Chapter 366: Origin of Ghost Immortals
After Du Ping and Ji Kongkong left, Jiang Li summoned Qi Ming.
“Let me say this upfront,” Jiang Li began.
“Please speak, Human Sovereign.”
“I had personal motives for arranging Xiaofang’s reunion with you. I couldn’t bear seeing you both in the same city yet missing each other by coincidence, which is why I brought Xiaofang here.”
“But Xiaofang is ultimately a ghost, and she’s just one step away from reincarnation.”
“If the Netherworld comes knocking one day, they might insist on Xiaofang’s reincarnation. You need to prepare yourself mentally.”
Qi Ming nodded with difficulty.
“However, you needn’t worry too much. I’ll assist in this matter and explore any possible alternatives.”
Qi Ming bowed deeply to Jiang Li once more.
……
Jiang Li brought all the ghosts along with Qi Ming to the Human Sovereign Hall.
Commander Liu looked as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Hall Master, you’ve only been away from the Human Sovereign Hall for half a day and already caused such a major incident.”
Commander Liu never expected even the Netherworld would have issues – apparently not even death provided safety.
“Establish a city near the Human Sovereign Hall,” Jiang Li instructed. “Beneath it, set up a Yin Gathering Formation, and above, deploy a Yang Isolation Formation to protect the ghosts from yang energy burns.”
“Understood,” Commander Liu acknowledged. This wasn’t difficult.
“Additionally, I’m appointing Du Ping as temporary commander. He’ll be responsible for finding ghosts hidden throughout the Nine Provinces.”
“…Understood.” Commander Liu hesitated briefly before confirming.
Commander Liu felt a headache coming on. Du Ping was anything but reliable – why had he ever included him in the commander candidate list? And why did the Hall Master take such a liking to him?
Exhausted, Commander Liu realized that in the entire vast Human Sovereign Hall, from the Hall Master down to the commanders, he seemed to be the only normal one.
Jiang Li then sought out Immortal Elder Changcun and explained the Netherworld situation. Even the ancient immortal showed rare confusion.
“The Ten Yama Kings are in conflict? I haven’t heard of this, though it’s not entirely unreasonable.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know how ghost immortals in the Netherworld originate?”
“No.”
Immortal Elder Changcun stroked his white beard with a smile. “When immortals die and enter the Netherworld, they have two choices: reincarnate, cleansing all memories to start anew, or remain in the Netherworld as ghost immortals.”
“Wouldn’t that mean all immortals stay in the Netherworld?” Jiang Li was surprised. After cultivating to immortality, who would willingly abandon their cultivation and memories for an uncertain next life? Could any next life surpass being an immortal?
“Not all immortals qualify to remain,” the elder corrected. “Only those with profound hidden virtue may become ghost immortals and part of the Netherworld.”
“If you died before achieving immortality, you’d likely qualify to stay. I probably would too.”
“So you understand now – the Netherworld has no native ghost immortals. They all came from deceased immortals, including the Ten Yama Kings.”
“Immortals are stubborn and power-hungry, maintaining these traits after death. With the Outer Realm Demons disrupting the life-death balance, it’s natural this would intensify conflicts between the Yama Kings.”
“Enlightening. But what’s the difference between hidden virtue and regular merit?”
“Hidden virtue is the Netherworld’s calculation of good and evil. Separated from the yang world, the Netherworld minimizes connections with the living, hence creating its own underworld merit system.”
“The exact calculation standards remain unknown to me.”
“But if the immortal realm turns a blind eye to the Outer Realm Demons invading worlds, doesn’t that harm their hidden virtue?” Jiang Li questioned. If immortals valued hidden virtue, wouldn’t their inaction reduce it?
Immortal Elder Changcun paused before responding carefully. “The Netherworld has its own value system, different from the living world. Perhaps they view the demons’ invasion and resulting deaths as natural – life and death follow destiny, all must die eventually.”
“Including causing life-death imbalance?”
The elder smiled strangely. “More dead souls means justification for Netherworld expansion.”
“With the Netherworld’s domain surpassing the living world, yin and yang would invert – the Netherworld becoming yang, the living world becoming yin.”
“Remember, the Ten Yama Kings were all immortals. What greater power struggle exists than controlling both realms?”
Jiang Li fell silent. Thinking he’d frightened the young sovereign, the elder added, “Of course, this is the worst possibility, not inevitable.”
“The Netherworld conflict could also stem from Outer Realm Demons attempting invasion.”
“You’re remarkably knowledgeable about the Netherworld.”
“Mostly hearsay and conjecture. I’m extrapolating from immortal realm logic – the real Netherworld might differ. Perhaps the Ten Yama Kings are truly selfless.”
Thanking the elder, Jiang Li departed.
The immortal watched him leave, his smile unwavering.
……
Jiang Li received a new mission.
[New Mission: The Buddhist Sect’s century-opening of the Beings’ Secret Realm shakes the Nine Provinces, attracting even past-generation genius cultivators. Talents gather, from Core Formation to Divine Transformation cultivators – all assemble before the realm. As a Nascent Soul cultivator with respectable but obscure cultivation, some elders dismiss you as a nobody who lucked into ancestral inheritance.]
[Obtain Manjushri Bodhisattva’s legacy in the Beings’ Secret Realm.]
[This mission cannot be abandoned.]
[Rewards: Half a jiazi’s cultivation, Golden Chainmail Armor, Dao Sect’s forbidden technique “One Qi Transforming Three Pure Ones”]
“The Beings’ Secret Realm?” Jiang Li ignored the rewards – worthless trinkets. But the realm reminded him of something.
The Beings’ Secret Realm was legendary across the Nine Provinces, containing legacies left by Buddhist deities. Bodhisattva Xiangxiang obtained the Heavenly Eye technique here, Arhat Dragon Subduer received his namesake legacy here, and Arhat Unsubdued gained the Tiger Subduing legacy.
Five centuries ago, Jiang Li visited with Holy Maiden Jingxin. But as he was about to enter, an arhat expelled him, citing excessive slaughter of spirit beasts in the Baize Dynasty as “against heavenly harmony and Buddhist propriety.”
Furious, Jiang Li argued he’d only acted in self-defense after being attacked. The arhat countered that defense didn’t necessitate killing. Their debate lasted days, continuing until the realm closed, costing Jiang Li his chance.
Holy Maiden Jingxin, deeming this unfair, joined Jiang Li in arguing outside.
Later, Venerable Sumeru Buddha reprimanded the arhat for overreach, compensating Jiang Li and the maiden with Buddhist scriptures and rare treasures.
After becoming Human Sovereign candidate, Jiang Li dismissed the matter, never returning during subsequent openings. That arguing arhat achieved nirvana two centuries ago.
“I’ll make this trip.”
Jiang Li didn’t know what Manjushri Bodhisattva’s legacy entailed. Ancient texts recorded the Bodhisattva governed wisdom – perhaps his inheritance related to intellect.