After Xu Ying departed, above the Hall of Heavenly Gods, the supreme will of the Heavenly Dao Universe manifested as rolling thunder: "Can we trace his origins?"
"No trace of this person."
"Check his birthplace."
"No trace of this place."
"Check his parents."
"Too many to inquire."
The supreme will fell silent. After a long pause, a Heavenly God's will inquired: "My Lord, should we report this?"
"Do not report it yet—lest we offend someone... Suppress it."
The supreme will exploded into thunder, its voice rumbling like a drum. "Pretend today's events never happened. All records on the Heavenly Dao artifacts—erase them. Plague God, you are forbidden from seeking revenge."
"Respect your decree."
Outside the Hall of Heavenly Gods, Yuan Qi and Yuan Weiyang both refused to believe it—especially Yuan Qi. Some of the criminal Xu's cases had been committed alongside him! How could he suddenly be innocent?
Could it be that the cases of Master Ox Seven had also been erased?
"I am truly innocent, innocent beyond measure," Xu Ying explained to them. "The Heavenly Gods of the Hall examined my records, investigated my three lives—spotless, not a single criminal record. If you don't believe me, ask Grandpa Bell!"
"You lie!"
Zhou Qiyun wanted to point at his nose and berate him for spouting nonsense, but he restrained himself. Even he, Zhou Qiyun, could not simultaneously resist the ten thousand gods of the Hall of Heavenly Gods and survive. The gods of the Hall wielded the Heavenly Dao artifacts—the Heavenly Code, Heavenly Law, Heavenly Principles, Heavenly Punishment—possessing power that eclipsed all else.
The third task he intended to undertake in the future was also related to the Heavenly Dao World. He understood the strength of that world all too well.
As long as the Hall of Heavenly Gods declared you guilty, even crushing an ant would be a capital crime!
For the Hall of Heavenly Gods, once a person was born, they already carried sin. Framing someone for a crime was as easy as breathing.
Because they wielded supreme authority—they could declare anything a crime!
Xu Ying was no saint. Along the way, he had slain gods and killed officials. His evil deeds were too numerous to count. At Huaihua Palace alone, more than a dozen Zhou clan disciples had perished by his hand!
But for Xu Ying to walk out of the Hall of Heavenly Gods unscathed had genuinely shocked him. From that moment on, he no longer dared order Xu Ying around as before.
"Heavenly Gods cannot walk out of the Ascension Ground. Their power is too great—they are rejected by the mortal world." Zhou Qiyun steadied himself and, instead of pressing Xu Ying on how he had escaped the Hall, answered his question: "To summon a Heavenly God, one must offer sufficient sacrifices to Heaven. Only then can the Heavenly God descend through the passage. The gods within the Hall of Heavenly Gods cannot walk out of it. As for whether the Ascension Ground can be corrupted, I have not heard of such a thing."
Xu Ying asked humbly, "Ancestor Zhou, can a Heavenly God descend completely into the mortal world?"
Zhou Qiyun shook his head. "Never heard of it."
Xu Ying looked to Yuan Weiyang. She also shook her head. "I haven't heard of it either. However, my Yuan family possesses a vast library. There might be records of Heavenly Gods descending."
Xu Ying turned to Yuan Qi, who shook his head. "My family's library contains no such records."
Xu Ying's heart was filled with doubt. The Great Bell had suppressed a young girl in a coffin at Stone Well Mountain, but also a colossal creature. The Great Bell had said it was suppressing a Heavenly God!
If that was so, then Heavenly Gods could indeed fully descend.
But why were there no records of it? And why had the Great Bell suppressed a Heavenly God? Or rather, why had the Great Bell's master suppressed a Heavenly God?
Now that this Heavenly God had broken free, who knew what kind of trouble it would cause.
"At his peak, Grandpa Bell suppressed both the girl in the coffin and a Heavenly God—how formidable must he have been!" Xu Ying glanced at Zhou Qiyun and thought, "Probably no weaker than Zhou Qiyun himself. A pity Grandpa Bell has become so scatterbrained."
Ahead lay the Yin Court, the celestial court of the underworld. Only now did Xu Ying have time to observe this vast organization that ruled the netherworld. From afar, towering statues of unimaginable majesty stood among the expansive landscape. Between the statues floated the Hidden Landscape Sanctified Grounds, shimmering with brilliant colors.
Those statues were taller than mountains, majestic beyond compare. The surrounding peaks barely reached their waists.
Entwined around their bodies hung thick ribbons of incense offerings, forming dense cloud layers. Atop these clouds floated magnificent structures.
Those structures were the Hidden Landscape Sanctified Grounds—celestial realms, one and all.
These celestial realms formed the backbone of the Yin Court.
Long streets connected every sanctified ground, lined with buildings growing in every direction, tall and short alike. This was the underworld, after all—floating in the sky, populated entirely by ghosts. There was no need for houses to stand right-side up; upside-down was perfectly acceptable.
Yin spirits operated shops here, offering every kind of merchandise one could imagine.
The Yin Court—its full name the Celestial Court of the Underworld. Xu Ying had expected it to be steeped in yin energy, heavy with ghostly aura. Instead, the Hidden Landscape Sanctified Grounds lent it vivid color, its grandeur surpassing even anything found in the mortal realm.
Xu Ying and the others followed Zhou Qiyun into the streets of the Yin Court, where the scent of incense offerings permeated everything.
Suddenly, Xu Ying's calf was bumped. Looking down, he saw dozens of short-statured Earth Spirits racing along the streets carrying letters, shouting, "Late! Late!"
One Earth Spirit bellowed, "My matter is the most urgent! Make way, all of you! The ruthless bandit Zhou Qiyun from Lingling has entered the Yin Court! Bandit Zhou Qiyun has turned himself in to his death—to be executed to strengthen the majesty of Heaven!"
The other Earth Spirits hastily cleared a path, letting that small spirit dash to the front.
Zhou Qiyun said calmly, "The *Imperial Records* state that these Earth Spirits are responsible for relaying messages—they carry word of daily events from across the land to the Yin Court. Here, divine officials dedicated to information processing receive and compile these reports. In this way, everything that happens in both the mortal realm and the underworld falls within the Yin Court's knowledge."
Xu Ying was deeply shaken. Earth Spirits were the most common of spirits—not only in the mountains, but in every small village. Even in the cities, streets had tiny Earth Spirit shrines. These spirits were well-informed. If all information converged at the Yin Court, then nothing in the world escaped its grasp.
"Indeed, the Zhidao Dasheng Emperor was far-sighted in uniting imperial power with divine authority through his pact with the Yin Court," Xu Ying said.
Zhou Qiyun nodded slightly. "The Zhidao Dasheng Emperor pacified the Yin Court, unified the Divine Land, and forged a terrestrial kingdom of gods. From then on, divine and imperial authority were one, eliminating all hidden threats. Having achieved this, the Zhidao Dasheng Emperor indulged in pleasure, favoring eunuchs and powerful ministers. It seems women brought ruin upon the nation."
Yuan Weiyang raised an eyebrow. "And what of the powerful ministers?"
Zhou Qiyun replied indifferently, "I am one of those powerful ministers. Had the Zhidao Dasheng Emperor not become obsessed with women, how would I have risen to power?"
Another Earth Spirit raced past, shouting, "The third-rate snake catcher Zhou Qiyun from Yongzhou has reached Ghost Gate—he has come to seek death!"
A crowd of Earth Spirits shrieked and scattered, crying out, "This fierce one is attacking!"
A green-skinned great ghost bellowed, "I am a Ghost Gate warrior! If that snake catcher Zhou Qiyun dares set foot inside Ghost Gate, watch me cut him down with my Ghost Head Blade!"
Yuan Qi stared in bewilderment. "Ancestor Zhou, it seems your reputation in the Yin Court is not good."
Zhou Qiyun snorted and continued onward. They passed through Ghost Gate. The Ghost Gate warrior dropped his Ghost Head Blade and fled, his speed staggering.
Another Earth Spirit raced past, shouting, "Old Ancestor Zhou has stormed the Soul-Return Gate! The generals there fight to the death but will not surrender!"
Yet before the ghosts guarding Soul-Return Gate even made contact with Xu Ying and the others, they had abandoned their armor and fled in panic.
Yuan Qi remarked in surprise, "Their tone is noticeably more respectful this time."
Past Soul-Return Gate lay Ghost King Hall. An Earth Spirit dashed past, shouting, "Grandmaster Zhou of the mortal realm graces the Yin Court to pay respects to the Ghost King!"
The doors of Ghost King Hall slammed shut with a boom—the Ghost King clearly had no desire to meet Zhou Qiyun.
At the Judge's Mansion, another Earth Spirit cried, "Nuo Immortal of the Zhou family arrives in splendor! All you lesser spirits of the Yin Court—kneel and welcome him!"
Another Earth Spirit shouted, "Quick, embroider dragon banners! Replace the Yin Court Emperor's flags with the Zhou Heavenly Emperor's!"
By the time they reached the Hall of Samhara, yin spirits lined both sides of the road, bowing deeply in reverence. "Great Immortal! We humble spirits offer these delicacies, awaiting the arrival of your divine army to overthrow the tyrannical Emperor of the Yin Court!"
In front of the Hall of Samhara, a feast had already been laid out. Enchanting ghost women played instruments, sang, and danced. One ghost woman called out, "Tonight's flower queen shall enter the palace to serve!"
Zhou Qiyun laughed aloud. "Emperor of the Yin Court, is this how you try to fool me? Zhou Qiyun of the mortal realm has come to pay respects—please grant me an audience!"
The words had barely left his mouth when, from the Hidden Landscape Sanctified Grounds scattered across the Yin Court, beams of immortal light shot into the sky. Towering figures materialized—immortals with bearing and bearing, swaying through the air. Their combined presence churned the Yin Court's sky, and the very heavens seemed to shift.
From the supreme palace of the Yin Court ahead, brilliant light surged outward, forming the silhouette of a deity whose flowing robes draped over the hall's highest roof.
The deity's robes billowed, rising and falling. Immortal light blazed from its body in radiant rays, dazzling and holy beyond measure. The sheer brilliance of the immortal light made it difficult to look upon.
Zhou Qiyun's expression grew solemn. This was a Primordial Spirit.
Though he had studied the strengths of many schools, excavated ancient tombs and celestial caves, and attempted to reconstruct the cultivation system of qi refiners, he had not yet achieved a Primordial Spirit.
Though his soul was formidable, it was still merely a soul—far lacking compared to the Primordial Spirit of the Emperor of the Yin Court.
Zhou Qiyun surveyed the surroundings. The Nuo Immortals residing within each Hidden Landscape Sanctified Ground of the Yin Court radiated powerful auras—extraordinary figures, one and all. But these Nuo Immortals were mostly dead, possessing only soul essence and no physical body.
The immortal light around the Emperor of the Yin Court gradually dimmed. Drawing in his aura, he smiled and said, "The Emperor of the Yin Court is merely a title. I can hold it, and so can you, Fellow Daoist Zhou. After your death, come to the Yin Court, and I shall abdicate in your favor."
Zhou Qiyun strode forward. "I have no interest in what comes after death. What I want is eternal life—to transcend and ascend to immortality!"
The Emperor of the Yin Court laughed heartily. His immortal light fully receded as his Primordial Spirit drew back into the hall.
His voice drifted from within the hall, faint and lingering: "Who does not wish for that? Even I would like to return to the mortal world and live as a carefree immortal. Master Zhou, you are already a Nuo Immortal of the mortal realm—carefree and unbound. What more could you want?"
*Hum—*
Suddenly, a torrent of immortal light surged from the hall, hurtling toward Zhou Qiyun on the steps, threatening to swallow him whole.
Zhou Qiyun's feet halted. His Zhongzhou Hidden Landscape unfurled around him. He exclaimed, "You are a Ghost Immortal?!"
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang had already stopped in their tracks, not drawing near. Even so, the terrifying auras of these two titans hammered against them like drums, making it hard to breathe.
Worse still, their spirit senses began to scramble. Incomprehensible Dao arts invaded them from the immortal light, disrupting their normal thoughts.
Xiao Bo, the blue-robed elder, shielded them, enduring the discomfort as he shouted, "Fall back!"
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang retreated hurriedly. Yuan Qi scrambled to turn around and fled as well, withdrawing to the Judge's Mansion before they could breathe easier.
Zhou Qiyun's voice rang out: "Emperor of the Yin Court—you were once an immortal. Your physical body was destroyed, and only your Primordial Spirit remained, making you a Ghost Immortal! Am I right? Having a body versus lacking one makes a vast difference. Though you are a Ghost Immortal, you are no match for a Nuo Immortal with a physical form!"
From within the Hall of Samhara, waves of terrifying power exploded outward in every direction. The aftershocks swept through everything in their path—even Xiao Bo could not withstand them, blood trickling from the corner of his lips as he struggled to hold his ground.
Suddenly, a bell tolled. A great bell materialized, its mouth inverted. The moment it clashed with the shockwave, it rang with a mighty *clang*, and dragon-and-snake patterns surfaced along its body, radiating prismatic light, forming a thick barrier of light to shield everyone within.
Then, from the Hidden Landscape Sanctified Grounds, the ghost Nuo Immortals extended their fingers. Hidden landscapes surged forth, carrying immense Dao manifestations, pressing down upon the Hall of Samhara!
Xu Ying felt a sudden warmth in his nostrils. Wiping his hand, it came away stained with blood—the pressure from the Dao manifestations within the ghost Nuo Immortals' hidden landscapes had forced blood from his pores!
He looked to Yuan Weiyang, Xiao Bo, and Yuan Qi. They too were bleeding from their eyes, ears, mouth, and nose under the same pressure!
"Grandpa Bell, you must hold on!" Xu Ying cried.
The Great Bell let out a muffled grunt. Suddenly, its body tilted and spun with a howl, shouting, "Can't hold! Time to go!"
The Great Bell was struck by the shockwaves from the terrifying clash of Dao manifestations. It bounced up and crashed down repeatedly, demolishing houses along the way as it rolled down the long street.
Inside the Bell, Xu Ying said to Yuan Weiyang and Xiao Bo, who were still shaken, "Don't worry. Grandpa Bell can handle it. I've been through this many times."
*Clang!*
The Great Bell smashed a hole through Ghost Gate and, ringing all the while, tumbled down from the Yin Court.
Yuan Qi curled into a ball, then suddenly realized: "Wait—are we about to finally escape Zhou Qiyun?"