Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Celestial Cloud Whale

With this thought, Zhou Bai nimbly climbed the tallest ancient tree nearby and stood at its peak, gazing out over the surroundings. He activated the ghost tree within his dantian, channeling his internal yin energy to its utmost limit. Even so, his Yin-Yang Eyes could not detect any trace of ghosts in the boundless mountains and forests. Instead, the yin energy radiating from him frightened all the birds nearby, causing them to scatter.

After a long search to no avail, Zhou Bai had no choice but to return to Hangdu. According to Wen Meng, the Nether Canon Division would soon send reinforcements, though the journey was long and it was unclear when they would arrive. The division was never short of extraordinary individuals with bizarre abilities; finding a ghost in these vast mountains should not be difficult.

But then, something occurred that deeply shocked Zhou Bai. As he walked along the main road back to Hangdu, he suddenly sensed an astonishing aura above him—a sudden, overwhelming presence like the wrath of heaven. Instinctively, he looked up; vast blue skies and thick clouds stretched overhead, but nothing seemed amiss.

Yet the ghost tree in his dantian kept trembling its branches, clearly warning him. Activating his Yin-Yang Eyes again, Zhou Bai gazed at the sky and witnessed a startling transformation. From within the dense clouds came a deafening whale-song, making the earth faintly tremble. Only Zhou Bai sensed it; passersby nearby remained oblivious, their faces unchanged even as they glanced at the sky.

Moments later, the clouds split open, and to Zhou Bai’s astonishment, a massive Kun Whale, hundreds of meters long, emerged from the breach. It blotted out the sun, inhaling and exhaling clouds in vast quantities, dominating the sky. The whale hovered in midair, and several black dots leapt from its back, descending toward Hangdu.

Zhou Bai narrowed his eyes as he watched; there were four black dots—clearly human figures—plummeting straight toward him at incredible speed. As the four landed, dust billowed up, and the Kun Whale let out another long cry before diving back into the clouds and vanishing.

All this passed without causing any commotion. The passersby walked on, as if unaware of the spectacle. The four newcomers wore the attire of the Nether Canon Division, and Zhou Bai quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

The leader was a woman of unremarkable appearance but extreme competence. Her black hair was tied back, and her fair face bore a pair of beast-like vertical pupils. “Yu Jun?” Zhou Bai ventured, recognizing those distinctive eyes from his encounter with her in the Nether Street.

“Zhou Bai, right? Yes, it’s me. We meet again.” Yu Jun smiled. In the short time since their last meeting, the owner of the Yin-Yang Eyes had not only entered the path of cultivation but had grown more composed and mature.

The other three did not know Zhou Bai, but seeing Yu Jun’s attitude, they couldn’t help but regard him with new respect. Without wasting time, they walked toward Hangdu, and Yu Jun gave Zhou Bai a brief introduction to the group.

Besides herself, who was a Trial Tathagata, the other three were Trial Sealers. First was Hou Bocheng, a middle-aged man over forty, whose abilities were similar to Lin Danian—body strengthening, specializing in direct combat with ghosts. Next was Wang Sheng, a young man in his early twenties with the bearing of a noble. Though he wore the division’s uniform, the jade pendants at his waist and the rings on his fingers were clearly valuable. His ability allowed him to track the aura of demons and ghosts.

The last was a boy named Bai Qiuwen, barely over a meter tall, looking around ten years old. Yet his expression was unexpectedly calm, his gaze devoid of emotion. His abilities were rare within the division—healing arts. If his cultivation was deep enough, he could even restore flesh and bone to the dead.

The Nether Canon Division took the Hangdu incident seriously. Despite many members being tied up in Xuzhou, they still dispatched these complementary talents. Zhou Bai, curious about their swift arrival, was told by Yu Jun that they had applied for a Cloud Whale, whose lingering aura still hung overhead.

“In an emergency, you can request a Cloud Whale from the division. Even across continents, it can get you there in no time,” she explained.

From Nether Street to Cloud Whale, Zhou Bai gradually grew accustomed to the world’s peculiar style. He nodded and followed, and the group, unfazed by the strangeness, quickly entered Hangdu and headed toward the county office. The residents along the way ignored them, and Zhou Bai guessed some special means were used to erase their presence, making them nearly invisible.

Upon reaching the county office, Wen Meng was already waiting. Seeing the four arrivals, including the renowned Yu Jun, a weight lifted from his heart. Only those who mastered their true form were eligible to become Trial Tathagatas, proof of Yu Jun’s formidable power.

“Lady Yu, the situation in Hangdu is quite complicated,” Wen Meng said.

Yu Jun glanced at him and replied, “Isn’t the prefect named Zhao stationed here?”

Zhou Bai looked at Wen Meng, puzzled and curious about Yu Jun’s statement.

Wen Meng hesitated. “Officials above the prefect level are said to carry a thread of Tang and Song dynasty luck, but whether that’s true is uncertain.”

“True or not, Zhou Bai can see for himself with the Yin-Yang Eyes,” Yu Jun said, pointing toward the part of the office where Prefect Zhao usually worked.

Activating his Yin-Yang Eyes, Zhou Bai indeed saw a faint azure aura in that direction, barely noticeable unless observed closely.

Yu Jun patiently explained, “With this aura, ghosts above the evil spirit level cannot approach. People fear demons, but demons also fear people.”

She turned to Wen Meng, “Let’s hear the details now.”

Wen Meng proceeded to recount the events of the past few days. The relaxed expressions of Wang Sheng and the others grew tense; what they had assumed to be a zombie outbreak was now connected to Xuzhou.

Hou Bocheng, rough in appearance but inwardly reserved, pondered, “If it’s zombie-type ghosts, my abilities offer some restraint.”

Yu Jun nodded, extending her slender tongue to lick her lips. “But we must be careful. Such bizarre phenomena likely originate only in Xuzhou. Let’s do this…”

She hadn't finished speaking when everyone’s faces changed; panicked screams erupted outside, rising and falling chaotically. Zhou Bai and his companions rushed from the room, leaping onto the roof, and saw that several parts of Hangdu were in turmoil.

The distant roar of zombies could faintly be heard.