Chapter 145: Mist Son

In the wind and snow at the top of the mountain, piercing, unpleasant shrieks, like those of night owls, could be heard.

They were the cries of "Man-eating Dusk Bats," summoned by Long Ting, the Dragon Gate inheritor, using his flute. These are malevolent demons with formidable combat power and fierce temperaments, reaching two to three meters in length, with wide fleshy wings, sharp claws, and gruesome, humanoid heads.

During the clash on the mountaintop, he had been at a disadvantage, forced to summon the Man-eating Dusk Bat swarm to contend with Jiang Ning.

The Man-eating Dusk Bats shrieked in agony, continuously falling to Jiang Ning's sword, turning into a bloody rain in the wind.

"Boom!"

Long Ting fought and retreated, moving swiftly northward.

The spiritual energy fluctuations from their clash gradually weakened, disappearing into the gloom.

Li Weiyi slowly stood up, looking at the avalanche-torn mountain gap a hundred zhang away, then gazing in the direction the two had departed. His eyes were filled with longing; only by reaching such a cultivation height could one lead the younger generation and stand above the rest.

His gaze fell upon Li Ling beside him, sensing a starkly different look in her eyes, as if a sixteen-year-old girl had witnessed millennia of change in a single day.

Li Ling turned her face, meeting his eyes. "Let's talk."

"Since we're talking, I hope we can be more candid," Li Weiyi said.

Li Weiyi wasn't intimidated by the invisible aura emanating from her. He tried to adjust his mindset, reminding himself that she was no longer the ancient Heavenly Emperor who once wielded immense power.

Li Ling gazed towards Yunzhou, shrouded in endless darkness and silence, her eyes deep and profound. "Have you heard of 'Yang Marriage'?"

Li Weiyi looked bewildered and shook his head.

"Don't you have three old spirit-beings with you? They don't know either?" Li Ling asked.

Li Weiyi shook his head again.

"Hmph, those three are truly ignorant," she scoffed.

Using this as a starting point, Li Ling began to explain in detail: "That day, you fell onto the bronze ship, landing right on my burial mound and bleeding profusely. It was the blood flowing from your body that awakened me, who had already passed on."

"This is an energy unique to the bloodline of your ancient clan's descendants!"

"If it had just ended there, I would have merely awakened, like those three old men, nothing more than a lost spirit. My past cultivation experience would be useless, and I would have to embark on the path of spirit cultivation. The chances of cultivating back to my former peak would be incredibly slim."

"Most lost spirits in the Nether Realm grow stronger by devouring each other. Their cultivation methods are learned through consumption, and their wisdom gradually emerges as their cultivation strengthens."

"Therefore, compared to the entirely unfamiliar and unpredictable path of a lost spirit, I chose the path of life, which I had walked before."

"Once truly alive again, flesh will grow on my bones, my energy springs and Qi sea will naturally return, my Dao Seed can easily blossom and bear fruit, and the lock of longevity will already be broken... I could return to my peak in a very short time, and even forge a stronger, more perfect foundation, allowing me to go further in the future."

"However, to reverse life and death is to defy the laws of life and disrupt the order of the Yang World."

"The only way is to use the unique bloodline of a descendant from your ancient clan to 'marry back' into the Yang World."

Li Weiyi was astonished by her explanation, finding it hard to comprehend. "Marry back into the Yang World? A ghost marriage?"

Li Ling appeared extremely calm. "According to ancient texts, your ancient clan indeed possesses extraordinary abilities, capable of seizing the creation of heaven and earth. As long as one becomes a part of the family, they can be resurrected from death."

Seeing her utterly serious, not joking, Li Weiyi said, "That's too absurd and superstitious. Senior, as an ancient Heavenly Emperor, you actually believe the nonsense written in those texts? If simply marrying a descendant of this family allows one to return from death, wouldn't all the lost spirits in the world be scrambling to marry? Furthermore, Senior, you yourself said this disrupts the order of the Yang World and violates the laws of life. Who can defy natural laws?"

"The masters of order, laws, and rules," Li Ling replied in a serious tone.

Li Weiyi remained silent.

"Legend has it that the ancestor of your ancient clan was extraordinary, which is why the bloodline of their descendants is uniquely blessed," Li Ling continued. "Originally, I couldn't be certain if Yang Marriage truly existed, but the appearance of your Dao Guardian Wife made me fully believe the legend."

Li Weiyi fell silent.

His Dao Guardian Wife was indeed bizarre; there seemed to be no reasonable explanation other than believing in Chan Hai Guan Wu.

He asked, "How exactly does Yang Marriage work? On the bronze ship, why did you drag me into the tomb, seemingly trying to kill me?"

Li Ling gazed at him. "I wasn't trying to kill you; dragging you into the tomb was to complete the Yang Marriage ritual."

"The Yang Marriage ritual?" Li Weiyi asked.

Li Ling explained, "It's an exchange of souls! In the tomb, I infused a wisp of my soul into your body. Just as I was about to take your soul, you broke free, so the ritual was only half-completed then."

Li Weiyi recalled carefully: when his forehead touched the skeleton of Chan Hai Guan Wu in the tomb, a chilling power had indeed entered his glabella.

No wonder Li Ling could always find him and precisely pinpoint his location.

No wonder Zhu Qinfeng, the Governor of Yanzhou, had mistaken him—it was because she sensed Chan Hai Guan Wu's soul aura on him.

"That's not right!"

Li Weiyi shook his head. "On the bronze ship, you clearly said you needed a large amount of my blood and soul. Since it's a marriage ritual, it should be fair, right? Why should I have to give so much more? If you had said at the time that you only needed a wisp of my soul, perhaps there wouldn't have been so many misunderstandings later."

Li Ling replied, "I needed a large amount of your blood to grow flesh and blood capable of defying the order of the Yang World, to transform back into a living being. As for your soul... it's the same principle. After all, you are a normal being in the Yang World, and a nether-wife is not."

Li Weiyi felt she wasn't being entirely sincere or frank, holding back the full truth.

But it didn't really matter!

Because it was absolutely impossible for Li Weiyi to give her a large amount of blood and soul. Who knew if he would be controlled by her or have his life and death manipulated as a result? Not to mention, she wasn't truly intending to marry him.

Even if she truly intended to marry, a woman before and after marriage could be completely different people. The more one gave up before marriage, the more constrained one would be after.

"What if I choose not to give you my blood and soul?"

Li Weiyi recalled the formidable power she had displayed earlier. He ultimately swallowed the words that had reached his throat, then smiled and said, "I can't help but feel that this so-called Yang Marriage ritual is just you constantly making demands by force, without ever asking for my consent."

"I can understand your mindset. As a dignified ancient Heavenly Emperor, a being at the pinnacle of the Lingxiao Living Realm, who once possessed supreme divine abilities like plowing a thousand li with a finger or holding rivers and seas in a cup—how could you possibly look favorably upon a mere weak mortal man?"

"Would you care about his wishes? Would you consider his feelings? You didn't treat him as a husband for Yang Marriage at all, but merely as a tool to bring yourself back to life."

"If, from the beginning, you had chosen to communicate, the outcome might have been entirely different."

Li Ling retorted, "If I had tried to communicate with you at first, would you really have given me your blood and soul? Would you have believed my words? Without sufficient understanding, neither of us would trust the other."

"You're right. After thousands of years of cultivation, my mindset has changed greatly. It's difficult for me to put myself in a mortal's shoes and consider their feelings."

"But I can assure you, once the Yang Marriage ritual is complete, I will take responsibility for you and protect you for life."

"If you don't believe me, you can ask those three old men. They should know what kind of person Chan Hai Guan Wu is."

Li Ling's gaze fell on Li Weiyi's chest, specifically on the Buddha Relic of the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish, where she sensed the fluctuations of the three lost spirits.

She detected them because the three masters had been constantly perceiving the outside world, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Master Jar was excited and transmitted a message to Li Weiyi: "Marry her! That's Chan Hai Guan Wu! Losing a bit of blood and soul is nothing, especially since you also control a wisp of her soul. Just imagine, walking the world in the future and casually mentioning, 'My wife is Chan Hai Guan Wu,' how prestigious would that be!"

Master Spirit Tablet said, "Weiyi, my advice to you is that the entire behavioral logic of Yang Marriage and Chan Hai Guan Wu, from her awakening on the bronze ship to her parasitizing Li Ling's body, makes sense. What she's saying should be the truth."

Master Coffin said, "The information I can give you is that Chan Hai Guan Wu, at least in her lifetime, did things that earned my admiration. But don't listen to Master Jar; if you marry her, the karma involved won't be small. It's a lifelong bond."

Li Ling's voice turned chilling. "Do you three think I can't hear your telepathic messages? 'Chan Hai Guan Wu'—you dare to address me so casually? A thousand years ago, when you came to pay respects at the Lingxiao Palace, how did you refer to me then?"

The three masters immediately fell silent, no longer speaking.

"Boom!"

"Rumble!"

The ground shook.

Snowflakes splattered and drifted down from the mountaintop, accompanied by a cascade of碎石 rolling down.

"Roar!"

An earth-shattering tiger's roar echoed through the night, and ripples of spiritual energy appeared in the air.

On the snowy ridge, powerful cultivators were once again clashing fiercely.

Wu, now reduced to the size of a kitten, became very excited and darted towards the mountaintop, but Li Ling caught him by the tail, lifting him upside down.

"It's Cang Li's energy signature. Why is he in the Nether Realm of the Deceased too?"

Li Weiyi made himself invisible again, concealing his aura, and looked upwards.

He could see two bright masses of spiritual energy colliding fiercely. Cang Li had unleashed his White Tiger combat technique, while opposite him was a dazzling golden light. The being within the golden light had four arms, each holding a high-grade magical artifact of impressive power.

"That should be Wuxin Golden Ape, the demon inheritor from Tianya Ridge," Li Ling said.

Li Weiyi nodded. Among the young masters in the entire Southern Territory, only Zuoqiu Ting and Wuxin Golden Ape could contend with Cang Li to this extent.

This was an unusual signal!

Unless absolutely necessary, why would all these promising young prodigies come to the Nether Realm of the Deceased? And creating such a huge commotion—weren't they afraid of alarming malevolent spirits at the Dao Seed level? Realizing something, the two suddenly exchanged glances.

Li Weiyi said, "If disturbances erupt in Yaoguan City and Burial Immortal Town, it will inevitably trigger a larger chain reaction, and then the entire Lizhou will be engulfed in war. For young martial cultivators from various major forces who wish to leave Lizhou, it seems safer to travel along the edge of the Nether Realm of the Deceased."

"That makes sense," Li Ling agreed.

Li Weiyi felt a strong sense of impending crisis. "The Jiuli clan will send their outstanding young martial cultivators out of the Lizhou battlefield, and the Four Great Sects will surely do the same. This mountain range is likely to become very lively. Senior Chan Hai, how strong are you exactly? Can you handle it?"

Chan Hai Guan Wu's strength was formidable, but it seemed not to be sustainable, merely a bluff. That's why Li Weiyi asked that question.

Li Ling said, "If the Yang Marriage can be completed, I can certainly protect you."

Li Weiyi smiled noncommittally. "Is there no other way?"

"Yes, we can enter the Shaoyang Star and hide for a few days, then slowly follow them once they've passed through," Li Ling said.

That was indeed a rather good idea!

It was wise to avoid conflict for now; no need to dance on the edge of a blade.

But Li Weiyi feared that it would be easy to invite the deity but hard to send them away, so he first communicated with Master Spirit Tablet.

"Don't worry, Shaoyang Star is your home ground," Master Spirit Tablet said concisely, not daring to say too much, fearing he would offend Chan Hai Guan Wu again.

Li Weiyi and Li Ling swiftly moved down the mountain towards the Nether Realm of the Deceased.

Nearing a hidden area at the foot of the mountain, Li Weiyi quickly dug a cave and sealed its entrance with ghost flags and earth.

Before activating the Buddha Relic, he placed Wu into a black cloth bag capable of sealing perceptions.

"Whoosh!"

Spatial fluctuations spread, and he and Li Ling vanished within the cave.

Inside the cave, only the Buddha Relic remained, suspended in mid-air, supported by a Tai Chi imprint.

After Li Weiyi's spiritual cultivation reached the Bright Fire of Square Inch realm, his Blood Mud Space had expanded to tens of zhang in diameter.

On the crimson muddy ground, the thirty-meter-long Jade Boat magical artifact and the silver coffin, resembling a large covered walkway, were the most eye-catching.

Li Ling's gaze was drawn to the two-meter-tall Governor's Seal at the bow of the Jade Boat magical artifact. She murmured softly, "I didn't expect you to possess such a treasure."

"Whoosh!"

Li Ling's body emanated a bright auspicious glow, her delicate form enveloped in a ball of light, and the powerful aura of the ancient Heavenly Emperor burst forth.

Gradually, a stunning figure, much taller than Li Ling and nearly 1.8 meters tall, emerged from the auspicious glow.

Her body proportions were absolutely perfect.

She wore an extraordinary red gown, her long hair cascaded down, emanating a peaceful and tranquil Daoist charm.

Her skin was as luminous white as immortal jade, a floral pattern adorned her glabella, and she appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen years old. Despite her youth, she exuded a sharp aura of disdain for the mundane world.

Chan Hai Guan Wu did not deliberately release her aura, but she possessed the bones of an ancient Heavenly Emperor. Her true form emerging was enough to force ordinary martial cultivators to their knees in awe.

Li Weiyi used the Jade Void Breathing Technique to steady his mind, standing three zhang away and gazing at her.

He couldn't clearly discern her appearance.

Mysterious energy surrounded her, distorting space and light.

"Whoosh!"

Chan Hai Guan Wu, like a red-robed immortal, soared up and landed on the bow of the Jade Boat artifact, her slender fingers touching the official seal.

Ripples of spiritual energy emanated from her fingertips.

The official seal, originally the size of a millstone, rapidly shrunk to the size of a fist and settled into her palm.

The soul figures of the three masters appeared behind Li Weiyi.

Master Jar's soul figure peered out, quietly egging him on:

"Marry her! Even if you suffer a small loss now, you'll gain immense prestige!"

"Master Jar, do you only care about appearances and not substance?"

Li Weiyi shook his head, pondered for a moment, then spoke loudly, "Senior Chan Hai, didn't you say you needed a large amount of my blood for flesh to grow on your bones? It seems to me you've already regrown your physical body."

Chan Hai Guan Wu stood on the Jade Boat like an immortal ready to ride the wind, looking down and stating, "This physical body was condensed from the Blood Moon Lake in Thirty-Three Mile Mountain. It cannot deceive the order of the Yang World. Only within that sea of bones and this Shaoyang Star can I leave Li Ling's body."

Li Weiyi said, "So, if you want to completely break free from Li Ling's physical body, truly return to the Yang World, and roam freely, you still need a large amount of my blood and soul. Let me be frank with you!"

"Losing a large amount of blood would certainly weaken me, which is tolerable. But giving you a large amount of my soul, I truly cannot do."

"Even if Senior was extraordinarily wise and brilliant in her lifetime, I truly don't know you well. I have no obligation to pay such a price to help someone I don't owe."

Chan Hai Guan Wu met Li Weiyi's gaze, seeing no compromise in his eyes. "Is this your final decision? Aren't you afraid I'll be enraged out of humiliation? What do you think are your chances of winning if you all attack me together?"

Li Weiyi said, "Senior, you don't need to threaten me. Killing me would not benefit you in any way, and you won't do it."

Master Coffin said, "Mist Heavenly Emperor, he is someone the owner of the bronze ship values, and he is also the master of Shaoyang Star. You should know better than us what these two forces signify."

Chan Hai Guan Wu sighed. "Come up. I will speak to you with true candor this time."

Li Weiyi thought for a moment, then leaped onto the Jade Boat.

The two stood facing each other, each re-examining the other, but with different mindsets.

White light shimmered on the Jade Boat, isolating them from the outside.

Chan Hai Guan Wu finally spoke: "Actually, the Yang Marriage ritual doesn't necessarily require a large amount of your soul. An exchange of a single wisp from each of our souls would suffice."

"Then why did you ask for so much?" Li Weiyi asked, puzzled.

Chan Hai Guan Wu replied, "Because I didn't want to go through the normal Yang Marriage ritual."

"What is the 'normal' Yang Marriage ritual?" Li Weiyi asked.

Chan Hai Guan Wu answered with the fewest words: "Consummation."

Li Weiyi was not foolish; he instantly understood, then gave a wry laugh of realization. "I get it now! That truly must be too difficult for you. For a being like you, with your pride and temperament, and with me, a mere mortal, as the intended partner... it must be incredibly hard to overcome that mental barrier, right?"

"Yes, very difficult."

Chan Hai Guan Wu said, "But do you know why I chose to speak with you face-to-face instead of forcibly taking your blood and soul? Because you're actually acceptable; I could persuade myself to accept you."

Knowing the truth, Li Weiyi's mood relaxed considerably. He chuckled, "I feel you're very reluctant, and I don't think you've even convinced yourself yet."

Chan Hai Guan Wu couldn't even crack a smile. "I know you're also very resistant, so I've thought of a decent way for us to coexist. We can be nominal husband and wife, but in reality, allies. You help me marry back into the Yang World, and I'll help you cultivate and protect you. It's mutually beneficial, so why not?"

"Then wouldn't you just be another Dao Guardian Wife? Actually, if it's just exchanging a wisp of soul, I wouldn't be so resistant," Li Weiyi said, observing her expression, and chuckling.

A dark line appeared on Chan Hai Guan Wu's forehead; she knew she shouldn't have told him the truth.

Li Weiyi stopped smiling. "Just a joke; I'm not one to take advantage of others. But I've told you my bottom line: I truly cannot give you a large amount of my soul to complete the Yang Marriage. And are you sure my Dao Guardian Wife would agree to this?"

Chan Hai Guan Wu fell into deep thought.

"What you said earlier is absolutely right: we can be allies, at least not enemies. If you try to force this, you'll suffer backlash. Do you truly believe you can suppress me for life? My cultivation speed is not slow."

Li Weiyi leaped off the Jade Boat.

Li Weiyi had ample food on him and had "earned" a large quantity of precious herbs and Rainbow-Dyed Exotic Medicine in Burial Immortal Town. Therefore, he began to cultivate in seclusion within the Blood Mud Space.

With Light Flame Pills and the Fusang Divine Tree continuously providing spiritual light to replenish his spiritual power consumption, he could activate the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish for extended periods.

Half a month later.

Li Weiyi, sitting cross-legged on the massive silver coffin, raised his right arm. Spiritual energy gathered in his palm, forming a two-meter-diameter storm vortex.

Within the vortex, spiritual energy condensed into numerous three-inch-long, hair-thin needles.

"Bang! Bang!"

Dozens of solidified spiritual energy needles struck the distant Jade Boat consecutively, producing clanging sounds, capable of piercing metal and shattering stone.

Li Weiyi withdrew his spiritual energy back into his body, cherishing it greatly.

After all, he had to fully cultivate the spiritual energy in his first Qi Sea before he could attempt to break through to the second stage of the Five Seas Realm. Half a month of accumulation had already filled five 'fang' (a unit of measurement/volume), filling half of his Qi Sea.

"Spiritual energy solidifying... with my cultivation at the first stage of the Five Seas Realm, I've cultivated Five Seas Second-Order Qi."

Li Weiyi was in an excellent mood. Having consumed Light Flame Pills for a long time, the spiritual light and bright fire in his glabella Spiritual World were vibrant, ready to break through to the 'Square Foot Realm' of a Grand Mind Master at any time.

Chan Hai Guan Wu, who was meditating on the Jade Boat, was startled awake by his spiritual energy needles. A curious glint appeared in her eyes, and she unleashed a palm strike through the air.

"Whoosh!"

A spiritual energy palm print, several zhang in size, hovered above Li Weiyi's head.

Li Weiyi had sensed it early; he felt strong winds surging from all directions, and the pressure was immense, as if the sky were collapsing.

"Heaven-Overturning Palm Seal."

He unleashed a palm strike towards the heavens; spiritual energy surged forth, and a miraculous, enormous golden seal appeared, vast as a millstone, clashing with the palm print sent by Chan Hai Guan Wu.

In a thunderous crash, both shattered.

She praised, "As expected of an Elucidation Sect's unique skill, its power is extraordinary. Your spiritual energy is only Five Seas Second-Order Qi. Yet, relying on this palm technique, the divine seal you condensed can achieve a level of spiritual energy refinement four to five times that of Second-Order Qi."

"How about you try another palm strike?" Li Weiyi asked.

Chan Hai Guan Wu slightly furrowed her brows, ignoring him, and continued to absorb the power of Shaoyang Star to nourish her soul.

Li Weiyi stood up. "I'm serious. In that last clash with you, I vaguely felt the presence of a combat technique's intent. I think the Heaven-Overturning Palm Seal should be able to cultivate powerful combat intent, but it needs to be explored through actual combat."

Chan Hai Guan Wu looked at Li Ling and said, "Go and spar with him. Don't hold back."