The Path to Immortality: Starting with an Analysis of Basic Concepts

"I, Zhu Yu, greet all my fellow disciples..."

As they approached, Zhu Yu politely cupped his hands in greeting. He sensed that the five people's auras did not put him under any pressure, indicating that their cultivation levels were similar to his, all at the early stage of Qi Refining.

Come to think of it, a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator is already qualified to rent a mid-grade corpse field/vengeful spirit pool in Zone C. If they can rent a mid-grade one, why would they stay in a low-grade area?

The group reacted differently to his polite greeting.

Some dismissed it with disdain, while others nodded in return. However, one of the plump young men, whose physique was no less than Liang Kuan's, spoke with considerable enthusiasm.

"Junior Brother Zhu, right? My name is Bai Meng, and I live on the next hill. Do you live up in the mountains or down here?"

"Greetings, Senior Brother Bai. I live on a hill about a hundred miles from here," Zhu Yu replied politely, pointing to the area shrouded in black mist, and asked curiously, "What are you doing here, Senior Brother? Waiting for that Senior Brother inside?"

"I'm waiting for him..."

Bai Meng nodded, then said with a strange smile, "We're just waiting for the enforcement disciples to dispose of his body."

"Um!…"

Zhu Yu's expression changed. He thought that the person would at most suffer some injuries, but he didn't expect that he would be directly harmed by the ghost he was raising.

What is this...?

After raising birds for years, I ended up being eaten by them?

Then Bai Meng told him the purpose of their gathering: nothing else, just two words: "to eat at a feast"...

"Attending a banquet?"

Zhu Yu looked astonished.

No, do they still have this custom in the underworld?

Only after hearing Bai Meng's subsequent explanation did he understand that the so-called "feast" meant that after the law enforcement disciples finished dealing with the disciples who had been devoured by demons and ghosts, they could pay ten spirit stones to go in and search for the original owner's belongings.

Regardless of the quality of the item received, each person may only take one item.

According to Bai Meng.

This is not a sect rule, but a customary rule: the owner of the corpse pit/pool of vengeful spirits around the disciple who has an accident must be present, and even if they are not present, they must pay five spirit stones for funeral expenses.

Enforcement disciples also face risks when slaying demons and monsters. The areas around out-of-control demons are dangerous zones. If you don't offer them benefits, they will dare to expand the scope of their operations!

Any losses incurred during this period will have to be borne by oneself…

"Protection money...?"

Zhu Yu's eyes revealed his understanding, but the others didn't seem to be at a disadvantage. Instead, they looked like they were waiting to find treasure. He thought to himself, "It seems that the senior brother who was attacked by the ghost is quite wealthy."

Without him even asking, Bai Meng cheerfully told him.

"Qi Yuanwu chose the Netherworld's Pool of Wraiths, but for some reason, instead of cultivating the 'Soul Control Technique,' he practiced a beast-taming method he obtained from who-knows-where—the method of raising spirit fish—and meticulously nurtured a brood of ghost-faced carp."

"If that's the case, it's still alright. The Ghost-Faced Carp is a low-grade first-tier spirit fish, which has the effect of strengthening the soul, and its value is no less than that of a nurtured ghost."

At this point, Bai Meng smacked his lips and said, "I wonder if Qi Yuanwu's cultivation has gone awry, actually trying to use a low-grade divine talisman to raise ghosts! Look, he's getting his comeuppance..."

There was some doubt in his words, but more of it was sarcasm…

"Junior Brother, remember to hand in ten spirit stones later."

Bai Meng looked him up and down and said with a smile, "Forget about that beast taming method, but there are seven or eight low-grade ghost-faced carp in a nest. They are delicious and nutritious. Although they are not yet adults, they are still worth thirty low-grade spirit stones."

That's why.

The group didn't react much to Zhu Yu's arrival.

After all, each person can only choose one item, and a nest of ghost-faced carp is enough for several people to share.

"Thank you, fellow disciples."

Zhu Yu bowed respectfully, glancing at him with a puzzled look. This senior brother seemed quite familiar with Qi Yuanwu. Suppressing his thoughts, he hesitated and said:

"Is this alright, then, the enforcement disciple..."

Even if the established rules prevent the disciples from monopolizing the benefits, how could an outsider like him take them for free?

"Don't worry, we're on the same side."

Bai Meng smiled, then said meaningfully, "They wouldn't dare break the rules..."

As they were speaking, black mist began to surge.

Two figures, a man and a woman, emerged from the black mist and stood still, their cold, sword-like gazes fixed on the group.

"Let's go, it's time to pay the spirit stones and have the feast."

Bai Meng winked at him and walked over with a smile.

The same applies to the others.

Seeing this, Zhu Yu counted out ten spirit stones from his sleeve and followed. To his surprise, it went smoothly. He handed the spirit stones to the dead-faced woman and entered the area of ​​the Pool of Vengeful Souls.

Looking at it closely.

A pond, roughly two acres in size, dark in color and emitting wisps of blackish-gray odor, came into his view.

At this moment, two people were using their spiritual power to create waves, trying to capture the dark figures that were moving around within them.

When Zhu Yu arrived at the pond.

Bai Meng shook his head and sighed as he walked out of a somewhat dilapidated two-story wooden house with another man and woman.

"Sigh, I knew they wouldn't let go of Qi Yuanwu's spirit creature, which he had nurtured for several years using his beast-taming technique..."

"Isn't that obvious...?"

The woman next to her rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Spiritual objects irradiated by the Beast Taming Seed are excellent materials for crafting Beast Taming Talismans and Talisman Plates; it would be strange if the Enforcement Disciples left them with them.

"Isn't this just in case..."

Bai Meng exchanged a glance with the two men, shook his head, and without further thought, headed straight for the Pool of Vengeful Souls.

Zhu Yu thought for a moment, then stepped into the wooden house. What came into view were rows of houses that looked like they had been chopped up with a knife or axe, or were simply large holes.

"Check for hidden compartments or something..."

Zhu Yu silently recited the words to himself, and then began to wander around the dilapidated house.

After breaking through the Qi Refining stage, his divine sense extended outward to three feet, and his True Vision Eye, which observes the growth of his divine soul, also explored within a three-foot radius around him.

Take it one step at a time.

Zhu Yu recalled the deep structural texture of the wooden house in his mind. He walked all over the house and found a few hidden compartments, but unfortunately there was nothing inside.

It's unclear whether it was taken away by the disciples of the Enforcement Department, or if there was never anything there to begin with.

Zhu Yu wasn't disappointed. There was also a ghost-faced carp worth thirty spirit stones outside. He didn't have to do anything and got twenty spirit stones for free. It couldn't be better.

Stepping out the door, I walked towards the pool of vengeful spirits not far away.

They hadn't walked more than a few steps.

A nearly two-meter-long fish with glossy black scales and a skull resembling a ghost was dragged ashore by an invisible force.

"Tsk, that kid is really something. This ghost-faced fish is about to have its spirit enter its body, it's worth at least fifty low-grade spirit stones."

Bai Meng watched the person dragging the ghost-faced fish away, his face beaming with even more joy. The others did the same, no longer conserving their spiritual energy, and all used their spiritual energy to stir up the waters of the pool of resentful souls.

Swept up by various forces, the nearly two-meter-long ghost-faced fish were flung to the shore.

Each of them picked up a bag and walked happily toward the exit.

This meal was truly delicious!

"I'm off now. Junior Brother, please come visit me sometime."

Bai Meng greeted Zhu Yu who was walking over, and then left as well.

"Alright, Senior Brother Bai, take care."

Zhu Yu nodded in agreement and walked to a corner of the pond. Just as he was about to use his spiritual power to stir the water and catch fish, something completely different from the soil appeared in his mind.

"Hmm? This is..."