I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 323 The True Lord's Bet, Speedrun Map

"A word to the wise is enough," the burly man in red robes said, unwilling to say another word to Xu Qing.

But the other party refused to let him go.

Xu Qing continued to patiently guide him:

"The opportunity to eliminate evil and promote good is right before your eyes, brother, are you really not going down?"

"I won't go down. The living will have their own karma to live, why should I care?"

Xu Qing squinted at the burly man in red robes and suddenly asked, "How deep is it down there? If it's too deep, I'm afraid it won't be easy for me to go down."

Upon hearing this, the burly man in the red robe immediately became talkative again: "It's not deep, only fifty zhang in total. Even if you include the deepest part of the tomb, it's only about a li."

"If you want to go down, you'd better hurry. If you wait until those two get the immortal's remains and find their immortal destiny first, you won't be able to defeat them."

Xu Qing finally understood that the man in the red robe had never been well-intentioned; he was eager to take him down with him.

"A chance encounter with immortals?" Xu Qing laughed. "I have no interest in a chance encounter with immortals. So what if those two obtained divine relics? If anyone could obtain a chance encounter with immortals so easily, then there's no point in seeking immortality!"

The burly man in the red robe finally frowned, and he asked again, "Are you really not going down?"

“Who says we can’t do it?” Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and said, “But not now. We need to do it slowly, in a planned and orderly manner.”

"."

The burly man in the red robe reached for the hilt of his sword at his waist. For some reason, he felt an urge to cleave the young man before him in two with a single stroke.

Xu Qing remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic.

Ever since he arrived at the Yin River, his corpse-finding compass has been constantly activated, but it has never detected any corpses beneath the Bone Temple.

Now he asked the red-robed giant how deep the tomb where the god was buried was from the ground, and the giant replied that it was only about a mile deep.

The search area for corpses using the corpse-finding compass is about twenty miles in circumference. Xu Qing assumed it was a slip of the tongue and calculated it to be ten miles in circumference. So, it must be an empty tomb underneath!

As for whether there is any immortal destiny in the empty tomb...
Xu Qing has seven years until he can use the Immortal Seeking Technique again. He can't be sure what the situation is like down there. Maybe there really is an immortal opportunity beneath his feet, but he is unwilling to go down and take the risk at the moment.

Especially after encountering the burly man in red robes before him.

This person was practically a carbon copy of the Exorcist True Lord in the Bone Temple. If he were truly the True Lord himself, wouldn't that mean the gods of this place were right before him, yet he wanted to lure him down to seek so-called immortal destiny with Ji Lingzhou and the others?
No matter how you look at it, this whole thing seems illogical.

Something unusual must be going on. Xu Qing pondered this and came up with a plan.
"Judging from your attire, brother, are you perhaps also a person of official rank? I am not so talented, but I happen to have worldly rank as well, and I am currently serving as a military doctor under the Eight Banners Marshal."

Xu Qing is using someone else's name as a pretext. You said you didn't want to get involved in worldly affairs? Well then, we'll show you how to be worldly!
"Fame and fortune? You think you can achieve fame and fortune?"

"What? I'm not ugly, so why can't I achieve fame and success?"

Xu Qing vaguely sensed a murderous aura emanating from the temple. The burly man in red robes took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to draw his sword, and re-examined the young man before him.

Could it be that this person is truly uninterested in divine relics?
Seeing that the big man remained silent, Xu Qing continued, "The two people who jumped into the pit are wanted criminals pursued by the marshal. They are heinous traitors and rebels. As a military doctor, I should do my duty and eliminate this ailment!"

"A military doctor?" The burly man in the red robe was taken aback.

Who taught you, military doctor, to do this?
Just as the burly man was about to speak, he suddenly heard the sound of drums and horns coming from outside the Bone Temple, followed by the sound of thousands of troops galloping, which even made the incense hall of the Bone Temple tremble.

The burly man's expression changed slightly, and the next moment he saw a skeletal general, clad in golden armor and as tall as a city gate tower, appear outside the Bone Temple.

"I received a message from the paper effigy and have rushed here with my troops to provide support. Is Lord Xu safe?"

"It's alright. We just happened to run into the rebels who support the Yin Shi Dharma King. Now all the rebels' subordinates have been captured, and only the two rebel leaders have escaped into the depths of this bone temple."

"Marshal, you can guard this place and keep an eye on the cave entrance for me, lest someone take advantage of my misfortune!"

Upon hearing this, the Eight Banners Marshal immediately fixed his gaze on the burly man in red robes. He said in a deep voice, "Who are you? If you have nothing to do with the bandit leader, you should leave quickly and not make things difficult for yourself!"

Who? Who was made to leave?

The burly man in the red robe stared wide-eyed. "Can't I even stay in my temple? What kind of logic is that!"

"This is where I reside. If you wish for me to leave, you must first ask the Demon-Slaying Sword in my hand for permission!"

The red-robed giant was about to draw his sword when he suddenly remembered that although the marshal before him was a skeleton ghost, he was closely related to the fortunes of the mortal dynasty. Although he was the master of this place, he could not violate the laws of the underworld and do anything that would affect the general trend of the human world.

Xu Qing watched as the red-robed giant groaned and groaned for a long time, but never actually drew his sword. He finally confirmed his suspicions.

"If it's okay, it's okay; if it's not okay, it's not okay. What's the point of drawing the sword only halfway? Either you leave, or the marshal leaves. Is it that hard to choose?"

"."

The red-robed man's already dark face looked even darker now!

The Eight Banners Marshal stepped aside, revealing a passageway. The surrounding skeleton soldiers all had ghostly fire in their eyes, staring at the big man as if they were about to draw their swords at any moment.

The burly man in red robes laughed in anger: "This underground ghost cave was suppressed by a certain generation. Today you have forced me to leave, but when these two are born one day, they will surely cause great suffering to the people. By then, it will be too late for you to regret it!"

"What a huge accusation!" Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. He seized on the other person's words and retorted, "Was this place a den of ghosts and monsters? When you tricked me into going in, why didn't you say it was a den of ghosts?"

The burly man, though illogical, retorted defiantly, "What can a villain like you, who manipulates soldiers and kills people like water, do even if I'm just trying to trick you? If you're so capable, feel free to go in and try!"

"However, let me make this clear: the seal on this place has been broken. Once those two obtain the treasures within the tomb, not only you, but even this general himself would find it difficult to subdue them!"

The Eight Banners Marshal frowned slightly and subconsciously looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing smiled slightly, seemingly unconcerned, and said, "Have you perhaps forgotten what I said?"

"What are you saying?" "A benevolent demon is also a human, while an evil human is worse than a demon. Even humans and animals can change their nature, so what in this world can truly be said to be predetermined?"

"Take the exorcist in this temple, for example. In the past, the emperor judged people by their appearance. Just because he looked like a demon, he stripped him of his official rank. But was the exorcist in the past really a demon?"

Xu Qing grinned, looked at the red-robed man, and said meaningfully, "I think if the Demon Exorcist True Lord were here, he would certainly not be like you, judging people by their appearance without discerning their true nature!"

"."

The red-robed man's gaze sharpened, and his tone became more serious than ever before:
"I have observed no fewer than ten thousand demons, and I have never been wrong in my judgment. Although you look like a human, I do not think you are a human being, nor a good person, let alone a benevolent demon!"

Xu Qing clicked his tongue and asked, "Aren't you afraid of misjudging me?"

The burly man in red robes, his eyes gleaming, raised the sword at his waist and said, "If I have indeed misjudged you, I will give you this sword! But if one day I discover that you are indeed a demon..."

"This demon-slaying sword is your destiny!"

After saying this, the burly man in red robes walked out of the bone temple without looking back, and the remaining incense in the temple also left with him.

The Eight Banners Marshal suddenly realized what was happening. Looking at the now empty bone temple, he exclaimed in shock, "Could that person be a deity of this place?"

Xu Qing looked at the empty altar and said noncommittally, "According to him, from the day the Bone Temple was built, he concealed his divine form and hid inside the statue of the Exorcist True Lord, just to suppress this place known as the 'Return of the Gods to the Ruins'."

"Now that his idol has been destroyed, he can no longer hide his form."

The Eight Banners Marshal was well-informed and knew about the past of the Exorcist True Lord. Hearing Xu Qing's explanation, he became even more puzzled.

"In life, the Exorcist Lord hated evil as if it were his enemy. He died fiercely by striking his head against a pillar. Even in death, he upheld the righteous path, slaying demons in the nine netherworlds and cleansing evil spirits from the eight wastelands. He caused the wicked to be punished and the virtuous to be saved, purifying the yin and yang, so that all generations may be at peace."
How could someone like this possibly be content with a small corner of the world?

The Eight Banners Marshal didn't believe in the so-called suppression of the ghost cave at all. Ghosts were everywhere outside, and he himself was an incarnation of a skeleton ghost. This Yinhe Ancient Road was essentially a huge ghost cave. Unless the other party said that this place was a 'ghost realm', none of the ghosts present would be afraid!

Xu Qing didn't believe it either; the oppressive feeling this ghost cave gave him was even less than that of the Ghost King Duo'e.

He even felt a sense of familiarity, as if he were back home. This ghost cave was like a paradise in the ghost world, perfect for zombies to retire in.

"This general will go down with Lord Xu!"

Xu Qing shook his head and said, "We don't know where this ghost cave leads. If the Yin Erosion Dharma King launches a surprise attack on our headquarters during his reign, how will the Marshal respond?"

"I'll go down and investigate."

The Eight Banners Marshal reluctantly agreed. Just as Xu Qing had said, he could not leave his own unit, just as the Yin Shi Fa Wang dared not leave the Nan Cuo You Bing troops without permission.

If he were not present, and the Yin Shi Dharma King were to take advantage of the situation, then thousands of troops would likely be wiped out by the Nan Cuo army.

"Lord Xu, please be careful."

After watching Xu Qing jump into the ghost cave, the Eight Banners Marshal stood there for a long time before he came back to his senses.

He was unaware that Xu Qing's purpose in coming was to collect the corpses of two grandmasters from the Cangyi Gang and the Tianxin Sect. In the eyes of the Eight Banners Marshal, there must be other reasons why the other party was willing to capture the bandit leader.

Just like Xu Qing promised to send Zuo Zixiong out of the Yin River.

"I am all alone. Apart from this body, I have nothing else on me. What is it about me that Lord Xu sees in me that would drive him to such a desperate act?"

The Ghost Cave was pitch black. Xu Qing used his gecko wall-climbing technique to slowly make his way down the wall. When the light from the cave entrance above gradually disappeared, he placed one hand on the wall and took out a paper crane with the other, instructing it to explore downwards.

However, the paper crane flew down less than ten feet before completely losing contact.

Xu Qing frowned slightly, then took out a white paper lantern and threw it straight into the center of the ghost cave.

As soon as the lantern left his hand, Xu Qing snapped his fingers.

The next instant, the lantern emitted a dim candlelight, illuminating the surrounding area for several meters.

However, a dark wind surged inside the cave, and the lanterns were extinguished by the eerie wind after only a moment of light.

Xu Qing remained calm and steady, snapping his fingers rhythmically. Each time a lantern went out, a crisp snap would echo from inside the cave.

At a distance of about ten zhang, no matter how Xu Qing used the lamp-lighting technique, he could not see the light of the lantern.

The Ghost Cave can not only isolate the senses of magical artifacts, but also cut off the influence of spells.

Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then a thought suddenly struck him.

If magic doesn't work, what about supernatural powers?

His body touched the stone wall, and the spine of the Heavenly Pillar was connected to the earth's veins through the wall. The next moment, the layout of the entire Ghost Cave clearly appeared in his mind.

Thirty feet below, there were three passageways. At the fork in the road, an extinguished lantern lay quietly on the ground.

Xu Qing finally showed a relaxed smile.

Before refining the Heavenly Pillar Spine, he had no innate supernatural abilities. Although those demons cultivated slowly, they would naturally comprehend their own innate supernatural abilities each time they reached a certain realm.

Zombies, however, even after years of cultivation, can only rely on their own numerical values, physical strength, or corpse poison to defeat enemies.

During this period, one may awaken some instincts for feeding on air and hunting, but these are merely instincts and cannot be considered magic or supernatural powers.

Now, having evolved to the Undying Bone Realm, Xu Qing has finally obtained a practical innate divine ability by refining his main bone.

Xu Qing sensed the varying density of Yin energy in the surrounding earth veins, as well as the surging Feng Shui 'treasure energy' beneath the Ghost Cave, which was equivalent to indirectly possessing a quick map to the Ghost Cave.

　There will be an extra chapter tomorrow.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)