Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 233 The Power of the Prefectural City. (Third Update!)

At this moment, Zheng Que asked, "Senior Lu, during the gathering, time became chaotic. I wonder how long we, his group, have been trapped here?"

Lu Maohong immediately replied, "After we discovered that four cars were missing from the convoy, we knew that you must have fallen into the trap of the gathering."

Based on past experience, we did not stay where we were, but continued on our way. It took us three days to cross Baozhen Valley and we set up camp by the stone tablet on Danqiu Peak. We waited for five days in total.

It took three days to cross Baozhen Valley, and five more days to wait, for a total of eight days...

Zheng Que nodded slightly. He and Linghu Yuniang had a very smooth journey out of Baozhen Valley. They did not encounter any ghost attacks along the way, and it took them a day less than Lu Maohong's group. In total, it only took them two days.

This is equivalent to him being trapped in the gathering for six days!

Thinking of this, Zheng Li immediately realized that his next tribulation was probably still twelve days away.

So he immediately asked, "Senior Lu, may I ask how many more days it will take to reach the prefectural city based on the current itinerary?"

Lu Maohong thought for a moment and immediately replied, "If we're fast, it should arrive in eight or nine days."

"If there are too many ghosts attacking the convoy along the way, it may delay us for another two or three days."

"But this is based on the premise that we do not encounter Wanshan Temple on the Danqiu Peak section of the road."

"If we encounter the Wanshan Temple, the time required might double!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que frowned slightly. At this time, his fate could be fraught with many possibilities.

If they do not encounter Wanshan Temple next and arrive in the prefectural city smoothly within eight or nine days, then his next calamity will most likely occur in the prefectural city.

If he hadn't encountered Wanshan Temple, but the journey had been delayed due to too many ghosts along the way, thus delaying his arrival in the prefectural city... then his calamity might have been the [Iron Tree Prison] ghosts that emerged from the underground of Taiping County!
If they encountered Wanshan Temple, the time would double, and when the twelve-day period was up, he might still be inside Wanshan Temple.

So, Wanshan Temple is his tribulation this time!
At this moment, Lu Maohong pointed at Zheng Que's two ghost servants and suddenly asked, "Do they have intelligence?"

Zheng Que immediately came to his senses. He looked at Lu Maohong in surprise and quickly asked, "How did Senior Lu figure that out?"

Lu Maohong smiled and said casually, "Ordinary cultivators naturally cannot detect it."

"However, I have traveled all over the country and lived for nearly two hundred years. How could I not even have this much insight?"

“The eyes of a smart ghost servant are different from those of a mindless ghost servant.”

"The ghost servants, devoid of intelligence, have only murderous intent, ferocity, malevolence... and numbness in their eyes."

“Intelligent ghost servants have emotions in their eyes similar to those of living people.”

“These two ghost servants of yours, apart from their unusually dense yin energy, look very much like humans!”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que nodded. The way Qing Li and Nian Nu looked at people was indeed noticeably different from that of ordinary ghosts...

But there was nothing he could do about it; he couldn't exactly blindfold the ghost servant later.
Thinking of this, Zheng Que immediately asked, "Senior Lu, are ghost servants with intelligence extremely rare?"

"After I go to the prefectural city with Senior Lu, will these two ghost servants cause any trouble?"

Lu Maohong calmly replied, "In this world, ghosts are emerging in endless streams. Compared to those ghosts without intelligence, the number of ghosts that have developed intelligence is naturally not large."

"However, this is not much; it is the result of comparison with a large number of wandering ghosts."

"It's like how there are many parrots in the world, but not many parrots can talk."

"As for us cultivators, intelligent ghosts are actually quite common."

"Above the 'Scissors Prison,' many ghosts possess sentience, but the level of their sentience varies greatly." "Some are as innocent as children, while others are as cunning as living people."

"But in the [Tongue-Pulling Hell], only a few exceptionally gifted ghosts are able to develop sentience."

“Back then, my old friend Xu and I encountered such an ‘evil spirit’.”

"Although that 'evil spirit' cannot speak, it possesses a considerable level of intelligence."

"Fellow Daoist Xu and I, along with five other fellow cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining, set up a grand formation beforehand and attacked together. In the end, only Fellow Daoist Xu and I survived, barely managing to subdue that 'evil spirit'."

"But unfortunately, that 'evil spirit' is unruly and stubborn, and neither I nor Fellow Daoist Xu have been able to refine it..."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que was slightly taken aback. Could the "evil spirit" that Lu Maohong mentioned be referring to Ku Lan?

He discovered the withered orchid in the secret cultivation chamber beneath the town mayor's house.

Moreover, the other party was sealed inside an alchemy furnace...

At this moment, Lu Maohong continued, "We've gone off on a tangent."

"What I am about to tell you is about the intelligence of these two ghost servants."

"Your two ghost servants are both at the [Tongue-Pulling Hell] level of cultivation, and thus they have developed intelligence. This is your destiny."

“But your cultivation level is only at the Qi Refining stage. If you are brought directly into the city, you will easily attract the attention of some old guys.”

"Although my cultivation has reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, I haven't yet established my foundation. There are too many powerful figures in the city; I'm nothing special there..."

"The best solution is to align oneself with a powerful force, so that there is no need to worry about such unforeseen complications."

Zheng Que came to his senses and immediately understood Lu Maohong's meaning. Lu Maohong must belong to some power in the prefectural city, and what he was saying now was an invitation for him to join.

In a flash, he replied, "Please enlighten me, Senior Lu!"

Lu Maohong stroked his long beard and said gently, "There are many powerful forces in the city, with intertwined interests, but when it comes to those that are truly influential, there are only two major forces."

"One is Xuanyuan Pavilion."

"This is a major sect in this region, with countless powerful figures within its walls. If one could join it, one's future would be limitless."

"However, this pavilion is extremely strict in its recruitment of disciples."

“You already have a master, and you are past the age when Xuanyuan Pavilion recruits disciples. If you join Xuanyuan Pavilion, you will definitely not become a disciple. At most, you can only be an ordinary manager in one of its businesses.”

"The difference in how much importance the disciples of Xuanyuan Pavilion receive from the sect is like night and day compared to the managers of Xuanyuan Pavilion."

"If you don't have any great ambitions, have no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, and just want to live a peaceful life, then this is not a bad choice..."

"The other one is the imperial court!"

"The imperial court governs the world. In terms of top-notch combat power, although it cannot compare with the Xuanyuan Pavilion, it has the advantage of educating all without discrimination and providing numerous opportunities."

“Your bone age should be less than twenty years old now, and your cultivation has already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. In the next ten or twenty years, you will definitely be able to cultivate to the level of me.”

"But going further on, to achieve Foundation Establishment, one cannot rely solely on one's own talent; one also needs sufficient resources and knowledge!"

(End of this chapter)