"I know you're about to embark on a significant undertaking. Would you consider bringing me along, young brother?"
"What did you say?"
After hearing Wang Qingzhi's words, I was stunned. Was this guy joking with me?
"Young brother, let's be direct. That chain you're holding is my life-bound chain, which is why it has a connection with me..."
As he spoke, my expression turned grim. Had this fellow been playing me all along?
"Young brother, please don't misunderstand. I didn't do this intentionally..."
Seeing my change in demeanor, Wang Qingzhi quickly began to explain.
"Since you've overheard, I won't hide it from you. We do need to return to Brother Hu's hometown to retrieve something. But you're an Yin God of the Underworld; can you truly join us in this venture?"
After contemplating for a moment, I suppressed my killing intent.
Putting aside other matters, he was, after all, an Yin God of the Underworld. If we brought him along, he might actually be of assistance if any complications arose on the way.
"You don't need to worry about that, young brother. I have my own ways! As long as you agree!"
"Does my agreement matter? Even if I disagree, you'd probably follow us secretly, wouldn't you?"
I spoke while looking at Wang Qingzhi with ill intent.
Honestly, I was genuinely considering whether to eliminate him right now.
"You jest, young brother. If you disagree, this matter will simply be dropped. I certainly wouldn't dare to disrupt your plans..."
Under my probing gaze, Wang Qingzhi chuckled nervously.
"Then let me ask you this: since you've heard most of it, you must also be aware of the dangers involved. Don't tell me you're undertaking this journey solely to help me!"
I couldn't help but say with a cold laugh, looking at his fawning smile.
"Young brother, you're a perceptive one. To be truthful, I do have some personal intentions this time. The place you're going happens to have something I desire. But rest assured, what we each seek is definitely not the same item."
Seeing that he wouldn't be able to deceive me without revealing something concrete, Wang Qingzhi finally spoke with a smile.
"Are you taking me for a fool? What we're doing this time is grave robbing. Everything here is an heirloom passed down from Brother Hu's ancestors. To be frank, you won't be able to take a single thing from this tomb!"
To think he was still playing games even now, I was truly getting annoyed.
I'd come to understand that ghost messengers like Wang Qingzhi were all bullies who preyed on the weak. Unless they were shown some force, they wouldn't tell the truth.
As my stance grew firmer, Wang Qingzhi's smile froze.
"Young brother, what I want is truly useless to you. To tell you the truth, what I desire is quite simple: it's the Yin Lingzhi that grows at the very bottom of the tomb."
"Yin Lingzhi?"
Upon hearing the name, I was startled.
To be honest, I had heard of this substance. Strictly speaking, it wasn't an extremely rare item.
However, its uses were so limited that ordinary people simply didn't know of its existence.
As the name implies, this substance grew entirely from the Yin energy accumulated within tombs.
It bore a striking resemblance to Ganoderma lucidum, but instead of growing on desolate cliffs, it was found in ancient tombs, hidden from sunlight.
However, this item did come in different grades. The grade of Yin Lingzhi was heavily dependent on its growing environment.
Simply put, the higher the cultivation of the tomb's occupant during their lifetime, or the deeper their resentment, the higher the grade of Yin Lingzhi found within the tomb.
This item had almost no significant use for the living, but for spiritual servants or ghost messengers – beings of pure spirit – it was a true tonic.
"Given your status, if you wanted this item, I don't think you'd need to make this trip with me personally, would you?"
After a moment of hesitation, I couldn't help but ask.
Putting aside other things, he was at least a Divine Monarch now. He would naturally have plenty of subordinates.
Although with his cultivation, I estimated he was probably at the lower end among all Divine Monarchs.
But a Divine Monarch of the Underworld was not merely an acknowledgment of cultivation; more importantly, it was a symbol of office.
Ghost messengers, being Yin Gods, were different from ordinary cultivators. Their strength could be primarily divided into two parts. The first part was naturally what they cultivated themselves.
The higher their spiritual power in life, the greater their abilities after death if they chose to become a ghost messenger.
The other part derived from their office. If he were just an ordinary ghost messenger, his abilities, no matter how powerful, would have a limit.
Once his strength reached that threshold, no matter how much he cultivated, it would ultimately be in vain.
Of course, the reverse was also true.
Once they obtained the corresponding office, their cultivation would also increase significantly. While it wouldn't elevate everyone to the same upper limit, it at least guaranteed that all ghost messengers or Yin Gods holding that position would have a minimum baseline of power.
Under this system, a ghost messenger like Wang Qingzhi who happened to acquire the status of Divine Monarch.
His strength would also receive a considerable boost. Higher status also meant more subordinates.
If each of these subordinates contributed even a little something to increase his cultivation, the accumulated amount would be quite substantial.
For a Divine Monarch-level ghost messenger like him, there were plenty of other ways to increase his cultivation.
It was truly unnecessary for him to go to such great lengths, following the two of us all the way to the mountains of Jiangnan, just to retrieve a single Yin Lingzhi.
"Young brother, you don't understand. If it were before, what you said would be absolutely correct. But last time..."
Wang Qingzhi said this with a look of utter bitterness, almost on the verge of tears.
"What happened last time? What about last time?"
Hearing his words, I became even more perplexed.
"I know you let me off the hook last time, but even so, I was severely injured. Eighty percent of my cultivation was lost. If I return to the Underworld now, it won't be long before someone strips me of my skin!"