If Heaven hadn't given birth to me, I would be arrogant.

The guard was startled by such bloody and cruel words and hesitated, "But, Your Excellency, Baidi City has tens of thousands of people. Wouldn't it be a bit much to slaughter them all..."

"What do you know!" Eunuch Zhang shouted sternly. "Who can guarantee that these people won't leak what Zong Zegang said? If it gets out, the consequences will be unimaginable. Moreover, Zong Liancheng must have many wives and concubines. Who knows if there might be illegitimate children hiding among them? Only by killing them all can that man be at ease!"

That night, Baidi City was engulfed in flames, which burned for three days and three nights. The once prosperous Baidi City was reduced to ashes, with only a few broken bricks and tiles bearing witness to its former glory.

Ten days later, a white light swept across the ruins, followed by a figure that headed straight for the stone chamber where Zong Ze was in seclusion.

"Such a powerful killing aura!" A figure gradually appeared, an old man in a Taoist robe with black hair, white beard, and a pointed mouth and monkey-like face. "Having committed such a heinous crime, Zhang Ye will surely suffer retribution in the future and will not have a good end. However, this is not my concern. The old man asked me to save Zong Ze, so I will focus on saving people."

Having said that, the old man waved his whisk, and his figure disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already in the stone chamber that Zong Ze had sealed himself in.

Strangely, all the items in the stone chamber were destroyed in the fire, but Munenori's body remained intact, sitting cross-legged in a meditative posture.

The old man walked up to Zong Ze and reached out to remove a jade pendant from his neck. As soon as the pendant was removed, Zong Ze's body turned to ashes and vanished, clearly protected by the jade pendant.

"Gates of the underworld, heed my command! Gates of hell, open! Souls of the clan, return!" The old man tossed the jade pendant into the air and roared, "Three souls and seven spirits, gather!"

As the old man shouted, nine streams of light suddenly appeared and rushed toward the jade pendant that was suspended in mid-air.

"Snap!" The jade pendant shattered, revealing a figure—Zong Ze, who had previously committed suicide by poison. He seemed to awaken from a dream, looking blankly at the old man: "Who are you?"

“Your senior brother!” The old man waved his hand and got straight to the point: “Back then, I passed on the Immortal Transformation Technique to your father, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the aptitude for cultivation. Your father then passed it on to you. Although you don’t have the aptitude for cultivation now either, I’ve foreseen that you will face a great tribulation. After this tribulation, you should be able to cultivate. So, in terms of rank, I am your senior brother!”

"Senior brother? Old man? My father?" Zong Ze was dizzy from the series of titles. And what were these so-called "Immortal Transformation Technique" and "cultivation aptitude"?

"Didn't I die from taking a poison pill? How come a senior brother suddenly appeared? Am I hallucinating on my way to the underworld?"

"What nonsense about the Yellow Springs Road!" The old man, upon hearing Zong Ze's mutterings, flew into a rage, pointing at Zong Ze's nose and saying, "Who told you you're dead? Open your eyes and see where you are! Besides, what's the Yellow Springs? I've even passed through the Hall of Yama, and I've altered many entries in the Book of Life and Death. If you want to die in front of me, you'll have to ask for my permission!"

"But if I'm not dead, why is this happening?" Zong Ze looked at the unfamiliar old man before him and pointed to his own body: "Look, what living person's body looks like this?"

After saying that, he reached his hand towards his chest, and then his palm passed through his body without any resistance.

"If I'm not a ghost, then what am I?"