Chapter 351: The King Dies Today |
The capital of the Heavenly Pool Kingdom had no fixed borders. Its buildings were merely taller and more ornate than the village settlements, and on a larger scale, but to Chen Shi, it looked like a cluster of big and small village communities.
Sang Xixi whispered, "Every village is a tribe. The residents of each village are often of the same race, with one leading ghost god who enjoys incense offerings. The other ghosts and monsters are the providers. These tribes make up the Heavenly Pool capital."
Chen Shi looked toward one of the tribes. In the center of the village sat a ghost god, its body towering several zhang tall. It sat in the largest estate, its dwelling built for a giant. The other ghosts and monsters of the tribe lived in ordinary stone houses, everything designed to serve this powerful ghost god.
That ghost god fixed its gaze on him. Suddenly, its forehead split open, revealing a single eye that shone with bright light in his direction, like a tiny sun hidden in its brow.
Sang Xixi led Chen Shi and Peng Yan'er away from the place under the ghost god's watchful eye. "Those ghosts and monsters provide incense offerings to the ghost god, and the ghost god will protect them when danger comes. If the ghost god dies, they will choose the strongest among them to accept the incense offerings and become the new ghost god."
In the distance, a ghost from one tribe stood on a wooden platform several zhang high, furiously beating a large drum. On that platform, other ghosts were fighting, colliding with astonishing brute force, drawing Chen Shi's attention.
These ghosts were already mature, with robust bodies, immense strength, and partially awakened bloodlines. Their combat power was terrifying.
Their bloodline was far superior to that of the Fu Bird Tribe. The power they unleashed with every move could rival experts in the Divine Descent realm and the Refining Void realm.
Seeing this, Chen Shi's heart tightened. *The bloodline power of the ghost race is too strong!*
Ghosts referred to the souls of humans, cattle, horses, or other livestock that, after death, drifted into the underworld, where they had no anchor and transformed into ghosts.
Ghost monsters referred to underworld creatures born from yin energy in the underworld, such as yakshas, ox-heads, and horse-faces, the ghost races.
There were two types of ghost gods. One was mature ghost monsters who received incense offerings and worship from their tribe or other ghosts and monsters, becoming ghost gods. The other was humans, livestock, or monsters with great merit who, after death, received long-term worship from the living in the mortal world, using that merit to gain divine positions in the underworld.
Demons were peculiar creatures born from the evil energy of the underworld. They often had no physical body, or they attached themselves to dry bones, underworld plants, or hid in the shadows, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
On the distant arena, one of the ghost monsters suddenly thrust both hands forward and clapped them together heavily. A torrent of surging water burst forth, sending its opponent flying!
The force of that water torrent was astonishing, breaking its opponent's bones and tendons!
Sang Xixi whispered, "Did you notice anything?"
Chen Shi's voice was grave as he said, "I saw it. Divine abilities!"
"Right, divine abilities!"
Sang Xixi sighed in admiration, then felt a bit frustrated. "How did you see it? When the sect master brought me here, we encountered ghost monsters fighting over divine positions. They used divine abilities too, but I watched for a long time and couldn't tell."
Chen Shi said softly, "Spells borrow power from heaven, earth, gods, and spirits. Divine abilities draw their power from within oneself."
He was a master of spells, proficient in the Grand Cosmic Sacrificial Rite and the two thousand four hundred types of talismans. These talismans could evolve into thousands, even tens of thousands, of spells.
*Talismans* were pictographic scripts of spells, recording the forms of gods and demons, deriving extraordinary power from those forms.
*Amulets* were the names of gods and demons. Calling upon those names allowed one to borrow their power, or even transform into them.
*Seals* were the language of gods and demons. Using divine and demonic words, one could control the forces of nature.
All of these belonged to spells.
But divine abilities were the refining of one's own power, not borrowing from gods or demons!
Divine ability meant connecting with the divine, indicating that one's own power had reached a divine level, requiring no borrowed strength.
The power of the ghost race's bloodline was precisely divine ability!
After reaching maturity, the ghost race could awaken their bloodline and master divine abilities!
If such a group of ghost races invaded the mortal world...
Chen Shi frowned slightly. *Compared to spells, divine abilities have a faster activation speed. Divine abilities are quicker, but basically, a single race can only master one or two types of divine abilities, far less varied and complex than spells. So it's hard to say which is stronger.*
He felt a little relieved.
He noticed that there were also places for smelting and forging, also organized by tribe, with all the ghosts engaged in crafting and metalwork.
He also saw a tribe doing weaving. The ghosts in this tribe didn't use spinning wheels or looms; they wove by hand. The female ghosts of the tribe had eight arms, threading needles and weaving at lightning speed. However, the cloth they produced was quite rough.
Chen Shi finally understood where those ragged loincloths he had seen on the little yakshas came from.
*The little yakshas' ragged loincloths must have been bought here. They weren't torn when purchased, but the little yakshas basically have no money, so after wearing them for a long time, they fall apart.*
Although the Heavenly Pool Kingdom was rough and rustic, its craftsmanship was quite developed. Chen Shi also saw a tribe specializing in shipbuilding, one specializing in fishing gear, and even a tribe of ghost merchants.
Beyond that, there were towering ghost gods clad in armor, wielding battle-axes, halberds, knives, and tridents. They were likely the warriors guarding the capital.
Walking through it all, he witnessed a way of life completely different from the mortal world, his eyes opened wide.
Sang Xixi said, "In the Heavenly Pool Kingdom, we skeleton cultivators are classified as a race too, called the Skeleton Ghost Race. Our status is very low, not much better than the little yakshas. We don't have our own tribe. Cultivators who come here to make a living often attach their souls to skeletons after death, trying to acquire some treasures to send back to their families in the mortal world."
A sudden thought struck Chen Shi. He said, "We Skeleton Ghost Race are cultivators' primordial spirits attached to skeletons. Could it be that the little yakshas, ox-head lesser ghosts, and horse-face lesser ghosts are also cultivators from other worlds attached to these little creatures?"
Sang Xixi was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "When you put it that way, it's possible. But little yakshas are all born from ghost mothers. They're not like us, whose primordial spirits come from the mortal world, with skeletons transformed from the corpses of the dead. So, it shouldn't be possible."
Chen Shi didn't quite understand and asked, "Since they are the bones of the dead from the mortal world, why do they appear in the underworld?"
Sang Xixi wasn't entirely sure either. "I've heard elders say that when the dead of the mortal world are buried in the ground, their bodies rot into bones, and the bones keep sinking. When they reach the depth of the Nine Springs, they fall into the underworld. Other elders disagree, saying that the mortal world and the underworld actually exist in the same place. When people die, their yin energy becomes too heavy, so they appear in the underworld. When they are alive, their yang energy is strong, so they are in the mortal world. They also say that some people can see ghosts because their yin energy is too heavy. I don't know which is right."
Chen Shi saw a few skeletons with scant clothing. He assumed they were skeleton cultivators. In their ear holes, they had inserted two incense sticks, one on each side, with incense smoke curling upward.
But the city was mostly filled with little yakshas, ox-head lesser ghosts, and the like, who were always scurrying about, looking very busy.
"Heaven's Listeners!"
Chen Shi suddenly spotted several big-eared Heaven's Listeners flying overhead, heading toward a magnificent building complex. He was stunned. *These Heaven's Listeners are everywhere!*
Then, he saw even more Heaven's Listeners, probably two or three hundred of them, flying in from all directions, all converging on that tall building.
Sang Xixi looked at the direction the Heaven's Listeners were heading. "They should be going to the king's palace... Strange, what's happening over there?"
She was very excited, wanting to go see the commotion.
Places where Heaven's Listeners appeared en masse were often where things were happening.
After a while, they arrived at a stone courtyard. Sang Xixi opened the door. Inside lived two skeletons in clothes, presumably disciples of the Medicine King Sect.
Sang Xixi went to find some clothes. "Do you want long sleeves or short sleeves?"
Chen Shi said, "Can I just not wear any? Wearing clothes is inconvenient for fighting. I thought about going without clothes in the mortal world, but it would have been too shocking."
Sang Xixi sneered. "Not wear clothes? So everyone can just look at your ribs and pelvis? Wearing clothes has its benefits. You can hide talisman weapons and talisman objects in your chest cavity, and even in your pelvis, where no one can see. My interspatial pouch is hidden in my pelvis. When I need to use it, I just reach in and pull it out."
Her interspatial pouch was indeed a remarkable treasure, and Chen Shi was quite envious of it.
This treasure was created by reducing the Qian and Kun trigrams of the Eight Trigrams back into talismanic scripts and refining them. Its internal space was enormous, said to be a pouch that could hold heaven and earth.
However, this treasure had long been lost. Sang Xixi's interspatial pouch, found who knows where, had even held all of Chen Shi's firearms without being filled.
*I should study this kind of treasure, have the Lu Ban Sect try to make more, and hand them over to the Juxian Pavilion for sale,* Chen Shi thought to himself.
Sang Xixi found a green robe for him, the kind worn by physicians and doctors. There was only one, and it fit Chen Shi fairly well, but when he walked, his stark white thigh bones would be exposed.
Sang Xixi also found a black hat for him, the kind with a horizontal bar and fan-like leaves on top. When he walked, the bar on either side of the hat wobbled and shook.
Chen Shi didn't intend to wear it, but Sang Xixi said, "If you put it on, you can hide things in your skull too."
Chen Shi thought for a moment, then put on the hat.
His small temple did need to be hidden away. Perhaps it could be concealed inside the skeleton's skull.
Sang Xixi said, "I'm going out to gather information. You two stay here."
Chen Shi said, "Don't be too long. The fact that Pi Chi was killed won't stay hidden forever. If the Eastern Palace finds out, it will be too late to save the people."
Sang Xixi walked out. "I'll be back in a little while!"
Chen Shi and Peng Yan'er stayed behind to cultivate the Blood Lake Sutra.
Peng Yan'er had killed quite a few ghost gods, but she had yet to break into the Blood Lake realm. Chen Shi had only just entered the Blood Lake realm himself and needed time to get familiar with this realm.
His small temple held some divine blood and radiant light. Chen Shi gave the radiant light to Peng Yan'er to cultivate, while he himself tried to use the divine blood for his training.
Now that he was in the Blood Lake realm and had forged the Blood Lake Hell, refining divine blood was no longer as dangerous as before.
Still, his body was constantly on the verge of shattering, continuously being repaired, and just as constantly covered in new cracks.
The foundation of this skeleton was too poor. It was originally a set of bones on the verge of decay. Chen Shi used the Blood Lake Sutra to turn decay into magic. Now, as he activated the Blood Lake Sutra, patterns that he had never seen before began to appear on the bones. These should be the bloodline powers absorbed by the Blood Lake Sutra after he killed ghost gods like Pi Chi!
As his cultivation increased, the Blood Lake behind his head grew larger as well, gradually expanding into a lake spanning several li in both directions. It had already begun to take on the appearance of a Blood Lake Hell.
The souls of ghost gods like Pi Chi struggled in the lake, undergoing purification.
Chen Shi felt that with the purification of these ghost gods, his own soul was also growing stronger!
*The more souls I purify, the faster my soul improves. This Blood Lake of mine still needs to purify more ghost gods, helping them wash away their sins.*
He refined three drops of divine blood, and the lake now spanned five or six li. However, he was still far from the Blood Sea realm.
*The Blood Sea realm is the final stage of the Blood Lake Sutra. At the peak of the Blood Sea realm, with ten thousand purifications, one becomes an immortal. Reaching this step is no easy feat. But it also doesn't seem too difficult,* Chen Shi thought.
On the Boundless Cliff hung countless divine corpses. Below them, streams formed from their divine blood flowed. Chen Shi estimated that refining just a small section of one stream would probably be enough to allow him to cultivate to the peak of the Blood Sea realm.
*The truly difficult part of this technique is the need to purify ten thousand ghost gods.*
Chen Shi sighed inwardly. Just how many evil ghost gods would one have to kill to become an immortal?
With this breakthrough into the Blood Lake realm of the Blood Lake Sutra, he felt his own divine power growing stronger and stronger, even faintly giving him the sensation of forming a ghost god domain.
This feeling was extremely marvelous. He even felt that if this Blood Lake behind his head were to spread out, it would become a ghost god domain spanning five or six li!
And he would be the master of this Blood Lake Hell!
He would be the judge and the King of Hell ruling over the Blood Lake Hell!
*How could the race that created such a simple yet terrifying technique have had the writing that carried their civilization abolished?*
Chen Shi felt a chill. What kind of power had caused these terrifying ghost races to fall to their current state?
Just then, the door opened, and Sang Xixi walked in. Her tone was grave as she said, "A huge event has occurred. The king of the Heavenly Pool Kingdom has died. Those Heaven's Listeners just now went to witness the death of the Heavenly Pool King. The Crown Prince has already left the Eastern Palace and is heading to the king's palace!"
Chen Shi stood up. "Now is the perfect time for us to rescue the people!"
Sang Xixi shook her head. "The Eastern Palace has been sealed off. Ghost gods have it locked down. We have no chance of posing as physicians to enter the Eastern Palace!"
Chen Shi walked out. "What's wrong with just fighting our way in? Yan'er, follow me!"
Peng Yan'er acknowledged and quickly followed Chen Shi.
Sang Xixi also quickened her pace to catch up, laughing. "Don't rush in yet. Let me first arrange for the Medicine King Sect disciples to return to the mortal world."
Chen Shi was surprised. "You're coming too?"
"Of course!"
Sang Xixi said with righteous indignation. "You are a great benefactor to my Medicine King Sect. Of course we repay kindness! Don't worry, I won't misuse these big firecrackers!"
She went to instruct the Medicine King Sect disciples, but Chen Shi always suspected she just wanted to go along to set off a big firecracker.
Sang Xixi finished her instructions and excitedly walked out. "Follow me!"
Chen Shi and Peng Yan'er quickened their pace to follow her, heading toward the Eastern Palace.
Suddenly, Chen Shi stopped in his tracks and looked back, a look of confusion on his face. *How could they appear here? Am I seeing things?*
He turned his head back and caught up to Sang Xixi.
At a street corner, the monk Wuchen stopped walking and looked back. "Senior Uncle, why have you stopped?"
The young girl in black clothes and a black skirt turned her head, revealing a fair and delicate face. A puzzled expression crossed her face. "I thought I saw an old acquaintance just now... Strange, how did he die so quickly? Could it be that he did too many evil deeds and got heaven's punishment? Heaven has eyes."
The monk Wuchen said, "An old acquaintance?"
Ying Rumeng walked over. "Let's go. We need to find a place with deep demonic energy. I'm almost ripe."