The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

"Your precious sword, the Immortal-Slaying Sword, has also been born. Find that sword, summon the Six Shadow Guards, and strip away the Earth Spirit Blood. You will become the new emperor of the Ghost Realm and lead the people of the Ghost Realm onto the path of peace!!!" The city lord of the Yinling Kingdom said, a hopeful look on his face.

"The Winter Prince is also looking for you. There is a great rift between the Emperor and him, so for the time being, I will not inform the Emperor of your whereabouts, lest it be overheard by someone with ulterior motives and ruin everything." The City Lord of Yinling Kingdom said, then suddenly seemed to remember something and continued, "In the Ghost Realm, you can move freely. To help you improve your spiritual power, I will do my best to assist you. But there is one thing you must remember: do not provoke the Great Sage Jue Ling!"

"Why?! Since he has already come to the Ghost Realm, could it be that he has some other ties to the Spirit Realm?! Or perhaps, he came to the Ghost Realm just to find out its secrets and bring some benefits to the Spirit Realm?!" Ying Li guessed, recalling Chu Lianyi's high regard for the Great Sage Jue Ling, and couldn't help but ask.

The city lord of Yinling Kingdom wore a troubled expression and said, "He's a very strange person. It's not exactly neutral; he even helped the Silver Flame Sect Master back then. But he's always been extremely vicious towards the people of the Ghost Realm. According to him, he came to live in the Ghost Realm to avoid those from the Spirit Realm who wanted to steal his skills. The Great Sage Jue Ling is very powerful. The Jue Ling Chair you saw in Princess Azao's tomb in Dong'an Kingdom was made by him. It reverses spiritual power, thus benefiting the people of the Ghost Realm. It was made at the request of the emperor back then, as a way of giving Princess Azao some closure. Otherwise, it would be too hurtful to say that a princess of the Ghost Realm would have Spirit Realm artifacts in her tomb."

"If you seek him out after you've completed your studies, he will treat you with utmost respect. But right now, he probably looks down on you. Besides, he's lived for hundreds of years and wouldn't care about anything. For your own good, you shouldn't provoke him for now." The city lord of Yinling Kingdom said, as if recalling that man's bad temper, a troubled and helpless expression appearing on his face.

"I understand. After I recover for two days, I'll focus on improving my mental strength before making any other plans. Do you know which king in the Ghost Realm is the Spirit King of the Bone Ring?!" Ying Li asked, suddenly remembering the matter in Nanchuan.

The city lord of the Yinling Kingdom was taken aback upon hearing this, and after a long while said, "Many kings sacrificed themselves in the war of spirits and ghosts. It's really hard to say which spirit king it was."

Ying Li nodded, his brows furrowed as he pondered the words of the Yinling Kingdom's city lord.

"Something terrible has happened!!! City Lord, something terrible has happened!!!" A commotion broke out outside the secret chamber. Ying Li and the City Lord of Yinling Kingdom exchanged a glance. Led by the City Lord of Yinling Kingdom, Ying Li walked out of the secret chamber and came to the outer room.

A young maidservant, around seventeen or eighteen years old, was kneeling outside the secret chamber, carrying a food box. Her face was filled with panic. Upon seeing the City Lord of Yinling Kingdom and Ying Li emerge together, her face turned deathly pale. She kowtowed to the City Lord, crying, "It's terrible, City Lord! Miss Chu has been captured by the Great Sage Jue Ling!!!"

The city lord of Yinling Kingdom and Ying Li were both shocked. Ying Li stepped forward and asked, "When did this happen?!"

Seeing Ying Li's anxious expression, the girl hesitated, unsure whether to speak to him directly. She then glanced at the City Lord of Yinling Kingdom, who gave her a nod. She quickly composed herself and said, "Just now, I went to deliver food to Miss Chu Lianyi, but when I arrived, there was no sign of her anywhere—not inside the house, outside, or even at Young Master Nangong Lin's place. Later, behind the artificial hill, I saw the servants of the other courtyard bound together and thrown into a cave within the hill. After rescuing them, they said that the Great Sage Jue Ling had come and taken Chu Lianyi away!!!"

"What does the Great Sage Jue Ling want to do by taking Chu Lianyi away?!" The city lord of Yinling Kingdom racked his brains but couldn't figure out the reason, while Ying Li's expression was rather unpleasant.

"Sect Master, do you perhaps know the reason?! Although the Great Sage Jue Ling is in the Yinling Kingdom, he doesn't usually go out. He wouldn't oppose me for no reason," said the city lord of the Yinling Kingdom.

“Lianyi, she knows secret arts. Perhaps the Great Sage Jue Ling has taken a liking to Lianyi’s talent in secret arts!” Ying Li affirmed.

"But Miss Chu's skills are far inferior to those of Nangong Lin. The Great Sage Jue Ling has always hated others stealing his skills. Even if he had his eye on a talented young man to pass on his mantle to, he would choose Nangong Lin. Why would he choose the weaker Chu Lianyi?!" The city lord of Yinling Kingdom asked, puzzled.

"Lianyi only studied secret techniques for half a year before being taken away by her family, leaving the Red Jade Palace, the strongest secret technique sect in the Spirit Realm. Perhaps, the Great Sage of the Spirit Realm knows that Lianyi's talent is not weak at all!!! Where is the Great Sage of the Spirit Realm's mansion?! I must go find Lianyi!"

"I'm going too!" Ying Li said. Bing Yin ran over from a distance, his face filled with worry. He didn't know what the Great Sage Jue Ling was planning, and he was also somewhat unwilling to give up. He wanted to find the Great Sage Jue Ling and ask him what was going on!

"Well... since he has taken a liking to Miss Chu, he has no hostility towards her. Sect Master, there's no need to worry..." The city lord of Yinling Kingdom was somewhat troubled, but seeing Ying Li and Bing Yin's resolute expressions, he had no choice but to tell them that the gate of the Great Sage Jue Ling's mansion was located on a very remote high mountain, not far from here. However, due to the layers of guards, it would take Ying Li and Bing Yin at least half a month to bypass the guards and find Chu Lianyi.

Moreover, given Ying Li's current abilities, even with Ice Shadow by his side, it would be impossible for him to safely ascend that mountain.

“I can fight my way up,” Ying Li said calmly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the city lord of Yinling Kingdom and Bingyin were stunned.

"Sect Master, what did you say?! You want to fight your way up?!" The City Lord of Yinling Kingdom hurriedly asked, "That's the Great Sage Jue Ling. He won't let you go up so easily! Since he took Miss Chu away, he must have figured out your current strength. Once you improve your spiritual power, you can naturally go up to find Miss Chu. But for now, listen to my advice, it's better to wait a few days."

"No, Lianyi can't wait. I have to go up and find her." Ying Li shook his head at the Yinling Kingdom City Lord's earnest words. "I promised Lianyi that I would accompany her to venture into the Ghost Realm. I, Ying Li, will not break my word."

As Ying Li spoke, she turned and walked towards the high mountain without looking back. Chu Lianyi was waiting for her; she couldn't delay.

As Bingyin followed Yingli away from the city of Yinling Kingdom, he asked, "Why are you so good to Lianyi?!"

Ying Li turned around, thinking of Bing Yin and Li Xiyue, and smiled helplessly, "Then why are you so good to Li Xiyue?! I will resurrect Li Xiyue, so please be nicer to Lianyi until then." After saying that, Ying Li turned around and brushed past Bing Yin.

Bingyin's expression changed, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

Chu Lianyi lay on a large bed, the surrounding air thick and cold. Her head was spinning, and it took her about half a day to regain consciousness. She sat up, her body aching all over. Chu Lianyi saw that the room resembled a cave. She remembered accidentally stepping into a deep abyss in the courtyard of the Yinling Kingdom's city, falling and falling endlessly. Could she have already died from the fall?!

"Ugh!!!" Thinking this, Chu Lianyi touched something cold and instinctively turned her head to look. She saw that the entire bed was surrounded by white skulls!

How could this be?! Chu Lianyi was certain that she was alive, otherwise she wouldn't feel such profound fear!

"Hey!!! Is anyone there?! Why did you bring me here?!"

"..." There was no reply. Chu Lianyi stood up and looked around. The various paths in the cave led to different places, and the cave she was in seemed to be the end.

"Hello!!! Is anyone there?! Ah Li? Ah Li?!"

"..."

Chu Lianyi shouted loudly, but no one answered her. She walked around the white skull beside the large bed, jumped down, and nervously walked through the cave, constantly patting the cave walls, but still no one responded.

"Is anyone there?! Why did you bring me here?! I'm a servant of the City Lord of the Yinling Kingdom! You're in for it if you bring me here! Hey! You have the guts to bring me here, but why don't you come out and see me?! Hey!!!"

"Hey!!! Come out here, come out here!!!"

"..."

Chu Lianyi was tired of shouting. Looking at the empty cave, with only the large bed, she made a firm decision and walked out along other paths. The paths were winding and long, and after walking for a long time, she didn't see anyone except for more paths.

"Hey!!! Is anyone there? Is anyone here?!" Chu Lianyi shouted, hoping someone would hear her. Otherwise, she would either die of thirst, starvation, or exhaustion here!

"What are you yelling for?! Are you trying to die?!"

Just as Chu Lianyi was about to despair after waiting for a long time, an impatient shout suddenly came from ahead. Her face lit up with joy, and she quickly stood up, leaning against the wall. She ran forward a couple of steps and finally saw a strange old man at the end of the path, holding a broom, staring at the ground in front of him, and shouting earnestly.

"Honestly, no manners at all. What are you yelling for? It hurts people's ears." He muttered to himself, not even looking up when he saw Chu Lianyi coming over, and just sweeping the dirt and dust off the path.

The cave was dark, and the only way to see the newcomer was by the oil lamps on the walls. Chu Lianyi looked at him and, despite being reprimanded, politely said in order to get out, "Grandpa, where is this place?! I was kidnapped by bad people. Can you take me out?! Please, can you take me away from here?! I really come from a good family."

After Chu Lianyi finished speaking, the old man finally raised his head. His face was covered with wrinkles like dried tree bark. Chu Lianyi was so frightened by his appearance that she took several steps back.

The old man glared at her, snorted, and said, "A bad guy?! I'm the bad guy who kidnapped you! How dare you call me a bad guy?! I'm so angry! I'm so angry!!!"