Under One Person: My Inner Realm Connects to All Worlds!

Chapter 237 Natural Spirits Take Form, Calamity Manifests

One day later, on the back of Qingcheng Mountain, beside the Ghost-Dispelling Well.

Han Yun and Zhang Xiaolian stood side by side.

"What? Little Ancestor, you want to go down?"

Zhang Xiaolian stared wide-eyed, pointing at the Ghost-Binding Well in surprise, then shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, you must know that the Ghost Realm below has been suppressed for thousands of years. It is extremely dangerous. All the Celestial Masters of past generations have strictly forbidden the opening of the seal, let alone going deep into it!"

Han Yun stood by the well, his third eye slightly open, sensing the tangible aura of resentment below.

After yesterday's removal of the key node and execution of Ashiya Naruyoshi, the fluctuations at the wellhead seemed to have subsided considerably, but that was only superficial. Although the erosion had stopped, the hidden dangers accumulated within the well had not been eradicated.

“Master Zhang, it is precisely because of the danger that we must go down and investigate.” Han Yun’s tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable determination.

"There is no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days; only by eradicating them can we solve the problem once and for all."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaolian pondered for a long time.

He knew that Han Yun's cultivation was extraordinary and his methods were beyond his comprehension, and what he said made sense.

Finally, he sighed and said, "Since the young master has made up his mind, I will obey. I will gather the disciples in the temple and set up a golden light array to protect the well opening in case of any unforeseen circumstances."

"Thank you for your trouble, Taoist priest."

Zhang Xiaolian immediately took action, gathering his disciples to sit cross-legged around the Ghost-Breaking Well, with dazzling golden light rising from the bodies of these disciples from the Celestial Master's Mansion branch.

Then these golden lights converged and merged, taking Zhang Xiaolian as the center point, and were refined into golden bricks and stones. These bricks and stones were filled with an indestructible and impregnable meaning. Finally, they were cast and stacked into a golden and exquisite pagoda, as majestic as a mountain, standing firm and unmoving.

Zhang Xiaolian stood on one leg atop the tower, stepping out to merge his golden light with the exquisite pagoda, firmly enveloping the Ghost-Dispelling Well in place, forming a suppressive and sealing force.

Subsequently, golden restrictive talismans faintly appeared on each level of the exquisite pagoda.

As expected, those chosen to be the guardians of the Ghost-Dispelling Well are no ordinary people.

Zhang Xiaolian may not be proficient in thunder magic, but his skill in drawing upon various kinds of Qi of the same origin to form shapes and condense them into arrays is among the best, even among the Ten Elders.

The reason why the Ten Elders are called the Ten Elders is not only because of their outstanding strength, but more importantly because they represent different groups of extraordinary people.

All-Knowing Tong emphasizes "fairness," which is why the Ten Elders exist. Otherwise, just considering Buddhism and Taoism alone, there would be at least dozens of experts with the combat power of the Ten Elders.

Putting aside everything else, just look at the Quanzhen Sect, Wudang Sect, Maoshan Sect, Gezaoshan Sect, Shenxiao Sect... Do you dare say that their sect leaders aren't at least as strong as the Ten Elders?
Not to mention the hidden sects within Taoism, such as the Miaozhen Sect.

Taoism is further divided into the alchemy school, the talisman school, the tranquility school, the divination school, the food-consuming school, the meditation school, and so on. Which school doesn't have masters? Which school doesn't have predecessors?

This doesn't even include Buddhist sects.

Even a tiny place like Japan has its so-called Twelve Gods. Just imagine how many powerful figures might be hiding in such a vast land as China.

Even Na Du Tong couldn't figure out the details of these sects, which is why Na Du Tong has always advocated autonomy for the world of supernatural beings. They have too many concerns. That's why the world of supernatural beings is said to be a deep and murky place.
The original manga "Under One Person" only reveals the tip of the iceberg of the world. The more Han Yun came into contact with it, the more he realized how "terrifying" it was.

Back to the point.

Soon, centered on the Ghost-Breaking Well, outside the Linglong Pagoda, golden chains appeared, heavily protecting the well opening.

Han Yun then set off directly, using the "emptiness" method from the Mahayana Bodhicitta Sutra to permeate his entire body with the breath of emptiness.

It is neither here nor there, nor in the middle of the stream.

All the laws say that I have nothing, but I regard heaven and earth as nothingness.

As if it were a fleeting illusion, there was no obstacle in front of him. He entered the exquisite tower directly, leaped down towards the Ghost-Dispelling Well, and went straight into the sealed land.

Once you enter the Ghost-Breaking Well, it's as if you've fallen into a completely different world.

There is no light here, only endless darkness, a darkness as thick as ink, which greatly suppresses even the perception of the soul.

The air was filled with a nauseating, putrid stench, and the insane babbling of countless vengeful spirits and ghosts constantly assaulted the mind.

The ground beneath my feet was not solid, but rather "mud" piled up from countless twisted and painful fragments of souls. It was soft, slippery, and cold to the touch, as if countless hands were pulling at me.

Han Yun's body emanated a faint pure yang golden light, like a solitary lamp in the darkness, illuminating a small patch of clarity around him.

Those vengeful spirits that tried to approach the golden light screamed in agony as if they were being burned, and retreated in terror. But many more ghosts lurked in the darkness in the distance, emitting greedy roars.

"It really is a complete ghost realm cave." Han Yuntian's eyes swept over it, and he was immediately filled with dread.

The space here is far more expansive than it appears from the outside, seemingly boundless. Under Tianmu Mountain, it is estimated to be eight hundred li in circumference.

The sky... if that twisted darkness can be called the sky, it is so low and oppressive that it makes it hard to breathe.

In the distance, some enormous, mountain-like shadows could be vaguely seen writhing, exuding a chilling aura of terror.

What's even more chilling is that a strange power permeates this world, seemingly constantly absorbing and transforming resentment and yin energy, maintaining a bizarre balance, and even slowly nourishing the most powerful beings.

"It's not a simple suppression; it's more like a place for refining ghosts?" Han Yun suddenly realized.

Zhang Daoling, the Celestial Master, may not have been unable to completely eliminate these ghosts back then. Instead, he used the earth's veins and seals to trap them here, using poison to fight poison, letting them devour and consume each other, and perhaps eventually refining something, or waiting for a certain opportunity to deal with them.

But over thousands of years, this place has clearly undergone unexpected changes.

New ghosts are constantly being created, while the strongest ancient beings do not perish in their battles; instead, they become increasingly powerful and cunning.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the surrounding environment became increasingly eerie.

Some twisted, bizarre structures, built from skeletons and resentment, began to appear, resembling ghost cities.

You can even see weak ghosts being driven like slaves, performing meaningless labor, while powerful ghost generals devour them at will, a truly horrific sight.

All of this was the result of the six demon kings and eight ghost generals letting things go unchecked.

Who are these six demon kings?
Liu Yuanda is in charge of spreading plagues and diseases; Zhang Yuanbo is in charge of thunder and fire, and disasters; Zhao Gongming is in charge of weapons and chaos; Zhong Shigui is in charge of floods and stirring up trouble; Shi Wenye is in charge of nightmares and bewitching people; Fan Juqing is in charge of mountain spirits and miasma.

To put it simply, it is a kind of natural spirit that was transformed from the disasters of heaven and earth. The six demon kings also became spiritual beings because people were afraid of these six disasters at the time, which is to say, the power of their wishes and distracting thoughts gathered together.

People both respected and feared the six great demon kings of that time. Even though they were subdued by Zhang Daoling, the worship and sacrifices to these six demon kings have continued to this day.

And in the long course of history and cultural evolution, their image has changed a lot. For example, after the publication of "Investiture of the Gods", Zhao Gongming's image gradually evolved into the God of Wealth, and he was worshipped by people. He is now far removed from the demon king who originally controlled war and chaos.

The divine roles of the other demon kings have also been confused and transformed in the evolution of folk beliefs.

But at the bottom of this Ghost-Slaying Well, they remain in their most primitive and ferocious form, as they were personally suppressed by Zhang Tianshi thousands of years ago.

As for the Eight Ghost Generals, they were powerful leaders of the ghost army who followed the Six Demon Kings to wreak havoc on the human world. Each of them possessed supernatural powers and was infamous for their ferocity.

Han Yun concealed his figure, his aura blending with the void, and silently traversed this ghostly realm.

He did not rush to find those ancient beings, but instead first explored the foundation of this ghostly realm.

As far as the Heavenly Eye could see, thick, dark purple earth vein energy, like the roots of a great tree, could be seen spreading out from the depths of the earth, providing a continuous source of energy for this ghostly realm.

At the intersection of these malevolent energy veins, there often stand some huge, broken stone pillars made of runes and restrictions, which are the sealing nodes left by Zhang Daoling.

As time passed and the ghosts continued to erode the stone pillars, many of them became dilapidated and lost their luster. This was the root cause of the seal loosening and the leakage of resentment.

Han Yun had considered using his inner space to devour this Ghost Realm Cave Heaven, but unfortunately, unlike the Western Profound Cave Heaven, this Ghost Realm Cave Heaven was not an independent cave heaven. Instead, it was connected to various earth veins, which were intertwined. If he were to devour it, it would inevitably damage the earth veins.

If the earth's veins are damaged, the earth's vital energy will leak out, which will inevitably cause tremors, something Han Yun does not want to see.

Therefore, we can only address the root cause first, and then treat the symptoms.

"To address the root cause, we need to stabilize these nodes first, and even... repair some of the seals," Han Yun pondered.

But this was by no means an easy task. Near each node, there were powerful ghost generals and even more terrifying auras lurking, clearly indicating that they were aware of the importance of these nodes.

Just as Han Yun approached a relatively remote sealing node, a sudden change occurred!

The "mud" formed from fragments of souls beneath his feet suddenly churned violently, and an enormous ghostly hand, formed from countless pained faces, shot out, its five fingers spread wide, carrying a chilling aura that devoured everything, and grabbed at Han Yun!
This attack came extremely suddenly, and the power it contained far exceeded that of any ghosts they had encountered before, already approaching the level of the "Ten Elders"!
Han Yun remained motionless, but the pure yang golden light behind his head suddenly surged, transforming into a blazing miniature sun.

"Pure Yang True Fire, burn!"

The dazzling golden flames spread out from him. When the giant ghost hand touched the real fire, it made a hissing sound, and countless faces wailed and vaporized in the flames!
"Roar--!"

A deep, angry roar came from underground, and the entire "ground" began to bulge, with a huge, hill-like shadow slowly rising.

It was a "monster of aggregates" forcibly fused together from countless vengeful spirits, and at its core, one could vaguely see an ancient suit of armor shimmering with an eerie light.

That was its true form, an ancient ghost general who had once perished here, resurrected by devouring countless ghosts, becoming even more powerful and twisted.

"Fresh flesh and blood... a powerful soul... devour you, and this general will surely be able to leave this hellish place!"

The aggregate monster let out chaotic, overlapping roars, and thousands of blood-red eyes opened on its massive body, locking onto Han Yun.

Thick, liquid-like resentful energy surged from its body, attempting to extinguish the Pure Yang True Fire. At the same time, countless soul tentacles shot towards Han Yun like arrows.

Han Yun's expression remained unchanged as he formed hand seals and softly uttered a curse.

The brand-new Pure Yang Heart Sword reappeared, transforming into countless incomparably sharp golden swords according to Han Yun's will!

"cut!"

A torrential downpour of sword-like rain fell with a whooshing sound!

Before the golden sword rain of supreme strength and yang energy, those soul tentacles melted away like ice and snow, breaking and dissipating one after another.

The golden sword continued its momentum, piercing fiercely into the massive body of the aggregate monster!

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

Each soft sound was accompanied by the annihilation of countless vengeful spirits.

The aggregator let out a painful howl, its body twisting violently in an attempt to reform, but the exorcising power contained within the golden light firmly restrained it, preventing its restoration.

"Impossible! What kind of power is this?!" The core ghost general roared in shock and anger.

Han Yun did not answer. He took a step forward, his figure moving like lightning, and instantly appeared in front of the core of the aggregation monster.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, his fingertips gathering the ultimate pure Yang energy, and pointed at the ancient armor.

"Destroy."

A single word, spoken lightly, seems to carry the weight of truth.

The instant the fingertips touched the armor, an intense light erupted, as if a sun core had been ignited in the darkness!

The ghost general's screams came to an abrupt halt.

The enormous aggregate monster's body, like gasoline that had been ignited, was rapidly consumed by the pure Yang true fire from the inside out, transforming into a giant torch that illuminated the darkness for miles around.

Countless bound souls were purified in the flames, turning into specks of light and dissipating, their faces showing a look of liberation.

The flames died down, leaving only a charred ruin and the tattered, lifeless armor.

The ghosts that had been watching were completely stunned by this terrifying scene. They let out terrified screams and retreated into the deeper darkness like a tide, not daring to come any closer.

Han Yun flicked his sleeves, as if he had done something insignificant.

He walked up to the broken sealed stone pillar and carefully examined the ancient runes on it.

"The Daoist arts of Zhang Daoling are indeed profound and mysterious..." He stretched out his hand and tried to simulate that unique Daoist charm using the method of the Tongtian Talisman, slowly injecting it into the stone pillar.

The stone pillar trembled slightly, and the talismans on its surface glowed faintly. Although it could not be completely repaired, the dissipated evil energy was noticeably reduced.

“It’s effective, but repairing just one node is far from enough.” Han Yun pondered. “To completely repair it, it won’t be done in a short time; we need to plan for the long term.”

Just as he was concentrating on studying the talisman, an aura far colder and more vast than the aggregating monster from before, like a sleeping ferocious beast, slowly awakened from the deepest part of the ghost realm.

A cold, majestic thought, carrying the weight of time, swept across the nearby ghost realm like a tide, finally settling in the direction where Han Yun was.

Immediately afterwards, a voice that seemed to come from the deepest hell rang directly in Han Yun's ears.

(End of this chapter)