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

Chapter 380 The King Asked Me to Patrol the Mountain

The Yinhe Ancient Road lies between Yin and Yang, serving as a bridge connecting heaven and earth. The ancient river that runs through the entire Dayan is the 'water' beneath that bridge.

This is why ordinary practitioners who want to enter the Yin River must go to the vicinity of famous rivers and lakes and use ancient roads to open up a passage.

Xu Qing is currently in Tianjin. The Yinhe Ancient Road corresponds to the Baihe River Basin, which is also the territory of the second seat of the Twelve Gates, the Ghost Law.

However, the Corpse Demon Heavenly General is located in the Central Plains. According to the mortal world, the two places are thousands of miles apart, but in the Yin River Ancient Road, the difference is ten or even a hundred times.

A thousand miles in the human world is like ten thousand miles in the Yin River.

After a moment's thought, Xu Qing did not choose to rush headlong through the Yin River, because no one knew whether he would encounter other Yin River gatekeepers on the way to Zhongzhou.

The saying goes that the victor first wins and then seeks battle, while the loser first fights and then seeks victory.

Xu Qing never fights a battle unprepared. Of the twelve sect leaders, he knows Ghost Law the most, fears Corpse Demon General the least, and has only a vague understanding of the witch clan's sacrificial gods 'Ji' and 'Qi'. There are also nine other sect leaders who are not within his knowledge.

Of the three known leaders, the former, Ghost Law, has the Demon Exorcist True Lord and his carefully laid trap, waiting to be unleashed; while the latter, Heavenly General Xu Qing, has long regarded the other as his own possession, his private property.

As for Ji and Qi, these two messengers summoned by the Nine Netherworld Corpse have not yet officially appeared on his menu.

Xu Qing needed to test the abilities of these two filthy things first, to know their strengths and weaknesses, before he could make a move, otherwise he might suffer from indigestion.
Tianjin, Monkey Mountain.

When Xu Qing went to Zhongzhou, he specially brought along the Red-tailed Monkey, a guardian deity.

This monkey had studied in the Central Plains and was extremely familiar with the area, speaking with a strong Central Plains accent.

"What is the sect leader going to Zhongzhou for?"

The red-tailed monkey carried the Dragon-Prisoning Cudgel and casually led the funeral horse.

“There’s a funeral procession job in Zhongzhou. You’re familiar with that place, so you might be able to strike up a conversation with the family.”

The red-tailed monkey scratched his head and said, "It's a small matter of a funeral. Just tell the servants to handle it. Why does the sect leader need to go in person? Otherwise, sect leader, lend me this horse to ride. I'll go to the funeral in your place."

Xu Qing glanced at the red-tailed monkey; this monkey had been eyeing his funeral horse for quite some time.

We don't know why monkeys like to keep and walk horses; maybe it's just their nature.
"I'm not having a funeral for a corpse; you, a monkey, can't handle it all."

"Sect Leader, you're underestimating monkeys. Let alone one or two corpses, even if there are a hundred or two, I can handle them all clearly!"

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and said, "Isn't it a hundred?"

The red-tailed monkey remained unperturbed: "A thousand is nothing unusual."

"It's 100,000."

Xu Qing spoke slowly.

"."

The red-tailed monkey, which had just volunteered, was now completely silent.

With 100,000 bodies, it would take four or five days and nights to call them all by name.

Not to mention the funeral rites and processions for each one!
"I haven't heard of any natural or man-made disasters in Zhongzhou recently, so how could there be 100,000 corpses?"

The red-tailed monkey was completely baffled.

Xu Qing explained, "Those 100,000 corpses all came from the ancient battlefield. At that time, they lost more than 30,000 men in the battle of Guangzong, and the remaining 100,000 defeated soldiers were all forced to jump into the Zhang River."

Guangzong has a unique geographical location, situated on the alluvial plain of the ancient Yellow River and Zhang River.

The terrain there is flat, with a high elevation in the south and a low elevation in the north. If the army were to be defeated and flee to the Zhang River, the only options would be to fight with their backs to the river or to jump into the river to "escape".

However, the Zhang River was extremely turbulent, and there has been a saying since ancient times that bridges cannot be built across deep waters. Of the 100,000 rebels who jumped into the Zhang River, most of them did not survive.

Historical records show that 50,000 Taiping Dao soldiers perished in the flood.

There is no clear record of where those corpses ended up, but it is now believed that they were taken into the Underworld River by the Heavenly General and became nothing more than corpse soldiers and demons.
The steed, treading through the mist and clouds, moved with lightning speed, like a celestial horse descending to earth. In front of the divine steed, there was a flying monkey chasing stars and the moon, guiding the celestial horse on its way.

On the banks of the ever-flowing, turbid river, Xu Qing reined in his horse and descended.

Standing atop the cliff, facing the murky, muddy waters before him, Xu Qing suddenly turned to look back at the vast Central Plains, whose livelihood depended on this water.

Although this water is turbid, it is vital to the granary of the Central Plains. More than 90% of the water entering the Central Plains comes from this turbid river, which is known as the Mother River.

Xu Qing didn't know what the river looked like when it unleashed its ferocity, but he could imagine what an apocalyptic scene it would be if the person who controlled this ancient river channel were to unleash their power.

"Master Hou, I will set up an array here to open the Yin River passage. When the river water boils, Master Hou must activate the array without the slightest delay!"

After saying that, Xu Qing looked up and whistled into the void. The next moment, a white crow swooped down and transformed into a white-robed scholar the instant it landed.

"Headmaster!"

Bai Junzi bowed respectfully.

Xu Qing instructed, "Bai Junzi, you have already activated your Broad Vision and can see even the slightest changes. From now on, you will be in charge of monitoring changes in the waters here. If there are any abnormalities, you must promptly notify the Immortal Lord Hou so that he can guide the water flow and activate the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation."

Xu Qing looked at the waters before him and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He thought of using the water's momentum to drive the Yellow River Formation, open the Yin River passage, and draw in the spiritual power purified by the Corpse Demon to cleanse the Central Plains.

The fall of the Heavenly Fox could still affect a range of thousands of miles around Yunmeng Mountain. If the Heavenly General, one of the twelve sect leaders, were to be killed by him, it would probably be enough to cover the entire Central Plains!
Xu Qing couldn't imagine what that scene would be like, but at least this world-renowned granary would undergo a new transformation!
On the Zhuohe River, Xu Qing used his literary and martial geomancy skills to select the location for the formation. Later, with ten years of accumulated knowledge, he used the Qimen Dunjia, the Five Elders' Ten Classics of Formation, and the supernatural powers of dividing rivers into land and pushing mountains to fill seas to change the terrain of the key watershed of the Zhuohe River and arrange it into a natural 'Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation'.

This formation is not meant to kill or trap the enemy, but rather to act as a valve to draw upon the spiritual power of the Yin River. As long as General Tiangong perishes here, the entire Central Plains will receive its benefits!
Once the grand formation was complete, Xu Qing left one of the two formation master yellow flags behind and handed the other to the Red-tailed Monkey.

"If the spiritual energy tide surges and the turbid river overflows, the Immortal Hou can use his supernatural power to change the size of the Dragon-Binding Staff as a treasure to stabilize the river and suppress it in the water."

"When I return to the mortal world, I will retrieve this staff for Immortal Hou."

Although the Dragon-Binding Staff cannot compare to the Sea-Stabilizing Needle, it was obtained by the Red-Tailed Monkey in the Little Water Curtain Cave. The entire staff weighs 4,500 jin, and even in the Upper Realm, it can be considered a decent divine weapon.

While Zhenhai might not be strong enough, quelling the tyranny of Yihe is not an insurmountable task.

It's just going to be tough on this monkey.
The red-tailed monkey, unaware of the gravity of the situation, patted its bony chest and said nonchalantly:
"Please rest assured, Master, if I fail in the slightest, I will take the monkey's brain and serve it to you as an appetizer!"

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and looked at Bai Junzi.

The latter immediately understood: "We will do our utmost to assist Immortal Hou and record his achievements. When we return to the Immortal Hall, we will share them with all the immortals." Upon hearing this, the Red-tailed Monkey became even more enthusiastic, seemingly oblivious to the implied meaning in Bai Junzi's words.

"."

Xu Qing remained calm. Before leaving for the Yin River, he took out many pills to restore his magical power, strengthen his foundation, and a Wanling Pill that could deal with abnormal situations and resist negative harm, and handed them to the Red-tailed Monkey.

At this moment, the monkey finally realized something was wrong. It was the sect leader who was about to head to the Yin River, but why did it feel like it was the one going into battle?

Within the boundaries of Zhongzhou, lies the ancient Yinhe River channel.

As soon as Xu Qing entered the Yin River, he saw that the hills and graves in the distance were shrouded in dark mist, filled with an inescapable, thick aura of corpses.

Besides the corpse energy, he also discovered a soaring demonic barrier that was completely different from the Yin energy.

"What a blessed and enchanting place!"

Xu Qing clicked his tongue in admiration. Although he, as a zombie, had not yet entered the heart of General Tiangong's dojo, he already felt the freedom of a fish returning to the sea and a tiger returning to the mountain!
This is truly a paradise for demons, a free land belonging exclusively to corpse monsters.

Xu Qing strode forward, encountering scattered zombie soldiers along the way. He welcomed them all, performing rituals to help these homeless, lone zombie soldiers find peace and salvation!

As one approaches the Heavenly General's sacred site, the surrounding corpse soldiers are no longer scattered individuals, but rather organized and large-scale units.

Xu Qing licked his lips, suppressing the impulse in his heart. When he heard that a group of corpses bearing the banner of the General of the People were walking out of the cemetery in the distance, a thought struck him and a plan was formed in his mind.

"Flag, change!"

Xu Qing took out the only crimson banner, exhaled a breath of corpse energy, and transformed the banner of the same design into the Imperial Guard Banner.

After the flag was transformed, Xu Qing used the Seventy-Two Transformations of Earthly Fiends to transform the Nüba Immortal Robe on his body into armor.

As for the corpse hair and corpse aura, he didn't need to deliberately change them.

"Hey! Which patrol officer are you from? I've never seen you before!"

Having overcome the lone zombie soldiers, Xu Qingchao learned the official title of the patrolling zombie general. Taking the initiative, he asked the question first.

The corpse that had just emerged from the burial mound looked at Xu Qing suspiciously, and then let out an incoherent roar.

Xu Qing immediately realized, "That's it! Most of the corpse monsters are ignorant. The corpse soldiers can't speak, and these corpse generals can only communicate using the language of the corpse monsters."

An ordinary person would have been exposed at this point, but not Xu Qing.

The language of the Corpse Monster was his native language, which he knew after his death, so communication with it was naturally without any obstacles.

"Uh-ho... cluck... gurgle gurgle... hiss..."

At first, the corpse was somewhat confused when it heard Xu Qing speak human language, but when it heard Xu Qing speak fluent corpse language, it instantly dispelled its doubts.

The two corpses chatted amiably, and Xu Qing unconsciously put his hand on the other's shoulder and began to put his arm around his back.

But when the two corpses left the large group of corpse soldiers and walked into the nearby stele forest, the corpse general who was being held by Xu Qing suddenly let out a startled cry.

But the cry stopped abruptly in an instant.

The waiting corpse soldiers only saw a leader emerge from the stele forest, and it was their former leader. As for the colleague who had been arm in arm with their leader halfway through, he did not come out.

Perhaps it went back to patrol its own territory.

Outside the cemetery, Xu Qing, who had taken over the place and become the local patrol officer, led a group of corpse soldiers and turned to head towards the temple of the General of the People.

Within the site of the deep tombs and grand cemetery, a vast temple dedicated to a general is situated.

The temple enshrines three deities. The one in the center, made of clay and clad in golden armor, has three heads and six arms; he is the Heavenly General. The deity on the left, dressed in a scholar's robe and jade belt, holds a scroll and smiles; he is the Human General. The deity on the right, with a blue face and fangs, holds a mace and glares angrily; he is the Earthly General.
At this moment, only the Earth God General remained in the temple, fully armored and seated on the altar. Even though he was already dead and had transformed into a demon, he still stroked his mace and said, "The Han dynasty is about to fall, but the ambitions of us brothers will surely be realized one day."

This is the Corpse Demon. Due to its deep obsession, it has fallen into demonic possession and does not even know what year it is or that it is dead. It only wants to complete the great cause that it could not accomplish in its previous life!
As General Digong was muttering to himself, a corpse soldier suddenly came to report that a patrol officer under Commander Liu had come to offer a treasure.

The Earth God General put away his great mace and allowed the patrol officer to enter the temple for an audience.

Outside Taiping Temple, Xu Qing, disguised as a corpse general, stepped into the temple.

Taiping Temple, though called a temple, is actually just a semi-open tomb. The tomb entrance is open and a plaque hangs above it, so it becomes a temple.

Xu Qing didn't find it strange. Once a person dies, they will subconsciously prefer an "down-to-earth" architectural style. No matter how much they avoid it while alive, their aesthetic after death will inevitably lean towards the underworld style.

What treasure do you possess?

As Xu Qing entered the main hall and was looking up at the towering statue that resembled the Leshan Giant Buddha, the fierce-looking Earth God General suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

"While patrolling the mountains, I came across a rare treasure. I dare not keep it to myself, so I have come to present it to the Heavenly General!"

Xu Qing spoke in the language of the corpse ghost, and upon hearing this, the Earth God General said, "The Heavenly Emperor is not here, so present the treasure to me and let me see it."

However, just as Xu Qing was about to hand over the restored crimson banner, he suddenly felt a lightness in his hand.

Looking up again, the flag had already been captured by General Di Gong from afar and taken into his hands.

Xu Qing remained calm and composed. Fortunately, he still had a protective flag. Without it, it would have been difficult for him to approach the corpse demon silently.

"This flag seems a bit strange."

General Digong brought the flag close to his eyes, about to examine it closely, when he suddenly discovered that the flag in his hand was emitting a crimson light. At the same time, the patrol officer who was visiting the temple suddenly disappeared from the spot!
Just as the Earth God General came to his senses, he saw that he had a dignified goddess in his arms.

"."

Where did this monster come from!
General Digong, being a veteran corpse demon, reacted extremely quickly. He roared and was about to blast the demon in front of him away!

However, Xu Qing was faster. As soon as he unleashed his Dharma form, he had already grabbed the wrist of the statue with his other hand.

At the same time, the Sutra of Salvation quickly unfolded in Xu Qing's mind, and countless sutras and verses resounded throughout the temple like the grand tolling of bells.

General Di Gong stared wide-eyed in astonishment and exclaimed, "You!"

However, before the words could even be finished, the clay statue of the Earth God General shattered with a crash, and a surge of demonic energy burst through the temple, spreading out instantly!
Xu Qing sensed two extremely powerful auras rapidly approaching from afar. He grinned and casually sat on the altar, taking out the Demon-Slaying Sword given to him by the Demon-Exorcising True Lord, planting it in the ground, and waiting for the approaching people!
(End of this chapter)