Stepping on the demon door, the witch becomes the strongest

Chapter 566: The Secret of Immortality
Rebuilding the underworld is not something that can be accomplished with just a few words.

First, the official functions of the underworld, including rewarding the good and punishing the evil, and reincarnation, require a clear division. Some functions are inherent to the Nine Netherworld, while others require the responsibilities of Yin spirits. For example, reincarnation requires passing through the Six Paths of Reincarnation Gate, a pre-existing structure within the Nine Netherworld, so there's no need to worry about it. However, rewarding the good and punishing the evil requires a dedicated person to handle this.

Only after the responsibilities and powers are clarified can the entire underworld structure be designed and it can be calculated how many underworld gods, officials and soldiers are needed to keep the system running.

Then, where does this labor force come from?
Pokémon Master Chen Lingyun needs to capture them one by one, which is a long and arduous project.

Once the ghosts are captured, they still need training. Let's take the example of rewarding the good and punishing the evil. If someone's life span ends and they descend into the underworld, how do you know if they committed any crimes during their lifetime? Either through magic or magic weapons; in short, the ghost spirit must have the ability to detect them.

All of the above demonstrates that rebuilding the underworld is a difficult, if not impossible, path. If you're stuck at some crucial point and can't find a solution for three to five years, what can you do? In previous lives, no one considered rebuilding the underworld. It's not that they couldn't think of it, but because even if they did, it wouldn't be easy to do.

However, if we consider it from the perspective of "giving this scumbag woman something to do", it is a very good idea to prevent her from having bad ideas towards me and the girls.

"I support you." Yan Yu said seriously, "I fully support your great cause. Just go for it."

"Hmm~" Chen Lingyun was not surprised by this. She just smiled and said, "It's not something that can be achieved overnight."

"At least you have to quickly advance to the Huafu level," Yan Yu said.

"Then I'll have to trouble you all every night," said Chen Lingyun.

Yan Yu was stunned for a moment and thought so too.

Her poor qualifications put her among the bottom few in the first-line teams, but now that she has taken advantage of the team's joint training, the problem that troubled her in her previous life probably no longer exists.

Alas, this is all thanks to me!

How about repaying evil with virtue? Even if Confucius were alive and heard what I did, I think he would praise it highly.

Yan Yu was moved by his own noble character, and suddenly received a message, which was from Tang Xiaolian.

Zhou Hongyu also advanced to the Huafu level.

In other words, the top three in Lu State's Huafu Cultivation Competition have been decided, namely Xie Ruoxi, Liu Longtao, and Zhou Hongyu.

Humph, three fools!

Yan Yu sent a message saying "Congratulations to Xiao Zhou for me" and then said to Chen Lingyun:
"Zhou Hongyu has also entered the Huafu stage."

"Hmm." Chen Lingyun smiled thoughtfully, "That is to say, if we leave out Ruoxi and Jing Ye, Zhou Hongyu's qualifications can be ranked in the top three among our group."

"That's for sure," Yan Yu said. "Look at all those massive fire spells she cast earlier. Without sufficient energy, how could she possibly sustain that level of energy consumption? Yun Jin practices energy control every day, and her spell energy consumption has been greatly reduced. But if it comes to endurance, she might not be Xiao Zhou's match."

"In that case, let's bring her into the harem... I mean, let's cultivate together." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "With one more person with outstanding talent, our cultivation speed will be faster."

Yan Yu was a little moved when he heard this, but only a little.

Firstly, how could they possibly be willing to come? Secondly, even if they did, how could they keep it a secret? Zhou Hongyu wasn't one to gossip, but the problem was that the captain of the Fire Phoenix team was constantly visiting the Zhenhai team. What would the Pingxi army think?
As for the harem talk, that's all Chen Lingyun's nonsense. Zhou Hongyu, Tang Xiaolian, and I often text each other, but we're just ordinary friends. Anyone who thinks a girl likes them just because they say a few extra words probably hasn't been in a serious relationship.

"By the way, what's the progress of Yunjin?" Yan Yu asked.

"Instead of asking me, you might as well ask her." Chen Lingyun replied.

So Yan Yu ran upstairs again to find Yun Jin.

Su Yunjin was washing a basin of plums in the kitchen. Upon hearing this, he replied:
"I've been here for almost a few days, it's been very quick. Has Zhou Hongyu been promoted to the Huafu level? She's amazing."

Secretary Su was a Buddhist, and was not disappointed by not making it into the top three. However, Yan Yu was muttering in his heart:
Just these few days? In other words, if we hadn't gone to the Nine Netherworld Secret Realm and instead focused on breathing and refining Qi, we might have been promoted even faster than Zhou Hongyu!
However, Yun Jin participated in the team's joint cultivation, and her advancement speed was comparable to Xie Ruoxi, so her cultivation talent was actually still not as good as Zhou Hongyu's, so there was no point in competing for the third place.

"What are you thinking about, Captain?" Su Yunjin stuffed a plum into his mouth.

"I'm planning your future." Yan Yu said while chewing a plum. "Once you reach the Huafu stage, quickly pick up the task of collecting Guishui elites. Don't delay. The added value of the acquired five elements' essence to Taoism is very significant, perhaps even greater than the impact of your own cultivation improvement."

In the living room, Lin Ning, who had pricked up her ears, heard the word "planning" and immediately became angry. She said to Zhao Yuanzhen next to her:
"The captain is giving someone special treatment again. Let's go and question him!"

"What? Special cooking?" Zhao Yuanzhen also stood up quickly and wiped his hands that had just touched the potato chips with a napkin. "Let's go!"

In the kitchen, although Su Yunjin knew that he was planning for everyone in the team, he was still very happy to hear the word "your" and said with a smile:

"Will the captain accompany me?"

Yan Yu pretended to chew and couldn't speak, only to hear Yun Jin laughing again:

"Haha, I'm just kidding. I can handle the slow work myself."

"Yunjin," Yan Yu sighed, "where did you learn such evil intentions? You're always testing me. I remember you weren't like this before."

"I'm not testing you, I was just joking with the captain." Su Yunjin said.

"You must have learned it from Chen Lingyun, right?" Yan Yu sneered, "I'll remember this grudge! If I get the chance someday, I'll repay you tenfold!"

As soon as Zhao Yuanzhen entered the kitchen, he heard the second half of Yan Yu's words. He suddenly widened his eyes in horror and became at a loss:

Oops, the little thief found out that I was holding a grudge!
Lin Ning said angrily:

"I heard that you, Captain, have started planning for the team again? So...how are you going to arrange things for me and Sister Zhao?"

Su Yunjin was smiling beside him, as if she saw her opponent running behind her on the field getting frustrated, and she felt a subtle sense of pride. Yan Yu was not in a hurry, after all, Lin Daiyu was easy to deal with, so he said:
"I'm arranging a subsequent plan for her to collect the Five Elements Elites. So, you also want to become a mage?"

Lin Ning was suddenly at a loss for words, because she also knew that the Five Elements Elite of the Dharma Cultivator was quite troublesome and needed to run around all over the country, unlike the Sword Immortal who only needed to practice sword in the training ground. It was natural for Yan Yu to make special plans for Yun Jin.

But girls can be unreasonable when they are angry, so she stiffened her neck and said:

"I don't want to be a cultivator, but you don't even care about my Kunlun Sword Technique, Two-handed Sword Controlling Technique, and Cloud-Dividing Eight Diagrams Steps. Shouldn't you be fulfilling your duties as captain?"

Su Yunjin frowned slightly and was about to speak up to defend the captain, but heard Yan Yule say:
"Okay, okay, let's go to the underground training ground now, and I'll give you some pointers!"

The girls' faces turned pale when they heard this, because Yan Yu's training instructions were not something that could be accomplished with just words... Not only would they have to sweat a lot, they might even bleed!

However, Lin Ning was also a stubborn person, and immediately said:
"Just go, do you think I'm afraid of you?"

They descended the stairs to the basement, where they saw Chen Lingyun deploying his troops and practicing a combined attack. Hei Wuchang, with his group of imps, slaughtered the unruly Ghost Car Bird, leaving it screaming in agony.

"Let's start right here." Yan Yu found a seat nearby and said.

------------

After spending the entire afternoon beating Lin Ning to the point where she doubted her life, Yan Yu received another call from Li Weiguo, asking him to return to school to report on his work.

In the principal's office, Yan Yu sat down on a chair and suddenly said:

"Grandpa, you don't look well. Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"Nothing." Li Weiguo rubbed his brows. "I've been busy lately."

The matter was not a big deal. It was just that the civilian monks who were recruited were unruly and difficult to control.

As the saying goes, "When a sharp blade is in your possession, murderous intent arises." Before the resurgence of spiritual energy, this sharp blade often referred to "money" or "power." Consequently, many previously cautious individuals, upon becoming rich or ascending to high positions, often become more arrogant or even aggressive. This isn't to say they are inherently bad, but rather that their self-perception has undergone a profound shift.

For those who accidentally embark on the path of spiritual practice, this situation is even more serious than "getting rich" or "getting promoted", because the essence of extraordinary power is "violence", and these folk practitioners who have mastered violence that is beyond the reach of ordinary people naturally become the target of great headaches for local officials, just like the knights in ancient times who "violated the law with force".

However, there is no need to mention these to Yan Yu. After all, this number one cultivator in Lu State has never liked ordinary cultivators, and it is no secret among the people.

"You've found the Nine Netherworld this time, which is a great achievement," Li Weiguo said solemnly. "Next, the Privy Council will assign personnel to this matter, focusing on finding the Nine Netherworld in various places. What are your thoughts?"

"The Nine Netherworld is a special secret place where souls temporarily rest before descending to the underworld," Yan Yu said thoughtfully. "Based on the information we've gathered so far, there must be more than one Nine Netherworld. It's likely there are locations everywhere—this also makes it convenient for ghost officials from various locations to rest nearby after taking souls away."

"But as for the secret realm, unless it opens on its own, we have no way of locating it, right?"

"Yeah." Li Weiguo nodded and said, "It would be great if we could meet some intelligent ghost messenger who could give us some intelligence."

"Are they planning to send us to conquer more ghost-like secret realms?" Yan Yu asked in surprise, "to gather intelligence related to the Nine Netherworld?"

"We do have this plan, but we're not sending you there," Li Weiguo replied. "Most of the Yin and Yang secret realms are located in the north, so the Dingbei Army is currently focusing on them. If... I mean, if we could find all the Nine Netherworlds in the country, you know what that would mean, right?"

"Hmm." Yan Yu thought for a moment, "Does this mean that anyone within Lu's territory, even if dead, as long as their souls haven't been scattered, can reconnect with him in the corresponding Nine Netherworld?"

"In the past, once someone died, they were dead. There was no chance of rescue." Li Weiguo nodded and said, "Now that we have the Nine Netherworld Palace, it means we can reconnect with the souls of those who have died but have not yet been reincarnated. If a body that can accommodate souls is developed in the future..."

"It means having the ability to come back to life after death." Yan Yu said.

The two looked at each other for a moment, confirming that the other understood what they meant, so there was no need to say more.

The most concerned about resurrection are undoubtedly the powerful and wealthy. After all, they have all the resources except the ability to prolong their lives. The Nine Netherworld has brought them hope, so they will inevitably fully support the development of resources related to the Nine Netherworld. Even the Privy Council cannot ignore the collective opinions of so many people.

As for the body that can accommodate the soul, wasn’t there an unlucky guy in this secret realm who was captured by Chen Lingyun and put in the Nine Heavens Demon Prison Banner?

The ghost mother Yin Rou possesses the skill of making paper figures. After receiving a soul, the figure can move like a normal person. This is exactly what Li Weiguo calls "a body that houses a soul."

In other words, Chen Lingyun could launch some kind of "immortal business." It doesn't matter if you die, your soul will go to the Nine Netherworld. I'll have Yin Rou make a paper figurine for you, and you can use that paper figurine to continue living in the world of the living... For those elderly and powerful people who lack the aptitude for cultivation, this is undoubtedly an irresistible temptation.

Thinking of this, Li Weiguo’s meaning became clear.

Don't tell anyone else.

There's a hidden danger here: the paper figurines are essentially controlled by Chen Lingyun. Anyone attempting to use them to escape death, reincarnation, or rebirth would be handing themselves over to Chen Lingyun, and even to Chen Tianming and the Chen family faction behind her.

Therefore, the more people knew about it, the more people would try to covet Chen Lingyun's paper figurine technology. If Chen Lingyun chose not to hand it over, there would undoubtedly be the risk of conflict brewing; but if she handed it over, it would inevitably lead to the disorderly spread of technology, and a large number of powerful people would uncontrollably use the paper figurine method to achieve immortality, which would definitely not be a good thing for the entire society.

Hey, wait.

Yan Yu suddenly realized that as long as someone knew about this, it would definitely not be possible to keep it secret in the long run. It was just a matter of how long it could be kept secret. For Chen Lingyun, it was actually like a time bomb that could explode at any time. Once it exploded, it would threaten the safety of her and her father.

Chen Lingyun's claim to "rebuild the underworld" stemmed from her desperate attempt to monopolize the entire death business. The Nine Netherworld's secret realms were numerous, accessible to even ordinary cultivators. She lacked the ability to monopolize them now, and would inevitably fall under the control of the Privy Council. However, the underworld remained a largely untouched realm. Once her cultivation reached a higher level, she could truly seize control of the ownerless underworld. Who would dare challenge her then?

If you want to turn against me, I can just hide in the underworld. When you die and go to the underworld, we can reminisce about the past. The Black and White Impermanence, Ox-Head and Horse-Face here are all my people...

It can be imagined that once she really rebuilds the underworld and controls the underworld, even if it is just a makeshift team, it means that she will be naturally invincible in the Kingdom of Lu, and she will no longer be afraid that any powerful person will dare to take advantage of the paper man technique in her hand.

Could it be that, from the moment she subdued the ghost mother Yin Rou, she had instantly deduced the hidden threat and hidden dangers, and had thought of a solution?
Mom!
Yan Yu didn't want to make any comments on Chen Lingyun's intelligence. He just suddenly had a feeling that this woman might be quite suitable to be the King of Hell in the underworld.

(End of this chapter)