Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 500 Little Immortal

The Hall of Yama.

As soon as the palace doors closed, the Ghost King burst into laughter: "Who would have thought that the dignified Little Immortal would actually turn into a cat and become someone else's pet! Hahaha, if your disciples and followers knew this, wouldn't they completely sever ties with the Daoist sect?"

With no one else around, the tabby cat calmed down, sat down in front of the Ghost King, and said coldly, "Isn't this all because of you shameless sorcerers? If it weren't for the five of you fighting one, would this old Taoist have ended up in such a state?"

"The fact that you managed to escape from the combined attack of the five of us is already quite astonishing," the Ghost King said without a trace of sarcasm. "Even I couldn't do it today."

"What's the use? You've completely destroyed it. My divine body and divine essence are ruined, and I can only become a cat, barely clinging to life." The tabby cat sighed desolately. "I could only watch helplessly as you destroyed the Daoist sect that I had painstakingly established, and I couldn't do anything about it."

"Have you been catching mice all these years?" Ghost King asked with a forced smile.

"I've never caught a mouse before!" The tabby cat, who had remained unmoved by previous ridicule, suddenly broke down. He grumbled and cursed.

"What can I do now that I'm in this state? I could only take in two good-for-nothing disciples in the countryside, hoping they would take care of me in my old age. In the end, one became a living dead and the other became a real dead man. Alas, it's a misfortune for our sect. We even have to ask our master to offer himself to our enemy in exchange for his life."

"Look at you, even after turning into a cat, you still can't shake your old habit of spouting lies." The Ghost King shook his head and said, "Just like I could see through you as Ge Hong the moment you came in, I can see through the origins of every being who enters this place of reincarnation at a glance! Your two disciples, one is a celestial maiden descended to earth, and the other is the reincarnation of Yinglong. Do you think you can just find them in the countryside? Try finding me another one!"

"You see through things but don't say anything, you really don't know how to behave." The tabby cat licked its paws sheepishly, but still said defiantly, "Like me, I wouldn't tell you that nowadays people call latrines the place of reincarnation."

"Really?" The Ghost King's face immediately turned ugly, and he said dejectedly, "Alas, the trends in the human world really change in an instant. It's a pity that these words were written by Wang Xizhi back then."

As he spoke, the words on the plaque above his head changed from 'Place of Reincarnation' to four other words—'Realm of Rebirth'!
"Luckily, I had his son write a backup copy," the Ghost King said thankfully.

After saying that, he looked at Wenli seriously and said in a deep voice:

"Alright, enough with the reminiscing, let's get down to business. Since you've walked right into my trap, just tell me the secret to becoming a God-King."

"Let's not talk about being the king, let's be civilized. Let's keep saying 'this king'..." The tabby cat pouted, he had been completely corrupted by Ren Yuan.

"You!" The Ghost King was so angry that the string of beads in front of him swayed wildly. He suppressed his rage and said, "Speak properly to me!"

“Speaking properly is just being too greedy. You’ve already become an ancient god with boundless lifespan, why do you insist on advancing to the God-King level?” the tabby cat said in a deep voice.

"Aren't you a living example?! If you don't become a God-King, you'll eventually risk falling, and you still don't dare to unleash your full potential!" the Ghost King said in a muffled voice.

"Isn't this the argument of your mortal enemy? What, are you mocking Wu Yang, understanding Wu Yang, and becoming Wu Yang?" the Flowery Civet Cat sneered.

"Do all cats talk like this?" the Ghost King said speechlessly. "Or are you relying on having nine lives and not afraid of being taken down by me?" "Stop beating around the bush, I'm talking to you, why are you dragging me into this?!" the tabby cat said, slapping its paws.

"Say what you will, His ability to stay ahead all the way proves He has merit!" the Ghost King calmly said.
"Now tell me, is there a method to advance to the rank of God-King?"

"Yes, I do indeed possess the method to become a God-King," the tabby cat said calmly, "and you already took it away from me."

"You mean the True Spirit Karma Chart?" The Ghost King's eyes lit up. It was a magical artifact he had obtained when he, along with the five great sorcerers Wu Yang, Wu Gu, Wu Xie, and Wu Li, joined forces to kill Ge Hong, wipe out the Taoist headquarters of Mount Luofu, and divide the spoils of war.

He was able to control the spirits of Zhuge Liang, Xiang Yu, and Fan Li because of this magic weapon.

“That’s right.” The tabby cat said in a deep voice, “It can bestow titles upon gods and command ghosts, and arrange the ranks of deities. You’ve been the Ghost King for so many years, you should understand what it’s used for, right?”

"Rebuild the Heavenly Court?" The Ghost King's voice trembled slightly. "After the Jade Emperor fell, the Heavenly Court perished. How is that possible?"

"How can you call yourself a God-King if you don't rebuild the Heavenly Court?" The tabby cat glanced at the Ghost King and provoked him, "You obtained such a divine artifact, yet you only use it to establish the Underworld. You don't even dare to think about rebuilding the Heavenly Court. With such a mindset, do you deserve to be a God-King?"

"You..." The Ghost King was hit where it hurt, and the crown in front of him shook wildly again, causing the entire Fengdu City to change color, with thunder and lightning.

The soldiers and civilians of the Ghost Kingdom who had just returned to the streets had no choice but to go home again, heads bowed, and lock their doors tightly. Today was not a day to go out!
~~
The Hall of Yama.

The Ghost King finally calmed himself down and said in a deep voice, "A true man acts according to the times; sometimes a dragon lies dormant in the abyss, sometimes a dragon soars in the sky. How do you know I lack the courage to rebuild the Heavenly Court? It's just that I don't think I have the necessary conditions, understand?"

He paused for a moment, then sneered, "I have studied your 'True Spirit Karmic Chart' carefully. How could it be so magical? It is only useful for conferring titles upon the dead. Writing the names of living people on it is of no use, let alone divine names!"

"You actually tried all of that? Did you write Wu Yang's name a hundred times?" the tabby cat laughed heartily, until the Ghost King couldn't take it anymore and pointed at it. The tabby cat let out a scream, its fur standing on end as if electrocuted, and only then did it honestly confess:
"You are only a Ghost King now, so of course you can only use the True Spirit Karma Chart to command ghosts. Once you become a God King, you can use it to confer titles upon gods."

"I see..." the Ghost King suddenly realized. He then raised his hand again and said:
"Wait, let me sort this out—I must use the 'True Spirit Karma Chart' to confer titles upon gods and rebuild the Heavenly Court in order to become a God-King. But I must become a God-King before I can use the 'True Spirit Karma Chart' to confer titles upon gods."

As he spoke, he removed the crown from his head, slammed it heavily on the table, and cursed, "Damn it, which came first, the chicken or the egg?!"

"I've never been a god-king, so anything I say is just nonsense." The tabby cat spread its paws and said, "But you have to understand that chickens and eggs are real, so whether they came first or later, or appeared together, maybe only the first chicken knows."

"..." The Ghost King pondered for a long time, tugging at his beard, before sighing and saying, "Are you saying that one must reach a certain level of cultivation to comprehend the method of achieving both?"

“That’s right.” The tabby cat nodded. “Just like an emperor in the human world, you have to have enough strength before you can talk about being crowned emperor and becoming a true emperor, right?”

(End of this chapter)