Niu Batian, Gao Tianming, and Yan Fei were all whispering to each other in the back of the procession. Yan Fei was calm, but the former two grew more and more excited as they chatted. However, they all know that Mr. Ji did not like to show off, so such talk was only suitable for their own private entertainment and speculation. As the team progressed, they passed through half of the city before finally arriving at the city center. In front of them was the majestic City Lord’s Mansion. From a distance, they could see a gatehouse only slightly smaller than that of the city gate outside. On it was an enormous plaque, with the name of the mansion written on it. Ji Yuan murmured to himself: “The Netherworld Ghost Palace?”1 Gao Tianming had now returned to standing beside Ji Yuan. He responded when he heard Ji Yuan’s words. “Indeed. Old ghost Wuya is quite remarkable among ghost cultivators. Without any foundation in the divine path, he has grown even more powerful than many ghosts and gods. He is constantly taking in wandering spirits, and single-handedly built the Endless Ghost City.2 He taught some spirits ghost cultivation, with the ambition of creating a Holy Land for ghosts.” “He is quite ambitious.” This was actually a common phenomenon in some underworlds under the jurisdiction of the various city gods. Occasionally, there would be some ghosts in the underworld who transcended their Yin lifespans and survived, but these ghosts often harbored deep resentment and obsession. The underworld conducted an annual “household registration”3 review. If a ghost were to be found to have exceeded their Yin lifespan limit, and perceived as showing signs of trouble, the underworld officials would directly detain them and bring them before the heads of the relevant divisions, where they were often executed outright. And in this Endless Ghost City, the City Lord was likely pleased to see ghosts rise to prominence. However, aside from those approved by the City Lord, no other ghosts were allowed to leave the city. The front of the procession had already stopped, and one of the aquatic spirits shouted loudly. “Master Gao of Tianshui Lake has arrived—!” The ghost soldiers guarding the gate outside had already noticed the convoy. Many dignitaries who had come to congratulate the City Lord had also been arriving over the past couple days. Upon hearing he announced party’s name, they hurried forward. “Master Gao, thank you for making the long journey. Please follow me to the other courtyard to rest. A servant will inform you when the banquet is ready for you to attend!” With that, the ghost guards prepared to lead the way, clearly not intending to allow the procession to enter the palace directly. At this moment, Gao Tianming glanced at Ji Yuan and hurried forward. When he had been walking with Ji Yuan, Gao Tianming had deliberately suppressed his monstrous aura, but now it emanated again. As he approached the gatehouse, he brought an enormous feeling of oppression down upon the ghost guards. “Master Gao, do you have any special requests? We will do our best to satisfy anything you ask!” “Haha, it’s nothing special. Where is Xin Wuya now? I would like to meet with him and discuss something.” The ghost soldier smiled apologetically. “Please forgive me, Master Gao. The City Lord has important matters to attend to, so no one can see him at the moment. He will come out at the banquet tonight.” “Oh? That old ghost Wuya is so busy? I can’t even meet him if I wants to?” “That’s right, my husband and I have come all the way from Tianshui Lake. Upon arriving in the Endless Ghost City, we must first pay our respects to the City Lord. As the host, it is only natural to greet the guests first. This is how it should be!” Xia Qiu also stepped forward, brimming with monstrous energy. Although she was not a dragon, she clearly possessed considerably strong cultivation. Meeting Mr. Ji today was their fate and fortune, and they were determined to leave a good impression. However, compared to Gao Tianming, Xia Qiu seemed much more subdued. The ghost soldier hesitated and looked at Gao Tianming. “Master Gao, can you please tell this humble one why you wish to see the City Lord? It would be best for me to have something to say when I go to report!” This ghost guard appeared young, but he was actually an old ghost who had lived for a long time. He knew there must be a reason for Gao Tianming’s intent air. Gao Tianming glanced back at Ji Yuan, saw the latter nod his head slightly, and then turned back to the ghost soldier. “Several friends of mine accidentally entered the Ghost City last night. They are all living people. They were captured by a Dark Ministers from your city, and their whereabouts are unknown. It was rumored that they would be served to Xin Wuya as dishes at the banquet. I am here to claim them!” Living people? Friends of the Flood Dragon of Tianshui Lake? The surrounding ghost soldiers were slightly startled at these words. “Then, please wait a moment, Master Gao, Lady Gao. I will report to the City Lord right away!” The aura of the two monsters was so powerful that the ghost soldiers couldn’t bear the pressure and rushed inside to report. The Netherworld Ghost Palace occupied a vast area. The ghost guard hurried inside ot report, passing through door after door and corridor after corridor, before finally arriving outside a massive, pitch-black building. The black door of this building was tightly locked, emanating bursts of materialized dark energy, and a chilling atmosphere that even ghosts found difficult to bear. “My Lord, Master Gao of Tianshui Lake has arrived with Lady Gao, saying that they must pay you a visit.” The ghost soldier waited for a long time, but there was no response from inside. He could only loudly report Gao Tianming’s matter from in front of the door. Master Gao of Tianshui Lake said that several of his mortal friends mistakenly strayed into the city last night and were captured by the Dark Minister. They are to be presented to the City Lord at the banquet. Master Gao hopes that the City Lord might release them immediately.” Waves of eerie ghostly aura began to drift around, and phantom ghostly images emerged one after the other. Even the surrounding ghosts became nervous. “Gao Tianming’s friends? Mortals?” A voice rang out from the black building, making the ghost soldier breathe a sigh of relief. “That is correct. Master Gao and Lady Gao seem to be quite angry about this.” “Hmph, this is not Tianshui Lake. Go and tell him that if the Dark Minister truly brings a living person as tribute at the banquet, I will hand them over to him. I don’t have time to see him right now.” “As the City Lord commands!” The ghost soldier hurriedly saluted, and immediately took his leave. Outside the mansion, Gao Tianming was surprised to receive this response after having waited for such for a long time, and his anger immediately flared. “Old Ghost Wuya is so arrogant! Can’t he find that Dark Minister and demand the release of those men right now?” “Master Gao, please do not begrudge us. The City Lord said that he was busy with important matters right now, so he cannot meet with you. He will release the mortals tonight, when the Dark Minister arrives!” Gao Tianming snorted coldly. He took two steps back to stand in front of Ji Yuan. “Mr. Ji, do you think we should break into the Netherworld Ghost Palace directly and bring Old Ghost Wuya out?” Ji Yuan looked at this mansion brimming with ghostly energy, then at the overwhelming eerie, ghostly aura surrounding the city center. He feared that if he turned against them now, countless ghosts would immediately descend. Being too aggressive would be counterproductive, so he shook his head.” “Forget it. It is his celebration, after all. Since he promised to release him, there’s no need to make a big fuss.” “Alright, I understand!” Gao Tianming replied respectfully, before turning back to face the ghost guards once more. “Very well, I will wait for Old Ghost Wuya to release them tonight. However, you should also tell Old Ghost Wuya not to blame me for giving him a warning. If anything were to happen to one of my friends, the consequences would be far more serious than he imagined! Take us to our courtyard to rest.” “Yes, sir, this way please!” Once the procession from Tianshui Lake had left, another ghost soldier entered the mansion and quietly reported to the City Lord. They had noticed Gao Tianming’s respect for Ji Yuan, and found it somewhat unusual. Deep within the palace, inside the ghostly residence, Xin Wuya frowned in thought as he heard the ghost soldier’s second report. “Go and find Xiang Zhong. If there are mortals there, bring them here.” “Yes! As the City Lord commands!” The sky gradually darkened, and the lights in the city began to light up by themselves. While people in the living Yang world would now be returning home, the Endless Ghost City grew more and more lively, as if the entire city had come alive.4 The Netherworld Ghost Palace had already sent ghostly servants to invite Gao Tianming over to the banquet, and everyone was preparing to depart for the feast. Get full chapters from 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥 Only now did Ji Yuan truly grasp the depths of this ghost town. Standing in the courtyard, he gazed out at the city. An endless ghostly aura covered the sky, practically obscuring the sun. The streets and alleyways bustled with activity. There were probably at least hundreds of thousands of ghosts within the city, and countless among them were already quite powerful. It was clear that what he had seen outside the city last night had been obscured by some kind of barrier. “I didn’t expect the scale of this ghost city to be so astonishing!” Gao Tianming frowned to the side. “Indeed. I underestimated that Old Ghost Wuya. Endless Ghost City has been established in the wilderness for centuries. It has developed from its starting point as a barren graveyard, quietly growing into its present state.” Niu Batian glanced at Yan Fei, who clutched his sword with a solemn expression, then also gazed outside. “This is the first time that this Old Bull has seen so many ghosts. Mr. Ji, do you think that all the deceased in the country of Zuyue have ended up here?” “That’s not the case. There are probably far more than two hundred thousand people who die in the country of Zuyue each year” The Old Bullw as a little dazed. “And that is the lowest estimate!” Ji Yuan was not joking, nor exaggerating. Although he didn’t have statistics, even with the social environment and medical conditions of his country in his previous life, millions of people died each year. The country of Zuyue, despite having a significantly smaller population, had poor living conditions and abysmal medical care, so hundreds of thousands of deaths per year was no exaggeration. “Mr. Ji, Brother Niu, Brother Yan, let’s go. We can now go find the Lord Old Ghost Wuya.” The group set off together. Soon, the ghost servants guided them to the Nether Ghost Mansion. The banquet was a grand affair, with tables and benches set up in a rectangular open space within the mansion. In addition to the numerous ghosts and familiar monsters of Endless Ghost City, there were also many divine path practitioners, including mountain gods, land gods, river gods, even ghosts and underworld gods like city gods. Laughter, roars, and even the sounds of sobbing filled the room. The crowd was bustling with activity. By the time Gao Tianming, Ji Yuan, and the others arrived, numerous guests had already taken their seats. Ji Yuan’s furrowed brows had yet to relax the entire time he walked. In Dazhen, even the thought of seeing so many ghosts and gods sitting together with so many demons and evil spirits would be unbelievable, let alone actually seeing this sight. Regardless of how much this scene consisted of hypocrisy or slander, or of how many of the attendees were vicious or perverse, Ji Yuan widened his eyes to observe his surroundings. He could see a mingling of various auras, many of which were far from pure or righteous. The scene made him feel as though he were inhaling smog or miasma the entire time he walked. ‘When humanity declines, evil flourishes; when the world is in chaos, evil rises unchecked. This is precisely what is happening here! ‘ This thought encapsulated Ji Yuan’s feelings about the country of Zuyue. As Ji Yuan was pondering, they had already reached Gao Tianming’s seat, positioned not too far away from the main host’s seat. “Mr. Ji, please take a seat!” Gao Tianming invited Ji Yuan to sit down, and then sat down with Xia Qiu, Niu Batian and Yan Fei. As more and more guests took their seats, the surrounding zithers, pipa, suona, gongs, and drums began to play, creating a strange and eerie style of music. Ji Yuan could only say that it was very appropriate for the occasion. T/n: On a completely unrelated note, I’ve started listening to “Welcome to Night Vale.” It’s flipping AWESOME, I have been cracking up at each and every episode, and I generally don’t like horror at all. Please don’t spoil me! 😀