Chapter 963: A Chief Mourner
In Su Yi’s past life, setting aside honorary disciples like the Golden-Winged Great Peng, Su Yi had nine legacy disciples in total.
He’d made numerous preparations prior to his reincarnation and rebirth—like arranging for his seventh disciple, Xuan Ning, to go to the Little Western Paradise to learn from Buddhist Master Inkstone Heart, and?placing numerous traps throughout the Grotto of Abstruse Force to prevent enemies from taking advantage of his passing and attacking.
He had also entrusted the Abstruse Primordial God Mirror, the treasure that controlled the Grotto of Abstruse Force’s formations, to his fourth disciple, Jin Kui, among many other measures.
One major thing he hadn't anticipated, however, was that Pi Mo would collude with external foes.?He also wouldn’t have guessed that his third disciple, Huo Yao, would steal the Abstruse Primordial God Mirror, rendering all the traps Su Yi had placed in the Grotto of Abstruse Force useless.
In the end, one of the Four Apexes of the Wilds, the Grotto of Abstruse Force, split.
His youngest disciple, Qing Tang, occupied the Grotto of Abstruse Force and proclaimed herself sovereign over the Wilds. His eldest disciple, Pi Mo, stood against her, using the name of Su Xuanjun to establish the Abstruse Force Alliance and rope in the forces of the Six Great Daoist Sects.
Their opposition continued to this day.
Sometimes, Su Yi wondered, “Did I ever mistreat my disciples? Why did they behave like this after I reincarnated? For power? Or for treasures? Or were they disloyal even before I reincarnated?”
Even now, he didn’t understand it.?However, he dared say with certainty that there were still truths hidden behind it all, secrets he’d yet to grasp!
Aside from his eldest disciple, he couldn’t say with certainty whether his other disciples had truly betrayed him or not.
Especially Qing Tang…
The thought of his youngest disciple, the one he doted upon the most, and everything she’d done after his reincarnation filled his heart with melancholy. It was difficult to avoid.
I’m to blame for reincarnating too hastily. I didn’t leave enough in reserve…Su Yi sighed to himself.
Nothing had gone wrong with his rebirth, but his reincarnation had indeed resulted in quite a few unexpected developments.?This was why he thought he’d been too hasty even though he had made arrangements and left various measures in reserve.
And he feared his disciples had become so brazen only because they were certain that their master had already passed.
“When dragons go without a leader, disaster is sure to follow. You established the Grotto of Abstruse Force on your own, Fellow Daoist. With you present, the heavens could never have fallen. Without you, disaster was inevitable.”?The Timekeeper’s raspy voice resounded from within the hall. “It’s not like similar tragedies haven’t unfolded over the years. Take the Infernal Palace, once the strongest organization in the Netherworld. Wasn’t their fall and division the result of the passing of their last monarch?
“Look at the descendants of the ancient clans that once oversaw the divisions of the Bureau of the Six Paths. They’re at each other's throats! Such cases are too numerous to count.”
Here, the Timekeeper added, “This is simply the nature of the world’s ups and downs.”
After a moment’s silence, Su Yi smiled. Inwardly, he said,It’s always been like that, but does that make it right?
“How about this? I’ll take up residence here temporarily. Morning the day after tomorrow, I’ll leave the City of Eternal Night with Liu Changsheng.” Su Yi cast aside his scattered thoughts, tossed the cat off of him, straightened his clothes, and got up.
He’d never liked lingering on unpleasant matters or getting hung up on the past.
People ought to look to the future.
That was true whether in daily life or when pursuing the Grand Dao!
……
The City of Eternal Night was shrouded in perpetual darkness. There was no difference between night and day.
This was why they needed someone to ring the gongs.
Once every two hours, the city’s inhabitants would hear the boundless, indistinct ringing of a gong. This kept them informed of the passage of time.
…
Su Yi sat cross-legged within a room. Twenty freshly-fused Threelives Rebirth Stones lay in front of him.
Every piece shone with glass-like, seven-colored luster, and an air of divinity hovered about them. Misty light flowed, illuminating the entire room.
“With these treasures, I’ll be able to refine incomparably dense, pure Xiantian Profound Qi when I undergo tribulation to become an Emperor!” A hint of satisfaction tugged at Su Yi’s lips.
With a wave of his sleeves, he gathered up the twenty pieces of Threelives Rebirth Stone.
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Then, he took out three leftover pieces of Divine Spirit Nirvana Stone and a piece of Blood-Cleaning Stone and started absorbing and refining the energy they contained.
Divine Spirit Nirvana Stones tempered the soul, and they could help Emperors forge a first-rate incarnation of will.
Blood-Cleansing Stones were used to temper the physical body, and they could help Emperors acquire inexhaustible, undying qi and blood.
Even old monsters of the Imperial Realm would drool over such treasures. Those beneath the Imperial level wouldn’t use them lightly even in the unlikely event they managed to obtain them.
Yet now, Su Yi was using these treasures to temper his soul and physique!
Especially the Divine Spirit Nirvana Stones. They were useful for tempering the soul, and they would be inestimably beneficial to Su Yi.
After all, when he called upon the Sword of the Nine Hells, he primarily exhausted the power of his soul!
Assuming nothing unexpected happens, my cultivation will reach the peak of the Spiritual Revolution Realm by dawn the day after tomorrow. My cultivation, soul, and physique will all reach the peak of perfection within the Spirit Dao.
After that, I just need to fully master the power of the Apex of Genesis. Then I can seek out an opportunity to prove my Dao and become an Emperor!
Even as Su Yi pondered, he was already immersed in his cultivation.
……
Meanwhile, in an inn elsewhere in the City of Eternal Night.
“Please, have some tea, Your Excellency.” The red-robed, youthful Fourth Executioner Hong Ying proffered a cup of tea.
Only then did he sit down not far away. When he gazed at the bewitching beauty seated across from him, his eyes revealed a nigh imperceptible hint of dread.
“In ancient times, I came to the Netherworld in search of the secrets of reincarnation on the Pavilion Master’s orders. Who’d have thought I’d spend all this time trapped in the City of the Wrongfully Dead?” said the Netherworld King languidly. “And look at you! You and your subordinates have only been in the Netherworld for nine years, but you’ve already learned that the Burial Ground of the Dao likely hides the secrets of reincarnation. It’s truly impressive.”
Hong Ying smiled modestly. “You exaggerate, Your Excellency. We just happened to arrive at an opportune moment. If not for the appearance of that mysterious Netherworld Vessel and the resulting changes, who would have known that a forbidden place like the Burial Ground of the Dao had re-emerged from the depths of the Sea of Bitterness?”
The Netherworld King nodded distractedly and abruptly changed the subject. “The sect must have changed quite a bit during my long absence.”
Hong Ying’s gaze turned a bit strange. “Time changes all things, and worldly affairs are ever shifting. Nothing in this world is eternal, and indeed, our Nine Heavens Pavilion has changed quite a bit. However, the only thing that’s really changed are our members.
“We remain lofty, supreme rulers in the eyes of the people of the Heavenly Prayer Star Realm. Within the sect, the three Heavenly Libationers haven’t changed, but there are some new faces amongst the seven Wardens and eighteen Executioners.”
The Netherworld King’s eyes subtly focused.
When new faces appeared among the Wardens and Executioners, it meant that one of the pre-existing members had fallen, or alternatively, been surpassed and replaced.
“Have I… already been replaced?” asked the Netherworld King.
After a moment’s silence, Hong Ying looked up and suddenly met her gaze. “A long time ago, the Grand Heavenly Libationer said that he’d reserve your position for me.”
“You?” The Netherworld King was a bit surprised, but she saw the irrepressible longing in Hong Ying’s eyes.
Hong Ying nodded and said seriously, “When I left for the Netherworld, the Grand Libationer agreed that so long as I discovered clues regarding the secrets of reincarnation, he’d do everything in his power to help me break into the Profound Unity Realm upon my return.”
Here, his eyes blazed like torches. “When the time comes, I’ll be able to take the position you left open and become the new Seventh Warden!”
The heat of his gaze made the Netherworld King a bit uncomfortable, and she couldn’t help but frown. “But you’re still just in the mid-stage Profound Serenity Realm, while I… won’t need much longer to escape confinement.”
Reading between the lines, she was saying, “With me here, you’re still not qualified to take my position!”
A confident smile tugged at Hong Ying’s lips. “To tell the truth, Your Excellency, a long time ago, the three Heavenly Libationers had a discussion. They agreed that if you returned to the sect alive, they’d arrange a new position for you.”
The Netherworld King asked with great interest, What position?
“The Chief Mourner of one of the nine Dens of Caterpillars,” said Hong Ying. “You can choose whichever den you like.”
The Chief Mourner of a Den of Caterpillars!
The Netherworld King’s stunning face was instantly overcast, and her charming eyes turned cold and indifferent.
Those three old things sure are heartless!
In the Nine Heavens Pavilion, Chief Mourners oversaw a Den of Caterpillars, and they were responsible for conducting sacrifices.?It might seem like a lofty position, but in truth, they had little freedom, and they needed to spend all their time in the utterly inhospitable, frightening Dens of Caterpillars.
In the Nine Heavens Pavilion, Chief Mourners’ statuses were at best barely higher than that of the Executioners. They were far inferior to Wardens!
How could the Netherworld King not be displeased by such an arrangement?
Not far away, Hong Ying took in the shifting expressions on the Netherworld King’s beautiful face. Despite himself, his lips curved into a smile.
A moment later, he said suddenly, “Of course, if you’ll agree to do something for me, I’ll freely relinquish the position of Seventh Warden to you!”
“Oh?” said the Netherworld King. “Let’s hear it.”
Hong Ying leaned forward slightly, then examined her slender, prideworthy figure without the slightest reservation. He made no further attempts to disguise the greed and fire blazing within his heart. “In exchange, I hope you’ll agree to join me in dual cultivation and assist in my breakthrough.”
When he said the words “dual cultivation,” his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat, and he felt parched.
A woman with the Mysterious Keyhole Charm Body wasn’t just enchanting enough to bewitch the masses; she was also a prime furnace for dual cultivation. This temptation was enough to move any top expert!
Take the Netherworld King: those unmatched good looks and the aloof, prideful air of a sovereign filled Hong Ying with the desire to rip off her clothes and have his way with her here and now.
The Netherworld King froze in apparent disbelief.?She then took in the unconcealed fire and greed in Hong Ying’s gaze and listened to his words, which still echoed throughout the hall.
Irrepressible murderous intent silently welled within her heart.
An Executioner, that’s all, yet he dares set his sights on me. He’s truly… seeking death!
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