How did I, who just ascended to heaven, become an evil spirit?

Dusk, Broken Limb Hill, North Slope.

This place was originally a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, with gentle breezes and light clouds.

The ever-present mountain mist surrounds the Broken Limb Mountain, and from a distance it looks like a middle finger sticking out from the clouds, truly a fairyland on earth.

But since July 15th this year...

A group of evil spirits appeared out of nowhere, drove the cultivators to occupy the mountain and, without any explanation, turned this place into their comfortable little nest.

Here you'll find a monkey spirit resembling a mandrill, an eel monster with an eight-foot-long tongue, a black, wriggling Tai Sui, and a bald-headed Taoist priest with a face covered in sores. At first glance, it looks like the grand finale of a collection of tales of gods and ghosts.

And today,

This chaotic group of evil spirits gathered around the newly erected stage, singing and dancing, all for the sake of Li Hu, who had just become an evil spirit.

A welcoming feast to wash away the dust of travel.

The ghosts, dressed in laughable, filthy costumes, imitated the swaying hips of court ladies, dancing for Li Hu from afar on the stage.

In the main seat at the back of the center of the stage, an old ape sat upright, speaking in human language, singing some self-composed and self-performed opera lyrics.

"The virtues of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the achievements of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties!"

The old ape slammed his ruler on the table, and the sound of the erhu entered at just the right moment. The Henan Zhui Zi opera on the stage finally reached its climax, and the evil spirit behind the curtain struck the copper gong in its hand with a deafening sound.

Li Hu, dressed in a brocade robe, sat upright in the elegant seat in front of the audience area, taking a sip of the slightly bitter bone tea, remaining silent.

He spat out the remaining tea leaves in his mouth, accidentally knocking out half a tooth in the process, but he didn't notice it. He just continued to stare at the stage with his eyes, which were showing signs of decay.

The old ape on the stage continued singing:

"Yang Erlang, he worked the fields for me; Zhang Bairen, he wielded the big whip for me!"

"The God of Wealth, he's my employee!"

"Master Zhang, he's watching my vegetable garden!"

The absurd lyrics uttered from the pendant immediately drew a burst of laughter, and all the evil spirits in the room laughed with red faces, creating a chaotic scene of ghosts dancing wildly.

"Queen Mother of the West, come and keep me company; celestial maidens from the Nine Heavens, serve as my servants."

"Confucius did the math for me,"

"You little emperor, get me the chamber pot!"

Li Hu couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this, but fearing that he might not be able to control his expression and accidentally tear his face, he could only put on a tense expression, licking his empty alveolar socket with his tongue, suppressing the churning in his lungs, which probably no longer contained any intact organs.

"I own 80,000 hectares of good land!"

"I have all the best rooms I could ever have, 100,000 rooms!"

"Ten thousand mules, eighty thousand horses, three thousand immortals, ninety thousand evil spirits..."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Li Hu finally joined in with a soft humming.

However, his vocal cords were probably only half intact, or perhaps some bits of flesh were stuck to them; in any case, his voice sounded strange, which even surprised him.

He wanted to sing a couple more lines, but his physical condition clearly wouldn't allow it.

"Brother Li, are you still getting used to this identity as an evil spirit?"

As Li Hu was lost in his reverie, a young man in blue robes approached him, bowing respectfully.

He was tall and slender, with a handsome and elegant appearance, which was extremely rare in this hillside where demons danced and deformed monsters roamed.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to save this broken body."

Seeing someone approach him, Li Hu returned the greeting and murmured, "Fellow Daoist, what is your name?"

"I was once a moon cultivator from Yunlong Mountain, named Qi Yuehong. After attaining enlightenment, I could only become a moon ghost. Now I am the leader of this Broken Finger Ridge. If Brother Li doesn't mind, you can just call me Yuehong."

"So it's Commander Qi."

Li Hu cupped his hands in greeting, ignored him, and continued to gaze at the stage.

After getting used to his identity as a demon, Li Hu found it much more comfortable than being a human.

Since transmigrating from his mother's womb, Li Hu has been diligently cultivating the way of the sword. He was a promising young man and became an immortal at the young age of twenty.

I had hoped to ascend to heaven one day and see what the Jade Capital was like.

Unexpectedly, on the day of ascension, the sky was ablaze with light, the gates of heaven opened wide, and immortals came to guide him.

But at the same time, four Li Hus appeared!

To be precise, one of them was Li Hu, a sword immortal who attained enlightenment and ascended to heaven, while the other three were the three evil spirits born from the remnants of their ascension.

The Daoist Canon states that when ascension is imminent, the soul ascends to heaven, the spirit enters the earth, and only the three corpses roam, which are called ghosts. Li Hu is one of the three corpse gods that are spawned during the ascension process.

In this world, purity and turbidity are constant. Some people can refine purity and remove turbidity, ascend to immortality, but inevitably, they will also accumulate filth and decay, and their bones will become a source of evil spirits.

If we compare a cultivator to a pool of ink, then the path of cultivation is like refining the clear water within it, leaving behind ethereal vapor that rises to the sky. Merit is accumulated in this process, but this also makes the ink within it increasingly dense and somber.

When one reaches the point where one's merits are complete and one can ascend to immortality, evil spirits emerge from the body along with the immortal.

This is the principle of maintaining balance between purity and turbidity.

Every time someone attains immortality, more evil spirits appear in the world. Depending on the method of cultivation, the evil spirits that emerge are also different.

Sword cultivator Li Hu cultivated true qi, which was stored in his dantian. Therefore, the three corpse gods guarding the upper, middle, and lower dantian had accumulated most of the turbid qi and emerged as evil spirits after becoming immortals.

According to Daoist scriptures, the upper corpse was named Peng Ju, the middle corpse was named Peng Zhi, and the lower corpse was named Peng Qiao, which can be considered their formal names.

That day, Li Hu should have stepped onto the Rainbow Bridge and ascended to become an immortal.

Unexpectedly, at that joyous moment, it suddenly and strangely split into four, with eight terrified eyes filled with confusion and suspicion towards each other.

Upon realizing what was happening, the immortal Li Hu almost immediately drew his sword and attacked his three corpses.

Although he didn't know how the evil spirits came to be, Li Hu had heard of the legend of severing the three corpses before.

For a sword immortal, only by severing one's three corpses can one truly achieve perfect enlightenment.

Just as a giant python will swallow its own skin after shedding its skin to replenish its nutrients, it can be said that the immortal Li Hu had long been obsessed with the idea of ​​severing his three corpses due to the subtle influence of folk legends.

At that time, the immortal Li Hu possessed unparalleled sword energy.

With a casual gesture, he severed the middle and lower three corpses.

Only Peng Ju, the one with three corpses in his upper dantian who was currently listening to the opera in the audience, managed to snatch the corpse left behind after becoming an immortal and escape.

Before his transmigration, Li Hu always thought that it would be great if he could use cloning technology on himself someday, preferably a clone with the exact same memories and personality. After all, only he himself truly understood himself. The kind of situation in movies where people fight over who is the original would never happen to him, since they were all good friends who knew each other inside and out.

However, even though all three corpses, like the sword immortal Li Hu, had the same memories, the same past, and the same courage, they all betrayed their former thoughts at this moment because of the differences in their identities.

They drew their swords and faced each other.

The only surviving corpse, Li Hu, fled for three months.

Having evaded several pursuits by the sword immortal Li Hu, they finally arrived at the Broken Limb Hill, found the evil organization, and became outlaws.

The evil spirits here huddle together for warmth, they can even sing operas and compose music, and they speak politely and pleasantly, which makes Li Hu feel at ease.

But now, Li Hu is soulless and spiritless.

Even with one's original corpse as a vessel, one cannot preserve this physical body.

Li Hu's body was constantly decaying and oozing pus. He could crush the flesh in his palm with just a slight clench of his fist, and juice would flow out from between his fingers like a wrung-out towel, emitting an enticing smell that made the surrounding evil spirits drool.

"Brother Li, I have a Youth Preservation Pill here, which should be able to solve your urgent problem."

Qi Yuehong waved her sleeve and took out a black pill from her bosom, handing it to Li Hu.

"This is truly like rain after a long drought; thank you, Brother Qi."

Li Hu didn't refuse or pretend to refuse. He readily accepted the pill and swallowed it in one gulp, not caring whether it was poison or not. After all, he was now a remnant soul, and the corpse was just a dispensable tool to him.

After taking the pill, Li Hu felt much better. The pus from the cracked skin stopped flowing, the oozing stopped immediately, and the stench of his corpse also lessened considerably.

"It really worked wonders, Brother Qi, thank you very much."

Li Hu suddenly cupped his hands in greeting. It was only his second day in this evil cave, and he hadn't expected the ghosts here to be so polite, bringing him such nice things as soon as he arrived.

"I hope Brother Li enjoys it."

Qi Yuehong smiled faintly, sat down next to Li Hu, and looked towards the stage.

"Although this Youth Preservation Pill can stop the decay, Brother Li is not yet considered a living person. The cracks and wounds on his body still need to be repaired with other materials."

"Thank you for reminding me. I'll just use some paper to cover it up."

Only then did Li Hu properly examine the evil spirit before him.

He claimed to have once been a moon cultivator, following a treacherous path of cultivation that absorbed the spiritual energy of the moon.

He was completely different from sword cultivators like Li Hu. He had an otherworldly temperament and a slender figure. Although he was also an evil spirit, he was nourished by the moonlight, and his appearance was the most handsome in this Broken Finger Hill.

"The so-called great way has three thousand paths, while the unorthodox way has ninety thousand."

"Brother Li, you have achieved immortality through the Great Dao. Every immortal who achieves immortality through the Great Dao is a master of dominating the battlefield. Even though you are only a Three Corpses now, you are still quite powerful compared to us evil spirits who have achieved immortality through unorthodox means. Since you are here, there is no need to be polite."

"We evil spirits have gathered in this remote mountain village to protect ourselves from the immortals. With so many brothers here, you can rest assured. That sword immortal Li Hu should stay obediently in his Jade Palace and will certainly not dare to cause you any more trouble."

Qi Yuehong rose from beside Li Hu, and with a wave of her blue sleeves, she swept across the entire hillside.

"Here, thirty-six immortals have transformed into evil spirits, seventy-two demons have joined their ranks, and one hundred and eight monsters have gathered together. This place is the largest demon's lair in the entire Central Plains!"

"Brother Li has just become an evil spirit. If you have any questions about life, feel free to come to me."

Qi Yuehong's entire demeanor became relaxed and composed. Being able to establish a stronghold where evil spirits gathered despite the attacks of various immortals, she could indeed be considered a hero among ghosts.

After winning over Li Hu,

Qi Yuehong picked up her wine cup and went up to the stage, singing wildly. With the old ape's outrageous words as encouragement, she danced a wild and eccentric dance with a group of evil spirits.

"Thank you, Brother Qi."

Li Hu bowed respectfully to the stage from afar, his face showing gratitude.

Upon arrival, these evil spirits were easier to get along with than the living, and there was a natural sense of mutual recognition of identity, which was indeed a good thing.

As for what Qi Yuehong just said—that Sword Immortal Li Hu dared not come looking for him again—Li Hu simply ignored it in his heart.

After all, only you truly understand yourself.

Who knows what wicked schemes the other self in heaven, who has already attained immortality, is plotting now.

In the past, Li Hu devoted himself wholeheartedly to becoming an immortal, enduring countless hardships. After becoming an immortal, he could take another step forward by severing his three corpses. Given his past personality, he would never have missed such an opportunity.

Both are currently in a state of wanting to kill each other.

The problem is that he is currently just an evil spirit. Before he figures out what his future prospects are, he can't use any supernatural abilities except for some basic sword cultivation spells and sword moves.

That's why we came to this evil cave to avoid disaster.

Based on the pattern of Sword Immortal Li Hu chasing him, he would do so on average once every twenty-seven days, always on the fifth day of each month.

There must be rules or heavenly laws binding Baiyujing, preventing it from descending to the mortal realm at will. Based on this pattern, the next appearance and battle should occur in three days.

This is also why Li Hu rushed to this area of ​​severed limbs.

With so many demons and monsters, even the sword immortal Li Hu would find it difficult to kill them all.

The saying goes, "Better to die for your fellow Daoist than for your own."

By mingling among these singing and dancing evil spirits and taking advantage of their presence to seek refuge, Li Hu's chances of escaping this monthly calamity will be greatly increased.

Thinking of this, Li Hu lost all interest in listening to the opera.

He glanced around the stage, then bid farewell to the evil spirits. He then got up and returned to his room to meditate and regulate his breathing, hoping to regain his composure in order to deal with the impending crisis facing the immortals.

Although it has now become an evil spirit, and the methods of cultivation are no longer the same as before, the principles are still the same.

Sword cultivators hone their true qi, using it to control their swords.

As long as true qi exists, cultivation level remains.

Normally, his true energy is stored in his dantian. But now, thanks to the fact that Li Hu, the Three Corpses, retrieved his own corpse before escaping, he can still retain some of his combat power from his mortal days by using the remaining true energy in his body to cultivate.

Li Hu sat quietly on the bed, circulating his true energy throughout his body using the methods he had practiced before.

One week...

Two cycles...

Three cycles...

Li Hu frowned deeply. His internal energy was circulating normally, but his overall progress seemed to be slow.

It looks like the repairs are almost complete.

That makes sense, this body once housed an immortal, so it must have reached the end of its cultivation path long ago.

In addition, his body was already rotting everywhere, and his three jiaos were like mist and water. The Youth-Preserving Pill only prevented the rotting from progressing further. His true qi was surging as usual, but unfortunately, the amount that increased each time would always dissipate from the rotting meridians.

Like a cup full of cracks but filled with water, even with Li Hu's extraordinary talent and his ability to fill the cup with water at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people, it is difficult to make the cup even fuller.

"Could it be that evil spirits have other methods of cultivation?"

Li Hu pondered to himself,

He had heard that there were a few evil spirits who could kill immortals, but if he relied solely on his current combat strength to kill Li Hu in the sky, it would be a pipe dream.

Li Hu sat in a daze, carefully examining his body to see if there was anything different from before.

But just then, someone knocked on the wooden door of the side room.

dong dong dong.

"Tiger Lord?"

A tentative, soft call came from outside the door.

"Enter."

Li Hu threw off his brocade robe, got up from the bed to greet the guest. At this time, all the evil spirits were out partying all day long, and he wondered who would come looking for him.

The door was pushed open.

A thin, dark-skinned young man in black rushed in. His face was dirty, and he carried a simple iron sword on his back. His clothes were tattered, and he looked like he had suffered a lot, but his eyes were bright and alert.

"A living person?"

Li Hu suddenly noticed something was wrong.

This person is breathing, has a heartbeat, and all five internal organs are functioning properly. He is neither an evil spirit nor an ordinary person possessed by one. Therefore, it can only mean that he is a normal person.

But without a doubt, living people are also treasures in the eyes of these evil spirits. To dare to take the risk of coming here, and even to come looking for oneself who is already an evil spirit, is truly audacious.

"Tiger, you have a good eye."

The man bowed very politely and then introduced himself.

"Lord Tiger, I am Yan Yang, a sword cultivator from Yuquan. After asking around and traversing mountains and rivers, I have finally found you."

"A sword cultivator?"

Li Hu was surprised for the second time, but he quickly understood Yan Yang's purpose.

Qi Yuehong just said that there are three thousand great paths and ninety thousand unorthodox paths, and the methods to become an immortal are countless. This is absolutely true.

Sword cultivator, moon cultivator, ape cultivator, plum blossom cultivator, yellow cultivator, Confucian cultivator...

Even His Majesty the Human Emperor was a dragon cultivator, and the cultivation techniques for each of his paths were different, some were unpopular and some were popular, some were the Great Path and some were unorthodox.

There can be many cultivators in the same direction, but only one can become an immortal. Only when the immortal dies and the Dao Fruit becomes available can subsequent cultivators have the opportunity to ascend.

Therefore, for ambitious cultivators, slaying that immortal among their own kind is...

It is the only way out on the path to immortality!

Li Hu laughed heartily.

As the saying goes, "a single-plank bridge is a battle with thousands of troops and horses." If this were before my ascension, and I encountered such an ambitious comrade, I would definitely fight until his ambition was shattered.

Unfortunately, by sheer coincidence, the immortal Li Hu wants to kill the evil Li Hu. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and this young sword cultivator has come to find me to plot a way to kill me.

"I want to ask Tiger Lord to join me in summoning that celestial Tiger Lord to descend to earth and secretly kill him!"

Knowing his lowly status, Yan Yang probably wouldn't have much time to speak, so he went straight to the point.

"Kill me?"

Li Hu smiled expressionlessly, too lazy to continue the topic, and instead asked in return,

"How old are you this year?"

"I am ashamed to say that I am only twenty-five years old (by Chinese reckoning), and I have never been defeated on the path of sword cultivation."

Yan Yang straightened his chest, seemingly trying to gain Li Hu's trust, a shy yet confident smile plastered on his face, making his dirty face appear even more stubborn.

"Never tried it?"

Li Hu smiled insincerely, his inner energy surging forth instantly, causing everything in the room to vibrate, and the windows and doors to shake violently.

This sudden and fierce exertion of force left Yan Yang stunned.

But what stunned Yan Yang even more was that the black iron sword on his back suddenly went out of control, as if some strange hand was pulling it from the air, and it suddenly flew away.

The sound of a sharp blade being drawn rang out incessantly.

After flying back and forth a few times inside the room, the iron sword came to a steady stop in front of Yan Yang, its tip pointing directly at his cheek.

"My current power is less than one-tenth of what it was before ascension, and the one who ascended is even more so. Do you really think you have that ability?"

Li Hu revealed the cruel truth without reservation: if an ordinary sword cultivator plus an evil spirit could kill an immortal, then wouldn't all his previous cultivation have been in vain?

Undefeated? Which sword immortal hasn't been undefeated?

Yan Yang swallowed hard, his eyes flickering, revealing a turmoil of emotions swirling within him.

Li Hu was giving the younger generation some kind advice, after all, what good would becoming a sword immortal do?

Even if one's sword energy traverses the world, one still ends up in the same awkward situation as oneself, where one has to kill oneself.

Time passed silently for a while.

Li Hu remained silent throughout, hoping that Yan Yang could figure things out on his own.

Yan Yang stared intently at the black iron sword that rightfully belonged to him, remaining silent and lost in thought. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and he knelt down with a thud, slamming his head against the ground, sending dust flying.

"Senior, my resolve to pursue the Dao is unwavering!"

Yan Yang's voice was like thunder, as if he were encouraging himself.

"If you, senior, are unwilling to slay the Sword Immortal Li Hu, then I have no hope of becoming an immortal. Please kill me instead!"

He kowtowed repeatedly, and with several sudden blows, he actually broke his own head and bled profusely.

Why put on this show?

Li Hu frowned, made the flying sword spin in the air, and used the hilt to press against Yan Yang's shoulder, stopping him from harming himself.

"You're five years older than me, so there's no need for you to kowtow," Li Hu said dismissively, somewhat disappointed.

"Tiger Lord! Please!"

Yan Yang still didn't want to give up, so he knelt down and moved forward on his knees, like a leech, until he knelt in front of Li Hu and grabbed his clothes.

"If Tiger Lord is willing to kill him, we can set up an altar, perform a ritual, and draw talismans to invite the immortals. As long as that Tiger Lord who has become an immortal dares to descend, with so many evil spirits here, we might just have a chance!"

"It's not like there's no chance!"

Yan Yang clung to his last hope of becoming an immortal, stubbornly pulling at Li Hu's clothes, his voice distorted with excitement.

He knew that if he missed today, he would probably never have another chance in his life to gain enough power to kill an immortal.

Li Hu was actually somewhat moved by his reaction. If he could eliminate the immortal Li Hu, then he would be free from worries.

The one in heaven is always thinking about killing him, and Li Hu himself also wants to kill the immortal. As long as one of them doesn't die, the crisis of trust will always exist.

"You just said you can perform rituals, draw talismans, and invoke the spirits?" Li Hu suddenly asked.

The eight words Yan Yang had just uttered had indeed piqued his interest.

Li Hu had heard people talk about such mystical practices as setting up altars and performing rituals before.

Only practitioners with complete Yin and Yang and the five elements in good health can sense the power of heaven and earth, tread upon the Big Dipper, set up an altar, perform rituals, submit petitions, and follow a proper Taoist procedure to invite the immortals of the Jade Capital down to the mortal realm.

Li Hu used to focus solely on cultivation and had no time for such things. Now, he has become an evil spirit, lacking yin and yang balance, and is therefore incapable of performing rituals to summon immortals.

If you really decide to deal with that immortal Li Hu, then instead of waiting for him to descend to earth and kill you, you might as well follow Yan Yang's advice, set up an ambush, and invite him down to a trap.

If Qi Yuehong agrees to call upon the evil spirits here to cooperate, they can turn the tables and take the initiative.

Just as Yan Yang said, there might indeed be a chance.

"My father was a Taoist, and I also learned a thing or two. Ever since I could walk, I have helped my father set up altars and perform rituals to pray for the villagers or to help the deceased pass on during funerals."

Yan Yang answered with utmost respect and sincerity.

"it is good."

Li Hu pulled Yan Yang to his feet, patted him on the shoulder, and his plan was already formed in his mind.

"I observe that your true energy is abundant, you are flexible and adaptable, you have confidence and a heart for the Dao, all of these are good things."

"I think there's a high chance you'll become an immortal someday."

Li Hu first showered him with compliments, then his tone became serious.

"But as you can see, my current situation is enough to show that becoming an immortal isn't necessarily a perfect thing. Sooner or later, you'll end up like me, with people begging to kill you. Why are you still so persistent?"

Li Hu stared into Yan Yang's dark eyes and asked.

He felt that a teenager's passion alone might not be enough to get this far, and he might not be trustworthy; his motives needed to be further examined.

"It's a long story. My entire family was killed by our enemy. We were all slaughtered. All I want is to become an immortal and take revenge."

Yan Yang's eyes were bloodshot. Knowing that his expression was unpleasant, he lowered his eyelids, not daring to meet Li Hu's gaze, and carefully avoided causing Li Hu any dissatisfaction.

"I see." Li Hu nodded, barely accepting the answer.

"What you say today is of utmost importance; you must not utter a single falsehood, or I will chop you into mincemeat and feed it to all the evil spirits in this mountain. Do you understand?"

"This junior dares not utter a single falsehood!" Yan Yang replied sincerely.

"Alright, come with me."

Li Hu smoothed his sleeves and led Yan Yang out of the room.