Chapter 4: Daoist Master Qi of Boundless Merit

The sword, whose foundation was anything but ordinary, sensed the instant Qi Wuhuo’s Primordial Spirit was hooked away and immediately followed after it. It was only because the gods of the underworld possessed the unique ability of traveling thousands of miles in spirit form that it could not catch up for a time. Yet by following the aura of the Primordial Spirit, it ultimately managed to steadily catch up.

At this moment, facing these countless ghosts and masses of flesh and blood, it finally could no longer restrain its greed, revealing the savage nature of this sword.

It wished to devour these myriad ghosts.

The young Daoist paused slightly and raised his eyes as he replied, “You may not.”

The sword’s cry faltered.

‘Aren’t you trapped?’

The young Daoist’s Innate Spirit retorted with unprecedented firmness.

The ghosts here were all people of the mortal world who, after death, had been guided here by the envoys of the underworld. If this sword were to devour this flesh and these souls, it would be no different from slaughtering cities and massacring people in the mortal world, then devouring their flesh and annihilating their souls to forge a weapon. Qi Wuhuo’s footsteps paused slightly as his cool gaze fixed upon this incomparably ferocious sword.

Its vicious nature remained undiminished.

Its sword cry rang out sharply.

In its understanding, this Daoist, Qi Wuhuo, merely brought it endless opportunities to feast upon flesh and blood.

The two simply benefited one another.

It had followed Qi Wuhuo here today only because its “experience” told it that by following this young Daoist, there would be great quantities of flesh and blood to consume. If it truly wished to protect its master, it would have drawn itself before the chain had even fallen, then cleaved out with a single strike, directly splitting apart the renowned divine weapon, the Soul-Hooking Chain.

Now it was merely asking.

‘I am only asking. Whether I eat or not is naturally for me to decide.’

‘Even if you object, I shall still eat.’

Its vicious nature flared. The young Daoist bent the ring and little fingers of his right hand, pressed his thumb against the joints, and extended his index and middle fingers together. His gaze remained calm, and he still possessed that gentle, easygoing temperament, yet this response was unprecedentedly sharp and forceful, completely different from his usual mild and unassuming nature.

You can try.

The longsword paused slightly.

In that instant, it actually instinctively felt a trace of intimidation.

At that very moment, thunder rumbled. Above the heavens, bolts of lightning coursed across the sky. In an instant, a vast and majestic aura spread out; the pure Yang energy of the thunder dispersed, causing even the chilling Yin energy of the underworld to seem to thin somewhat. The crimson glow scattered, Yin Qi surged fiercely, yet the Black and White Impermanence seemed unconcerned. Sensing that the frigid Yin energy in the void had been neutralized considerably, the Black Impermanence’s expression relaxed, and he merely said succinctly:

“It is the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Thunderous Sound Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable of the Thunder Department.”

“He has come again.”

“Mhm. Last time he lost a game of chess to Taisu Miaoguang True Lord, and now he has come looking for him again.”

“Their relationship really is quite good.”

The Great Heavenly Official of the Shenxiao Palace opened his mouth and said with a bitter smile, “The Thunderous Sound Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable… I cultivated in the Shenxiao Palace for a thousand years and never once saw the Heavenly Venerable. I never imagined that the first time I would see him would be after my death.”

“He…”

The White Impermanence smiled and said: “He is an old friend of our Taisu Miaoguang True Lord.”

The Heavenly Official of Shenxiao Palace sighed in frustration and wished to cry out loudly, yet he also felt that, given that Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable’s temperament, he would not pay him any heed, and so his expression dimmed.

The young Daoist asked, “Is he the ruler of Shenxiao Palace?”

The Heavenly Official replied: “Yes. More accurately speaking, he is the ruler of the Thunder Department and also the foremost war general under the South Pole Longevity Great Emperor.”

“His status and position correspond to that of the Tianpeng Great True Lord under the Northern Emperor.”

“He has always been on good terms with Taisu Miaoguang True Lord.”

“They are practically sworn brothers.”

The young Daoist recalled the South Pole Longevity Great Emperor who had been rather displeased by his slaying of Donghua not long ago.

A thought suddenly stirred within his heart.

Nominally, the Northern Emperor commanded both the Thunder and Dipper Departments.

Yet the current ruler of the Thunder Department, the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Thunderous Sound Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable, was the foremost war general of the South Pole Longevity Great Emperor, the second of the Four Great Emperors.

At this moment, the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Thunderous Sound Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable held dominion over the Thunder Department.

Yet all under Heaven who cultivated thunder arts had to invoke the name of the Tianpeng Great True Lord before they could command the Thunder Generals.

Qi Wuhuo came to a realization, recalling the words of the exceedingly gentle Taiyi Salvation Daoist Master. The Four Great Emperors had each seen different futures, yet those futures were mutually contradictory. These subtle inconsistencies seemed to be hidden throughout the affairs of the world.

The Underworld.

The Longevity Great Emperor.

Seemingly seeing a Great Emperor arrive, the White Impermanence was in an excellent mood and said with a smile:

“Speaking of which, our underworld originally belonged to Lord Northern Emperor in the most ancient era.”

“Back then, the underworld was not called the underworld, but Fengdu. In that age, Lord Northern Emperor’s subordinates could truly be said to abound with outstanding talents. Aside from the peerless Tianpeng Great True Lord, [Central Heaven Northern Pole Dharma Lord, Tianpeng Grand Marshal].”

“There was also the [Central Heaven Brahma Qi Doumu Celestial Monarch], who governed the Dipper Department.”

“And the [Central Heaven Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor], who governed Fengdu.”

“Their power blazed fiercely, upright and magnificent. They stood as the foremost among the Four Great Emperors. But alas, who knows what happened in between…”

The White Impermanence let out a sigh.

“Then all of a sudden, the Heavenly Court and the underworld lost contact for a full two or three thousand years. At that time, even the boundary between life and death fell into complete chaos. The Ten True Lords of the Underworld joined forces with an ascetic monk of the Buddhist Sect named Ksitigarbha, and after spending a thousand long years, they rebuilt the various offices of the present underworld, taking the reincarnation of this world as its core. From then on, it existed independently of the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man, calling itself the Underworld.”

“No matter who it is, in this land of the underworld, they would not be a match for the Ten True Lords.”

“Lord Northern Emperor?”

“Lord Northern Emperor ignored us for a full three thousand years. Had the Ten True Lords not turned the tide back then, the underworld would have been destroyed.”

“The fact that we still call him Lord Northern Emperor is only because the old ties of faith from the Fengdu era have not been severed.”

“It is because we respect Lord Northern Emperor’s character and conduct.”

The Black Impermanence frowned slightly and said, “Old Bai.”

The White Impermanence replied indifferently, “Don’t worry, don’t worry, I know.”

“They’ll all have to drink Meng Po Soup later anyway.”

“They won’t remember a thing. Besides, anyone who’s been in the underworld long enough knows these things. They’re hardly any secret. Otherwise, the journey would be far too dull.”

The Black Impermanence said nothing further.

The White Impermanence sighed and said, “Today there’s not even anyone storming the underworld for the sake of love.”

“There’s not a bit of amusement.”

The young Daoist’s heart stirred slightly as he asked, “Could it be that people often storm the underworld?”

The White Impermanence was rather surprised that someone actually had the nerve to strike up a conversation with him, but true to his temperament, he replied with a cheerful smile: “That’s right, quite a lot of them. Look, people with cultivation like you all require us brothers to come personally. There may not be many cultivators in the world, but over the course of several thousand years, there have still been quite a few. They all have family and friends, don’t they?”

“They always think that because they have cultivation, they should be able to keep the souls of their family and friends here and beg for a little more lifespan.”

“Or when someone is about to die, they hear some rumor from who knows where, saying the underworld can extend one’s lifespan, so they come here hoping to gain a few more years.”

“After all, our underworld deals with far too many beings. It’s not just the Human Race—even the souls of the Demon Race and all living beings are under our jurisdiction. There are always plenty of cultivators who rely on a few tricks to sneak in.”

“Basically, as long as they don’t attack the Ghost Envoys, we just beat them back to the mortal world.”

“But they always think those Ghost Envoys who escort the souls of ordinary people are easy targets, and at the slightest provocation they kill them.”

“They’re usually punished by the underworld and beaten until their souls scatter.”

“Never to reincarnate for all eternity.”

“After all, those who have no respect whatsoever for life and death are truly beyond redemption in our eyes.”

“The disciples and grand-disciples of Lord Lingbao are the worst when it comes to acting recklessly.”

The White Impermanence could not help muttering, “I only hope Lord Lingbao pays more attention to a person’s character when accepting disciples in the future.”

“He accepts disciples, and those disciples accept a whole crowd of grand-disciples, who go around acting however they please under the banner of the Lingbao lineage.”

“Lord Yuqing doesn’t have this problem. If there’s trouble among his grand-disciples, they basically never show up.”

“Over these past several thousand years, I’ve personally killed at least seventy or eighty Lingbao disciples. I patrol the world every day and see far too many people. Basically, every one or two hundred years, there’s bound to be some fellow from the Lingbao lineage jumping out. Damn it, it’s as regular as snowfall in winter.”

“Old Hei, how many have you struck down?”

The Black Impermanence replied indifferently, “I’ve forgotten.”

The White Impermanence said, “Definitely more than I’ve killed.”

He sighed and said, “But over all these years, the one that left the deepest impression on me was this one fellow who had the audacity, relying on cultivation at the True Lord realm, to charge straight into the depths of the underworld. The moment he raised his hand, he used the Supreme Scarlet Spirit Script, [Pardon Sins], intending to release all the lonely ghosts and wandering souls here and let them loose into the mortal world. Good heavens, the Judge beat him to death on the spot and threw him into Purgatory.”

“That incident nearly caused a catastrophe where ten thousand ghosts roamed the mortal world and the boundary between life and death became blurred.”

“It came within a hair’s breadth of directly alerting Lord Northern Emperor’s Exorcism Court.”

“Instead, it even implicated Lord Lingbao’s foremost disciple, the Salvation Heavenly Venerable, who personally came to offer an apology.”

“He helped the Ten True Lords of the Underworld suppress the underworld for five hundred years before departing.”

“That truly was reckless beyond measure.”

“Old Hei, what left the deepest impression on you?”

The Black Impermanence opened his eyes, touched the sword scar on his cheek, and answered indifferently, “The Sword Immortal Miao…”

The White Impermanence’s smile faded slightly.

The young Daoist asked, “She was…”

The White Impermanence had no intention of answering.

Instead, the Black Impermanence said flatly, “A female Sword Immortal, with graceful and refined beauty. Wielding a single longsword, she swept through all before her. With only the cultivation of an Earth Immortal, she defeated the two of us at the same time and fought her way from the Bridge of Helplessness all the way to the Hall of Judgment. In the end, the two of us, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Shentu and Yulei, the Day Patrol, the Night Patrol, and the Four Great Judges all attacked together, yet we were still no match for that woman.”

“She was clearly only an Earth Immortal, yet with a sword in hand, her bearing was peerless.”

“Even ordinary True Lords might not have been her match.”

“It is… impossible to forget upon seeing her.”

The Great Heavenly Official of the Shenxiao Palace’s expression changed slightly as he said, “Her?”

The Black Impermanence subconsciously stopped, raised his eyes, stepped forward half a pace, and demanded, “You know her? Where is she now?!” The White Impermanence raised a hand and pressed it against the Black Impermanence’s shoulder, saying, “Old Hei, calm yourself.”

The Heavenly Official of the Shenxiao Palace hesitated before saying, “Back then, there was a woman who wielded a sword and charged into the Thunder Department.”

“The Thunder Department has thirty-six Thunder Mansions, such as the Divine Firmament Thunder Mansion and the Jade Purity Thunder Mansion, corresponding to the Thirty-Six Heavens. In each of the Thirty-Six Heavens, the strongest Thunder General is one of the Thirty-Six Generals of the Thunder Department. That woman defeated several war generals, and in the end, one of the Thirty-Six Thunder Generals was forced to step forward before she was finally defeated.”

The Black Impermanence’s expression changed several times before becoming wooden as he asked, “Was she unharmed?”

The Heavenly Official of the Shenxiao Palace replied, “Presumably.”

The Black Impermanence fell silent before saying flatly, “Back then, in the underworld, she fought her way all the way to the Chief Judge. She was ultimately subdued by the Sage Lord Judge. Because throughout her entire advance, although her swordsmanship was unmatched, she had not killed a single Yin soldier or Ghost General. Her sword Qi was like frost—she defeated but did not kill. Therefore, the Sage Lord Judge did not take her life, and in the end, they made a deal.”

“She was the only one who truly succeeded.”

After speaking of this, the Black Impermanence no longer wished to discuss the matter. They walked onto a bridge, beneath which flowed the Yellow Springs of utmost Yin and utmost cold. The White Impermanence cheerfully changed the subject, pointed toward the Yellow Springs, and said, “Do you know this place?”

Everyone looked over. Within the Yellow Springs were countless souls, their expressions twisted with ferocity and fury, unwilling to accept their fate as they shoved one another and struggled without end.

The White Impermanence said calmly, “The Yellow Springs are where those whose Primordial Spirits carry excessively heavy evil thoughts must come to be cleansed.”

“Within them remain the lingering obsessions of all living beings.”

“From ancient times until now, ever since the concept of reincarnation was established, the obsessions of all living beings throughout every cycle of reincarnation—including the obsessions of Great Emperor-level beings—have remained here. The living must never enter. Whoever enters this river will be eroded by those countless obsessions. It is even more terrifying than the corruption of evil entities. And who could possibly bear the obsessions accumulated over countless ages, from the beginning of time until now, through lifetime after lifetime of every living being?”

“And beneath the Yellow Springs…”

“Heh, forget it.”

The White Impermanence opened his mouth. Even though he knew these people would later drink Meng Po Soup, he still said nothing.

The young Daoist stepped onto the Bridge of Helplessness spanning the Yellow Springs.

Suddenly sensing that something was amiss, he paused slightly. The Northern Emperor Mirror hanging at his side emitted a faint glow.

Ripples seemed to spread across the surface of the Yellow Springs.

Yet upon the Yellow Springs, the obsessions of countless living beings had become innumerable illusions, struggling against one another and stirring wave after wave of ripples. No one noticed the existence of those ripples. The young Daoist looked at the scene for a moment before turning and leaving.

After crossing the Bridge of Helplessness, the White Impermanence pointed toward an enormous jade stele ahead and said, “Observe, this is the Scroll of Yin Virtue.”

“The underworld does not interfere with the world of the living. After all, the dead are our own kind.”

“And the boundary between life and death is what we maintain.”

“But there are always those in the mortal world whose conduct accords greatly with the will of Heaven, who save and deliver others without seeking personal gain. That is Yin Virtue.”

“Those who possess Yin Virtue may exchange it for Yin Lifespan. If they are unwilling to reincarnate and wish to remain in the underworld with Yin Lifespan, there are methods here, along with spiritual pills similar to the wondrous elixirs of the Heavenly Court, that can extend the lifespan of the Primordial Spirit. However, they may only remain active within the underworld. Should they enter the mortal world, the Yang Qi there would dissipate their Yin Lifespan. They may accumulate merit here, and afterward choose either to reincarnate or to serve as Yin Spirits or prison wardens.”

One of the Earth Deities asked, “Then… if one stays here longer before reincarnating, what benefits are there?”

The White Impermanence replied with a cheerful smile: “After your Primordial Spirit has recovered here, its condition will naturally be far more vigorous than that of someone whose Primordial Spirit has endured all the hardships of an entire lifetime. That means you’ll possess better natural talent after reincarnation. As for exchanging Yin Virtue for treasures or obtaining the status of a Yin Spirit, although you’ll never have the chance to attain the Great Dao, you will gain Yin Lifespan. Aside from being unable to wander the mortal world, it can still be considered longevity.”

“Of course, you must continue rendering meritorious service and accumulating Yin Virtue in order to exchange for spiritual pills that extend your lifespan.”

An old man said dejectedly, “Isn’t that still just endless toil?”

The White Impermanence replied, “Did you think lifespan could be handed out as cheaply as cabbages?”

“If you’re unwilling, then simply go and reincarnate.”

“Besides, even the pills that extend Yin Lifespan have their limits. Once that limit is reached, you’ll still have no choice but to drink Meng Po Soup and enter reincarnation.”

“Although it’s said that ‘a Yin Spirit enduring through ten thousand kalpas can hardly attain sainthood’, who would willingly give up that single thread of hope?”

“In the end, it is all a pursuit of one’s own continued existence.”

“Come then, everyone, step forward. Heh, saving ten people earns ten points of Yin Virtue. When it can wrap around your body like flames, you’ll be eligible to join our underworld. As for vicious people and malevolent gods, we don’t want them. There are as many evil ghosts as you could ever want in the Eighteen Hells… Come, one at a time.”

The first old man stepped forward, only to discover that merely a few faint points of light appeared upon the jade stele. He looked on in disbelief, and the White Impermanence said:

“You’ve done good deeds, but they don’t amount to merit. Neither high nor low—you’re an ordinary person.”

“Most people are like this.”

“Follow fate into reincarnation. Harbor no malice. Fortune and misfortune have no gate through which they enter; you alone bring them upon yourself.”

“You may step down now. Meng Po Soup is over there.”

“It tastes awful.”

“But that’s alright. Once you’ve finished drinking it, you won’t notice anymore.”

“So, from the beginning until now, no one has ever criticized Meng Po’s cooking or the taste of Meng Po Soup.”

The White Impermanence had the many Primordial Spirits continue having their Yin Virtue examined by the divine jade treasure, then departed together with the Black Impermanence for the residence of the second of the Ten True Lords of the Underworld, the True Lord of Yin Virtue and Settled Rest, to report for duty. He casually tossed the dossier onto the desk before reclining in his chair. Yet just as he picked up his tea, the True Lord looked at him in surprise and asked curiously:

“You’re back already?”

The White Impermanence, one of the Ten Yin Marshals of the underworld, raised an eyebrow and said, “Of course.”

“Otherwise?”

“Oh, you mean that Heavenly Official? Old Hei made his move. Below the True Lord realm, how many could possibly be his match?”

“As for True Lords, they’ve already transcended life and death. If they die, their souls are generally scattered, so they don’t come here. And if they’re undergoing tribulation as punishment, they’ll be escorted here by the Heavenly Pivot Institute anyway. No problem, no problem…”

“No, I meant the person I told you to bring.”

The White Impermanence looked puzzled. “Who?? Oh? That Daoist? His lifespan hadn’t reached its end. Did you want us to drag him down here?”

“He should have quite an extraordinary background.”

“That’s why you had us personally make the trip, wasn’t it?”

“???”

Veins bulged on the forehead of the True Lord of Yin Virtue and Settled Rest. With a crack, he crushed the jade brush in his hand and said:

“I said to invite him here for tea. For tea. Didn’t you understand that?”

“White Impermanence, has your brain been bleached white too?!”

The White Impermanence froze for a moment, then flew into a rage. Slamming one hand onto the desk, veins bulging as he gnashed his teeth, he shouted:

“You were the one who didn’t make yourself clear, Boss!”

“You’re the second True Lord of the Underworld!”

“The one everyone calls the King of Hell!”

“The King of Hell inviting someone over for tea!”

“No ghost would think you actually meant inviting him for tea!”

The True Lord of Yin Virtue and Settled Rest gnashed his teeth and said, “Because of him, many people were able to survive, affecting an enormous number of lives. His Yin Virtue is far too great. Since I oversee Yin Virtue, and an old friend of mine also spoke on his behalf, I simply became curious and wanted to meet this Daoist Master. Let me repeat myself—I really did only want to invite him for tea…”

“For tea, understand?!”

The White Impermanence replied, “But the last time you invited someone for tea, you sent that Celestial Monarch Cui on her way the very next day.”

The True Lord of Yin Virtue and Settled Rest sighed and said,

“She was undergoing tribulation herself. Undergoing tribulation!”

“Black Impermanence, what are you doing?”

Only then did they see the Black Impermanence’s expression suddenly change as he stood up, muttering in a low voice, “This is bad. He’s standing before the Jade Scroll of Yin Virtue right now!”

The expressions of all three changed drastically. One who had saved countless lives possessed immense Yin Virtue. So long as there was no judgment against him from the Exorcism Institute or the Heavenly Pivot Institute, he would receive fair treatment in the underworld. Ordinarily, the merit from saving ten people would already appear like flames.

The Black Impermanence’s expression turned solemn. “How many has he saved?”

The True Lord of Yin Virtue and Settled Rest replied, “The quantity is… a little high. The quality is… also a little exceptional.”

At the same time—

The young Daoist slowly stepped forward. After learning about Yin Virtue, he was no longer in a hurry to meet the Judge.

He still gripped the Exorcism Token. Should events not unfold as expected, he still had a contingency.

He stepped onto the jade stele.

Seeing how young he was, Meng Po stirred the pot, preparing to ladle him a bowl of Meng Po Soup.

At such a young age, what Yin Virtue could he possibly have?

The Heavenly Official earlier had diligently fulfilled his duties and thus gained a measure of Yin Virtue. The Earth Deities ensured favorable winds and timely rains, but that merely counted as performing their responsibilities, not merit. The true Yin Virtue recognized by the scroll amounted to only a little over a hundred points. As the young Daoist stepped onto it, Meng Po lowered her head to ladle the soup, while faint streams of light appeared upon the jade stele.

Then, in the next instant, that single thread of light suddenly blazed forth.

Meng Po immediately sensed that something was wrong. Instinctively, she made a decision. She neither turned away at once to shut off her five senses, nor cowered with her eyes tightly closed.

Instead, she raised her head, and widened her eyes.

She even instinctively took a step forward.

And so, in the next moment,

She saw the [Sun].

Note: The Ten Palaces of the Underworld are primarily based upon the Daoist canon Daofa Huiyuan.