The Ghost Emperor finished speaking and landed on the ground, slowly walking towards the Emperor's Hall.
Zi Linling snapped back to attention and quickly called out, "Wait!"
The Ten Great Ghost Messengers originally thought the Ghost Emperor wouldn't bother, but reality proved them wrong once again.
The Ghost Emperor stopped, turned with a smile, and said, "Little girl, have you perhaps changed your mind? Tell me, do you want to be my disciple, or my woman?"
Zi Linling almost choked on her anger. She rolled her eyes and retorted, "I'm asking you, where is Jing Yulan?"
"Jing Yulan? Who is that?" the Ghost Emperor asked, puzzled.
Zi Linling prompted, "Twenty-three years ago, the Extreme Yin Extreme Yang body."
The Ghost Emperor suddenly understood and said, "I don't know either!"
"How is that possible?" Zi Linling questioned.
The Ghost Emperor calmly replied, "Back then, I intended to use her as a conduit to open the Netherworld passage connecting the three continents. But who knew she had already lost her primal yin, causing an error in the opening of the Ghost Gate. Therefore, I don't know where the Ghost Gate sent her."
Chu Hezhou and the other Ten Great Ghost Messengers were dumbfounded. In their memory, the Ghost Emperor never needed to explain anything to anyone.
But now, their notoriously violent Emperor was patiently explaining what had happened back then.
Zi Linling saw that the Ghost Emperor had nothing more to say and, with a single step, entered the Emperor's Hall.
Zi Linling felt a wave of disappointment. Without finding Jing Yulan, how could she wake up Ye Lingyuan?
Just then, the Ghost Emperor's voice echoed from within the Emperor's Hall.
"Little girl, if you wish to know that woman's whereabouts, you can ask the Ghost Gate in your hand. Although I had it recognize a master back then, it was not as thorough as yours. Perhaps it will tell you what you wish to know."
No one knew that the Ghost Emperor's current mood could be described as intensely bitter.
He had painstakingly refined the Ghost Gate for a hundred thousand years, only to achieve superficial results.
Yet, Zi Linling had simply held the Ghost Gate in her palm and, in an instant, completely refined it.
Such a stark contrast was enough to make anyone feel jealous and envious.
Zi Linling stared blankly at the Emperor's Hall, unsure of what to say, when the Ghost Emperor's voice rang out again.
"Ten Great Ghost Messengers, your punishment in the Netherworld Pool is waived! From today onwards, you will follow the little girl and ensure her safety. If she loses even a single hair, I will hold you accountable!" [Su Dan novel website]
Chu Hezhou and the other ten immediately replied, "Your subordinates obey!"
Zi Linling, in a state of utter confusion, suddenly found herself with ten bodyguards, and they were all Divine King realm experts.
The Ghost Emperor's actions stunned even the seasoned Elder Du.
"Miss, may we know what you require of us?" Chu Hezhou asked respectfully.
Shi Liuxiang, Qiao Mu, He Miao, Qing Kun, Fan Siren, Zhao Ci, Sun Burring, and Sai Wei also stood respectfully, awaiting Zi Linling's command.
"Y-y-y-young lady, come quickly and see Liu Xing!" Elder Du exclaimed, seeing that everything had settled.
Zi Linling's figure flickered, and she appeared before Shen Liuxing.
When she saw Shen Liuxing's pitiful state, her nose instantly stung.
Zi Linling knew that with Shen Liuxing's strength, he would have been utterly unable to move under the Ghost Emperor's imposing pressure.
And in that critical moment, Shen Liuxing had desperately forced himself to move, demonstrating the depth of his affection for her.
However, this deep affection was something Zi Linling was destined to be unable to reciprocate, only to let him down.
After all, the one she loved was Ye Lingyuan.
Zi Linling sighed helplessly, took out a Nine Revolutions Great Return Pill, and placed it in Shen Liuxing's mouth, using her spiritual energy to help dissolve the medicinal properties.
Afterward, she produced a Divine Grade Hemostasis Pill, ground it into powder, and evenly sprinkled it over Shen Liuxing's legs, saying to Elder Du, "Please take good care of him!"
Then, Zi Linling instructed the Ten Great Ghost Messengers, "I am going to refine the Ghost Gate. You will wait here and are not allowed to follow. Do you understand?"
With that, she retrieved the Thousand-Year Ghost King Vine from Sun Burring.
"Yes! Miss!"
The Ten Great Ghost Messengers replied in unison.
Zi Linling nodded, moved to the side, sat down cross-legged, and placed the Ghost Gate in her embrace.
In truth, after one-third of the blood in her body was absorbed, she had already refined the Ghost Gate, or rather, the Ghost Gate had actively allowed her to refine it.
Therefore, Zi Linling telling the Ten Great Ghost Messengers that she was going to refine the Ghost Gate was merely an excuse. What she truly intended to do was to communicate with the Ghost Gate and inquire about Jing Yulan's whereabouts.
"Ghost Gate, please tell me, where is Jing Yulan?" Zi Linling asked.
Of course, she communicated telepathically.
The Ghost Gate's telepathic response was, "Master, because she lost her primal yin, the flow of time became chaotic, and she accidentally fell into the God Abandoned Realm."
"God Abandoned Realm?"
Zi Linling was taken aback.
It seemed she would have to return to the Nine Saint Realm or the Battle Heaven Realm first to enter the God Abandoned Realm.
The Ghost Gate quickly added, "Master, there's no need for such trouble. As long as you use me to open the Netherworld passage, you can reach any place on the Azure Star in the blink of an eye."
Zi Linling was shocked, "Why?"
The Ghost Gate explained, "Master, you may not know, but before the Guardian War, the three continents were interconnected, and the link was the Netherworld passage."
"The Netherworld passage was a grand road, with smaller connecting paths leading to various regions, used to guide departed spirits to the Netherworld, and then through the Six Paths of Reincarnation to be reborn."
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, Master, the Netherworld is located in the Sky Origin Continent, where you were born. And the Ghost Gate is the guiding passage for all departed spirits from the Sky Origin Continent, the Sky Bestowed Continent, and the God Abandoned Continent."
"Therefore, there are connecting paths from all parts of the three continents, and you can reach them in the blink of an eye."
Zi Linling's astonishment was indescribable.
She finally understood why the Chi Mei and Wang Liang tribes could not return to the Netherworld.
"Then how can I use you to open the Netherworld passage?" Zi Linling asked.
The Ghost Gate replied, "Master, you only need to channel the Death and Reincarnation Laws you have comprehended into my body to activate my abilities!"
Zi Linling was overjoyed and was about to mobilize her Death and Reincarnation Laws.
"Master, you must first recover to your peak state. Activating my abilities consumes your soul power. You have just experienced a great battle, and your soul power is less than one-tenth of what it was. It is simply not enough for me to consume!" the Ghost Gate hastily advised.
Zi Linling nodded and said, "In that case, I will wait until I have recovered!"
With that, she closed her eyes and began to restore her depleted spiritual energy, law power, and soul power.