Three days ago.

Inside a pavilion at the border between the ghost town and the ghost city.

The pavilion stood on a hillside. In the distance lay the cold, desolate ghost town. Talisman seals for soundproofing and creating barriers were affixed to every beam and pillar, enveloping the entire structure tightly.

In the spacious hall within, several armchairs were arranged.

And naturally, whoever occupied the chairs was either a ghost or a human.

Dong Guifei cast her eyes across the room, observing the varied figures present. They were all shrouded in a thin veil of ghostly mist, concealing their identities from each other.

She couldn't help but ponder,

since King Yan, King Chujiang, had gone mad, the Department of Rewarding Virtue, which once stood as an equal with the Department of Punishing Evil, had fallen to such a state.

Even a gathering had to be this furtive.

It was thought that, after being driven out of the ghost city for so long by the Department of Punishing Evil, the Department of Rewarding Virtue would have accumulated some strength. Yet, witnessing this scene, she wondered how they could ever regain the ghost city.

Frequenting both the Yin and Yang realms, Dong Guifei was well-aware that, after King Yan's descent into madness, the ghost city had splintered into two factions: one was the Department of Punishing Evil, the other the Department of Rewarding Virtue.

As if the mad King Yan had split into two separate personas.

According to the intelligence she'd obtained, one addressed himself as "Zhen," and the other as "Gu."

The Department of Rewarding Virtue supported the "Gu"-claiming King Chujiang, while the Department of Punishing Evil rallied behind the "Zhen"-claiming King Chujiang.

If Chen Yi were here, he would have surely deduced that this "Zhen"-claiming King Chujiang was none other than the ghost of the previous monarch who had possessed King Chujiang.

But now, neither the Department of Rewarding Virtue nor their external ally, Dong Guifei, were aware of the possession by the previous monarch's ghost.

Seated on the foremost armchair was Du Wei, the chief of the Department of Rewarding Virtue.

It was said that he had been the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court during the founding era of Great Yu. After death, his soul had returned to the underworld, where King Chujiang had admired his ability to judge cases and discern right from wrong, thus appointing him to the Department of Rewarding Virtue.

Free from the cycle of reincarnation, many would have considered it a blessing, yet Du Wei had still insisted on reincarnating, almost barging across the Naihe Bridge after bypassing the Meng Po Soup.

In the end, only after King Chujiang had petitioned him thrice and rejected him thrice, did Du Wei reluctantly agree to the role of chief. Calculating by mortal years, it had been 170 years since then.

Du Wei, holding the ebony-black Judge's Pen in his hand, surveyed the room and said loudly:

"Today, with the ghost city under the control of villainous hands, our path of reclaiming it remains arduous. But after countless centuries, we are at least closer than before."

Amidst the shroud of black mist, a Daoist with skin pale as paper and ten long, claw-like fingers spoke in response:

"Chief Du, is such a weightless statement the sole reason you summoned us here today? Surely, there's more to it."

The general Ma-faced beside Du Wei looked enraged and coldly barked:

"Yinshan Daoist, you decrepit one with barely ten years of life left, is it your turn to speak?"

The Yinshan Daoist's gaze grew sinister, and his already long claw-like fingers seemed to extend further.

"There's no need for formality here,

Du Wei raised his hand to stop the Ma-faced general, then gave the Yinshan Daoist a significant look before saying:

"You claim to want additional years on the Register of Life and Death, but nature runs its course unfailingly. Adding years without cause could bring consequences too heavy for you to bear, and it would not aid you on your path to ascension."

The Yinshan Daoist lowered his head and grinned ominously, saying:

"I understand; I understand completely. That is why I've reconsidered. Now, I only wish to exchange lifespan with someone."

Upon hearing this, Dong Guifei's long brows, petal-like as a red spider lily, furrowed slightly.

The Yinshan Daoist's bloodless, corpse-like appearance was the result of practicing the Blood Burning Divine Skill in his youth—a cultivation technique that traded lifespan for power and killing abilities.

The Yinshan Daoist had once explained that, in his ignorance as a young man, he had frequently exchanged lifespan for cultivation breakthroughs, only to advance his realm prematurely. Although he eventually reached the early Golden Core stage, his lifespan now teetered at just ten years.

At this juncture, he had no choice but to turn to the underworld to seek methods of extending his lifespan. Rumor had it that King Yan's Soul-Hooking Chains possessed the power to manipulate a person's soul, cultivation, and lifespan.

The Yinshan Daoist had joined the Department of Rewarding Virtue precisely with his eyes on the Soul-Hooking Chains.

Hearing the Yinshan Daoist's proposal, Du Wei fell into thought and then asked:

"Beyond causality, or within it?"

The Yinshan Daoist sneered and replied:

"Naturally beyond causality. Were it within causality, would I not suffer his afflictions as well as mine?"

Lifespan is influenced by diseases, fate, circumstances, emotions, and more. Within the bounds of causality, exchanging lifespan entails bearing all associated burdens. Beyond causality, in simple terms, means a pure exchange, free of side effects.

Du Wei fell silent for a long while. Beyond causality and within it—naturally, the former was simpler, and the latter much harder.

As Du Wei prolonged his silence, the Yinshan Daoist grew impatient. His sharp fingers scraped against one another, producing a grating sound, and as he considered the possibility of being refused, the malice in his gaze deepened.

After what felt like an eternity, Du Wei slowly said:

"In principle, this shouldn't be done. However, to repay King Yan's favor in recognizing my worth, I will grant your request and lend you the Soul-Hooking Chain for 300 days."

The Yinshan Daoist was ecstatic and hurriedly replied:

"I would settle for 30 days, let alone 300. Truth be told, I've already selected a target."

In recent days, one of his subordinate little ghouls had reported a certain Liu Ting, mentioning a martial artist in the vicinity renowned for his strength. This martial artist's Yang energy was overwhelmingly potent, and he alone had decimated the little ghoul's entire group, along with the hundred wraiths that Yinshan Daoist had painstakingly raised.

The massive effort and resources he'd invested in those hundred wraiths had been obliterated at once. He ought to have been furious, yet when he recalled the martial artist's vigor and the subordinate's description of his unparalleled martial arts and abundant Yang energy...

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