Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 171 Rumors in the City. (First Update!)

A strong wind rushed in, making their clothes flutter. Zheng Que stood at the very front of the deck, facing the wind, with Nian Nu close behind.

This magic boat needs to be powered by spirit stones; the more spirit stones used, the faster the magic boat will be.

He has now placed ten spirit stones in the control array of the magic boat, and the speed of the magic boat has far exceeded his own speed when running at full speed.

Of course, it is still far from being comparable to the [Phantom Escape Technique].

Just as he was pondering, Niannu, who was standing behind him, suddenly said, "It's right ahead!"

Zheng Que came to his senses and immediately steered the Dharma Boat downwards.

This place is quite a distance from the Red Stone Beach. Although the vegetation on the ground is still sparse, there are some miscellaneous trees and weeds that are bent and swayed by the wind when the Dharma Boat landed, with branches and leaves falling.

As soon as the Dharma Boat descended to a height of one person, Zheng Que saw that not far ahead, Ku Lan's figure was swaying, and she was fighting fiercely with a fleshy, ball-shaped ghost.

The ghost was surrounded by surging Yin energy, and its strength was also at the seventh level of the [Tongue-Pulling Hell].

The battle between the two sides was very brief. The moment the magic boat came to a stop, Ku Lan had already smashed the fleshy, ball-like ghost to pieces.

As the dense, yin energy howled and dispersed, Ku Lan spotted Zheng Que and hurriedly floated over: "Young Master!"

Zheng Que nodded slightly and ordered, "Come up."

A moment later, the Dharma Boat took off again. Zheng Que looked at the two ghost servants beside him and finally felt a sense of security.

He's not planning to go back to the ghost bride's place for the time being.

After all, that Foundation Establishment stage female cultivator in purple robes was too dangerous. Now that the Ghost Bride was holding her back, it was the best time to get rid of that female cultivator in purple robes!

As for the ghost bride...

Once he reaches a safer place, he can summon the ghost bride to his side at any time using his identity in the underworld.

Thinking of this, Zheng Que immediately steered the magic boat towards Taiping County.

call……

A deep whooshing sound came from high above as the Dharma boat pierced through the air, leaving a white trail in its wake. Below, the mountains and rivers flashed by, revealing patches of green in varying shades that stretched into colorful patches before disappearing into the distance.

Along the way, whenever the two ghost servants sensed a ghost of level six or above in the [Tongue-Pulling Hell], Zheng Que would immediately stop the Dharma Boat and send the two ghost servants over to kill the ghost.

Time passed slowly, and as dusk settled, the Dharma Boat finally arrived outside Taiping County.

Zheng Que immediately steered the Dharma Boat to a stop about five miles outside the city.

Looking out over Taiping County from the air, the city walls are lined with armored soldiers, flags are waving, and the pillars in the moat surrounding the city are brightly colored. Everything is the same as before, without any abnormalities.

Looking at the tightly closed city gate, Zheng Que remained calm, showing no intention of entering immediately.

According to the rules of Taiping County, the city gates are only open during the day, during which time cultivators can freely enter and exit.

At night, the city's protective array is activated. Whether it is a cultivator or a ghost, anyone who wants to enter or leave must face the power of the array, which has the power of the demon-suppressing artifact to suppress the array's core!

Not to mention the cultivators in the city who were alerted after the formation was activated.

Zheng Que had no intention of launching a major offensive.

Besides, this Taiping County town is not safe either!

The main reason he accepted the mission from Shujiabao was that something happened in the city, and the Book of Life and Death suddenly included many people's names.

His temporary arrival in Taiping County was for two reasons: first, he had gained a lot in Shujiabao and planned to exchange some of his unused resources for spirit stones; second, he wanted to go to other cities but didn't know the way and needed to buy a map of the surrounding area... Thinking this, Zheng Que did not get off the magic boat, which was equipped with protective and concealment formations that could withstand attacks from ordinary ghosts.

Staying on the Dharma Boat is safer than setting up camp on the spot himself.

Next, Zheng Que used the excuse of needing to rest to leave Niannu and Kulan on the deck to protect him, while he himself went to the cabin of the Dharma Boat to prepare for his breakthrough that night.

The top floor of the Dharma Boat is exquisitely decorated and spacious. There are still some spiritual incense sticks left in the gilded silver bamboo-shaped incense burner, and the fragrance carries wisps of spiritual energy when it is burned.

Zheng Que looked around and had just sat down beside the rosewood bed with its lotus and pod pattern and horseshoe-shaped feet when he heard a soft knock on the door, accompanied by Ku Lan's gentle voice: "Young master, are you asleep?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que smiled knowingly. He had already reached the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, but without Ku Lan's help, it would probably take him quite some time to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Thinking of this, Zheng Que immediately replied, "I'm already asleep, and I'll be asleep soon."

As soon as she finished speaking, there was silence outside the door. Three breaths later, the door was pushed open silently, and Ku Lan tiptoed in.

Soon, the human and the ghost began their performance once again, each with their own hidden agendas...

Inside the tightly closed room, a whistling sound began to rise, and the straight smoke from the incense burner suddenly became disordered, dispersing into wisps of smoke that filled the room.

The brocade curtains, adorned with cranes carrying lingzhi mushrooms, slid down as they fluttered, obscuring the swaying couch.

※※※

Taiping County Town.

South Street.

The mortals dispersed, leaving the streets empty and seemingly spacious.

Step, step, step...

In the silence, two monks wearing crimson vests embroidered with the word "offering" were patrolling the street.

The city had been at peace for a long time, so the two cultivators weren't particularly wary. They casually glanced around and muttered to themselves, "...It seems like there are fewer fellow cultivators in the city lately. When I went to the Merit Bureau to pick up a mission yesterday, the rewards for almost all of them had increased significantly."

"That's right. I haven't run into several of my fellow Daoists in the city recently. I wonder if they've gone out on missions or if something happened to them."

"Nothing should happen! This county town is the safest place in the entire Taiping County. The seniors who are in charge of the town are all at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, only half a step away from the Foundation Establishment stage. Moreover, there is also the city-protecting formation and the evil-suppressing ritual. Even if the [Scissors Prison] ghosts attack, the county town can withstand them."

"That's true... By the way, in the last few days, there seem to have been several incidents of ghosts injuring people in the city?"

"I've heard about it too. Apparently, the area where the incident happened has been sealed off. Rumor has it that the scene was horrific, and all the victims were cultivators. To be honest, I don't know who spread this rumor; it's utter nonsense!"

“That’s right! Senior Lu even came out of seclusion for this matter, and personally inspected the city’s protective array yesterday to rule out the possibility of outside ghosts infiltrating the city. If there really are ghosts that are harming people, they are most likely just newly born 'vengeful spirits' in the city. They can only scare those pig-like mortals, how could they possibly deal with us?”

The two walked and talked, looking very relaxed.

However, just as they left the main street and turned into an alley, they suddenly saw a dark shadow flash before their eyes...

thump……

The two patrolling monks offered no resistance and fell straight down.

Soon, a series of intermittent chewing sounds came from the dark alley.

Click... click... click...

(End of this chapter)