Chapter 300: Ritual Money, Old Capital (27)
Just as Ye Li embraced Yan Shixun, before the warmth even had a chance to settle, he could only watch helplessly as Yan Shixun turned and threw himself into Li Chengyun’s arms.
Ye Li instinctively reached out in an attempt to hold him back, but quickly came to his senses. To Yan Shixun, it was obvious—Li Chengyun mattered more.
After all, they had been separated for years.
Ye Li sighed faintly in his heart. In the end, he slowly withdrew his hand and stepped back a few paces, giving space to the master and disciple who had only just been reunited after crossing the boundary of life and death.
“Pfft.”
Before Ye Li could even react, a soft, mocking chuckle came from nearby.
It seemed to be ridiculing him—saying, So this is all you mean to Shixun?
Ye Li: …………
He didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was.
His face darkened as he slowly turned his head and looked toward the general with a forced, insincere smile. “It’s about time you tried using that voice of yours. You’ve been silent for hundreds of years—if you don’t try to make your presence known, people might just forget you exist.”
The general stood silently not far away, his calm demeanor betraying nothing, as if the mocking laugh had been Ye Li’s own imagination.
Only when Ye Li’s voice reached him did the general slowly raise his head, finally giving him a proper glance.
But before even a second passed, he rolled his eyes and coldly looked away.
As if he hadn’t done anything at all.
Ye Li: “…Tch.”
He really wanted to punch this guy.
His hand, hanging by his side, clenched tightly. But when he saw the people emerging from the giant tear in the sky above Hell, his brows twitched, and he held himself back.
With the Ghost Dao in play, he knew what was more important.
Besides, compared to this rude and insufferable guy, Yan Shixun’s opinion of him clearly mattered more. He wasn’t going to give anyone the chance to complain to Shixun or ruin the image he had in Shixun’s heart.
Still, Ye Li only just managed to suppress his open hostility toward the general. His gaze remained cold and full of disdain as he looked at him.
“Maybe you should come to terms with the fact that Shixun is mine?”
Ye Li’s voice was icy. “If I ever catch you getting close to Shixun again… I won’t be so merciful next time.”
The general showed no sign of being threatened. On the contrary, in this moment, he finally let out a laugh. “And what could you do? You didn’t even realize the old Fengdu hadn’t truly perished.”
Ye Li: …This guy really had a knack for pushing the exact buttons he didn’t want touched.
He clenched his teeth, forcing down his irritation, and sneered. “Strictly speaking, if you want to assign blame for that, you should go to the Great Dao itself. That was its oversight.”
“And if you’re really as all-powerful as you claim, why did you need me to clear out the lower levels of Hell ahead of time?”
Ye Li let out a quiet scoff. “Rude bastard. Needs help but won’t say so in advance. Full of himself.”
The general paused but didn’t refute him.
Because Ye Li had spoken the truth.
The fact that the old Fengdu had not perished had nothing to do with the new Fengdu—it was a deliberate “oversight” on the part of the Great Dao.
Even among the immortals, each had their own territory. They usually didn’t interfere with each other’s domains.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be the saying that each immortal had their own taoist temple or blessed land.
After Ye Li killed the Northern Yin Fengdu Emperor, he ascended as a ghost deity and became the new Lord of Fengdu.
To him, the old Fengdu was no longer under his jurisdiction. In fact, it was considered a place abandoned by the former ghost deity, one he was supposed to leave behind in order to go to his own domain.
As long as the old Fengdu still existed, the southwest remained a ghost city—outside of the new Fengdu’s jurisdiction. The ghost officials of the new Fengdu couldn’t enter the southwest, nor could they guide souls there to be judged and reincarnated.
The cause and effect that were meant to connect seamlessly were thrown into disarray because the old Fengdu had gone to extreme lengths to survive and avoid the scrutiny of the Great Dao. This created a vicious cycle and turned the southwest into a godless land.
Ghosts continued to accumulate, prompting the exorcists of the southwest to take action. Eventually, it led to the creation of the living, animated wooden statues that now served the Ghost Dao.
Though the ebony statue hadn’t taken shape as a general in a thousand years, it had, at Li Chengyun’s request, gone to guard Baizhi Lake against evil forces. From there, it coldly observed the truth buried beneath all the tangled causes and effects.
What no one could see in the Great Dao, the ebony statue saw completely.
An outsider sees clearly.
It witnessed the tragedy of the Zheng siblings. It saw the young people who had come to explore, innocently curious about the temple.
Entrusted by Li Chengyun, the southwest exorcist who remained behind after Li Chengyun’s death to guard Baizhi Lake had long been killed by the wrathful revenge of the ghost infant.
When the formation was completed, the entire Baizhi Lake was suppressed under the sharp and overwhelming power of the ebony statue, like a mountain crashing down—inescapable.
Zheng Shumu, who had personally witnessed Li Chengyun’s death and had been deeply shaken by it, understood that Li Chengyun’s plan had succeeded. He stood silently behind the window, looking up at the snow falling thickly from the sky, as if the heavens were showering spirit money to send Li Chengyun off.
It was only at this moment that the ghost infant finally realized, with shock, that the hermit who had once visited the Bai family village had actually come to suppress her.
The ghost infant let out a furious roar and fought back with all her might.
The exorcist from the southwest gritted his teeth and stood firm at the front line to ensure the formation wouldn’t be affected, giving the ghost infant not even the slightest chance to break through.
The ghost infant was clever. She quickly realized that the object they had brought to suppress her was far too powerful—something she could not possibly contend with at her current stage.
With the infusion of the suppression artifact’s power, the formation became indestructible the moment it was fully formed. She could not find a single weak spot to exploit.
There was, however, one fatal weakness.
—The exorcist from the southwest himself.
A living being of flesh and blood could die and feel pain. Compared to the artifact or ghost deities, he was far more fragile.
To the ghost infant, that seemed like the best point of attack.
But what she hadn’t expected was that the exorcist from the southwest had already accepted Li Chengyun’s invitation with full awareness that he might not return alive. From the moment he arrived at Baizhi Lake, he had set aside thoughts of life and death.
Threatening him with death was meaningless.
He guarded the formation until the moment his strength was utterly depleted and he collapsed in death, still using his own body to protect the formation beneath him, refusing to allow anyone to damage it or harm the myriad beings tied to the Great Dao.
Even in death, his tenacious and resolute will refused to dissipate.
Years later, a group of young people, lured by ghostly energy, wandered into the abandoned temple.
When one of them reached out to grab the statue, he failed to notice that the ebony statue’s eyes had been coldly watching him the entire time—having seen through his past and future, and foreseen his death.
The exorcist’s lingering will, combined with the power of the ebony statue, made it impossible for the group of young people to move the exorcist’s now skeletal remains, despite using all their strength.
And yet, at that moment, as the ebony statue watched the few “coincidental” young visitors who had stumbled upon the temple, it suddenly understood the true intention of the Great Dao.
—The Great Dao wanted the evil forces at Baizhi Lake to resurface, along with the resurrection of the old Fengdu, once hidden behind ghostly energy.
The ebony statue remained silent for a long time, then finally released its power.
When the young people lifted the exorcist’s remains from the formation, they cheered and jumped around in excitement, as if they had achieved something grand. Remembering how they had embarrassed themselves earlier by failing to lift the corpse, they threw the remains out of the temple in frustration, cursing under their breath.
But the ebony statue saw everything.
Just three feet above one’s head, the gods watched.
Humans never knew that when they committed wrongdoing, there might be a cold and indifferent deity observing from the shadows, seeing through the karma they were sowing.
When those young people ransacked the temple for gold, silver, and ritual offerings, and even took the ebony statue itself, the statue had already seen their deaths.
Deaths that appeared accidental, but were in truth karmic retribution.
Even though the Great Dao had allowed it, the actions of those youths had destroyed the plan that Li Chengyun and the other exorcist had given their lives to complete. All the deaths that resulted would be counted as their responsibility in the eyes of the Dao.
The ebony statue had given them a chance.
If they had realized something was wrong the first time they failed to lift the exorcist’s remains, apologized, and left, they might have just returned home with a few months of high fever.
But they hadn’t cherished that opportunity.
And the ebony statue was not a soft-hearted deity. It wouldn’t follow behind others and try to persuade them with kind words.
Since the young people had made their choice, they would have to bear the consequences of their karma.
There was no salvation from ghost deities.
Eventually, the ebony statue was passed on and ended up at Haiyun Temple.
There, it discovered the true reason the Great Dao had allowed the young people to destroy the Baizhi Lake formation and let the evil spirits return—it was because the power of the Great Dao itself was rapidly weakening, reaching a critical point.
The Dao was trying everything it could to save itself—and to save all beings in the world.
A hundred years ago, the gods had sacrificed themselves to sustain the Dao.
But that was never a long-term solution.
The ebony statue observed that not a single statue within Haiyun Temple possessed divine power. Day after day, night after night, it listened to the hollow echoes within the golden-bodied statues, and slowly began to understand the intentions of the Great Dao.
So, when it saw the stars fall from the sky and a faint glimmer of hope rise from the southwest, it knew—the time had come.
—It was time to return to the original battlefield, to fight once more, and sweep away the old Fengdu along with all the karma it had accumulated.
The ebony statue had vanished from Haiyun Temple and reappeared silently at Baizhi Lake, slipping into the southwest without a trace.
While the old Fengdu was frantically searching for it, the ebony statue had already transformed into a general, standing guard in the darkness. Coldly, he watched the struggle between the Ghost Dao and the Great Dao, quietly waiting for the right moment to arrive.
However, there was one thing the general hadn’t anticipated.
And that was—Yan Shixun.
When he stood atop the mountain of corpses at the mass grave and looked back, that young man’s bright eyes instantly pierced into his heart, crashing into his very soul.
What was even more crucial—was that the young man knew who he was and effortlessly called out the name he would bear in the future after becoming a ghost deity.
The general felt a tinge of regret.
He had guarded the southwest for hundreds of years, never once stepping into the human world, never once wavering in his faith for any mortal or ghost.
But only for Yan Shixun…
He regretted that the one who met Yan Shixun first—wasn’t him.
But the Lord of Fengdu.
“Even if I never said it out loud, you’d still know what I intend to do.”
The general’s voice was cold, laced with unresolved regret regarding Ye Li. “Though I don’t wish it either, it’s obvious that we are merely two forms of the same existence.”
“Telling me not to go near Shixun…”
The general gave a soft laugh. “You should say that to yourself first.”
Ye Li, furious to the point of laughter, finally couldn’t hold back. He strode swiftly toward the general, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. The overwhelming force and anger in his posture made it clear to everyone what he intended to do.
Meanwhile, the official in charge and the others, after enduring a long and perilous fall, finally snapped out of their shock. Their legs trembling and weak, they barely managed to stand upright on solid ground.
When they looked up, they saw two nearly identical figures on the brink of clashing.
One of them was about to swing a punch at the other’s face.
Official in charge: “!!!”
What’s going on—internal conflict???
To those unaware of the prior situation, it appeared as though Ye Li was about to strike the general, who stood silently in place, neither retaliating nor showing any signs of defense.
Those who had heard from the King of Hell that the general and Ye Li were essentially the same being immediately had a flurry of thoughts flash through their minds.
But amidst the cries of alarm, a figure swiftly rushed between the two.
With a crisp “swish!” sound, a folding fan snapped open. It skillfully slipped between the two, positioning itself precisely at the moment of imminent contact, the fan surface acting as a barrier.
It stopped not just the two from colliding, but also Ye Li’s about-to-be-thrown punch.
The tense and hostile atmosphere paused for a moment. The turbulent undercurrents of power quietly dissolved into nothingness.
The fan trembled lightly—though it seemed fragile, it held firmly between the two most dangerous and unpredictable ghost deities in existence, effectively dissolving a confrontation that had nearly erupted.
“You’re just as reckless as I remember, Lord of Fengdu.”
A voice laced with amusement came from the side—it was the King of Hell. “The Ghost Dao is at a critical moment, yet you think it’s more important to fight your former self first?”
“Let me see where Yan Shixun is. Something this entertaining must be shared with him first.”
As he spoke, the King of Hell turned his head, looking for a glimpse of Yan Shixun.
The moment he heard that name, Ye Li’s raging fire—born from the general’s attempt to snatch Yan Shixun away with that ambitious speech—was instantly doused like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head. He immediately calmed down.
On the general’s previously emotionless, icy face, a different expression finally appeared.
He raised his long eyebrows and gave Ye Li a meaningful glance before turning his gaze toward Yan Shixun, who was still in the distance, whispering with Li Chengyun. Not even a single extra glance was spared for Ye Li.
As Ye Li interpreted the general’s expression, the power around him briefly surged chaotically. The ground beneath his feet cracked instantly, fissures rapidly spreading outward.
But soon, everything settled once more.
Gritting his teeth, Ye Li forcefully suppressed the anger back into his chest.
Because he realized—the general’s goal was to provoke him, to make him lose control in front of Yan Shixun.
After spending some time around Yan Shixun, Ye Li had learned a lot about the human world. At this moment, an unshakable thought crossed his mind—a particular human saying that felt especially fitting for describing the general’s behavior.
Ye Li: Green tea!!!
He saw through it. The general just wanted to use him as a foil to make himself look better, trying to put on a performance in front of Yan Shixun to lower Ye Li’s image in his heart. That way, he could make up for arriving late and wedge himself between them, taking advantage of any cracks.
Whether his guess was accurate or not, Ye Li’s impression of the general instantly plummeted.
Toward his past self from a thousand years ago, Ye Li didn’t hesitate to apply the most scheming and malicious interpretations.
After all, no one understood the general better than Ye Li, who had lived through that era himself.
He had studied military strategy deeply and triumphed on countless battlefields for over a decade, never tasting defeat.
The saying “All’s fair in war” was something the general embodied to perfection.
Seeing that his original plan had failed, the general lost interest in wasting more time with Ye Li. To him, this Fengdu Lord in a different form was nothing more than a tool for clearing out the old Fengdu.
That innate synchronicity, born from sharing the same soul as the Fengdu Lord, didn’t mean he actually cared about Fengdu.
Especially now—there was someone far more important to the battle general.
Yan Shixun.
With that thought, the general chuckled quietly at Ye Li and turned to walk toward where Yan Shixun was.
“No need to stop me. Back then, it was Li Chengyun who asked me to guard Baizhi Lake against evil forces. Now that he’s here, naturally, I must go greet him.”
The general lowered his eyes, calmly looking at Ye Li’s hand, which had reached out again to stop him. “Or… do you want Yan Shixun to see this side of you?”
Ye Li: … Like hell I’d believe you! Since when was I this enthusiastic—going to greet an exorcist? Ha.
But the general’s words still made Ye Li hesitate for a moment before he resentfully lowered his hand.
The general curled his lips slightly into a barely noticeable smile, then took long strides toward Yan Shixun.
Though Ye Li was filled with unwillingness, he had no choice but to suppress it in front of Li Chengyun and Yan Shixun.
He felt more stifled than he ever had when facing the Old Fengdu or even the Great Dao—he had strength but couldn’t use it… Damn it!
“Who else but oneself knows oneself best?”
The King of Hell carelessly snapped his folding fan shut, spinning the fan ribs skillfully through his fingers before gripping it again and resting it under his chin with a smiling look. “There’s a saying among humans: ‘A man’s greatest enemy is himself.’”
“Though, the person who came up with that probably wasn’t trying to describe this exact situation.”
The King of Hell shrugged and followed Ye Li’s gaze, looking at the general’s back. “It seems your greatest rival in love… is the you from a thousand years ago. Even for the Lord of Fengdu, that’s a rare spectacle—who would’ve thought there’d come a day when even you couldn’t handle something.”
“What a pity the Great Dao can’t penetrate the Ghost Dao to see inside the Old Fengdu. Otherwise, it would surely be delighted.”
He smiled and continued, “After all, the Great Dao begged you who knows how many times, only to be turned away every time. You shut it out, left it standing outside the middle gate of Fengdu with the door slammed in its face again and again. Now, the tables have turned—it’s your turn to get a taste of rejection.”
“Truly, karma has come full circle.”
Clicking his tongue in amazement, the King of Hell, unusually talkative for once, seemed to be making casual conversation with Ye Li, enthusiastically singing the general’s praises and trying to persuade Ye Li to accept his presence.
After all, when it came to dealing with the Old Fengdu, even Ye Li, the Lord of Fengdu himself, couldn’t match the level of threat the general posed to it.
But the perpetual smile on the King of Hell’s face gave his words a strange tone, like someone enjoying the chaos and maybe even hoping to fan the flames a little more.
Ye Li shot him a cold glance.
The King of Hell instantly shut his mouth.
“I know what’s important—I won’t make a move on him right now.”
Ye Li stared intently at the general as he walked toward Yan Shixun, then sneered. “What a pity. I was so focused on the Northern Yin Fengdu at the time that I overlooked a mere little ghost official… and that allowed an old image to survive.”
“Tch.”
Ye Li looked at the general with distaste before resuming his usual calm demeanor and striding toward Yan Shixun as well.
The King of Hell, left standing there: …Your tone doesn’t exactly sound like someone who’s going to let things go—it sounds more like someone who still wants to charge over and do something.
Thankfully, with Yan Shixun present, Ye Li quickly transformed from the cold, stern ghost deity into a warm breeze, his smile radiant and completely hiding the fury he had shown just moments before.
Only then did the King of Hell finally let out a slow breath.
His tall, upright posture even slumped a little, as if drained of all his energy.
He looked at the folding fan in his hand and gave a bitter smile, shaking his head.
Even though, just moments ago, he had kept a composed, nonchalant expression in front of Ye Li, as if unfazed by the minor conflict…
No one knew that, at that moment, his heart had jumped into his throat, fearing those two would suddenly come to blows.
Now, the person who understood Fengdu best was none other than the King of Hell himself.
He knew how powerful the general who had defeated the Old Fengdu a thousand years ago truly was. And he knew even more clearly how unshakable the Lord of Fengdu—who had single-handedly reshaped the fate of death—really was.
If those two were to fight…
Would anything good come from a battle between two versions of the same man, one inside the mirror and one outside?
But even more terrifying was the fact that their powers were enough to not only overthrow the Old Fengdu but also affect the entire southwest region beyond it.
A commoner’s rage is merely throwing their head to the ground in desperation.
But the wrath of ghost deities shakes heaven and earth. It is no small matter.
The King of Hell would never let that happen. Yet when he had tried to stand between those two, the supposedly indestructible fan in his hand had already begun to tremble and warp, as if it would tear apart at any moment.
It felt like a war banner had been raised, and both sides were ready to march into battle.
Fortunately, for now, Yan Shixun was there.
The King of Hell slowly turned his head to look at Yan Shixun, who remained blissfully unaware of the storm that had just passed. The smile on his lips had turned sour.
As expected… debts must always be paid. But why was it that he had to repay the debt that foolish little brat owed?
For the first time, the King of Hell—who had never regretted severing his divine title to escape the Great Dao—began to wonder if he had been too cautious. In trying so hard to avoid the Dao, had he made that idiot a little too dumb?
Was this the karmic retribution for owing Yan Shixun so many favors?
The Taoist, looking worried, walked up and asked the King of Hell, “What’s going on with those two? I thought they had a good relationship? Will this affect our efforts to suppress the Old Fengdu?”
The King of Hell sighed over his own tragic fate and shook his head. “Success because of Yan Shixun, failure also because of Yan Shixun.”
Who would’ve thought that both the general and the Lord of Fengdu had fallen for Yan Shixun—and fallen hard, with no return. Now they were even vying for Yan Shixun’s attention.
Granted, Yan Shixun’s presence had temporarily doused the flames of their wrath, but if you thought about it carefully… wasn’t he the cause of this whole mess too?
The King of Hell felt like he had aged ten years in an instant.
“Human love… spares no god.”
He shook his head and muttered with lingering fear, “It’s just too terrifying.”
The Taoist beside him: “?”
You are the King of Hell—and you’re saying others are terrifying?
Meanwhile, Yan Shixun, smiling through his tears, deeply cherished this long-awaited reunion with Li Chengyun.
To him, this meeting that transcended life and death was the greatest surprise he could ever receive.
He understood very well that, according to what the ghost official had said, Li Chengyun had only left behind a fragment of his soul in the Old Fengdu. That meant his chance to see Li Chengyun again existed only within this brief window inside the Old Fengdu.
Once the Old Fengdu perished, Li Chengyun’s remnant soul… would likely vanish along with it.
Yan Shixun wasn’t one to deceive himself. No matter how happy or complicated his feelings were, he remained rational and composed, fully aware of the inevitable ending.
Unless he chose to defy the will of the Great Dao for the sake of keeping Li Chengyun, and sacrificed the well-being of all living beings to forcibly preserve the Old Fengdu—upending the entire cosmic balance of the Dao.
Otherwise, all he could do was treasure the present, savor every second he had with Li Chengyun.
Li Chengyun saw the bittersweet smile and tears in Yan Shixun’s eyes, and he understood everything.
But he only sighed softly in his heart. He said nothing, choosing not to bring it up, and instead smiled as he listened to Yan Shixun recount what had happened since his departure.
…How Yan Shixun had ventured into countless dangers alone, surviving by the skin of his teeth, growing strong enough to bear the weight of heaven and earth, and step by step, had walked his way into the heart of the Old Fengdu.
Li Chengyun’s gaze flickered as he looked into Yan Shixun’s eyes, his expression tinged with regret. “Xiao Xun…”
“No need to worry about me, Master.”
Yan Shixun had guessed what Li Chengyun wanted to say, but he only shook his head gently. “Those who reach for the Great Dao are never fragile greenhouse flowers. This isn’t your fault, Master. This was the path I chose.”
“Expelling evil, exorcising spirits, protecting lives, running tirelessly for the sake of the world… No one ever forced me to do these things. Everything I did, I did of my own will. I accept the karma it brings—and I have no complaints.”
Yan Shixun smiled and gently nodded toward Li Chengyun: “I’m truly glad, Master, that you once showed me the vastness of this world and let me touch the Great Dao.”
“I’m no longer that child I used to be, Master.”
He spoke softly, “The world you once upheld, the lives you protected—now, I’m here to carry it on.”
“Everything you didn’t have time to finish, I will take over, one by one, and complete them—until there is no more evil left in the world.”
Li Chengyun stared at his disciple in front of him, stunned, unable to return to his senses for a long time.
This disciple of his… Because of the Evil Spirit Bone Transformation, he had tasted all the warmth and coldness of the world far too early—yet after Li Chengyun’s departure, he had grown in ways far beyond what his master could have imagined. So much so, that it left him in awe.
Li Chengyun smiled softly: “Good.”
The tightly strung chord in his heart that had been stretched for so many years… finally loosened.
When Yan Shixun saw his master smile, he was moved to smile too. The sharpness that usually filled his eyes was gone, leaving only warmth and gentleness.
But just then, from the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of cold light. Realizing it was the general drawing near, he slightly restrained his smile and turned to look behind him.
Li Chengyun also followed his gaze and was drawn to the general’s presence.
However, as he looked at the general, a sudden thought came to him.
“I don’t think this is my first time seeing you.”
Li Chengyun slowly blinked, his mind quickly flipping through his memories, trying to pull out any scene from the past that might be connected to this general.
Despite the sharpness of the general’s full battle armor and the piercing chill radiating from his form, he had completely reined in his edge. And when he stood beside Yan Shixun, allowing Li Chengyun to study him, he somehow gave off an unexpectedly well-behaved and respectful air.
“Hermit Chengyun,”
The general nodded to him: “The object you once requested to guard against evil in Baizhi Lake—that was me.”
Li Chengyun suddenly understood: “The ebony statue!”
His gaze swept over the general’s features and he couldn’t help but marvel.
“Indeed… exactly the same.”
The general smiled.
But standing not far away, watching this scene unfold, Ye Li’s face darkened.
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