Everlasting Immortal FirmamentEverlasting Immortal Firmament
The hungry ghost path of reincarnation:
The three-legged white crow caused massive chaos using ice and fire, resulting in numerous hungry ghosts meeting untimely ends. Unfortunately, it could not locate Gu Hai.
Frustrated, the three-legged white crow flapped its wings and flew to Boundless Mountain.
Boundless Mountain’s entrance:
Ji Dihong and Cangjie stood atop a peak. Both suppressed the laws’ transformation of their bodies and waited patiently.
“This hungry ghost path of reincarnation is truly an amazing place! Thanks to it greatly strengthening our physical body, we could match Chiyou,” Ji Dihong remarked.
“Your Holy Eminence, strengthening our physical souls is beneficial, but the onslaught of the hungry ghosts’ wills is quite unbearable,” said Cangjie gravely.
Ji Dihong nodded. “True, but it’s better than outside. Here, the will is of the physical soul. Outside, it’s of the spiritual soul. The physical soul is ultimately weaker.”
“This world differs from other places. Regardless of one’s cultivation or physical strength, everything is determined by the dantian deity king. Gu Hai has a solid foundation in spiritual soul cultivation, but his deity king might not. This official wonders, how big of a monster will Gu Hai transform into here?” Cangjie pondered aloud with a smile.
Ji Dihong showed a faint sneer, as though disdaining to guess.
Ji Dihong scoffed, “Regardless of size, Bing Ji has probably slaughtered him by now.”
“Before we parted, I instructed Bing Ji that once they enter this world, she should kill Gu Hai and return with his body,” Cangjie confirmed.
Suddenly, a crow’s call came from afar. A flash of white light quickly approached.
Whoosh!
“She’s here!” Cangjie smiled as the three-legged white crow arrived and transformed into Bing Ji.
“Where is Gu Hai’s body?” Cangjie inquired.
“Master, I apologize. Gu Hai forced a pill into my mouth, and I went berserk. By the time I recovered, he had escaped,” Bing Ji replied hastily.
“What did you say? You let Gu Hai escape?” Ji Dihong’s tone was icy.
“Yes.” Bing Ji nodded.
Smack! Ji Dihong threw a slap in a rage.
This left a burning red palm print on Bing Ji’s face, but she did not dare talk back.
Cangjie extended his hand and placed it on Bing Ji’s wrist to take her pulse. After some silence, he said, “The Lifespan Spiritual Soul Pill? A brief return of the mortal soul’s memories? Impressive, the Unborn Man found out.”
“Bing Ji’s memories returned?” Ji Dihong asked, frowning.
“Your Holy Eminence, Bing Ji is not to blame. Deceiving Gu Hai into this world, especially with him knowing of Bing Ji’s peculiarities, was already no small feat,” Cangjie explained solemnly.
“Humph!” Ji Dihong snorted coldly as he looked at Bing Ji.
“Mister Cangjie, you can locate people. Where is Gu Hai in this world?” Ji Dihong asked.
Cangjie shook his head. “It’s the spiritual souls’ energy that allows me to locate individuals. Gu Hai’s three spiritual souls are suppressed here, so I can’t find him.”
“You can’t find him? If Gu Hai gains an understanding of the hungry ghost path of reincarnation’s laws and exploits them, he can grow stronger!” Ji Dihong’s face sank.
“Your Holy Eminence, don’t worry. Physical souls also have wills. Even if Gu Hai knows about the laws here, he cannot grow much stronger quickly. There are so many hungry ghosts in this world that even the Six Paths Immortal would be tempted, but he does not dare to do it. Clearly, he worries about the physical souls’ wills. How could Gu Hai compare to the Six Paths Immortal? Even if he has some time, he can’t grow much stronger.” Cangjie shook his head.
“Nevertheless, we cannot let Gu Hai escape. Inform the hungry ghost kings. We need Gu Hai. We will heavily reward anyone who can find him!” Ji Dihong declared seriously.
“However, what should we do if Gu Hai lets the laws transform his body, changing his appearance?” Cangjie asked worriedly.
If Gu Hai’s appearance changed, they could not find him.
“No. Gu Hai cultivates blessings and is a sovereign. His six physical souls are intact, so even if he transforms, he will only take the form of the blessings Dao—a dragon. We will find him by searching for dragon-shaped hungry ghosts!” Ji Dihong said.
“Yes!” Cangjie answered.
The powerful hungry ghosts in the hungry ghost path of reincarnation quickly received the news and searched for a dragon-shaped hungry ghost.
------
Black energy billowed out in all directions, the scent luring more and more hungry ghosts over.
The salivating hungry ghosts poured into a fog-covered valley, expecting a feast. Instead, they found a vast gaping mouth.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Inside the fog, a black dragon continuously munched on hungry ghosts, in a manner of speaking. After it crush the hungry ghosts, the five deities digested them even faster. No wonder Chiyou liked chewing on his food back then.
Within five days, the black dragon had grown to thirty-three meters long.
Gu Hai felt the Spiritual Progenitor deity king within him growing stronger, turning even more purple.
For ten days, Gu Hai consumed all that approached.
During one such feast, a spiritual soul emerged from Gu Hai’s body as it devoured a hungry ghost. This spiritual soul had come from its stomach.
As it had not intended to capture the spiritual soul, the spiritual soul passed through its body unhindered.
Then, that spiritual soul looked at Gu Hai and bowed gratefully to Gu Hai, as though it had gained release. After that, its figure wavered and vanished.
“A spiritual soul can leave the hungry ghost path of reincarnation?” Gu Hai’s eyes lit up.
“Since that is the case, I’ll just keep eating. Bing Ji did not say which two hungry ghost kings had her spiritual souls, so I will just devour all the hungry ghost kings!” Gu Hai narrowed its eyes.
While the black dragon was engrossed in consuming smaller hungry ghosts, a powerful aura descended from the sky.
Boom!
A thirty-three-meter-tall humanoid monster landed in the valley, exclaiming, “Such a delightful scent! I’m salivating. Ah! There’s a powerful hungry ghost in this fog. Perfect for a feast! Hahahaha!”
Gu Hai looked out and saw a stout man. But this man was no ordinary man; he sported a pair of ox horns, four arms, and a single eye on his face. In his six-fingered hands, he held a bronze mace, emanating a menacing aura.
Whoosh!
The monster inhaled deeply and instantly consumed the surging mist, revealing a thirty-three-meter-long black dragon inside.
Upon seeing the dragon, the humanoid creature’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“A dragon-shaped monster? Hahahaha! My search has not been in vain. I’m going to make a big contribution. The king commanded us to capture any dragon-like monsters. If I bring you in, won’t I be promoted to a hungry ghost officer?” the humanoid monster laughed heartily.
As the humanoid monster spoke, he charged Gu Hai.
Gu Hai’s expression changed. Sensing the threat, it lashed out with its tail, striking the humanoid monster.
But the creature countered with a powerful blow to the dragon’s tail with his bronze mace.
Boom!
The dragon tail recoiled with a report.
“Haha! You dare resist? My mace is designed to slay dragons. Let’s see where you can flee to today?!” the humanoid monster roared, laughing.
Gu Hai’s face sank as it spewed black smoke from its mouth.
However, the humanoid monster simply inhaled it, leaving nothing behind.
The humanoid and the dragon immediately started fighting.
Rumble…!
The valley resounded with their battle, and rocks flew everywhere. Gu Hai found itself challenged by such a formidable opponent.
“Are you a hungry ghost king?” Gu Hai roared as they fought.
The humanoid monster laughed, “A hungry ghost king? You must be joking! I’m just a lowly hungry ghost soldier. Above me in order are hungry ghost officer, hungry ghost major, hungry ghost general, hungry ghost marshal, and then hungry ghost king! I’m far from the top. However, the king did promise a lavish reward for capturing a dragon-shaped hungry ghost. So stop resisting! Hahaha!”
Gu Hai showed an unsightly expression. Just a hungry ghost soldier is so powerful?
“Roar!”
With a roar, Gu Hai lunged again.
Both were in the thirty-three-meter class. The dragon, being elongated, was somewhat at a disadvantage. However, Gu Hai was ferocious and refused to admit defeat.
After taking over ten blows from the mace, Gu Hai wrapped around the humanoid and clawed out his only eye, risking a heavy strike.
“Argh!” the humanoid monster screamed in pain.
Chomp!
Gu Hai swallowed this hungry ghost, along with the mace, in one gulp.
Rumble…!
Surging black energy erupted, attracting more hungry ghosts.
The black dragon digested that hungry ghost soldier and grew by three meters.
“It’s unfortunate that my three spiritual souls are sealed, preventing me from accessing the Gu’s Immortal Firmament. I can only rely on my physical body. Just a small hungry ghost soldier pushed me this far? No, I’ll soon become much stronger! I aim to devour the entire hungry ghost path of reincarnation!” the black dragon declared coldly.
Black fog surrounded the place, preventing the hungry ghosts outside from seeing in.
Wave after wave of them approached, entering the black fog, only to become food for Gu Hai.
“Staying here won’t work. I must seek places teeming with hungry ghosts!” Gu Hai said determinedly.
After consuming many ghosts, the black dragon roared and soared towards a distant hungry ghost military camp in the distance.
------
The emperor’s study, Borderless Heavenly Capital:
The skeleton Gu Hai took charge of Borderless Heavenly Capital.
“Your Reverence, rest assured. The flow of time in the hungry ghost path of reincarnation differs from the outside world. A day outside equals a year inside. Your Reverence’s true body will be safe if he stays hidden,” the Unborn Man comforted.
The skeleton Gu Hai nodded and then turned to Meng Tai, asking, “What’s the situation on that side?”
Meng Tai replied respectfully, “Your Reverence, all the Embroidered Uniform Guards in Xuanyuan City are cooperating with Prime Shangguan. We received a message that Prime Shangguan has infiltrated Xuanyuan City’s palace.”
Gu Hai nodded. “The Han Imperial Dynasty’s blessings still exist, which means my true body remains unharmed. Cangjie’s plan failed to harm our true body, indicating something unforeseen has happened inside the hungry ghost path of reincarnation. Cangjie must be searching for our true body!”
“Indeed, Your Reverence. Prime Shangguan has now disguised himself as Cangjie and is heading to Lifespan Nangong’s palace hall,” Mo Yike confirmed.
Gu Hai nodded expectantly.
------
Xuanyuan City:
Shangguan Hen transformed into Cangjie. With the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s intelligence, he knew the general location of Lifespan Nangong and moved through the palace unhindered wherever he went.
Just as he neared Lifespan Nangong’s palace, a figure approached.
“Mister Cangjie, why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be…?” An astonished voice rang out.
Halting and looking over, Shangguan Hen saw Emperor Kong approaching.