The vast waters of the Nine-Headed River steamed with white mist in this season of deep autumn turning to early winter.

In winter, the sun rose later, with only a thread of faint light rising from the horizon’s edge, quietly climbing upward as if afraid to disturb the silent night over the land of Shijiu Zhou.

Without the Nine-Headed Bird, the Nine-Headed River seemed no different from six hundred years ago.

It flowed silently and stubbornly from nine sources, from the snowy highlands, from the peaks of the Yashan mountain range, gradually converging.

It flowed through the Northern, Southern, and Central Domains, like an opened fan, with countless tributaries joining it, weaving a giant net that covered the vast Shijiu Zhou.

The Thousand Cultivator Tombs of Yashan lay quietly pillowed on its riverbank, sleeping in the wild grass-covered remnants of night.

It flowed onward, passing countless river bends, rounding a great curve, finally gradually approaching the largest plain in the entire Central Domain, and the eleven most magnificent peaks on that plain.

Those were the eleven peaks of Kunwu.

Golden sunlight finally burst forth from the night, illuminating both the sky and the lofty Heavenly Halls above.

The semicircular steps ascended level by level, still carrying a sense of desolation.

The sunlight stopped at the final step, going no further.

The topmost platform was shrouded in shadow, yet faint flowing light passed through it.

It was a shattered承天 jade tea cup, whose brewed tea could clear a cultivator’s spiritual platform, bringing peace of mind and tranquility.

But now, only a ground of snow-white fragments remained in this Heavenly Hall, appearing particularly shocking.

Ten chairs were placed on either side of the platform, but the highest chair remained empty.

Master Hengxu stood before them, his figure frozen like a sculpture, motionless and speechless.

Below him, the ten great elders, whether white-haired or handsome as youths, all remained silent.

This deathly silence had continued from the second half of last night until now.

When they had been summoned by Master Hengxu, they had already seen the tea cup shattered on the ground.

Master Hengxu, Kunwu’s Head, leader of the Left Three Thousand.

He had crossed the Trial of Heart and even experienced a long period of worldly understanding. Now he was already a great cultivator of the seventh level Return to Void realm, long past the time when his emotions would fluctuate.

Yet now, something could still disturb him, even enrage him.

Everyone had said nothing since entering, not daring to speak a word, sitting in silence for most of the night until the sun rose.

Perhaps it was that patch of sunlight entering from outside, the brightening world suddenly entering Master Hengxu’s vision, that slowly brought him back to himself.

He, who had been motionless like a sculpture, suddenly moved his perceptive eyes.

Looking up at the floating clouds outside, he also saw the plaza illuminated snow-white.

Master Hengxu slowly opened his mouth: “How are things recently?”

It’s coming!

They were all elders of the sect, any one of whom would be a famous figure in the cultivation world.

But in this moment, none of them could suppress the trembling feeling from their hearts, shaking violently.

An elder in snow-white robes stood up, his face showing few wrinkles but his beard and hair completely white.

He was one of Kunwu’s ten great elders, Yan Cheng. In his youth, he had roamed Shijiu Zhou, becoming famous with his “Wild Goose Tail Sword,” and over three hundred years ago broke through to the Out-of-Body stage, becoming a Kunwu elder.

Though already advanced in years, Yan Cheng still retained some of his former elegance.

He bowed to Master Hengxu and spoke cautiously: “Reporting to the Head, six hours ago, disciples Zhao Zhuo, Wu Duan, and Wang Que forcibly investigated the hidden realm, but still found no trace of disciple Xie. I fear…”

The rest need not be said.

Everyone present had lived for hundreds of years and understood immediately, their hearts turning cold.

The events of these past days had already exceeded everyone’s imagination.

No one dared believe that an ordinary trial at Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm would ultimately evolve into such tragic results.

The evening before last, a Kunwu disciple had gone to clean the rear hall where disciple and elder life tablets were stored, only to discover that one of the true disciple life tablets was broken!

The disciple was so frightened his soul nearly fled, rushing to report to several elders.

The elders were also badly shaken, quickly sealing the news and going to the rear hall to investigate.

This look truly left them speechless with fear.

The broken life tablet belonged to none other than Kunwu’s most prized genius disciple of the past hundred years, and Master Hengxu’s most valued disciple among those he had taken: Xie Buchen!

It was truly like thunder striking from a clear sky, leaving everyone disoriented.

They urgently sent messages to Master Hengxu, who was away, but he had not replied at the time. Only yesterday morning did he appear before Kunwu Mountain, travel-worn and dusty.

Those in the know could guess that something terrible had happened during the journey to Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm.

Of course, elders familiar with Master Hengxu could sense something unusual from his finally returned countenance.

This feeling was difficult to describe to outsiders, yet now it truly permeated the entire Heavenly Hall.

Among the true disciples, eldest disciple Zhao Zhuo, third disciple Wu Duan, and fourth disciple Wang Que were all dragons among men.

After Master Hengxu returned, he had directly dispatched these three to investigate news of Xie Buchen.

A broken life tablet actually proved the person was gone.

That Master Hengxu still sent people to investigate was truly puzzling, but they dared not ask too many questions.

Now hearing Yan Cheng’s report, the atmosphere in the Heavenly Hall became even more silent.

Because only yesterday evening had they learned that the matter was not simply Xie Buchen’s mishap.

Of the six who went to Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm, only three returned safely: Lu Xiangleng, Xia Houshe, and Young Master Ruhua.

They had sent messages to their sects from the isolated island, reporting their safety.

But simultaneously, they had also informed their sects: the three companions Zuo Liu, Jian Chou, and Xie Buchen had vanished without trace, their fate unknown!

The moment this news reached Kunwu, almost everyone was shaken.

Setting aside the sect-less Zuo Liu, the remaining two – one was Kunwu’s genius, Master Hengxu’s most valued disciple, the other was Yashan’s rising star, the only disciple Fudao Shanren had taken in over three hundred years, who had even ascended the One-Person Platform.

Such two people, brilliant and shining, destined to become figures all of Shijiu Zhou would look up to, had both met with mishap?

Moreover…

The cause of the mishap might well be “internal strife.”

Just thinking deeper, all the elders felt their hearts turn cold.

There were no such coincidences in the world.

Even if this was a coincidence, what impact would it have on Kunwu and Yashan, these two giants of the Central Domain?

No one could predict.

But everyone hoped nothing would really happen.

Yet when they looked at Master Hengxu’s face, that ominous premonition grew heavier.

Master Hengxu slowly turned around, his calm gaze carrying slight coldness as it swept across the faces of the ten great elders.

“Order all Kunwu disciples of the Left Three Thousand to return immediately.”

The flat voice even carried a trace of age.

But when it reached everyone’s ears, it was earth-shattering.

All ten great elders stared wide-eyed in horror, cold rising from their feet, making their hearts tremble!

Recalling all Kunwu disciples – what this meant, what it was preparing for…

Was almost self-evident!

After Master Hengxu spoke this short sentence, he looked no more at the crowd, walking slowly down from the Heavenly Hall with hands behind his back, down those long steps.

His figure finally disappeared gradually upon the stairs.

The rear mountain.

“Splash, splash…”

The sound of the waterfall carried from afar.

Master Hengxu’s footsteps made no sound on the fallen leaves covering the ground as he passed through the quiet mountain path through the woods. Upon hearing the waterfall’s sound, his steps unconsciously stopped.

The flying waterfall rushed down, splashing crystal-clear white foam.

The stone pool’s bottom, scoured by flowing water, appeared unfathomably deep.

Ahead, a simple wooden house was built against the mountain, with a graceful figure standing before its door.

The surrounding trees had all withered, appearing quite desolate.

That wooden house in this place suddenly showed a deathly stillness.

In Gu Qingmei’s view, this place had lost its vitality.

Senior Brother Xie had not yet returned.

She had been confined by Gu Pingsheng for a long time, and when she finally emerged from cultivation, she learned he had already gone to Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm.

The wooden house door before her was still locked with a simple small copper lock, without any mechanism.

This was the kind of lock used by common people on the isolated island.

Xie Buchen seemed to have a special fondness for things used by common people.

Whether it was brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, or those Four Books and Five Classics on the bookshelf, or this lock, or his “Seven-Part Soul” hanging high on the wall…

Her finger traced over the copper lock, and Gu Qingmei bit her lip, finally telling herself: “Just a look. I’ll use magic to open this lock, then lock it back – Senior Brother won’t know.”

After murmuring this twice, her mind settled.

A light finger seal passed, and white light flashed.

The small copper lock opened at once. Gu Qingmei quickly removed it, then slowly pushed open the two doors…

“Creak…”

“What are you doing here?”

An aged voice suddenly rang out.

In that instant, Gu Qingmei’s hand trembled, frightened as she turned around, only to discover in horror that Master Hengxu was standing behind her.

Dressed in simple robes, his countenance seemed as peaceful as always.

But…

Gu Qingmei easily discovered that today’s Master Hengxu was different. Beneath those eyes leaked a trace of light, a faint coldness that made one’s heart race with fear!

She almost forgot how to speak, only stammering: “Head… Master…”

Master Hengxu glanced at her without emotional fluctuation, then shifted his gaze to behind her.

The two doors had been opened.

Inside, the furnishings were unusually somewhat disordered, with several sheets of paper scattered on the floor.

On the long table, brushes and ink remained, as if the owner had not put them away when leaving. A page of written paper lay spread out, with no paperweight at the edges, only pressed down by a long sword forged of common iron.

That was the common sword Xie Buchen had brought back from the isolated island.

Master Hengxu clearly remembered that this disciple had excellent habits, always keeping his room neat and tidy, with all brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in fixed positions, never in disorder.

He was a controller, never allowing anything to escape his control.

But now…

Master Hengxu slowly closed his eyes, remembering the finally unconcealable rift between him and Fudao in the Northern Domain’s Chan Sect.

Xie Buchen was Kunwu’s hope for facing the hundred-year calamity, an existence who could save all of Kunwu and even replace him as leader of the Central Domain.

But even so…

What of it?

“Fudao…”

An extremely obscure murmur.

Master Hengxu’s gaze fixed on that common sword, yet seemed to fall somewhere in the void.

No one knew what he was thinking.

Extreme Domain.

The sky had already brightened considerably.

The excited Small-Headed Ghost had finally gradually calmed down, obviously forgetting his previous hearty shoulder pat and bold promises to Jian Chou.

Holding the two volumes of “Heavenly Mandate Records,” his heart was unprecedentedly satisfied as he said: “It’s about time – let’s go to the Reception Department!”

The Big-Headed Ghost was actually very tired.

Both he and the Small-Headed Ghost lacked sufficient cultivation, so being active all night naturally made them weary.

When the Small-Headed Ghost spoke, his upper and lower eyelids were already fighting, and he just nodded, yawning hugely.

But today’s trip to the Reception Department was absolutely necessary.

This was the day to submit the “Heavenly Mandate Records,” and Judge Chu would personally appear – an excellent opportunity not to be missed.

So although he knew the Big-Headed Ghost needed rest, he could only forcibly drag him toward the door.

But just as his front foot crossed the threshold, he immediately remembered something, hesitating before saying to the Big-Headed Ghost: “Wait a moment.”

So saying, he actually walked back.

Jian Chou still sat at the table, showing no signs of fatigue, with a faint smile still on her lips as she gazed at the extinguished oil lamp.

“Hey!”

The Small-Headed Ghost called out.

He didn’t know why, but calling “Jian Chou” seemed somehow wrong, just like how he felt others calling him “Small-Head” was also somehow wrong.

Hearing his voice, Jian Chou turned around, somewhat puzzled: “What’s wrong?”

“This – I’m temporarily leaving it here. We agreed you can’t touch them. Now they’re ours.”

The Small-Headed Ghost removed the long sword and two bags from his waist, placing them back leaning against the door, speaking to Jian Chou with extreme seriousness, reminding her not to forget what she had promised.

Jian Chou was rendered speechless.

She truly hadn’t expected there could be such…

Foolish ghosts in the world.

Using spiritual consciousness to open a Qiankun Bag revealed nothing outwardly.

Jian Chou looked at the Small-Headed Ghost several times, but still nodded.

However, just as the Small-Headed Ghost was about to leave, she spoke again: “Wait a moment. I’ve just arrived in the Extreme Domain and don’t know what the situation is here. I wonder if you two have any books or records I could borrow to read?”

After all, what Jian Chou most lacked now was understanding of the Extreme Domain.

Knowing nothing meant having no way to proceed.

Once she could know even a little, the situation would be completely different.

She just didn’t know if the Small-Headed Ghost would agree.

Making such a request directly now was actually somewhat excessive, but aside from this, there really was no other way.

Jian Chou looked at the Small-Headed Ghost.

The Small-Headed Ghost’s two red eyeballs rolled around in a circle, as if considering. After a long moment, he held up one finger: “Then you have to promise to help us with one more favor later.”

One favor?

Jian Chou was somewhat surprised – was this…

Agreement?

She was somewhat delighted and immediately agreed: “Alright.”

“Haha, then it’s settled!”

The Small-Headed Ghost immediately showed an expression of “striking it rich,” without hesitation directly pulling a page of paper from his sleeve and throwing it to Jian Chou.

“Here you go, read it slowly. This is all I know. Oh, and don’t go wandering around outside now. If you get caught, don’t you dare give us away.”

“…Alright.”

Hearing this final instruction, Jian Chou almost suspected she had become an idiot in the Small-Headed Ghost’s eyes, her mouth twitching: she understood such simple logic…

No one would go out seeking death.

Shaking her head helplessly, Jian Chou watched the Small-Headed Ghost leave happily with the two volumes of “Heavenly Mandate Records,” closing the door behind him.

The page of paper the Small-Headed Ghost had thrown on the table was wrinkled. Carefully smoothing it out, it was actually quite large, with dense writing in brush strokes, beginning with four characters: “Guide for New Ghosts.”

In that moment, Jian Chou finally held her forehead.

She finally understood the Small-Headed Ghost’s “striking it rich” expression.

He had actually given her this?

Really…

Just from the name, she knew this was probably something every new ghost would receive.

This little ghost had tricked her into owing him a “favor.”

Fortunately, she didn’t think she could help these two little ghosts with any major tasks right now – at most recognizing characters.

So this trade wasn’t particularly disadvantageous.

Though it was a “Guide for New Ghosts,” judging by the length, it couldn’t contain much detail, probably insufficient, but better than nothing.

After consoling herself, Jian Chou settled down to read.

For her, any bit of information might prove invaluable.

As Jian Chou expected, the entire “Guide for New Ghosts” was extremely brief.

Reading while organizing her thoughts, she gained some understanding of the entire Extreme Domain.

The Extreme Domain was mostly underground.

A very small part emerged above ground, bordering the human world, in the easternmost part of Shijiu Zhou extending to the westernmost part of the isolated island.

The Extreme Domain was vast, almost endless, the gathering place of all ghost souls and the land of reincarnation.

The center of the Extreme Domain was the underworld, built on a plain behind the Ghost Gate, a magnificent city.

The outer layer of the underworld contained various departments, each with a judge stationed there, belonging to different Yama Palaces.

The inner layer was where accomplished ghost cultivators lived, the broadest layer, encompassing ghost cultivators of all sizes, the ten great ghost clans, even the famous City of Wrongful Deaths within the underworld, and the entrances to the eighteen levels of hell.

Further in was the core of the entire underworld: Eight Directions City.

Eight Directions City, as the name suggested, was the city where the Eight Yama Palaces were located.

Eight Yama Palaces sat in eight positions within the city, towering high, overlooking and ruling the entire underworld.

The underworld had Eight Yama Palaces, naturally with eight Yama Kings.

From King Qin Guang to King Zhuanlun, each Yama King commanded numerous judges, with the most capable among them called “Grand Judges.”

Under judges were ghost clerks, ghost messengers, and ghost soldiers.

The entire underworld system, in Jian Chou’s view, was no different from the human world.

To obtain underworld office, one basically had to work hard at cultivation, either gain favor from superiors or rely on one’s own abilities to participate in the “Tripod Competition.”

The Tripod Competition was similar to imperial examinations in the human world.

Each time the Tripod Competition opened, countless ghost cultivators would participate. The Eight Yama Palaces and ten great ghost clans each had certain recommendation quotas, with remaining spots left for those without recommendations to compete.

Among them, ghost cultivators from the City of Wrongful Deaths were often the strongest competitors.

“The Yama King calls you to die at the fifth watch; you cannot die at the third watch.”

But the City of Wrongful Deaths collected new ghosts whose life and death didn’t match what was recorded in the Book of Life and Death, each having special circumstances, in a sense “dying against heaven’s will.”

Therefore, the City of Wrongful Deaths producing “ghost talents” was commonly accepted truth.

The entire Tripod Competition’s purpose and process were basically the same as imperial examinations, just with different names.

The Eight Yama Palaces, ten great ghost clans, and even various underworld departments could select useful talents during the Tripod Competition.

There was even once someone who became the top scholar through the “Tripod Competition,” earning King Qin Guang’s appreciation and being directly promoted to judge.

This person was now King Qin Guang’s favored subordinate: Grand Judge Cui Jue.

Jian Chou vaguely remembered that the isolated island had many temples to Cui Jue. This Cui Jue had been an honest official over a hundred years ago who died unjustly, causing much lamentation.

Unexpectedly, after death he had come to the underworld to continue as an official, though this time as a “judge.”

She shook her head, smiled, and continued reading.

Following this was the cultivation realm division for Extreme Domain cultivators.

First level: Spirit Nurturing;

Second level: Spirit Condensing;

Third level: Pearl Transformation;

Fourth level: Jade Nirvana;

Fifth level: Golden Body;

Sixth level: Dao Integration;

Seventh level: Return to Void;

Eighth level: Bounded Realm;

Ninth level: Reaching Heaven.

The first two levels clearly showed the character “spirit” related to “souls,” obviously cultivating the “divine soul.”

The “Golden Body” realm, using terminology like that from Buddhism, was probably the physical body that ghost cultivators could condense after achieving success with their souls.

The Small-Headed Ghost had already mentioned this to Jian Chou, so she wasn’t surprised now, at most curious about how exactly souls were cultivated.

But when she saw the last three realm levels, she was truly shocked: Return to Void, Bounded Realm, Reaching Heaven – these were exactly the same as Shijiu Zhou cultivators!

How could this be possible…

Jian Chou could hardly believe it.

She stared at those characters repeatedly – they were definitely “Return to Void,” “Bounded Realm,” and “Reaching Heaven”!

A strange and terrifying speculation suddenly arose in Jian Chou’s mind, leaving her unable to recover for a long time.

“Whoosh.”

A breeze blew through the window cracks, carrying some chill.

Jian Chou’s finger only lightly pressed the page, and when the wind came, it immediately fluttered up, nearly escaping from her grasp.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly, pressing down hard to pin it back to the table.

The wrinkled page seemed fragile.

Jian Chou slowly came to her senses. She had reached the end of the page, with only a short line remaining.

She casually glanced over.

“Note: After the Yin-Yang Realm War ten cycles ago, with the Nine-Headed Bird gone, all souls of Shijiu Zhou cultivators are not collected, except for the Buddhist Chan and Esoteric sects. All souls of common people from the isolated island are recorded in the Book of Life and Death, escorted for punishment or sent into the six paths of reincarnation for rebirth.”

Jian Chou knew about the great war ten cycles ago and the death of the Nine-Headed Bird ending reincarnation in Shijiu Zhou.

But she had never known that the Buddhist Chan and Esoteric sects were exceptions among Shijiu Zhou cultivators!

The feeling in that moment was more than mere shock.

Just this simple “note” immediately sparked countless questions in Jian Chou’s mind, reminding her of so many things.

But these thoughts came in a rush, leaving her mind chaotic and unable to find a thread to follow.

Having finished the entire page, Jian Chou had a general understanding of the Extreme Domain. Though not detailed enough, she at least wasn’t so panicked anymore.

She slowly exhaled, driving those complex speculations and thoughts from her mind, then reached out to fold the page to return it to the Small-Headed Ghost when he came back.

But just as her finger pressed on the four characters “six paths of reincarnation,” Jian Chou suddenly froze.

All her blood stopped in that instant.

Her stiff finger looked extremely pale, making even the wrinkled paper appear attractive, yet between this pale finger was an extremely striking trace of bright red!

A hint of silver light faintly flickered between her fingers.

Jian Chou slowly raised her hand and saw the red cord wrapped around her fingers, with a silver lock.

“All souls of common people from the isolated island are recorded in the Book of Life and Death, escorted for punishment or sent into the six paths of reincarnation for rebirth…”