Chapter 141-150
Ch.141: I Choose the Path I Walk
Xie Lian suddenly remembered something. That day, at the Great Martial Hall, Lan Chang
randomly accused everyone, but she never pointed her finger at Feng Xin who was standing in
the most conspicuous spot.
Jian Lan immediately denied it, “HE’S NOT!”
Fu Yao was all face full of disbelief too. It seemed, he hadn’t known that Feng Xin and this
woman had any connections either and was also dumbfounded. Hearing her speak, he finally
snapped out of it, “He hasn’t even asked anything, so why did you answer so fast?”
“Please! It’s obvious what he was going to ask.” Jian Lan said, “I’m telling you, he’s not!”
However, Feng Xin was looking at the fetus spirit, “What did you call him? Cuo Cuo?”
That name seemed to have some sort of special meaning. Jian Lan opened her mouth then
closed it, no longer willing to argue and said frustratedly instead, “What’s a big man like you
doing talking so much? If I said he’s not, he’s not! Who the hell’s that eager to recognize their
sons!”
Feng Xin replied angrily, “What are you saying? If he is, then of course I’ll...”
“You’ll of course what? Recognize him? Raise him?” Jian Lan countered.
“I...” Feng Xin was stuck. He lowered his head and looked at the deformed little monster
hanging off of his arm. That fetus spirit seemed to bear a particularly deep hatred for him, and
latched on to his arm tearing and chomping, crying “wah wah wah”. Feng Xin didn’t know what
to do with him, his bloody red hand clenched into a fist.
Seeing how he was stuck and looking like he couldn’t accept the truth, Jian Lan immediately
spat, “I already said he’s not and you’re still pushing! He’s got nothing to do with you, so stop
worrying!”
Qi Rong yapped, “BULLSHIT! HE MUST BE! See, I wasn’t wrong, it’s the spawn of a pleb!
Everyone come check this out, Feng Xin’s own son was carved out of his ol’ mommy’s belly and
turned into a little ghost, hehe. I can’t believe people actually pray to this shitty ‘Son-Gifting Nan
Yang’. Watch out, the more you pray the more your sons are gonna be...”
Xie Lian raised his hand and RuoYe sealed Qi Rong’s mouth, and Jian Lan also stomped on his
head heavily a few times, making him cuss louder. Just then, Gu Zi blearily woke up and saw Qi
Rong was getting trampled, and immediately lunged forward, “Don’t... don’t step on my dad...”
Seeing Gu Zi holding Qi Rong’s head, Jian Lan couldn’t stomp anymore. Instead, she changed
course and seized that fetus spirit’s two blanched little legs and bolted, yelling angrily, “I told you
to stop biting! So disobedient!”
Feng Xin was spacing out and didn’t manage to catch them in time, and Xie Lian cried
subconsciously, “RuoYe, Chase!”
RuoYe went to chase. However, once that white silk bandage flew out did Xie Lian remember
that it was binding Qi Rong. He looked back and sure enough, Qi Rong leapt to his feet with Gu
Zi on his head looking pleased, he announced, “THIS ANCESTOR’S FREE AGAIN!”
Seeing that Feng Xin finally snapped out of it, Xie Lian changed his instruction, “RuoYe, come
back after all.”
Thus, RuoYe came flying back, and PA! Soundly slapped Qi Rong a big one. Qi Rong was just
humming having bounced back, but was whipped to spin three times on the spot and tumbled,
covering his face. After sprawling on the ground for a moment, he suddenly went berserk, and
seized hold of RuoYe, shouting, “EVEN A RAG LIKE YOU DARE HIT ME!!!”
This time, RuoYe was stuck in his clutch, and twisting around, it couldn’t twist itself free; it was
like Qi Rong’s strength suddenly exploded. Xie Lian was about to take care of him personally
when Qi Rong suddenly realized there’s a small child on his head, and he instantly yanked Gu
Zi down, holding him like a shield to protect his person, “DON’T COME A STEP CLOSER!
COME HERE AND I’LL STRANGLE HIM! HEY HEY HEY, LOOK BEHIND YOU, HUA CHENG
THAT FUCKER IS GONNA DIE!”
Shocked, Xie Lian whipped around, and sure enough Hua Cheng had his brows tightly knitted,
his dropped hands were trembling, like he was forcing himself to endure something. When he
saw Xie Lian look over, he immediately shouted, “I’m fine!”
The arousal of demons!
The tremors this time seemed to be stronger than all the times before. In a split second
decision, Xie Lian went back to hold him. Using this chance, Qi Rong hurriedly escaped with Gu
Zi in his hands. Lan Chang also seemed to be suffering a throbbing headache, covering her
ears, and that fetus spirit, under such aggravation, was biting and tearing even more violently.
Feng Xin had been bitten over ten mouthfuls now, his blood pouring unceasingly, but he still
didn’t dare to hit him, using his hand to tightly grab hold of Jian Lan’s arm. That fetus spirit
however, didn’t hold back, and swung its claws towards Feng Xin’s face. That clawed scratch
was nasty, and Feng Xin grunted, covering his wound, unsure if his eyes were injured. Xie Lian
was mortified and was about to send forth RuoYe but Jian Lan stomped her feet in anger, “IF
YOU KEEP THIS UP I’M GOING TO GET ANGRY!!!”
Only after hearing his mother yell did that fetus spirit jump back into her arms, obediently curling
up into a bundle. Jian Lan gave Feng Xin a look and gritted her teeth, “He has nothing to do with
you. I’m warning you, don’t bother us!” Then with one hand hugging her head and the other
hugging her son, the mother and child fled. Seeing this, Fu Yao cried, “Let me go!”
Feng Xin half knelt on the ground, covering half his face, and Xie Lian crouched down next to
him with Hua Cheng in his arms, “Are you alright? Let me see your wounds? Were your eyes
scratched?”
Blood dripped from the cracks of his fingers, and Feng Xin replied with his eyes closed, “...No.
Don’t ask me.”
“Feng Xin, Lan Chang... the lady Jian Lan, what was she talking...” Xie Lian asked.
Yet before he finished, Feng Xin swung out his fist. A giant crack, and the tree next to them was
punched in half. He roared, “I TOLD YOU NOT TO ASK ME!”
That voice was mixed with resentment, and Xie Lian could tell, that resentment was directed at
him, and he couldn’t help but be taken aback.
However, Hua Cheng commented coldly, “Who turned your wife and son into ghosts? If you’ve
got fire go burn the right person.”
Hearing this, Feng Xin raised his head slightly, his eyes red watching Fu Yao. Taken aback, Fu
Yao was instantly furious, “What are you looking at? You don’t actually think it was m... my
general? What is this bloody luck! He only saw that that woman was a remnant citizen of XianLe
and had some relation to the royal family that he lent a helping hand. He wanted to save that
fetus spirit, but who knew it was deeply ignorant, not only did it not want to be saved, it even
turned into a Fierce! Nothing good came of it but he ended up stepping in shit. Had he known he
wouldn’t have bothered! That brat doesn’t even know who gave birth to it, and you think it knew
who killed it?!”
Perhaps it was because too many disheartening things were bothering his mind recently; even
his speech was a little vulgar in words. “Your general calls this bloody luck with just this bit?
Then can people who suffer even worse luck even live on anymore?” Hua Cheng said.
Feng Xin shook his head and murmured, “...Why is it like this? How did it become like this?”
“Why... don’t you take care of your injuries first.” Xie Lian tried, “Did you bring any balms?”
Feng Xin glanced at him and said darkly, “I’m fine. Don’t mind me!”
With his hand covering his wounds, he didn’t bother managing it and stood up, stumbling away.
Xie Lian and Fu Yao called after him a few times, asking if he was going back to the heavens or
going to give chase, but he didn’t answer at all, and soon, his silhouette disappeared. Fu Yao
struggled again and cried angrily, “Your Highness! If you ol’ senior won’t give chase, will you at
least let me??”
Xie Lian snapped out of it, and after contemplating the cons and pros, he said, “Alright.” And
actually did let go.
Fu Yao didn’t think he would actually comply, and he worked out the kinks of his wrists,
humphing, “Why are you so willing to let me go now?”
Xie Lian rubbed his forehead, “The Upper Court is probably even more of a mess than I
imagined... Sigh, I now think that, rather than encouraging your general to return, he should act
freely outside instead.”
After a pause, he added, “What are you going to do now? I don’t think that fetus spirit was
slandering only for the sake of escape. There might be someone in the background
manipulating it.”
Fu Yao dusted off his sleeves and said, “Who cares what’s going on. It’s going towards Mount
TongLu, so I’ll think after capturing it!”
Then, he left in a hurry. The inn where various groups of people gathered was suddenly quiet
and deserted. Xie Lian turned around, checked over that collapsed little cottage, flipping and
pulling aside the beams and straws to look around and made sure those monks and cultivators
really were only knocked out and would probably come to soon. Reassured, he left too.
After walking for a while and leaving the barren hills behind, they finally found a real inn and the
two stopped to rest.
Xie Lian felt like the past few days was a complete mess, and he sat at the window sill lost in
thought. RuoYe curled around his arm, rubbing against him gently like it was purring, and Xie
Lian scratched it absentmindedly.
Suddenly, Hua Cheng came to the windows, bathing under the same moonlight, and spoke up,
“It has nothing to do with you.”
Xie Lian was shaken out of his reverie but soon understood what he meant and shook his head,
“I don’t know if it really has got nothing to do with me... Feng Xin must’ve befriended Lady Jian
Lan after XianLe had fallen and before he ascended himself. Calculating the time, that was
during the years of my first banishment.”
“But that doesn’t mean you’re at fault for how they’ve turned out,” Hua Cheng said.
After some thought, Xie Lian said, “San Lang, I’ve never talked about my banishment, have I?”
“No.” Hua Cheng said.
“I’ve never told anyone, I hope you won’t mind if I drag you to listen to me babble.” Xie Lian
said.
Hua Cheng lightly pushed himself up the window sill and sat too, “I won’t. Go ahead.”
Xie Lian spoke as he chased his memories, “Back then, the only vassal I had left was Feng Xin,
and life was difficult. I started out as a martial god, and a lot of the possessions I had as a crown
prince were all pawned.”
Hua Cheng chuckled, “Including HongJing, right?”
Xie Lian smiled gaily, “Hahaha... that’s right. Jun Wu can’t know this, do keep that a secret for
me. And those tens of golden belts, they were all pawned too.”
“En. So, Feng Xin took one of your golden bets and gifted it to Lan Chang?” Hua Cheng asked.
Xie Lian shook his head, “I don’t think that’s the case. Feng Xin wouldn’t take my stuff so
frivolously. It was me who told him to sell it and keep the money for himself.”
Truthfully, this was him plain giving Feng Xin a sum of money for no reason. At the time, Feng
Xin declined it for a long time, but in the end, because Xie Lian was relentless, Feng Xin said “I’ll
keep it for you for now.”
“It’s shameful to say, I made him sell it for money to keep for himself not just out of guilt but fear
too.”
With all the devotees gone, only Feng Xin still treated him like the Flower Crowned Martial God
and His Highness the Crown Prince. Only then was Xie Lian alerted to the fact that even though
the two had grown up together - Feng Xin being his trusted servant and bodyguard - not once
had Feng Xin received any sort of exceptional rewards. Suddenly, Xie Lian knew fear.
Fear that Feng Xin would also think this life was too hard and stop following him. Thus, the
meaning of that golden belt wasn’t reward, and it wasn’t purely just a gift or compensation of
labour either, there was also the intent of a little bit of groveling and bribery.
In the illusion created by that fetus spirit, Xie Lian saw a protection charm, and it was probably
something Feng Xin gifted to Jian Lan. After XianLe fell, all of Xie Lian’s temples and shrines
were burned down, not a single soul believed in the Crown Prince of XianLe anymore, and his
protection charms were all seen as trash. However, Feng Xin was still determined and tireless in
handing them out, telling Xie Lian, look, you still have devotees. But Xie Lian knew deep down
that those protection charms were most likely all thrown away.
Xie Lian spoke slowly, “Through so many years, I never knew if Feng Xin liked anyone. I never
asked, and I never took notice.”
After all, he was the darling of the heavens since birth, high and mighty, and Feng Xin spun
around him like he was the world so naturally, so how could he possibly have his own life and
have his own personal heart?
“It might not sound nice to gift a girl something someone else gave you, but at the time, that
golden belt was probably the best gift Feng Xin was able to give. After all, we were frequently
missing meals. Feng Xin wasn’t someone who’d spend wastefully. So, it’s easy to imagine just
how much he liked Lady Jian Lan. If he liked her so much... why did they split?”
Whether if that fetus spirit was Feng Xin’s son, if it was that period of poverty that made Feng
Xin lose the girl he loved, no matter what, Xie Lian wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.
However, Hua Cheng said, “If he liked her but in the end they separated, then it only shows
what they had was only ‘like’.”
Xie Lian smiled wistfully, “San Lang, things aren’t always that absolute. Sometimes, it’s not up to
you to decide if the road is easy to walk.”
Hua Cheng said softly, “I might not be able to decide whether the road is easy or not, but
whether I walk it is entirely up to me.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian blinked, and felt like a knot in his heart was untied. He stared at Hua
Cheng wordlessly. Hua Cheng tilted his head, “Gege, am I wrong?”
Watching his twinkling black eyes, Xie Lian suddenly grabbed hold of him and placed him on his
lap, “Hahaha, San Lang, you’re very right!”
“...”
Hua Cheng seemed to be stunned by his actions, and allowed himself be lifted high in the air.
Xie Lian laughed, “To say something shameless, what San Lang just said and the way you said
it really quite resembles me when I was younger.”
Hua Cheng seemed to have gotten used to being hugged around by him like this, and he raised
his brows, “Wow, what a dream.”
The two of them played around in the room for a while, and Xie Lian threw Hua Cheng onto the
bed then climbed in himself, facing the ceiling. He was about to speak when suddenly, Hua
cheng sat up and his pupils shrank, his eyes turning sharp as he looked across the room.
Xie Lian immediately sensed something wrong and instantly sat up too. The moment he saw,
cold sweat covered his body. Silently and soundlessly, there was another figure in the room
since who knows when, sitting by the table with a pot of tea already brewed, the scent of tea
fragrant. Yet, he had never noticed!
Xie Lian couldn’t help but feel a chill go down his spine and pointed Fang Xin forward, “WHO IS
IT?!”
That man replied gently, “Don’t be afraid. Tea, XianLe?”
“...”
The figure and voice all belonged to a youth, exceedingly familiar, and Xie Lian sighed a breath
of relief, brushing back strands of hair that had come loose from playing around earlier behind
his ears, his heart still thumping, “My Lord...”
However, before his breath was fully exhaled, he yanked and pulled the blanket and buried both
Hua Cheng and his body under, “...Why has My Lord descended?”
The hand under the blanket held Hua Cheng down tight, gesturing for him not to worry. Jun Wu
leisurely poured three cups of tea before rising to his feet, “You didn’t come back, so naturally, I
had to come down personally to see.”
His hands were clenched as he spoke, walking towards him, and slowly, from the shadows,
something was pulled out. Xie Lian’s eyes followed down his white robes, and saw Jun Wu had
in his hand a sword. Startled, he instantly jumped off the bed, “My Lord, I can explain...”
Yet unexpectedly, behind him, Hua Cheng pulled off the blanket and sat up cross legged, his
arms resting casually on his knees, and he smiled, “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
———–
●MXTX Author’s Note: Xie Lian and Mu Qing trained under the same cultivation path, and
they’re both cultivators. However, Feng Xin had never registered at the Holy Royal
Pavilion so he’s not a cultivator, he’s just a simple grassroot martial god, so he doesn’t
need to follow the same purity mandates as Xie Lian and Mu Qing.
———-
Ch.142: I Choose the Path I Walk 2
Xie Lian blocked himself between the two of them, “I think, we should all sit down and talk. Look
at this child My Lord, doesn’t he look like...”
“Your son, right?” Jun Wu smiled.
“...Ha, haha, hahahaha...”
Xie Lian laughed awkwardly for a bit, “How did My Lord know what I was going to say?”
Jun Wu finally moved his eyes off of Hua Cheng, lightly patted Xie Lian’s shoulder, and
wordlessly turned around to sit back at the table. Xie Lian understood that this meant there
wasn’t going to be any confrontation for now, and unconsciously sighed a breath of relief.
If Jun Wu intended to kill anyone, just how terrifying he was after unsheathing the sword was
something Xie Lian had witnessed himself. Under no circumstances did Xie Lian ever want Hua
Cheng to face Jun Wu head on.
However, Hua Cheng’s eyes never left Jun Wu, and still watched him warily. Jun Wu pushed the
teacups forward, “Although this isn’t the first time I’ve met your excellency, but it certainly is the
first time we are at such close range of each other. Since it’s a peaceful occasion, why not take
tea for wine, and smooth over this situation.
Xie Lian cleared his throat lightly, and tried to appear as casual as possible as he pulled on his
outer robes, asking as he pulled on his boots, “My Lord, how are things at the Upper Court?”
“...”
Jun Wu put down his teacup and turned his head away, gazing outside of the window to watch
the moon, sighing, “I do not wish to talk of it.”
“...Alright. I won’t.” Xie Lian said.
It seemed things really are really bad. However Jun Wu turned his head back and said with a
straight face, “I kid. Even if I do not wish to talk of it, I must. Xian Le, leave your little friend for
now and follow me outside for a moment.”
It appeared there were things to be communicated that shouldn’t be heard by bystanders. Xie
Lian was about to comply when he heard Hua Cheng say leisurely behind him, “Your Upper
Court is in complete pandemonium, it’s not a secret. Even little country bumpkin ghosts know
that the gathering of ghosts couldn’t be stopped this time and are howling nonstop in
excitement, so why speak outside?”
He climbed off the bed too and languidly came to the table, picked up the teacup and played
with it for a bit, looking like drinking the tea was of no interest to him, A moment later, the three
all sat by the table. Hua Cheng’s appearance right now was young, but his expression and
manners almost made one forget that fact. Jun Wu replied gently, “Nothing could deceive the
eyes of his excellency.”
It was tea poured by Jun Wu after all, due respect must be given, so Xie Lian drank it, and
asked as he did so, “Isn’t there still some time before the official opening and sealing of Mount
TongLu’s gates? Or is it confirmed now?”
Although Feng Xin had mentioned this before, but Xie Lian had always thought he might’ve
exaggerated and never fully took his words to heart. However, Jun Wu confirmed, “Indeed, it
couldn’t be stopped anymore.”
“It seems your original plan was like all those times before; send all the martial gods to seal off
every road leading to Mount TongLu and stop the demons en route.” Hua Cheng commented,
“But Mu Qing broke out of prison and escaped, his whereabouts unknown, so now there’s
suddenly a breach in the south.”
Xie Lian inquired, “Did Feng Xin return to the Heavenly Court? How is he? Did he say
anything?”
“He’s returned, but not in a good condition.” Jun Wu replied, “Nan Yang returned wounded and
gave a hurried report of the truth, pleading for me to give the orders to all the heavenly officials
not to touch the female ghost Lan Chang and her son. He had wanted to descend again after
reporting in, but his injuries were not optimistic, his right arm could barely move, so I buckled
him down in the Heavenly Court to recover. However, with that, the southern blockade is now
full of holes.”
If this was any other matter, like if they needed someone to go kill a monster or steal spiritual
pills or something, Xie Lian would instantly volunteer. But something like leading troops wasn’t
something so easily done by just charging ahead alone. One man could break through an army
of millions but he could not defend against an army of millions alone. Xie Lian had long since
understood that leading people and leading armies wasn’t something he was good at. Rather
than going forward bold-headedly, it was best if someone else more suited for the position be
nominated, so he wasn’t quick to volunteer himself. Instead, he asked, “Is there no other martial
god that can take up the task?”
Jun Wu replied, “The other martial gods already have their own domains and missions to take
care of and have no liberties to take on more. There was Pei Su from the Palace of Ming Guang
that could’ve been borrowed, but he’s long been exiled. As for Qi Ying, he’s the same as you, a
madman who likes to charge alone in the world, doing as he willed. Besides, his whereabouts is
also currently unknown, and that child never answers spiritual communication. The head
heavenly official of the Palace of Ling Wen is also lost on top of that. There’s a temporary head,
but the other civil gods, while they’re certainly skilled in the arts, but in terms of passing
communication, making decisions and coordination management, they are completely
incapable. These past few days...”
Listening to him, it sounded like in the past few days, the Upper Court was going to fall apart.
Xie Lian couldn’t bear to listen and his sympathies grew, “I remember My Lord once said, even if
the gathering of ghosts couldn’t be stopped, there was another way to remedy the situation?
What can be done?”
“Remedy?” Hua Cheng said, “More like suicide, probably.”
Jun Wu gave him a look and sighed, “I’ve also said, unless absolutely necessary, I didn’t want to
take that step.”
Xie Lian’s heart tightened, “Could it be...?”
Jun Wu replied slowly, “That’s right. Right now, the only way to remedy the situation was to send
a martial god to infiltrate the gathering of ghosts in Mount TongLu.”
Since the start of slaughter couldn’t be stopped, then make sure at the end of the slaughter, not
a single one is left!
Xie Lian crossed his arms into his sleeves and knitted his brows, “I’m not too familiar with Mount
TongLu, and I don’t really know how the rules work, so how should this be done? Kill every last
monster and demon that enter the mountain?”
But that was something inconceivable. To infiltrate Mount TongLu, identity must be hidden, and
not too many helpers could come either, otherwise, if the ghosts should discover there were
heavenly officials mixed in, they would for sure surround and destroy. Mount TongLu was also
an extremely evil place; a heavenly official’s spiritual powers would be significantly restricted,
much more so than when they were at the Black Water Demon Lair.
However, Jun Wu said, “No, there’s no need to exert that much effort.”
“I’m familiar with Mount TongLu. Gege, look outside.” Hua Cheng said.
Following where he was pointing, Xie Lian looked out the window. Beyond the window below
was a large field planted with some flowers or grass, and there was also a small flower pot in
the corner. Hua Cheng hopped onto the window sill and pointed at that flower pot, “At the heart
of Mount TongLu is a giant kiln.”
Just as the words left his lips, that little flower pot suddenly fell over and rolled to the centre of
the field before standing upright by itself. Soon after, with it as the heart, the once flat ground
suddenly rumbled and rolled in waves, rolling into mounds of various sizes all around.
Hua Cheng continued, “All around the ‘Kiln’ is a mountain range encircling it. This entire area is
all within Mount TongLu’s perimeters. It’s as big as seven city states.”
Xie Lian was amazed watching this, and he leapt up lightly, hopping out of the window. As he
stood among the field full of little earth mounds, it gave him the illusion of being a giant looking
down below.
Hua Cheng continued, “The slaughter of ghosts begins from the outer edges of the mountain
range, and continues on towards the ‘Kiln’ in the heart.”
He gave a wave of his hand, and many tiny objects on the ground started agitating. Xie Lian
crouched down to watch closely and discovered it was many weeds and small leaves twisting,
like a small person crossing through the mountain range. He remarked, “Which is to say, the
closer to this ‘Kiln’ in the centre, the ghosts are also stronger?”
“That’s right.” Hua Cheng said, “Because the weak weeds will have all been annihilated at the
edges.”
Another light wave of a hand, and breeze brushed by, and the weeds were completely cleaned
away by the breeze. The empty little earth mounds suddenly became desolate, looking rather
sad. However, the little flower pot in the centre suddenly emitted a red light, truly looking like a
tiny, fire blazing Kiln. Xie Lian stared at it and noticed there was a tiny little red flower, and a few
unremarkable weeds that jumped onto the little flower pot, spinning around the sides of the pot
like little people dancing. That little red flower danced the wildest. Hua Cheng crouched down
next to him, “Finally, only a handful of ghosts at most can enter the interior of the ‘Kiln’. And
then, the ‘Kiln’ will close.”
Those ‘little people’ jumped around then fell in, swallowed by the black mud. Hua Cheng
continued, “After that, within forty-nine days, a ghost must break out of this ‘Kiln’.”
That little flower pot trembled violently and exploded abruptly, a blinding red light flashed,
blasting a wave of dust.
Accompanying this ‘earth shattering’ birth, that little red flower leapt out from within the mud and
raised its two little leaves as if it was shouting to the winds to announce its might to the world.
Seeing this, Xie Lian couldn’t help but puffed a laugh.
However, perhaps it was a little too overly excited, and that little red flower slipped on the edge
of that flower pot, about to fall. Xie Lian hurriedly reached out his hands and caught it lightly,
holding it in his palms. That little red flower seemed to have gone dizzy from the fall and shook
its ‘head’, raising its ‘face’ to gaze at the one who had caught hold of itself. Xie Lian brushed off
the crumbs of dirt that was splattered onto him and asked, “So this little one is the new Ghost
King birthed from Mount TongLu?”
Hua Cheng nodded, “Correct. The slaughter of ghosts at the beginning was a strengthening
process and cannot be bypassed. If the ghost who entered the ‘Kiln’ isn’t strong enough and
can’t break out of it, then it will be suffocated inside, burned to ashes, and become fertilizer for
another.”
He rose to his feet and called to Jun Wu still sitting inside, “Your idea is to cut down the mighty
and leave out the weeds. There’s only so many with the potential to become ghost kings; once
they’re annihilated, the weak ones who remain can’t break out of the ‘Kiln’ even if they enter it. If
they can’t break out, then they still wouldn’t be recognized as ghost kings.”
Xie Lian nodded, “Sounds doable. But does it work? Has this been attempted before?”
Jun Wu approached the window and said, “No. It’s never been attempted before. In the past, the
demons had always been stopped before they were able to gather.”
Hua Cheng crossed his arms, “I’m afraid it’s not doable. To fight under these conditions is no
different than suicide. I suggest you who came up with such a brilliant idea go yourself.”
“I’ve that very intention.” Jun Wu replied easily.
Xie Lian was taken aback, “My Lord?”
Jun Wu said, “XianLe, I’ve descended for this very reason. I will be heading to Mount TongLu. I
need you to return to the Heavenly Court and take care of my duties for the time being.”
Xie Lian dropped his hands and leapt to his feet, “That won’t do! Have me take your place
temporarily? My Lord, please don’t joke, no one will listen to me.”
Jun Wu grinned, “Then, this will be a very good chance for them to start.”
Xie Lian rubbed his forehead, “My Lord, pardon me but I really can’t agree with you this time.
This is too absurd. To use a vulgar example from the mor