Da Zaojun

Chapter 196 Heading to the Underworld

At this moment, Song Wuji was thinking of returning to Taichang City and was about to use the Smoke Dust Escape Technique when he remembered that he was already a genuine Golden Core Realm cultivator and could try to see if he could fly directly.

Song Wuji couldn't fly, but since he had mastered fire, he didn't necessarily need cloud energy. However, the way the flames shot out was rather ugly, like a fart being propelled.

So Song Wuji first lightened his body, then used the wind to move, leaping hundreds of feet in one bound, and then using the techniques of the "White Tiger Instant Kill Slash" in one step and one instant.

Lin Fajing thought that Song Wuji's actions were undeniably cool, perfectly embodying the phrase "riding the wind through the void."

Moreover, this kind of step-by-step movement is somewhat like the legendary "shrinking the earth to an inch," but shrinking the earth to an inch is not quite this simple.

Actually, Song Wuji has the ability to escape by going underground and burrowing into the ground. Moreover, he also has the "Fire Escape" technique, which allows him to transform into flames and escape. However, none of these techniques are very cool.

Song Wuji thought to himself: This is the only downside of the Kitchen God. He's too down-to-earth. Other gods can fly and escape into the earth without any problem, but I have to collect the smoke from thousands of kitchens and refine it into a cloud to ascend to heaven before I can ride the clouds freely.

Upon returning to Taichang City, Song Wuji first went to the Stove Office and the Stove Temple. Then he began to refine the original demonic energy and divine nature he had previously possessed. These things were all of too low grade. Even if Song Wuji refined them now, it would be difficult to increase his essence, qi, and spirit. He could only learn martial arts through illusions. However, ordinary martial arts were no longer useful to Song Wuji. The common people also had a complete set of Buddhist martial arts inheritance.

Furthermore, it would be difficult for Song Wuji to learn magic or supernatural powers in the illusion, so Song Wuji's main strategy in these demonic illusions was to clear them quickly.

Then, these refined primordial energies were returned to the people who lent Song Wuji the three treasure attributes to help him lay a solid foundation for the Hunyuan Golden Core, according to the method of "passing on the fire and gathering fuel," and at the same time, the stock was cleared out.

However, the number of people in the city who worship the Kitchen God is at least 18,000 to 20,000. All these original demonic energy, ghostly energy, and divine energy combined only amount to about a hundred. If each person is given a small amount, it is not enough to repay the debt of Song Wuji's previous salary collection. Moreover, Song Wuji promised to repay double.

Therefore, before Song Wuji went to the underworld, he must have made a big scene in the surrounding area to intimidate the demons and monsters in the area before he could feel at ease going to the netherworld and passing the five trials. After all, it was the former location of the underworld. Song Wuji did not know how long it would take, since Magistrate Tian had been taking the City God exam for more than a month.

A lot can happen in a little over a month.

However, seeing that the stove in the Stove Department was already an eighth-rank stove temple, but the pots and pans were still ordinary, Song Wuji immediately used his supernatural power to "open the pot," using the method of sacrificing stove fire to enhance it, and incidentally adding some ores and demonic materials...

There were tiger demon teeth, the small horns of the Luohu python, cold iron obtained from the Luohu Water Palace, and some White Tiger Yang Geng Copper obtained from killing the White Tiger God Cangxuan...

Then Song Wuji spewed out Samadhi True Fire from his nose, eyes, and mouth, first refining the pot.

After a burst of firelight, the pot took on the appearance of a dragon and a tiger, and with a roar of the dragon and a howl of the tiger, a large pot was finally made.

[The Kitchen God's Dragon and Tiger Pot - A Magical Treasure]

"It was personally cast by the Kitchen God using a dragon horn, a white tiger bronze, and a cast iron pot from the Kitchen God Temple, using the method of opening the pot for sacrificial purposes. It is said to have a dragon and tiger pot spirit, and eats the smoky aroma from the pot."

Pot Spirit: The spirit of the Dragon-Tiger Pot, with the head of a dragon and the body of a tiger, is skilled at learning cooking, can record recipes, and cook automatically.

After carefully sensing the surroundings, Song Wuji summoned the pot spirit, which indeed had the head of a dragon and the body of a tiger, with an apron around its neck bearing the character "pot" written on it.

It just has a naive look in its eyes and is still unaware of the ways of the world; it is a newly born spirit.

Moreover, this pot has no fighting ability; it can only cook. It is also very large, capable of processing 999 portions of ingredients at the same time. In other words, it is purely a kitchen tool pot.

Moreover, the spirit that this pot embodies can automatically record and remember the food the user has cooked. If the corresponding ingredients are available, it can even cook it itself, and the taste will be exactly the same.

Although it doesn't enhance the flavor, the pot is just a tool; the deliciousness of the dish depends on the cook.

But is this thing also considered a magical artifact?

After all, magic treasures are superior to magic tools; that's common sense. Song Wuji never expected to be able to forge a magic treasure on his own.

However, it's also possible that the materials were decent, and since the local government office for the Kitchen God is actually their own temple and shrine, it must have some advantages.

Afterwards, Song Wuji refined the spatula again, this time only producing one magical artifact. Its effect was ordinary, but when used with the Dragon Tiger Pot, it could slightly increase the user's maximum stamina and slightly increase stamina recovery.

Then came pots and pans, basically everything that could be forged. But while others forged weapons that were powerful artifacts, Song Wuji forged things that increased or restored physical strength, things that made work less tiring.

It can only be said that apart from the first pot which used good materials, the others were all made by refining some low-level demon materials stored in the kitchen. Moreover, the Kitchen God's crafting is more focused on daily life.

However, he used the karmic killing knife that the pig demon used to slaughter animals, along with the supernatural power of "sharpening the knife," to forge a second magical weapon.

[Butcher's knife]

"Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? Using a butcher's knife will greatly increase the damage to beast-shaped demons. Demons slaughtered by this knife will not have their souls dispersed, but will be separated from their bodies and retain their spirits."

Good stuff! Although it only increases damage against beast-shaped demons and is a bit short as a weapon, it's enough as a secondary weapon.

As for the Tiger Soul Twin Blades, Song Wuji also refined them, intending to forge one into a single blade. This blade was long enough and compatible with three martial arts moves from the White Tiger Instant Kill Technique.

However, after being refined by Song Wuji, its shape changed.

[Tiangang White Tiger Blade. Magic Weapon] "Forged with the gall of the White Tiger, the soul of the Tiger, and the Yin-Yang Blade of the Tiger Soul, it is imbued with the power of the White Tiger constellation of the West through the Tiangang Transformation Technique. The sharpening method of the Kitchen God's Seven Methods is used to further enhance its sharpness. Wielding this blade grants one control over the killing power of the White Tiger constellation of the West."

The Heavenly Tiger Saber sounds more prestigious than the Slaughtering Ox Saber, which is why Song Wuji incorporated a tiger gall bladder he had refined from the White Tiger Cangxuan into it.

It's just unknown what kind of power this Western White Tiger constellation's killing force is, and how it will be effective when combined with the three White Tiger Divine Martial Blade Techniques: White Tiger Instant Kill Slash, White Tiger Blade-Holding Slash, and White Tiger Geng Metal Slash. Moreover, with the two blades combined, this blade is also heavier, and Song Wuji can also use this blade to perform the Kitchen God's "Firewood Chopping" technique.

There's no room to maneuver here, so we can only see who's being foolish enough to do it.

Over the next three days, Song Wuji collected ingredients and went outside the city to build stoves, setting up a feng shui formation called the "Hundred Families Sacrificing to the Stove God for Peace and Tranquility," which uses stoves with protective charms as the focal point. He established the basic layout for several important outlying garrisons.

Then he found Chen Xiu, Lü Han, Master Bao, Huang Qiaoyun, Lin Pandi, and Luo Chuan, and asked them and Lin Fajing to each take their positions and work together to protect Taichang City.

After giving them instructions, Song Wuji finally found Tian Chenghuang.

"The Netherworld is not a place one can enter with a physical body. However, you are not a mortal; you have divine protection and a celestial register, so it is normal for you to enter with a physical body. But this will surely attract the attention of many hellish demons. Are you prepared?"

Song Wuji nodded: "The preparations are complete. I originally planned to make a big scene in Jianxin County to intimidate the demons there, but Lin Fajing persuaded me to stop, saying that if there were any problems, he would ask his fellow disciples to come down the mountain."

"However, we cannot rely entirely on the Iron Pillar Palace. Therefore, I left behind fragments of the Golden Body of Fortune in the secret realm of the Human Dao Taichang Prefecture. In case of any event, City God Tian, ​​you can use the fortune to cast a decree."

"As for the Seal of Humanity's Great Prosperity, I did not take it with me. Instead, it is temporarily stored in the secret realm of Humanity's Great Prosperity Prefecture. In case I am unable to return, you, City God Tian, ​​will continue to serve as the realm's lord. Although you are now in the form of a ghost or god, I believe that your love for the people remains unchanged."

The sculpture of Tian Chenghuang has been completed. Song Wuji placed several treasures inside, one of which is Danxin, which was refined from the body of Magistrate Tian.

One item is the [Tiger Totem Battle Flag], which can gather heroic spirits and transform them into ghost soldiers. It is used to recruit soldiers for the City God. However, the ordinary City God's soldiers are all "rampant soldiers" and are not formally organized. Just as Song Wuji used the Wu Zu Order to create five hundred regular soldiers, this battle flag can train five hundred formal ghost soldiers from the underworld.

Another item is a jade bottle from a Buddhist temple, which granted the City God a large-scale, collective healing spell called "Great Sweet Rain Rejuvenation Spell." In the event of another siege, this spell can restore the health of all the people in the city.

Originally, the container for the dirty items was a set of five, but here it only contains metal, fire, and water, and no wood or earth.

But there are currently no better alternatives for this purpose.

Tian Chenghuang sighed and said, "Now that you are in charge of Taichang City, it is better and more prosperous than when I was in charge. I hope you will return from the underworld soon. As a ghost, I can only handle matters at night with the strict laws in Taichang City. However, the underworld is the opposite of the mortal world. The daytime in the mortal world is the nighttime in the underworld, and the daytime in the underworld is the nighttime in the mortal world. It is difficult for me to take care of both sides."

"Moreover, the seal of the Human Realm is too prosperous. The master said, 'Now that I have fallen into the Ghost Realm and no longer possess a human body, it is difficult for me to control this seal. You must choose someone.'"

Song Wuji thought for a moment: "If we really encounter a great battle, I will choose Chen Xiu. He has the strength of an eighth-grade martial artist and two hundred regular soldiers. He can fight to the death with the demons. In addition, I have taught him the method of gathering firewood. He can temporarily use the firewood to gather the faith of the people in the city and temporarily gain a lot of strength."

"can."

Seeing that Song Wuji had made detailed arrangements, the City God immediately said, "Then we'll wait for you to return soon!"

The City God immediately opened the Netherworld passage, which led to a wooden gate covered in vines, inscribed with the words "[Taichang Ghost Realm]".

Song Wuji stepped inside, and his figure vanished without a trace.

Upon arriving at the Taichang Ghost Realm, Song Wuji discovered that he was like a small sun, radiating a dazzling light.

Tian Chenghuang instructed, "Little Song, you should tone it down; this is too ostentatious!"

With a thought, Song Wuji withdrew his supernatural power, and only a small inch of his body shone with a faint light, like a candle.

"The City God, as the Marquis of Baili in the Underworld, is actually just a transit point. Now that the Underworld is in trouble, demons and monsters are causing chaos and a large number of people have died. Moreover, the ghosts who could have been reincarnated are now waiting because of the deaths."

"With the rebellion of demons and ghosts in hell, the cycle of reincarnation is basically paralyzed. Therefore, all the city gods must build ghost cities to educate the ghosts and make them live as if they were alive after death, waiting for their natural lifespan to end. When a ghost dies, it becomes a spirit, and the spirit will settle into a deeper level of the underworld."

"Going west from the Netherworld City God Realm, you can see a small stream, which is the Yellow Spring Stream. Following the Yellow Spring Stream is the Yellow Spring Road. By walking the Yellow Spring Road, you can pass through five gates and reach the real underworld. Normally, the Black and White Impermanence, Ox-Head and Horse-Face are escorted there by the City God. They set off on the first and fifteenth of each month."

"Even if we summon the Black and White Impermanence, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, it won't help now. The Underworld can't control reincarnation unless you're willing to be reincarnated as a wild beast... But that will encourage the demonic path. When I was taking the City God exam, the Underworld had already sent some people to the animal realm to relieve the pressure."

The demons have changed drastically, and too many people have died. Even if they wanted to be reincarnated into the human realm, there wouldn't be enough pregnant women left.

Like Taichang County, before the great change caused by demons, its population, including towns and villages, was about 110,000 to 120,000. Now, there are less than 30,000 left, specifically 25,000 to 26,000 people...

"When you arrive in the Netherworld, you can tell King Yama that you can restore the reincarnation system in part of Taichang City. It would be best to allow some virtuous people with good deeds to be reincarnated here first. Even if they cannot be reincarnated, I am still short of some basic priests here."

Song Wuji remembered the City God's words: "I will remember to mention it."

"That's good then." The City God escorted Song Wuji to the Western Paradise.

As for burning Hungry Ghost Wood to enter the Netherworld, Song Wuji had tried it before. Once lit, it became a gateway to the eighteen levels of hell, which was too dangerous. It was better to take the City God's road, as it was also part of the Netherworld's official road, so he wouldn't encounter anything too outrageous or bizarre.

(End of this chapter)