The entire sect is obsessed with love, but I'm the only one who's truly insane.

Chu Guanmeng couldn't understand Lin Du's idea of ​​digging around in his own home, but she chose to respect it.

"Why this tree?" Chu Guanmeng admitted that she was not as strong as Lin Du, but she was not so lacking in this level of perception. "That place is clearly the least demonic place."

Lin Du laughed, "That's right, this is the only place in the courtyard where you can't sense the Three Poisons. Doesn't that prove something?"

When the Emperor of Fusang came over to help her strengthen the seal, Lin Du could see that the power was being applied to the treasure tree.

Chu Guanmeng seemed thoughtful upon hearing this, "If you open it now, won't it alert others?"

Lin Du is not such a reckless person.

"I wasn't planning on starting so soon, but the Emperor of Fusang has arrived." Lin Du held his folding fan. "Well, when someone tells me to go east, I'll insist on going west."

The arrival of Fusang made Lin Du immediately understand the core of the formation.

Just as the eye of a typhoon is mostly calm, the center of many suppression formations is also the calmest place.

Chu Guanmeng was convinced after listening to the teachings. He received personal instruction from the Dao Ancestor, and was taught by the Three Gods and the former Winter God. Yet, he still returned as a traitor.

Although, if Lin Du wasn't a traitor, it wouldn't have become friends with her.

"So when you saw Fusang just now, you deliberately hid your fan behind your back so I could quickly create a 'mirror flower in the water and moon' for you? You? I thought you were afraid that the Emperor of Fusang would come looking for you and make it easier for you to escape at any time."

Chu Guanmeng lazily lay on the ground, stretched, and the mirror shattered in the next instant.

The scene inside the courtyard seemed unchanged, but the intense divine power of Fusang had disappeared.

Chu Guanmeng chewed and swallowed the power that had been placed on the seal, burped, and licked her paw. "So spicy."

A heavy iron brush with intricate patterns appeared in Lin Du's hand. The white-haired immortal raised his hand, picked up the brush, and poured in his immortal power. Various runes appeared in the air, and then the power of different rules between heaven and earth was introduced into it.

Dozens of runes shone with divine light and hovered in front of Lin Du.

Chu Guanmeng remained an observer, not finding the scene particularly terrifying to others.

A Dao Lord can invoke the rules of heaven and earth with a wave of his hand, forming an array of runes in an instant, which is no less than that of a Primordial Lord.

The people of the Heavenly Palace only thought that Lin Du's supernatural power was to open up the chaos with an array, but they did not know that Lin Du could form an array with a wave of his hand and command the power of the rules in an instant.

After finishing the last talisman, Lin Du put down his brush. As he looked up, the runes rapidly changed and flowed, surrounding the treasure tree. Immortal power was released from the folding fan, and the array patterns were connected and formed before rapidly disappearing into the ground from the sky.

In an instant, Lin Du felt a terrifying roar, the demonic energy struggled and tore upwards, the ancient humid heat spread, the divine light on the treasure tree dimmed instantly, and the red rope became extremely hot in an instant.

"So that's how it is." Amidst the immense pressure of the muddy, humid heat, the immortal in blue robes spoke calmly and indifferently, "Kaiyang was right after all."

Chu Guanmeng laboriously climbed onto Lin Du's shoulder. Beneath the suspended roots of the precious tree, the mud churned and bubbled, seemingly due to the rare contact with fresh immortal energy. Bubbles continuously surged in the dark, muddy abyss, but upon closer inspection, they were not bubbles at all, but rather...

Human face.

Like hundreds or thousands of people who have accidentally fallen into mud or asphalt, their faces are filled with terror, just like the transformation of hell, or even more ferocious and terrifying than the transformation of hell. They exude an indescribable ferocious evil aura, and the three poisons roll out, making people's minds dizzy. They are clearly silent, yet it seems as if there are countless screams and resentments.

Chu Guanmeng felt nauseous, her stomach churning. "I think I'm going to throw up."

It gagged twice, then jumped off Lin Du's shoulder and actually vomited.

"No, that's disgusting."

"What's so disgusting about it?" Lin Du still didn't make a move. "A human face is just two eyes and a mouth. Whether it's flesh and bone, it's just three big black holes. What's there to be afraid of?"

Her words sounded a bit strange and rather heartless.

Chu Guanmeng turned her head and looked at the person standing in the center. Could it be that he was affected by the Three Poisons?

As they were speaking, a strange, ferocious demonic fetus crawled out. It had barely crawled out above the shoulder level when it was already larger than the white jade tree trunk that was suppressing the array.

Lin Du remained standing still, as if he were frightened.

The hideous, pitch-black demon roared, looking down at the tiny immortal before it. It then raised its claws, but just as they were about to touch Lin Du, they were blocked by a blazing divine force.

The Emperor of Fusang, who had returned, reappeared in the courtyard. He did not immediately blame anyone, but his soaring divine power instantly ignited a temperature even more terrifying than the midday sun.

Enveloped in divine light, the demon was instantly burned and twisted, its three poisons billowing forth. In the flames, the demon was tortured as if in a true purgatory, and vanished in an instant.

The precious tree, which had been raised by the formation, descended again. Emperor Fusang raised his hand and formed a seal, resealing the source of demonic energy in the entire upper realm.

Lin Du stared intently at the sealed handprint, then suddenly came to his senses. "Thank you for saving me, Emperor Fusang. I was reckless. I thought the light from this precious tree was too dazzling and disturbed my rest, so I wanted to transplant it. I didn't expect that such an evil thing was being suppressed beneath it. I was careless and fell into this trap. I hope the Emperor will forgive me."

She seemed to be still in shock, her face pale and her gray eyes filled with fear.

Emperor Fusang immediately waved his hand, "It's alright. It's because no one told you that it's best not to touch any of the furnishings in this mansion. If you do, the feng shui will change, and the suppression formation will have flaws. You're still young and haven't been in the Heavenly Realm for long. It's their fault."

Lin Du bowed deeply and thanked him repeatedly.

A divine force supported her, and Lin Du stood up. A ripping sound was heard, and white smoke rose from her wide, azure sleeves.

This time it was Fusang's turn to apologize, "I'm sorry, I didn't know your clothes couldn't withstand my divine power, it's my fault."

"Now that you have entered the Heavenly Palace and are the only Dao Lord of the Three Primal Offices, it is acceptable to have the Mysterious Maiden make you a set of ceremonial robes." As Fusang spoke, he issued an order.

Lin Du thanked him again, and Fusang, seeing that she was young, kindly reminded her, "What is suppressed here is a deity who fell hundreds of thousands of years ago. Do you know about the incense and spirit path?"

Lin Du nodded. "Of course I know."

"This is it." Fusang was tall and majestic. Ordinary immortals looked like chicks in front of him. He seemed to be aware of the difference. When he spoke to Lin Du, he always bowed slightly and slowly explained the incense and deity.

"This fallen goddess was the first one to become a god through incense offerings. Although it is said that the power of vows leads to merit, the power of vows and merit are actually two different things. This fallen goddess had immense merit and extremely strong power of vows. In the past, everyone believed in her and she was once ranked among the Four Emperors. It's just a pity..."

He paused, then continued, "The power of her vows backfired, harming her. The greed of those people destroyed her."

Fusang said with great regret, "If she had no willpower, her divine power would be insufficient. If she had willpower, she would have to endure the endless poison of greed, anger, and ignorance. We were unable to detect this before, and only when things broke out did we realize that she could no longer bear it. Disasters occurred in the three thousand worlds, and people were filled with resentment, which made her a fallen god."

"She can only seal herself off before the Void. Even gods are like this, let alone all the incense-burning Taoists under her. Without her holy and powerful heart, they are harmed by the Three Poisons and have long held high positions, harming many immortals and small worlds."

"This matter was gradually discovered by those around in the Heavenly Palace, and we cleaned up all the incense and deities' ways and dealt with it according to the Heavenly Rules."

"We all thought things had calmed down, but who knew that after the goddess fell, we discovered that her followers who survived those natural disasters remained on earth and were not taken in by the underworld. They were bound by the clay statues of the shrine and the contracts formed by the fulfillment of their past wishes, and became strange demons on earth."

"These demons devour human essence, blood, and souls. Once they are grown, they constantly attach themselves to the fallen god's body from all directions, and all of them pour into the upper realm. This is how demons are born."

"All the immortals of the Heavenly Palace came out in full force to wipe out those evil spirits. Only then did we learn that the souls of the Fallen God's followers had encountered an accident and were also harmed by the Three Poisons, preventing them from entering the Underworld. The Fallen God wanted to take those souls with him to eliminate the Three Poisons, which is why this sealed place was created."

Fusang's tone was filled with untold vicissitudes and regret, completely different from his disciple Kaiyang. "This is also a thing of the past. The little immortal officials have changed wave after wave, so naturally they don't know about the catastrophe tens of thousands of years ago."

After listening, Lin Du suddenly asked, "What you're saying concerns events from tens of thousands of years ago, while Kaiyang Xingjun is only about ten thousand years old. Why do you speak as if you personally experienced them?"

"That's another matter." A trace of sorrow flashed in Fusang's eyes. "Perhaps it was because the seal loosened. Less than ten thousand years ago, Kaiyang was about your age when the seal loosened and demons overflowed."

"The Heavenly Palace was caught off guard and suffered some casualties, but they were all suppressed afterward. Only the Star Lords of our Dou Department know more about this matter. After all, the Heavenly Realm has thirty-three heavens, which is a very vast area."

Lin Du seemed to understand upon hearing this. Indeed, the Thirty-Three Heavens were extremely vast, and the various departments of the Heavenly Palace were far apart, not to mention the remote territories of the various prefects. Even the extremely fast Wei Zhi would probably have to fly for several days.

The Cold Moon Secret Realm was once nothing more than a small world scattered in a remote part of the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Lin Du thanked him again, looking extremely obedient, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."

The Heavenly Palace is a separation of politics and religion. The Holy Disciple of Heaven is not very knowledgeable about the affairs of the Heavenly Palace, and the Fighting Department is not under the command of the Heavenly Emperor. Even the Three Elements and Nine Offices where she is located are highly independent departments that obey orders but not summons.

If the Emperor of Fusang hadn't told her about this today, she might not have been able to find any record of it even if she searched through countless books.

The Heavenly Palace is not like the Realm of Enlightenment. The Heavenly Palace and the Dao Ancestor's library are even less like the Supreme Sect's library, which has everything. The books are all treasures that have been selected by everyone.

Lin Du still misses the bookstore that had everything.

As Lin Du pondered this, he once again politely declined the Fusang Emperor's invitation to move, saying, "I like looking at the sea."

This was an incredibly childish reason, but the Emperor of Fusang didn't insist. He repeatedly warned, "You can't move around recklessly anymore; it won't do you any good."

Lin Du nodded vigorously. After everyone left, she turned around with a half-smile. The heavy iron folding fan deftly flipped in her hand before being grabbed by a strong, slender hand.

Chu Guanmeng was completely bewildered by Lin Du's sudden change of expression and didn't bother to ask any more questions.

This isn't the first time Lin Du has acted like this – a good boy in public, a traitor in private.

"Did you hear that?" Lin Du asked.

Chu Guanmeng looked bewildered. "Huh?"

Lin Du closed his eyes. "A powerful voice, filled with hatred and greed."

Chu Guanmeng suddenly jumped up and punched Lin Du in the knee. Lin Du must be possessed. "Please, exorcise him."

It landed on the ground, spun around, and said, "I'll go find Xia Tianwu for you."

Lin Du bent down, picked up the woolen ball, and turned to walk back into the mansion.

"Don't you find it strange?"

"What's strange?"

Chu Guanmeng was puzzled, "It's strange that such a magnanimous, compassionate, and loving emperor could raise such a stubborn and unyielding person as Kaiyang?"

Lin Du shook his head, holding the woolen ball in one hand, his wide sleeves hanging down, shimmering with light.

"Of course it's strange. Why can't a dignified god control his divine power to the point of not burning people?"

Lin Du stepped into the room, his eyes deep and serious. "I never use my extreme cold power against you casually."

She casually flicked her sleeves. "No rush. We've got nothing to do these next couple of days anyway. Shall we go downstairs and have some fun?"

Chu Guanmeng looked down and realized that Lin Du's sleeves were undamaged, and it seemed that they had just been covered with a layer of ice and snow power unique to Lin Du.

It rubbed its head and felt that its original brain was too small, so it would be better to make it bigger.

But once it gets bigger, it'll have to walk on its own.

Chu Guanmeng was caught in a dilemma and did not notice the unusual gloom and coldness on Lin Du's face.

Lin Du's trip to the Underworld was not originally permissible, but he had a valid reason for going down there on official business. Specifically, he wanted to call on anyone willing to go through the Floating Life Illusion and also check the accounts from 100,000 years ago.

She could trust the people in the Heavenly Palace, but not those in the Underworld.

The poor judge, upon hearing what his superiors said, was so frightened that he plucked out a few more strands of his already sparse hair.

This guy really does whatever he wants with his own ideas, dealing with these messy issues from hundreds of thousands of years ago.

He squatted by the door, sighing incessantly. His underworld officials, seeing this, couldn't help but ask, "Your Excellency, what troubles you so?"

"What else could it be!" The judges all stood up, wishing they could grab a bowl of Meng Po soup now so they could pretend they knew nothing when questioned later. "It's all because of that inexplicable Lingwei Daojun from the Heavenly Palace! He's not even two thousand years old, yet he parachuted into that cold, obscure department of the Three Realms and Nine Palaces, trying to reheat old news, and he actually wants to use our Underworld as a scapegoat!"

"Wow!" The underworld officials widened their eyes upon hearing this. "There's a Dao Lord who's only two thousand years old? I thought Dao Lords were all over ten thousand years old."

"Young and impetuous, huh? Once they enter the Heavenly Palace, they probably want to do something big, but they don't dare to mess with the Heavenly Palace itself. Heh, do they think we lower-level people are easy to bully?"

"I think he's just a clueless hothead!" the judge gritted his teeth. "What abilities could a Dao Lord who's not even two thousand years old possibly have!"

Before the judge could finish speaking, a somewhat familiar female voice came in, "I really don't have any special abilities, I'm just here to flip through the Book of Life and Death again, but this time, I probably won't have to shorten my lifespan."

The underworld officials all shut their mouths, stood even straighter than when they had just died, their backs stiff as a board, and one after another hid behind the judge.

The judge was so frightened that his face turned even paler than when he had been dead for three days. His mind was still reeling, and he wondered why the voice sounded so familiar. He subconsciously called out, "Lord Lingwei?"

A figure in azure blue appeared not far away, accompanied by the Ghost Emperor Shen Tu, as they crossed a threshold and walked towards the Judge's Mansion.

In the gloomy ghost realm, the figure did not stand out. He blended into the environment even more than the ghost emperors and underworld officials dressed in bright red and white. However, his calm and aloof immortal aura and the radiance on his robes still made him stand out.

The judge didn't even dare to look up and quickly bowed.

"Your Honor, there's no need for such formalities; we're all acquaintances."

The female voice rang out again. The judge racked his brains, but still couldn't figure out how he could have any connection with the Dao Lord in the Heavenly Palace. When he straightened up and looked, he was almost scared out of his wits.

"Lin Du???"

"Hey." Lin Du greeted her with a smile, then entered the house as if she knew the way perfectly. She turned to Shen Tu and smiled, "See? I told you I didn't need to lead the way. My memory is excellent."

Shen Tu sighed helplessly, "You're going to scare them away."

The judge clutched his heart. "This is terrifying! Lin Du, I never asked you to remember me when you're rich and powerful, but now that you've made it big, you're betraying your acquaintances first."

Seeing him climb up the pole so easily, Lin Du casually sat down, saying, "Isn't this just an excuse? Otherwise, how am I supposed to get down?"

The judge suddenly realized, "That's true."

She sat down and held out her hand. "The Book of Life and Death."

The judge tugged at the dough. "Didn't you say you were looking for an excuse to come down and have some fun?"

Lin Du stared at him. "What? You won't give it to me? Or do you want to shorten your lifespan first?"

"How could that be? You're joking. If anyone's going to shorten their lifespan, it wouldn't be yours." The judge chuckled and jogged over to deliver the account book. "However, I heard that the newly appointed Zhenye Zhenjun is from the Dongming Realm, right? He's also your master, isn't he? Why don't you just ask your master? Why did you have to come down here to see him? You scared me so much, I'm losing clumps of hair."

Lin Du took the Book of Life and Death. "Although there are two copies of the Book of Life and Death, one in the Heavenly Palace and one in the Underworld, their functions are still different. You are the ones who do the actual work and have real contact with the people."

She lowered her head, her divine sense sweeping over the Book of Life and Death. "You guys are the best. People who have died once are honest."

What Fusang said must be verified, of course.

Language, whether spoken or written, can be faked.

Seeing is not always believing. The world is full of falsehoods and embellishments, but peace and stability are everyone's wish.

Even Lin Du himself, when walking in darkness, preferred the light.

While chatting with Shen Tu and the judge, she quickly reviewed the Book of Life and Death from previous entries.

Shen Tu noticed Lin Du multitasking, raised his hand to smooth his hair, the jewels in it jingling. "What do you need to check the Book of Life and Death from 100,000 years ago?"

"Curious." After Lin Du's divine sense expanded to the Sea Realm, it became powerful enough to quickly input information and still be able to chat idly.

Shen Tu propped his head up and remembered something. "The Ghost Emperor here has only reigned for tens of thousands of years, maybe a hundred thousand years. That's a really long time."

Lin Du responded and indeed discovered a large number of blanks from 100,000 years ago, which matched what Fusang and Kaiyang had said. The souls of the believers who died in the disaster did not reach the underworld, which is why there were so many blanks.

She closed the Book of Life and Death, raised her eyes calmly, looked at Shen Tu's uninterested expression, and asked, "Under what circumstances can a soul not enter the underworld, except... well, a formation cultivator as powerful as me?"

Shen Tu: ...So you know you're pretty capable, huh?

She thought about it seriously, "For example, evil cultivators can destroy their souls, or what if their souls are so severely damaged that they've been eaten away by demons?"

Lin Du spoke up, "If—and I mean if—is it possible that someone's soul is bound to a shrine by faith after death, and then you in the underworld can't compete with it?"

Shen Tu frowned. "Your idea is quite unique; I've never encountered one like it before."

"No," the underworld official below the judge spoke up, "Lin Du, no, when Daoist Lingwei was still a child, didn't he miraculously send a ghost down into the earth, bringing down the soul of the Loyalty Formation?"

"Luckily, Daojun sent some Yin energy to that area back then, otherwise we almost wouldn't have been able to snatch it."

Lin Du propped his head up and said, "Oh, yes, that's right."

If the Seal of Ten Thousand People is maintained through the power of vows, it is equivalent to the Loyalty Array maintaining the array spirit of that temple. And that spell was originally a trap set by the fragments of the Fallen God, which means it came from the Fallen God...

Lin Du sat up straight immediately, startling the underworld official so much that he almost knelt down.

Is this because you're getting angry about bringing up old grievances?

Lin Du turned to look at Shen Tu, "So without my intervention, those souls simply couldn't be retrieved?"

Shen Tu nodded, "Yes, and one is fine, but if there are a lot, no matter how you try, you won't be able to get them back."

Lin Du understood; what Fusang said might all be true.

And that explains what she saw in that original shrine.

The Seal of Ten Thousand People bound the souls of countless believers, causing the three poisons to arise. However, due to the natural suppression of the primordial energy of the ancient ruins, it was able to retain a little bit of its human form.

It is not the three poisons that have created the demonic embryo, but the human soul that has made the three poisons even more powerful.

It's just that because of the passage of time and the long period of sealing, these demons have finally forgotten that they were once human, monsters, and believers. They have become monsters formed from resentment and venom, eating the flesh and souls of their former kind, and are no longer human.

The more powerful the demon, the more humanoid it becomes, and the more beautiful and magnificent it is. Is this also an instinctive desire etched into their ancient memories?

Lin Du took a deep breath, listening to the tinkling of pearls in his ears.

"Since you're already here, why don't you come with me somewhere?" Shen Tu extended his hand to her.

Lin Du stood up, but hesitated, which was unusual for him. "Is she alright?"

Shen Tu nodded, "Very good, and very strong, but ultimately not a god."

Lin Du shook his head and laughed, "It's best if they're not gods."

"Alright, stop being like those people in the Heavenly Palace, always playing riddles. Are you leaving or not?" Shen Tu looked at her with his hands on his hips, his bright and passionate eyes like a ball of fire in the underworld.

Lin Du followed helplessly. "Hey, when you're floating in the Heavenly Palace, how can you not be careful? The sky is bright, even we superiors have to control our shadows when we walk, believe it or not."

Shen Tu crossed his arms. "We ghost cultivators have no shadows, so we don't know."