Chapter Ninety-Eight: Origins

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Shi Yue released the soul-binding chain from her hand and summoned back the Book of Life and Death. She was the soul reaper walking the mortal realm on behalf of Fengdu—an agent of Fengdu itself. Previously, when she executed Li Feiyu, she acted on her own accord, so Fengdu had no control over her. But now, she wielded Fengdu’s soul-binding chain.

“Youngsters are impulsive, focusing on the beginning but not the end,” the Dragon Turtle withdrew into its shell and put it back on. “If you want to kill him, there’s no need to take a self-destructive approach like this.”

The Dragon Turtle adjusted its shell with its tail, finding it uncomfortable. “For example, learn from Xu Xiaozi—cultivate the Yin Aspect. When that’s achieved, killing him would be as easy as turning your hand. If you really can’t learn, there’s always the option of a sneak attack.”

“After all, no one ever said the righteous can’t strike from the shadows!”

The Dragon Turtle glanced at Li Feiyu, implying that he was some kind of heretic or rogue.

Li Feiyu remained unperturbed.

The Dragon Turtle yawned and then flew onto Xu Zhong’s shoulder. Standing beside Xu Zhong, it felt the sensation of suppressing the consciousness of the Thunder Ancestor’s seal. It seemed to be unconsciously restraining some immensely powerful being, which comforted it, as if it had found its purpose.

What it did not know was that, imprinted with the Luo Book, it was currently suppressing the Heavenly Dao Demonic Aspect inside Xu Zhong’s Nirvana Core.

“I guess none of you welcome me anymore!” Li Feiyu said to the silent crowd after leaving the sealed shell. Yet, there was no response.

He then looked at Fang Yuan. “Xiao Yuan, will you come with me or stay here?”

Fang Yuan was torn—on one hand, there were Yun Yong and Xu Zhong, who had once saved her life; on the other, her childhood sweetheart.

After a moment of thought, she chose to leave with Li Feiyu.

Tang Yuan and Yun Yong remained behind.

“I didn’t expect him to be this kind of person,” Tang Yuan sighed.

He and Li Feiyu were not close; like Xu Zhong, they were mere acquaintances. In the cultivation world, cannibalism was common, but eating the living was something he could neither accept nor understand.

“Different paths have no common purpose. It’s better he left,” Yun Yong said. “If he stayed, conflicts would only multiply.”

Tang Yuan nodded in agreement.

As they spoke, the sound of snoring arose nearby. Turning toward it, they found Monk Kong Hui fast asleep.

“But how does Miss Shi Yue possess the Book of Life and Death and the soul-binding chain?” Xu Zhong, ignoring Kong Hui, showed interest. In his subconscious, these items belonged only to Fengdu’s ghostly envoys.

Since they were ghost envoys, they should be dead—how could a living person wield the Book of Life and Death?

“Ah?” Yun Yong was surprised. “This young lady is actually an agent of Fengdu walking among mortals? My apologies!”

“Are Fengdu agents common?” Xu Zhong asked.

Tang Yuan was equally puzzled.

“Not common, but there are quite a few,” Yun Yong replied.

“Our Yun family’s ancestral records do mention Fengdu agents,” he began with a prepared narrative. “Though Fengdu has many ghost envoys, not all can traverse the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. There exist special mystical realms—inner and outer scenic heavens—where ghost envoys cannot enter. The roaming spirits cannot intervene due to rules. At such times, Fengdu agents step in.”

“They exist between humans and ghost envoys—Qi cultivators with ghost envoy abilities—able to enter secret realms inaccessible to ordinary ghost envoys to collect departed souls.”

“These agents often serve in the Underworld after death, usually starting as Constables of Impermanence,” he mused. “Fengdu agents are essentially living people admitted early to compete with other ghost envoys.”

Ordinary ghost envoys toil for centuries or millennia before reaching the position of city god of a domain, and to ascend to Constable of Impermanence requires even longer.

Yet these Fengdu agents can, upon death, directly attain the role of judge in the Underworld, which is the envy of ghosts.

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“You’re not telling the whole story,” the Dragon Turtle cast a sidelong glance at Yun Yong.

“May I ask, elder, which part am I missing?” Yun Yong asked.

The Dragon Turtle kept its eyes half-closed but looked a bit more alert. “Fengdu agents’ true role isn’t just about those mystical realms, but about the great clans among various races.”

“Some of these clans have ancestors who died but not completely—retaining a breath of life sealed by special spells, waiting for outstanding descendants or powerful external furnaces to awaken them. At that moment, they break free to possess a body again, living a second, even third life.”

“Such clans that break the boundary of life and death are a thorn in Fengdu’s side. Agents are needed to walk the mortal realm on their behalf.”

“When necessary, they can even break into the clan’s gates and forcibly detain these ancestral spirits using the Book of Life and Death.”

Yun Yong fell into contemplation.

“Have you seen that portal within Li Feiyu’s Nirvana Core?” The Dragon Turtle tilted its head toward Xu Zhong. “Once the soul-binding chain captures their souls, the ghosts and gods of Fengdu can act, pulling the souls directly into Fengdu.”

Xu Zhong was stunned. Such things were hard for him to believe.

Yun Yong clapped his hands with a smile. “So that’s it. I thought Fengdu’s agents only did menial tasks like waste collection and could become Underworld judges after death—too easy! Turns out they have to handle such matters!”

Then he thought again, “No wonder Fengdu agents never reveal their identity publicly—they probably want to avoid trouble!”

After finishing, the Dragon Turtle dozed off again.

At that moment, Xuan Jiuyuan came down from upstairs, leaning against the wall.

She was still alive but severely injured.

Sensing her presence, the Dragon Turtle immediately revealed itself as a massive creature, extending a claw to seize her.

Startled, Xuan Jiuyuan summoned her long sword, holding it horizontally to block, but the Dragon Turtle’s claw struck it away.

The Dragon Turtle leapt up, shedding its shell, then grabbed the shell and swung it toward Xuan Jiuyuan’s head.

“Clang!”

Suddenly, a zither sound rang out.

A long zither flew out from Xuan Jiuyuan’s body, playing itself.

The music manifested into a blade of sound, cleaving the Dragon Turtle’s shell.

The Dragon Turtle and shell were hurled far away.

“Seeking death!” Xuan Jiuyuan was furious. She dropped her sword, grabbed the zither, and leapt toward the Dragon Turtle.

“You foolish dragon, I’ll beat you to death!”

She could not play the zither, but she knew how to wield it as a weapon.

The zither was made of some strange, hard material. When it struck the Dragon Turtle, phoenix cries echoed as if a phoenix resided within.

Every strike ignited phoenix fire, scorching the Dragon Turtle, causing it unbearable pain.

But the zither’s true power was in its music, not brute force.

Though it provoked phoenix flames and made the Dragon Turtle howl, Xuan Jiuyuan couldn’t suppress it with the zither alone.

In an instant, offense and defense reversed.

The Dragon Turtle spewed starlight fire, competing with the phoenix flames.

Just as they prepared to fight to the death, a Xiezhi suddenly appeared before them.

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“Fighting arts are forbidden in Tianyuan City. If you want to fight, open your own realm!” Behind the Xiezhi, a cycle of reincarnation mystic realms manifested.

Having ascended to an innate deity, it could easily suppress both man and dragon.

Under the Xiezhi’s dominion, the two ceased reckless actions, though their hostility remained like water and fire.

Xu Zhong pulled the Dragon Turtle close, while Yun Yong supported the badly injured Xuan Jiuyuan.

“Brother Yun, where do you plan to go next?” Xu Zhong soothed the Dragon Turtle and asked Yun Yong.

“I don’t know,” Yun Yong shook his head. Indeed, he was uncertain where to go.

The Yu Kingdom was in turmoil, bordering the Chaos Sea. It was unclear how many demons and ghosts might enter Yu through that junction, seeking to conquer the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

The impending storm was engulfing the entire Yu Kingdom, now the eye of a vortex where danger and opportunity coexisted.

“But since I’m already here, it would be a pity not to go. After all, I’ve waited nearly two years in line. I suppose I must visit the Yu Kingdom.”

Stars glittered, moonlight flowed like water.

Xu Zhong sat in his room, tallying the spoils from the mystic realm.

Most were trivial items, but he had amassed a great number of Yuan Transformation Pills—about ten million.

This was nearly the fortune of a True Realm Qi cultivator.

Earlier, he had purchased some Gengjin and Xinjintie ores at the Tianyun Pavilion, along with spiritual springs like Xuanyuan True Water and Sixfold Heavy Water, used to harmonize yin and yang.

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