HLnovel Chapter 536 Night Talk
Chapter 536 Night Talk
Long, long ago, before Zhou Chenghuang was Zhou Chenghuang, he heard a poem.
That was told to him by an immortal from the Northern Deng Academy.
Some cultivators in Bingdeng Academy have been studying diligently for many years. When their cultivation level rises step by step but their mental state cannot break through, they will carry a small book box on their backs and travel the world to lecture in order to break through their mental state!
The immortal he encountered at that time was just such a person.
Having received a meal as a token of gratitude, and with everyone full and ready to part, the immortal looked at Zhou Chenghuang with a slight smile and spoke:
"You are destined to have descendants; you will surely become a great person in the future."
"I would like to offer you a line of poetry."
The white-haired old man squinted at him, raised his hand to ask the shopkeeper for a bowl of water, then dipped his fingertip in the water and wrote two lines of elegant, flowing characters on the table:
"A single word can decide life or death, and even ghosts and gods are astonished."
The elderly man, dressed as a scholar, straightened his clothes, bent down, and slung his book box over his shoulder.
"If, in the years to come, you encounter such a person, you can disregard all consequences and simply believe him."
He later died peacefully in his sleep and was worshipped by the people as the City God of Xie Cui City. He also sent ghost messengers to inquire about the whereabouts of the senior from Bingdeng Academy.
The message said that the senior traveled south from Mingyangchuan and went straight to Luoxia Mountain without stopping for a moment.
It seems that he finally put an end to his obsession and died fighting the demons!
Zhou Chenghuang looked at Xue Lan opposite him, his heart filled with excitement.
Xie Cuicheng has no shortage of cultivators. As the city god of Zhan Kui Mansion, the largest weapon-refining sect in the entire Yuanming Lower Realm, he has seen sword immortals who can pierce the clouds of the nine heavens with a single sword and whose long winds can sweep for tens of thousands of miles. He has also seen demon lords who can bring forth millions of peach blossoms in the city overnight and make all beasts submit.
But no one could match that poem in his heart.
Coupled with that arrogant statement: "A single word can determine life and death, even ghosts and gods are astonished."
He thought he would never see that person again, until Xue Lan spoke up just now.
She did not seem to possess the imposing, aloof, and highly respected demeanor that the old man had imagined a thousand times.
But Zhou Chenghuang knew that Xue Lan was the person he was waiting for.
The old man's gaze shifted from Xue Lan's resolute gray eyes to the vibrant red pattern on the woman's shoulder. He then rose with the judge beside him and solemnly spoke:
"Master Xue, I, Xie Cuicheng Underworld, will certainly do my utmost to assist in the construction of the Yellow Springs Boundary Marker!"
Xue Lan originally thought it would take some effort to persuade Zhou Chenghuang, but he agreed so readily that she was at a loss for words.
The woman glanced at the righteous and awe-inspiring Zhou Chenghuang, then secretly transmitted her voice to Xue Tong beside her, her tone tinged with guilt:
"Was I too reckless, raising the overall acceptance level of the Yuanming Realm all by myself?"
Xue Tong rolled her eyes at her and said sarcastically:
"Lord Wolf, your conscience has been awakened far too late."
"At least it can be considered an awakening."
Xue Lan smiled awkwardly, feeling unusually embarrassed. The woman looked up at Zhou Chenghuang and bowed deeply to the old man.
"Xue Lan, on behalf of the many wandering souls of the Yuan and Ming dynasties, thanks Lord Yuan for his noble deeds."
"Besides building the Yellow Springs Boundary Marker, Xue Lan has another request."
"Please speak freely, Master Xue!" Zhou Chenghuang's heart jumped again. He was so nervous that he wanted to grab something in his hand. The old man raised his hand and took two more pieces of pastry from the table.
As usual, he handed one to the judge next to him.
Caught off guard, Judge Wen stuffed him with more pastries, leaving him bewildered as he looked at Master Xue, who was staring at the pastries across from him.
Although it seemed absurd, he had discovered a secret.
Unlike Zhou Chenghuang, who was always stationed in the underworld, Wenpan would occasionally stroll around Xiecui City when he wasn't on official business. The plates of pastries that Xue Lan had placed on the table were the signature dishes of Xinghualou Restaurant in the city.
It is said that the supply is still limited daily.
The old man understood. No matter how talented the master of the Wan Gong Fang was, he was still essentially a... child.
But if you have pastries in your hands, you might as well eat them.
Wenpan smiled somewhat awkwardly and exchanged a glance with Xue Lan, then, like Zhou Chenghuang, absorbed the vitality from the pastries.
When Master Xue leaves the War Puppet Mansion, buy more things to apologize!
Xue Lan had actually accepted the fact that the incredibly nervous City God would eat all of her limited-edition pastries.
The woman spoke to Zhou Chenghuang without changing her expression:
"Xue Lan will soon be heading to the far east of the Yuanming Lower Realm to search for the Fusang Divine Tree, which could take anywhere from one or two years to several decades."
The woman pushed the treasures on the table towards the direction of the City God Zhou:
"To the other City Gods of Mingyangchuan, please trouble City God Zhou to inform Xue Lan of this matter."
Looking at the treasures on the table, Zhou Chenghuang thought that he would have to rely on his divine power to control the released wandering souls. It wouldn't be a good idea not to improve his cultivation.
So the old man did not refuse any longer and put all the items into his sleeve:
"Master Xue, you can rest assured about this matter. I will take care of it as soon as I get back!"
Looking at the solemn expression on the old man's face, Xue Lan spoke somewhat shyly:
"If there are any seniors who cannot be persuaded by adults, Xue Lan can personally visit them after returning from the desolate region."
By then, she had probably already completed the fusion with her demon body, and things that didn't make sense could be resolved through other methods.
Next, Xue Lan discussed with Zhou Chenghuang some matters concerning the release of wandering souls. Wandering souls in the Yuanming Realm cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation. Most of the way the underworld deals with them is to confine them within a designated area of the underworld and wait for them to die naturally.
However, most of the wandering souls in the Yuanming mortal realm were killed by demons, and their resentment and malevolence are deep-seated. If they are suddenly released and cannot be controlled, they will inevitably endanger the current cycle of reincarnation.
"Xue Lan had already considered this matter." Xue Lan gave Xue Tong a wink, and the girl got up and put all the plates on the table into the gift box.
With a wave of her sleeve, the woman caused numerous shimmering points of light to appear on the empty tabletop, slowly connecting to form a white ring.
"Does the City God Zhou know about the demonic chaos that occurred in the underworld of Jingu City during the Great Ritual more than ten years ago?"
"Of course I know," Zhou Chenghuang immediately replied.
"Some demons are causing trouble in the underworld of Golden Valley City, harming the City God and other incense-burning deities, and forcibly altering the fates of mortals, replacing their souls to create demons."
The old man cried out indignantly, "You demonic beast!"
Xue Lan nodded slightly, raising her eyes to look at Zhou Chenghuang:
"Are there any such demonic creatures in Xie Cui City?"
Zhou Chenghuang nodded painfully, then turned and exchanged a glance with Wenpan.
A judge in an indigo official robe handed Xie Cuicheng's Book of Fate to Xue Lan. She took it and opened it, finding a list full of red annotations tucked inside.
"These are the mortals in Xie Cui City whose fates were replaced. If it weren't for the incident in Jin Gu City back then, and City God Yan's desperate efforts to protect the Book of Fates..." The judge's voice was hoarse, and it seemed he was about to give up:
"The consequences would be unimaginable."
Xue Lan gently picked up the thin piece of paper and placed it inside the ring on the table:
Are those monsters still there?
Zhou Chenghuang replied in a deep voice:
"They are all imprisoned in the underworld. Let's see if we can rescue the corrupted souls of mortals."
"That's good!" Xue Lan blinked gently.
"I trouble you, City God Zhou, to continue to care for them. Xue Lan will borrow the Blazing Sun Flame from the new Golden Crow on her journey to the East Sea."
The woman's eyelids drooped, and her voice was cold and decisive:
"At that time, we will use them as fuel to create a unique barrier for the Yuanming underworld when releasing souls!"
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A chapter