Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 890: What I Saw in the Ghost World, Finally Seeing the Holy Mountain!
Yin's Chamber of Commerce, Inner Hall,
A blue-grey bone lamp hung high, with the wick burning with a ghostly blue fire, illuminating the entire hall with an eerie and spooky look.

Zhou Xun sat in the main seat, accompanied by Yin Jiu and other Chamber of Commerce staff.

Today's banquet is to celebrate Zhou Xun and congratulate him on his successful selection as a follower of the Blood Moon King.

You have to know that those are the Ghost Kings of the Holy Hall, and their total number is only five hundred, while the number of high-quality Ghost Kings in the entire ghost world is far more than that.

More importantly, Zhou Xun will be able to participate in the selection of the Holy Hall Ghost King in the future as a follower.

Maybe there is a chance to become a figure like the Blood Moon King,
If there is such a day,
At the same time, Zhou Xun still remembered the little bit of old friendship between them and the Yin Chamber of Commerce, which was a thousand or ten thousand times the reward for them.

The table in front of him was filled with delicacies unique to the ghost world: slices of blood ganoderma had a dark red luster, and when bitten, they oozed sweet and fishy juice; the netherworld konjac was steamed until it was soft and melted in the mouth.

They are all spiritual plants unique to the ghost world with unique flavors. Even though Zhou Xun has a wide range of knowledge, it is his first time to taste them.

During the banquet, everyone became more and more enthusiastic.

"Lord Heifu challenged Long Tu'an with his spear today, and shocked Bloodbone City. We all admire him very much!"

A ghost imitated Zhou Xun's spear thrusting action, his face full of excitement, as if he had done it himself.
Zhou Xun just nodded slightly and looked at him with a smile.

The reason why he agreed to such a celebratory banquet was just to make his behavior appear normal.

As far as he knew, every ghost who wanted to enter the temple would go through a lot of investigations.

At this moment, Yin Jiu took the opportunity to hold out a hide bag, the mouth of which was slightly open, revealing a mountain of pitch-black holy coins.

"Here are 50,000 Holy Coins. Consider them as the extra money my Yin's Chamber of Commerce has given you. The journey to the Holy Temple is long, so you need to take care of it."

Zhou Xun accepted the offer without hesitation. He saved everyone's lives and escorted them to Blood Bone City, but he only got 3,000 holy coins.

Now that he has become the follower of the Blood Moon King, they have given him more than ten times the amount of holy coins.

"It seems that this pursuit of the high and flattery of the low is the same no matter which world it is in!"

He glanced at the ghosts meaningfully: "Hei Fu has taken note of your thoughts."

Yin Jiu and others were overjoyed upon hearing this and toasted each other repeatedly, making both the host and the guests happy for a while.

Soon, three days passed and it was the day for Blood Moon King and his entourage to leave.

Zhou Xun reported to the Blood Bone King's palace and was personally received by the Blood Moon King.

He was then arranged to sit beside the Blood Moon King's chariot, an obvious sign of closeness.

You know, except for the four third-level ghost kings, no one else has such an honor.

In this regard, Zhou Xun could only say that he was courting death, which made it easier for him to take action.

Outside the Blood and Bone City, the wind was howling.

Under the gray-black city wall, the Blood Bone King was wearing black iron bone armor, and ghost fire flickered faintly in his eye sockets.

He personally escorted the Blood Moon King and his entourage out of the city gate. Behind him, thousands of ghost soldiers stood in formation, with bone spears like a forest, shining coldly under the bloody moonlight.

"Brother, there's no need to send me off." The Blood Moon King raised his hand slightly, and his dark red robe rustled in the wind.

His pale face was hidden by the shadow of the hood, only his eyes were filled with bloodshot and a hint of impatience.

The Blood Bone King's bone claws creaked as he squeezed his bones. A dull voice came out of his throat: "It's thousands of miles to Black Plains City. You'll pass through the 'Corrupted Soul Swamp' and the 'Thousand Skulls Wasteland'. You must be careful."

As he spoke, he suddenly tore open the bone armor on his chest, revealing three beating hearts as black as ink, with blood-colored lines wrapped around the surface.

The Blood Bone King took out one directly.
"Take my 'Heart of Blood and Bone' with you. If you are in danger, crush it and call upon my clone to come!"

The Blood Moon King pretended to sneer, picked up the evil heart with his fingertips, and pressed it back onto the Blood Bone King's chest.

"Brother, you are still so nagging. I am the Ghost King of the Holy Temple, and I don't need your help!" He waved his hand, and his scarlet eyes swept over Zhou Xun and the other twenty followers.
"Let's go."

The Blood Bone King stood there, watching the bloody figure gradually go away. It was not until the Blood Moon King's sedan chair turned into a red dot in the sky that he suddenly waved his bone arm and roared:

"Beat the drum! Cheer up my brother!"

"Boom-thump-thump-"

The ghost soldiers on the city wall swung up the leg bones of the giant beasts and smashed them hard on the leather-covered war drums. The sound of the drums was like thunder rolling across the wilderness, shaking the broken bones on the ground.

"Farewell, Holy King!"

It was then that Zhou Xun realized that there was a teleportation array in the ghost world, but due to material limitations,

Even with all the resources in the ghost world, only fifty-three of them were built. Now they are spread all over the ghost world.
And Black Plains City is the closest teleportation array to Blood Bone City. Zhou Xun and his party need to go there.

Then he used the teleportation array to go to the Ghost Emperor City in the Central Region.

The Blood Moon King and his entourage galloped in the gloomy wind, their dark red robes rustling in the wind. Zhou Xun galloped beside the carriage.

Soon a month passed.
I saw a black line appearing in the distant sky, and a faint fishy smell could be smelled in the air.

It was the pungent smell of the corpses and poisonous miasma mixed together for thousands of years in the Rotten Soul Swamp that made even the ghosts hold their breath.

The Blood Moon King raised his hand to signal for them to stop, and pointed his pale fingertips at the gray fog rolling in the distance:

"We will camp here tonight and rest for a day before crossing the swamp."

As night fell, a dark green bonfire lit in the center of the camp, and Zhou Xun returned to his tent.

Zhou Xun waved his hand and set up a soundproof barrier around the tent.

Then he lightly tapped the wooden sign on his waist with his fingertips, and the shadows of Lu Chang'an and the Blood Demon Ancestor appeared.

After a brief narration, Lu Changan and the Blood Demon Patriarch both understood what had happened during this period.

"The ghost energy here is chaotic and ghost beasts appear frequently. It is a good place for us to take action!" The Blood Demon Ancestor said with a grin.

After all, they still have to pretend to be the Blood Moon Demon King, so naturally they can't replace him in public in front of everyone.

Unless they can kill everyone,
But it is impossible for them to impersonate everyone, so the Rotten Soul Swamp is the best place to take action.

"That's right. Tomorrow I will pretend to be attacked by the ghost beasts here and abduct the Blood Moon King. Then Fellow Daoist Zhou will disguise himself and return!"

“In this way, great things can be accomplished!”

The next day, everyone set out again, slowly heading towards the depths of the Rotten Soul Swamp.

Gray fog rolled in and miasma filled the air.

The rotting corpses in the swamp were half-sunk in the mud, and occasionally pale bone claws would poke out, but were quickly swallowed up by the sticky black mud. A low roar came from the distance, like an animal but not an animal, like a ghost but not a ghost, and it was creepy.

Zhou Xun followed the Blood Moon King's chariot, scanning the surroundings imperceptibly.

"The time has come."

His fingertips trembled slightly, and a very faint ghost energy silently seeped into the ground.

"boom--!"

Suddenly, the swamp exploded!

A huge monster emerged from the mud, shaped like a giant python, but with hundreds of twisted ghost hands, and each knuckle glowed with a dark green poisonous light. It roared and pounced on the Blood Moon King's chariot!
"Protect the Holy King!"

The four third-level ghost kings shouted loudly and formed a formation in an instant. The ghost energy surged and turned into a blood-red barrier. However, the monster was extremely ferocious, and its ghost hands tore wildly, tearing the barrier apart!
"court death!"

There was a bright bloody light in the Blood Moon King's eyes. He waved his sleeves and a scarlet streak swept out, slashing towards the monster like a blade.

"laugh--!"

Most of the monster's body was cut in half, and black blood splattered, but it was not completely dead. Instead, it became even more violent. The remaining ghost hands suddenly wrapped around the Blood Moon King and dragged him towards the depths of the swamp!

"Holy King!" The ghosts were shocked and angry, and they all tried to attack, but several ghost beasts jumped out of the swamp and frantically tried to stop them.

Zhou Xun's eyes flashed, and he pretended to shout angrily: "Don't run away, you evil beast!"

His body was as fast as lightning, rushing into the gray fog right after him.

……

Deep in the swamp,

The Blood Moon King was bound by many ghost hands and hung in the air. He stared coldly ahead and said in a chilling voice: "How dare a mere ghost beast plot against me?" "Hehe..."

A figure walked out slowly from the shadows. It was Zhou Xun.

The pupils of the Blood Moon King shrank slightly: "Hei Fu?"

Zhou Xun smiled slightly, tapped his fingertips, and a big hand reached out to the Blood Moon King.

The blood flames in the Blood Moon King's eyes surged, "Who are you?!"

The Blood Moon King roared, and black light burst out from his body.
However, as soon as he moved, a blood-colored array suddenly appeared under his feet, and countless chains broke out of the ground, imprisoning him tightly!
"What is this!" The Blood Moon King was shocked and angry. "I am the Ghost King of the Holy Hall. Aren't you afraid that His Majesty Ti Yu will track you down?"

The Blood Moon King's entire body was filled with ghost energy and he struggled frantically, but the blood-colored chains became tighter and tighter, and even began to erode his ghost body, causing him to scream in pain.

Zhou Xun had an indifferent expression. He raised his fingertips and a ray of golden light struck into the center of Blood Moon King's brow, instantly blocking the fluctuations of his soul.

"Now, it's my turn to ask you."

The Blood Moon King groaned, his consciousness was forcibly suppressed, and he was unable to resist.
He stared at Zhou Xun and said in a hoarse voice: "You... are not a ghost!"

"Smart." Zhou Xun smiled slightly and turned to look at the shadows. "Senior Blood Demon, it's your turn."

"Jie Jie Jie..."

The figure of the Blood Demon Ancestor slowly emerged, with a blood-colored rune floating in his palm, emitting a heart-pounding evil aura.

The Blood Moon King's face suddenly changed, and he struggled frantically: "How dare you?! I am the Ghost King of the Holy Hall, protected by the Ghost Emperor! If I die, the Ghost Emperor will definitely notice it!"

"Who said we were going to kill you?"

Zhou Xun chuckled, flicked his fingertips, and a ban directly sealed the Blood Moon King's mouth.

The Blood Demon Ancestor walked forward with a grim smile and pressed his palm on the top of the Blood Moon King's head.

"Well--!"

The Blood Moon King's eyes bulged, his whole body twitched violently, his soul was forcefully invaded, and his memories were drained away like a tide by the Blood Demon Ancestor.

After a moment, the Blood Demon Ancestor withdrew his hand.
"Senior, how's it going?"

The Blood Demon Ancestor nodded slightly, "It's just a third-level ghost king, so it's naturally very easy!"

Then he told the message of the temple.

There are 500 ghost kings in the temple, and every ten years, five of them will be selected to enter the holy mountain to receive baptism.

Among the ghost kings who received baptism, 90% of them were successfully promoted to the fourth-level upper grade in the future.

He went out to guard a place and became a capable general of the Ghost Emperor Ti Yu in controlling the ghost world.

The next baptism on the Holy Mountain will take place in half a year, and the candidates have already been decided!
After listening to this, Zhou Xun couldn't help but nodded.

"In this case, we can just pretend to be the candidates for baptism and sneak into the Holy Mountain!"

"But time is running out, we have to speed up!"

After thinking it over, Zhou Xun looked at the Blood Moon King who was still struggling in pain, and said calmly: "It's time to deal with him."

Fear finally appeared in the Blood Moon King's eyes, and he shook his head frantically, but Zhou Xun just raised his hand and waved -

"seal up!"

A golden talisman flew out and stuck directly on the Blood Moon King's forehead. His ghost body solidified instantly and he couldn't even struggle.

The Blood Demon Ancestor chuckled and took out a bloody cloth bag from his sleeve. He opened the mouth of the bag and it began to wriggle like a living thing.

"Blood Demon Bag, collect!"

"call--!"

A terrifying suction force burst out, and the Blood Moon King's body was pulled forcibly, and finally turned into a streak of blood light and was taken into the bag.

The Blood Demon Patriarch tied the bag tightly and weighed it with satisfaction: "Now, he can't even self-destruct."

Zhou Xun nodded, blood surged around him, and his face, breath, and even the fluctuations of his soul began to change.

In the blink of an eye, a figure who looked no different from the Blood Moon King stood in front of Zhou Xun, his scarlet eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice was cold and arrogant:
"Now, I am the Blood Moon King."

……

Inside the camp

The ghosts were still searching anxiously when they suddenly saw a figure stepping out of the gray fog.

"Lord Blood Moon King!" The ghosts saluted.
The Blood Moon King raised his hand indifferently, his voice cold: "This mere ghost beast has been slain by my holy treasure, continue on your way."

The ghosts bowed their heads in awe, and no one dared to question.

The Blood Moon King and his entourage galloped on the gloomy wind and finally arrived at the Ghost Emperor City one month before the baptism of the Holy Mountain.

From afar, between heaven and earth, a huge dark peak rises from the ground, piercing the sky, with its top not visible.

The mountain peaks looked as if they were cut by knives and axes, and were shrouded in thick, inky ghostly fog. Vaguely, blood-colored runes could be seen engraved on the mountain, and each of them exuded a heart-pounding pressure.

That is the Holy Mountain.

The so-called Ghost Emperor City is just a corner at the foot of the holy mountain, like an ant nest under the claws of a giant beast, so small that it can almost be ignored.

At the city gate, two teams of ghost soldiers wearing black iron bone armor stood solemnly. The aura of each ghost soldier had reached the second-level upper grade. The leading ghost general was even at the third-level upper grade. His body was wrapped in eerie ghost aura, and his eyes were scanning the passers-by like knives.

"It turns out to be Lord Blood Moon King, please come in!"

The ghost guard at the city gate immediately knelt on one knee with his head bowed: "Welcome to the Holy King!"

"Blood Moon King" looked indifferent, nodded slightly, and stepped into the city.

As soon as you enter the city, the thick ghost aura almost condenses into substance, flowing through the streets like black fog.

However, the most eye-catching thing is still the majestic holy mountain.

It seemed to have existed since time immemorial, suppressing the entire ghost world. Occasionally, blood-red lightning flashed across the mountain, and low roars could be heard faintly, as if some horrific existence was sealed in the mountain.

On the streets, ghost cultivators came and went, and those with powerful auras were everywhere.

Zhou Xun even sensed a few subtle fluctuations, and even he felt a sense of oppression.

Zhou Xun remained calm and continued moving forward.

Soon, a towering black palace appeared in sight. On the roof of the palace sat a gigantic ghost dragon statue with scarlet eyes facing the direction of the holy mountain, as if monitoring something.

"We have arrived at the temple."

Stepping into the temple, the light inside was dim, and the bone lamps were flickering with faint blue flames.

Portraits of the Ghost Kings of the Holy Temple from past dynasties were hung on the walls on both sides, and each one exuded a spooky ghostly aura.

"Blood Moon, you're back."

A hoarse voice came from deep inside the hall.

Zhou Xun looked up and saw an old man in a black robe sitting cross-legged on a high platform. He had a single horn that was very conspicuous, his face was haggard, and his eye sockets were sunken.

The elder of the temple, a fourth-rank upper-grade ghost king!

"Greetings, Great Elder Tuo Yu." Zhou Xun bowed slightly.

The elder's gray eyes swept over Zhou Xun and said calmly: "It's OK that you're back!"

After giving a few brief narrations, Zhou Xun was sent away!

Then, Zhou Xun walked towards his residence, and suddenly a young man with six wings on his back and an unusually handsome and feminine face walked in front of him.
"Vaishya King!"

Zhou Xun bowed quickly, but a strange look flashed in his eyes.

Because this person is the one participating in the baptism this time!
Target found!

(End of this chapter)