Chapter 610 | Demonic Beings? Obviously Auspicious Omens!

Everything was ready.

Chen Zhou walked toward the Gathering Fortune Pavilion.

Jiu'er was squatting among the piles of ancient beast eggs, busy with a small brush in hand. He was carefully and gently applying spirit liquid to each egg, one by one.

The unaging pine stood quietly in the courtyard. A few more pine cones had appeared on its canopy; it seemed the nutrients from the Jianmu Divine Fruit were being absorbed well.

The Qianqiu Sophora had also grown a bit taller, and the sophora flowers across the tree were in full bloom, their fragrance drifting throughout the entire city.

Chen Zhou needed someone familiar enough with Qingzhou to serve as their guide.

The Qianqiu Sophora had already paid its rent quite sensibly. Having accepted the benefits, it was only natural for it to help, leaving the Longevity Deer as the most suitable candidate.

Chen Zhou's gaze fell on the corner of the courtyard.

The Longevity Deer was sprawled on the steps at the entrance of the Gathering Fortune Pavilion, its four legs curled beneath it and its antlers resting on the ground. Its eyes were half-closed, looking thoroughly comfortable.

Since settling in the City of the Wrongfully Dead, its life had become very pleasant.

Every day, it was fed and groomed. It spent its time eating, drinking, and basking in the sun. It no longer had to hide or live in fear; its life was even more luxurious than it had been in Qingzhou.

Chen Zhou walked over to it, squatted down, and patted its head.

"Let's go."

The Longevity Deer opened one eye, glanced at him, then closed it again and rolled over to continue sleeping.

Chen Zhou patted it again.

"I am going to Qingzhou. You are leading the way."

The Longevity Deer's ears twitched. Then, it suddenly snapped its eyes open and bounced off the ground, looking at Chen Zhou with sheer terror.

Qingzhou?!

That place was cursed. Without the protection of Dou Mu Xie, it was no place for any living being. It had barely managed to escape with the old sophora; why would it ever go back?

I'm not going, I'm not going, I'm not going!

It turned to run, but Chen Zhou grabbed its antlers in one firm grip.

"Where are you going?"

The Longevity Deer struggled twice but couldn't break free. It looked at Chen Zhou with a face full of despair.

Ignoring its plight, Chen Zhou hoisted it off the ground and tossed it onto a nearby rockery.

The sleeping unaging pine was startled awake by the commotion. Seeing Chen Zhou, it was initially frightened, but when it realized he was capturing the Longevity Deer, it relaxed.

The unaging pine extended two branches, holding a small white sophora flower handkerchief, and waved it left and right.

Safe travels~ Go work hard for the Lord!

On the rockery, Diting was emerging from the earth. Its body was as thick as a water bucket, entirely earthy yellow and segmented. Its rows of fangs opened and closed slightly in the air.

It had also been living well lately. Its size had grown by a full circle compared to a month ago, and its surface gleamed with a healthy sheen—a clear sign of being well-fed and well-rested.

Ever since Wu Gou had gone to the Great Emperor's Palace, no one had been competing with it for fodder.

It spent its days scurrying underground, tunneling through the ley lines of the City of the Wrongfully Dead and devouring the filth beneath. Occasionally, it would surface and sneak into the Dingnai Hall to scavenge food from the Heavenly Chef.

The Heavenly Chef took pity on it and fed it frequently with all sorts of delicacies. Diting had grown plump and sturdy; its life was the definition of comfort.

Diting crawled out of the soil, shook the mud off its head, and then slowly slithered over to Chen Zhou. It rubbed its head against Chen Zhou's leg and let out a low cry.

Squeak—

The sound was much deeper than before, full of vigor.

Chen Zhou patted its head.

"You've grown fat."

Diting proudly shook its fleshy body and opened its mouth, revealing rows of fine teeth. Some black residue still clung to them—remnants of whatever filth it had found underground.

Chen Zhou didn't mind. He reached out and touched its teeth.

"It's time for us to go to Qingzhou."

Hearing this, Diting immediately grew excited. Its entire body writhed on the ground, sending soil flying everywhere.

It loved tunneling through earth; it was its instinct as a realm earthworm.

In the past, traversing realms had taken a heavy toll, but it was much better now. After a month of recovery, it had gathered plenty of strength and should be able to endure the journey.

Chen Zhou leaped onto Diting's back and then dragged the Longevity Deer up as well.

The Longevity Deer lay flat on Diting's back, its four legs trembling.

Chen Zhou ignored it.

Plague Rat, Jian Huaishuang, and Lian also jumped on. Chen Zhou patted Diting's back.

"Move."

Diting let out a low cry and spat out several yellow bubbles, enveloping the group within them. It then swallowed the bubbles in one gulp, and its body sank abruptly, burrowing deep into the earth.

The soil parted around it like water before closing back up. In the blink of an eye, they had vanished.

...

Meanwhile, in the meeting hall of the City Lord's Mansion, Hong Ling sat at the head of the left side. She held a roster in her hand, cross-checking information.

Shitou stood behind her, his back straight as a spear. His aura was significantly more powerful than before.

After finishing her check, Hong Ling spoke slowly.

"The Lord's secret realm is connected to other provinces."

"The Lord has already departed for Qingzhou. Before leaving, he entrusted the situation of these other provinces entirely to me."

"I need to investigate the conditions in these provinces. Those that can be incorporated will be brought in. For those that cannot, we will record them and wait for the Lord's return to make a final decision."

No one objected. Part of it was their trust in Hong Ling's ability.

Whenever Chen Zhou was away from the City of the Wrongfully Dead, almost all affairs, large and small, were handled by Hong Ling as the acting city lord. She had always managed things perfectly without any issues.

The other reason was that almost everyone had directly or indirectly received Chen Zhou's grace, and they all spontaneously wanted to share his burdens.

Duke Wu asked, "How many people should we send in the first wave?"

Everyone looked at Hong Ling. Duke Wen smiled, waiting for her answer.

Hong Ling didn't need to think. She had been organizing this roster for a week, and the plan for reclaiming the provinces was already etched in her mind.

"I intend to deploy two teams first. One team will go to the regions north of Tianchi Province. The situation there is relatively stable, so we can start scouting from the periphery."

"The other team will head to the area east of Gloomlight Province. That region borders the Central Province, so the situation may be more complex. We need a team led by someone with strong combat power."

Duke Martial rushed in clutching a jar of sophora wine, shouting the moment he crossed the threshold.

"Wait, I heard there's a war to be fought?"

As he spoke, he gave Duke Wu and Duke Wen a reproachful look. "Such a big matter, and you two old geezers didn't even notify me?"

"I'm going! This is my old trade. Who else but me!"

Hong Ling smiled. "It's not exactly a war, just scouting."

Duke Martial's eyes lit up.

"Scouting is fine too! I'm willing to lead the team."

"Martial Niece, don't worry. Although I'm old, my bones are still sturdy. Taking down a few seventh or eighth-stage demons and monsters is no problem!"

Seeing that Hong Ling hadn't responded, Duke Martial leaned in closer and lowered his voice.

"Martial Niece, you know that when I was under the True Lord of Purity and Filth, I was the one in charge of the military department."

"The City of the Wrongfully Dead is great, but after all these days, I've been truly bored. If I don't move around a bit, I'm going to get rusty."

Hong Ling thought about it and felt that Duke Martial's words made sense. He was indeed well-traveled and more familiar with the various provinces than the others. Letting him lead a scouting team would at least prevent any major disasters.

"Very well. Then I will trouble you to lead the team to the regions north of Tianchi Province, Duke Martial. You may pick whoever you need."

She was about to update the personnel roster when Duke Martial, overjoyed, didn't wait for her next instructions. He snatched up the dazed Shitou and marched out with great strides.

Shitou looked bewildered, but he wouldn't dream of disobeying his master's command, so he followed obediently.

...

Chen Zhou and the others were still inside Diting's belly. The process of crossing the realm was not comfortable.

Darkness, pressure, and weightlessness.

It felt as if one's entire body was being stuffed into a giant grinding wheel, crushed, and then reassembled.

Chen Zhou had experienced it once and was already used to it.

He closed his eyes, circulating the death qi within him to steady his soul.

But this time was different from the last.

During the last crossing, although it was uncomfortable, it was at least steady.

This time, shortly after entering the realm interlayer, the surrounding darkness began to vibrate violently.

Chen Zhou frowned. Through the yellow bubble, he patted Diting's stomach.

"Slow down."

Diting slowed its pace, its feelers swaying gently in the darkness as if sensing something.

Suddenly, it stopped.

Its entire body went rigid, its frame trembling violently as it let out a sharp cry.

Squeak—!!!"

The sound was piercing, carrying a clear sense of alarm.

Chen Zhou's heart sank. He popped the yellow bubble and leaped out of Diting's mouth, standing in the void of the passage.

The passage was pitch black; nothing could be seen.

Only the whistling of the wind reached his ears, along with occasional low rumbles, as if something was roaming outside the passage.

He looked down and saw Diting's body trembling violently. It was secreting mucus even faster now, as if desperately trying to protect itself.

"What's wrong?"

Diting opened its mouth and let out a series of rapid cries.

Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak—

Chen Zhou couldn't understand it, but the Golden Dragon translated for him.

"My Lord, Diting says the realm barrier has been tampered with."

"The orientation of the passage has been warped; it is not the route it knows."

"And... something is watching it from outside the passage."

Chen Zhou's frown deepened.

He looked toward the end of the passage, where a faint light glowed. It should be the direction of Qingzhou.

However, the light was weak and flickering, as if something was obstructing it.

"Can we bypass it?" Chen Zhou asked.

Diting shook its head. Chen Zhou remained silent for a few breaths before patting Diting's head.

"Then keep going."

"Since someone wants us to take this path, we will take it."

"I want to see exactly what is waiting ahead."

Diting hesitated for a moment but obediently continued crawling forward.

Its speed was much slower than before. Every step was followed by a pause to sense the surroundings, as if it were wary of something.

The passage grew narrower, and the feeling of pressure intensified.

The death qi also became denser, feeling almost substantial and making it difficult to breathe.

Chen Zhou expanded his Ghost Domain and pressed his hand against Diting's back. Death qi surged out, shielding its body.

"Just a little longer."

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the passage finally reached its end. Just as Chen Zhou was about to have Diting speed up and burst through, the passage suddenly jolted violently.

Then, the cries of countless people echoed from the darkness.

Men, women, young and old—the sounds surged from all directions. Piercing, low, hoarse, and shrill cries blended together like a symphony of hell.

Every hair on Diting's body stood on end.

From those cries, Chen Zhou felt a pure resentment that faintly resonated with the divinity of hatred within him.

Gradually, things began to appear in the darkness.

First were the eyes.

Blood-red and dense, they lit up from all directions, staring at Chen Zhou's group in the passage.

Then came the hands.

Countless hands reached out from the darkness. Some were withered like dry wood, some were rotten and oozing pus, and some were nothing but white bone.

They clawed at the edges of the passage, desperately trying to squeeze inside like a pack of hungry beasts that had caught the scent of flesh.

Chen Zhou's gaze turned cold.

Why were there so many souls hidden within the realm of Qingzhou?

When and by whom were they concealed in the realm interlayer, and for how many years had they been hidden?

Chen Zhou observed the state of these souls. They seemed to be trapped here by something, unable to enter reincarnation, unable to dissipate, and unable to leave.

They could only endure endless pain and loneliness in this eternal darkness, day after day, year after year.

Over time, their consciousness had been ground away until only instinct remained.

The instinct of resentment.

Resentment toward everything living, resentment toward all conscious existence, resentment toward the world.

Chen Zhou suddenly thought of another question. If there were so many souls in the realm, how had the Longevity Deer and the Qianqiu Sophora managed to cross through unscathed to find the territory of the City of the Wrongfully Dead?

However, now was not the time for such thoughts. Chen Zhou took a deep breath and jumped down from Diting's back, standing in the center of the passage.

"You go first."

"I'll cover the rear."

Death qi surged from Chen Zhou's body as a gray-white mist spread through the passage.

Diting accelerated, carrying the group forward in its belly.

The blood-red eyes fixed onto Diting, and countless hands reached for it.

Chen Zhou let out a cold snort and waved his hand.

The gray-white death qi erupted, forming a piece of defiled earth within the passage. Bone hands reached out, dragging the ghost hands within the realm, attempting to bury them all within the Domain of Defiled Earth.

But soon, even more hands reached out, and more eyes lit up.

The crying grew louder and more piercing, causing the passage to tremble.

Chen Zhou frowned. The number of these souls far exceeded his expectations. Moreover, they were very unusual, possessing a strong resistance to death qi.

They seemed to be the creations of some evil spirit; death qi posed too little threat to them and could only temporarily stall them rather than eliminate them completely.

Chen Zhou channeled his Hatred Fire.

Black flames surged from his palm, coiling around the Ghost Domain and forming a wall of fire.

As the Hatred Fire burned the hands, they began to scorch, letting out shrill screams.

Yet the screams didn't sound like pain; instead, there was a faint, disturbing sense of excitement.

It was as if these souls had finally felt something, making them even more manic and frenzied, even if that feeling was agony.

Chen Zhou's expression darkened.

They had gone mad.

They didn't care about pain or death; they even craved it.

Because they had died long ago but couldn't fully die. They burned, twisted, and deformed in the flames, yet they would not dissipate.

Chen Zhou took a deep breath and changed his approach.

He would no longer try to destroy them; holding them back would be enough. His primary goal for this trip was to investigate Qingzhou and meet his appointment with Xuan Cai.