Chapter 312: Further Progress

When the aquatic creatures’ procession had finally departed, the City God of Queru City, who had been standing to one side, stepped forward to bid farewell to Xin Wuyai.

“City Lord Xin, I shall take my leave now.”

It was only when the City God spoke that Xin Wuyai remembered the ghost deity beside him. He returned the bow and asked with a slight hint of confusion, “Didn’t City God Wang wait here for Mr. Ji? He has already left.”

The City God smiled as he returned the greeting. “Indeed, I had intended to confirm a few matters with Mr. Ji, but now there is no longer any need. It is not advisable for a ghost god to remain outside their jurisdiction for too long. City Lord Xin, we shall part ways here.”

The City God’s purpose in waiting was twofold: to understand the powers of this mysterious immortal cultivator and because it concerned Wuyai City. In fact, after Xin Wuyai, it was likely they, the ghost gods, who were most concerned about Wuyai City. Now that the outcome was far better than anticipated, there was naturally no need to take any superfluous actions.

Having said this, the City God, who had arrived alone, turned around and vanished in a streak of light.

With no outsiders left, Xin Wuyai looked at the two ghost generals and several ghost soldiers he had brought with him. These trusted subordinates had been quite shaken just now; when the lightning spell was close, the ghost soldiers, apart from the generals, had barely managed not to turn and flee. Still, they had fared much better than those aquatic creatures.

“Do you remember those who clamored for a human feast during the banquet earlier?” Xin Wuyai asked.

At Xin Wuyai’s words, one of the ghost generals immediately replied, “We remember some of them. As for the rest, even if we don’t remember them precisely, we can certainly guess.”

To be invited to the banquet meant having some status in the ghost city for a ghost. Living in the same city, many were familiar with each other’s backgrounds. It was not difficult to imagine which individuals strongly desired to consume humans and which ones would speak up on such an occasion.

“It’s good that you remember. When I return later… I’d rather kill a thousand innocents than let one guilty person escape!” Xin Wuyai narrowed his eyes, looking back towards Wuyai Ghost City. He quietly relayed Mr. Ji’s intent to his subordinates, though Mr. Ji’s original words were to eliminate them if they proved useless, while in Xin Wuyai’s interpretation, it became an absolute order to eradicate them all.

As Xin Wuyai spoke, the ghost generals and soldiers beside him either frowned or nodded. After he finished explaining the desired outcome, he suddenly smiled. “With so many ancient ghosts dispersing their Yin energy, it’s a perfect opportunity to elevate Wuyai City’s Yin energy to the next level. Besides, the golden light from that lightning canopy just now must have been seen by all the ghost citizens within the city, giving us a perfect excuse to act.”

Back in Wuyai Ghost City, after Xin Wuyai’s return, many ghosts in the city still showed expressions of fear and lingering dread. Many had never seen lightning above their heads since residing in Wuyai City, but moments ago, the entire sky had transformed into a golden thundercloud, creating a terrifying sensation akin to the end of the world.

Fortunately, that dreadful aura arrived and departed swiftly, vanishing without a trace shortly thereafter.

Because of this event, news soon spread from the Underworld Ghost Manor that an esteemed master, a friend of the City Lord, had congratulated him on refining his Ghost Yin Body and had helped Wuyai Ghost City refine its Yin energy canopy, which would soon reach a higher level.

Upon Xin Wuyai’s return, Wuyai Ghost City had already closed all its gates and activated protective spells, effectively trapping everyone inside.

Xin Wuyai had no doubt that the operation would succeed, nor was he particularly concerned about the matter being exposed. After all, Wuyai City was his absolute domain.

At four and a quarter *mao shi* (around 6:30 AM), after the celebration had concluded, within a pavilion deep inside the Underworld Ghost Manor.

City Lord Xin Wuyai sat on a prayer mat, meditating. Upon returning to the city, he had dispatched numerous capable subordinates, led by several high-ranking ghost generals, to eliminate the ferocious evil spirits.

At this moment, Xin Wuyai could distinctly feel the increase in the city’s Yin energy, which indicated that many malevolent ghosts and fierce souls had already been purged.

A ghost general approached the pavilion entrance and cupped his hands in greeting, reporting, “Reporting to the City Lord, including those we suspected, we have already executed over two hundred evil ghosts. The Black Emissary has also been apprehended. He earnestly requests an audience with the City Lord.”

Xin Wuyai opened his eyes and looked at the ghost general outside. “What does he have to say?”

“He claims his loyalty to the City Lord is absolute, and that he captured those mortals to offer them to you. If thoroughly investigated, he believes he actually saved those four, otherwise they would have been consumed by the ghosts in Tengyuan Tower long ago.”

A faint smile appeared on Xin Wuyai’s pale face. “Nothing else?”

The ghost general thought for a moment before confirming, “No, nothing else.”

“Very well. Confiscate his Soul-Reaping Hook, then execute him.”

“Understood!”

The ghost general acknowledged the order and, looking at the City Lord, hesitated. “City Lord, won’t you see him? This subordinate genuinely believes he is loyal to you.”

“He wishes to see me merely to beg for his life, but he will die whether I see him or not, so let him die just like this. Oh, by the way, what is Tengyuan Tower?”

The ghost general thought for a moment before replying, “It seems to be a rather well-known restaurant in the city.”

“Hmm. Eliminate the ghosts associated with that restaurant as well. Consider it an explanation for Xiang Zhong. You may go now.”

“This subordinate obeys!”

The ghost general bowed again, then retreated a few steps before turning and departing.

Inside a dark dungeon within the Ghost Manor, the Black Emissary watched with anticipation as the outer door opened. He saw the ghost general, led by a ghost soldier, walk in. He couldn't help but grasp the black Yin-iron bars of his cell, excitedly asking for the result.

“General Wu! Has General Wu seen the City Lord? Did the City Lord agree to see me? There must be a misunderstanding; I, Xiang, will personally explain to the City Lord and apologize…”

“Xiang Zhong, the City Lord has agreed to see you! Open the door for him.”

“Yes!”

The ghost soldier produced a key emanating a malevolent aura and unlocked the prison door.

“Excellent, excellent!”

The Black Emissary emerged from his cell, filled with gratitude. He bowed deeply to the typically expressionless ghost general, thanking him profusely. “Thank you, General, for conveying my message. Thank you…”

The moment the Black Emissary raised his head after his bow.

*Zheng…*

The sound of a weapon being drawn accompanied a flash of blade. A mere afterimage flickered, and the Black Emissary’s words of thanks abruptly ceased. His ghost body had been decapitated, then transformed into a thick mist that dispersed outside the prison.

Gao Tianming’s procession had long since departed from Wuyai Ghost City.

After daybreak, some of the aquatic creatures in the procession began to reveal parts of their true forms. Many servants’ faces sprouted fish scales, others developed horny growths or long whiskers.

These creatures were not highly cultivated beings, much less true transformed spirits; they merely relied on illusory magic. The power of the sun, however, countered many Yin arts,邪 arts, and illusion spells, which is why many evil creatures could only create illusions to deceive people at night.

The previous day, when the procession was seen in Wuyai City, it was within a shadowy domain, so their true forms were not obvious. Now, outside, under the sunlight, a large portion of these creatures’ true forms were fully exposed.

The four rescued individuals naturally awoke when the carriage they were in was touched by sunlight. Upon seeing the appearances of the surrounding servants, they dared not remain in the carriage any longer and insisted on walking alongside Yan Fei.

A peculiar mist consistently enveloped the procession. While those within it did not notice, their actual speed was much faster than ordinary walking. Gao Tianming described it as a "wave-gliding method."

Around noon, the procession arrived at a river. This was where the Tianshui Lake group would enter the water, then glide forward underwater until they merged with the downstream current leading to Tianshui Lake.

The carriages and creatures had already eagerly entered the water first, while Gao Tianming and his wife remained on the bank.

“Mr. Ji, please visit my Tianshui Lake Water Mansion if you have the time. While I, Gao, cannot offer a divine brew like Dragon Saliva Incense, I do have some good wines!” Gao Tianming and his wife stood respectfully by the water’s edge, bowing to Mr. Ji in farewell.

“Yes, Mr. Ji,” Xiaqiu added, “If you come, I will personally cook a table of my specialty dishes for you.”

Ji Yuan mentally pondered what cooking underwater would entail, while also cupping his hands in farewell. “I will certainly visit when I have a chance.”

Hearing Ji Yuan’s words, Xiaqiu immediately beamed with delight, saying cheerfully, “I’ll hold you to that, Sir! You mustn’t break your word!”

“Oh, what are you saying, dear wife? Mr. Ji is a profound immortal master; how could he possibly break his word!”

The couple exchanged playful remarks, their faces radiating smiles. They knew when to conclude and then cupped their hands in farewell to Niu Batian and Yan Fei, among others.

“Brother Niu, Brother Yan, and the four of you, may we meet again. My wife and I shall now enter the water. We bid you farewell!”

“Farewell, Brother Gao!” “Until we meet again!”

Niu Batian and Yan Fei returned the greetings. The four rescued individuals merely bowed respectfully without uttering a word, understanding that their presence was of little concern to the others.

After bidding farewell to everyone, Gao Tianming and his wife stepped into the water. There was no parting of the river or swirling vortex; the river simply rose, covering them from their feet to over their heads, leaving only a ripple on the surface.

The four individuals, who had grown somewhat numb from repeated frights, finally let out a huge sigh of relief. Ke Yundong even remarked with a touch of emotion, “I never thought I’d witness such a miraculous sight in my lifetime…”

Zhou Xing looked at Ji Yuan with reverence, then turned to Niu Batian and Yan Fei, stepping closer to whisper, “Master Yan, Master Niu, are all the monsters and ghosts gone now?”

Before Yan Fei could speak, Niu Batian chuckled and replied, “Yes, yes, yes, all the monsters are gone now, and it’s even less likely there are any ghosts. You can rest easy now. Oh, honestly, walking with that monster procession, the pressure was quite considerable.”

“Indeed! We must thank the immortal master and both of you heroes for saving us. Otherwise, trapped in that ghost city, we would surely have met our demise.” Ke Yundong echoed, not forgetting to express his gratitude.

“Ah, saying thank you once is enough. Saying it ten times only becomes annoying. A master like Mr. Ji doesn’t care for such formalities. Come on, let’s hurry to Luping City.”

The Wei family of Zhonghu Dao was based outside Luping City, possessing a sprawling manor estate. While not particularly renowned in the current Zuyue jianghu, they were a well-known name around Luping City, and the three Ke siblings and Zhou Xing were all from Luping City.

Learning that they could travel with the immortal master and the two heroes who had saved their lives filled the four with joy.

Old Niu, walking briskly ahead with his arms around Ke Yundong and Zhou Xing’s necks, quietly asked them, “May I ask you two something? Luping City is quite large, isn’t it? Are there any famous, hehehehe… any of those Red Sleeve Brothels there?”

Seeing Old Niu, who resembled a simple farmer, ask such an unsophisticated question with a guileless expression, Ke Yundong and Zhou Xing were somewhat bewildered.