This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 196 Meng Jun, the Ghost King, Dies; Zhong Bai Has an Obsession

"What a familiar voice..."

The Ghost King Meng Jun trembled as he looked in the direction of the sound source, only to see a middle-aged man in white robes slowly approaching through the void.

The moment he saw this person, Meng Jun, the Ghost King, silently began to recall the past in his soul.

It was a peaceful afternoon.

Meng Jun's hands and feet were bound, and dirt kept falling from above his head...

"Who...who are you?!"

Terrified, Meng Jun Ghost King stared intently at the approaching middle-aged man in white.

Bai Qi smiled slightly, which was very warm, but it was so glaring in the eyes of Meng Jun Ghost King.

"My name in my previous life was Bai Qi!"

boom!
In an instant, Meng Jun Ghost King was stunned, while Zhong Bai annihilated the lightning in his hand. Wu An Jun Bai Qi, this name would be familiar to everyone in the Nine Provinces. Zhong Bai took a deep breath, without questioning the truth of the newcomer's words, and bowed to Wu An Jun, saying: "I am Zhong Bai, the head of Maoshan Sect, greetings to Wu An Jun!"

Zhong Bai is, after all, the leader of Maoshan Sect. He wouldn't exactly fawn over Bai Qi, but he should at least show him the respect he deserves.

"I've heard of you. You're the most talented person in Maoshan in hundreds of years. You're quite impressive!"

This is Bai Qi's evaluation of Zhong Bai.

Zhong Bai chuckled awkwardly, then looked at Meng Jun Ghost King and asked, "General, what brings you here?"

Bai Qi pointed his finger at Meng Jun, the Ghost King.

"I have come here to completely eradicate this Changping Ghost Realm. For thousands of years, the enemy soldiers I slaughtered back then should finally be at peace and go to the underworld to be reincarnated..."

Zhong Bai nodded upon hearing this.

"Please, General, do as you please!"

Zhong Bai didn't choose to stop him. Just kidding, this guy is like a king in the underworld. Not to mention Zhong Bai, even the Ten Ancestors wouldn't be confident in stopping him.

"A thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye. Come with me to the underworld!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Qi began to chant incantations. In an instant, the Changping Ghost Realm completely collapsed, and beams of light enveloped the surroundings. Almost all the ghost soldiers and generals illuminated by the light had their eyes soften. Among them, the Ghost King Meng Jun had fear in his eyes. He did not want to go to the underworld to be reincarnated. He had finally cultivated to his current level. How could he be willing to do so?
escape!
With a single thought in his mind, the Ghost King Mengjun charged in one direction.

Seeing this, Zhong Bai was about to fly over on his sword when he saw Bai Qi's eyes turn cold.

"There are still those who aren't afraid of death... Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Qi stretched out his index finger and gently pressed it in the direction where Meng Jun Ghost King had fled. A huge shadow of a finger, obscuring the sky, fell down on Meng Jun Ghost King's head.

Almost instantly, a half-step Ghost Emperor was crushed into ashes like an ant.

Zhong Bai took a deep breath. As expected of Lord Wu'an, such terrifying supernatural powers are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

At this moment, countless souls gradually fell into Bai Qi's hands. It was as if he possessed infinite space, which could accommodate hundreds of thousands of souls. Only then did Bai Qi look into the void. He saw that after the Ghost Realm shattered, a great ray of sunlight fell down, and the residual ghost energy around him dissipated. The ground that was exposed was pitted and uneven, and cold weapons that had rotted into mud.

"Now that this matter is settled, young friend Zhong Bai, may we meet again someday..."

After saying this to Zhong Bai, Bai Qi disappeared from the spot, clearly returning to the underworld.

"Zhong Bai respectfully bids farewell to Lord Wu'an!"

Once everything had calmed down, several figures rapidly approached from behind.

Zhong Bai turned around and saw Changming Zhenren of the Quanzhen Sect and several other elders.

"Sect Leader Zhong!"

Master Changming quickly stepped forward to Zhong Bai, looked around, and then asked, "Has Sect Leader Zhong seen General Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an?"

Zhong Bai nodded.

"Lord Wu'an has just gone to the underworld."

The Changping Ghost Realm has completely collapsed, and the souls within have all been taken by Lord Wu'an to the underworld to be reincarnated. From now on, the Quanzhen Sect no longer needs to send anyone to guard this place.

As Master Changming breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Sect Leader Zhong, have you seen my master?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly and took out Yun Qingzi's body from his Qiankun Ring, which then appeared on the ground.

"Sect Leader Changming, please accept my condolences. When I arrived, Senior Yun Qingzi had already passed away..."

Upon seeing his master's body, Master Changming was stunned. His eyes gradually filled with tears. A man doesn't easily shed tears, but he was not a coward until he was deeply saddened. As the leader of a sect, Master Changming was not a weakling. But with his master gone, who could not be sad?
"Hahaha, Master departed to uphold the Dao, your disciple respectfully sends Master's soul to the highest heavens!"

Hearing these words from Master Changming, Zhong Bai felt a pang of sadness. The separation of life and death in Taoism was equally difficult to accept.

......................................................

Three days later, Zhong Bai returned to Maoshan.

The fall of Yun Qingzi is something the Quanzhen Sect needs time to accept. Of course, with the support of Maoshan, no one dares to challenge the Quanzhen Sect's position.

In the darkness, Zhong Bai arrived alone at the Ascension Platform of Maoshan. Gazing at the twinkling stars in the distant sky, he exhaled a soft breath. "I've been in this world for quite some time now, through decades of ups and downs. It's been a smooth journey so far. Becoming a disciple of Maoshan, obtaining the Demon Extermination Panel, progressing from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, and finally to Golden Core... The road ahead is still long. Longevity, longevity..."

Muttering to himself, Zhong Bai shook his head.

At this moment, Zhong Bai sensed several familiar auras approaching.

Turning to the side, Zhong Bai smiled. "Uncle-Master Xuanmingzi, Grandmaster Ming, the night is dark. May I ask what brings you here, Uncle-Master and Grandmaster Ming?"

The two people who came were Xuanmingzi and Mingwanqian.

"Haha, Junior Nephew Zhong Bai, there is something I need to tell you."

After exchanging a glance with Ming Wanqian, Xuanmingzi knew that it was up to him to say the words.

"Please speak, Uncle-Master, Zhong Bai is all ears!"

"Well then, I'll get straight to the point. Nephew Zhong Bai, the Tenth Ancestor came to Maoshan a few days ago and told us about the arrangements the Fourth Ancestor in the Underworld has for you. You will need to go to the New World in five years..."

Therefore, the next leader of Maoshan needs to be chosen.

Zhong Bai was slightly taken aback. He knew he couldn't stay in this world for too long, but five years was still somewhat unexpected.

“Uncle-Master, you and Grand-Uncle-Master can decide this matter. Since we are going to the new world, there is no need for me to become the next leader of Maoshan…”

"No no no!"

Xuanmingzi interrupted Zhong Bai and continued, "Nephew Zhong Bai, you are the sect leader. We need you to make a decision on this matter. Propriety cannot be disregarded!"

Zhong Bai nodded helplessly.

"Senior Uncle, Senior Uncle, do you two have anyone in mind?"

"Your grandmaster and I have discussed this, and there are only three who meet the criteria. The first is Mao Xiaofang from Tongyou Palace, the second is Shi Jian, my disciple, and the third is Lin Fengjiao, who has just broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Any of these three is acceptable, so your grandmaster and I will naturally listen to you, my nephew, in choosing who to pick."

Zhong Bai smiled brightly.

“Senior Uncle, Grand Uncle, now that you have chosen your successors, Zhong Bai thinks that all three of my senior brothers are capable of taking over the position of sect leader. However, among the three, Senior Brother Shi Jian is the most talented.”

Therefore, Zhong Bai means that Senior Brother Ding Shijian should succeed as the next leader of the Maoshan Sect!

Hearing this, Xuanmingzi sighed softly. He really didn't expect Zhong Bai to mention Shi Jian, but his disciple's temperament was indeed different from before.

"Shi Jian... is acceptable!"

Ming Wanqian agreed with Zhong Bai's suggestion, and Xuan Mingzi naturally couldn't say that his disciple was unsuitable, so the topic that originally needed to be discussed suddenly became simple.

"Senior Uncle, Grandmaster Uncle, let Senior Brother Shi Jian take over the management of Maoshan affairs for the next five years!"

The two remained silent, which was clearly an admission of their agreement.

Xuanmingzi and Ming Wanqian arrived quickly and left quickly. Zhong Bai remained silent. He only had five years left before he left, and he wanted to do something important before he was gone!
......................................................

Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Three months later, in the main hall of the sect, Zhong Bai and Xuan Mingzi sat facing each other.

“Master Shi Jian has handled affairs much better than I have recently. I think he can hold onto his position as the head of Maoshan Sect.”

Hearing Zhong Bai's words, Xuan Mingzi smiled faintly and said, "Perhaps, Junior Nephew Zhong Bai. You asked me to come here, surely not to discuss Shi Jian's matter. Just speak your mind."

Zhong Bai nodded.

"Indeed, I can't hide it from you, Master Uncle. What do you think of this world, Master Uncle?"

After a moment's thought, Xuanmingzi said, "The world is constantly in flux, and we are currently in a period of chaos. It seems that it will be more than ten years before this chaos ends. My nephew, you ask this question... what do you intend to do?"

"Before I leave, I want to do one thing for the people of the Nine Provinces of this world."

"What's the matter?"

"Destroy Japan!"

Boom! Xuanmingzi's lips twitched slightly.

“Nephew, Japan has a population of tens of millions. It would be difficult for you to wipe them out by yourself. Furthermore, although your karma is not enough to attract divine punishment, the killing of ordinary Japanese people would likely bring an overwhelming amount of karma…”

“Uncle-Master, Zhong Bai isn’t that stupid. Didn’t you give me some advice back then?”

Xuanmingzi smiled gently; he understood what Zhong Bai meant.

"Kill someone with a borrowed knife?"

"To be precise, it is through the hands of demons and evil spirits."

"Must my nephew be killed?"

"Uncle-Master, if I were to say that Japan will harm millions of people in Kyushu in a few years, would you believe me?"

"I believe your words, Master Uncle!"

The two looked at each other in silence.

“Nephew, there is a treasure in the Tongyou Palace called the Soul-Devouring Banner. It can kill without incurring any karmic consequences, which is a taboo. You can take it with you. In addition, there is a sacred mountain in Japan called Mount Fuji. Ancient records say that this mountain is connected to the earth veins of Japan. If you can detonate it, you can destroy Japan without lifting a finger.”

Zhong Bai listened, surprised that Xuan Mingzi could actually offer him advice. However, experience counts, and Xuan Mingzi's words only provided Zhong Bai with a feasible idea.

"However... Mount Fuji is not easy to detonate. The Japanese worship the Yamata no Orochi, which is said to be sleeping in a sea of ​​fire in the mountain."

In short, my nephew should think carefully before acting.

(End of this chapter)