Ye Yu summoned the tamed Ting Yu from the Zhaohun Fan Luxian (Soul-Summoning Banner that Slays Immortals) and accessed his memories.
Only then did he discover a shocking truth.
It turned out that half a month ago, after Ye Yu had wreaked havoc in the Three Corpse Hall, Ting Yu had smelled the heavy scent of blood. The moment Ye Yu left, Ting Yu entered, ready for a feast. For a starving ghost like him, it didn’t matter whether the immortal lived or died—what mattered was whether the corpse provided enough nourishment.
But just as Ting Yu was indulging himself in the Three Corpse Hall, a billow of black mist slowly condensed and easily inflicted grievous injury upon him. Seeing he stood no chance, Ting Yu instinctively tried to flee. Unfortunately, he hadn’t gone far before he was dragged back, and in a most ancient manner a strand of his pure soul was seized to bind a master-servant contract. Under such overwhelming force, Ting Yu had no room to resist and had to submit.
He never had the chance to see what that black mist truly was—only that it commanded him to call itself Motian Jun. Motian Jun didn’t assign Ting Yu any specific tasks; he was merely curious how, at the moment the Six Realms’ passages were severed, someone could climb from the Netherworld into the Celestial Realm. It was baffling.
Ting Yu dared not hide anything and recounted everything in full. Motian Jun fell silent for a long while after hearing the tale, then said slowly that it was surprising that ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ in such times a ghost could still seize an opportunity. Quite interesting—but not important. Soon the Sovereign Realm would awaken, and the passages of the Five Realms—Human, Demon, Celestial, Nether, and Monster—would reopen. A Great Age would dawn. Only the truly strong would have the chance for vengeance. As for the insignificant, they might as well writhe helplessly on the ground, unable to control their own fate.
His words were vague, and Ting Yu nodded repeatedly without understanding. Then Motian Jun slapped him across the face and said, “If you don’t understand, don’t pretend you do. Your foolish eyes have already given you away. Why insist on putting on airs?” Ting Yu clutched his cheek in grievance but dared not speak. After all, the one with the bigger fist was always boss—an eternal truth. Moreover, having signed the master-servant contract, he had no power to resist.
Yet Motian Jun was not all fists and fury. He taught Ting Yu a method to穿仙躯— to don an immortal’s body—and sneered that a peak Ghost-King Realm cultivator was far from invincible in the mortal world. His ghostly aura was too conspicuous; by wearing an immortal’s body, he could adapt to Celestial Realm life and more easily accomplish many tasks, greatly increasing his chances of survival. “Now that you are my servant, in the coming Great Age I will show you endless vistas. But your strength is still insufficient. You must advance further. Aim for the Ghost-Emperor Realm. When you reach half-step Ghost-Emperor, come find me!” With that, he sent Ting Yu packing.
After leaving the Three Corpse Hall, Ting Yu encountered the lone Shan Ting—perhaps fate had truly destined the young man’s end—so he inhabited Shan Ting’s body. He then used Shan Ting’s identity to enter the secret Ta Yan Dao sect and gorge himself. It must be said, Ta Yan Dao did have a few sturdy fighters: they pinned Ting Yu to the ground and beat him soundly. But their power still paled before Motian Jun’s, and in the end Ting Yu managed to escape.
A few days later, as Celestial Realm immortal power revived, Ting Yu used the devoured energies of those immortals to soar into the half-step Sovereign Realm. The surge of power left him dizzy with pride, and he brazenly began “fishing” for immortals to consume: he would casually emit ghost-qi to lure curious immortals, then devour them. Time and again the tactic succeeded; today he even lured Winter Kui. But he hadn’t expected to run into Ye Yu—a ruthless force—and suffer such a tragic defeat. Indeed, the ways of the world are fickle.
After viewing Ting Yu’s memories, Ye Yu related everything to Winter Kui, who was likewise perplexed. The passages of the Five Realms would reopen? Then why not the highest Divine Realm? And the Six Realms’ severance had been so thorough, it seemed impossible to rebuild. How could Motian Jun speak so confidently? Yet, since he sounded so certain, there must be some foundation. Perhaps the Five Realms’ passages would truly reopen. But why?
This question baffled both Ye Yu and Ting Yu. Motian Jun must know deeply guarded secrets—if only they could access his memories, all questions would be answered. But from Ting Yu’s view, that black mist had displayed horrifying power, far beyond his understanding, attacking him before Celestial Realm power had recovered and before Sovereign Realm had awakened.
Winter Kui advised against seeking out Motian Jun for now; it could well spiral beyond control. Ye Yu disagreed. Motian Jun was not invincible—perhaps Ye Yu’s current strength was slightly lacking, but if he could enter the Celestial-King Realm and seize the Tiandao Imperial Weapon, the outcome might change. By the reckoning, the Tiandao Imperial Weapon should now appear. It was time to await her arrival.
Still, Ye Yu could not understand Motian Jun’s timing: if he had been in the Three Corpse Hall, why had he not appeared when Ye Yu had laid waste there, instead waiting until Ye Yu left to beat Ting Yu? It defied explanation—yet Ye Yu did not dwell on it.
He and Winter Kui returned to the Wuwei Tower. Seeing the two together, Zhu Diezhen and Wei Aoshu’s expressions had already shifted. An hour earlier, they had stood by Ye Yu’s door with pills, ready to begin their plan at once. Never had they imagined that, despite their patience, someone would cut in line. Utterly outrageous!
Zhu Diezhen and Wei Aoshu seethed with anger but had no outlet—they did not know who the queue-jumper was. True, Ye Yu had flown out on his own, undisturbed by outsiders. Yet they still believed someone had pushed ahead. And the evidence was right before them: the line-jumper was none other than Winter Kui. Honestly, it was infuriating. Everyone stood under the same heaven—why not honor the rules? It wasn’t that they opposed her becoming sisters; they only asked that she not jump the queue to enter first.