shanren suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had heard the most absurd thing in the world, the most self-deceiving person. Laughing to the extreme, he even said “good” three times in a row.

“Good, good, good, truly excellent!”

After speaking, he stopped discussing matters altogether, looking up to the sky and laughing heartily as he left.

Only Hengxu Real Person remained alone in the hall.

He turned to look at this hall, empty and void, without the Zhou Tian Star Formation from Kunwu’s various heavenly halls that had once shown him heavenly secrets. Yet that formation had become the deepest shadow in his heart for nearly a hundred years.

When Xie Buchen returned, he happened to see Fudao Shanren leaving with loud laughter. He had wanted to bow, but the other walked so fast that he didn’t have time.

So when he entered the hall, he already had a guess in his heart.

He immediately restrained all emotions, only bowing respectfully: “Disciple pays respects to Master. Hearing that Master had matters to assign, I’ve come specially to receive orders.”

Hengxu Real Person heard his voice and looked at him after a while. His face had already returned to normal as he said: “The battle at Ghost Gate Pass is deadlocked. Dragging it out will be extremely costly and harmful to Shijiu Zhou without benefit. So after discussing with others, Master wants to send you to lead a team to somehow get behind Ghost Gate Pass to investigate the situation clearly. Especially investigate where the watchtowers are located. Once we know where the watchtowers are, the next battle can be twice as effective with half the effort.”

Watchtowers evolved from “lookout towers,” originally high platforms above ground used to scout lower areas. In the cultivation world, because of the existence of spiritual consciousness and formations, watchtowers no longer needed to be above ground. But because they served the same purpose of spying and scouting, they still used the old name.

The watchtowers of the extreme region had special characteristics.

Each watchtower controlled the underground earthly yin essence. If the watchtowers could be removed first, Shijiu Zhou’s heaven and earth spiritual energy could enter, providing a great advantage in battle.

Xie Buchen naturally understood the stakes involved. His eyes moved slightly, but he still maintained his usual indifferent appearance: “Disciple receives the order. If Master has no other commands, disciple will first take leave, count the troops, and depart immediately.”

“Mm, you may go.”

Hengxu Real Person nodded, but just as Xie Buchen was about to bow again and retreat, he looked at him. Something seemed to flash in his usually penetrating and calm eyes. He smiled faintly and actually reached out to pat Xie Buchen’s shoulder.

“You surpass your master. Kunwu will need you to lead it in the future, so you must be careful on this journey.”

Xie Buchen had a cold nature. Even after joining Kunwu, he had always been indifferent. As for his master-disciple relationship with Hengxu Real Person, it was actually dispensable.

After all, he had already killed his beloved—nothing else was worth caring about.

Facing Hengxu Real Person’s sudden concern, he wasn’t very comfortable with it.

Moreover…

Having been the third young master of the Xie Marquis residence on the solitary island in the human world, associating with nobles and possessing supreme intelligence, he was very sensitive to certain things.

So at this moment, his face showed none of the joy he should have. As if he had heard nothing, after pausing briefly, he lowered his eyes: “Master’s high expectations—disciple truly doesn’t dare accept them. I hope this mission won’t disappoint your trust.”

Only then did Hengxu Real Person withdraw his hand and watch him leave.

It wasn’t until the person had completely left that he looked at the extreme region map before him and slowly, word by word, murmured like a chant, repeating what he had just said.

“The student surpasses the master.”

“Great tribulation!”

“He will take my place…”