Secular world: My destiny has no taboos

Chapter 499 (509): A Little Underworld Messenger

"What does he want to do?"

Lin Beixuan frowned, increasingly confused by the Evil Spirit True Monarch's actions.

He originally thought the other side would launch a full-scale attack on Luozhou, but he never expected that they would be making an enemy of the whole world.

However, judging from the current situation, the Evil Spirit True Lord is indeed the largest third-party force besides the dynasties of the past.

Given the number of bio-engineered mutants on the other side, if they were to deploy all of them, they could indeed sustain continuous battles against multiple forces.

However, this would only anger everyone and cause them to attack him, without bringing him any benefit whatsoever.

In fact, not only Lin Beixuan, but even Zigu Goddess and Emperor Li Sui were somewhat confused about the situation.

Inside the magnificent palace, Emperor Li Sui was writing while leaning on a desk.

When he heard that the Evil Spirit Lord had attacked Shunzhou, he was dismissive. However, when his subordinates reported that the enemy had then attacked several other forces, his expression turned slightly surprised.

He stopped writing and looked down at the eunuch reporting to him.

"How is the battle between the Evil Spirit True Lord and that guy from Luo Zhou going?"

"Your Majesty, Luo Prefecture has won."

"Luozhou?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty raised an eyebrow and a smile appeared on his lips.

"That prefect is quite capable; he actually managed to repel the evil spirit army."

At this moment, a scholar standing behind a small table next to the eunuch stood up and said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, the most important matter right now should be border defense!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Guang smiled and gestured, "Minister Zhang, please be patient. Even if you are in a hurry, there's no need to rush."

"I have waited so long to finally cleanse the court and take it into my own hands. A little more time to deal with some border affairs won't make a difference to me."

"But……"

Zhang Huaiyu opened his mouth, wanting to say something but unsure whether he should.

He feared that what he said might displease the current Dragon Emperor, who would then have him beheaded like the previous ministers.

The number of ministers in the court has decreased by more than half compared to before. The remaining few are either completely subservient to the Dragon Emperor before them or are loyal old ministers from previous dynasties.

Zhang Huaiyu did not intend to follow in the footsteps of those deceased ministers, so he respected his conscience and appropriately stopped speaking.

Yang Guang saw all of this but said nothing. Instead, he smiled and looked at Zhang Huaiyu calmly.

"Minister Zhang, there is no need to worry. I now have complete control of the court; it is no longer what it used to be."

As he spoke these words, a faint purple aura emanated from Yang Guang, and he seemed to transform into a humanoid dragon head, his words carrying a strong sense of majesty and domineering authority.

"I have already dispatched troops to Shunzhou, and the night watchmen will fully cooperate with the army to deal with the situation and force back the forces of the Evil Spirit True Lord."

Zhang Huaiyu asked blankly, "Then Longzhou?"

After saying this, Yang Guang's expression gradually became serious.

"The barbarian tribes beyond the Great Wall are powerful, far stronger than any of our dynasties in history."

"But there's no need to worry too much, I already have a solution."

Yang Guang closed the document in front of him and leaned back leisurely on the dragon throne.

"To repel external threats, we must first pacify internal strife. How is the calculation of the amount of money confiscated from homes, which I asked Zhang Qing to do last time, coming along?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huaiyu picked up a booklet from the table and began to read it.

As Zhang Huaiyu continued to announce the amounts, Yang Guang nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining with excitement, and he thought to himself.

"With this money, the subsequent arrangements will go much more smoothly."

During the years he lay low, he appeared to be incompetent and tyrannical, but in reality, he saved all his money to cultivate his own power.

Since the ministers in the imperial court could not be trusted, he used people from outside the court. With his current military strength, he was able to resist most of the scum who wanted to overthrow the previous dynasties.

Yang Guang placed his feet on the table, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of palace barriers as he looked at the group of people in the distance.

"Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, since you like to make trouble and are not satisfied with my sitting in this position, then I will give you a chance."

"You dragons lurk in shallow abysses, you darting into rivers and seas, you all better not disappoint me!"

As night deepened, the vast palace complex, after undergoing a thorough reshuffling, still harbored indelible bloodstains even in the cracks between the walls and eaves.

The imperial city was shrouded in ghostly shadows, and at night, faint screams and cries could be heard.

These people died, but their souls were not banished by Yang Guang. Instead, these vengeful spirits remained in the imperial city, forever becoming the mud beneath the new bricks of the city, trapping them there for eternity.

This is called making an example of someone to warn others!

Zhang Huaiyu walked alone on the deserted road, surrounded by red walls and high tiles, with eerie and mysterious sounds echoing in his ears.

He was originally a frail scholar, yet he was not afraid at all as he walked through the imperial city surrounded by ghosts.

It wasn't until he arrived at the gates of the imperial city, where two rows of soldiers clad in black armor, sword hilts in hand, stood guard over the city, that his vision was finally clear. Two high-hanging red lanterns became his eyes for discerning things.

"Master Zhang!"

The guards on both sides clearly recognized Zhang Huaiyu, so they did not stop him and respectfully bowed as he passed by.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huaiyu paused, turned his head, and said softly, "Have you all, like me, overlooked His Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, the guard leader trembled violently, bowed his head, and said, "We dare not speak ill of His Majesty."

"Ugh!"

Zhang Huaiyu shook his head, said nothing more, and walked straight out of the imperial city.

Feeling the cold wind ruffling his hair, Zhang Huaiyu turned around and glanced back at the vast imperial city.

The imperial city has changed beyond recognition. The flickering lights of the past are gone, no longer like an ever-burning lamp, where evil spirits cannot enter, and even gods and immortals must enter in person. It is forever the brightest city in Jingzhou at night.

However, now, the imperial city is rife with treachery, and all the rules have been overturned, just as if the emperor were sitting calmly on his dragon throne, watching helplessly as heads piled up like mountains below.

"Perhaps doing this will allow the dynasties to recover?" Zhang Huaiyu sighed softly, thinking to himself.

His figure was desolate, and he soon disappeared at the end of the street in the dead of night.

At the same time, unbeknownst to him, a dark shadow separated from the shadow beneath his feet and returned to the imperial city.

……

In contrast to the tranquility of the imperial city of Jingzhou, many other places were in complete chaos.

The Evil Spirit Lord has been indiscriminately attacking various forces throughout history, igniting the flames of war.

Changzhou.

The goddess Zigu sat in the center of a row of red tents, with light gauze dancing before her eyes, and charming maids dancing, sometimes in human form, sometimes transformed into white skeletons.

Mr. Yi Muwu sat to the side with his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

"Qingwu God has already led the ghost army to block the evil spirit army, but the situation is not good. This evil spirit army is led by the Spirit Binding God, and it is very effective against our ghosts."

"So what? We just need to send a few more mortal gods over there to distract the spirit-binding god and prevent him from using his spirit-binding ability. No matter how fierce the evil spirit army is, it can't withstand our ghostly army."

"But why would he do that? He was clearly fighting Luo Zhou that day, how could he turn around and send troops to attack us? It completely disrupted our plans." "Could it be that the Evil Spirit True Lord discovered our plan?"

"impossible!"

……

Voices could be heard coming from the shadows, discussing the current situation.

He sipped his tea with a keen eye, while four eyeless heads on his shoulders swayed back and forth, each with a different expression on its face.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Regardless of whether the Evil Spirit True Lord has discovered our true intentions, since the other side has sent troops to attack our door, we naturally need to fight back. Otherwise, the Evil Spirit True Lord will only slowly erode our power."

"Due to the influence of the underworld, we can no longer endlessly slaughter living people and turn them into our evil weapons, but he can continuously create bio-engineered aliens."

As soon as Mr. Yi Mu Wu spoke, the surrounding sounds stopped abruptly, and everyone listened quietly.

"Since he's no longer hiding it, then we have nothing left to hide either."

Yi Mu Wu put down his teacup and gently placed it on the table, his single eye looking in the direction of the Goddess Zi Gu.

"Miss."

"I understand, let's begin!"

Zigu Goddess gently rested her slender fingers on the armrest of the chair beside her, nodded slightly, her demeanor elegant yet exuding an undeniable decisiveness.

With her simple response, the atmosphere in the entire space instantly became tense and solemn.

The various mortal gods who had been hiding in the shadows revealed themselves, each with a different form and exuding a sinister aura.

Zigu said calmly, "I know what he wants to do, and I know why he would do it."

"A madman who doesn't consider the big picture and only cares about his own feelings is unreasonable, so we don't need to be polite to him anymore."

"Go back and fight!" Zigu Goddess said the most ruthless words in the calmest tone.

"Whether it's the Evil Spirit True Lord or Xuanzhou, I want them both."

"Yes!"

That night, countless figures vanished, and ghosts wailed, while the eerie furnace, glowing with green flames, never went out.

……

"Thud, thud..."

Zhong Kui walked along a mountain path, carrying a sword on his back and a wood-chopping knife in his hand, splitting aside the withered branches and weeds blocking his way.

He is alone.

But behind him followed a ghost that looked to be about the same age as him, its legs crossed as it floated in the air.

"Li Ping'an, you told me that Fengjia Village was just ahead, but I've been walking for so long and I haven't seen a single village in sight?"

Zhong Kui had several cuts on his face. He was so weak that he sat down on the stone bench with his little hands limply on the ground.

Li Ping'an glanced at Zhong Kui sideways and said with a disdainful tone, "What? You don't trust my sense of direction?"

Zhong Kui waved his hand: "No, it's just that I'm worried that Fengjia Village, which we're going to, might have been abandoned."

"Abandoned?" Li Ping'an crossed his arms and said gleefully, "Isn't that even better? It means everyone in the village is dead, and what's left are all ghosts. If we catch them all, those will be achievements!"

Zhong Kui rolled his eyes upon hearing this and said irritably, "Do you think the two of us can catch all the ghosts in that village? I'm afraid even ten of us wouldn't be enough!"

"Can you be of some use?"

"What does this have to do with being successful? I just don't want to become a brat like you!"

"Do you even know who I am? Please don't call me a brat!"

"Aren't you just a wandering ghost? If it weren't for me, you would have been eaten by that vicious ghost."

"..."

The man and the ghost continued their journey amidst their bickering. After a long time, the shadow of a village finally appeared before Zhong Kui's eyes.

The village looked eerie, with a dilapidated wooden sign standing at the entrance that creaked and swayed in the wind.

The sign reads "Fengjia Village".

Zhong Kui took out the task assigned to him by the underworld from the bag he was carrying on his back and looked at it carefully.

[Ghost-level Quest: Investigate Fengjia Village.]

[Origin: Fengjia Village has a total population of 156, yet no one has died in the past twenty years. Their spirits are not like those in the underworld, and their fates remain a mystery.]

[Dispatcher: Yin-Yang Official - Zhong Kui.]

[Task Rewards: 200 spirit money, 200 incense money, and a set of basic ritual artifacts.]

Zhong Kui's gaze lingered on the mission reward, a hint of joy in his eyes.

"If we can complete this mission, we'll be rich. We might even be able to get you a Soul-Nourishing Wood, so you won't always be hovering behind me, making me feel uneasy."

"Heh..." Li Ping'an said with utter disdain, "You should be grateful that I can even follow behind you!"

"If it weren't for my father insisting that I stay by your side to protect you, you would have died a thousand or eight hundred times over by now!"

Li Pingan didn't say the last sentence aloud; he just grumbled silently in his heart.

Zhong Kui put away the mission scroll, straightened his back, and took a deep breath: "Let's go and see what's going on in Fengjia Village!"

A young underworld official, only seven or eight years old, and a seven or eight-year-old ghost—this combination became the vanguard of the underworld's investigation of Fengjia Village.

Zhong Kui dusted himself off, tucked his wood-chopping knife into his waistband, and carefully walked toward the village.

Li Ping'an followed quietly behind Zhong Kui, his originally carefree expression now showing a hint of seriousness.

Now that he is a ghost of the demon level, he can naturally see many things that Zhong Kui cannot.

The entire Fengjia Village was shrouded in a thick aura of yin energy. Through the dilapidated buildings, one could see a shrine at the very back of the village, constantly emanating yin energy.

Inside the ancestral hall, there was a coffin, and in front of it, there was a shrine with a hole punched in its head.

Li Ping'an thought to himself, "Why is it another ghost? We've clearly left Luo Prefecture and are now in Qing Prefecture, so why are there still so many powerful ghosts?"

"Although Qingzhou was ravaged by the forces of the Evil Spirit True Lord and the Purple Maiden God, the Dynasty said that he had investigated the Book of Life and Death and that some villages in Qingzhou still managed to survive in the cracks."

“Fengjia Village, which is right in front of us, is one of them.”

As Zhong Kui stepped into the village, a strong aura of yin energy immediately rushed towards him, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

The houses on both sides of the road were dilapidated, and the paper on the windows was torn, making a 'whooshing' sound in the wind, as if countless eyes were watching him in the darkness.

Zhong Kui swallowed hard, then turned to Li Ping'an without turning his head and said, "It seems there are no living people left in this village!"

But no sooner had he finished speaking than the door of a house opened, and a hunched old man came out carrying chamber pots, about to empty them.

Upon seeing Zhong Kui and Li Ping'an behind him, he staggered. Ignoring the smell of the night-blooming jasmine he was carrying, he took a deep breath and silently prepared to back out of the house with the night-blooming jasmine pot in his hand.

Upon seeing this, Zhong Kui quickly raised his hand and called out, "Old man, please wait!"

(End of this chapter)