In just five days, Ye Yu led Ru Kong through seven Ghost Cities.
At each stop, he personally destroyed the stele carved with his own life story and then produced a Buddhist sutra to propagate the Dharma.
Ru Kong stood by as though forced to work overtime without pay—his sense of grievance practically spilled off the screen!
Of course, Ye Yu only visited those Ghost Cities that had erected steles praising the Underworld Sage; there was no need to go where not even a stone tablet bore his name.
After all, the ghost-creatures there might not even know who he was. Even if he went, no powerful emotional clash would result.
Naturally, Ye Yu wouldn’t waste his time on that!
And it proved that effort yields reward.
News that Ye Yu and the monk from the Buddha Realm were propagating Dharma in the Ghost Cities soon spread throughout the entire Underworld!
To ordinary ghost-creatures, their favorite spectacle was to watch a big figure’s downfall: from Underworld Sage to Underworld Madman!
In the shortest time, Ye Yu had reversed his two extreme identities, becoming the hottest topic in the Underworld!
As for the high-level ghost-creatures—lords of the Ghost Cities—they hated Ye Yu to the core.
They had believed that Ye Yu’s Dharma-resistance method would benefit the Underworld as a whole, which was why they spared no effort to erect steles and proclaim his deeds.
“We could give you fame—but you had to drag that monk along and destroy your own fortress. That was beyond all expectations! We praised you so highly, and you turn around to consort with a monk—aren’t you simply slapping us in the face, showing that we’re blind?”
“Detestable fellow!”
Thus the lords of several eastern Underworld Ghost Cities gathered to discuss how to deal with Ye Yu.
All of them had suffered defeats at his hands and were naturally eager to vent their grievances. Among ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) them was Li Anfeng of Shaoyin Ghost City.
He sat quietly at the edge, watching the Ghost City lords furiously denounce Ye Yu’s crimes. The spectacle filled him with extreme disgust.
What use was all this shouting? If they truly had the power, why hadn’t they taken Ye Yu down when he visited their Ghost Cities?
Ha—nothing but fair-weather friends, only bold when the wind is in their favor.
Just then, Qian Qian, lord of Lianian Ghost City, arrived from outside.
At his arrival, the assembled lords seemed to find a release valve and hurled furious shouts at him: “Lord Qian, Ye Yu was one of your ghost-creatures. He’s now colluding with a monk—shouldn’t you have something to say?”
Qian Qian calmly found a seat and, with detached voice, said, “What shall I say? What can I say? It’s true Ye Yu emerged from my Ghost City. But so what? If I could have killed him, I would have done so already—no need to wait until now.
“And you calling me here today to discuss matters was entirely superfluous. If you’re so enraged, why not go kill Ye Yu yourselves?”
His words left the other Ghost City lords speechless, their gazes drifting.
Those present were precisely the ghosts Ye Yu had beaten. If they truly had the ability to resist, they wouldn’t be so angry!
Seeing them fall silent, Qian Qian snorted coldly and rose to leave.
As soon as he stepped into the sky, a figure appeared—it was Li Anfeng, lord of Shaoyin Ghost City.
“I’ve long held a doubt,” Li Anfeng said. “I hoped Lord Qian could help me resolve it.”
Qian Qian glanced at him and quietly replied, “Speak freely.”
“I wish to know: what does Ye Yu truly intend? That title ‘Underworld Madman’—I don’t believe it. I know he is powerful enough to kill countless ghost-creatures, yet he’s never done so. He merely parades around with that monk and moves on. He’s deliberately stoking the ghosts’ resentment—what’s his reason?”
Whether human or ghost, curiosity magnifies when questions go unanswered.
Li Anfeng was precisely in that state.
He had studied the route Ye Yu and Ru Kong took and everything they did in each Ghost City, and arrived at an incredible conclusion:
Ye Yu seemed intent on inflating the ghosts’ hatred value and driving them to fury!
Unable to solve it, Li Anfeng pinned his hopes on Qian Qian, who might know the answer—after all, Qian Qian had once journeyed closely with Ye Yu.
Sure enough, Qian Qian did not protest but instead showed a trace of respect as he gazed into the sky.
“What Ye Yu seeks to do is a grand undertaking,” Qian Qian said. “Perhaps not understood now, but so what? His sins are in the present, his merits will stand for ages.”
At those words, Li Anfeng’s eyes flew wide and his expression filled with astonishment. Clearly, he too perceived the weight of those final eight words!
But Qian Qian was not overly surprised by Li Anfeng’s reaction—perhaps he had once been the same himself.
Meanwhile, in the Ghostly Forest...
Ye Yu began checking the amount of negative-emotion value he had recently accrued.
It had reached an astonishing four hundred million!
Based on past experience, even if such a sum couldn’t propel him to the late stages of the Ghost-Emperor realm, it would at least secure mid-Ghost-Emperor.
That should be enough.
In a few more days, perhaps this plan could finally be wrapped up!
Ye Yu turned to look at Ru Kong, who immediately shuddered and trembled all over.
During this time, Ru Kong had suffered mightily. In every Ghost City, Ye Yu would claim he was helping him, then use Ru Kong’s body as a weapon against the Ghost City lord!
Honestly, Ru Kong had never imagined the Vajra monk’s physique could be used in such a way!
It was beyond the pale—utterly inhumane!
No—this fellow was no man!
“Venerable, is there... something you wish to instruct this monk?” Ru Kong’s voice trembled with fear.
Ye Yu waved a hand. “It’s nothing. Rest early. In a few days, I hope you’ll be a bit more spirited.”
At this, Ru Kong’s terror magnified again—he was on the brink of tears.
But Ye Yu paid him no mind and prepared to rest himself.
Suddenly, a shaft of red moonlight fell vertically before them!
