The city was filled with a restless energy, but beneath it lay a thin layer of gloom. Outside a haunted mansion, a Taoist priest from Mount Mao, practicing the Law of the Lower Path, was performing a ritual. After a series of fiery spells and scattered glutinous rice, talismans flew into the air. Inside the mansion, the spectral entity revealed itself, howling as it charged out, exuding an aura of terror that plunged the entire estate into dread.
The main gate contorted into a ghastly face, and the windows showed shifting shadows. The mansion's owner, a wealthy merchant, was so terrified he nearly lost control of himself. Even the young Taoist priest from Mount Mao, tasked with exorcising the spirit, wore a grave expression.
His senior, however, remained unfazed.
"This spirit's strength is considerable. Have you forgotten your master's teachings? Do not let fear cloud your mind. To us cultivators, these spirits are but things we can easily erase. Even if it has absorbed much of people's yang energy and their three souls, for you now, performing the ritual properly and breaking its formation is a simple matter."
The elder priest offered guidance to the younger one. The younger priest took a deep breath, finding his master's words overly optimistic. The strength of spirits, after all, could not be measured by cultivation realms. They lacked fixed combat power, only relative evaluations, and often possessed unexpected tricks and variations.
"You are still afraid."
The elder priest frowned. "What are you afraid of? Once you are on the altar, unless this spirit possesses immense power, it cannot drag you down. You don't need to fight it head-on; it's merely a battle of rituals across a distance. It cannot touch you now, which is why it's trying to frighten you, to scatter your three souls. If that happens, your spiritual power will be unusable, and it can break your altar."
"I'll say it again: do not be afraid. Steady your mind."
The wealthy merchant nearby was on the verge of collapse. He produced some silver. "Revered Master, your disciple seems rather incapable. Perhaps you could trouble yourself to act personally and help us? Money is not an issue."
The elder priest smiled faintly. "This is not about money. This is my disciple's first encounter with such a malevolent spirit. If he doesn't gain experience, how will our lineage be carried forward?"
"As you know, the rules of the Six Sects dictate that in this ritual, unless my disciple dies, I, his master, will not intervene. At most, I can offer some guidance. Please, keep your money."
"After this matter is concluded, as agreed, you will provide three strings of cash. All the divine statues in your household will be replaced with those of the Master of the Biyou Palace. You will offer incense and worship daily, and all other offerings and rituals will be conducted as you would for any other statue."
"Of course, you remember the requirement of three strings of cash."
The wealthy merchant nodded vigorously. "I remember, I remember! One string for Hongwu, one for Yongle, and one for Jiajing!"
The elder priest nodded and patted his shoulder. "That is satisfactory. You need not worry about the rest. Of course, you wouldn't want my disciple to die in this ritual, would you?"
The wealthy merchant shook his head like a rattle drum.
The young Taoist priest had by now steadied his mind. He chanted incantations, and the sword in his hand ignited with talismanic fire and thunder, which he wielded before him. Instantly, a fierce wind whipped up, and the ghostly faces on the doors and walls showed expressions of shock and anger. The candlelight on the altar flickered erratically. The two sides were now locked in a magical duel. The young priest scattered chicken blood and rubbed incense ash, employing various methods, his forehead glistening with sweat.
Seeing this, the elder priest was somewhat pleased and transmitted his voice to guide him:
"Alright, you can now use the pure incense and fire, borrowing the power of the Upper Clarity Realm!"
The power of the Upper Clarity Realm manifested, and the sword was entwined with its incense and fire. The spirit immediately began to panic, the surrounding yin wind gusting violently, as if unwilling.
At this moment, the elder priest had a sudden premonition, and a strong sense of crisis erupted within him!
This unease came out of nowhere. The elder priest frowned deeply and immediately activated his Minor Six Divinations, attempting to divine the heavens and earth.
Danger?
From where? Is it this spirit, or an external enemy?
The sense of danger grew heavier and heavier...
Unbeknownst to the two priests, at this very moment, voices suddenly appeared in the spirit's consciousness.
"Do you wish to exchange?"
"Do you wish to obey the dispatch of the Wanshou Palace?"
"We can grant you immense power, allowing you to achieve enlightenment and ascend, even if it is merely a ghost immortal, it is enough!"
The aura of the Yin Mountain Sect's realm appeared, but it was somewhat chaotic. This spirit, however, harbored only intense malice and lingering resentment.
"Of course! This wealthy merchant built his grave on my burial ground, discarded my tomb and remains in the wilderness, leaving me homeless and unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation. I will surely make his entire family suffer a terrible fate!"
"These priests must all die! And the geomancer who determined the feng shui for this wealthy merchant must also die!"
The spirit roared in its heart, and the power of the shattered Yin Mountain realm descended. In an instant, it began to transform from a mere spirit!
The ghostly face's aura surged. It had attained the status of a ghost immortal, possessing the wisdom of an immortal. This gloomy aura wafted out, instilling fear in people's hearts. Furthermore, many other spirits roared out from the fragments of the Yin Mountain realm and descended into the human world!
The Wanshou Palace could now connect with spirits, all thanks to the Yin Mountain realm!
The spirit's sudden ascension to immortality startled both Taoist priests! Especially the elder priest, who had been so confident moments ago, his face now drastically changed!
Ghost immortals do not enter the ranks of true immortals, so they are not considered ascendants. However, from an ordinary spirit, it had suddenly gained a powerful cultivation base above the Yellow Court. This sudden development almost broke his old back.
He had never heard of a ghost being able to achieve enlightenment!
"You spirit, you have no regard for spectral ethics!"
What made the elder priest even more dismayed was that the sense of danger had not subsided; it was growing more intense!
"What is this danger? It seems to be urging me to leave here quickly?"
The elder priest felt that this matter was extremely strange. The best course of action now was to grab his disciple and flee. After all, many of the towns and villages in this large city and its surroundings were under the control of the Six Sects.
It was fine if he had miscalculated; he could just call for backup. As for the wealthy merchant, he could only be considered unlucky.
However, Taoist priests performing rituals also valued sincerity. They were unwilling to tarnish the reputation of their Six Sects' priests, so they decided to join forces with his disciple to fight.
The master and disciple attacked simultaneously, though the primary output came from the master.
The elder priest wielded his talismanic sword, chanting a sacred spell of the Law of the Lower Path:
"Display great divine power, Lord White Crane!"
The surrounding ghostly energy was immediately shaken. However, the ghost immortal's power continued to climb, and a chilling sensation descended. The originally new houses gradually turned to stone and began to show signs of decay, even people's bodies started to rot and turn pale.
The elder priest was startled, never expecting this spirit to be able to draw upon the power of a celestial realm!
Thus, the two of them could no longer afford to hesitate and immediately borrowed the power of the Upper Clarity Realm.
However, the ghost immortal's strength ultimately surpassed theirs. The chaotic realm of the Yin Mountain Sect severed their connection with the Upper Clarity Realm. The elder priest's face twitched, knowing they had messed up.
"Let's get out of here!"
Now, all that remained was to escape. However, the ghost immortal was faster. The power of the realm he drew upon controlled the area, even infecting the Taoist formation with the power of the Yin Mountain Sect, completely turning it into the ghost immortal's possession.
Shadows flickered everywhere, and the sounds of spirits filled the air. Every brick and plank bore a ferocious ghostly face.
At this very moment, the mansion's grand gate opened without warning!
The distorted ghostly face on the gate was smashed to pieces by a single palm from Ji Xiang, scattering onto the floor tiles and disappearing.
"What did I just hit?"
Ji Xiang frowned, looking at the damaged door panel.
The two youths walked in brazenly, completely ignoring the formation and the ghostly energy. This astonished the elder priest.
There was a sealing formation outside; how could they have entered so easily!
The premonition he had earlier, the great calamity he divined with Minor Six Divinations – could it be this person?
But he looked ordinary... no!
A Taoist in dark robes!
"Who are you people, trespassing on the ritual of my Mount Mao White Crane Sect?"
The elder priest was wary of Ji Xiang's attire. He had never seen a Taoist wearing dark robes, not even the sect leaders of Mount Mao's Upper Clarity branch. Only their Master of Biyou Palace dared to wear robes of that color.
Dark robes themselves were not special, but if they were dark-colored Taoist robes, then it signified something significant!
"It's him."
The Taoist disciple of Mount Mao pointed at the young priest on the altar, as if identifying a witness.
Ji Xiang almost blurted out, telling the disciple to go slap him...
What the Mount Mao disciple pointed to was the aura of the Upper Clarity Realm he had sensed earlier. Thus, Ji Xiang and the Mount Mao disciple followed this sensation. As for the sealing and ghost-suppressing methods outside, they were not worth mentioning.
Ji Xiang: "Your methods of subduing spirit generals seem ineffective. Do you need my help?"
"Of course, but you must tell us where the Biyou Palace is."
The ghost immortal was also surprised by the sudden intrusion of Ji Xiang and his companion. He felt he had gained immense power; a great celestial palace in the unseen realm had granted him the qualification to achieve immediate immortality. How could his sealed formation, as a mere ghost immortal, be broken by two mortal cultivators?
However, he had gained wisdom. The two before him were clearly unusual. This ghost immortal was surprisingly reasonable and said to Ji Xiang:
"I advise you not to interfere carelessly! I only wish to kill these people now. While I haven't yet decided to kill you, you two can leave!"
"This family discarded my remains in the wilderness, occupied my burial grounds, and I have come to seek revenge. This is a matter between them and me!"
Upon hearing this, Ji Xiang nodded. "Then you are quite reasonable. This family indeed deserves to die."
The wealthy merchant was stunned. He thought saviors had arrived, but why were they speaking in defense of a ghost?
The elder priest was also bewildered. He said to Ji Xiang: "Fellow Daoist, you shouldn't sympathize with spirits! No matter what, they are spectral beings; how can they be compared to living people?"
"Hurry and kill him, and save us!"
The Mount Mao disciple, with a sickly expression, said: "The Six Sects control these cities. We are looking for the Biyou Palace. Are you really willing to tell us?"
The elder priest replied frankly: "I do not know the location of the Biyou Palace, but the leader of our White Crane Sect certainly does. I can take you to see him."
"The situation is urgent now. You should quickly kill this spirit!"
Ji Xiang playfully asked the Mount Mao disciple: "Do you think it's urgent?"
The Mount Mao disciple respectfully replied: "Merely a ghost immortal."
Ji Xiang also nodded. "Indeed, a mere trifle. However, he is not yet a ghost immortal. His reason for revenge is just, but..."
The reason for his hesitant tone was that Ji Xiang had once again noticed activity from the Song Dynasty.
The Yin Mountain Sect's realm appeared in his Inner Scene Divine Tablet, including the status of this spirit.
"Spirit... well, I'll call you whatever, but it's best not to take power that doesn't belong to you. When others give you power, there's always a price, and that price might be one you cannot bear."
Ji Xiang's expression grew slightly somber:
"There is no underworld in this world. I am giving you a chance to escape now; do not waste it."
He persuaded slowly, much like earnestly advising someone not to fall for a pyramid scheme.
However, the ghost immortal did not see it that way. He said angrily:
"So you intend to stop me?"
"Without this power, I will be killed by those two Taoist priests!"
Ji Xiang suddenly asked: "Have you been dead for a long time?"
The ghost immortal blinked and nodded. "I died decades ago..."
His tone was tinged with hatred:
"In the end, a lonely ghost is still bullied by others...!"
As he was about to erupt, he saw Ji Xiang suddenly raise his hand, and a bolt of lightning struck out!
However, this lightning bolt was not aimed at him but at the wealthy merchant!
Ji Xiang had naturally held back, merely giving the wealthy merchant a high-voltage electrotherapy. The elder priest's face turned grim. This was originally a matter for their Taoist sect, but now, being outmatched, their golden patron, the fat pig, was being punished by a third party, and he was utterly helpless.
"Fellow Daoist, your actions are so erratic! Even more so than our Six Sects! While I need to rely on you now, don't you want to know about the Biyou Palace? For the sake of a ghost's words, you attack a living person with lightning magic?"
Ji Xiang said calmly: "Spirits deceive people and mislead the heart, but the human heart is even more unfathomable."
"I know this spirit is not lying, but I don't know about you."
The elder priest frowned. "What does Fellow Daoist mean?"
Ji Xiang: "The Six Sects control many surrounding villages and towns, including all the sacrificial matters in this city. Was the matter of disturbing the grave undertaken by a geomancer from out of town?"
The elder priest: "Then that was the work of people from other sects. What does it have to do with me?"
"The Six Sects are not a single entity, otherwise, they would simply be called One Sect."
Ji Xiang nodded. "But you still know about this matter, and yet you still intend to eliminate this spirit."
The elder priest: "Spirits harm people, so they must be eliminated. I am also paid to do this; what is wrong with that?"
Ji Xiang smiled. "I am not accusing you. I am merely saying that you have something you haven't told me. To ask me to kill the ghost directly is rather hasty. So, in the end, what standing do you have to accuse me? Is it because I'm stealing your business?"
The elder priest was stunned for a moment. Ji Xiang chuckled and waved his hand, telling him to shut up.
Then he looked at the spirit. "The one you hate is this wealthy merchant. Then kill him. Kill him. Your great revenge will be repaid, and then I will kill you, which will be in accordance with the heavenly laws. We are all acting according to the rules."
"Alternatively, give up the power you possess, and I will help you resolve your karma and guide you to the Eastern Chang Le Pure Land."
"I am giving you a choice now; I respect your opinion. But if you do not choose, then your fate will be beyond your own control!"