"Think about his remaining lifespan..."

"Even if it's not a hundred years, it must be at least eighty."

"Or perhaps, even a hundred twenty… a hundred thirty…"

The ten fingers of the Yin Mountain Daoist couldn't help but tremble slightly.

However, the plans were far from taking form, and there was no room for complacency. Moreover, with the Taoist traveling alongside that martial artist, the Yin Mountain Daoist, always cautious, decided to find an ally to assist in surrounding and eliminating them together.

The Yin Mountain Daoist surveyed the scene in the hall.

Du Wei, on the other hand, continued to speak:

"A few days ago, someone surnamed Li secretly passed along a message, saying that the chaos beast sealed in this ghost town has already devoured a large number of souls and is nearly well-fed."

Chaos Beast…

Upon hearing those two brief words, the entire crowd couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

This Chaos Beast was, of course, one among the ancient, fierce beast clan of Chaos—not a sovereign such as the Chaos Lord. Yet even so, it was enough to send chills down one's spine.

And Du Wei intended to use this Chaos Beast as a vanguard to reclaim Yingdu Ghost City.

"Will the Chaos Beast truly serve us? This… is this a blessing or a curse?" a shadowy figure wearing a giant straw hat couldn't help but voice aloud.

"Such fierce beasts are inherently uncontrollable, insatiably greedy. I fear that after devouring the Punish Evil Division, it'll turn against us," remarked the anatomist of the Reward Good Division.

"The Chaos Beast is savage. Even if we reclaim the Ghost City, King Yan will surely exact punishment," another person added.

...... The hall was filled with heated discussion.

Du Wei, however, had already made up his mind. He slammed his hand on the table and declared:

"The Ghost City has been in the hands of the Punish Evil Division for heaven knows how long. These are extraordinary times, and if we don't take extraordinary measures, how are we to reclaim Yingdu Ghost City?

Gentlemen, say no more. My mind is set. Should there be any blame in the future, I will bear the burden of eternal damnation alone!"

At these words, there was no more dissent in the hall.

Winter Consort, with her eyes lowered, contemplated the implications of this maneuver for Huangyue Temple.

What Huangyue Temple desired wasn't total chaos in the underworld, but rather a state that seemed chaotic yet maintained a delicate imbalance.

Such a precarious balance was precisely what they aimed for.

If this balance were to be disrupted, it would mean deviating from Huangyue Temple's grand design.

Thus, the emergence of the Chaos Beast was evidently in conflict with what Huangyue Temple needed, and indeed with what Winter Consort herself required.

If chaos were to erupt, killing intent would spread in all directions. With her cultivation level, she could very well meet her end here. Even if she survived, her paper effigies would be damaged. She recalled how not long ago, one of her effigies had already fallen.

The person who had destroyed that effigy possessed exceptional martial skills.

And as fate would have it, that person was… Chen Yi, also known as Chen Zunming.

...…

After who knows how long, the small gathering finally drew to an end.

Everyone present had their own thoughts, their own schemes.

Du Wei, however, had already resolved to open the gates of the underworld, releasing those souls to feed the Chaos Beast and use a blood sacrifice to unseal it completely.

The matter was of great significance, and in the end, no one dared to voice objections, for it was only Du Wei who could make such a decision, and only Du Wei who could bear the consequences afterward.

Du Wei instructed the Yin Mountain Daoist:

"When the time comes, I hope that you, Daoist, will act as my protector to guard against the meddling of traitors."

"You can rest assured, Sir. You have shown profound kindness to me, a poor Daoist; how could I fail in my mission?"

The Yin Mountain Daoist respectfully replied.

As for the matter of the Yin Mountain Daoist, after receiving the Soul-Locking Chains from Du Wei, he searched high and low, eventually setting his sights on Winter Consort.

Winter Consort, deeply entrenched in the underworld, was always unwilling to involve herself in extraneous matters and thus declined. However, after repeated requests from the Yin Mountain Daoist, she introduced him to a martial monk.

This martial monk had also participated in the gathering and hailed from the same Huangyue Temple as Winter Consort.

His name was Master Jin Quan, and he originated from the Hulan River region. He was the Vice Sect Leader of Huangyue Temple, which was situated at the border between the Central Plains and Goryeo. They widely took in disciples from both nations. In the Central Plains, they were ranked among the lower tier of first-rate sects, while in Goryeo, they were undeniably the top sect, the undisputed premier name in martial arts. As the Vice Sect Leader, Master Jin Quan had remained at the Fourth Rank of martial arts for over a decade.

He was an exceptional master, no matter the context.

What's more, Master Jin Quan traveled between the Central Plains and Goryeo to promote Buddhist Law. As a result, he was not only fluent in the official dialect of the Central Plains and the language of Goryeo but was also adept at blending into local customs wherever he went. In the Central Plains, he could casually curse, "Your mother," while in Goryeo, it became "Shibal."

..................

..................

"You have so many women, and yet I don't despise you for it."

The female crown spoke with a tinge of reproach in her voice.

Chen Yi glanced at her.

Yin Weiyin shrank back slightly, pursing her lips and falling silent.

After some contemplation, considering how she had kept herself pure for him, Chen Yi decided to let it slide and replied:

"The Chaos Beast is sealed here, and that two-headed shopkeeper claimed that souls are being used to reinforce the seal. But when I think about it, doesn't this seem rather illogical? What kind of seal requires constant infusion of souls to sustain it? Was the underworld using innocent souls to patch things up even before Ghost Town appeared?"

"Are you saying…"

"I fear it's not reinforcing the seal, but rather breaking it," Chen Yi said after a pause. "They're using souls to nourish the Chaos Beast, allowing it to grow stronger until it can shatter the weakened seal."

Hearing this, Yin Weiyin also found it odd and nodded in agreement. "Then what should we do next?"

"To reach the Ghost City, we cannot avoid the Chaos Beast. When the time comes, we'll see for ourselves what this seal entails."

If what the two-headed shopkeeper said was true, and it was indeed the former emperor's decree to unseal it, then Chen Yi could not stand idly by.

After an indeterminate period, the noise in the hall gradually faded away.

The two rose and descended the stairs, only to find that the body of the True Martial Taoist had vanished. It seemed to have been dragged away by the female martial artist. As for her subsequent actions—whether she intended to resurrect her husband—no one knew. In the end, it was just a small interlude on this long journey.

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