At thirty-seven, Ye Yu, by mastering the Path of Fusion, had at last broken through into the Emperor Realm.
Sure enough, it was the Path of Dreams that he had grasped most quickly and that suited him best—simple and direct.
That year, reports of a strange figure “seeking a body” grew ever more rampant.
In the first half, countless members of the Demon Race had been slaughtered, and survivors began migrating toward the Celestial Realm and the Underworld.
In the latter half, it was the Underworld that suffered!
The same body-seeker had ventured there, unleashing waves of bloodshed and terror.
Or rather, terror among ghosts!
This matter attracted widespread attention.
Everyone speculated what sort of background this body-seeker had, and why he acted with such utter disregard for logic.
Yes, utterly illogical!
Everyone knew the Underworld belonged to ghosts—fallen souls.
How could any living body exist there?
They might as well be asking for trouble!
Over time, Ye Yu’s curiosity was piqued.
Someone capable of cutting through both the Demon and Underworld Realms—and against whom even Emperor-Realm experts proved no match—might be a false god, after all.
If so, he would at least need to secure that god-soul, see if it could fuse with others, and piece together the mightiest god-soul in history.
What a challenge that would be!
With a snap of his fingers, Ye Yu, accompanied by his newly fused celestial beast, Xiao Bai, entered the Underworld.
The moment he emerged from the portal, that familiar chill swept over him, filling him with nostalgia.
Indeed, he had not set foot in the Underworld for quite some time.
Yet it was completely different from before.
Ye Yu’s eyes widened at the sight: the ghostly mountains and ruined ghost cities of his memories lay in shambles.
Not a single wandering spirit or vengeful ghost remained in sight.
Even the ghost qi was far thinner than he remembered.
Is this really the Underworld? he wondered, feeling as if he had come to the wrong place.
Driven by curiosity, Ye Yu soared thousands of li, finally descending above a dilapidated ghost city.
Touching down, he peered into the shadows and called out, “Come out. How long do you plan to hide?”
But there was no response.
Just as Ye Yu raised his hand to summon them, a trembling figure in the Ghost-King Realm emerged.
“Your High Immortal, spare me,” he whimpered. “I know nothing. I was born dull of wit, my eyes lifeless—I’ve never seen any ‘body-seeker’!” he pleaded.
Ye Yu paused, then realized this ghost had mistaken him for the legendary body-seeker. He smiled and said, “You’re wrong. I’m not the so-called body-seeker.”
“R-Really?” the Ghost-King stammered, disbelief in his eyes.
Ye Yu frowned. “Why? Do I look that much like him?”
The Ghost-King burst into tears, pointing behind Ye Yu. “Big brother, he may not look like the monster, but who else brings such a creature along?”
Ye Yu glanced over his shoulder. There, Xiao Bai—deer’s body, sheep’s face, ox’s horns, tiger’s tail, six wings (three white, three black)—stared back at him in bewilderment.
“Ink brother, is he insulting me?” Xiao Bai asked aloud.
Ye Yu nodded. “I suppose so...”
Xiao Bai snapped open its blood-churning maw, razor teeth glinting as a powerful suction began—then abruptly stopped. Ye Yu had grabbed its jaws just in time.
“Could you temper your temper? I finally found a living ghost, don’t eat it! I still need answers.”
Xiao ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Bai shook its head in indignation.
The poor Ghost-King’s resolve collapsed entirely. Even before Ye Yu’s explanation, he confessed everything, tears streaming. He even detailed how many concubines he had recently taken.
His name was Yang Keqiang, formerly deputy city lord of this ghost city, living a life of unrivaled ease. No risks, no targets—just deciding which ghostly lady to court each day.
But half a month ago, it all ended.
A shadow descended upon the Underworld, searching ruthlessly for its body.
Many of the Underworld’s strong perished by her hand.
Yang Keqiang had urged the city lord to find shelter until the body-seeker left.
But the city lord, confident in his Ghost-Emperor Realm strength, vowed to tear that monster limb from limb and display the remains atop the city for all ghosts to behold.
Seeing his lord’s resolve, Yang Keqiang despaired—but his fear lessened, too. He had regarded the city lord as an elder brother since youth, and everyone said he was ferocious. Yet each challenger fell beneath his hand. Rumors proved unreliable; perhaps as a ghost, only one’s own fists could be trusted.
For a moment, Yang Keqiang’s spirit soared with pride—until the monster truly appeared over the city. At that very moment, he was playing hide-and-seek with a newly wedded ghost bride.
Drunk on ghost wine, he hadn’t noticed the chaos outside—only that, as the game continued, the city walls shattered!
Countless ghosts fled in terror. Yang Keqiang sought his elder brother, only to learn that the city lord had been pulverized.
Horrified, he hid trembling in a secret chamber.
Days passed with no sign of movement.
Finally, he ventured out—only to encounter Ye Yu.
Honestly, his terror remained absolute; he dared not lift an eyelid, fearing the gaze of that utterly bizarre celestial beast.
After all, that creature resembled a ghost even more than he did!
