All Novel Full Chapter 518 Contract
At the tea house, Chen Mu pondered over the matters of the Ghosts.
He had spent over a decade in Yunzhou and had seen Ghosts only a handful of times. A large number of them had once appeared on Mist Smoke Mountain, but they were summoned through a blood sacrifice. On the contrary, within the borders of Da Liang Country, there were quite a few Ghosts.
“Are there many Ghosts in Kangzhou?” he asked with some concern, still feeling apprehensive at the memory of the eerily bizarre impression the Ghosts had left on him.
“Ghosts? What’s that?” Shang Yang asked, looking puzzled.
Chen Mu’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Aren’t the Ghosts the ones that the Living Gods lead into the Netherworld?”
“What I’m talking about are Yin Spirits, the souls of beings after death, not these Ghosts you mention,” Shang Yang corrected.
Yin Spirits? Souls of beings after death? Weren’t those the strange apparitions from folk tales?
A shock went through Chen Mu’s heart.
“Are you saying that those human-shaped black smokes under the River of Oblivion are all Yin Spirits transformed after death?”
This was different from what he understood.
He had perused countless texts and witnessed life and death in great detail, all which clearly indicated that the legendary spirits were nothing more than folk myths, often the work of mischievous Ghosts.
Whereas Ghosts were a kind of demon from beyond the heavens, explicitly recorded in the texts.
Now Shang Yang was telling him that beings after death transform into Yin Spirits and are taken to the Netherworld, possibly becoming Yin Spirits?
This is nonsense!
Even though those Yin Spirits at the bottom of the River of Oblivion mostly took human form, they were essentially Ghosts. How could they become spirits after death?
“You don’t know about this?” Now it was Shang Yang who appeared perplexed.
Chen Mu shook his head slightly but did not ask any further questions.
From Shang Yang’s expression, it was clear that the consensus here was that the Ghosts at the bottom of the River of Oblivion were indeed spirits of beings after death, suggesting hidden truths that Chen Mu was unaware of.
He just wanted to return to the mortal world of the Yang Realm as soon as possible and thought it best to inquire as little as possible about such secretive matters.
However…
“Are there many Yin Spirits in Kangzhou, where the City God Dojo of Yinshan Prefecture is located?”
“Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural cycles of the world, occurring all the time. Where are there not Yin Spirits?” Shang Yang replied as if it were obvious.
We don’t have that many Yin Spirits in Yunzhou.
Chen Mu nodded outwardly but couldn’t help feeling anxious inside.
Kangzhou might not be a good place to go. If he really went there, he would have to make a quick escape.
“The Divine-Sealing Pact holds a Secret Technique that binds a Living God to guard the dojo for a hundred years. No one can leave without permission, and they must remain trapped. Has no one tried to break free from this restraint?” Chen Mu probed tentatively.
“Break free? Impossible,” Shang Yang shook his head.
“The restraint on the Living Gods doesn’t come from the pact but from the dojo itself.”
“Once you reside in the statue of the dojo, it’s like you’re tied to the countless beings under its influence. Trying to break free would be like trying to escape with all those beings in tow.”
“Who can manage to flee with tens or hundreds of thousands of Yin Spirits? Right?” Shang Yang said, popping a fried Moon Beet Pearl into his mouth and winking at Chen Mu.
“I can,” Chen Mu’s eyes sparkled.
He had the Mountain-Carrying Scripture and the Thousand Lanterns City; what was it to him to elope with hundreds of thousands of people? Easy!
Damn!
He had forgotten that the guy in front of him knew the Mountain-Carrying Scripture!
Shang Yang’s expression stiffened, and he said helplessly, “I was making an analogy, just an analogy.”
“The statue of the dojo not only binds beings but is also connected to the earth’s veins, rooted in the ground.”
“You might be able to run with tens of thousands, but can you also carry the entire earth as you fly? Besides, the living are different from Yin Spirits; your Mountain-Carrying Scripture may not even work.”
What a pity.
Chen Mu shook his head in disappointment.
It seems he still had to rely on the Dharma that Lü Liang provided.
“I heard there’s a Substitute Puppet Technique that can bypass the pact?” he leaned forward slightly, asking in a low voice.
“So that’s your plan,” Shang Yang realized, his face showing curiosity, “What’s so good about the Yang Realm that you must sneak up there for a stroll?”
“I’ve been afflicted by a Cursing Secret Technique and really have no choice but to hide in the Yang Realm for a while…” Chen Mu continued to use the same story to bluff his way through.
“Just tell me if this method is reliable.”
“Reliable, of course it’s reliable,” Shang Yang affirmed.
“The higher-ups only care about someone guarding the dojo; as for who that person is…” Shang Yang shrugged, “Nobody cares.”
Chen Mu felt relieved.
“This method sounds mysterious, but it’s actually quite simple,” Shang Yang explained nonchalantly, “It’s nothing more than sending two Living Gods to the same dojo.”
“One of them uses a Secret Technique to temporarily hide the Divine-Sealing Pact, allowing the other to occupy the statue first. Once the statue is taken, the other can’t reside in it, and so they won’t be bound by the dojo’s constraints.”
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“After a few months, when the force blocking the Netherworld on the Divine-Sealing Pact dissipates, being a Yin Spirit, you’ll naturally be pulled back to the Netherworld by the River of Oblivion.”
Chen Mu suddenly understood and couldn’t help but rejoice.
The Yin Spirit’s body is but the True Form of the Heavenly Demon, a kind of magic, he isn’t an actual Yin Spirit and doesn’t fear being dragged away by the River of Oblivion at all. Once he can free himself from the restrictions of the Divine-Sealing Pact, he will be completely liberated.
“Two Divine-Sealing Pacts issued for the same place? That wouldn’t be easy, would it?” Chen Mu couldn’t help but squint his eyes.
“Hey! Normally a Living God would need a hundred-year rotation, and there’s always more than one copy of a Divine-Sealing Pact aimed at the same place from the moment of its creation.”
“Get through to the relationships within the City Lord Mansion, then prepare a large amount of treasures and wealth. As long as it’s not some key dojo, it’s possible to get an extra pact.”
“To those managing the pacts, they just need to report a damage or loss, it’s quite simple.”
Chen Mu suddenly understood and nodded.
…
In the following month, Chen Mu stayed honest in Feng’an City, watching a crowd of Yin Spirits hustle and bustle building the city.
Occasionally, he sought out Shang Yang and subtly continued to inquire about news of Living Gods.
This one-horned Ghost King, having botched an assignment from the City Lord of Qingyang City, did not dare return to Da Qing Mountain City and instead sought refuge in Feng’an City.
It was also with information from this old ghost of several years that he learned what a Living God was.
In Chen Mu’s view, a Yin Spirit as a Living God was nothing but a tool for the City God Dojo.
And the so-called City God Dojo was very similar to a Qi Cultivator’s forbidden law array, with various brilliant uses such as organizing earth energy and drawing on the Netherworld.
The Yin Spirit was one of the cores of this Forbidden Law and simply needed to take place in the dojo’s divine statue to function.
To ensure the dojo continued to operate effectively, the dojo itself would have the effect of binding and restraining the Yin Spirit.
Once on the job, it’s a century without rest.
“So, I’d really become a laboring soul? Tsk… How pitiful.” Chen Mu couldn’t help but shake his head.
…
That day, in a side hall on the eastern side of the City Lord Mansion of Feng’an City.
Lü Thirteen held a tray, on which lay a black scroll, the length of a lower arm, its surface engraved with auspicious cloud patterns.
“Is this the Divine-Sealing Pact?” Chen Mu looked at Lü Liang and Lü Thirteen.
“Once you sign your name on the pact, it will absorb your qi of its own accord to complete the signing.” Lü Liang nodded, “With it in hand, you can find the Bridge of Helplessness, pass through the Ghost Gate, and go to the Yang Realm to serve as a Living God.”
At last, he saw hope for returning to the Yang Realm.
Excitement flickered in Chen Mu’s heart.
Although the Netherworld was not bad, he was still a living person; returning to the Yang Realm felt more comfortable.
Thinking this, he immediately reached out to take the Divine-Sealing Pact.
He wasn’t afraid of Lü Liang tricking him. With the Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed, although he couldn’t make the two totally obedient, it eliminated the possibility of them harming him.
As the scroll unfurled, a series of elegant silver characters entered his eyes, but they were True Meaning Talismans containing a complex chill. Just looking at them a few more times made his head spin.
Chen Mu immediately shifted his gaze away but couldn’t suppress his astonishment.
What a powerful Divine-Sealing Pact!
At the same time, a string of information appeared in his mind.
Luo Feng County, Pingdan County, Xiwazhen under the command of the clay deity Tao Yu? Land steward?
Land steward?
Isn’t this… essentially a Land God?
Chen Mu looked perplexed.
“After all, Li’s Substitute Peach Stiff Technique isn’t quite proper,” Lü Liang explained with an awkward smile. “Too conspicuous positions aren’t easy to manipulate.”
Chen Mu immediately nodded his understanding.
“Look.” Lü Liang exhibited a scroll from within his sleeve with a smile.
A pact identical to the one in his hands appeared, the same Xiwazhen, the same Land God, but the signature at the end was already filled in.
“Le Dian?”
“Correct, this person is an officer under the Thousand Blade Camp, he can stand in for you to guard the dojo.”
“Moreover… this is our own person, who has read the East Pole Longevity Scripture seventy-two times.” Lü Liang gave Chen Mu a sly smile and winked.
“I have given enough compensation to satisfy him to willingly become a Living God.”
A smile inevitably appeared on Chen Mu’s face.
The matter of returning to the Yang Realm was finally settled.
Without further hesitation, he raised his hand to take the pen from the tray and rapidly wrote his full name, well… Shen Yan’s full name.
After all, the Divine-Sealing Pact was a kind of binding restriction, and he felt it was better to be cautious.
He then released the bald image of the True Form of Heavenly Demon to let the Divine-Sealing Pact absorb his qi as a record.
Seeing the bald image automatically appear on the right side of the pact, Chen Mu couldn’t help but nod in approval.
The name is Shen Yan’s, the qi is from the True Form of Heavenly Demon, and with Li’s Substitute Peach Stiff Technique, I should be able to escape even if there’s any trickiness to the pact.
I certainly don’t want to become a laboring soul!