You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

"Oh?"

Chen Yang's eyes lit up.

This damn system hasn't given out any rewards in ages.

It's normal not to think about it carefully. Although the system was set ten years ahead of schedule, the tasks it issued were still based on what would happen ten years later. Many events would not happen ten years later.

As the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Technique "Flowing Light" was activated, Chen Yang's body was covered in golden divine light.

A divine light flashed, and it swiftly refined the wisp of "external path" within its body!
Chen Yang's cultivation, physical body, and spiritual power were improved once again. His Ghost Immortal Thoughts underwent a transformation, with three more added, and each Ghost Immortal Thought became even more crystal clear!

but……

The system did not indicate that the task was completed!

Looking at the murky mist ahead, Chen Yang couldn't help but wonder, "Could it be that the mission is only complete if this entire heretical sect is refined?"

The turbid mist in front of him covered an area of ​​more than 400 meters in radius. It had shrunk a bit compared to before, but the heretical path contained within it was too powerful. Even though Chen Yang was already at the Ghost Immortal realm, he could not forcibly refine it!

He could only repeatedly enter the murky mist, willingly allowing himself to be invaded by external forces...

He immediately left the misty area before he could suppress it and before his mind was clouded by the heretics, and began to refine it step by step and in a dispersed manner!
The murky fog over Helan Mountain gradually receded...

400 meters...

300 meters...

200 meters...

Meanwhile, Chen Yang's cultivation level was also improving day by day, and his thoughts had transformed into as many as two hundred and eighty!
Most importantly, as Chen Yang continued to refine the external path, his own understanding of it deepened.

"This so-called heretical path is actually a demonic path!"

"It does not belong to any of the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man, and is therefore hated by the Heavenly Dao of the three realms... If I cultivate this Great Dao, will I also be hated by the Heavenly Dao?"

Chen Yang also understood why "heretical paths" would invade living beings and the dead, causing them to lose their minds and turning people into monsters and animals into demons!

This is actually a form of demonization!
Because the "heretical path" is too strong, this kind of demonization is difficult to resist. Even plants and trees may be demonized and turned into monsters that devour living beings!
soon.

Seven days have passed.

Chen Yang ignored everything else and focused on refining the "heretical path" in Helan Mountain.

Monday, August 18, 2025, the 8th day of the intercalary sixth month in the lunar calendar.

Although it was a weekday, there were quite a few tourists in Helan Mountain, mainly high school and college students on summer vacation. Some even flew in from cities thousands of miles away to worship the mountain god of Helan Mountain.

One by one, worshippers offered incense and prayers, and the rising incense smoke transformed into Gu Jinghui's divine power of incense.

Among so many worshippers, some were naturally curious as to why there was a "fat cat" enshrined next to the mountain god statue. Whenever a worshipper asked this question, a middle-aged man would step forward to answer it for everyone.

"This cat is a friend of the mountain god."

"It was originally a cat spirit worshipped by the people to suppress rat demons, eradicate rat infestations, and protect the crops of the people... Didn't the news say that something happened in the human world later, the spiritual energy dissipated, the Great Dao fell silent, and this cat spirit died!"

This middle-aged man was none other than Wang Xuan's uncle!

He volunteered to work odd jobs at the mountain god temple, hoping that Gu Jinghui could also grant him a share of the inheritance.

Gu Jinghui naturally refused...

Putting aside the fact that this guy's aptitude and foundation are terrible, just considering his age... it's probably unlikely that he'll be able to cultivate anything of substance.

Wang Xuan's uncle was not discouraged, but changed his mind.

original……

He was a man, but his performance there was poor, which often led to him being disliked by Wang Xuan's aunt. Moreover, he had been married for 10 years but had no children.

Gu Jinghui laughed after hearing this, "That's a small matter. I can restore your manhood with just a flick of my finger... But when it comes to having children, I can't help you."

The condition was that Wang Xuan's uncle had to work odd jobs at the mountain god temple until a "temple keeper" was appointed before he could leave the mountain.

He spoke eloquently, saying, "Although the Cat Demon God is dead, its obsession has not been extinguished... A wisp of its obsession suppressed the Rat Demon for a thousand years, and finally, with the help of Luo Feng Subduing Demon General, it destroyed the Rat Demon and regained Luo Feng Subduing Demon General's title. Now it is the [Nine Netherworld Patrol Envoy]!"

"Worshiping it will protect your crops from disaster, and the Cat God also brings good fortune... Worshiping it will bring you good luck!"

In a short time, the number of believers worshipping the Cat God also increased significantly.

Inside the mountain god statue, Gu Jinghui looked at the thriving incense offerings through the statue's eyes, feeling a sense of satisfaction... Suddenly, he was startled, which caused the mountain god statue's eyes to blink a few times!

A sharp-eyed pilgrim pointed at the statue and exclaimed, "Look... the Mountain God is winking at me!"

Many pilgrims looked up and saw a beam of divine light fly out from the mountain god statue. It circled inside the temple and then flew out of the main hall, heading towards the depths of Helan Mountain!

brush!
Gu Jinghui moved extremely fast, appearing deep in the Helan Mountains in just a moment.

But Chen Yang was sitting cross-legged outside a dense forest. In front of him was the area that had once been shrouded in "turbid mist," but now... the last wisp of mist was dissipating!
"Old Chen, is everything resolved?"

There was an undisguised excitement in Gu Jinghui's eyes!
These days, he has had to constantly spare time to use the power of the Helan Mountains to suppress the heretical tide. Now that the fog of the tide has dissipated, it means that the heretical forces within have been completely eliminated!
This also means that he can go wherever he wants in the future!

Chen Yang sat on the ground, ignoring Gu Jinghui.

As the last wisp of external energy transformed into green smoke within the body and merged into the flesh, blood, and soul...

boom!
His body erupted with yin energy, transforming into wisps of black mist!
His bones, flesh, skin, and internal organs were rapidly strengthened, and the ghost immortal thoughts in his Niwan Palace between his eyebrows were rapidly transformed, reaching as many as 360!

[After overcoming countless hardships, you have finally refined a turbid, heretical path and found a way to resolve it.]

[The mission has been completed. 】

[Rewards: Soul Condensation Pill*10, Ghost Immortal Thoughts*5, Cultivation +50000, Magic Item: Impermanence Umbrella.]

boom!
Chen Yang's cultivation level surged dramatically in an instant, and black energy billowed around him, resembling dark clouds!

At the same time, an exquisite porcelain bottle appeared in his right hand, containing 10 Soul Condensing Pills!

Five ghostly thoughts appeared in his left hand.

And in the sky, an umbrella is slowly descending!
This umbrella is not much different in style from an ordinary umbrella, half black and half white, with a clear distinction between the two.

Chen Yang put away the Soul-Gathering Pill and the Ghost Immortal's Thoughts, and grabbed the umbrella handle.

The umbrella handle was icy cold, likely forged from some underworld material, and bore peculiar patterns. After refining it, Chen Yang understood the "Umbrella of Impermanence"'s effects—

The Unpredictable Umbrella can be switched between two modes: black and white canopy.

When switched to the white umbrella surface, it can absorb the essence of the sun and moon to nourish the soul; when switched to the black umbrella surface, it can condense the earth's evil energy to cultivate magic and supernatural powers!
This umbrella is of extremely high quality, but it has little offensive power; it can mainly be used to assist in cultivation!
"This umbrella can be lent to Wang Xuan for the time being." "With these ten Soul Condensing Pills, it's practically a certainty that Wang Xuan will enter the national competition of the [Number One Daoist Technique Competition]... He might even have a chance to compete for a ranking."

If Wang Xuan can truly reach that point, Qingwei Dao will surely become famous throughout the world, which can be considered as fulfilling one of the old man's wishes.

Putting away the Impermanence Umbrella, Chen Yang stood up, glanced at Gu Jinghui, and smiled, "Alright, I've now taken care of the troubles in Helan Mountain for you... You'll have to deal with the mountain spirits and monsters and the surrounding towns and villages yourself from now on."

"Do not worry!"

Gu Jinghui said proudly, "My incense is now very popular, and many people have even brought my statue back to their homes to worship. If anything happens, I will sense it in the dark and can send down my power immediately."

After chatting for a while, Chen Yang inquired about Song Jingxuan's performance.

Gu Jinghui truthfully stated, "Song Jingxuan has been clearing away wandering ghosts in Helan County these days. She even cooperated with the Special Administration Bureau to resolve several paranormal incidents."

"Well done."

Chen Yang said, "Go find Song Jingxuan and I'll give her an identity."

Gu Jinghui immediately separated a wisp of incense spirit and flew out of Helan Mountain. In just over half an hour, he returned with Song Jingxuan.

"This humble woman, Song Jingxuan, pays her respects to Lord Luo Feng, the Demon-Subduing Marshal!"

Song Jingxuan knelt down and bowed to Chen Yang.

"Get up."

After Song Jingxuan stood up, Chen Yang said, "Song Jingxuan, you have made great contributions to clearing away the wandering ghosts these days, and I have seen it all... In addition, He Shanshen strongly recommended you, so I have decided to make an exception and give you a chance!"

Song Jingxuan was overjoyed and knelt down again to express her gratitude.

Chen Yang used the Book of Life and Death and the Netherworld Soul-Suppressing Brush to record Song Jingxuan's name in the Yin Law Department's Divine Register!
hum!
An imperial edict flew out—

As the imperial edict transformed into divine light and fell into Song Jingxuan's brow, her aura surged, and her yin body became even more solid.

"From this day forward, you will be a messenger of the Underworld Law Division, patrolling the mortal realm, collecting souls and retrieving lives, and maintaining the order between Yin and Yang... Remember, when on duty, do not reveal your form unless necessary, so as not to frighten the living."

"In addition, the Helan Mountain Mountain God Temple is short of a temple keeper. Why don't you take on the task of managing the mountain god temple for Gu Jinghui?"

Leaving behind a single sentence, Chen Yang rode the wind and disappeared into the horizon.

As soon as he returned to the funeral home, Yang Shuai rushed down from the second floor, anxiously saying, "Old Chen...you're finally back!"

"what happened?"

Chen Yang was surprised.

I've only been gone for seven days, could something have happened?

Yang Shuai: "Wang Xuan is still inside the parade banner... Without you, he cannot leave the parade banner. For the past seven days, he has been experiencing the tortures of the eighteen levels of hell inside the parade banner. I am worried that something might happen to him."

"Moreover, his Yin spirit has not returned to his body in seven days, and his physical body and blood have begun to deteriorate. If it were two more days... this successor of your Qingwei Dao would be dead again!"

Chen Yang slapped his forehead!
"I was so focused on refining the heretical path that I forgot about this."

With a thought, the "parade banner" hanging on the second-floor wall quickly flew into Chen Yang's hand.

With a gentle shake, the procession banner...

Wow!

A gust of cold wind flew out from the parade banner and transformed into the appearance of Wang Xuan after landing.

The child cultivated for seven days inside the parade banner, enduring all sorts of tortures from the eighteen levels of hell, and his spiritual power indeed increased significantly... but his face showed an expression of utter exhaustion.

This is also normal.

Even a ghost immortal would not be able to withstand the tortures in the eighteen levels of hell, let alone a child who has only recently formed a yin spirit.

It's already extremely remarkable that he hasn't suffered a mental breakdown!
Chen Yang pointed a finger and sent a wisp of divine soul power into Wang Xuan's Yin spirit. He found that although Wang Xuan's divine soul was very weak, it was not seriously damaged. It must be because he had suffered too much "torture" and his spirit was exhausted.

"Commander Chen..."

Wang Xuan said weakly, "I only lasted seven days and endured 987 tortures... Isn't that terrible?"

"You're already great."

Chen Yang said, "First, return your Yin Spirit to your body, invigorate your physical body's Qi and blood, and rest well for a day... On this trip, I found some precious pills and a treasure for you that can make your Yin Spirit even stronger!"

When Wang Xuan's spirit returned to his body, he found that his body was somewhat stiff.

He moved his body weakly, while the Cat Lord cooked millet porridge and stewed black chicken soup for him. The Cat Lord then placed its paws on Wang Xuan's back and used its divine power to help Wang Xuan improve his blood circulation.

By evening, Wang Xuan was full of energy again.

Chen Yang called him upstairs and took out ten Soul-Gathering Pills, saying, "These are Soul-Gathering Pills, pills made by alchemy masters in the underworld using the souls of evil spirits. They can increase the power of the soul... However, you must remember that Soul-Gathering Pills cannot be taken internally. You only need to wrap them with your own soul power to refine them!"

He then took out the Impermanence Umbrella, gently turned it, and the "white" on the umbrella surface quickly flowed and covered the entire umbrella.

Chen Yang explained the effects of the Impermanence Umbrella to Wang Xuan, saying, "After you refine the Soul Condensation Pill, your Yin Spirit will cultivate within the Impermanence Umbrella..."

Wang Xuan took the Impermanence Umbrella and began a new round of cultivation.

Chen Yang then took out his phone and called Jiang He.

"Minister Jiang!"

"Master Chen..."

Without beating around the bush, Chen Yang got straight to the point: "Minister Jiang, do you have the contact information for that Master Chen you met at Liangjie Mountain last time? I want to meet him and ask him to help me with my [walking in the underworld] again."

Jiang He gave Chen Yang his contact information.

After hanging up, Chen Yang called "Master Chen" again.

Upon hearing this, Master Chen immediately agreed, saying, "Commander Chen, I am currently in the Western Frontier... How about this, I'll buy a ticket now and fly to Two Realms Mountain... Shall we meet at Two Realms Mountain?"

Chen Yang said, "Send me your location, and I'll come find you in the Western Regions."

"what?"

Master Chen exclaimed in surprise, "Coming to the Western Frontier? Commander Chen, to be honest... I have tried the Yin-Yang method in many places these days, but none of them have worked. I suspect that only the Two Realms Mountain can successfully facilitate the Yin-Yang method."

"After all, the living and the dead are now separated... and the Two Realms Mountain region is special, so there may be a passage connecting it to the underworld!"

Chen Yang laughed and said, "It's alright... Your success in casting the spell last time had little to do with the Two Realms Mountain; it was mainly due to me!" (End of Chapter)