Chapter 146: The Divine Palace of the Ghost Kingdom

Taoist theory posits that human beings possess three souls and seven spirits, with the souls representing the Yang and the spirits representing the Yin. Humans are the creation of the union between Yin and Yang, serving as the greatest secret between heaven and earth.

What is known as "Yang energy" is, in fact, the power of the first soul, the *Tai Guang*. The three human souls are the *Tai Guang*, the *Shuang Ling*, and the *You Jing*. The *Tai Guang* is the pure, harmonious Qi of the Great Clarity; it returns to the heavens and governs a person’s natural lifespan. The stronger the *Tai Guang*, the more robust a person’s vitality. Conversely, if a person’s *Tai Guang* weakens, their physical body becomes frail and susceptible to all manner of ailments. If the *Tai Guang* is lost entirely, it signifies death.

To steal the Yang energy of another has been considered a heinous act since ancient times. Yet, this very "Yang energy" happens to be the favorite sustenance of "Yin spirits."

Taoist Yin-Yang masters can use spells to drain the *Tai Guang* of others to strengthen their own souls. Just like ghosts and demons, they can bolster themselves by plundering the Yang energy of mortals. The stronger one’s three souls and seven spirits, the more formidable an Yin-Yang master’s spiritual power becomes. The spirit senses heaven, and the soul senses earth. The strength of one's spirit determines the speed at which an Yin-Yang master can comprehend the mysteries of the universe.

In other words, the Yin-Yang masters in the square are all engaged in plundering human Yang energy. They then leverage the power of the Heavenly Veins to perceive the wonders of creation, forcibly elevating their cultivation realms. This is a shortcut—a method fraught with immense risk that falls under the category of demonic arts.

"Xiao Xin, the power of this formation is growing stronger. You must not step into it, or your *Tai Guang* will be stolen instantly."

Outside the square, Lu Xin and Yue Buhei stood at the perimeter, observing the hundreds of Yin-Yang masters sitting cross-legged in meditation. Their expressions were grim. Aside from them, only the members of the Nine-Star Gang and a handful of tourists stood at the edge of the square watching. Some of them gazed at the flickering star map with calm expressions, seemingly long accustomed to such sights.

Lu Xin understood that this formation, built outside the Divine Palace of the Ghost Kingdom, would help Yin-Yang masters absorb Yang energy without completely extinguishing the *Tai Guang* of their victims. For those desperate for progress or stuck at a bottleneck in their cultivation, this was an irresistible temptation.

"The sacrificial procession had just entered the Divine Palace of the Ghost Kingdom when the gates slammed shut. Then, this formation began to operate, drawing in almost everyone outside. Could there be a connection between these two events?"

Lu Xin stared at the Daoist Guikong and Jiang Hong'er for a moment, feeling that something was amiss. The Tuber Sacrifice was a unique ritual of the Diqiang tribe, and the entire city of Fengdu had been built by them. Now, by closing the gates as the procession entered and using the star map formation to distract the crowd, they were surely trying to prevent outsiders from interfering with their ritual. The thought of those two living children made Lu Xin feel deeply uneasy.

"Are you saying that this Tuber Sacrifice hides something shameful? Or perhaps it requires this formation to accomplish something?"

Prompted by Lu Xin, Yue Buhei also found the thought chilling. He immediately looked toward the gates of the Divine Palace, suddenly realizing that the summit had become eerily silent. The sound of gongs and drums had vanished entirely, and even the howling mountain winds had ceased. The two exchanged a meaningful look and, with tacit understanding, bypassed the square and headed toward the gates.

The Divine Palace of the Ghost Kingdom was immense, dozens of times larger than the imperial palace in Chang'an. The entrance was a bronze gate, fifty zhang wide and towering so high it seemed to pierce the clouds. Lu Xin pulled hard on the door ring, but it did not budge in the slightest.

"This bronze gate must weigh billions of stones. It is impossible to open with brute force."

Yue Buhei studied the patterns on the gate for a moment, his expression grave. Lu Xin understood his meaning and began to examine the carvings and inscriptions as well. After a while, Yue Buhei seemed to find something and placed his palm upon a circular protrusion.

Rumble!

The gate groaned and cracked open, creating a gap. Though it looked unchanged from afar, the aperture was wide enough for two people to walk through side by side.

"Fox, how did you open it? These patterns and characters seem to belong to the unique civilization of the Diqiang tribe; I can only decipher one or two out of ten."

"Heh heh heh, I don't understand them either, but... I recognized one sentence. It was written in the language of the demon race: 'Sincerity brings manifestation.'"

"'Sincerity brings manifestation'?"

"This Divine Palace is less of a temple and more of a mausoleum. It houses the remains of the first Ghost Emperor, Tuber. That old thing still won't rest in peace even after death, coveting the worship of the living. There must be an unspeakable secret here."

Yue Buhei led the way into the Divine Palace. The world behind the gate was shrouded in dimness. Though there was no thick fog, the ceiling was a vast, enclosed dome. A few lanterns hung in the air, casting very little light. On either side of the bronze gate stood statues of the Ox-Head and Horse-Face guardians of the underworld, clutching steel forks and staring straight ahead. In the distance lay a lake, as vast as an ocean, stretching beyond the horizon.

The open space before the lake was filled with wind and sand, and a suspension bridge stretched across it toward the unknown. Other than that, the area between the gate and the shore was barren, like a primal wasteland. By now, the sacrificial procession had completely vanished, and not even the sound of drums could be heard. Lu Xin hesitated about moving forward, but Yue Buhei, filled with excitement, insisted on crossing the lake to see what lay beyond.

"According to the map, past the lake lies the bustling Underworld Street. My master said it was once a ruin of an ancient ghost race, later transformed by the Diqiang tribe into a massive market for trading things that don't exist in the world of the living. I didn't understand what he meant at first, but after he gave me a hint, I realized: things that don't exist in the world of the living are simply things ordinary people cannot see. This Underworld Street is equivalent to the Ghost Market of Yunmeng Marsh."

"Heh heh heh, in that case, we must go and see it. The procession for the Tuber Sacrifice has likely already crossed the lake; we must hasten our pace to keep up."

Yue Buhei walked onto the suspension bridge with a grin. The ancient wooden planks creaked underfoot, and the entire bridge swayed. Perhaps because they were walking over the lake, the temperature plummeted, and wisps of cold air rose up around them. They walked cautiously for ten minutes when, suddenly, a paper figure appeared directly in front of them—dressed in white with a red face, holding an iron whip, looking terrifying. At the same time, thick white mist filled the air, instantly obscuring their vision.

"A wind from a hollow, fog rising on flat ground—these are the tricks we demons usually employ. What thing dares to bewitch this Emperor here?"

Seeing the change, Yue Buhei neither moved forward nor showed any fear. He waved his folding fan and blew a breath, dispersing the vast expanse of white mist. But strangely, the paper figure that had been just ten meters away was now gone. Lu Xin’s expression shifted, and he quickly gripped his Youxian Sword.

"Heh heh heh heh... What petty thieves dare to intrude upon the Naihe Bridge? Hand over your lives!"

A creepy, cackling laughter echoed. Immediately, countless white shadows flew out from the mist, brandishing iron whips and shrieking as they lunged at the two. To Lu Xin’s eyes, these white shadows looked exactly like living people, the only difference being their expressions—all identical, stiff, cold, and gloomy, filling one with dread.

Yue Buhei immediately manifested his fox demon claws and slashed violently into the void, causing three white shadows to split apart and drift away as paper scraps. But no sooner had the three shadows vanished than more emerged from the depths of the mist. Soon, they were swarming like a plague of locusts. After resisting for a while, the two realized these shadows were endless. Though not individually powerful, their sheer numbers meant they would eventually be exhausted to death.

"Xiao Xin, there must be a small formation here that keeps spawning these things. I will reveal my true form to distract them; you go forward and find the eye of the formation."

Having said this, Yue Buhei roared and transformed into his true form—a giant fox. His massive size immediately drew the attention of all the white shadows. Lu Xin ducked and charged into the mist. The visibility was near zero, but this only confirmed to him that he had fallen into a formation. And every formation must have an eye—the very foundation of the array.

"The human eye sees the near but not the far, the front but not the back, the light but not the dark. That is why gods and Buddhas must open their Heavenly Eyes to perceive all things."

Deep in the mist, Lu Xin closed his eyes and recited the Heart Sutra. Gradually, a Sanskrit light manifested between his brows, resembling a third eye. This was a spell recorded in the *Fa Shan Di Zang Sutra* capable of piercing illusions.

"Found it!"

Though Lu Xin’s eyes remained closed, everything illuminated by the Sanskrit light appeared in his mind. This was a technique to briefly bolster his spiritual power; it wasn't particularly sophisticated, but it was highly effective. In his mind’s eye, he saw the paper figure he had encountered earlier standing on the bridge ten meters away, with a talisman pasted to its forehead. It was the power of this talisman that had activated the formation. Without hesitation, he unleashed the Youxian Sword, which pierced through the paper figure instantly, reducing it to ash. Moments later, the surrounding mist dissipated, and the far shore of the lake appeared in the distance.

"Damn it, I knew that paper figure was the culprit. This wretched place is truly bizarre."

As Yue Buhei resumed his human form, his clothes were riddled with holes, and there were a few visible wounds. It was clear that those white figures with iron whips were no mere illusions.

"This must be a trap left by the sacrificial procession to prevent anyone from tailing them. If I'm not mistaken, they have likely already discovered us."

Lu Xin frowned, hesitating over whether to proceed. Just then, the suspension bridge began to shake violently, and the sound of rapid, heavy footsteps approached from behind.

"Let's go. It seems we aren't the only ones trying to cross this Naihe Bridge. No matter what lies ahead, we must cross the lake first."