Chapter 6: Stabilizing the Soul, Extending Lifespan, the Bright Mirror Shines!

Facing Black Impermanence, who stared straight ahead and pretended not to notice the question from Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord.

In this era, the Underworld was not governed by the Heavenly Officials’ Jade Emperor, nor by the foremost of the Earth Deities.

Within the Netherworld, the Ten True Lords feared no one.

Yet the Underworld existed to preserve the order and dignity between life and death; it was not a place devoid of reason. With such an immense amount of Yin Virtue before them, there was no possibility of pretending not to see it. To do so would shatter the authority of the [Yin Virtue System] that the Underworld had established over thousands of years, leaving wandering ghosts and countless ghost officials without restraint.

For the sake of the order of life and death, this time, Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord was destined to suffer a tremendous loss.

Moreover, it would be one he volunteered to make.

And he would even have to ask whether the Daoist over there found it satisfactory.

It was not because they feared the man’s cultivation or background. Even if a Heavenly Venerable came here, they would still have to present a calling card.

Should immortals or gods commit evil, they too would descend into the Eighteen Layers of Hell.

Only those who had saved the world and delivered countless lives, turning the tide at the moment of catastrophe—even if they possessed no cultivation whatsoever—could earn the respect of the Yin Gods.

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord maintained his gentle expression, preserving the bearing of a King of Hell. Raising a hand, he pointed toward the palace of the Second Lebel of the Underworld and said with a smile, “Young friend, since you have come here, accompany me for a cup of tea. Wuchang Youming True Lord, I shall leave this place to you.”

Black Impermanence calmly acknowledged the order.

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord led Qi Wuhuo onward. As they crossed the Bridge of Helplessness, the Northern Emperor Mirror hanging at the young Daoist’s waist suddenly glowed once more, and he faintly felt a pulling force. Instinctively, Qi Wuhuo looked beneath the bridge.

The once-turbid Yellow Springs had become crystal clear because he had relinquished his Yin Virtue and delivered those souls.

The Northern Emperor Mirror circulated with radiance, as though an indescribable, profound power descended upon Qi Wuhuo. Ever since he had disregarded all cost in the Central Plains and unleashed that sword strike, breaking the great calamity of death that had befallen the Central Plains, the mirror had undergone a transformation.

Now, as that aura entered his eyes, divine light gathered within his gaze. In an instant, his vision pierced through the boundless Yellow Springs and reached what lay beneath them.

Beneath the Yellow Springs, there rested an incomparably vast and magnificent complex of palaces!

The foremost gate was incomparably majestic. Even viewed from the Bridge of Helplessness, it seemed boundlessly tall, only slightly inferior to the Southern Heavenly Gate itself. The great gate was tightly sealed, its dark crimson surface studded with enormous bronze nails. A plaque gripped in the mouth of a ghostly beast hung above it, inscribed with three ancient Cloud Seal characters.

Having tutored Yun Qin before, Qi Wuhuo had become familiar with many forms of ancient Cloud Seal script and recognized these as one of its variant styles.

They carried an overwhelming aura of a Star Lord, and the Qi of life and death.

The young Daoist murmured inwardly, “Fengdu City…”

The very core of the ancient Netherworld.

It had actually been sealed beneath the Yellow Springs, formed from the attachments of all living beings.

The strange phenomenon within the Northern Emperor Mirror faded away.

The young Daoist crossed the Bridge of Helplessness without incident and was then led by Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord into the palace of the Underworld’s Second Netherworld. It was not extravagantly decorated, yet to uphold the majesty of the ruler of the Netherworld, it had been built on a grand scale. The purpose was not to intimidate immortals or cultivators, but the overwhelming majority of ordinary souls and Yin officials, who judged everything by appearances.

“Come, young friend. Please, have some tea.”

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord spoke warmly, inviting the young Daoist to take a seat before bringing over a pot of tea.

The fire used to brew it was cold and silent.

The tea itself carried a chill, exuding an aura of the purest, utmost Yin.

“The Underworld is the land of the Netherworld. There is neither Yang Qi nor the vitality of life here.”

“Furthermore, you presently exist only in your Primordial Spirit form. This is tea meant for the Primordial Spirits of Yin Gods. Please.”

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord remained courteous. Qi Wuhuo took a sip. The tea entered cool, yet that faint chill spread throughout every part of his Primordial Spirit, leaving him with an indescribably comfortable feeling. Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord frowned slightly. “So it is, after all…”

The young Daoist looked up in curiosity.

The True Lord frowned and said, “No wonder Black and White Impermanence made a mistake.”

“How strange. You are only sixteen years old, yet your Primordial Spirit already bears the traces of more than two hundred and fifty years. That is already the normal lifespan limit of someone at the Innate One Qi realm.” The moment he first saw Qi Wuhuo, he had sensed that something was amiss. Now, after Qi Wuhuo drank the spirit tea and his Primordial Spirit absorbed its essence, the True Lord was finally certain.

“The ordinary lifespan of a mortal reaches at most one hundred and twenty years.”

“One who has perfected the Three Talents attains a full lifespan.”

“The lifespan of the Innate One Qi realm is twice that of one who has perfected the Three Talents, with a maximum of three hundred years.”

After the True Lord explained this, the young Daoist gained a measure of understanding.

He was now sixteen years old, and after unleashing that sword strike, his Innate Spirit had become incomparably clear. He had known that his foundations had been gravely damaged, costing him a full three jiazi—one hundred and eighty years—of lifespan.

Yet this King of Hell before him said that the lifespan of his Primordial Spirit had already nearly reached its limit.

Qi Wuhuo pondered for a moment.

Then he suddenly realized— the experiences within that Dream of Yellow Millet had not been an illusion…

So, had he chosen the first opportunity, it would have been a Golden Elixir that directly extended one’s heavenly lifespan.

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord let out a long sigh. “I’m afraid it is related to the backlash you suffered after drawing your sword for the countless lives of the Central Plains. Beneath that single sword strike, your physical body, your Primordial Qi, and your Primordial Spirit all sustained damage. That was the cause.”

“The reduction of your lifespan is merely an outward manifestation.”

“Come, have some more tea.”

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord urged Qi Wuhuo to drink. The tea was cool and refreshing, nourishing his soul. Then the True Lord explained everything that had happened before. “The truth is, when the Medicine Master Glazed Light Tathāgata underwent his tribulation, he did not choose to reincarnate on his own as the other True Lords and Great Emperors did. Instead, he came here.”

“There are generally two kinds of reincarnation through tribulation.”

“The first is for those who have committed crimes but whose sins do not warrant the destruction of their souls.”

“They are escorted here by the Shangqing Heavenly Pivot Court. Even beings like True Lords, whose True Spirit remains undying, must still drink Meng Po Soup before being sent into reincarnation.”

“The second is like the Medicine Master’s choice. After discovering that his path was mistaken, he wished to begin anew—to seek and to explore once again. Once a cultivator reaches the realms of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and Five Qi Converging to the Origin, their True Spirit remains undying through countless tribulations. There is fundamentally no such thing as becoming lost within the womb.”

“Most immortals and gods who descend into the mortal world to undergo tribulations merely do this. They simply borrow a mortal body.”

“But the Medicine Master chose as the Heavenly Emperor once did. Like an ordinary mortal, he sealed away his own Innate Spirit and willingly stepped into the cycle of reincarnation.”

“No one knows how many lifetimes it will take before he walks out again.”

“He mentioned you to me. The Yin Virtue earned from saving the world through that rainstorm—he instructed me to transfer all of it to you. But afterward, I discovered that you had accomplished something even greater. I was truly astonished. That was why I had Black and White Impermanence bring you here—for a cup of tea, and to pass on what the Medicine Master left behind for you.”

“I never expected, however, that the lifespan of your Primordial Spirit had already reached this point…”

Qi Wuhuo said, “But this Daoist has felt no signs of his Primordial Spirit weakening.”

The True Lord smiled. “You cultivate the Dao with exceptional purity. Your Innate One Qi is perfectly condensed. Unless the day of your destined end truly arrives, so long as you do not perish by blade or weapon, both your body and your Primordial Spirit will forever remain at their peak condition. That is why you have noticed nothing.”

“It is only a minor matter.”

“I shall teach you a small method for examining your own Primordial Spirit. With it, you will be able to observe the lifespan of your Primordial Spirit.”

“Although it cannot be as precise as the Underworld’s Register of Life and Death, it is sufficient to roughly discern a person’s lifespan.”

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord then taught Qi Wuhuo a mnemonic formula. By circulating his Primordial Spirit and turning his awareness inward, he examined himself.

Sure enough, although the divine radiance of his Primordial Spirit remained perfectly complete and pure, it faintly bore the appearance of a dying flame, as though it were on the verge of being extinguished.

This, too, was part of the tribulation.

Making the choice had merely been the beginning.

The price paid after that choice was what truly stretched on without end.

The young Daoist asked, “May I ask, True Lord, is there any way to resolve the condition of this Daoist’s Primordial Spirit?”

The True Lord answered, “It is exceedingly difficult.”

“The Underworld does not extend anyone’s lifespan. Unless you are willing to abandon your path of cultivation, forsake your physical body and Primordial Qi, and instead walk the path of a Yin God. With your Yin Virtue and natural talent, I can guarantee that you would cultivate to the Earth Immortal realm.”

“But no one has ever relied upon this path to reach the realm of the True Lords—Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, Five Qi Converging to the Origin, an incarnation outside the body, transforming freely at will.”

“For the rest of your life, your cultivation would stop there.”

“Although even an Earth Immortal’s lifespan has its limit, it is so immensely long that it is practically eternal.”

The young Daoist shook his head.

The True Lord sighed. “It is just as the Medicine Master Glazed Light Tathāgata said. Your Dao Heart is unwavering, but you are likewise destined to face one tribulation after another.”

“He left this for you.”

“It could not have been more timely.”

The True Lord reached into his robes and took out an ordinary-looking string of Buddhist prayer beads. Their only remarkable feature was their warm, jade-like texture. “These are the prayer beads he once used.”

“According to the terminology of the Daoist Path, they may also be regarded as an object of dual cultivation of body and spirit.”

“Now that he has entered reincarnation, following the Buddhist path of Nirvana, he has relinquished everything, so these prayer beads were left behind.”

“This object can stabilize your Primordial Spirit and prevent it from dispersing. So long as your thoughts remain pure, it can harmonize the lifespans of your Primordial Spirit and your physical body, temporarily preserving your Primordial Spirit.”

“The old monk was right. Every outstanding genius of the Daoist Path must inevitably pass through countless life-and-death tribulations.”

“But why did he prepare this in advance?”

“Could it be that your Primordial Spirit already showed signs of aging back then?”

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord shook his head with a sigh as he handed over what could rightfully be called a supreme treasure of the Buddhist Path.

The young Daoist understood.

At that time, he had only reached the Three Talents Complete realm, whose lifespan limit was merely one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty years.

But if the Dream of Yellow Millet were also counted as part of his Primordial Spirit’s experiences, then even back then, the lifespan of his Primordial Spirit had already been approaching one hundred years.

The young Daoist accepted the prayer beads. They felt warm and smooth in his hand, carrying a dignified and majestic aura. The signs of aging within his Primordial Spirit became like an insect trapped in amber, forcibly halted by the power of the beads.

The True Lord then consoled him, “Although the Medicine Master foresaw that you would one day face this tribulation, these prayer beads are, in the end, merely an external object.”

“Where in this world has there ever been a benefit without a price?”

“You must still rely on your own cultivation, tempering your soul from within and seeking the Great Dao. Only then will this tribulation naturally be resolved.”

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord sighed. A troubled expression suddenly crossed his face as he reached into his robes and fumbled around for a while. Seeming somewhat reluctant, he finally drew out a jade slip. It was black with the luster of glazed jade. Placing it on the table, he slowly pushed it toward Qi Wuhuo. “You saved the countless lives of the world. According to the ancient rules of the Underworld, established ten thousand years ago…”

“So long as one was not sent here as punishment by the Exorcism Court or the Heavenly Pivot Court, one’s Yin Virtue must be repaid.”

“This contains the treasures of this Nether Palace.”

“You may choose one.”

Qi Wuhuo instinctively tried to decline.

After all, the so-called minor technique the True Lord had just imparted to him was likely already one of the secret arts of the Yin Gods of the Netherworld.

Although Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord wore an expression of obvious heartache, he still shook his head. “You must not refuse.”

“I am not offering you a choice for your sake alone, but for the sake of the order of the Underworld.”

“The order?”

“Indeed. Young friend, do you know that in ancient times, the Underworld belonged to the Central Heaven’s Northern Pole? There was a Great Emperor who presided over it all—the Central Heaven Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor, who governed every affair of the Netherworld.”

Qi Wuhuo recalled the awe-inspiring city of death he had just seen beneath the Yellow Springs.

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord gestured for the young Daoist to continue drinking his tea before speaking gently, “The cycle of life and death is one of the world’s fundamental laws. Its origin is actually very simple—it is merely the natural transformation between life and death. Just as water flows downward, wandering souls, repelled by Yang Qi, naturally drift into the Netherworld, a place of utmost Yin and cold.”

“And because the beings of the Underworld long to return to life, during the First Kalpa, countless souls discovered the path leading back to the mortal world.”

“But when entering that path, the experiences of the Primordial Spirit and everything belonging to the Life Soul undergo the transformation of Yin and Yang.”

“A physical body must then be reshaped, and reincarnation naturally follows. As for where one is reborn, whether as man or woman, that depends entirely upon fate.”

“But as you know, wherever there are sentient beings, there are those who seek salvation. And wherever there is desire, certain existences will see profit.”

“One need only seize control of the place of reincarnation to command all ghosts and spirits of the Underworld, holding dominion over the boundary between life and death.”

“Some even slaughtered countless living beings simply to expand the armies and followers under their command.”

“Those events occurred toward the latter half of the Second Kalpa Era. The Six Realms had descended into utter chaos, and the great powers all coveted the authority of Netherworld reincarnation. First came the ancient god Zhulong, and afterward a Blood River of unknown origin flowed into this place.”

“Those days were unimaginably chaotic. Battle after battle was fought. Zhulong vanished without anyone knowing where he had gone, while that Blood River became ever more rampant.”

“At that time, the Haotian Great Emperor suppressed the host of ancient gods.”

“And his ally, the foremost among the Four Great Emperors, the Northern Emperor, came here personally.”

“Haha, don’t be fooled because the Northern Emperor rarely shows himself now and it is usually Great True Lord Tianpeng who appears instead. During the First and Second Kalpa Eras, the Northern Emperor was the greatest God of War in all the Heavenly Realm, overflowing with killing intent. Under His command, the countless stars of the heavens once joined together to slay those renowned ancient gods.”

“He came to the Underworld, shattered the spirit of the fiend born from that Blood River, and then hung the Blood River itself directly upon the Heavenly River.”

“Only then did the Second Kalpa Era finally know peace, and the world entered the Third Kalpa Era.”

“Later, after the ancient gods departed, ghosts proclaimed themselves emperors and threw the Netherworld into chaos. They became known as the Five Ghost Emperors.”

“So the Northern Emperor severed a single incarnation from Himself and sent it into the Netherworld.”

“It became the Central Heaven Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor, suppressing the Five Ghost Emperors.”

“Things remained peaceful for a very long time. Then, ten thousand years ago, during the present era, the connection between Heaven and Earth was suddenly severed. Chaos once again engulfed the Netherworld. No one knows what happened. Even the Northern Emperor recalled His incarnation, and contact with the City God Offices in the mortal world was likewise cut off.”

“At first, we were still able to maintain the basic order. But without the Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor to suppress them, the Five Ghost Emperors began to stir once more. In those days, Fengdu City stretched for more than two thousand three hundred li, and seventy-two Departments stood watch over all ghosts and spirits beneath Heaven.”

“They were all occupied by ghosts of the utmost wickedness.”

“The Five Ghost Emperors themselves were never truly willing to uphold order. Civil strife broke out within the Underworld, eventually upsetting the balance of life and death in the mortal world. It also happened to be an age of endless warfare.”

“That turmoil lasted for over two thousand years before we finally managed to stabilize the Underworld. Even now, none of us knows exactly what happened back then.”

“After it all came to an end, the Northern Emperor re-established the ancient Northern Pole Exorcism Court, once again taking up the responsibilities of the ancient eras.”

“He executed I know not how many.”

“Blood flowed like rivers, and heads rolled across the ground.”

“Only then were the Six Realms preserved, spared from returning to the slaughter and chaos that had consumed the First Kalpa Era.”

“The methods by which we maintain the Underworld are founded upon two principles.”

“Reward and punishment.”

“We punish those who covet Yin lifespan and violate the boundary between life and death.”

“We reward those who save the living and deliver the dead.”

“In this way, order is preserved.”

“Even so, what was once the Seventy-Two Departments of the Five Ghost Domains, which suppressed every rebellious ghost and spirit, has now dwindled to merely the Four Departments and Ten Yama Halls, responsible for regulating the reincarnation of souls throughout the Six Realms.”

“If today a young friend such as yourself possesses such immense Yin Virtue, yet I offer nothing in return, then where would order remain?”

“It would be no different from the Exorcism Court seeing rebellion against order and refusing to execute those responsible.”

“Though one is reward and the other punishment, in truth they are the same matter.”

“So, young friend, you absolutely must not refuse.”

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord clenched his teeth.

His composure remained that of a Yama King who governed the boundary between life and death.

But the pain in his heart was equally genuine.

“I ask you, young friend…”

“You truly must.”

“Please don’t stand on ceremony.”

“Really.”

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord patted his own face before continuing in his usual gentle tone, “This place contains the accumulated treasures of our Netherworld over the past ten thousand years.”

“Some are relics left behind from the Second Kalpa Era.”

“Others date back to the age of the Five Ghost Emperors during the Third Kalpa Era, while still others come from the era when the Northern Emperor’s incarnation ruled as the Central Heaven Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor during the Fourth Kalpa Era.”

“Only, divine objects conceal their own brilliance. They reveal no divine radiance, and we have no way of knowing whether they are precious or worthless, nor what uses they possess.”

“So we simply gathered them all together for safekeeping.”

“Of course, being relics of antiquity, they require a considerable amount of Yin Virtue to claim.”

“Come, young friend. Follow me.”

At this point, any further refusal from Qi Wuhuo would have been discourteous. He rose and followed.

The sleeves of the young Daoist’s robe stirred gently before hanging once more at his sides.

At his waist, the Northern Emperor Mirror shimmered with a faint radiance.