I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 434 Life and death are unpredictable, and the living can be extended from the dead.

The fake Impermanence created by the Dharma Corpse with its great supernatural powers was thus ignominiously buried in the Yin River.

As for where the true impermanence lies, Xu Qing had no way of knowing.

In the revolving lantern of Qingchi Wuchang, Xu Qing saw the transfer of power in the underworld, and also saw the four judges who controlled life and death and the underworld's impermanence fighting against the invasion of the Dharma Corpse.

The judges of the underworld cannot be appointed without being righteous and incorruptible. Therefore, none of the four judges survived and all returned to the underworld.

Only one of the ten Yama Kings under Yama King's command defected and became a Dharma Master.

Through the perspective of Qing Chi Wuchang, Xu Qing also saw a familiar figure among the judges of Guixu.

That person was clearly Lu Zizhan, a talented scholar who had a past affair with the owner of the incense and candle shop.

Xu Qing thought it was a past love story between a human and a ghost, but she never expected that it would turn out to be a judge returning to the mortal world, a love affair that entangled a young woman's heart.

Unfortunately, Xu Qing did not know where Lu Zizhan and Cheng Caiyun went after their deaths. Perhaps they had been reincarnated, or perhaps they had been led by the Scripture of Salvation to the Boundless Realm, and could only enter the cycle of reincarnation again once the order of the underworld was restored.

If he knew their whereabouts, he would definitely throw the embroidered ball in his hand to reconnect the ill-fated couple with a strong red thread.

The revolving lantern continued to run, and through the layers of palaces and pavilions, Xu Qing saw the Dharma Lord in the Nine Netherworld, attempting to refine the power of Yin Mountain.

"The authority over Yinshan?"

at the same time.

On Mount Yin, inside the Palace of Yama.

The Lord of the Nine Netherworlds, who held half of the power in Yinshan, suddenly looked up and gazed outside the hall.

His gaze pierced through the eight scenic spots of Yinshan, crossed the barrier of the underworld, and followed the faint fluctuations that were watching him, landing directly on the territory of the Yin River.

However, just as the Dharma Lord was about to find the person who was spying on Him, a huge bronze coffin suddenly flew out from the depths of the Yin River, causing the Dharma Lord's divine sense to stumble.

"Female Demon."

The Lord of the Nine Netherworlds glanced at the bronze coffin, his eyes filled with contempt.

“You, a fallen celestial maiden of this corrupt world, should walk with us. Only in this way can you gain freedom.”

The response to the Dharma Master was a thousand-mile-long crimson flame burning on the bronze coffin.

"If you remain obstinate, then you shall continue to be exiled!"

The divine thought from the Netherworld manifested the form of the Dharma Lord. With a wave of his sleeve, a portal that could control the fate of all living beings was opened.

Above the Yin River, the coffin that brought a sky full of fire was instantly swallowed up by the portal and could not be found again.

After banishing Nüba to the north of Chishui, the Dharma Master's remaining divine sense continued to search for the gaze that was watching him. However, before he could set off, another azure dragon flew out from Tianjin and blocked his way.

The Lord of the Nine Netherworlds looked at the Azure Dragon God who was hovering on the Yin-Yang Boundary Stele, and a strange fluctuation finally appeared in his eyes.

"What exactly are you and the Heavenly Maiden doing, the head of the Four Symbols and the god Mengzhang, obstructing?"

The Azure Dragon roared through the heavens, exerting all its strength to weaken the divine will of the Nine Netherworld Lord once more.

"In this age of great calamity, demons rise and righteousness declines; you are too weak."

The Dharma Master strolled leisurely in the courtyard.

Behind him, the Azure Dragon let out a mournful cry and fell into the mortal world, landing in the White Sand River, staining the hundred-mile stretch of water with its blood.

I am getting closer and closer to you.

The Lord of the Nine Netherworlds revealed a strange smile. Just as he took a step forward and was about to leave Tianjin, a multi-story ship suddenly rushed out from the bottom of the Yin River!

On the mirage ship stood an emperor wearing a crown and a black robe adorned with flying dragons and black birds.

The moment their eyes met, the First Emperor drew his Tai'a sword, its sharp edge aimed directly at the invading enemy!
"Slay the demons, defeat the enemy!"

"The one who beheads him is rewarded!"

"."

Upon hearing the king who had been dead for countless years declare that he would cut off his head, the Nine Netherworld Dharma Lord was so angry that he laughed.

He was just trying to find the person lurking behind the scenes, so why was he being targeted by everyone?

"Destroy!"

The Lord of the Nine Netherworlds extended his palm and directly covered the ship in front of him.

On the ship, four golden-armored generals transformed into golden figures hundreds of feet tall, wielding swords, spears, and halberds, fearlessly meeting the palm of the Dharma Master.

With a deafening roar, the four golden-armored divine generals vanished, and four golden cakes appeared around the boundary marker.

The Lord of the Nine Netherworlds watched the mirage dissipate like sand and did not choose to pursue it.

The mirage of the First Emperor was an illusion; the ship itself was a divinely crafted treasure ship built more than two thousand years ago by the First Emperor when he ordered the alchemist Xu Junfang to cross Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou in search of the three immortal mountains.

What the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds saw at this moment was merely a glimpse of a mirage; the true owner of the mirage ship, including that divinely crafted treasure ship, was not here.

The Dharma Master, sensing that five or six out of ten divine thoughts had vanished, finally abandoned his contempt.

Earlier, when He listened to the Dharma Corpse talk about the changes in the Underworld River, He didn't think much of it. But now that He has witnessed it with his own eyes, He keenly senses that a being has emerged in the Underworld River Realm who can command the Heavenly Maiden, the Azure Dragon, and even the Human King.

He deserves to meet such a person.

The Dharma Lord followed that wisp of fluctuation once again. As He left Tianjin and stepped into Zhongzhou, thousands of unusual fluctuations suddenly rose within the Yin River Realm.

The silk threads connecting these fluctuations spread across the twelve states, and even scattered silk threads converged in places like the Western Regions and Nancuo.

For the first time, the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds showed a look of astonishment.

What's the story behind this "million dead thread"?

No matter how great His supernatural powers or how profound His magical abilities, He could not find the other party's existence at the end of millions of threads in a short time.

Moreover, the owners of these silk threads were all dead.

Since He has not yet obtained the authority of reincarnation, how can He find a living person hidden among millions of dead people in a limited time?
Even now, the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds still subconsciously believes that he is looking for a living person or a celestial being from the upper realm.

One step wrong, step by step wrong.

From the very beginning, the Nine Netherworld Lord made the wrong choice. Even if he had truly grasped the power of reincarnation, he would have been destined to never find the 'mastermind behind it all'.

The Dharma Master's mind raced, and in a short time he had deduced countless solutions, but he still couldn't find the person who created this mess by looking at the threads that were everywhere in front of him.

Only after the wisp of aura that had been spying on him disappeared and all the threads in front of him receded did the Dharma Master reluctantly disperse his divine sense.

"The deaths of a million souls must be the emergence of scattered treasures from the underworld!"

Inside the Yama Palace, the Dharma Master revealed his thousand-foot-tall Dharma form, surveying the eight scenic spots of Yinshan with a flickering gaze.

"It's just one or two Netherworld treasures. Once I find the Emperor's Sword Seal and the Mountain and River Treasure Cauldron, I can still refine the Yin Mountain Authority."

"Even without these, a thousand years from now, I will still be able to control Yinshan!"

"By then, hehe."

The Lord of the Nine Netherworlds turned his head to look at another place, which was in the direction of Shouyang Mountain.

The ancient Yinhe River Road.

Xu Qing had just seen the Dharma Master who wanted to take control of Yinshan in the revolving lantern when the other party raised his head and looked at him across a thousand years.

However, just as Xu Qing was feeling a chill, countless white threads sprouted from his front and back like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, enveloping him.

Xu Qing recognized the owner of each thread; they were the corpses he had helped to pass on to the afterlife.

"The power of Yinshan."

Xu Qing frowned. If there were any two mountains in the Three Realms that held the most power, it would be the Yin and Yang Mountains.

The two mountains, Yin and Yang, are named Wei Yin and Shou Yang respectively. Their beginning and end echo each other, representing the Yin and Yang energies that were born in the primordial chaos.

Xu Qing knew the importance of Yinshan to the underworld.

The entire underworld can be said to be composed of the Eight Scenic Spots of Yinshan.

Ghost Gate Pass, Bridge of Helplessness, Stripping Pavilion, Terrace of Longing for Home, Evil Dog Ridge, Broken Money Mountain, Blood Pool, Meng Po's Post Station
It is precisely because of these eight scenic spots that the operating system of the Nine Netherworld was created.

If Xu Qing's temple system was built by twelve halls and twelve altar masters, then Yinshan was the largest underworld temple system.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it encompasses everything.

Since the beginning of time, only the power of Shouyang Mountain among the Yin and Yang Mountains has been refined, and that person was honored as the Moral Celestial Venerable.

However, yin alone cannot produce life, nor can yang alone grow.

The Yin Mountain in the underworld is without a master, and the Yang Mountain in the underworld is short-lived. The power in the hands of the Heavenly Venerable cannot exert its full power.

Perhaps to await the master of Weiyin Mountain, or for some other reason, the Celestial Venerable of Morality established the Supreme Eight Views Palace on Shouyang Mountain.

Xu Qing suddenly remembered the Eight Views Bottle he had obtained when he performed a ritual to help the disciple of the female demon, Venerable Fulu.

He couldn't use that bottle casually. If the Celestial Venerable happened to notice it one day, he would probably just take it away!
The Celestial Venerable of Morality refined the eight scenic spots of Yangshan, using Hidden Mist Mountain, Xuandu Cave, Tuojing Pavilion, Daluo Forest, Cangming Sea, Shenxiu Peak, Yueyang Palace, and Yaoguang Heaven as the foundation, thus proving the authority of Yangshan.

Now, the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds is attempting to refine the authority of Yin Mountain.
Xu Qing dared not imagine that if this Dharma Corpse were to succeed, even the Heavenly Venerable would be unable to subdue it.

"The Nine Netherworld Dharma Lord has not yet refined the Eight Sceneries of Yin Mountain, so why doesn't the Heavenly Venerable intervene to stop him now?"

Xu Qing only hesitated for a moment before figuring out the key point.

"That's it, the demonic forces are rising while the righteous are declining!"

"The Celestial Venerable is the founder of Taoism. The coming of the Great Calamity will undoubtedly have a significant impact on Him."

Xu Qing also figured out why the Heavenly Emperor wanted to sever the connection between Heaven and Earth.

Presumably, in order to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune, they used the most foolish method to get through this ordeal.

But what's the difference between this and cutting off an arm to seek peace, or signing a treaty that cedes sovereignty?
Xu Qing, who had fully grasped the benefits of the version, actually despised the Heavenly Emperor from the bottom of his heart.

The saying goes, "A king dies for his country, and an emperor guards the gates of the nation." Since the Heavenly Emperor is the monarch, he should set an example by guarding the entrance to the gates of hell and never allowing a single evil spirit to enter the River of the Dead and affect the safety of the mortal world.

Instead of closing the road to heaven and then being able to rest easy!

Another story is that the gods and immortals in the upper realm consumed the incense offerings of the mortal world, their mouths glistening with oil. Now that the lower realm is in trouble and needs to exchange for incense offerings, the gods are turning a deaf ear and remaining silent.

It's no wonder that after thousands of years, people are no longer willing to offer incense.

It's not that the people aren't hardworking or respectful of the gods; they're simply heartbroken. Under these circumstances, the fact that they don't smash the deity tablets or burn down the temples is already an act of kindness.

If one day the gods and immortals of the upper realm blame the people of the lower realm for not diligently burning incense and worshipping Buddha, the Great Luo Sect will not need to intervene; a new leader will naturally emerge in the mortal world to overthrow divine authority.

At that time, the Heavenly Emperor will no longer be able to interfere in matters concerning the mortal realm.

After watching the revolving lantern of the Impermanent Ghost, Xu Qing looked at the reward in his hand.

A judge's pen with black and white colors, of the highest grade.

The Yin-Yang inkstone, which relies on yin energy and merit to produce ink, is also ranked among the top in the Heavenly category.

The inkstone has two grooves, one for blue ink and one for red ink.

Red represents the lifespan of the living, and its increase, decrease, removal, and retention are all determined by the tip of the pen; green represents the lifespan of the deceased, that is, the birth date of the deceased, also called the death date in the underworld.

In secular society, celebrating the birthdays and anniversaries of the deceased is considered a form of ancestral rites.

The City of the Wrongfully Dead, resembling the Yin River, is where those whose lifespan in the mortal realm has not yet ended reside in place of those whose lifespan in the underworld has been extended.

As Xu Qing held the judge's pen, attempting to wield it, a strange phenomenon suddenly occurred!

The Sutra of Salvation, which had stopped turning pages, suddenly emitted a black and white light. Xu Qing stared intently at it and saw the names and hometowns of the deceased whom he had helped to be saved displayed one by one on the scroll.

However, most of those people's names were dull and lifeless, as if they had not yet met some kind of triggering condition.

Sensing the various changes occurring in the Sutra of Salvation, Xu Qing's heart stirred slightly, and his thoughts subconsciously entered the Blood Lake Dharma Realm.

Within the Dharma Realm, a living scripture floats above the Blood Lake, and on the scripture are the names of many children.

The characters that reveal a child's name vary in depth; the deeper the characters, the stronger and more lively the child; the lighter the characters, the weaker the child is in reality.

If a name fades or disappears, it signifies the passing of a life.

Xu Qing fell into deep thought.

The names of those recorded in the Sutra of Salvation are all of the deceased, while the names of those recorded in the Sutra of Living People are all of the living.

What if he used the Judge's Pen to write the names of the living in the Book of Salvation and the names of the dead in the Book of Living?

Xu Qing was eager to try, but he couldn't find a suitable candidate as a test subject in a short period of time.

"Very well, it's not too late to test it when we return to the mortal world."

In addition to the top-grade Heaven-level Judge's Pen, Xu Qing also possessed five smaller Earth-level Judge's Pens.

The small judge's pen had the words "human," "animal," "Asura," "hungry ghost," and "hell" written on it in order, but Xu Qing's large judge's pen had the words "celestial being" written on it.

This is great, it's even a set!

Xu Qing was secretly delighted. Besides the Judge's Pen, he also obtained a Soul-Hooking Chain of no less than the Heavenly Rank, as well as two Impermanence Hats, one white and one black.

This hat is somewhat magical; as long as it is worn on the head, it will spontaneously generate an impermanent robe to protect the wearer.

Xu Qing had no interest in this unconventional robe; he already possessed celestial maiden robes and a phoenix coronet and embroidered shawl.
"."

Xu Qing suddenly fell silent, seemingly disregarding the numerical values ​​and still considering the Impermanence Robe as the more mainstream choice.

Xu Qing put away the robe, thinking that he would pass it on to a suitable disciple when he met him in the Mourning Gate.

His funeral service skills might even be improved as a result.

The funeral for the deceased sounds incredibly prestigious!

In the following days, Xu Qing had Shi Yue protect him while he summoned the Mountain and River Treasure Cauldron and began refining the body of Wuchang.

Normally, it would take him at least half a month to refine the remains of two sect leaders at once. But now, thanks to Chi Wuchang's warm hospitality and nearly ten thousand years of cultivation, Xu Qing only needed five days to refine all of Wuchang's corpses into pure spiritual energy.

Hengzhou, in the Huai River basin.

The Yellow River Formation, which had not been used for a long time, made a comeback. Gu Yuanrang, who was full of confidence, was first puzzled. What kind of formation was this? Why did it look a little unfamiliar?

When the formation was fully deployed and Gu Yuanrang realized its true nature, he was no longer puzzled. Instead, he broke out in a cold sweat, feeling nothing but shock and horror.

No wonder the master of the grand formation was able to obtain the position of altar master; no wonder the cult leader said that the master of the grand formation was the most severe test for entering the altar.
This wasn't a test, it was practically a death sentence for him!
Gu Yuanrang had no way to express his bitterness. On the outer perimeter of the formation, Fu Luan Shangren and Xie Qiongke, who were in charge of overseeing the formation, were watching the formation with great interest.

"How long do you think Fellow Daoist Gu can hold out?"

“We are all Nascent Soul True Persons. Didn’t I persevere back then?” Master Fuluan smiled and said, “The key is not how long you persevere, but how many years you need to recuperate to fully recover.”

"How many more years will Fellow Daoist Fuluan need to recuperate?"

"."

The Nuo fairy, who had been smiling just moments before, fell silent instantly.

Zhang Pingsheng comforted him, saying, "It's just a minor injury and a slight loss of cultivation."

"The leader has spared no effort in eliminating so many evil spirits, but his own cultivation level must have been greatly diminished. Furthermore, Yin Sha is most harmful to lifespan, and it may even affect his lifespan."

"What does the time we've lost for recuperation matter?"

Master Fuluan's expression softened.

Yes, the sect leader must have suffered a great deal of injustice and lost a lot of lifespan in this battle against the soul-reaping ghosts. They were just presiding over the grand formation. Even if they suffered some minor injustices, what is there to talk about?
(End of this chapter)