Chapter 345: Su Shunqing, Inviting the Ancestral Master to Manifest! Ghost Soldiers and Generals! The Underworld Cannot Be Provoked!?

The surrounding air instantly dropped to freezing point. The old farmer felt the blood in his veins turning to ice, his consciousness gradually fading. A flood of overwhelming corpse-qi was relentlessly corroding his body.

This female corpse... had awakened!?

At this time, the old farmer hastily activated the ancient coin, and a strange spiritual light enveloped him.

Bang!

Seeing this, the female corpse simply crushed his heart in her hand.

But the very next instant, the old farmer’s body reappeared three zhang ahead with his face deathly pale and panting heavily.

“M-misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding!” the old farmer tried his best to explain.

The female corpse’s expression was icy. In a flash she appeared before him again, and her razor-sharp nails lunged forward.

The old farmer’s face drained of color, as his death-substitute puppets had already been used up. He stumbled back desperately as both hands weaved incantations, then a glow burst forth from his body and formed a strange protective barrier.

Boom!

His figure was blasted into the air. Though he was among the top experts of the second realm, before this female corpse, he couldn’t withstand even a few exchanges.

A vicious gleam lit up in his eyes as he quickly pulled out a talisman from his robes and slapped it directly onto his forehead. Hands forming seals, he stomped one foot upon the ground.

“I’m the unworthy descendant of Mount Youming, Wang Xue’an. I respectfully invite the Ancestral Master to manifest!”

He was inviting the deity to possess him! In an instant, the old farmer’s aura surged violently, his eyes turning dark and icy. A mighty, oppressive presence radiated from him.

Li Yanchu couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He had thought, with the female corpse turning on him, this guy was dead for sure, but who would have guessed he could summon his own Ancestral Master to manifest.

He pondered for a moment, then chose to stand aside for now. The entanglement of grudges here was clear enough.

This female corpse was obviously some terrifying powerhouse, who had her body stolen from Fengdu by this old farmer through secret arts and refined into a formidable walking corpse. But unexpectedly, this terrifying female corpse had regained her consciousness, leading to the current standoff.

“Su Shunqing[1]?” A different voice, aged and deep, sluggish yet resonant, came from within the old farmer’s body.

The female corpse’s long black hair billowed behind her, and her sharp nails gleamed with chilling light, her aura cold and sinister.

“Old Ghost Wusheng[2], it’s something that you can still recognize me. And yet you dared let your juniors steal my corpse!?” the female corpse sneered coldly.

“Su Shunqing, your soul is bound and suppressed within Fengdu, never to emerge for eternity. It’s just a mere body, consider it a gift for a junior,” the aged voice within the old farmer’s body spoke indifferently.

“Bullshit!” The female corpse’s tone turned wrathful. She extended a slender palm, reaching out to grasp across the air. At once, an invisible force locked firmly onto the old farmer’s five viscera and six bowels.

Without specialized arts to defend, in moments he would be ripped hollow, torn apart alive.

“Hmph!” From within the old farmer came that aged voice, its cold snort shaking the very soul.

Bang

!

Two immense forces clashed in the air, exploding outward into ripples like concentric waves on water.

They were evenly matched!

“Good heavens...” Li Yanchu’s Daoist robe whipped in the violent currents as he raised his brows in surprise.

One side was a fleshly body that had regained its consciousness. The other was but a wisp of soul, summoned down through a spirit-inviting ritual. And yet their clash carried such terrifying might!

Which meant this so-called Old Ghost Wusheng, and Su Shunqing as well, were at least third-realm Yang Spirit powerhouses!

Li Yanchu had originally planned to kill the old farmer. But now it seemed that one misstep would drag him straight into a struggle between two ancient Yang Spirit monsters.

Wang Xue’an alone already had tricks beyond counting... Who could know what dreadful sorceries an Ancestral Master-level figure like that might wield?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two had begun fighting in earnest; the female corpse’s body was indestructibly strong, while the old farmer’s sorcery was profound. Transparent ripples spread through the air again and again. The commotion was immense, and sand and stones flew wildly!

Li Yanchu rested his hand on his saber’s hilt with a cold and solemn look as his gaze swept across the two combatants. Two Yang Spirit powerhouses locked in battle... That was a terror beyond comparison! And if he were to kill one, wouldn’t he gain a massive harvest of merit points!?

Just then, Li Yanchu made his decision: he would wait until the two had fought each other to mutual ruin, and only then would he strike.

Fortunately, neither of them possessed the art of reading minds. Otherwise, realizing that a mere youth dared to look down on them so lightly, they would have flown into a fury!

Clang! Clang!

The sound of armor colliding rang out. And then, there were heavy footsteps. Yet in the empty air, nothing could be seen. The footsteps drew closer, and with them spread a suffocating tide of ghostly qi.

Li Yanchu activated his Spirit Eyes, divine light flashing across his pupils. A squad of yin soldiers emerged; their armor looked cold and grim, and their spears gleamed sharp as they marched out from the void.

At their head strode a general wielding a long halberd, a towering figure clad in armor that covered his face, leaving only a pair of blood-red eyes exposed. This troop of yin soldiers carried an oppressive ghostly aura, and an icy wind howled around them. This was the Yin Soldiers’ Passage!

Even Old Ghost Wusheng and Su Shunqing, locked in combat, could not help but halt, a rare look of apprehension flashing across their faces.

The halberd-wielding general fixed them both with a cold, eerie gaze. As for Li Yanchu... the general spared him hardly a glance.

Daoist Art: Illusory Form!

The name might not sound impressive, but its effect was extraordinary. Ghosts would see him as a ghost, and demons would see him as a demon. That halberd-wielding ghost general must have mistaken Li Yanchu for a wandering, masterless spirit roaming Fengdu.

“Seize them!” the burly ghost general barked coldly.

Immediately, the yin soldiers surged forward, charging straight at Old Ghost Wusheng and Su Shunqing. What puzzled Li Yanchu was that these yin soldiers, though shrouded in murderous aura, were clearly seasoned veterans from their mortal lives, hardened by countless battles. Especially that ghost general, his killing intent was so dense it nearly became tangible!

Yet even so, why were the other two so terrified?

The old farmer possessed by Old Ghost Wusheng turned and fled without hesitation, and Su Shunqing did the same as well. Two Yang Spirit experts of the third realm fled without a fight, as if facing a calamity they dared not resist!

The halberd-wielding general cast them one cold glance, then led his troops in hot pursuit. He didn’t even spare Li Yanchu a look.

Old Ghost Wusheng, relying on the memories in the farmer’s mind, couldn’t help but curse furiously, “What happened to your blazing blood qi? I thought when you stepped into Fengdu, you would suddenly be everyone’s target!? Yet the ghost generals of Fengdu didn’t even bother to acknowledge you!”

Hearing this, Li Yanchu was dumbfounded. He could barely restrain the urge to draw his saber and start attacking him.

“Could it be that these yin soldiers possess some special ability, something that can restrain even third-realm Yang Spirit experts!? Or... are those two not afraid of the yin soldiers themselves, but rather what they represent!? Perhaps they’re unkillable!?”

Li Yanchu’s thoughts raced endlessly. His curiosity about Fengdu only grew deeper!

In myths and legends, Fengdu was said to be another name for the Netherworld, the courts of the dead. But the first time the old farmer mentioned it, Li Yanchu hadn’t thought of the underworld at all. He merely assumed it was some sort of special domain.

He looked in the direction the yin soldiers had departed, his gaze thoughtful.

“Could it be that within Fengdu, there exists a powerful force, fully organized and terrifyingly strong, so much so that even Old Ghost Wusheng and Su Shunqing dared not confront it head-on, choosing instead to flee!?”

He had seen so many collapsed and ruined Blissful Lands, that upon entering this ghostly secret realm, his mind had fallen into the habit of thinking the same way.

“But who said every secret realm or Blissful Land must be broken, destroyed, or desolate?”

Taking a deep breath, his interest in this Fengdu secret realm only sharpened. However, the immediate priority was to locate Fang Qinglan.

Sensing the aura left on the jade cicada, he leapt into the air, heading swiftly in that direction.

1. The surname 苏 (Sū) is common surname. In 2019 it was the 46th most common surname in mainland China. The given name 舜 (Shùn) evokes the legendary sage-king Shun, symbolizing virtue, wisdom, and moral integrity, while 卿 (Qīng) was historically an honorific for officials or close companions of nobility; in a personal name, it adds a poetic and classical feel, suggesting refinement and elevated status.

To me, 苏舜卿 conveys elegance, culture, and sophistication. ☜

2. Literally, 无 (Wú) means “without” or “none,” and 生 (Shēng) means “life” or “birth,” so together the name conveys the idea of “without life” or “non-birth,” evoking a sense of detachment from the mortal world and impermanence. To me, 无生 is a pithy, memorable name with a mysterious, otherworldly aura. ☜