Chapter 333: Ghost Temple

Towering mountains rose and great rivers flowed. A sword-rainbow, like a meteor streaking across the sky, pierced through layers of clouds, soaring over mountains and vast rivers, covering tens of thousands of miles daily. The scenery below constantly changed, shifting from verdant pine and cypress forests to snow-capped mountains. The seasons became a fleeting panorama, and the unique and varied landscapes, shaped over millennia, displayed their rugged and bizarre beauty.

Though Sima was high on her sword, it was her first time observing the human world's scenery from such a close vantage point.

"In the Divine Kingdom, the mortal world was merely a flat map of mountains and seas to me, its landscapes and secrets laid bare," Sima said, standing on the sword's tip, her divine robe fluttering like a black flame in the wind.

She gazed at the receding, undulating terrain below as she spoke softly.

Ning Changjiu asked, "Is there any joy in a world without secrets?"

Sima replied, "Those who ask such questions are mostly vulgar mortals, understanding only trivial earthly pleasures, not the great joys of the immortals."

Ning Changjiu had grown accustomed to her constant sarcasm. Unperturbed, he continued with a question he had long been curious about: "A cycle of the Divine Kingdom lasts thirteen years. Each monarch guards it for only one year. What do you do during the remaining twelve years, when the Divine Kingdom is closed?"

Sima's expression grew solemn. After a moment, she sighed softly and said evasively, "This is one of the greatest secrets of the Divine Kingdom, and a major reason why, five hundred years ago, the great demons and cultivators of the human world were willing to unite with the Saint to fight against the heavens... While I cannot be certain, I can vaguely guess what kind of scene the Saint revealed to the world back then."

She dared not say more. If her words crossed the boundaries of the Heavenly Dao, supreme tribulation lightning, imbued with unstoppable power, could strike down. She was confident she could escape, but Ning Changjiu might be instantly annihilated.

Listening to her words, Ning Changjiu instinctively looked up at the sky. It was as clear as a maiden's delicate skin, yet the faint, terrifying menace hidden behind it was beyond his current comprehension.

The ringing of the sword echoed through the sky.

Ning Changjiu asked again, "These past few days, you've often praised the beauty of the human world. If you like it so much, why are you still unwilling to stay?"

Sima smiled faintly, no longer looking at the scenery below. She simply said, "Pure Yang is heaven, turbid Yin is earth. True great beauty always resides above... You will understand once your cultivation allows you to ascend. My appreciation for these beautiful sights is merely finding joy amidst hardship."

Ning Changjiu listened, his thoughts drifting. Ascension... that was where his previous life had ended.

His master was the executioner.

Now, he was heading there. He couldn't be sure if he was going towards life or death, but Night Eraser had already sealed his fate, and besides that, he had nowhere else to go.

Sima noticed his preoccupation and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Ning Changjiu came back to his senses, smiled faintly, and then asked, "By the way, have you heard of Kunlun?"

"Kunlun?" Sima replied, "You mean the second disciple of Sword Pavilion's sword?"

Ning Changjiu asked, "I'm asking if there's truly a place in this world called Kunlun."

"Kunlun is said to be the Pillar of Heaven in legends," Sima said indifferently.

Ning Changjiu waited quietly for her to continue.

Sima thought to herself: Kunlun's history was so ancient, almost two or three millennia ago. At that time, she was not yet a Divine Official. By the time she took office, the Divine Pillar of Kunlun had long since collapsed, its ruins scattered to unknown places. How could she know the precise history of Kunlun? She only knew that all subsequent pillars reaching to the heavens were collectively called Kunlun.

Rather than being a specific entity, the name Kunlun was a symbol: the only path for humans and demons to ascend to the heavens in the era before the severance of heaven and earth, a crystallization of all spirits' ambitions.

However, she was not satisfied with this explanation herself. After all, she had just told Ning Changjiu that past Divine Officials were almost omniscient.

Ning Changjiu, receiving no further explanation, asked, "Does the secret of Kunlun also violate the laws of the Heavenly Dao?"

"Hmm, all your questions somewhat exceed the boundaries of the rules. If I were still an official in the Divine Kingdom, you would be the first one I'd execute," Sima said coolly, her hands clasped behind her back. "In the future, it's best to keep such questions to yourself. Be careful, lest misfortune arise from your words. Understood?"

"Understood," Ning Changjiu nodded, then exposed her, "So, you don't actually know what Kunlun is either."

"You... you insolent wretch!" Sima's brow, like snow, turned fiery. She turned her head, snapping angrily, "Are you a Divine Official, or am I? In any case, Kunlun is something that reaches to the heavens! Anything in the world that reaches to the heavens can be called Kunlun!"

"Something that reaches to the heavens?" Ning Changjiu felt perplexed.

The Divine Pillar and Heavenly Peak of old had long been destroyed. Amidst the vast changes over time, many great mountains in the human world had also sunk into the sea. Even the tallest Four Towers of the Central Kingdom only pierced the clouds, far from reaching the true firmament, let alone the desolate Void Sea.

"Yes," Sima said with an air of confidence, casually deflecting. "Those who understand will understand; for those who don't, more words are futile. Ponder it yourself. You will comprehend once you break through the Five Paths."

Ning Changjiu nodded, appearing to understand yet not quite.

Sima asked, "Why do you keep asking about these things? Is it... related to your sect?"

Sima was curious about his mysterious sect.

Ning Changjiu nodded slightly, "Somewhat related."

Sima asked, "When did you leave your sect?"

Ning Changjiu fabricated a story: "Around seven years old. Later, I met an old Daoist priest in the human world and followed him. Afterward, the Daoist took in a junior sister, Ning Xiaoling. Back then, Xiaoling was far from as cute and well-behaved as she is now; she was quite sharp-tongued."

Sima, curious and bewildered, asked, "With your extraordinary innate talent, rarely seen in this world, why didn't your master take you in as an inner disciple and teach you personally? Instead, they left a seven-year-old like you to wander the mortal world, letting an old Daoist priest deceive you, wasting your precious time, and only awakening your potential at sixteen? Your path to cultivation must have been delayed because of that."

Ning Changjiu chuckled self-deprecatingly, "It's embarrassing to admit, but among my sect members, my talent and innate bone structure might only rank seventh."

Sima asked, "How many disciples are there in your sect in total?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "Seven, including myself."

Sima was silent for a moment. She closed her eyes, not believing Ning Changjiu's claim. Even among lives nurtured in the Divine Kingdom's Soul Well, there were countless imperfections. Someone like Ning Changjiu was exceptionally rare in every aspect, even within the Divine Kingdom... though, of course, far inferior to her, who was born of destiny.

"Hmph, your master's judgment is truly lacking. To discard a perfectly fine, unpolished jade like it was a useless stone. If I were your master, I would have calculated and arranged every aspect of your cultivation path and chosen the optimal route for you," Sima scoffed.

Ning Changjiu didn't know how to explain... In his previous life, his master had indeed done exactly that, even arranging his marriage.

Ning Changjiu said, "I also don't know what my master was thinking."

Sima stated confidently, "You shouldn't return to that sect. Seeing your current achievements, they might grow jealous and harm you instead."

Ning Changjiu didn't know how to reply. With Bai Zang watching, he couldn't reveal everything about the Unseen, even if he trusted Sima. So he equivocated, "After I entered the mortal world, there was no news from my sect for over a decade."

"They've probably forgotten you," Sima said indifferently.

"Perhaps," Ning Changjiu replied.

Sima gently shook her head, further lowering the perceived status of that reclusive sect in her mind.

"Well, there's nothing else to do anyway, so tell me about your sect," Sima said.

Ning Changjiu thought for a moment, then explained in simple terms, "My Senior Sister likes green skirts and manages the sect's library and regulations."

"A library requires quiet, and regulations require strictness. How can one person manage both? It seems your sect is severely short-staffed. Never mind, don't say anymore. It doesn't sound like a proper sect, which explains why someone like you emerged from it," Sima said, gently shaking her head as she listened.

Ning Changjiu paid no mind to her mockery. He occasionally glanced at the sky, concerned about whether lightning might strike from beyond the rules.

The sky remained calm... Fortunately, his master seemed to be a magnanimous person.

The final day's dusk had arrived.

The illusory sword that had carried them over countless mountains and rivers quietly shattered.

The two landed lightly, standing side by side.

The mountain path here was similar to others, yet sparser and more desolate. For hundreds of miles, no bird song was heard, no human habitation seen. Despite it being early spring, the wild grass and the tips of the leaves in the forest were curled and charred, as if licked by flames.

Ning Changjiu looked up; the twilight covering the sky also had an unusual, pale, murky hue.

Unconsciously, they seemed to have arrived in another world, leaving behind all the mountains and rivers they had traversed. A dry, chilling wind blew from the mountain path ahead, biting their faces.

Sima stood amidst this, her elegant face strikingly out of place against the desolate, ink-wash landscape. Her divinity seemed to have faded somewhat. As the setting sun cast her in profile, her silhouette, hidden among the tree shadows at the base of the stone path, resembled a lonely, wandering ghost.

"This place should already be considered part of Ten Thousand Demon City's territory," Sima said.

Ning Changjiu said, "But there's no demonic aura here at all."

Sima replied, "It's just the border. The actual Ten Thousand Demon City should still be a considerable distance from here."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Where will we stay tonight? There doesn't seem to be any safe place here."

Sima said, "Let's go forward and see."

The two ascended the broken stone path together. Beyond the path, the mountain forest opened up significantly. The road was deserted, but at its end, a dilapidated temple was faintly visible.

Ning Changjiu said, "If you don't mind, we can stay in the temple tonight."

"That's a ghost temple," Sima said, her brow slightly furrowed as she looked at the temple.

"A ghost temple?"

"Yes," Sima explained, "Ordinary people who come here might see a flat mountain path. Our eyes possess spiritual sight, which is why we can perceive this scene."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Do demons also worship gods and Buddhas?"

Sima replied, "Thousands of years after the death of the Underworld Monarch, the cycle of reincarnation collapsed, leaving souls without a resting place. This applies to humans and demons alike, and these ghost temples originated from that."

"Ghost temples... could they be related to the authority of the Underworld?" Ning Changjiu's heart stirred, and he immediately asked.

Sima pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly, "Perhaps."

Along the desolate path, they walked forward together, treading on scattered pebbles. The sky grew darker, and the strong wind rustled the leaves, creating soft, whispering sounds. The colors of dusk were fragmented by the swaying, and soon, the moon rose from the other side.

It was a full moon.

Ning Changjiu said, "This moon is not right."

The next full moon was at least seven days away.

"No need to be surprised," Sima said. "There are countless small worlds. When we stepped onto the path earlier, we entered this ghost temple. Everything you see is an illusion. Open your golden pupils, and you can see through it."

Ning Changjiu nodded, understanding that this might be a small underworld-like place constructed by some demons.

The construction of this ghost temple exuded an eerie atmosphere. Built from wood and stone, its entrance was flanked by two fierce, six-tailed beasts with sharp teeth, each holding a pearl in its mouth and eyes as large as brass bells. They seemed to be the demons' imagined Listener beasts. As Ning Changjiu and Sima approached, the first gate slowly creaked open, and a gust of wind blew out from within.

Sima walked in.

The ground was covered with broken bricks, with soil and dry grass filling the cracks. Across this courtyard stood the ghost temple itself. Its style was ancient, with walls made of tightly arranged wooden planks, dark and moldy. Neatly yet intricately stacked *dougong* brackets supported the eaves, from which hung bells without clappers, replaced by suspended Daoist talismans. The bells swayed with their footsteps. The inner door was open, revealing pitch darkness within, as if a flock of bats or crows might fly out at any moment.

"Wait."

The Golden Crow within Ning Changjiu was eager to emerge. As he was about to proceed, Sima grabbed his wrist.

"What's wrong?" Ning Changjiu asked softly.

Sima said, "Let's wait a bit before going in."

Ning Changjiu was puzzled but didn't object.

Soon after, a multitude of dark shadows suddenly appeared outside the courtyard gate. They seemed burdened by shackles, crawling one after another into the temple.

Ning Changjiu clearly saw their forms.

These were all dead demons.

In this world, ancient beings were called Ancient Gods, such as ancient dragons, phoenixes, Kunpengs, and Golden Crows. Their bloodlines were noble, and their numbers scarce. Even unrelated races could freely interbreed and produce offspring. However, the gestation period for Ancient Gods was too long, and the constant struggle for power among the various races often led to large-scale civil wars.

The phrase 'mountains of corpses and seas of blood' in ancient texts seemed simple, but in the real world, these four words could signify the decline and destruction of several tribes, leaving only the most powerful species to survive.

This was why the Dragon clan remained powerful at the end of the Ancient God era. At that time, their presence was almost ubiquitous across oceans, skies, and land. Furthermore, their restless nature led to indiscriminate mating, giving birth to countless absurd-looking divine descendants.

Demons, unlike Ancient Gods, were mostly animals that gained sentience and cultivated wisdom to become demon spirits.

Demonic reproduction rarely crossed species boundaries, so their lineages were clear. Whether they were jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards, or mere chickens and dogs, humans could instantly discern their original forms, regardless of whether they later developed three heads or six arms during cultivation.

Therefore, in comparison, demons were closer to humans than Ancient Gods.

Ning Changjiu watched the passing dark figures. As they drew closer, their forms became clearer: a scorpion demon with a broken tail, a gecko demon clutching its tail, gaunt wolves, spotted leopards... They had been dead for a long time, their pupils a dull gray, as if a mere breath would dissipate their forms. They had gathered here mostly out of instinct.

Ning Changjiu and Sima watched them enter the temple.

After all the demon souls entered the temple, the outer gate of the courtyard closed.

Ning Changjiu and Sima, with a tacit understanding, walked deeper into the temple.

They ascended the steps and passed under the dark eaves.

The temple was shrouded in darkness, yet it did not impede their vision. Chanting echoed in their ears, layered and almost ethereal; if one listened closely, bloody illusions of rivers of blood and boats made of bones would fill the mind.

Ning Changjiu was no longer the boy trapped in Linhe City. As the aura of terror pressed in, his expression remained as calm as the darkness itself.

The demon souls from before were all kneeling on the ground, prostrating themselves, listening to the chanting like automatons.

Ning Changjiu looked up and clearly saw the ghost in the ghost temple.

It was a statue of a deity wearing a feathered crown. The statue had a sharp beak-like mouth, was adorned with red ribbons, sat cross-legged, and wore an expression of compassion.

After the chanting ceased, the bronze-like statue seemed to come alive. It spoke, its voice compassionate yet laced with ruthless arrogance: "All demons suffer, and the heavens pity them. I am the envoy of the Ghost Emperor, acting on divine mandate, and I shall guide you across the Sea of Blood and the Cliff of Souls. Those who endure hardship shall see life on the other shore; those who cannot shall fall and become the fires of hell."

In front of the statue, a chained cauldron descended, its black, oily contents boiling.

All the demon souls knelt in unison, chanting, "We wish to be absolved by the ghost gods."

They crawled forward together, then tumbled into the iron cauldron.

Ning Changjiu watched this scene and quietly asked, "Do demons also have their own Underworld Monarch, proclaiming themselves ghost gods?"

Sima merely chuckled, "There are no ghost gods. These are just desperate spirits pushing themselves into an even more desperate hell."

Ning Changjiu was about to ask a question when he saw the statue on the temple dais come alive. It was no deity at all, but clearly a black-feathered, red-crested rooster. The red ribbons wrapped around it were actually a centipede that had lived for an unknown number of years, its slender legs resting on the rooster's feathers, coiling around it, its long antennae swaying.

With a startling bang, the rooster demon, its wing-tip gripping a pot lid, slammed it onto the boiling cauldron.

Inside the cauldron, the souls' wails were heart-rending.

The rooster demon's eyes were bloodshot. It stared at the iron cauldron, a sharp, sinister chuckle escaping its short, hard beak.

Ning Changjiu watched this scene and sighed softly.

Sima stated with certainty, "It possesses a small portion of the Underworld Monarch's authority."

Their voices echoed through the dilapidated temple. The rooster demon sharply lifted its head, eyes wide, and demanded sternly, "Who's there?!"

Only then did it notice two figures standing in the shadows by the entrance.

"Audacious demons, how dare you trespass into this sacred temple!" The rooster demon flapped its wings, letting out a strange cry. "Where do you come from? Are you coveting the soul soup?"

Ning Changjiu wasn't in a hurry. He asked, "May I ask, Great Immortal, what is soul soup?"

The rooster demon sneered, "Stop pretending to be ignorant! Since you're here, I'll offer you both as sacrifices to the Ghost Emperor!"

"The Ghost Emperor?" Ning Changjiu asked, "Who is that?"

The rooster demon no longer replied. It violently flapped its wings and lunged towards them. Sima lightly swung her sword.

The rooster demon, playing at being a deity, was sent flying by a single sword strike, shattering the statue on the dais before crashing into the wall.

Sima asked, "Who exactly is the Ghost Emperor?"

She appeared to be asking a question, but in reality, her divine sense had already penetrated the demon, searching its soul for knowledge.

However, she found nothing.

Sima grew suspicious, but then saw it, with its bloodshot eyes, recklessly charging at them again. Sima showed no more mercy and cleaved it in two with a single sword strike.

The rooster demon fell to the ground. Ning Changjiu was surprised to find it was merely an empty shell; all its internal organs had vanished, leaving only withered flesh.

"Its true form is that centipede!" Sima's expression turned sharp.

Ning Changjiu also noticed that the centipede coiled around the rooster had vanished. He opened his Sword Eyes and saw the centipede scuttling quickly across the ground, about to disappear into a crack.

But how could a mere centipede escape Sima's pursuit?

The centipede's long tail was pinned by an invisible sword from the darkness. Then, the wall was torn away, and countless swords pierced its segmented armor, nailing it to the ground. The centipede emitted a piercing shriek before dying. The ghost temple's mist dissipated, the full moon in the sky shattered, and a black fragment emerged from its rapidly decaying body. Sima cleansed it with spiritual power, retrieved it through the air, and handed it to Ning Changjiu.

"This is one of the Underworld Monarch's fragments. Although tiny, obtaining it so soon after arriving at Ten Thousand Demon City is a good start," Sima said, looking at the dilapidated temple behind them, from which chilling winds emanated.

Ning Changjiu stared at the fragment, as small as a grain of sand, and said, "It seems the ghost temple's reincarnation is nonexistent; it's just a deception."

Sima said indifferently, "Where in this world is there not a deception? Moreover, whether it's a trick or not, souls cannot escape the fate of shattering and dissipating."

Ning Changjiu let out a helpless chuckle.

Sima said, "We have something to do tonight. I imagine there are many more such temples hidden outside Ten Thousand Demon City."

So, that night, they searched for ghost temples among the desolate mountains and wilderness.

These ghost temples were largely similar, and the ghost Buddhas residing within them were all deceitful demons in disguise. But these demons were very strange. Like the centipede coiling around the rooster earlier, there were praying mantises controlling orioles, goat demons holding wolves captive, and venomous snakes entwined around eagles...

The laws of nature seemed to have been inverted. They not only killed their natural predators but also used them as puppets, creating statues with a bizarre aesthetic.

Ning Changjiu was curious about this and initially wanted to search their souls for the truth, but these demons seemed to be puppets of some unknown entity. Once exposed, they all went insane.

Even when they rescued the demon souls, the souls showed no gratitude. Instead, they regarded Ning Changjiu and Sima as god-slaying devils, their primal instincts aroused, and they lunged at them.

In just half a night, dozens of ghost temples were destroyed.

Sima, however, was somewhat tired. Leaning against a tree, she looked through the leaves at the crescent moon high in the sky and said indifferently, "Even if we eliminate all the ghost temples here, I doubt we'd find even a single complete fragment."

Ning Changjiu looked at the fragments in his palm and said, "The true fragments of authority should be with the so-called Ghost Emperor they mentioned."

"Hmm, at least we have some clues. I initially thought we'd be blindly searching after getting here," Sima said.

Ning Changjiu gathered the fragments. "It seems we just need to go to Ten Thousand Demon City tomorrow and find this 'Ghost Emperor.' With such a grand title, it shouldn't be hard to locate."

Sima didn't pay much attention to his words. She looked at the moon, feeling as if the moon was also watching her.

She was certain there were no deities in the Moon Palace, yet the feeling was strange, almost lulling her to sleep.

"Let me lean on your shoulder," Sima said.

"What for?" Ning Changjiu had barely asked when Sima gently rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes slightly closed.

Ning Changjiu took off his outer robe and draped it over her.

"Putting on an act," Sima scoffed, not acknowledging the gesture, and gently drifted to sleep.

Sima had a strange dream.

In her dream, she continued her journey towards Ten Thousand Demon City.

Yet, what she approached was not Ten Thousand Demon City, but a moon.

Within the moon, a white-clad figure stood with its back to her, its radiant glow outshining the bright moon itself.