Dao Sheng Tian.
The once-sacred Suspended Mountain, the pinnacle of the cultivation world, now lay shrouded in an eerie ghostly mist.
Gloomy clouds obscured the mountain path. A young disciple clung tightly to an older cultivator’s hand, fearfully glancing at the ghostly shadows flitting overhead, tears welling in his eyes.
“Senior brother, can I… can I not jump into the Mingquan River?” he pleaded.
The older disciple looked back at the bustling crowd behind them. Seeing the little one’s hesitation, he frowned and pulled him aside. “Your mother was killed by demon cultivators. The sect saved you. Now you have a chance to see her again. Why are you afraid at the last moment?”
“No, I…” the young disciple stammered, “My mother appeared in my dream a few days ago. She said she’s already reincarnated and wants me to live well…”
The older disciple’s gaze hardened. “How can we cultivators let fear hinder us? The sect offers us a chance at immortality. In future lives, you’ll have endless time to cultivate and find your mother’s reincarnation. Now, with Dao Sheng Tian facing a great enemy, we need souls. Willing or not, you must go. Listen to your senior brother!”
As the young disciple’s face paled further and the older one struggled to drag him along, a smooth voice interjected:
“Let me handle this.”
The young disciple looked up to see an unfamiliar senior brother. This newcomer had an exceptionally refined and graceful appearance, yet strangely, no one in the crowd seemed to notice him.
The disciple originally in charge appeared momentarily dazed as if bewitched. He muttered about forgetting something and walked away.
The newcomer spoke gently, “Tired?”
The young disciple nodded, tears brimming. The senior brother picked him up, cradling him in his arms, and slowly followed the crowd towards the mountain peak.
“How old are you?” he asked.
“Eight,” the child replied, wiping his tears. “Senior brother, my legs are numb.”
“Eight…” the senior brother seemed lost in thought, chuckling softly. “I have a sister. When she was your age, she also faced trials on a long mountain path like this. But she was stronger than you—never asking to be carried, she climbed up all by herself.”
The child listened, confused. After a moment, the senior brother asked, “You said you’re afraid of dying, right?”
The young disciple nodded emphatically. “When you die, everything’s gone. Look at those ghosts—they float around, can’t cry, can’t laugh, can’t even eat delicious pear candy… I haven’t had enough candy yet. I don’t want to die.”
“Yes, living is wonderful.”
By now, the procession at the mountain’s end had formed several circles. The summit had been transformed into a circular lake. Eight wizened elders sat around it, their hands forming identical mudras as they pointed at the center. Spiritual energy condensed into a vortex, constantly absorbing the vitality from the surroundings.
Looking closely, one could see the hazy inverted reflection of a city materializing in the lake. As ghost tides fell from the sky and Dao Sheng Tian’s disciples leaped into the lake, the city gradually came into focus.
Soon, two ancient characters appeared above the city’s majestic gate: Feng Du.
The elders opened their eyes, seeing the words “Feng Du” becoming clearer above the city gate. Some faces showed wild joy tinged with a hint of ferocity.
“…If that brat hadn’t ruined things, causing Masters Huai Shuang and Liu Yu to perish outside, why would we only be forging Feng Du now?”
“Indeed, we didn’t want to create such negative karma. It’s all his fault for interfering. Otherwise, with the power of several nether rivers, our grand plan would have succeeded long ago, and we could have entered Feng Du to rule over all living beings.”
As they spoke, the elders’ appearances grew more withered, but their eyes burned brighter.
“At this rate, it will take only a few more days to complete. But should we wait for Xuan Zai to change his mind?”
In an odd silence, the most senior elder snorted coldly, “Born with unparalleled talent, he naturally won’t covet mere eternal life. Once he deals with that person who defies the Dao, he won’t stay in this realm much longer.”
Others couldn’t help but speak enviously, “When Dao Sheng Tian governs the Nine Hells, Xuan Zai can finally settle his long-standing grudge. Then, by seizing the Buddhist Heart Bone and uniting the three hearts, he’ll achieve perfect enlightenment. He might become the first to ascend in thousands of years.”
“Correct. The final responsibility of Dao Sheng Tian’s Sect Master is to settle Dao Sheng Tian’s affairs.”
“The worry is that States like Chen Zhou continue to resist outside. If there aren’t enough dead souls to fill the city, we fear time is not on our side…”
Finishing their discussion, the Dao Tian Masters turned to the cultivators continually jumping into the circular lake. “Not enough. We need more!”
With these words, one raised his hand and grabbed over a hundred cultivators from the crowd, throwing them directly into the lake.
As soon as these people entered the lake, they lost consciousness. Their physical bodies sank to the bottom, while their souls transformed into wisps of gray mist, merging into the underwater Feng Du.
Some disciples looked excited, while many more appeared confused, even frightened.
Soon, a commotion erupted in the crowd. A young cultivator flew backward against the tide, crying out in terror, “I don’t want to die! Master, don’t kill me, please!”
“Preposterous.” A Dao Tian Master snorted coldly, summoning a fierce wind to forcibly drag the fleeing disciple back and throw him into the lake.
Somehow finding unexpected strength, the disciple managed to grab the lake’s stone edge before falling in. With bulging eyes, he cried, “I’ve done nothing wrong! Why must I die?!”
The Dao Tian Master shouted coldly, “This is a blessing bestowed by the sect. Those who enter Feng Du today will gain the great opportunity for their primordial spirits to remain indestructible for all eternity. Rejecting godhood to cling fearfully to mortal life like an insect—how utterly foolish!”
Facing life and death, the disciple disregarded the vast difference in their cultivations and roared, “That’s just your side of the story! Who can guarantee there’s an afterlife once we die?!”
“The Dao Sovereign is proof! He’s the first in our cultivation world to ascend. How could his words be wrong?!”
For ages, the Dao Sovereign had been the foundation of Dao Sheng Tian’s authority in the cultivation world.
He told all cultivators that if they diligently practiced according to his Great Dao, they would one day break through the void and ascend to higher realms like him.
The cultivation world thus revered Dao Sheng Tian, hoping for another great cultivator to emerge and lead other masters to ascend and attain the Dao.
The disciples fell silent. Dao Sheng Tian had given them immense glory. Although various deceptions and setbacks had been exposed over the years, making them feel something might be amiss, they still struggled to admit it.
But no one dared resist further. The words of those in authority were true.
“Enough foolishness. Go down now.” As the Dao Tian Master spoke, the stone edge the disciple clung to crumbled. With a scream and a splash, his body sank to the bottom. His soul, separated, drifted bewildered into the reflection of Feng Du below.
At this moment, the underwater Feng Du changed. Amid rippling waters, a brick slowly rose from the lake bottom, gradually revealing a miniature city.
Though small, the city was vast. Eight spires surrounded a colossal statue in the center—a blurry figure, vaguely resembling an old man.
The eight Dao Tian Masters’ eyes gleamed with excitement. “Feng Du’s embryonic form is complete. Fellow disciples, these eight towers represent the other eight hells besides Feng Du. Soon, we’ll each occupy one tower. Once we gain the approval of the Celestial Demon, we can become the Emperors of Feng Du. Those false Hell Lords, each ruling independently, can never rival the Emperor of Feng Du. From then on, we’ll control reincarnation and suppress the Heavenly Dao!”
Dao Sheng Tian had waited too long for this day. With Ying Zewei’s heart set on ascension, not caring about the cycle of reincarnation in this realm, the Emperor of Feng Du could only be chosen from among them.
These men had little lifespan left. This was their last hope. Even if they couldn’t become the Emperor of Feng Du, being a Hell Lord would still rank them alongside provincial rulers when their work was done.
Just as the eight Dao Tian Masters were about to occupy their respective hell towers, a strange sound suddenly echoed outside the circular lake.
The sound resembled a meteor streaking across the sky. Then, countless cracks appeared in the void outside Suspended Mountain. These fissures seemed sentient, emitting an irresistible suction force. Most Dao Sheng Tian disciples were pulled into the cracks before they could resist.
The last Dao Tian Master to take his position was stunned, then flew into a rage: “To transfer so many people, it must be that brat activating the Sky-Breaking State Partition! Where are you? If you’ve come, why hide? Show yourself!”
The anger of a third-stage Nascent Divinity cultivator shook the entire Suspended Mountain. A massive boulder suddenly split from the mountainside and flew rapidly towards the summit. But as it neared a fissure, it abruptly halted, immovable despite the Dao Tian Master’s efforts.
On the rocky mountain path, a young man held a small disciple. The child, seemingly dumbfounded by the scene, stammered, “Senior brother, what’s happening to the masters?”
“It’s just greed,” replied Ji Yang, who had been standing there. Sensing an impending verbal battle, he pushed the child in his arms into a spatial fissure before the old fellows could unleash their powers. “When weak, they want to be strong. When strong, they want to be stronger. When stronger, they want to be eternally powerful. So they end up doing things that gods and ghosts alike despise. Old age and illness—time for some treatment.”
The young disciple, obediently peering from the fissure, asked, “Senior brother, when we cultivate and become as powerful as the masters, will we all turn bad?”
Ji Yang replied, “Most of the time, it’s not that good people turn bad. It’s just that bad people grow old.”
The child worried, “Will you be punished for staying behind? I’m scared they’ll make me climb stone stairs again as punishment.”
“No worries. Once I clean this place up, I’ll tear down all the stone stairs,” Ji Yang assured him.
Children should have some meat on their bones. Climbing stairs and such… running too much makes them too bony to hold comfortably.
As this thought crossed his mind, attacks roared towards him from all directions, each capable of destroying mountains and overturning seas.
Below, the Dao Tian Masters occupying the eight hell towers, estimating that the boulder would take a hundred thousand years to reincarnate and piece its soul back together after such an assault, coldly snorted: “There are only eight hell towers. Sneaking into Dao Sheng Tian at this time reveals your true intentions. Unfortunately, there’s no place for traitors here.”
As he finished speaking, the person opposite them suddenly changed expression.
“Watch out!”
In the blink of an eye, the mocking Dao Tian Master’s body shuddered. He froze in place as if petrified, while a shadowy figure appeared behind him. With a gentle push, his physical form shattered into pieces, falling into the lake.
“Now there’s room,” a voice declared.
The remaining seven Dao Tian Masters couldn’t leave the Prison Tower. Their feet were bound to the activated tower, and abandoning it meant forfeiting their chance to become the Great Emperor of Fengdu. However, even together, they were no match for the true Prison Master.
Yet…
As tension mounted, the image of the Dao Ancestor gradually became clearer. Seven dark rays flew towards the Dao Tian Masters, coalescing into crown-like shapes above their heads. Ji Yang, however, received none.
One of them sneered, “Look who the Heavenly Demon is. A traitor to Dao Sheng Tian! The Dao Ancestor sparing your life is already merciful. How dare you seek recognition? Absurd!”
This was the source of their confidence. Though the Dao Ancestor’s image between mountains and seas was destroyed, centuries of cultivation allowed them to manifest the Dao Ancestor as the Heavenly Demon. Only by gaining the Heavenly Demon’s approval could one become the Great Emperor of Fengdu. A traitor was unworthy.
Ji Yang seemed unfazed. After observing the flickering dark rays of the Dao Ancestor’s image, he chuckled softly. “The only thing I couldn’t understand before was why the Master never personally intervened to stop me. Now, I finally have the answer.”
“What do you mean?”
“From the beginning, the Master never intended to become the Great Emperor of Fengdu. Not only because he wanted to ascend, but also because… the Dao Ancestor and his chosen candidate for the Great Emperor of Fengdu was always me.”
Some were confused, others angry, and a few found it laughable. But as the seven crowns descended heavily upon their heads, all the Dao Tian Masters’ expressions changed.
Blood, bone, flesh, soul, and spirit were rapidly extracted as they donned the crown symbolizing the Prison Master. They all became like lambs to the slaughter.
“You are all my sacrifices,” Ji Yang declared.
Never had there been such extravagant offerings. Seven late-stage Divine Transformation cultivators at the “decline” phase, products of thousands of years of resources from the mortal realm. After absorbing these sacrifices, the central image of the Dao Ancestor finally came to life.
He gradually shrank, shedding layers of stone to reveal a semi-transparent figure of an old man leaning on a cane.
Ji Yang glanced at the Dao Ancestor’s feet, noticing the absence of a shadow. This was just a wisp of a ghost. After a long gaze, he said, “Third-generation disciple of Dao Sheng Tian greets the Dao Ancestor.”
The Dao Ancestor opened his eyes. Unlike the crazed, mindless appearance during their last encounter between mountains and seas, his eyes now seemed filled with boundless wisdom, commanding instant reverence.
“I knew that only someone from my Dao Sheng Tian could reach Fengdu,” he said, his voice tinged with pride. Using his cane to sweep aside a shattered human hand, he added, “Walk with your ancestor for a while.”
Though the newcomer’s intentions were unclear, this was precisely why Ji Yang had come. Obligingly, he appeared at the Dao Ancestor’s side. “I can guess that humans have three hun and seven po souls. Before your final battle with the Red Emperor and others, you must have split your soul, entrusting part to the Master. I thought this soul fragment was sealed between mountains and seas, but after its destruction, I didn’t expect another portion to be sealed here.”
“Your perception rivals that of your master,” the Dao Ancestor remarked as he led Ji Yang through Fengdu’s long streets. On both sides stretched vast fields of tombstones, with countless ghosts seemingly watching them from the darkness.
“There’s no need to be overly cautious. This wisp of my wisdom doesn’t carry such malice. It’s merely a vessel containing Fengdu’s ghostly power. If you’re willing, I can hand over Fengdu and Dao Sheng Tian to you at any time.”
Ji Yang knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. He asked, “Before the Master seizes the Buddha Bone Zen Heart?”
“No, after he achieves the unity of three hearts and ascends.”
As expected.
Ji Yang said, “Disciple isn’t a reasonable person. Even if it meant exchanging all the lives in the world for Nan Yan, I wouldn’t be willing. What assurance does Ancestor have to convince me?”
The Dao Ancestor halted his steps and said, “Because you can’t let her go, yet one day you will lose her.”
A hint of gloom spread in Ji Yang’s eyes as he searched the Dao Ancestor’s face for any trace of deception, but found none.
“You would make the most suitable ruler, but you’ll never be the most enlightened cultivator. I wasn’t lying about the three hearts uniting to break through and ascend.”
“The Six Harmonies Dao Heart, the Red Emperor’s Demon Heart, and the Buddha Bone Zen Heart not only have their powers but also embody the essence of Dao, Demon, and Buddha. How could the possessor of such treasures, formed by the power of an entire realm, not be qualified to ascend? All who have possessed these three hearts—the Buddhist Penitent Master, Nan Fang Zhu, you… and even the child who now inherits Cheng Jimo’s legacy—can ascend once their mental state is perfected.”
“The reason I spoke of uniting the three hearts was simply to prevent others from ascending before my Dao Sheng Tian.”
Ji Yang asked, “Perfect mental state?”
“Everyone has inner demons. He only achieved a perfect mental state after killing Nan Fang Zhu because she was his inner demon. Slaying one’s inner demon is like cutting off worldly ties. Once free from worldly attachments, one can ascend. In the past, what I desired most was the Buddhist Penitent Master’s Buddha Bone Zen Heart… This heart is marvelous; it allows its bearer to gradually see through the mortal world and recognize their inner demons and tribulations. Once their wish is fulfilled, their mental state naturally becomes perfect.”
“…”
“Shao Cang, can you guess what her wish is?”
Nan Yan had many wishes, but he was certainly not her deepest desire.
She wanted revenge, to reunite with her family, to return everything to the peace she longed for.
“You sense it. Buddhist cultivators are often the most detached, and after the Buddha Bone Zen Heart is perfected, she will increasingly see your relationship as mundane.”
The Dao Ancestor noticed Ji Yang’s closed eyes and tense posture. He stepped back, circling behind him, and said, “Both your master and I saw that you live because she remembers and thinks of you. You’ve devoured countless evil ghosts and resentment. Without this thread of mortal attachment tethering your heart, you would have gone mad long ago…”
“We are trying to save you… If your master fails, she will eventually leave. The Buddha Bone Zen Heart will lead her away from this mortal realm, while you… you’ll be left alone in the yellow springs of purgatory, never to be reborn…”
“What do you say? Take up the scepter, keep that cursed Buddha Bone Zen Heart here, and you’ll be a god. Her life and death will be in your hands.”
“Isn’t this what you want? To be together for eternity, never parting?”
The Dao Ancestor’s cane indeed transformed into a scepter. The moment it appeared, the netherworld bowed down, while the Dao Ancestor closely observed every flicker of emotion on Ji Yang’s face.
He would accept it, and the instant he became the Great Emperor of Fengdu, he would no longer be the original Ji Yang. He would become… what the Dao Ancestor desired.
In cultivation, the most challenging obstacle is often matters of the heart. In the past, countless heroes, including the Red Emperor and the Buddhist Penitent Master, couldn’t overcome it… Even his painstakingly nurtured disciple barely managed to pass by hollowing out his heart.
Ji Yang couldn’t possibly overcome this hurdle.
And just as the Dao Ancestor anticipated, Ji Yang grasped the scepter. The tighter his grip, the deeper the blood-red color in his eyes.
“Ancestor, have you truly let go?” Ji Yang asked unexpectedly.
The Dao Ancestor, not understanding the question’s purpose, replied, “Of course I have.”
As countless ghostly powers surged into his palm through the scepter, Ji Yang pointed with it, revealing a deep well that had appeared nearby.
“If you’ve let go, can you move the stone from that well?”
For the first time, the Dao Ancestor’s calm facade cracked, revealing a flash of shock before transforming into boundless terror. As he looked towards the well, a long, twisted hand with all its bones broken had already emerged, constantly patting and scratching the ground. Simultaneously, a child’s cries and a woman’s roars echoed from the well.
“Father, it hurts so much! It’s so cold down here. Come quickly!”
“Husband, why did you kill us…”
“Come join us. We’ve waited for this day for too long!”
In an instant, Ji Yang watched expressionlessly as the Dao Ancestor was dragged into the deep well by the ghostly mother and daughter who had waited for thousands of years. At the same time, countless ghosts behind him roared in submission.
“It seems no one can truly let go of their attachments,” he mused, tilting his head. Using the cane, he heavily carved the character “Yan” on the ground. The blood-red character reflected in his pupils before gradually fading away.
“If even humans can’t let go, how could greedy ghosts?” he murmured, seemingly unaware of any change in himself.