Infinity: Our Zhongzhou team is really amazing!

Chapter 431 The Seven Elders Descend the Mountain, Unstoppable

What kind of riddle-solving person is this?!
What kind of doggerel is this?!
However, Zhuang Boshi noticed the last sentence: "Thousands of mountains are like locks and barriers, only by breaking through the four poles can one find Erlang."

This was the first time he had heard anything about Yang Jian.

Zhang Dong picked up his teacup and took a sip: "I am not omniscient. There are some doubts that you may need to resolve yourself."

“My sister’s ghost cabinet knows some secrets. If Brother Zhuang wants to know the truth, he can ask the ghost cabinet questions.”

Zhuang Boshi said with a wry smile, "It's not that I didn't ask, but that ghost cabinet wouldn't tell me anything. I can't just chop it up, can I?"

According to Zheng Zha, the ghost cabinet would refuse to answer any questions that were even slightly difficult, and what was even more outrageous was that it went completely mad when it heard his name.

It felt like I had wiped out the entire haunted house myself.

Zhang Dong said, "If that's the case, my younger sister might have a way. If you have a way to bring Wen Song back to life, you can certainly bring her back to life sooner as well."

Zhuang Boshi nodded. The body had been prepared and was on its way.

Setting aside his doubts for the moment, he continued, "Then, when did the vengeful ghost first appear?"

Zhang Dongzhi answered without reservation: "They have existed since ancient times. According to some ancient books and the oral accounts of the previous generation of ghost tamers, during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, evil spirits were already walking in the world."

"Our ancestors used sacrificial rituals to bind evil spirits and fed them with live animals in order to obtain peace."

“Some high priests would contain evil spirits in their own bodies to represent the will of heaven, so at that time, ghosts were gods and gods were ghosts.”

Ghosts and gods were originally one and the same during the pre-Qin period.

Zhuang Boshi thought of the pre-Qin era when people ate raw meat and drank blood. Compared to hunger, natural disasters, and diseases, vengeful ghosts were not really a hopeless disaster.

At that time, slave owners often used slaves as sacrifices, throwing slaves to feed vengeful spirits in order to figure out the killing patterns of the spirits and satisfy their murderous desires.

Slaves are not human beings after all. Back then, let alone vengeful ghosts killing people, the number of people killed by slave owners and natural disasters and diseases was less than that killed by vengeful ghosts.

People at that time should regard evil spirits as natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes, and wild beasts.

"It wasn't until the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when a hundred schools of thought contended and ideas surged, that our ancestors truly realized that vengeful ghosts were murderous monsters without reason, desire, or the ability to communicate, and who only wanted to kill people."

"After the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms, he collected all the weapons in the land and cast twelve golden statues. He discovered the pattern of how gold could seal away evil spirits. In the end, Qin exhausted its energy to suppress the evil spirits. The First Emperor wanted to use the ghosts to become an immortal, but unfortunately, he died when the evil spirits revived."

"During the Chu-Han Contention, Xiang Yu, with his double pupils, was the greatest demon tamer of his time, but alas—"

"Finally, Emperor Gaozu of Han established the Xiuyi Messenger to capture and imprison evil spirits everywhere, thus ending that era of evil spirits."

"After the Han Dynasty, the evil spirits were dormant for a long time, but they revived at the end of the Han Dynasty. The Western God ghost was conceived at that time."

"Jesus Christ attempted to create God, contain God, and achieve an unprecedented Trinity of demon tamers—the power of demons, the core of humanity, and the consciousness of God. But he ultimately failed; he merely became the first anomaly in the world."

"The God-Demon was so terrifying that it contained almost all the vengeful spirits in the world at that time, but due to a conflict with the laws of nature, four terrifying vengeful spirits shed from its body—"

"Plague, war, death, and famine are known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

Zhang Dong looked at Zhuang Boshi: "Part of the hunger is the starving ghosts."

"Not long after, Jesus Christ's reason was consumed by demonic instincts, and before he died, he asked Judas to crucify him."

"The nails that nailed him to the coffin later transformed into a pitch-black coffin, and it was within that coffin that the present-day ghost messenger was conceived."

"The ghost messengers actually originated from the West." Zhuang Boshi was speechless.

"Ghosts don't distinguish between East and West," Zhang Dong chuckled. "A ghost is a ghost."

"It's just that too many people have controlled that ghost, using their habits and will from their previous lives to make some of the ghost's behaviors more Western and Chinese."

"So, the pattern of killings can be reversed?" Zhuang Boshi asked curiously.

Zhang Dong replied, "It's difficult, but not impossible."

"If two ghosts are pieces of a puzzle, they can be merged and then controlled by a person."

"Through decades of twisting and merging with other vengeful spirits on the Ghost Master, it might be possible to slightly adjust the pattern of killing."

"But the stronger the vengeful spirit, the less immutable its killing patterns become."

If programs are integrated with each other, the underlying logic will naturally change to some extent.

Just like Liu San's paper figure, before paper existed in the pre-Qin period, no one knew what kind of ghost that paper figure actually looked like.

There are also vengeful ghosts like the ghostly phone caller and the ghostly bus, which are clearly products of the previous era.

If humanity survives to the next era after this resurgence of vengeful spirits, then a new wave of game ghosts, internet ghosts, cell phone ghosts, and so on will emerge.

The vengeful ghost is constantly being dismembered, yet it continues to search for the puzzle pieces.

"During the Jin Dynasty, ghosts roamed the land daily, and humans and ghosts lived together. When the Tang Dynasty was established, it created a golden age of several decades without ghosts. However, the emergence of ghost Buddhas led to the collapse of this golden age."

"The collapse of several dynasties at the end of the Ming and Qing dynasties and the deaths of a large number of people were caused not only by human disasters but also by ghostly calamities."

"During the Taiping Rebellion, my grandfather and great-grandfather once rescued a hero and saw a blood-red cross of the God of Ghosts from afar."

"The Blood Cross unleashed catastrophic destruction during that era."

Zhang Dong looked intently at Zhuang Boshi.

"The same is true in the West. After Jesus failed to create God and end the supernatural, there was a long period of resurgence of evil spirits until the Renaissance, when the evil spirits and disasters were somewhat reduced."

Ghosts have truly been a part of human history.

Zhuang Boshi rubbed his temples: "It's truly remarkable that humanity has survived to this day."

“Every bite and every sip is ordained by fate,” Zhang Dong said calmly.

"The more ferocious the ghost, the stronger the ghost tamer will be, and the more likely they are to bury the ghost."

"This is the pattern of the resurgence of vengeful spirits. During the period when vengeful spirits are dormant, those who do not control them will gradually forget their existence and regard them as mere mythical legends."

“So, this time, with the recovery?” Bosch asked.

"The last recovery was at the end of the Qing Dynasty and lasted until the end of the war. It was not expected to recover so quickly, which is not in line with the pattern."

Zhuang Boshi cautiously asked, "Is it possible that the source of the vengeful ghosts is about to be revived, and that all the vengeful ghosts now are derived from that one source of vengeful ghosts?"

Zhang Dong nodded: "We have made many guesses about the origin of evil spirits, and we have also explored the guesses of our predecessors in some ancient books."

"There weren't that many vengeful ghosts in the beginning. The further back you go, the fewer vengeful ghosts there are, but the more terrifying they become."

“Things like vengeful ghosts and ominous spirits, which were not recorded in history as they are today, may have been dissected or reassembled into the puzzle by people.”

"It is quite possible if all the ghosts in the world were separated from a single ghost, constantly being dissected and then reassembled into the puzzle."

"But unfortunately, unless someone can go back in time to the very beginning and see the scene of the birth of the first ghost in the world."

"Where do these vengeful ghosts come from? Do they come from that unspeakable underworld?" Zhuang Boshi asked urgently.

"The underworld," Zhang Dong said slowly.

"I walked with them to the end of the road between Yin and Yang, no matter what it is called, the underworld, hell or the netherworld."

"We kept going deeper and deeper. The world there was boundless, and each world was a ghost realm. The deeper we went, the more terrifying the evil spirits became."

"Which floor are you on?" Zhuang Boshi asked.

"The eleventh floor."

Zhang Dong sighed and said, "But I know that's not the lowest level."

"There is one final layer below. If the vengeful spirit has a source, perhaps it is there."

Zhuang Boshi frowned slightly. The real world was equivalent to the sixth level of the Ghost Realm, plus the possible twelfth level of the Underworld.

Isn't that the eighteen levels of hell?

It's truly like living in hell.

Humans occupy the upper six levels, while vengeful spirits occupy the lower twelve levels, representing the real world.

Ghosts have an instinct to climb upwards, which is why the real world attracts so many ghosts. However, many powerful ghosts will fall into deeper levels of the underworld.

This world was specifically created for vengeful spirits; humans are merely inhabitants.

From this perspective, the existence of the Yin-Yang Path is less about enabling humans to enter the Netherworld and more about enabling vengeful ghosts to enter the human world.

Zhang Dong explained, "At just the eleventh level, any vengeful ghost is comparable to what is now called an S-class vengeful ghost."

"Some of them cannot even be described as ordinary vengeful ghosts."

"Changing perceptions, altering time, uncertainty between reality and illusion—there is great terror."

"I only took one step forward before I was forced to retreat."

"After we came out, in order to prevent those ghosts from being brought out, I had them erase that memory," Zhang Dong said, pointing to the five elders.

"You are very strong, but that is not a place where a living person can set foot."

Zhuang Boshi gave a wry smile: "We're not going; they're already here."

Zhang Dong's account is similar to that on the human skin paper, suggesting that the root of everything lies in the deepest level of hell.

Return to the place of ruins.

"Old Zhang, are you capable of killing the vengeful ghost?" he asked as a final question.

Zhang Dong shook his head: "I cannot kill these ghosts; their essence is immortality."

"I can only restore them to their original state and put them into silence."

“The vengeful spirit is immortal, at least we can’t kill it.” Zhang Dong looked at Zhuang Boshi with a half-smile.

"And you can."
-
Zhang Youhong opened her eyes.

"This is what I am"

She saw that the room was full of people and instinctively stood up.

"Big brother, Sister Meng." She shook her slightly dizzy head.

"Am I not dead?"

She looked at the six familiar faces with some confusion.

Then she suddenly realized something.

"Have I been resurrected?"

She was the first of the seven elders to die. According to the arrangement, when her eldest brother passed away, she would be resurrected to help the younger generation and live a second life.

But now that all seven elders are here, could it be that there really is an underworld, and I am meeting them there?

"Youhong, the original predictions have changed; the vengeful ghosts' doomsday has arrived." Zhang Dong helped his younger sister up. "We need to face this with all our might."

"I'm so sorry to revive you in this way."

Zhang Dong's tone was full of apology; his younger sister used to love beauty the most, but now...
After standing up, Zhang Youhong realized something was wrong; why was she so tall?

Originally, he only reached his brother's shoulder, but now his brother only reached his chest.

Looking at Meng Xiaodong and Luo Qian's strange expressions, Zhang Youhong's heart skipped a beat.

Zhuang Boshi coughed lightly twice.

"Sister Hong, because of the urgency, I couldn't find you a woman whose fate and birth date match, so I had to use scientific technology to clone one."

Zhuang Boshi placed a mirror in front of Zhang Youhong.

After a three-second silence, a scream echoed in the boudoir.

"What is this?" Zhang Youhong's throat felt like it was filled with dynamite.

"Who did it!"

The woman in the mirror is over two meters tall, with muscular body that makes a red cheongsam look full.

The six elders all looked at Zhuang Boshi.

Zhuang Boshi looked up at the ceiling.

It's all Saito Hajime's fault!!
It's also Zhuang Boshi's fault for not clearly explaining to Saito Hajime what appearance he wanted, and Saito Hajime didn't have time to specially modify a female body, so he directly used the Astartes template to clone her, with two hearts and three lungs, but without implanting the gene seed.

However, his physical attributes have already approached the limit of human creation in the Main God Space, and he can also unlock the first-order gene lock.

When Zhuang Boshi saw the body, it was too late to change, so he could only grit his teeth and mount the horse.

The resurrection process went very smoothly, and Zhang Youhong was successfully revived in this body.

Zhang Youhong could probably break through a brick wall with her bare hands now.

Moreover, androids have no past memories or causal relationships; their consciousness is a blank slate, like that of a newborn, making them the purest reincarnations in the universe.

Zhang Youhong's consciousness and memories are not mixed with any other consciousness; they are almost entirely Zhang Youhong herself.

In addition, there's the long lifespan of the Astartes template.

Zhang Youhong will not have the chance to live a third life; this life is estimated to last for several hundred years.

Although Saito Hajime's methods were absurd, by a twist of fate, he perfectly solved the biggest flaw of this resurrection method.

Originally, Zhang Youhong's resurrection would merge with the memories of the reincarnated body with each reincarnation, causing her consciousness to become confused and even leading to identity problems. By the time of the third reincarnation, Li Zimei, in the original side story, she had almost forgotten Zhang Youhong's memories.

This is similar to a powerful cultivator possessing another's body. If someone possesses an adult, they will inevitably suffer from a conflict between their soul and their physical body. That is only if the soul essence of the powerful cultivator is far superior to that of an ordinary mortal.

As all experts know, reincarnation must begin from infancy, and the fewer karmic ties involved, the better.

Meng Xiaodong comforted him, "It's alright. Look, we're all getting old."

"This isn't what we agreed on!" Zhang Youhong exclaimed angrily.

She loved makeup more than anything in her life, and with the help of her brother Zhang Dong, she became the only oddball among the Seven Elders, controlling a puppet.

"Let me explain, Sister Hong," Zhuang Boshi said, somewhat embarrassed.

"What Sister Hong? My name is Zhang Youhong." Zhang Youhong glared angrily at Zhuang Boshi, her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Zhuang Boshi smiled awkwardly: "Okay, okay, Sister Zhang, I'm sorry."

"The end of the world has arrived, and countless vengeful spirits are now rampaging across the land. This is the only way we can resurrect you."

Zhang Youhong is not Sister Hong after all; she didn't add Liu Qingqing's poison to the cup, so there are still differences in priorities.

She looked at Zhang Dong, who nodded slightly: "It is the final calamity."

"I understand." Zhang Youhong regained her composure: "Kid, what do you want from me?"

“Sister Zhang, I have a question,” Zhuang Boshi said.

"Then go find that ghost cabinet, why are you looking for me!" Zhang Youhong said coldly.

Zhuang Boshi helplessly spread his hands and said, "That ghost cabinet is unwilling to answer."

Zhang Youhong paused for a moment: "What exactly do you want to ask Ghost Cabinet?"

Of course, I'm asking where Yang Jian is!

Zhuang Boshi smiled but did not answer.

Zhang Youhong had no choice but to say, "The Ghost Cabinet is a ghost of transactions."

"It is not omniscient or omnipotent."

"It wants to use your price to make a deal with other vengeful ghosts."

"Remember, every demand comes with a price."

Zhang Youhong handed a rotten wooden plug to Zhuang Boshi.

“You can ask him to put the bolt back on the door.”

"No matter the request, Ghost Closet will fulfill it—"

"Of course, you will bear the consequences."

Zhuang Boshi nodded and put away the bolt-like object.

"Then let's go."

With all seven elders gathered, he felt very confident.

Although meeting Zhang Dong provided many answers, it also raised even more questions.

He had a gut feeling that these problems couldn't be solved in the moment.

All problems are in the past.

But there's no time to dwell on it now; the world is on the verge of collapse, and we need to slam on the brakes.

Of the current seven elders, Li Qingzhi dismembered the supernatural too early and is no longer at his peak.

The remaining six elders are all at their peak.

As everyone boarded the bus, the bus carrying the strongest of the previous era started moving again.

"Xiao Qin, how many years has it been since we went out together?" Li Qingzhi asked excitedly.

"Fifty years, or forty years?"

A slight smile appeared on Old Qin's stiff face: "That was forty-two years ago, when we went together to deal with the ghost tide in Xiaoxi City."

“Since then, you have each entered the realm of the supernatural and never returned to the world.”

Old Qin couldn't help but reminisce about his youth when he followed the Seven Elders to suppress evil spirits and create an era without ghosts.

How spirited they were back then! Now everyone is nearing the end of their lives, leaving only a frail body clinging to life.

What's heartening is that they didn't die of old age in their beds, but instead shone brightly and warmly for the world once again.

If one can die in the struggle against a vengeful ghost, then this life will not have been in vain.

The long-dormant fighting spirit finally reignited in Old Qin's once dormant heart.

Even if we can't see the future, with seven predecessors by our side, what is there to fear?

"lets go."

Drip!

The bus, carrying seven elderly people, finally set off at full speed.

The first target was that city overrun by vengeful spirits.

Zhuang Boshi finally witnessed how the Seven Elders ended a supernatural era; the endless supernatural sweep was something that almost no vengeful ghost could withstand.

Luo Wensong's inevitable death was compounded by Li Qingzhi's dismemberment.

Endless graves seal the present, endless invasions seal the past.

Even if they could withstand the endless graves, Zhang Dong could silence those vengeful ghosts with a wave of his hand.

Moreover, even if it is a ghost of pure will, Zhang Dong can wipe it out with a wave of his hand.

Moreover, the Seven Elders have a wealth of supernatural experience.

Some of the faces were even old friends of the Seven Elders, who were very familiar with the patterns of the vengeful spirits.

They were utterly routed.

It takes only a few minutes to process a city.

As the bus traveled through city after city, one terrifying ghost after another was imprisoned.

Ordinary kids can't even get to see the Seven Elders.

As the bus drove by, it buried all the wooden doors and graves along the way.

The occupied areas were liberated.

Zhuang Boshi finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the number of survivors had stopped declining.

Number of survivors: 915211418

In a short period of time, nearly 500 million people were lost; the phrase "corpses strewn across the fields" is insufficient to describe the devastation.

Looking at it now, it's impossible to complete all the side quests with all characters at A rank; it would be good enough if we could keep all the side quests with B rank.

Just then, Cao Yanhua called.

Zhuang Boshi's first words were Cao Yanhua's almost screaming.

"Mr. Zhuang, something terrible has happened!"

"That terrifying ghost ship has appeared in Dazhou City, and the captains have already rushed there to stop it!"

Zhuang Boshi glanced at the previous generation of top-tier team behind him and smiled confidently: "Let the captain hold off the ghost ship."

"Reinforcements will be here soon."

(End of this chapter)