Chapter 381 - 379: Feihuai Village

The Ghost Sacred Realm, like the Human Emperor Realm, is one of the Nine Realms. If the Human Emperor Realm is considered the ancestral land of the Human Race, then the Ghost Sacred Realm is the origin land of the Ghost Race.

In truth, no one could definitively say whether the Human Race originated in the Human Emperor Realm. However, since the Desolate Era, the Human Race had continuously been Expanding Territory within the Human Emperor Realm. Through the tireless efforts of countless Elder Sages, the Human Race eventually took root, becoming the realm’s most powerful race.

Today, whether the Human Race truly originated in the Human Emperor Realm is no longer important to its countless members. What matters is that the Human Emperor Realm has become their ancestral land, where the Human Race has been rooted for generations.

The Ghost Sacred Realm, another of the Nine Realms, was different. The Ghost Race was absolutely certain they originated in the Ghost Sacred Realm. Of course, some members of the Ghost Race also called it the Ghost Immortal Realm, as they preferred to call themselves Ghost Immortals, even though outsiders insisted on calling them the Ghost Race!

When one hears that the Netherworld is the origin land of the Ghost Race, they might imagine a world steeped in sinister Ghost Qi. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The Ghost Sacred Realm boasts magnificent landscapes, and like the Human Emperor Realm, its endless mountains and rivers are well worth exploring.

Even the Ghost Race itself isn’t necessarily wreathed in ghostly energy. The Ghost Race is not a monolith; it actually comprises many different clans, each with unique characteristics. It’s only outsiders who lump them all together as the "Ghost Race" to distinguish them from major races like the Human Race, the Blood Race, and others.

Only a few clans within the Ghost Race have a heavy concentration of Ghost Qi. The majority are little different from the Human Race, being creatures of flesh and blood, not true specters. Like humans, most of the Ghost Race procreates and passes down their lineage through generations.

The Ghost Sacred Realm, like the Human Emperor Realm, is incomparably vast. There is a saying of the Four Desolations in the Ghost Sacred Realm, as the entire realm can be divided into four parts: the Netherworld in the east, Yao Yun in the south, Shuicang in the west, and Ze Di in the north. Together, these four parts are known as the Four Desolations.

Although the Ghost Race originated in the Ghost Sacred Realm—or rather, the Ghost Sacred Realm is their origin land—they have not unified it. This is just like the Human Emperor Realm, where the Human Race is dominant, but other races still exist.

The Ghost Sacred Realm is the same. Throughout the realm, the Ghost Race is the largest, but other races still survive here, such as the Human Race, the Demon Race, the Blood Race, the Stone Race, and so on.

However, in three of the Ghost Sacred Realm’s Four Desolations—the Netherworld, Shuicang, and Ze Di—the Ghost Race gathers in great numbers. In these three Great Desolations, the power of the Human Race and other races is very weak.

But Yao Yun is different. Within this desolation, the strength of the Human Race, Demon Race, Stone Race, and others is formidable. In this desolation, the Ghost Race cannot rule this land.

As one of the Ghost Sacred Realm’s Four Desolations, Yao Yun is boundlessly vast. Its hundreds of millions of miles of land are home to countless living beings and a forest of the Ten Thousand Races. At the same time, on the Yao Yun Land, Cultivators are as common as blades of grass, and the great lineages and sects are as numerous as fish in the sea, simply beyond count.

On the Yao Yun Land, small sects and minor clans are innumerable, while Great Teaching Territories also stand tall across this world.

On the Yao Yun Land, one lineage must be mentioned: the Qianli River. The Qianli River is not a river; it is a sect. It rules over an incomparably powerful Jiang Country, governing tens of millions of miles of land.

On the Yao Yun Land, the Qianli River is an absolutely powerful and terrifying lineage—it is an Emperor Immortal Gate. The Primordial Ancestor of the Qianli River is Qianli Immortal Emperor. Since Qianli Immortal Emperor founded the Qianli River, it has stood unshaken to this day. Even in a place like the Ghost Sacred Realm, where the Ghost Race is powerful, it would be difficult for anyone to challenge an existence like the Qianli River.

The Qianli River is a great lineage of the Demon Dao, for legend says its Primordial Ancestor, Qianli Immortal Emperor, achieved the Dao as a demon. Despite this, even during their own era, Qianli Immortal Emperor was always an enigma.

Legend says Qianli Immortal Emperor was a carp who became a demon. Other legends claim they were a dragonfish who became a demon. Even more people believed Qianli Immortal Emperor was a fish that leaped the Dragon Gate, ultimately becoming an Immortal Emperor...

In short, everything about Qianli Immortal Emperor is confined to legend. This is because, among the many Immortal Emperors, Qianli Immortal Emperor was one of the most mysterious.

This isn’t just true today; even during their own era, Qianli Immortal Emperor was an enigma. No one knew their origins, no one knew where they came from, and even whether Qianli Immortal Emperor was male or female—that too was a mystery!

For millions of years, even back in Qianli Immortal Emperor’s own time, many people have wanted to solve this mystery. They’ve wanted to know Qianli Immortal Emperor’s origins and background, but the most pressing question of all was: was Qianli Immortal Emperor a man or a woman?!

And yet, this simplest of facts—whether they were male or female—has remained unknown for millions of years. It has always been a mystery. Qianli Immortal Emperor was like a figure hidden in mist and clouds, completely inscrutable to the world. Their entire being was submerged in the long river of time, and all these secrets vanished along with them.

Perhaps, over these millions of years, only Qianli Immortal Emperor themselves knew all these secrets. Perhaps only they knew if they were a man or a woman!

Regardless, no matter how mysterious Qianli Immortal Emperor was, one thing has been certain for millions of years: they achieved the Dao as a demon and eventually became an Immortal Emperor. As for what kind of demon they were, later generations have no idea and can only guess.

Feihuai Village, also known as Feihuai Manor, was a quiet little village. It was neither large nor small, with a population of a few hundred. However, this peaceful little village had produced quite a few notable figures: worldly generals, powerful magnates, and even Cultivators who soared through the skies in the eyes of Mortals. Some of these Cultivators had even become truly great personages.

But no matter what kind of great figures emerged from Feihuai Village, it always remained Feihuai Village. It never changed, remaining a quiet and peaceful little village.

In this quiet little village, no matter what kind of figures appeared over millions of years, none could break its tranquility.

It seemed that in the long river of time, no matter who came or who left, nothing could affect Feihuai Village. It always remained tranquil, a small village where people lived and worked in peace, like a secluded paradise.

It was as if some unseen power was sheltering this small village, making it impossible for anyone to shatter its peace.

Such a small village, nestled within the domain of the Qianli River, seemed particularly unremarkable.

But for the past few days, the home of Feihuai Village’s old chief hadn’t been very peaceful. His house was haunted. In the Ghost Sacred Realm, the domain of the Ghost Race, claiming a place was haunted was the biggest joke one could tell.

In the Ghost Sacred Realm, forget Cultivators—even common folk didn’t really believe in ghosts. If there were "ghosts" in the world, they were like the Ghost Race, which made them little different from people. Even ordinary people weren’t afraid of ghosts like that.

However, the old village chief’s backyard really had been haunted for the past few days. A ghostly shadow would often appear drifting about in his backyard. It would come out to drift around day or night, and those with a weaker disposition might even be frightened to death.

Moreover, the ghost haunting the old chief’s backyard seemed to be a young one. As for what it looked like, the old chief and his wife couldn’t say for sure. In short, it was a shadow. It looked like a young person, but it was an incorporeal, blurry silhouette that often loitered in their backyard.

The old chief and his wife were surprisingly open-minded about their backyard being haunted. At their advanced age, it didn’t seem to matter much whether it was a person or a ghost. If anything, it added a bit of excitement to their home; at least the villagers came by every day to see the ghost.

Still, the villagers advised the old couple to find a way to help the ghost pass on. The old chief just laughed at their suggestions. "This ghost just wanders around the backyard; it hasn’t done anything harmful," he said. "One day it’ll get tired of floating around and leave on its own."

"That’s not the way to think about it, Old Yang," a kind-hearted villager advised. "Who can say for sure with these Ghosts? What if it turns malicious and hurts someone one day? What will you do then?"

"That’s right! Isn’t your daughter studying at the Qianli River?" another villager added. "Why not have her come back and take a look? With her skills, helping a mere Little Ghost pass on should be no trouble at all."

At the mention of their daughter, the old chief and his wife sighed softly and said nothing. Their girl was always busy with her Cultivation at the Qianli River and rarely came home.

"Old Yang, since your daughter isn’t around, why not invite the abbot of Dazhi Temple to perform the ritual?" a villager suggested. "Master Dazhi is a High Monk with Boundless Buddhist Dharma. If he comes to help, there will definitely be no problem."

In the end, the old chief couldn’t withstand the villagers’ persuasion and had to personally make a trip to Dazhi Temple outside the village to invite its abbot, Master Dazhi.

In the villagers’ words, Master Dazhi was a monk of boundless Buddha Light. However, you would be mistaken to imagine him as a monk with long, white eyebrows and a white beard.

Monk Dazhi was a very young monk, looking to be in his early twenties. He had a large, clean-shaven head, dotted with two crooked rows of ordination scars. Seeing those two crooked rows of scars was enough to make one doubt if they were even real.

Monk Dazhi had a pair of very bright eyes and always wore a smile. In front of a crowd, this smile appeared kind and compassionate. But when he thought no one was looking, his smile always held a hint of mischief, giving him a perpetually shifty air.

A new volume, a new beginning, a new journey. Another road to invincibility unfolds before Li Qiye...