Daoqi Huangcheng

Chapter 54. [The Gap in the Soul's Stagnation]

The following evening, Song Chen was looking towards the He Mansion from a secluded high building. He saw Que He leading a finely dressed merchant to the gate of the He Mansion. The merchant was transporting goods in an oxcart, and in the iron cage inside the cart was a docile, lying black-armored demon dog.

The merchant's "business" was reflected in his eyes.

If you want to open a large shop in the Strange Beast Street, money is secondary; connections are the most important.

Song Chen observed the relationship between the merchants.

Her cousin was Shi Jinghu's second wife.

It would be hard for Song Chen not to have heard of Shi Jinghu.

One of the Four Pillars of Dayong, the strongest shield, a famous general on par with General Que, he was originally a great cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Gathering, but stopped at the ninth level of Qi Gathering due to serious injury. He was extremely skilled in military strategy and Qi Gathering, and had a meticulous mind. If he led a large army, he could even unleash the power of the Qi Master level.

In the previous plague war launched by Jin spies, Shi Jinghu did not even personally take action; his subordinates led troops to kill many enemy soldiers, thus shining brightly.

Song Chen might not know the details of Shi Jinghu's life, but he, like every citizen of Dayong, knew that this General Shi harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Jin Kingdom.

That year, the State of Jin invaded and massacred his clan. Young Shi Jinghu was hidden in a stone vat and managed to escape. He grew up to be ruthless and bloodthirsty, his body covered in blood. It was as if he had been bathed in a sea of ​​blood, which would be difficult to wash away. The air around him was filled with the smell of blood.

This made Song Chen think of Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi also killed many people, and the smell of blood on his body was hard to wash off.

He had never heard Zhang Yi talk about his past, but judging from Zhang Yi's appearance, he was likely "a tragic past, blinded by hatred, only knowing how to kill, yet deep down he also had a longing for friends."

This fate seems somewhat similar to that of Shi Jinghu.

Song Chen then noticed why the merchant had opened this shop on Strange Beast Street.

Firstly, this merchant already had some connections;

Secondly, Shi Jinghu's second wife wanted to compete for favor and wanted to gain some extra value; so she arranged this job for the merchant, with the aim of letting him learn more about the ways of demon beasts and see if he could equip Shi Jinghu's army with a demon beast army.

Song Chen then saw what this merchant had been doing lately.

First, they curry favor with local wealthy, powerful, and promising figures, and their own family is just one of them;

Secondly, they are actively searching for new monsters that can reproduce on a large scale and be tamed;
Thirdly, they were preparing gifts, intending to visit General Que to offer their congratulations upon his triumphant return.

everything is normal.

From the current information perspective, there is no problem.

Song Chen looked away.

This wasn't entirely without gains.

At least, he was certain that his current location did not present any new or immediate dangers.

At the same time, he was certain that General Que had indeed won.

A resounding victory.

The Que family will rise in status as the tide rises.

He can also use this relationship to put himself in a safer position.

If he hadn't already said he'd wait for his master to arrange a marriage, he really would have liked to marry a woman from the Que family to secure General Que's position.

While a ship is inherently at risk of sinking, without a large ship, he would likely have been swept away by the storm before the ship even sank.

Several days later, they returned again.

Lady Qianxue lay on his chest, stretched out her body, crossed her long legs, and said happily, "It's confirmed! General Que has returned in triumph and will return to the capital in half a month. This time, the General has made great contributions. He has driven his horse to drink from the Totem Sea, which is the sacred land of the northern witch people!"

This time, even Lady Qingyue could say a few words. She excitedly said, "In the past, there was a problem with the witch people in the north of my Great Yong. Now, we drink from the Totem Sea. It is time to sever the hatred of the past."

Now, the people of Dayong are singing praises everywhere, saying that the emperor is wise and virtuous, which is why brave warriors have swept across the land, generals have made great achievements, and the emperor is even more powerful.

I heard that the Emperor will ascend Jintao Mountain in the northern suburbs, erect a monument to the fallen, hold a blood-written military order of 100,000 brave soldiers, and offer sacrifices to the north, summoning their heroic souls back. "Jintao Mountain?"
Song Chen was stunned for a moment.

This mountain is the only place in the northern suburbs of the capital that is not surrounded by the Ghost Realm or the Underworld, and it happens to be the center of the Underworld in the northern suburbs.

But in General Que's northern expedition, the real deciding factor should be the contest between cultivators, right?
It seems that the Five Elements Sect is far stronger than he thought.

A few more days.

The Yellow Springs Land in the northern suburbs.

Lonely ghosts roamed aimlessly at midnight. A figure in a black robe stood with his hands behind his back in a bare old bamboo forest, standing among the wandering ghosts like an island standing on an ocean current.

The Yellow Springs are gushing forth beneath his feet.

Pale, ghostly hands reached out from around his boots, grabbing wildly as if trying to break free, like pale white lotus flowers blooming, with him standing in the center.

This is the secret technique of "Transforming the Netherworld".

Wherever he stood, the Yellow Springs appeared.

In the next instant, he vanished.

His disappearance was very abrupt.

The turbid waves of the Yellow Springs reflect the human world; the realms of life and death are separated by the realm of ghosts.

This is the secret technique of the [White Wraith Ghost Realm].

The depths lead to the underworld.

The scene inside was the old bamboo forest where Song Chen stood, but these bamboo forests were illusions formed by yin energy and were not real. The [White Wraith Ghost Realm] was created by replicating the human world of the target through the reflection of the Yellow Springs, thus forming a temporary secret realm.

Compared to ordinary "ghost walls," these secret realms have another characteristic: sensory interference. However, each secret realm is different.

Song Chen held the black jade slip of the "Yellow Springs Scripture" in his hand and quietly pondered it.

Different people will naturally have different understandings. The reason why they were able to achieve enlightenment so naturally is because they held this black jade slip in their hands. Otherwise, even with a wealth of wisdom, they would not be able to achieve enlightenment.

for a long time
Song Chen wiped his sweat and said, "It's done."

In addition to the "Ghost Wall" effect, his "White Wraith Domain" has an additional eerie element: the "Soul Stagnation Gap".

The Yellow Springs reflect objects, and the gaps allow the souls of the living to enter. Those who enter sink deep without their spirits being aware, like a blind person walking in an abyss, where, apart from thunder, they hear no sound of water.

In short, Song Chen's White Demon Ghost Domain can delay the perception of those pulled into it, allowing them to enter the ghost domain without realizing it, and it is extremely difficult to detect unless they are attacked.
A few more days.

At Jinxia Mountain, as Song Chen was leading his horse, Tian Kuizi arrived again and asked him, "Junior brother, time's up. Have you digested all four spirit stones?"

Song Chen awkwardly scratched his head and said, "Just yesterday, I barely digested it."

"Good!" Tian Kuizi's eyes finally lit up, and then he gave some pointers, "Don't hold back. Your speed is only that of an ordinary genius, not top-tier. This will affect Master's evaluation. Cultivating the Five Elements and Five Methods simultaneously, promoting each other, is not much slower than cultivating one method alone. You only digested four spirit stones in half a year. In the end, it's still a little slower than Master expected."

Song Chen looked ashamed, then gritted his teeth and said, "At worst, I'll only go home once every half month, no, once a month, for the next six months."

Tian Kui Zi patted his shoulder and said, "Alright, this time when we return to the capital, we'll get four more spirit stones. Sigh, Master originally wanted to give you some of that woman's, but now her evaluation is a bit low, so I'm afraid we'll have to find someone else."

Song Chen was stunned for a moment, then asked excitedly, "Senior brother, is Master really concerned about my marriage?"

Actually, it's a bit low, but not low enough. You can see the information above, but it's not outstanding or eye-catching enough. That's the position he wants.

Tian Kuizi waved his hand, then lowered his voice and said, "General Que will be returning in triumph in a few days. Many people will line the streets to welcome him. You...don't go."

Song Chen looked up and saw Tian Kuizi's cold and solemn old eyes.

He nodded emphatically and said respectfully, "I'll listen to you, Senior Brother."

(End of this chapter)