Chapter 296: Ritual Money, Old Capital (23)
Among all the people, Ye Li was likely the first to regain consciousness from the darkness.
But the moment he opened his eyes—before he could even make out his surroundings—he immediately realized that Yan Shixun was no longer by his side.
That familiar presence, which always brought him warmth and reassurance, had vanished.
Ye Li’s heart skipped a beat, and his expression instantly turned cold.
He scanned his surroundings and discovered that everyone—Yan Shixun included—was nowhere to be found.
In the endless expanse of darkness, he stood completely alone.
There was no sound, no light, nothing to indicate an exit from this sealed black room.
The darkness consumed everything, making it impossible to discern what might lie in the distance. The unknown dangers lurking beyond stirred fear within, leaving him directionless and unsure of where to go.
This overwhelming loss of the five senses could easily drive a person mad in a short span of time.
It was the despair of being abandoned by the world.
Yet Ye Li’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. Aside from the initial flash of rage and alarm when he noticed Yan Shixun’s absence, he showed no particular interest in his current situation.
It was as if, to him, there had never been any difference between light and darkness, the human world or hell.
Even though he now stood in a boundless abyss, unable to see the road beneath his feet or sense the threats that might lurk around him, Ye Li felt no fear. Instead, he adapted instantly to the darkness, moving through it with the ease of a dragon returning to the deep.
Though his ears could hear nothing and his eyes saw only black, his sense of touch heightened to its peak.
He could feel the black mist beside him transforming into a monstrous beast, obediently crouched at his side. Its massive head nuzzled the palm of his hand hanging loosely at his side, while the hem of his robe brushed gently as the creature circled around him.
The moment Ye Li sensed that the black mist had taken beast form without his command, he immediately knew where he was.
—This was the place where the power of Old Fengdu was at its most concentrated.
In other words, it was the very core of Old Fengdu.
If it weren’t, his divine name wouldn’t have reacted before his consciousness returned. Even before he regained awareness, his power had already manifested in the form of a beast, standing guard at his side and watching the surrounding darkness with a predator’s gaze.
Because Ye Li had once overwhelmingly defeated Old Fengdu, its hatred for him was deeply intertwined with the intensity of its power.
The stronger the concentration of that power, the more vicious and heavy the hatred and malice directed at Ye Li.
That was why, even before his consciousness had fully returned, Ye Li’s instincts had already sensed danger and brought him back faster than anyone else.
This was something he hadn’t expected.
Raising his eyebrows with interest, Ye Li showed no panic—only increased curiosity about what Old Fengdu was planning.
To actually dare bring him into the heart of Old Fengdu… Had it lived too long, driven mad by desperation and now seeking its own destruction?
How was this any different from letting a wolf loose in a sheepfold?
Even Ye Li couldn’t help but be surprised. He found himself unable to comprehend Old Fengdu’s actions.
Surely it couldn’t be that, seeing the Ghost Dao nearing success, Old Fengdu had grown overconfident, lowering its guard and trying to flaunt its strength to an old enemy?
Many guesses flashed through Ye Li’s mind, only to be dismissed one by one.
Though he was furious at the unilateral decisions of the Northern Yin Fengdu Emperor, and he had no respect for Old Fengdu, he knew his old enemy well—very well.
Old Fengdu had sunk itself into Baizhi Lake, clinging to survival by any means necessary. It had used the ghost infant and all manner of underhanded tricks to continue existing. It was never one to take bold, head-on risks.
Given that, Ye Li was more inclined to believe that Old Fengdu would go to great lengths to hide its weakness, luring him away with distractions and deception—never letting him near the core.
Yet the current situation was the complete opposite.
That left only one possibility.
The hand Ye Li had casually rested on the beast’s head paused for a moment. He suddenly realized that Old Fengdu was wary of more than just him.
One was Yan Shixun, an Evil Spirit Bone Transformation.
The other was the ebony statue, carved in the likeness of a general from a thousand years ago and passed down through the generations.
Old Fengdu held a grudge against that statue—a fresh hatred built upon ancient resentment.
It was that statue which, in the battle a millennium ago, had slain the Northern Yin Fengdu Emperor, reducing the once-glorious Fengdu to a ruin, sending it into decline, and nearly wiping it out.
Years later, the statue had been placed at Baizhi Lake to suppress the evil forces within, once again halting the ghost infant and crippling Old Fengdu’s every move. Its revival plans had been delayed over and over again.
Had it not been for the Great Dao’s intent to resolve all karmic ties once and for all—rather than let Old Fengdu continue to survive—Old Fengdu would have never seen the day the statue finally left Baizhi Lake.
Between Ye Li and the ebony statue—though they were one and the same—Old Fengdu clearly hated and feared the statue far more.
Only when the statue reappeared within Old Fengdu’s field of view would it panic, momentarily losing its clarity and mistakenly allowing Ye Li into its very core.
And just before Ye Li lost consciousness, he had been with Yan Shixun and the others, descending into the lower levels of hell.
That meant the core of Old Fengdu was none other than the deepest level of hell.
With his senses stripped away, Ye Li’s thoughts turned swiftly. In just a few cycles of reasoning, he had fully grasped what had happened—and understood precisely where he now stood.
Fear, at its core, stemmed from the unknown.
The moment someone uncovered even the slightest bit of what lurked in the darkness, that fear would recede like a tide.
For Ye Li, this was all the more reason to remain calm and composed.
The only thing that truly concerned him now was the condition of Yan Shixun.
He still worried about the missing Yan Shixun, hoping to resolve everything in this deepest layer of hell as quickly as possible, so that he could immediately go in search of him—to ensure that the exorcist he cherished wouldn’t be harmed where he couldn’t see… or worse—
Encounter the ebony statue.
Aside from that, Ye Li felt no excess emotion.
If anything, the darkness and dead silence around him reminded him of the millennium he had once spent in Fengdu.
Alone upon the towering divine platform, only he stood.
When he lowered his gaze, he saw only the bowed heads pressed low in reverence and awe, and the spirits trembling in fear, awaiting judgment.
He was the ghost deity who presided over death and judgment. Perhaps because of that, it was destined that no other being would remain by his side.
Even when he roamed the mortal world to judge good and evil, all he saw were layers upon layers of sin and countless wronged spirits collapsing before him, weeping and begging for justice.
Ye Li had once seen far too many wicked deeds of mankind, even the base instincts of the living. He had been thoroughly disillusioned by the exorcists’ rigid and absolute views that clearly divided the human and ghost realms, until he lost even the final sliver of hope.
Before meeting Yan Shixun, the Lord of Fengdu had stood high upon the divine platform, gazing coldly upon both the mortal realm and the underworld. His eyes held no warmth—no emotion could ever sway his judgment or actions.
That version of Ye Li was far more terrifying than the one Yan Shixun knew.
When the Lord of Fengdu was enraged, he showed no mercy. He cared nothing for whether the mountains and rivers of the human world would be hurt or whether heaven and earth would fall into chaos.
Only after meeting Yan Shixun did Ye Li begin to hope once more for the human world. For Yan Shixun’s sake, he had been willing to embrace both the good and evil of humanity, to restore the balance of yin and yang.
But now, with Ye Li alone in the deepest layer of hell—without Yan Shixun—that single remaining warmth was gone.
His eyes turned cold. With every step he took into the darkness ahead, the ground beneath his feet collapsed. Thunderous booms echoed throughout the deepest layer of hell, layer upon layer, as if the very heavens and earth were crumbling.
When Ye Li no longer cherished the world, then the world no longer had any reason to exist.
—And now, it was the Ghost Dao and the old Fengdu that faced the icy wrath of Ye Li.
The old Fengdu could never have imagined that while its attention had been diverted by the ebony statue, not only had it accidentally allowed Ye Li to enter the deepest layer of hell, but it had also, through what was meant as punishment, provoked the fury of this dreadful god of slaughter.
In that moment, he was no longer Ye Li, but the Lord of Fengdu.
A being that existed solely to judge sin.
And now, what stood before him as the most sinful… was without a doubt, the old Fengdu.
The darkness shook violently. A fierce beast with strong, steady steps circled around Ye Li, scouting the dangers lurking in the dark.
Soon, the shrill screams of vengeful ghosts echoed in the darkness—only to abruptly cut off.
As if their throats had been torn out.
Ye Li didn’t spare a single glance in the direction of those cries. He simply lowered his eyes calmly and continued walking forward on his path, straight ahead.
Whatever lay ahead of him was completely wiped out by the power surrounding him and the beast at his side.
Wherever Ye Li passed, the darkness collapsed.
Invisible cracks swiftly spread throughout the void, branching out like spiderwebs, making repeated cracking sounds that sent shivers down the spine.
Then, for a moment, all sound stopped. It was as if the entire darkness had frozen in place.
At that instant, Ye Li also halted. His tall figure stood motionless, as if waiting for something.
“Ka—cha!”
Like glass shattering, a crisp crack sounded from the depths of the darkness and quickly spread into the distance.
Amidst the violent tremors that shook the earth and mountains, faint threads of light began to shine through the cracks, weaving into a three-dimensional net of radiance within the darkness.
The light landed on Ye Li’s stern face, yet could not illuminate the deep, lightless slits of his eyes.
He raised his gaze and looked straight ahead, his lips calmly uttering a single syllable:
“Admonish.”
At that very moment, the darkness shattered completely.
Countless black shards rose into the air, then dissolved into brilliant light. The entire underworld was bathed in radiance—no more shadows, let alone darkness.
Screams and the sounds of frantic fleeing filled the air.
Only now did the scene, once concealed by darkness, begin to slowly reveal itself.
Ye Li narrowed his eyes slightly, adjusting to the sudden transition from dark to light, and then opened them fully again, his vision now clear.
And then he saw—those being hunted by the fierce beast were all grotesque vengeful spirits and rotting corpses.
They had relied on the darkness to hide their forms, hoping to ambush Ye Li silently.
But they never expected that in this lowest level of hell—where usually only wailing ghosts cried in despair—would descend a god of slaughter. The vengeful ghosts who had overstepped now found themselves biting off far more than they could chew, and were mercilessly struck down, fleeing in panic without even a shred of soul left to recover.
Ye Li’s gaze slid indifferently over the vengeful spirits. With a single look, he could see the sins etched upon their souls—and he understood them all.
The terrifying ghost at the very front, its eyes bulging in horror, had once been a barefoot doctor thousands of years ago. Driven by greed, he harbored wicked thoughts and poisoned an entire city’s people, intending to profit by selling the antidote. But due to his limited skills, the antidote failed to save the victims, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands.
Even after the people perished, the land remained barren for a long time. The poisoned water had tainted the soil, killing off countless living beings.
The decaying corpse whose head was bitten off by a ferocious beast had once been the king of a small nation. Yet, he indulged in debauchery and tyranny, leading to the fall of his city and the ruin of his country. The deep resentment of his people dragged him down to hell.
The ghost who knelt before the beast, crying and begging for a chance at survival, had been a treacherous and vile minister in life. Countless loyal subjects and valiant generals had been framed and killed because of his selfish desires.
These evil spirits, heavy with sin, had all been cast into the deepest layer of hell by the old Fengdu. The hatred from countless other spirits had become the source of their strength, which the old Fengdu thought it could exploit to block intruders and protect its innermost core.
Had it been anyone other than Ye Li in this place, the old Fengdu’s strategy might have worked.
Unfortunately, in its flustered response to the Ebony Statue, the old Fengdu made the one mistake it could not afford to make—allowing Ye Li to enter.
As a result, those malevolent ghosts not only failed to stop the intruder but were instead completely obliterated by Ye Li in one decisive strike.
Ye Li had no interest in playing hide-and-seek with the old Fengdu. To him, the defeated old Fengdu was not even qualified to sit across from him at the same chessboard, much less be considered an opponent.
So, he simply overturned the entire game board.
With overwhelming strength, he shattered the whole situation.
No matter how many strategies the old Fengdu had prepared, none of them worked.
—You want to use darkness to drive me mad?
Then I’ll shatter your darkness and reduce your entire hell to ruin.
So what if you’re the one in charge?
Ye Li’s expression didn’t shift in the slightest; he merely observed all of this happen with calm detachment.
Before long, he lost interest. He withdrew his gaze carelessly and began pondering where Yan Shixun might be, preparing to go find his beloved exorcist.
The moment Ye Li overturned the entire hell with his own hands, he realized that the situation was no coincidence. It was part of a plan orchestrated by the ebony statue.
One drew hatred, while the other seized the opportunity to act.
Since there were now two equally powerful entities, even the most difficult matters suddenly became manageable.
A pincer attack—there was no way the old Fengdu wouldn’t collapse.
Although Ye Li rarely recalled the events of a thousand years ago, and seldom mentioned his past as a general, he and the general were one and the same. A mere shift in thought was enough for him to grasp the other self’s strategy.
However, the force driving Ye Li to search for Yan Shixun wasn’t concern over whether he was hurt.
It was the sense of crisis triggered by the ebony statue’s presence.
Ye Li understood very clearly: if the goal was to completely divert the old Fengdu’s attention and loosen its defenses over the deepest layer of hell, then the most effective method was to incite a chaotic upheaval caused by the ebony statue.
Perhaps even to the point where the ebony statue destroyed an entire layer of hell.
And in the wake of such a massive disturbance, there was no way Yan Shixun wouldn’t notice.
Which meant, aside from the old Fengdu, Yan Shixun was very likely also drawn to the scene by the ebony statue.
Just imagining the general from a thousand years ago standing beside Yan Shixun was enough to make Ye Li feel suffocated.
How could he possibly allow Yan Shixun to meet or even interact with the general alone?
What if the general said something that sowed discord between them? Or worse, what if he too noticed Yan Shixun’s radiant charm and developed feelings…
After all, the general and the lord of Fengdu were essentially one.
Ye Li understood all too well—if he could fall in love with Yan Shixun, then the general almost certainly could as well.
That was his exorcist, the one he had patiently approached step by step. After much effort, he had finally coaxed the wary wildcat into his arms, allowed himself to be petted, and even started growing accustomed to his closeness and presence.
And now, of all times—
What if the general scared away his wildcat?
What if the general stole his precious treasure?
Just thinking about it made Ye Li grind his molars in hatred toward the old Fengdu. He bitterly regretted sparing its life a thousand years ago, thinking the ghost population within it might still be useful.
He should have let his army of a hundred thousand trample Fengdu’s city, grind it into dust, until not a single trace of its existence remained!
With these thoughts, Ye Li’s heart, which had remained calm even in the face of darkness and peril just moments ago, suddenly surged with agitation. He desperately wished to appear beside Yan Shixun immediately, to wrap his beloved exorcist tightly in his arms and not allow even the slightest chance for him to be taken away.
But just as Ye Li turned around, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a glimpse of white fluttering like a crane’s wing.
He froze for a moment.
He remembered that shortly after they entered the city, Yan Shixun had told him he saw Li Chengyun.
Even if it was only for an instant.
And now, “coincidentally,” Ye Li himself also glimpsed a corner of white clothing—identical to the description Yan Shixun had given him.
Realizing something, Ye Li quickly turned back and chased after that flash of white in his peripheral vision.
Fortunately, this time, the white figure did not vanish like mist the moment it appeared.
That person, clothed entirely in white, stood near the ghosts howling in pain as they were torn apart by beasts. His brows furrowed and his gaze dropped, fixed solemnly on the massacre before him.
His handsome and gentle face did not carry the smile that Yan Shixun had recalled. Instead, it wore a contemplative expression.
He showed no fear in the face of the blood-soaked scene, nor did he show any intention of stepping in to stop it. He merely stood there, an outsider, silently witnessing everything unfold.
And amidst the confusion, he suddenly wondered—what just happened? Why did all the darkness retreat so completely, allowing the light to shine through?
When Ye Li saw that person clearly, memories from over ten years ago slowly surfaced in his mind.
He had stood at the edge of the marketplace, silently watching from the shadows of his bamboo hat as that man held little Yan Shixun’s hand, walking away from the bustling crowd.
…And now, the person before his eyes, cloaked entirely in white, was indeed Li Chengyun.
“Hermit Chengyun.”
Ye Li deliberately made his voice sound a bit warmer, trying not to come across as distant or cold.
He didn’t rush forward toward Li Chengyun, but instead stood in place, quietly waiting for him to notice. He gave Li Chengyun plenty of time to prepare himself, avoiding any sudden startle.
As Ye Li recalled the events from over a decade ago, he had only one thought: If given the chance to do it all over again, he would have taken the hand of that stubborn, young boy at the marketplace and led him away—rather than watching Li Chengyun do so and walking off with peace of mind.
Although Li Chengyun had devoted himself wholeheartedly to raising and guiding Yan Shixun, helping him grow into an exceptional and dazzling exorcist—
Ye Li still felt a trace of regret for not being part of Yan Shixun’s life all these years.
He had never once regretted choosing the path of the ghost deity, and yet now, a flicker of regret stirred within him.
Still, Ye Li concealed his emotions flawlessly. Even the coldness and trace of anger on his face had been replaced with a friendly smile, as he tried hard to leave a good first impression on Li Chengyun.
When he heard his name called, Li Chengyun was clearly surprised. He hadn’t expected that, apart from himself, someone else could reach the deepest level of the underworld—and even recognize him.
He had been dead for many years now. Could this be an old acquaintance?
Li Chengyun turned his head slightly, looking at Ye Li with a hint of confusion.
The tall man was clad in a long black robe that draped to the floor, embroidered with suns, moons, and stars, as well as fierce beasts and malicious spirits. The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches were subtly hidden within the design, the dark patterns reflecting light in such a way that made him appear even more regal and imposing.
His ink-black hair cascaded over his broad, upright shoulders. His cold and handsome face bore no warmth, and the chill in his eyes made him seem like an outsider—no matter what happened in the human world, he would watch indifferently from afar.
The moment Li Chengyun saw Ye Li, he instinctively sensed that this must be a ghost deity.
Perhaps even the very one he had glimpsed during a divination long ago, the one foretold in the Great Dao—a lone survivor among the fallen gods, the current Lord of Fengdu.
However, what puzzled Li Chengyun was the somewhat stiff smile on Ye Li’s face.
He could tell this ghost deity was far from gentle or kind, yet when he saw him, he forced a smile…
Li Chengyun stroked his chin, studying Ye Li thoughtfully for a moment before suddenly coming to a realization. “Oh, are you the new Emperor of Fengdu? Do you know my Xiao Xun?”
Otherwise, there didn’t seem to be any other reason to explain that awkward smile.
Li Chengyun blinked and nodded to himself, quietly pleased.
It seemed that after he left, Xiao Xun had made quite a few friends. That was nice.
Ye Li had never truly interacted with Li Chengyun before. Aside from that brief glance in the marketplace over ten years ago—when he had confirmed there was no sin within Li Chengyun’s soul and deemed him a safe person to entrust Yan Shixun to—he hadn’t paid further attention to the white-robed hermit.
Later on, he had only heard scattered mentions of Li Chengyun from Yan Shixun.
But Ye Li hadn’t expected Li Chengyun to be this sharp.
They had only just exchanged glances—Ye Li hadn’t said anything yet—and Li Chengyun had already guessed the truth with startling accuracy.
So this was the legendary Hermit Chengyun, known among exorcists as a prodigy—who had, with his own strength, suppressed the resurgent Old Fengdu for several years, and even managed to interfere in the grand layout of the Great Dao, causing the tides of fate to shift.
A flash of awe crossed Ye Li’s heart.
No amount of stories could compare to seeing him in person.
Even though Ye Li had heard many praises of Hermit Chengyun over the years, only now did he truly feel it—realizing just what kind of man he had entrusted little Yan Shixun to back then.
Brilliantly gifted, gentle yet incisive.
Looking back now, it seemed he hadn’t chosen the wrong person after all.
The only thing that left a trace of regret was this: in Yan Shixun’s heart, Li Chengyun still held a far more important place than he did.
Ye Li sighed quietly to himself and was just about to nod in response to Li Chengyun when he heard him let out a soft “hmm,” as if he had discovered something else.
“You and my Xiao Xun… you’re not just acquaintances, are you?”
Li Chengyun blinked hesitantly. “Wait, don’t tell me—you two are in a relationship?”
Ye Li: “…………”
Ye Li: !!!
Even someone as composed as the Lord of Fengdu couldn’t help but feel a tidal wave of shock rise within him at that moment. He had no idea how this hermit managed to pick up on that.
Still, Ye Li didn’t fear the truth of his relationship with Yan Shixun being exposed.
On the contrary, the more people who knew, the better.
He often wavered between two extremes—wanting to hide this precious treasure deep in his arms where no one could see, and wanting to announce to the entire world, even to the Great Dao itself, that he and Yan Shixun were together.
Even a fearless ghost deity would find himself vulnerable once he had someone to love.
He feared his beloved exorcist would be taken from him, yet felt such joy that he wanted to declare his claim to the world, to ward off any clueless being that dared approach Yan Shixun.
Such as a certain general from a thousand years ago.
Still, the fact that Li Chengyun had seen through it at a glance was beyond Ye Li’s expectations.
But after the surprise faded, what followed was a sense of regret.
Ye Li: Why hadn’t Shixun learned this kind of emotional sensitivity? …Sigh. His big cat really didn’t have that emotional awareness at all.
He quickly regained his composure and bowed respectfully to Li Chengyun, saying solemnly, “You guessed correctly.”
“I am indeed with Shixun now.”
Ye Li thought for a moment and then added, “Master.”
Li Chengyun: “Ah…”
That was a fast change of address!
Even Li Chengyun was taken aback by how calmly and naturally Ye Li shifted his tone and title. The moment he asked the question, Ye Li not only admitted it outright but also instantly changed how he addressed him, solidifying his position without hesitation.
Li Chengyun: Good thing I have a decent memory and know I only have one disciple. Otherwise, with how natural that sounded, I really would’ve started doubting myself.
But after thinking about it, he found it understandable.
After all, he knew his child best.
Li Chengyun was well aware that Shixun was exceptional in every way—except for one thing that had troubled him even until the moment of his death.
It was Shixun’s emotional life.
Li Chengyun hadn’t been too worried that Shixun would live and die alone—he himself had done the same.
He was more concerned about whether his Xiao Xun would shut himself off from making connections with others, whether he would feel lonely.
When he died under the consequences of the Great Dao, besides the countless unfinished plans that concerned the balance of heaven and earth, what weighed most on his mind was Yan Shixun.
He had promised the boy that he would personally make a bowl of yuanxiao for the Lantern Festival, and the two of them, master and disciple, would enjoy a reunion together.
Unfortunately, he had broken that promise.
It became one of Li Chengyun’s deepest regrets.
While he was trapped alone in the old Fengdu Hell, in that timeless, sunless abyss, he thought about nothing but the Great Dao—and Yan Shixun.
Even though he knew that one day, the Dao would guide his Xiao Xun to the old Fengdu…
Perhaps, they might still meet again.
What he hadn’t expected was that Xiao Xun did come.
Only… he brought someone else along.
And that someone—the Lord of Fengdu—was surprisingly familiar, changing his words and tone with zero hesitation…
It was exactly because of that, however, that Li Chengyun believed Ye Li’s words.
Considering Xiao Xun’s rather cold personality when it came to emotions, if the other person hadn’t taken the initiative, there’s no way Shixun would’ve responded.
“I once cast a fortune for Xiao Xun many years ago,”
Li Chengyun said, his expression softening, a warm smile appearing at the corners of his lips. “Back then, I foresaw that he would one day become a bridge between the mortal world and the spirits. But I never imagined it would come to pass in this way.”
The Evil Spirit Bone Transformation—it could suppress the fiercest beings in this world.
But Li Chengyun had not expected that this would be the method.
Though he had remained celibate his whole life, it didn’t mean he was ignorant of human affection.
Li Chengyun could tell that the Lord of Fengdu in front of him was not speaking empty words about his Xiao Xun. His feelings were sincere and earnest—he clearly intended to spend a lifetime with him, if not eternity.
Given that the Lord of Fengdu had such deep feelings and had been the one to fall first and take the initiative, how could he possibly go against Xiao Xun’s wishes or do anything Xiao Xun wouldn’t want?
Even though Li Chengyun had once glimpsed the Dao and experienced what it was to be one with heaven and earth, he still couldn’t help but sigh in this moment: fate was unpredictable, impossible to fully grasp.
When he cast Shixun’s fortune back then, he never thought this would be the way balance would be upheld…
Ye Li closely observed Li Chengyun’s expression. Only after confirming that the elder held no disapproval regarding his relationship with Yan Shixun did he finally relax.
“After we learned from Zheng Shumu that you were here, Shixun has been wanting to find you. He told me he caught a glimpse of you.”
Beneath Ye Li’s calm tone was a hint of reproach. He asked, “Why didn’t you meet with him?”
Love for someone often extended to all things connected to them.
Ye Li’s respect for Li Chengyun came not only from the elder’s brilliance and his contributions to the world but also largely because of Yan Shixun.
Recalling how Shixun had been emotionally shaken after just a fleeting glimpse of Li Chengyun, Ye Li felt a twinge of heartache for his exorcist.
Li Chengyun heard the subtle note of blame in Ye Li’s words, but he didn’t take it to heart. Instead, he smiled and replied gently, “I cannot leave this place. What Xiao Xun saw was merely a shadow I had left behind—not the real me.”
“But you—”
Li Chengyun raised an eyebrow and asked in a calm voice, “Since you are the Lord of Fengdu, in the eyes of the old Fengdu, you should be its most feared presence. It shouldn’t let you anywhere near its core. And yet, here you are.”
He raised his hand and pointed toward the distant battlefield, where blood and flesh spilled freely. His expression remained unshaken by the gruesome sight, though his tone carried clear curiosity. “I wouldn’t have thought the old Fengdu could fail to predict this outcome.”
Allowing your enemy to get close to your core like this only led to one thing: the entire level of Hell had been upturned by the Lord of Fengdu.
After today, the deepest level of Hell would be all but destroyed. Even the vicious spirits imprisoned there had perished, and its power had been severely weakened.
Before meeting Ye Li, Li Chengyun had been quite surprised by the drastic changes in Hell. He had wondered what sort of event could’ve caused such devastation.
But upon seeing Ye Li, all those questions vanished.
The Lord of Fengdu—the one who had once slain the Northern Yin Fengdu Emperor himself.
What was a few Hell-born specters compared to that?
When Ye Li thought of the ebony statue, his expression turned cold again.
The one asking the question was Li Chengyun—Yan Shixun’s esteemed master—so although he wasn’t keen on bringing up the ebony statue, he still spoke the truth. He told Li Chengyun all his speculations, including the plan to work with the general to combat the remnants of the old Fengdu.
After listening, Li Chengyun was slightly stunned. “The ebony statue… was taken by a child from Baizhi Lake?”
His gentle brows and eyes were tinged with concern. “It seems that child is about to bear a burden of karma far too heavy for him.”
Although Li Chengyun had glimpsed the Great Dao, the plans laid by the Dao were layered and intricate. Even Ye Li, a ghost deity himself, had not seen through the true intent of the Dao at first. So Li Chengyun only foresaw disaster.
He never expected that the Dao’s aim was to use this as a way to sweep away karmic entanglements.
And the young man who, at the perfect moment, was lured by ghostly energy and took the ebony statue—thereby releasing the evil spirit from Baizhi Lake—would now have to bear the consequences of his choice and carry that heavy karmic weight.
He might even die because of it.
Li Chengyun had truly experienced the karma that lay beneath the Dao.
Before he decided to peer into the Great Dao, he had already predicted his own death. Yet, even knowing that, he never wavered. To prepare in advance for the disaster that would eventually come, he was willing to sacrifice his life.
If that was where the Dao led, then offering his life for it was no great loss.
But seeing others die as a result of the Dao’s karmic web still made Li Chengyun’s eyes dim with sorrow for a brief moment.
Ye Li remained unmoved. “It was his own choice. Let him bear the karma. Since he touched what he shouldn’t have, he must face the consequences. Whether good or bad, it was all his doing. No one else is to blame.”
“But you, Hermit Chengyun…”
Ye Li asked curiously, “Why did you say you can’t leave this place?”
Li Chengyun paused, then suddenly burst into laughter. “I foresaw the disaster at Baizhi Lake in advance, tracked the location of the ghost official, and borrowed the ebony statue from him to suppress the evil spirit there. To the old Fengdu, I must be truly vile, a sinner beyond redemption.”
“What I’ve done certainly earns me a spot in the deepest level of hell.”
He smiled, smoothed his sleeves, and winked at Ye Li. “They say the enemy of your enemy is your friend. I suppose the old Fengdu’s hatred for me is only second to their hatred for you, isn’t it?”
“Our so-called ‘sins’ have ironically become our merits and recognition.”
Li Chengyun grinned. “How could I bear to leave this place?”
Ye Li was surprised, but then laughed as well. “Yes, it seems that being hated by the old Fengdu is now a badge of honor. Since you’re the enemy of my enemy, I guess that makes us natural allies.”
Li Chengyun waved his hand dismissively, his smile gradually fading. “I was teasing you. And you actually believed it.”
Ye Li didn’t reply, only smiling in silence, patiently waiting for Li Chengyun to reveal the real answer.
The vast expanse of hell was no longer shrouded in darkness. The fierce ghosts that had once hidden in the shadows had all been wiped out by savage beasts. Only the bloodstains and shredded flesh left on the ground told the story of what had just happened.
Li Chengyun lifted his head and looked out into the distance, observing the current state of hell. A gentle smile played on his lips, tinged with a trace of reflection. “I’ve stayed in hell for so long, and this is the first time I’ve seen its true form. I must say, it’s been quite the fascinating journey.”
He turned his smiling eyes toward Ye Li. “A direct pass to hell, and I’ve gotten to see two completely different sceneries. Thinking about it now, I’d say I came out ahead.”
“So, even in the darkness of hell, there are mountains and rivers, vast lands… It’s a shame that the old Fengdu clung so tightly to its former glory that it failed to see its own beauty.”
When Li Chengyun looked upon hell, his eyes were clear and bright, without a trace of resentment or bitterness. On him, one could never find any negative emotion.
Even in the most desperate, hopeless circumstances, he could still speak and laugh with ease. When he talked about past suffering, it was as if he were telling a humorous story—light-hearted and full of charm.
In his vision, there was always life and hope.
Even when faced with a dead-end filled with despair, Li Chengyun never gave up on even the slightest chance.
He remained forever steadfast, forever full of vitality.
“I once told an old friend, with some regret, that I was born too late and never had the chance to visit the Underworld or Fengdu. It was one of the regrets of my life.”
Li Chengyun chuckled. “But who would’ve thought, fate took a turn, and I did get the chance to tour the old Fengdu after all.”
Ye Li followed along with the thought. “I didn’t expect you to come to the old Fengdu either. That was quite a surprise for me.”
Even though Li Chengyun had been brought into the city by the ghostly aura of an enraged old Fengdu—after dying due to the karma of the Dao—because he had disrupted their plan by taking the ebony statue…
From the old Fengdu’s perspective, this was a chance for revenge.
But to Li Chengyun, it all seemed like something he had already anticipated.
And he accepted it calmly, without the slightest resentment or complaint.
“Often, the hardest-to-find thread of life lies buried in the deepest part of a dead-end. But the path is treacherous, and many, fearing death, give up the search.”
Li Chengyun’s eyes shimmered gently, as warm as polished jade. “I simply walked a little farther than the others, that’s all.”
Ever since he was young—when he first became aware of the world and discovered that his talent far exceeded others’—Li Chengyun had understood that great talent came with great responsibility.
Long ago, he had observed the stars and discovered that a catastrophe was looming.
Evil spirits would invade the human realm, and living beings would suffer.
And the only chance of survival he could calculate lay in a small marketplace in a remote town.
When Li Chengyun first saw the boyish Yan Shixun, with his stubborn and aloof face, he immediately realized: this boy possessed the mark of the “Evil Spirit Bone Transformation.”
A miracle born from heaven and earth, left by the Great Dao as its one and only chance at survival.
Li Chengyun felt both joy and worry about the boy’s destiny.
Because in all recorded history, no one with this condition had ever survived.
He feared that this one and only disciple of his might also perish before he had the chance to grow.
So Li Chengyun poured his heart into divining Yan Shixun’s fate and made up his mind: even if it cost him his life, he would defy destiny and help Yan Shixun live.
He couldn’t bear to watch an innocent child die before his eyes simply because of a unique birth chart.
And it was during that time that Li Chengyun discovered something else about Yan Shixun.
This child… was entangled in karma with ghost deities.
And it was precisely because of this karmic bond that the boy managed to survive—stronger and healthier than most.
Perhaps, in the future, he could become a bridge between the human world and the ghostly realms.
Still, Li Chengyun had no desire to force his growth. He hoped instead that little Yan Shixun could grow like any normal child—make friends, see the mountains and rivers of the world.
As long as he was around, Xiao Xun could just be a happy kid.
“I didn’t want Xiao Xun to carry all that too early. As long as I’m here, I can shield him from the wind and rain.”
Li Chengyun lowered his eyelashes and said softly, “Until the day he’s strong enough to face all these cruel truths… I’ll hold up the sky for him.”
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