Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 304 Iron Tree Prison. (Third update!)

Taiping County Town.

As night fell, the city was silent, with ghostly howls gradually echoing in the distance. The pillars in the moat, with their flickering talismans, quietly protected the peace of the area.

Night had fallen, and every household had its doors and windows tightly shut. Even the temple, where cultivators gathered, was deserted, with only a few scattered lights illuminating the outlines of the houses.

Tap...tap...tap...

The night patrol monks walked cautiously through the streets and alleys, their crimson vests standing out conspicuously in the darkness.

Things are different now. Recently, incidents have frequently occurred in the city, and even cultivators have been attacked. Therefore, these cultivators who have taken on the night patrol duties no longer have the relaxed attitude they used to have.

During the patrol, everyone was on guard, and at the slightest disturbance, they all turned to look.

Turning the corner, and seeing the empty street in front of them, with nothing unusual under their [Spiritual Eye Technique], the two cultivators breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, a deafening roar, like a muffled thunderclap, resounded throughout the entire city!

boom! ! !
A dense, dark aura, so thick it could be clearly seen even in the darkness, shot into the sky from the location of the Jingxian Pavilion in the offering hall, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a pillar supporting the heavens, seemingly piercing through the world.

The next moment, figures emerged from the offering hall; they were alarmed cultivators who rushed to escape out of the city.

However, before these cultivators could escape far, the pillar of yin energy suddenly expanded, and a dense, tangible resentment and hatred instantly enveloped the entire city.

Above Taiping County, a gigantic human face suddenly appeared in the sky. This face covered the entire city, threatening to block out the sun. It was formed by countless skulls of all sizes, with empty and deep eye sockets, like bottomless abysses. Blood light flickered in the mouth, as if it were a wronged soul holding a mouthful of blood that had been difficult to swallow for a thousand years.

As the face appeared, a torrent of yin energy, like a celestial river being overturned, poured down across the entire city, resembling layers of black gauze falling rapidly.

The entire city seemed to sink into a freezing pool in the blink of an eye, and the temperature plummeted.

Inside the many inner chambers, the mortals, still asleep, were unaware of what had happened. Their souls had already been separated from their bodies, drifting towards the night sky like dandelions.

In an instant, under the cover of night, in the thick, gloomy air, dazed and confused souls drifted from all directions of the city toward the mouth of the human-faced ghost.

The cultivators who were fleeing out of the city all had expressions of terror and despair on their faces. But soon, just like the mortals, as they ran, their souls left their bodies and floated into the mouths of the human faces in the night sky. Their bodies staggered a couple of steps due to inertia and fell to the ground powerless.

woohoo hoo...

A howling wind swept through the streets and alleys, causing ribbons and flags to flutter. On the pillars in the moat, talismans flickered several times before suddenly going out like candles in the wind.

Within just a few breaths, Taiping County fell into a prolonged, deathly silence...

※※※

Outside the city, on an unnamed hillside.

A figure in purple stood against the wind, her expression indifferent. Her beautiful face and the jewels on her tulip skirt jingled melodiously in the night breeze. She was the female cultivator from the Heavenly Artifact Sect.

She gazed into the distance, looking at the eerie, terrifying creature in the night sky, her eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

Some time ago, she went to Taiping County to inquire about the rogue cultivator named "Zheng Que," and that's when she discovered the problems in the city.

However, this was a matter for the imperial court and had nothing to do with her Heavenly Artifact Sect, so she didn't bother with it.

The reason I am here now is because I was injured by that ghost bride last time, and I have only recently recovered. I have come to continue searching for Zheng Que.

Given the current situation, if Zheng Que were still in the city, he would not have survived.

Of course, she couldn't just go back and report without having done anything yet. She should stay here for a few days and see if she could find a wandering cultivator outside the city to inquire about the situation…

※※※

In the dilapidated hall, Zheng Que gazed down at the people below.

"Luofu Rain!"

With his command, a thick fog rose from beneath the steps, and soon it parted to reveal the figure in a phoenix coronet and wedding gown.

Luo Fuyu's expression changed draped over her bright red veil upon realizing she had suddenly arrived in the underworld. She had been searching for magical artifacts for that human cultivator, and now the high-ranking official in the hall had suddenly summoned her. Could it be that... that human cultivator was already dead?!
This……

It's over now!
and many more!

This time, it wasn't just me, a ghost, who was present and couldn't simply shift all the blame onto that [Painted Skin]!
Who told the other party not to properly let that human cultivator collect divination materials?
Although she really wanted that beautiful-looking "Painted Skin" to be her dowry maid, at this crucial moment...aren't dowry maids meant to take the blame for their masters?

Luo Fuyu immediately knelt down and bowed, her voice trembling as she replied, "My lord! I am innocent!"

"This mission is mainly because of that [Painted Skin]..."

At this moment, Zheng Que did not waste any time. Before the ghost bride could finish speaking, he took advantage of the moment when she was kowtowing and directly opened his palm with the character "令" on it, pointing it at her.

The next moment, the Yin energy around the ghost bride seemed to be ignited, boiling violently, then roaring and swirling, instantly forming a small pillar of Yin energy in the hall. A large amount of Yin energy was drawn in from all directions, continuously pouring into her body.

Feeling her strength increase, the ghost bride was stunned, and the words she was about to say came to an abrupt halt.

Soon, the yin energy emanating from her surged unstoppably, and her overall aura rapidly intensified.

After a long time, just as the rate at which the ghost bride's yin energy increased began to slow down significantly, her yin energy finally broke through a certain constraint and instantly entered a completely new realm!

【Iron Tree Prison】!
The ghost bride was overjoyed and instantly realized that the lord on the steps was not punishing her, but rewarding her!

Is it because Zheng Que is alright now?
How can this be?

She hasn't even found a magical artifact yet to help the other party refine the "Law Ghost"...

Was it the female ghost in "Painted Skin" who saved Zheng Que?
There's a tiny bit of a possibility... It seems that the "painted skin" female ghost does have some skill!

However, isn't the merit of the maidservant who accompanied the bride also the merit of her mistress?
Thinking of this, the ghost bride immediately bowed respectfully: "Thank you, sir!"

"This mission was mainly because that 'Painted Skin' didn't cause me any trouble; it was all thanks to me, a ghost all by myself..."

"Please rest assured, sir!"

"I will do my utmost to help the human cultivators with this tribulation, and I will not slack off in the slightest. I guarantee that I will complete your task perfectly."

"When I go there, I will make sure that human cultivator doesn't lose a single hair..."

As she said this, the ghost bride became more energetic and excited.

Although Zheng Que often looked like he was about to die, causing her a lot of trouble, the rewards from the Lord of the Underworld were real.

Because of her merit in saving Zheng Que this time, her cultivation level, which had been stuck for a long time, was directly promoted to the [Iron Tree Prison]. So next time, and the time after that... wouldn't she be able to reach the [Mirror of Karma Prison] or the [Steamer Prison] very soon?
Then, I'll capture that ghost king deep in Yaotai Mountain and bring him over to be my dowry maid...

(End of this chapter)