Chapter 605: Variable of the Yang Heaven
Meng Yaoyin’s voice originated from the Qianmo Lamp, yet it reached directly into the depths of Ning Zhuo’s divine sea.
“Successor of the Qianmo Lamp, since you possess the foundation of a Million-Person Soul and are the one who holds authority over the White Paper Immortal City, you must be the variable of heaven that the Grey-Bone Elder calculated through divination!”
“You must destroy the scheme of the Forget River Lord and restore peace to the Yin Soul Black Marsh Wetlands.”
Along with these words, a large stream of information was transmitted into Ning Zhuo.
Heaven Ghost Transformation Calamity-Offering Ritual…
Heaven Ghost Skull…
Acquired aptitude…
Choosing the White Paper Immortal City as a blood sacrifice to worship the Yin Heaven…
After a moment, Ning Zhuo fully digested this astonishing information. A sharp gleam flickered within his eyes.
“So that’s how it is!”
At this moment, he had learned the entire grand plan of the Forget River Lord.
Within this information, Meng Yaoyin had also provided a method of victory.
She clearly stated that she had once personally descended into the underworld and was personally received by the Grey-Bone Elder. Under the latter’s guidance, she had pried open the arrangements left behind by the Profound Plain Scholar and could, through the art of mechanisms, control half of a paper puppet army.
However, regarding how exactly to sabotage the grand plan of the Forget River Lord, Meng Yaoyin did not explain clearly. Instead, she expressed confidence in the successor: since it was a variable triggered by the heavenly fate of the living world, there must certainly exist a method of victory.
“So that’s the case.”
“So the origin of the Heaven-Bestowed Talisman in boss’s hand is like this.”
“Grey-Bone Elder…”
This was the second time Ning Zhuo had heard the name of this cultivator. The previous time had been from Luo Si.
Now, hearing it again gave him a completely different feeling.
“Mother made these preparations long ago, waiting for the evolution of heavenly fate. Now that the grand plan of the Forget River Lord is about to succeed, although I came here by coincidence, I’m probably this very variable.”
“I must do my utmost and follow Mother’s will to properly accomplish this matter.”
The matter was of great importance. Ning Zhuo immediately contacted Sun Lingtong through Life-Suspending Threads.
At this moment, Sun Lingtong was still inside the Yin Army formation, gazing from afar at the White Paper Immortal City resisting the ghost tide. After hearing the news, he was greatly astonished.
“Amazing, Little Zhuo. Your mother’s methods are truly extraordinary. She actually managed to seize control of half a paper puppet army. We’ve struck it rich!”
Ning Zhuo replied, “According to the information Mother left behind, someone still needs to personally go there and activate the formation inside before that half army can be controlled.”
“But how to use this power to sabotage the Forget River Lord’s grand plan—Mother didn’t say.”
Sun Lingtong was unconcerned.
“Little Zhuo, your mother didn’t have divination abilities either. Being able to do this much is already incredible. As for what to do next, didn’t your mother already hint at it?”
Ning Zhuo naturally knew what Sun Lingtong meant and nodded.
“That’s right. Back then, it was the Grey-Bone Elder who guided my mother. Even prying open the hidden army of the White Paper Immortal City was arranged by him.”
“Therefore, we should first go find this cultivator and seek his guidance.”
Sun Lingtong said, “The Grey-Bone Elder might already be waiting for us. He arranged for Luo Si to fish by the Forget River—very likely to make contact with us.”
“If that’s the case, could General Luo Si have been arranged by the Grey-Bone Elder as well—someone meant to assist us?”
Ning Zhuo pondered.
“That’s possible, but everything must wait until we visit the Grey-Bone Elder and obtain more information.”
“Boss, it seems the day of your advancement to the Golden Core will have to be postponed again.”
Sun Lingtong fell silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.
“No choice. Since the truth is like this, I must also actively cultivate my soul and push my soul foundation to the Million-Person Soul level. Only then will I be qualified to sabotage the Heaven Ghost Transformation Calamity-Offering Ritual.”
Ning Zhuo already possessed a Million-Person Soul. Sun Lingtong would also try to cultivate to that level, forming a second safeguard.
Sun Lingtong asked, “Also, should we inform the White Paper City Lord about this secret?”
He felt somewhat hesitant.
Ning Zhuo frowned and thought for a moment.
“In Mother’s message, she never mentioned the White Paper City Lord. Clearly, she had some concerns.”
“Whatever those concerns were, in her view, resolving this crisis didn’t have much to do with the White Paper City Lord.”
“Hmph!”
“My mother sacrificed her lifespan for this immortal city, exhausted her mind and effort, even risked entering the underworld to make all these arrangements for future generations… she truly was too kind and generous, always thinking of the people of the world and disregarding herself.”
“But compared to my mother, what has the White Paper City Lord sacrificed?”
“The moment she saw me, she pinned the title of savior onto me! It’s obvious she wants to use me, just like she used my mother back then.”
“But she doesn’t realize that although I’m my mother’s son, my temperament is different.”
“I’m willing to act as a savior and do some good deeds—but only if I gain something in return.”
“My level of enlightenment is nowhere near as high as my mother’s!”
After hearing Ning Zhuo’s response, Sun Lingtong immediately felt relieved and praised him greatly.
“That’s right, Little Zhuo. That’s the way it should be. We’re not the type of saints who blindly sacrifice themselves for others—that’s too boring!”
“Your mother having such a lofty outlook is another matter.”
Ning Zhuo nodded.
“Exactly.”
Even now, the three talisman papers that the White Paper City Lord had forcibly given Ning Zhuo were still hidden within his three dantians.
Ning Zhuo had separately mobilized the powers of his divine, qi, and essence dantians to tightly encircle those three talismans, compressing them heavily.
He was only waiting for the right opportunity to let Sun Lingtong use his thieving techniques to attempt removing them.
Trying now would be too early.
The White Paper City Lord would surely remain uneasy and impose even stronger methods.
The ghost tide lasted three days and three nights before finally collapsing.
“We survived another wave.” Tie Gu Zheng had also guarded the wall, fighting tirelessly for three straight days without sleep.
There was no joy of victory on his face. He merely cast a solemn gaze outside the city.
There, a well-disciplined Yin Army was slowly withdrawing.
This army had not participated in the assault. Instead, they had actively gathered the remaining ghosts. As a result, from the start of the battle to their departure, their numbers had actually expanded by twenty percent.
“Damn it! Not being able to destroy this vanguard army is truly infuriating.” Tie Gu Zheng slammed his fist against the battlements, grinding his teeth.
In stark contrast stood Qing Chi.
“This time, my battle merits should definitely be enough, right?” Qing Chi cheered excitedly.
Qing Yan’s face looked unpleasant, but he did not disregard the facts and nodded.
“Indeed, Chi’er. Even without careful calculation, your battle merits have reached the standard.”
“But right now, the Strength-Nourishing Institute is under full lockdown. If you rashly go visit that brat Jiao Ma, not only will you be blocked, you’ll also bring him a lot of trouble.”
“After all, he’s already the City Lord’s Male Consort.”
Qing Chi’s brows immediately shot up as she glared at Qing Yan.
“Father, are you trying to go back on your word?”
Qing Yan waved his hands quickly.
“No, no. Sigh… I mean that if you want to meet Jiao Ma, you must use the proper method. For example, I could write him a letter and secretly arrange a meeting outside. That would be much better than meeting inside the Strength-Nourishing Institute.”
Only then did Qing Chi’s anger subside, and she nodded repeatedly.
“Father, you’re right. Inside the Strength-Nourishing Institute, you can’t do anything, and even talking requires caution. It’s much more convenient outside!”
Qing Yan nodded, but suddenly his expression changed. He raised his hand.
“Wait a moment!”
“You can’t do anything—what exactly are you planning to do?!”
“And what do you mean more convenient outside?!”
Qing Chi snorted.
“Dad, I’m already grown up. Don’t worry about me. I have my own plans.”
Qing Yan’s eyes twitched with anger.
“You’d better not do anything reckless! Jiao Ma preserving his primordial yang is extremely beneficial for his cultivation technique!”
Qing Chi snorted.
“Hmph. Before, I held back because of that and didn’t cook the raw rice into cooked rice. Now there’s still a chance…”
Qing Yan nearly stomped his feet in anger.
“No, no, no! You absolutely can’t do that! You’re a girl—if you’re too proactive, Jiao Ma won’t cherish you. Chi’er, you need patience…”
“Patience?!” Qing Chi swung her arm, becoming extremely agitated.
“You want me to watch helplessly while Jiao Ma dual cultivates with that old woman, the White Paper City Lord? Absolutely not!”
Hearing Qing Chi call the White Paper City Lord an old woman, Qing Yan was simultaneously furious and frightened. He glared fiercely and lowered his voice.
“Shut up! You really have no filter on your mouth!”
But Qing Chi was not afraid of her father and was about to continue speaking.
Qing Yan quickly waved his hands.
“Stop talking, stop talking! You foolish girl. I won’t interfere with your actions anymore. Go cause trouble yourself. Don’t care about your father or this family!”
Hearing this, Qing Chi’s attitude softened instead.
“Dad…”
“I was wrong. Don’t be angry.”
“I’m just too anxious to rescue Little Ma.”
“Sigh!!!” Qing Yan covered his face and let out a long sigh, not wanting to speak anymore.
Ning Zhuo had already returned to the Strength-Nourishing Institute and continued his arduous cultivation.
After the army withdrew, Sun Lingtong informed the commanding general that he intended to return to the underworld.
Holding Luo Si’s military order, he could travel freely. The commanding general even told him the route back.
Sun Lingtong sank into the main channel of the Dark Flood Dragon River, diving deeply along the way, passing through the gap between the living world and the underworld, arriving once more in the underworld.
Although he did not know the roads, Ning Zhuo could contact him at any time, and the latter possessed the Qianmo Lamp.
Thus Sun Lingtong followed Ning Zhuo’s guidance and hurried forward.
His destination pointed directly at the seventh paper puppet army.
This army was not yet complete and was still in the process of being established.
Precisely because of this, the Grey-Bone Elder and Meng Yaoyin had been able to intervene and pry away control of this army.
While traveling, Sun Lingtong took out a talisman.
This talisman was made of black jade, three inches and seven parts long, with dark golden radiance flowing across it.
At the center of the front was the complete Yama Four-Directions Seal. Around the edges of the talisman were illustrations of the Eighteen Hells.
On the back were cinnabar inscriptions from the “Thirteen Chapters of Yin Law.”
It was the Heaven-Bestowed Talisman.
“Didn’t expect this jade talisman wouldn’t end up in Ning Zhuo’s hands after all. Looks like I’ll be the one using it.” Sun Lingtong sighed.
As he continued traveling, he quietly activated the jade talisman.
In an instant, a surge of soul power poured into Sun Lingtong’s soul.
This soul power was extremely vast, and more importantly, extremely pure. Sun Lingtong’s expression immediately changed as he felt his soul rapidly swell like a balloon being inflated.
Unlike Ning Zhuo, who relied on four treasures during cultivation, Sun Lingtong’s soul foundation directly skyrocketed—stable, rapid, and without any instability.
Sun Lingtong’s physical body foundation was far stronger than Ning Zhuo’s and could bear the explosive growth of his soul.
By the time Sun Lingtong arrived before the seventh paper puppet army, his soul foundation had already reached over two hundred thousand souls.
Of course, he already had a foundation before this. Being older than Ning Zhuo, it was natural that his soul foundation was stronger.
“Little Zhuo, you should have used this talisman. This is the most convenient method of cultivation.” Sun Lingtong sighed sincerely.
“Once this opportunity passes, it’s gone. The chance to fleece a husband of the underworld doesn’t come often.”
Ning Zhuo laughed.
“That sounds familiar. Wasn’t that exactly how I persuaded you earlier?”
Sun Lingtong said, “It practically has no flaws! If I had to name one, it’s that sometimes I hear phantom sounds in my ears—someone chanting a sacrificial text. It’s pretty noisy.”
Ning Zhuo’s heart stirred.
“What’s the content of the sacrificial text?”
Sun Lingtong said, “I’ve already memorized most of it.”
“I respectfully invoke the Supreme Yin who rules the nine nether realms with descending radiance. Yama enforces the law, the soul seizing the ten directions of the underworld; Yellow Springs surge like snow, guiding souls across countless calamities of boundless desolation. Now, through the rite of Heaven Ghost transformation, we reverently present ourselves before the throne of the Mysterious Firmament Nether Lord…”
“We respectfully offer… suspending the Yama Four-Directions Treasure Seal upon the mysterious altar, arranging the true diagrams of the Eighteen Hells as robes. Black snow covers the earth in seven layers, bearing the yang soul to nurture yin malice; cinnabar writes heaven in nine revolutions, knocking upon the nether law to reach the dark firmament.”
“We beg the Mysterious Firmament to open a swift path to the underworld, to pardon the heavy afflictions of sinful souls; to bestow the Heaven-given jade talisman and stabilize the source of the spiritual platform. May…”
“…with trembling words we offer our reverence—may it be received!”
After hearing Sun Lingtong’s recitation, Ning Zhuo’s face lit up with joy.
“This should be the main sacrificial text of the Heaven Ghost Transformation Calamity-Offering Ritual. Boss, listen carefully and memorize the entire passage. We might be able to find a way to break the situation from it.”
Sun Lingtong shook his head.
“Neither of us are Confucian cultivators. Trying to find flaws in it will be extremely difficult. That’s unreliable!”
Ning Zhuo said, “When the timing is right, we can show this sacrificial text to Wen Ruanyu…”
“Let’s not discuss that for now. First, let’s seize control of this half army, then head toward Water Burial Valley. These paper puppets will be enough to prove our identity and gain the trust of the Grey-Bone Elder.”
“If we encounter trouble, we can also use this army to fight for us!”
Sun Lingtong nodded.
“Little Zhuo, from here on out, I’ll just follow your command.”
Following the information left by his mother, Ning Zhuo guided Sun Lingtong to successfully find the formation disk hidden deep underground.
Sun Lingtong activated his magic power and poured it into the formation disk—but nothing happened.
After investigating for a moment, Sun Lingtong discovered the answer.
“This is a Myriad Phenomena Formation Disk. It requires Myriad Phenomena magic power to activate. What should we do?”
Ning Zhuo pondered.
“It seems Mother actually intended this opportunity to benefit the sect.”
“That’s easy to solve.”
“Previously, when I chatted casually with Wen Ruanyu, I learned that one of the entry spells of the Myriad Phenomena Sect—the Method Conversion Art—can generate Myriad Phenomena magic power.”
“I’ll send a message to Wen Ruanyu now and ask about the spell!”
While Ning Zhuo was steadily maneuvering things from the living world, Qing Chi arrived at the entrance of the Strength-Nourishing Institute.
“Please inform Jiao Ma that Qing Chi is looking for him and ask him to come out to see me!” Qing Chi’s eyes shone brightly, full of anticipation.
“Little girl, your beloved has become the City Lord’s Male Consort now, hasn’t he?”
Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind Qing Chi.