Chapter 1045: Chapter 1045
Capítulo 1045: Chapter 77: Four Fiends of the Netherworld, Borrowing Books
“It must be so! Please follow me, esteemed immortals. My subordinates and I are currently discussing tactical details in the hall.” Qin Chuan quickly stepped aside to lead the way.
The four followed Qin Chuan into a side strategic hall next to the Palace of Darkness and took their seats respectively. Qin Chuan waved his hand, dismissing the ghost officials standing by as well as most of the ghost generals and judges, leaving only two trusted ministers. Find the newest release on nοvelfire.net
The atmosphere in the hall became solemn. Qin Chuan said in a deep voice, “I have just received reports from spies at the front lines: the Netherworld Emperor has assembled the main forces, intent on capturing Senluo Ghost City in one fell swoop to seize full control of Netherworld authority and capture the core power of reincarnation.”
“I have ordered all fortress garrisons to rely on fortifications to resist layer by layer, slowing their advance and depleting their forces. If all goes well, in three days, the main forces of the Netherworld Emperor will be at the gates! Then, it will be the final showdown that will decide the fate of the Netherworld!”
“What should we do?” The Martial Arts Immortal asked bluntly.
“At that time, I will personally lead the main forces of Senluo Ghost City to deploy in the open field outside the city to engage the Pseudo Emperor head-on.” Qin Chuan pointed to a military map of the Netherworld on the table, “The saying ‘capture the leader first to capture the thief’ holds true. To calm this disaster, the key lies in defeating the Netherworld Emperor and the seventy-two ghost kings under his command!”
“These ghost kings are all powerful figures, each commanding a large force of elite ghost troops. Without their leadership, those ordinary ghosts and evil spirits are nothing more than scattered sand, no matter how numerous, they cannot threaten the core of the reincarnation order.”
“However,” he changed his tone, becoming heavier, “the Netherworld Emperor himself is extremely powerful, unfathomable. The seventy-two ghost kings under him are also all deeply skilled in mana, fierce and cunning. I can’t possibly take them all down alone, facing even the Netherworld Emperor is quite laborious.”
“Therefore, on the day of the decisive battle in three days, I hope the four esteemed immortals can hide in secret, watching for changes. Only when the Pseudo Emperor and his principal ghost kings come forth to challenge, at their most arrogant, should you all strike together with overwhelming force, employing a beheading strategy! As long as you can overthrow or capture the Netherworld Emperor and those seventy-two ghost kings in one move, the rest can be cleaned up by me and my troops!”
Xiao Jie thought to himself that this plan was rather straightforward and blunt, typical of the elite force decisive victory mindset. Yet upon reflection, it made sense; in a world with gods, demons, immortals, and evil spirits, powerful individuals indeed had the ability to destroy nations and determine the course of battles. No matter how many ordinary soldiers or ghost troops there were, against real immortal-level power, they were ultimately mere consumables and background decor. The outcome of the war still depended on the result of the highest level force confrontation.
He did not rashly agree; such strategic decisions and capability evaluations naturally depended on the opinions of the three “big guns.” He himself was the weakest, and would focus on being a valuable accessory, exerting his strength at crucial moments.
Lin Xuance’s expression was quite severe, showing no sign of relaxation. He asked, “What exactly is the Netherworld Emperor’s cultivation level? What magic skills does he excel in? Please tell us, Your Majesty, knowing oneself and the enemy is the key to winning a hundred battles.”
Qin Chuan was evidently prepared, answering in detail, “As for the Netherworld Emperor’s cultivation level, I do not fully understand it. One-on-one, I might be able to contend with him, but cannot assure victory.
His mana is vast and immense, particularly skilled at commanding ten thousand ghosts, controlling Netherworld death qi, casting large-scale spells and undead resurrection techniques.
But this is only what he has shown so far; he rarely charges into battle himself, usually sitting in the central army, relying on the four most powerful ghost generals under him. So it is not clear what other abilities he might possess.”
“What’s the deal with those four ghost generals?”
“These four ghost generals are known as the Four Fiends of the Netherworld, each one distinctive:
Wang Xietu: In life, he was a founding general of the Longhua Empire. After death, unable to enter the afterlife due to excessive slaughter, he escaped the Sea of Reincarnation and joined the Netherworld Emperor. By some secret technique, he awakened his martial arts from life, unparalleled in the Netherworld, wielding a giant axe named Soul Splitting King Axe, possessing valor against ten thousand men.
Li Yan: This person was a powerful soul refiner in life, retaining his magic skills after death. Having cultivated in the Netherworld for thousands of years, he is proficient in various strange soul techniques, loves devouring living souls and can create large-scale illusions, frequently launching surprise attacks within them, making defense extremely difficult.
Thousand Bone Demon: Formed from the bones of thousands of strong figures, a ghost with intelligence evolved from the spiritual wisdom, its defensive power is extremely terrifying, capable of controlling white bone techniques, transforming countless limbs, and using the martial arts of these strong figures from life, very eerie.
Wu Gui: Comes and goes without a trace, no one knows its origin and no one has seen its true appearance. This ghost excels in assassination and ambush, never leaving survivors. If I hadn’t planted spies within the Netherworld Emperor’s army, I fear I wouldn’t know of this ghost’s existence at all.
Each of these four ghosts has distinct strengths. Although not as awe-inspiring as the esteemed immortals’ divine power, they are also extremely powerful. Coupled with the Netherworld Emperor’s magic skills, they are formidable enemies for my ghost generals; many of my generals have fallen by the hands of these four ghosts.
If we wish to eliminate the Netherworld Emperor, we must first kill these four ghost generals.”
Lin Xuance glanced at his fellow Daoists with confidence, “A mere four ghost generals, shouldn’t be a big problem for us to handle.”
“By then, we’ll certainly act according to the plan. However,” Lin Xuance changed his tone, his gaze sharp as he looked at Qin Chuan, “Your Majesty cannot just watch us do the work. The Netherworld Emperor’s cultivation is so powerful, as the master of the Netherworld, Your Majesty must exert full effort too. I heard that during the Netherworld turmoil, Your Majesty rarely took action personally?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan sighed, his face showing a hint of helplessness and mystery: “It’s not that I am unwilling to take action, but there are indeed difficulties. As the lord of a realm, holding part of the reincarnation authority, the depth of my strength is itself a form of deterrence. The Pseudo Emperor has challenged frequently over the millennia, yet never dared to launch a determined final battle, largely because he’s unsure of my ace in the hole. If my strength is revealed too early or overly depleted in combat, it might make some opportunistic individuals or fence-sitters entertain ideas they shouldn’t need.
The vast land of this Netherworld, is not only governed by my forces and the Pseudo Emperor’s forces.”
Xiao Jie inwardly scoffed—You say that… Are you strong or not? It sounds more like an excuse?
“However!” Qin Chuan changed his tone, becoming firm and resolute, “Until today, the situation is already critical like never before, I can no longer afford those considerations! Please rest assured, esteemed immortals, during the decisive battle, I will fully devote myself, fighting alongside everyone without any reservation!”
“Great! Then we’ll meet on the battlefield in three days!” Lin Xuance finally decided.
“Xiao Wang will now arrange the best guesthouses for the Immortals to rest…” Qin Chuan said enthusiastically.
“No need to trouble yourself.” Miao Fa Yuanjun directly declined, “We have some personal matters to attend to; we will come to find you on time in three days.”
“But…” Qin Chuan seemed a bit worried.
“But what?” The Martial Arts Immortal glared, “Are you afraid we’ll run away? Since we’ve agreed to assist, we naturally won’t break our promise! The word of an Immortal is as weighty as Mount Tai!”
“Then… Xiao Wang will await the arrival of the four Immortals and wish us victory.” Seeing this, Qin Chuan had no choice but to bow and bid farewell.
After leaving the Palace of Darkness for some distance, Lin Xuance said to Xiao Jie, “Alright, let’s go meet those ‘disciples’ now.”
However, Xiao Jie said, “Please wait for a moment; I need to return to Gu Yun State to fetch some things.”
“Quickly go and return.”
Xiao Jie immediately rode the clouds and flew swiftly toward Gu Yun State. What he needed to fetch, of course, was the Immortal Technique Secret Manual he had set his eyes on earlier!
The Scripture Pavilion stipulated that each person could only borrow one precious book at a time. If one wished to borrow more, one must leave Cause and Effect Points as a deposit. He had just earned 400 Cause and Effect Points, enough to borrow two books.
Returning to the Scripture Pavilion, Xiao Jie went directly to Ten Thousand Books Immortal Su Moyan.
Having such a living search engine, he naturally would inquire with him. This person had read books in the Scripture Pavilion for thousands of years and was surely well-versed in Magic Skills suitable for Ghost Immortals and Immortal cultivation.
“Su Daoist, sorry to disturb you. I want to borrow two secret books: one about cultivating the path of Ghost Immortal Reincarnation, and another about the path of Immortal Incense Fire. Do you have any recommendations?”
Hearing this, Ten Thousand Books Immortal Su Moyan looked up from a pile of ancient texts, gave Xiao Jie several astonished glances, pondered for a moment but did not ask further, only nodded: “There are indeed such books.”
He floated up and circled around the vast sea of books on the seventh layer, finally summoned two exceptionally material books, imbued with spiritual light, from the depths of two rather remote, dusty bookshelves.
“These two are inherited secret classics left behind by deceased Daoist friends, but because their content is somewhat unconventional, ordinary Immortals seldom pay attention to them.”
He pointed to the first book with a dark-golden cover, seemingly made of Netherworld Metal, cold to the touch, and said: “This one, the Nine Nether Profound Soul Scripture, was left by an ancient Ghost Immortal elder known as the ‘Tongxuan Wanderer.’ This elder was rare in directly realizing the great path of the Ghost Immortal with a Yin God Body. He has extremely unique and in-depth research and practice on Yin Soul Cultivation, Condensing Ghost Immortal Body, and avoiding Reincarnation erosion.
However, I’m not well-versed in the Ghost Immortal path, and I’m unfamiliar with the content inside. Daoist friend, if you wish to study, you must rely on yourself.”
Next, he pointed to another thick book with a warm, white jade-colored cover, emitting a faint spiritual light: “This one, the Myriad People’s Incense and Fire God Refining Chapter, is reportedly written by a Wenchang Star Lord who ascended to the Upper Realm early in his life.
Though Wenchang Star Lord practiced orthodox Qi Refinement and Immortal Ascension, he accumulated extremely high reputation in the Mortal World after becoming Immortal, leaving many incense offerings. Over time, he unexpectedly condensed a not weak Divine Dao authority. This book elaborates on how to guide, refine, and utilize the Desire Power of incense and fire from all beings to condense Divine Body, shape Divine Personality, and demonstrate Divine Dao Magic.
The Divine Power originates from people’s hearts and beliefs; its mysterious aspect lies in achieving ‘wish fulfillment, turning thought into reality’ to a certain extent, and is most magical. However, all Divine Dao Power relies on incense faith, the foundation comes from mortals, and if there are no believers, divine power will decline, risking the fall of Divine Personality. Concurrent cultivation is fine, but as a main cultivation path… Compared to us Immortals who enjoy freedom and power within ourselves, it still lacks some meaning and future.”
Xiao Jie thought, “Lack or not, it’s still a path to becoming a god!” For Immortals, being a “god” dependent on incense might be a slightly troublesome and not entirely transcendent side job, but for a Mortal spirit like me who wants to be immortal, it’s an existence to ascend in one step, to the pinnacle! No reason to complain!
“Thank you for the recommendations, Su Daoist! I will take these two books!” Xiao Jie solemnly received the two books.
Xiao Jie brought the books to the ‘Tracing Immortal Stele,’ placing his hand on it. The jade stele’s surface glimmered, revealing a series of clear Immortal Seal characters:
[Scattered Immortal Hidden Moon Following Wind, on the year of Jiazi, day of Guiyou month Gengchen, borrowed the Nine Nether Profound Soul Scripture and the Myriad People’s Incense and Fire God Refining Chapter, mortgaged 400 Cause and Effect Points…]
The previous borrowing of the Thousand Illusion Transformation Technique for 200 points was a credit, only payable if the book was lost or overdue.
This time, however, it was really deducted! The 400 Cause and Effect Points he had just earned were gone in an instant!
Looking at the almost empty “balance,” Xiao Jie felt a bit pained over these hard-earned Cause and Effect Points, but when he thought of his two close friends’ futures, he felt it was all worthwhile. He carefully stored the two secret books in his backpack, once again rode the clouds, flying towards Ginkgo Village, filled with anticipation.