Chapter 161: Request for Defense

Ever since the three ghost judges had returned, Qingyang Temple had regained its usual peace. Perhaps the matter of the ghost judge selection had given the underworld’s envoys a renewed sense of purpose — even the way they managed wandering spirits had become far more diligent and responsible than before.

Even Master Xu from the Celestial Master Hall sent word that the number of commissions related to malevolent spirits causing trouble had dropped significantly. Sometimes, when disciples went out to subdue spirits, they would run into underworld envoys already there to collect souls. Their work attitude was so proactive and eager — all striving to make a good impression in hopes of gaining extra points for the next ghost judge selection. And even if they failed this time, there would be another chance twenty years later, after all.

For a while, the operations of the Netherworld’s Youling Domain reached an unprecedented level of harmony and progress.

Everyone in the Mystic Sect was quite pleased by this turn of events — everyone except one particular old man who suffered nightly ghost attacks.

Bai Yu truly felt his old age had become pitiful beyond words. It was bad enough that he spent his days teaching classes and getting beaten up in training, but now, even at night, he had to deal with spirits suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

Ever since the three ghost judges had last visited him, the spirits of Youling Domain seemed to have gone mad. Every now and then, a few would pop up in his room at night — not only scaring him half to death but also chilling the air with their ghostly aura until his old bones creaked with cold. All his rest time was being spent “seeing ghosts.”

“Girl, you have to think of something!” The old man looked utterly miserable, pointing at the dark circles under his eyes. “If this keeps up, I might as well descend to the underworld and become a Yama myself! Even if you won’t help for the sake of our shared sect, at least consider the quality of my lectures! Yesterday, I nearly fell asleep in class! If my teaching gets bad and they want to refund the tuition, what will we do?”

Yun Jiao blinked, glanced at him, and nodded thoughtfully. “You have a point. How about I make you some pills to refresh your mind and boost concentration?”

“…” Was that the point?!

The old man’s mouth twitched before he snapped, “I don’t care — I’ve already drawn the ghost-repelling talismans. You must help me set up a ghost-warding formation! I can’t take it anymore — opening my eyes and seeing ghosts every night is terrifying!” He couldn’t handle the girl or the ancestral master, but surely he could deal with these pesky spirits.

“…Fine.” Yun Jiao glanced down at the stack of test papers marked sixty points and sighed. “You’ve gotten worse again — I guess the pressure really is too much.”

Actually, those spirits haunting the old man were the city lords of various ghost cities within Youling Domain. After all, only the upper ranks of the ghost realm — aside from the ghost judges — would know that the old man had been appointed the new Yama.

Their visits were understandable. For these city lords, whose cultivation and power far exceeded normal spirits, the ghost judge selection was a major opportunity. Coming early to curry favor with their new superior was perfectly logical. Still, dropping by unannounced like that was excessive — though it also showed how much weaker the remaining three ghost judges’ control over Youling Domain had become.

Just as Yun Jiao stood up to accompany the old man to set the formation, Yuan Jiang — who had just entered — also rose and said, “Little Martial Niece, why don’t I come along as well? A formation infused with celestial energy will be more effective.” It would also serve to set some rules for those overstepping ghost city lords.

“Sure, thank you, Martial Uncle.” Bai Yu brightened immediately and quickly dragged the two of them toward his courtyard. As he walked, he chattered, “Thanks for your trouble, Martial Uncle. I just need a simple ghost-warding formation — very easy! Just follow whatever the girl says.”

Yuan Jiang smiled good-naturedly, not taking the old man’s words to heart. Although formations weren’t his specialty, a basic ghost-warding array was within his abilities.

Once they reached the courtyard, Yuan Jiang carefully surveyed the terrain. Just as he was about to form seals and start setting up, Yun Jiao suddenly spoke up.

“Martial Uncle Yuan, please go under that jujube tree on the right and set a formation core there. Use the vitality of plants as the base, gather the yin and demonic aura into a binding array, then link it with celestial energy to make the cycle continuous.”

“Ah?!” Yuan Jiang froze — wasn’t this supposed to be a simple ghost-warding formation?

But Yun Jiao had already turned to Bai Yu. “Old man, go to that rock on the left. According to Chapter Five, Section Six of the Five Elements Spirit-Extinguishing Array, set up a formation with spiritual energy to purify the wandering spirits. Decide for yourself how much you want to clear out. Once you’re done, come back and help me activate the formation.”

“Got it!” The old man pulled out formation flags and hurried off in the direction she indicated. He seemed entirely used to this by now, moving with practiced efficiency.

Meanwhile, Yun Jiao had also taken out her own flags and began weaving hand seals as she moved around the courtyard, occasionally setting arrays as she went. Small familiar formation patterns began appearing beneath her feet — some to expel evil, some to repel yin, others to bind, annihilate, or even ward off cold and keep warmth. One after another, within moments, five or six different formations of varying sizes were already glowing faintly.

Yuan Jiang was completely dumbfounded.

“…”

What happened to a ghost-warding formation? Whose ghost-warding array looks like this?! This wasn’t warding — this was extermination!

The two worked quickly, and soon the setup was nearly complete. Yun Jiao noticed Yuan Jiang still standing frozen in place and asked, “Martial Uncle Yuan?” She walked over, puzzled. “Is there a problem?”

Yuan Jiang blinked, snapping out of it. “N-no… nothing!”

He hastily formed a seal and, following her instructions, set a formation node beneath the jujube tree. A green light flared to life.

“The old man can activate the array now!” Yun Jiao called out. Bai Yu immediately placed the final flag, and the next moment, a massive formation lit up across the courtyard. Like a fuse, it connected all the smaller formations, merging them into a single unified system.

The young niece had been right — it was a ghost-warding formation. But not only did it repel spirits, it also trapped them, dispelled resentment, performed salvation rites, and could even counterattack and disperse enemy arrays. Oh, and it reduced the chill of ghostly aura — with the added benefits of warmth and deodorization.

Yuan Jiang: “…”

He suddenly felt like he couldn’t keep up with the new generation of Mystic Sect disciples!

Now he understood why Bai Yu had said what he did earlier. Compared to an ordinary ghost-warding formation, Yun Jiao’s version was indeed far more advanced. And… to hell with simple! Did this girl have some kind of obsession with formations? Even a basic ghost-warding one had to be this complicated?

Once Yun Jiao finished the setup, she gave the old man a few reminders — not to forget his cultivation class later — then turned to Yuan Jiang and asked, “Martial Uncle Yuan, did you have business with me today?”

Yuan Jiang paused, finally recovering from the shock of being outdone by a junior. Smiling sheepishly, he said, “You could tell?”

“Mm.” At this time of day, he was usually supervising Class Four’s punishment copying of talisman scripts. He wouldn’t normally come to chat unless something was up.

“There is something.” He hesitated, then formed a seal. A storage pouch appeared in his hand as he spoke solemnly, “Little Martial Niece, regarding the materials you mentioned for restoring the golden body — I’ve managed to gather them all. If you’re free, could you refine the pills for your Martial Uncle?”

(End of Chapter)