Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 561 The Four Fiends of the Underworld, Borrowing a Book
"Of course! Esteemed immortals, please follow me. My generals and I are discussing tactical details inside the hall." Qin Chuan quickly stepped aside to lead the way.

The four followed Qin Chuan back to a strategic council chamber next to the Senluo Palace and took their seats. Qin Chuan waved his hand, dismissing the ghost officials and most of the ghost generals and judges who were standing by his side, leaving only two trusted ministers.

The atmosphere inside the hall became serious. Qin Chuan said in a deep voice, "We just received a report from our spies that the Underworld Emperor has already gathered his main forces and is going all out to conquer Senluo Ghost City in one fell swoop, completely seize power in the Underworld, and take control of the core of reincarnation."

"I have ordered the garrison troops of each fortress to resist layer by layer using their fortifications, slowing down their advance and depleting their forces. If all goes well, the main force of the Underworld Emperor will surely be at the city gates in three days! At that time, it will be the final battle that will determine the fate of the Underworld!"

"What are we supposed to do?" the Martial Immortal asked bluntly.

"At that time, I will personally lead the main force of the Netherworld Ghost City, deploy them in the open fields outside the city, and engage that false emperor in a direct battle." Qin Chuan pointed to a military map of the underworld on the table. "The key to quelling this calamity lies in defeating the Underworld Emperor and his seventy-two ghost kings!"

“These ghost kings are all powerful figures, each commanding a large number of elite ghost armies. Without their leadership, those ordinary ghosts and evil spirits would be nothing more than a disorganized mess, and no matter how many there are, they would hardly be able to threaten the core of the cycle of reincarnation.”

“However,” he changed his tone, his voice becoming heavy, “the Underworld Emperor himself is extremely powerful and unfathomable. His seventy-two Ghost Kings are all highly skilled, fierce, and cunning. I alone cannot defeat them all, and even dealing with the Underworld Emperor would be extremely difficult.”

"Therefore, on the day of the decisive battle three days from now, I hope that the four immortals can secretly lie in wait and observe the situation. When that false emperor and his main ghost kings come out to challenge us and are at their most arrogant, the four of you will then strike together with overwhelming force and carry out a decapitation tactic! As long as we can defeat or capture the Underworld Emperor and those seventy-two ghost kings in one fell swoop, the rest will be handled by me and my troops!"

Xiao Jie thought to himself that this plan was simple and brutal, a typical example of the "cutting-edge combat power" mentality. But upon reflection, it made sense. In this world of gods, demons, immortals, Buddhas, monsters, and ghosts, powerful individuals indeed possessed the ability to destroy a nation and decide the course of a war. No matter how many ordinary soldiers or ghost troops there were, they were ultimately just expendable resources and background figures before true god-level power. The outcome of the war ultimately depended on the result of the duel between the two sides' highest combat forces.

He didn't rush to agree; such strategic decisions and strength assessments naturally depended on the opinions of the three "big shots." As the weakest, he figured he should just play the role of a "supporting actor," ready to contribute when necessary.

Lin Xuance's expression was quite serious, showing no sign of relaxation or slackness. He pressed on, "What is the specific cultivation level of the Underworld Emperor? What kinds of spells and supernatural powers does he excel at? Your Majesty, please tell me everything. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle."

Qin Chuan was clearly prepared and explained in detail: "I am not very clear about the cultivation level of the Underworld Emperor. In a one-on-one fight, I may be able to hold my own against him, but it is hard to say that I will definitely win."

Its magical power is vast and boundless, especially adept at commanding countless ghosts, manipulating the death energy of the underworld, and casting large-scale curses and resurrecting the dead.

But this is only the ability he has shown so far, because he himself usually doesn't charge into battle easily, but rather sits in the central army, relying on his four most powerful ghost generals to fight. So it's hard to say what other abilities he has.

"What's the deal with those four ghost generals?"

"These four ghost generals are known as the Four Fiends of the Underworld, and they are:

Wang Xuetu: In life, he was a founding general of the Longhua Empire. After death, he was unable to be reborn due to his excessive killings. Therefore, he escaped from the Reincarnation Sea and joined the Underworld Emperor. He awakened his martial arts skills from his previous life through some secret method. His martial arts are unparalleled in the Underworld. He wields a giant axe called the Soul-Splitting King Axe and has the courage of ten thousand men.

Li Yan: In life, he was a powerful soul refiner. Even after death, he retained his magic. He cultivated in the underworld for thousands of years and was proficient in various strange soul techniques. He liked to devour the souls of living beings and could create large-scale illusions. He liked to launch sneak attacks in the illusions, making it difficult to defend against.

Thousand Bone Demon: Formed from the bones of thousands of powerful beings, this demon possesses a spiritual nature and is extremely powerful. It can manipulate bone magic, conjure countless limbs, and use the martial arts skills of these powerful beings in their lifetime, making it quite bizarre.

The Ghostless One: Appearing and disappearing without a trace, its origins unknown, and no one has ever seen its true appearance. This ghost excels at assassination and sneak attacks, leaving no survivors. If I hadn't planted spies within the Underworld Emperor's army, I probably would never have known of its existence.

These four ghosts each have their own strengths. Although they are not as powerful as the immortals, they are still very strong. With the blessing of the Underworld Emperor's magic, they are among the strongest enemies of my ghost generals. Many of my ghost generals have fallen at the hands of these four ghosts.

To destroy the Underworld Emperor, these four demon generals must be killed first.

Lin Xuance glanced at the fellow Daoists beside him and said confidently, "Four mere ghost generals are no problem for us to handle."

"We will certainly act according to plan at that time. However," Lin Xuance changed the subject, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Qin Chuan, "Your Majesty cannot just watch us do the work. The Underworld Emperor's cultivation is so powerful that Your Majesty, as the Lord of the Underworld, will also have to exert a great deal of effort. I have heard that when the Underworld was in turmoil, Your Majesty rarely personally took action to fight the enemy?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan sighed, a helpless and enigmatic expression on his face: "It's not that I'm unwilling to take action, but I have my reasons. I am the ruler of a realm, wielding a portion of the reincarnation authority. The depth of my strength is itself a deterrent. Although that pseudo-emperor has repeatedly provoked me over thousands of years, he has never dared to launch a final decisive battle with all his might, largely because he cannot ascertain the true extent of my power. If my strength is exposed too early, or if I expend too much energy in battle, it might give rise to inappropriate ideas from certain ambitious schemers or opportunists."

"In this vast underworld, there are far more than just my two forces and that pseudo-emperor's."

Xiao Jie, listening from the side, secretly thought to himself, "What you're saying... is it that you're strong or not? It sounds more like an excuse."

"However!" Qin Chuan's tone changed, becoming resolute, "Now that things have come to this, it is a matter of life and death, and I can no longer worry about such things! Rest assured, esteemed immortals, in the decisive battle, I will certainly go all out and fight alongside you all, without holding back anything!"

"Alright! Then let's meet on the battlefield in three days!" Lin Xuance finally decided. "I'll arrange the best lodgings for you immortals to rest in right away..." Qin Chuan said warmly.

“No need for that,” Miaofa Yuanjun refused directly. “We have some private matters to attend to, and we will come to see you on time in three days.”

"But..." Qin Chuan seemed a little worried.

"But what?" The Martial Immortal's eyes widened. "Are you afraid we'll run away? Since we promised to help you, we naturally won't break our promise! An immortal's promise is heavier than Mount Tai!"

"Then...then I, Qin Chuan, will await the arrival of the four immortals and wish them a resounding victory." Seeing this, Qin Chuan had no choice but to bow and see them off.

After leaving the Senluo Palace for a while, Lin Xuance said to Xiao Jie, "Alright, let's go see those 'disciples' now."

Xiao Jie said, "Fellow Daoists, please wait for me for a moment. I still need to go back to Guyun Prefecture to retrieve some things."

"Go back quickly."

Xiao Jie immediately mounted a cloud and flew swiftly towards Guyun Prefecture once more. What he wanted to retrieve was, of course, the immortal technique manual he had previously set his sights on!

The library stipulates that each person can only borrow one rare book at a time. If they wish to borrow more, they must leave a deposit of Karma Points. He has just received 400 Karma Points, which is just enough to borrow two books.

Upon arriving at the Sutra Repository again, Xiao Jie went straight to Su Moyan, the Immortal of Ten Thousand Scrolls.

With such a living search engine around, it's natural to consult him. This person has read books in the library for thousands of years, so he must be very knowledgeable about the methods suitable for cultivation by ghost immortals and gods.

"Fellow Daoist Su, I apologize for bothering you. I would like to borrow two more manuals, one about the path of cultivation for ghost immortals and the other about the path of immortal incense offerings. Do you have any recommendations?"

Upon hearing this, the immortal Su Moyan looked up from a pile of ancient books, glanced at Xiao Jie with some surprise, and seemed to be deep in thought, but did not ask any further questions. He simply nodded and said, "There are indeed such books."

His figure floated up and circled the vast sea of ​​books on the seventh floor. Finally, he summoned two books of extraordinary material and imbued with spiritual light from the depths of two relatively secluded bookshelves that were covered with a little dust.

"Both of these are secret manuals left by deceased Daoist friends. However, because their contents are somewhat unorthodox, they are rarely paid attention to by ordinary immortals."

He pointed to the first book, its cover a dark gold color, seemingly crafted from ghostly metal, and cool to the touch, and said, "This book, 'The Nine Netherworld Profound Soul Control Scripture,' is the main cultivation method left behind by a ghost immortal senior known as 'Profound Hermit' from ancient times. This senior was a rare individual who directly attained the Great Dao of Ghost Immortals with a Yin Spirit body, and he had extremely unique and in-depth research and practice in Yin Soul cultivation, condensing the Ghost Immortal body, and avoiding the erosion of reincarnation."

However, I have no knowledge of the path of the Ghost Immortal and am not very familiar with its contents. If you wish to cultivate it, you will have to rely on yourself.

Then, he pointed to another thick book with a warm white jade cover that exuded a faint spiritual light: "This book, 'The Refining of the Divine by Incense Offerings to All People,' is said to have been written by Wenchang Xingjun, who had already ascended to the upper realm, in his early years."

Although Wenchang Xingjun ascended to immortality through orthodox cultivation, after becoming an immortal, he gained immense prestige in the mortal realm, leaving behind numerous offerings and sacrifices. Over time, he accumulated considerable divine authority. This book details how to guide, refine, and utilize the power of incense offerings and vows from all living beings to condense a divine body, shape a divine personality, and perform divine magic.

Supernatural powers originate from the beliefs of the human heart, their mystery lying in their ability to, to a certain extent, 'make one's wishes come true,' turning the illusory into the real, making them utterly wondrous and unpredictable. However, the power of the divine path relies entirely on incense offerings and faith, its foundation resting on mortals. Without the worship of believers, divine power will diminish, and there is even the danger of divine demise. Cultivating them as a secondary practice is fine, but if it becomes the primary path… compared to us carefree immortals whose power resides within ourselves, it ultimately falls short in both scope and future prospects.”

Xiao Jie thought to himself, "So what if I'm a little short? It's still the path to godhood!" For immortals, being a "god" who needs incense offerings might be a slightly troublesome and not-so-transcendent part-time job, but for a mortal soul like me who wants to become an immortal, it's a leap to heaven, an existence that's incredibly awesome! What's there to complain about!

"Thank you for the recommendation, Fellow Daoist Su! I'll take these two books!" Xiao Jie solemnly accepted the two books.

Xiao Jie took the book and approached the 'Immortal Stele of Tracing the Footprints', placing his palm upon it. A flash of light appeared on the jade stele's surface, revealing lines of clear immortal script:
[On the day of Gengchen in the month of Guiyou in the year of Jiazi, the wandering immortal Yinyue Suifeng borrowed one copy of the "Nine Netherworld Profound Soul Control Scripture" and one copy of the "Ten Thousand People's Incense Refining God Scripture," mortgaging 400 points of karma...]

The 200 points I borrowed from "The Thousand Illusions Transformation Technique" were on credit, and I would only need to pay back the money if the book was lost or not returned on time.

This time it's a real deduction! The 400 Karma Points I just received are gone in an instant!

Looking at his almost empty "balance," Xiao Jie felt a pang of regret for the hard-earned karma points, but the thought of his two dear friends' future made it all worthwhile. He carefully put the two manuals into his backpack, took off again, and flew towards Ginkgo Village, his heart filled with anticipation.

(End of this chapter)