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

Even though he felt resentful, Master Bai Mei had no choice but to obey the imperial decree at this moment.

"All Emei disciples, from this day forward, shall search for the souls of the dead with all their might within the Emei territory. If any resisting are encountered, they shall be killed without mercy!"

As the voice of Master Bai Mei resounded throughout the Emei Palace, streaks of sword light flew out of the palace like a meteor shower. Three hundred immortals flew on their swords, and the Emei disciples did not even ask why; they simply obeyed Master Bai Mei's orders.

Inside a side hall.

After hearing what his master said, Li Yingqi was also puzzled, but he did not disobey the order. He flew away on his sword and left Emei.

The two decrees from Longhu Mountain and Maoshan spread extremely quickly, reaching almost the entire Dongzhou Daoist sect within ten days, and the capture of the dead was carried out in a grand and vigorous manner.

Of course, the main force is still Longhushan and Maoshan.

Xizhou.

This is Buddhist territory, but today an uninvited guest has arrived.

"The affairs of Dongzhou can be left to the Daoist sect, but I must come to Xizhou in person!"

I don't know if these bald monks will fall for it. I hope you guys can be a little more assertive..."

Zhong Bai exhaled a breath of stale air, the smile in his eyes not reaching his eyes. He looked up at the void, where the sun was slowly setting and darkness was about to envelop the entire land.

As the sun set, Cao Yin, a third-rank mortal inspector, appeared in Zhong Bai's hand.

"I am the Inspector of the Bureau of Human Affairs, a horde of ghostly soldiers and generals. At my command, come quickly, come quickly!"

As the gates to the underworld opened, rows of neatly arranged Yin soldiers and generals emerged from the passage and bowed in unison upon seeing Zhong Bai.

"We await your orders, sir!"

The sheer scale of the horde was awe-inspiring. Looking at the densely packed array of ghostly soldiers and generals, Zhong Bai nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, not bad. A third-rank official can mobilize 50,000 soldiers and generals, which is enough."

"Hear the imperial decree: Capture the souls of the dead!"

"Here!"

A vast army of ghostly soldiers and generals spread outwards like a flood...

Zhong Bai himself was not idle either. His divine sense, at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, covered hundreds of miles, monitoring the every move of the Yin soldiers and generals. After all, the Underworld had been gone for tens of thousands of years, and some of the remaining souls in the human world were quite powerful. There were quite a few Nascent Soul Ghost Emperors, and there were probably even Ghost Emperors at the Nascent Soul stage.

However, with Zhong Bai in charge, nothing much can be done. The only concern is the intervention of the Buddhist sect.

Three days later...

As night fell, behind Zhong Bai stood 50,000 Yin soldiers and generals, their figures ethereal yet exuding a chilling, sinister aura.

The ghost soldiers were clad in black armor and wielded various ghostly weapons, while the ghost generals wore even more ornate armor that radiated a chilling light, their eyes filled with a thirst for battle.

Zhong Bai held the Soul-Binding Banner, a unique item from the Underworld, in his hand. The banner fluttered, and the runes on it shimmered with a ghostly blue light.

He looked up at the sky, where a faint Buddhist light shone, a manifestation of the powerful influence of Buddhism in Xizhou.

But he did not back down at all. He waved the Soul-Binding Banner forward, and 50,000 Yin soldiers and generals shouted in unison, their voices like muffled thunder, rolling forward.

In a small town in the western state, the people were living a peaceful life.

Suddenly, dark clouds filled the sky. These were not ordinary dark clouds, but rather shadowy clouds caused by the influence of the underworld.

Amidst the dark clouds, the faint wails of ghosts could be heard.

The people in the town began to feel uneasy, not knowing what was about to happen.

The first to sense the danger was an old monk in the town.

He was a high-ranking monk from a nearby temple, and he frowned as he sensed this powerful force from the underworld.

The old monk quickly rang the temple bell, the sound echoing throughout the town, instantly turning the once peaceful town into chaos.

Zhong Bai, accompanied by his ghostly soldiers and generals, descended upon the town.

His gaze swept downwards, searching for traces of the dead.

Soon, he discovered some wandering ghosts on the outskirts of the town.

These souls were originally suppressed by the power of Buddhism and unable to act freely, but the arrival of the power of the underworld made them begin to stir.

Zhong Bai waved the Soul-Binding Banner again and chanted the Soul-Binding Incantation.

The light on the Soul-Binding Banner shone brightly, shooting towards the departed souls.

The souls sensed the power of the Soul-Binding Banner and tried to escape.

One of the spirits transformed into a black shadow and rushed towards a house in the town.

Zhong Bai snorted coldly, and in a flash, he appeared on the roof of that house.

He stretched out his hand, and a stream of true energy shot out, directly striking the departed soul.

The soul let out a miserable scream and was pulled toward Zhong Bai by the power of the Soul-Binding Banner.

But at that moment, a golden beam of Buddhist light shot out from the direction of the temple and struck the true essence of the Soul-Binding Banner.

The Buddha's light and true essence collided, emitting a dazzling light.

An old monk appeared on the street, his hands clasped together, chanting Buddhist scriptures.

The sound of Buddhist scriptures echoed in the town, and the restless souls that had been agitated by the power of the underworld began to calm down.

The old monk said to Zhong Bai, "Benefactor, this place is a pure land of Buddhism. These souls have been converted by the Buddha and should no longer be detained by the underworld."

Zhong Bai frowned and said, "Bald monk, the return of the underworld to the human world is a rule of heaven and earth."

These souls should rightfully return to the underworld; Buddhism should not interfere.

The old monk shook his head and said, "Amitabha, if you insist on forcibly detaining me, I can only stop you."

Zhong Bai said no more; he knew that reasoning with the old monk was useless.

He said to the ghostly soldiers and generals behind him, "Attack!"

Fifty thousand ghost soldiers and generals surged toward the town like a tidal wave.

The ghostly soldiers brandished their ghostly weapons and charged towards the souls of the dead who were protected by the Buddha's light.

The underworld generals then flew into the air and began setting up the soul-binding formation for the underworld.

The ghostly soldiers rushed into the town and began a fierce clash with the Buddha's light.

The genitals and the Buddha's light collided, emitting bursts of light and sound.

Although the ghost soldiers were powerful, the Buddhist light of the temple also had a strong ability to resist them.

Some of the ghostly soldiers were struck by the Buddha's light, making their bodies appear somewhat ethereal, but they still pressed on bravely.

The souls of the dead fled in all directions, caught between the Buddha's light and the power of the underworld.

A wandering soul tried to hide in an ancient well, but was discovered by ghostly soldiers.

The ghostly soldiers raised their yin weapons and thrust them towards the ancient well, but a beam of Buddhist light suddenly shot out from the well, deflecting the yin weapons.

Seeing this situation, Zhong Bai took action himself.

He flashed and appeared above the ancient well.

He formed a mudra with his hands and chanted Taoist incantations from Maoshan.

A stream of purple true essence shot out from his hand and into the ancient well.

The Buddhist light in the ancient well was suppressed by the true essence. Zhong Bai reached out and grabbed the soul from the ancient well, then directly put it into the Soul-Binding Banner.

At this moment, the Yin generals in the sky had already set up the soul-binding formation.

The formation enveloped the entire town, with runes flashing within it. The souls of the dead were bound by the formation's power and unable to escape.

Seeing this situation, the old monk knew he could no longer sit idly by and wait for death.

He summoned the other monks in the temple, and they lined up in neat rows to begin chanting more profound Buddhist scriptures.

Amidst the chanting of Buddhist scriptures, a gigantic, golden phantom of a Buddha appeared in the sky above the town.

The Buddha statue emitted a strong Buddhist light, pressing down on the soul-binding formation.

Seeing this, Zhong Bai merged the true essence of Maoshan with the power of the underworld. He flew into the air, raising the Soul-Binding Banner high with both hands. The Soul-Binding Banner became enormous, confronting the golden Buddha phantom.

The eerie blue light on the soul-binding banner intertwined with the golden halo of the Buddha statue, producing a deafening roar.

The ghostly soldiers and generals and monks below were also engaged in fierce battle.

The ghost soldiers' yin weapons relentlessly attacked the monks' Buddhist light shield, while the monks countered the ghost soldiers with Buddhist teachings.

Zhong Bai gritted his teeth; he knew that this stalemate couldn't continue.

He took out a third-rank official seal from the underworld from his storage ring.

As soon as the third-rank official seal appeared, the surrounding temperature dropped instantly, and a powerful suppressive force emanated from the seal.

Zhong Bai threw the official seal toward the golden Buddha statue phantom.

The official seal struck the phantom of the Buddha statue, causing the phantom to tremble.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhong Bai increased the power of the Soul-Binding Banner, which slowly began to suppress the illusory image of the Buddha statue.

The monks below saw that the phantom of the Buddha statue was being suppressed, so they increased the speed of their chanting of Buddhist scriptures.

But the ghost soldiers and generals attacked the monks' shields even more frantically.

Some monks began to falter, and cracks appeared in the shield.

Seeing cracks appearing in the monks' shields, Zhong Bai shouted to the Yin soldiers and generals, "Concentrate your strength and break through the shields!"

The ghostly soldiers and generals received their orders and quickly assembled.

The power of 50,000 Yin soldiers and generals converged into a powerful Yin force, which blasted towards the monks' shield.

With a loud "boom!", the monks' shields were breached.

The ghostly soldiers and generals surged into the monks' ranks and began to fight them in close combat.

The ghost soldiers' genitals slashed across the monks' bodies, and the monks' Buddhist teachings struck the ghost soldiers.

In an instant, Buddhist light and yin energy intertwined in the town, and the battle entered a fierce stage.

Zhong Bai continued to manipulate the Soul-Binding Banner, which had completely suppressed the illusory image of the Buddha statue.

He began to collect the souls bound by the formation into the Soul-Binding Banner one by one.

Seeing this situation, the old monk knew that all was lost.

But he still refused to give up, and decided to use his forbidden technique.

The old monk's entire body suddenly became incredibly hot with Buddhist light, and his body began to glow as if it were about to burst into flames.

He charged towards Zhong Bai, a move that was suicidal.

Zhong Bai sensed the old monk's resoluteness, and he frowned.

The Buddhist sect has truly gone mad, daring to defy the underworld. However, considering Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva within the underworld, Zhong Bai understands the source of their confidence...

Zhong Bai swiftly drew a strand of underworld restriction power from the Soul-Binding Banner and shot it toward the old monk.

The power of the restriction struck the old monk, freezing his body in place.

But the old monk's Buddha-light still shone towards Zhong Bai.

Zhong Bai formed a hand seal, creating a shield of true energy in front of him.

The Buddha's light struck the shield, causing it to tremble, but it still managed to block the light.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhong Bai collected all the remaining souls into the Soul-Binding Banner.

Then he shouted to the ghost soldiers and generals, "Retreat first!"

Fifty thousand Yin soldiers and generals quickly broke away from the monks' ranks and gathered towards Zhong Bai.

Zhong Bai glanced at the restrained old monk and said, "Bald monk, this isn't over!"

After saying this, he left the town with his ghostly soldiers and generals.

In the small town, the monks watched Zhong Bai and the people from the underworld leave, their hearts filled with helplessness.

Meanwhile, Zhong Bai, carrying a full load of soul-capturing banners, continued his journey to other parts of Xizhou to carry out his mission of capturing the souls of the dead.

In a large city in the western region, the Buddhist influence is even stronger.

There is a magnificent temple in the city, and the pagoda in the temple emits a dazzling light.

Zhong Bai led his Yin soldiers and generals to the sky above the city, and he could sense that the resistance here would be greater.

Without the slightest hesitation, he waved the Soul-Binding Banner once more.

Fifty thousand ghost soldiers and generals surged towards the great city like a black torrent.

The people in the city were so frightened by the sight of the ghostly soldiers and generals in the sky that they all hid in their homes.

The high monks in the temple had already noticed Zhong Bai's arrival.

They gathered at the foot of the stupa and began chanting Buddhist scriptures, preparing to resist the forces of the underworld.

Zhong Bai's Soul-Binding Banner unleashed a powerful soul-binding force, searching for traces of the dead throughout the city.

The souls in the city sensed the power of the Soul-Binding Banner and began to flee towards the temple, knowing that only the temple's Buddhist light could protect them.

The ghostly soldiers and generals rushed into the city and encountered the city's Buddhist defensive forces.

This time, the Buddha's light defense was much stronger than that of the town, and the Yin soldiers and generals found it difficult to break through for a while.

Seeing this, Zhong Bai flew to the sky above the pagoda.

He addressed the monks in the pagoda, saying, "Gentlemen, the affairs of the underworld are part of the cycle of heaven and earth; do not obstruct them."

The high monks in the stupa did not respond; they simply chanted Buddhist scriptures even louder.

Zhong Bai shook his head helplessly; he knew he had no choice but to resort to force.

He merged the magic of Maoshan with the power of the underworld once again, and his hands moved rapidly across the Soul-Binding Banner.

A huge vortex of true energy appeared on the Soul-Binding Banner, and this vortex was drawn towards the Buddha's light from the pagoda.

The light emanating from the pagoda was being pulled along by the vortex and began to become somewhat unstable.

The high monks intensified their chanting of Buddhist scriptures, but Zhongbai's power also grew stronger.

Just as the two sides were deadlocked, some mysterious figures suddenly appeared in the city.

These figures were dressed in black robes, and they exuded an aura of evil.

Taking advantage of the stalemate between Zhong Bai and the Buddhist monks, they began to plunder the souls of the dead in the city.

Zhong Bai frowned; he hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

He shouted to the ghostly soldiers and generals, "Send some of your forces to stop those black-robed men!"

A group of ghost soldiers and generals rushed towards the man in black robes.

The men in black robes were not afraid when they saw the ghostly soldiers and generals rushing towards them.

One of the men in black robes took out a black bell and shook it.

Amidst the ringing of bells, a black mist began to spread.

The ghostly soldiers and generals rushed into the black mist, their vision obscured.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the men in black robes launched an attack, thrusting their black weapons toward the ghost soldiers and generals.

Although the ghost soldiers and generals were invisible, they began to fight back by sensing the yin energy.

On Zhong Bai's side, he was still confronting the Buddhist monks.

He knew he had to resolve the situation here as soon as possible, otherwise the black-robed man would steal even more of the dead souls.

He took a deep breath and unleashed all his power at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

The vortex of true energy on the Soul-Binding Banner grew even larger, and the Buddhist light emanating from the pagoda finally could not withstand it, being partially absorbed by the vortex. (End of Chapter)