From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

"Since you are a friend invited by my daughter, please come in with me," the scholar said with a smile.

But the moment Zheng Zha and the others stepped onto the mountaintop, the scholar's expression changed, and his body began to swell, as if he might transform into the three-zhang-sized underworld emperor at any moment.

This startled Zheng Zha, Qi Tengyi, Lingdian, and Fairy Loli, who immediately retreated back onto the steps.

as predicted!

The swollen body shrank, and he once again transformed into the appearance of a scholar.

"Daughter, are they also your friends?" the scholar asked the woman in black.

"No."

The one who answered was the woman in white, who glared fiercely at Zheng Zha, "This guy killed me once! Father, you must teach him a lesson!"

"It's you." However, the scholar smiled and said to Zheng Zha, "You are quite strong to be able to kill my daughter."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zha felt quite embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

"I invite you in."

After saying this, the scholar waved to Zheng Zha and the others, saying, "Now you can come in. I will no longer become the 'Emperor of the Underworld'."

Only those who are invited may enter.

That's why I'm appearing outside Namo Temple in human form now. If I had been inside the temple before, and you had barged in, I would have transformed into the Emperor of the Underworld and attacked you...

This is beyond my control...

However, I vaguely remember a very formidable fellow who came before. He could shatter the Emperor of the Underworld every time, and his Qi recovery speed was extremely fast. Fortunately, he left.

no doubt.

The person the scholar was referring to was Jiang Liu.

Zheng Zha and Lingdian looked at each other and cautiously stepped onto the mountaintop.

really!

The scholar remained a scholar and did not transform back into the "Emperor of the Underworld".

Zheng Zha breathed a sigh of relief, cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask, oh no, I should say, this junior will make the first move!"

The scholar maintained his smile but returned the greeting, saying, "I return the greeting."

"May I ask your name, sir?"

After the ceremony, Zheng Zha inquired about the important matter.

"My name is Yan Chixia."

The scholar said.

"Yan Chixia?"

Zheng Zha was startled and looked the scholar up and down, finding him completely unrecognizable—

He had seen many versions of "A Chinese Ghost Story," but which version of Yan Chixia was dressed like such a refined scholar?

Shouldn't he have a big beard?

Secondly, he should be a Taoist priest, right?

At the very least, one should be dressed like a chivalrous knight-errant!

"You know me?"

Now, it was Yan Chixia who became curious.

"I know him! Of course I know him!"

Zheng Zha initially wanted to deny it, but then he thought that if he lied, it would seem insincere and might make Yan Chixia dislike him, thus making it difficult for him to control his body and turn into the "Emperor of the Underworld" again. So he made up an excuse, "There are stories about you in the outside world. There is a story about you in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. However, in the story, you are a burly swordsman and Taoist priest with a big beard."

Yan Chixia was filled with questions.

Qi Tengyi whispered to Zheng Zha, "Captain Zheng Zha, Yan Chixia's image in 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio' is different from that in the movie 'A Chinese Ghost Story.' He is actually dressed as a scholar."

Zheng Zha: "..."

So the scholar-dressed Yan Chixia in front of us is the "real deal"!

"I suppose my story has been adapted by later generations." How could Yan Chixia not hear Qi Tengyi's words? He shook his head and then said, "I don't know about 'A Chinese Ghost Story' or 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio,' but it must have been that person surnamed Wu who first spread my experiences, and then it was adapted by writers and poets that made it a popular legend."

"A man surnamed Wu?" Zheng Zha was taken aback at first, then asked, "Is he alive? Aren't all those who enter the Ghost Realm thrown over there?"

"if not?"

Yan Chixia shrugged. "That's an extraordinary person. He can freely enter and exit Yin and Yang, and has already transcended the Three Realms and is not within the Five Elements. He is neither a ghost nor a god, but a person who is on the path to becoming an immortal or a Buddha."

If anyone in this world can attain the Primordial Chaos and enjoy the Limitless—

No one but him!

According to him, he has already experienced 1,748 tribulations... How should I put it? He has a habit of exaggerating! 1,748 tribulations? Does he count choking on his food as a tribulation? Haha!

As time passed, I've forgotten what he looked like, only remembering that his surname was Wu and his given name was Cheng'en... However, I suspect that 'Wu Cheng'en' is an alias, because when I first asked him his name, he thought for a long time before answering.

Whether it was a pseudonym or not, Zheng Zha didn't care, but the name "Wu Cheng'en" was extremely famous!

Although some scholars who study "Journey to the West" do not think so, for the general public, Wu Cheng'en is the author of "Journey to the West"!

Zheng Zha is one of the "masses"!

In addition, regarding the 1,748 tribulations... Zheng Zha remembered that the Jade Emperor in "Journey to the West" experienced 1,750 tribulations.

There are no similar records elsewhere...

"We want to know how you became like this, senior." Seeing that Zheng Zha was thinking about "Journey to the West" and "Wu Cheng'en", Lingdian spoke up and brought the topic back to "the emperor of the underworld".

"Hey~"

Speaking of the Emperor of the Underworld, Yan Chixia sighed, “It’s all Ning Caichen’s fault! If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have helped him in the first place. Now I’m in this state of being neither human nor ghost.”

Then, Yan Chixia invited everyone to follow him into the Nanwu Temple.

After passing through the temple gate, the well courtyard, and the main hall, a statue of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, about three zhang tall, is enshrined inside, though the gold paint has completely worn off.

However, there are three peculiar transparent spheres on the center of the statue's brow, about the size of ordinary marbles. Each sphere seems to be covered with dense, three-dimensional runes, or something similar to a totem, which is quite mysterious.

Zheng Zha simply couldn't understand it.

Qi Teng could read classical Chinese, but the statue was three zhang tall, and the marbles were too small for him to see clearly…

There was an incense table in front of the statue, with an incense burner on it, but no incense was burning.

Yan Chixia didn't linger there, leading everyone towards the back hall...

# Chapter 375 Ability: Spiritual Realm

In the quiet meditation room in the back hall.

Yan Chixia brewed tea for Zheng Zha and the others.

"Have a drink. Now that you've entered the Ghost Realm, you've probably all abandoned your 'past,' and you'll only be able to live here for the rest of your lives."

Seeing that Zheng Zha and the others dared not drink, Yan Chixia offered a word of advice, but did not force them. He simply picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then began to recount the origins of the Underworld Emperor…

···

At the same time, Jiang Liu, Zhang Zhiwei, and their group also learned from the little girl about the connection between Yan Chixia and the Underworld Emperor.

It turns out that after Yan Chixia helped Shaoyao, Ning Caichen, the Black Lady, and the White Lady escape from the Ning Family Manor created by Nie Xiaoqian's illusion, he went to Daheishan Mountain.

Ning Caichen once asked Yan Chixia for advice on how to escape the Ghost Realm with his two daughters.

But Yan Chixia truly knew nothing about it.

Moreover, once someone enters the Ghost Realm, their physical energy is disrupted for a moment, severing their "past." Although they are alive, they are no different from the dead.

The dead can only survive in this unpredictable and quantifiable ghost realm. Once they return to reality, it's as if they've been put into the Book of Life and Death by the King of Hell, and they will never live to a ripe old age!

Moreover, Ning Caichen's two daughters could not possibly live outside the world; once they left the Ghost Realm, they would surely vanish into thin air.

Ning Caichen didn't believe it and kept thinking about leaving. Besides, he was just a scholar who had gained Qi, not a superhuman. Over time, he was also affected by the ghostly energy and Yin Qi of Daheishan Mountain and tended to evolve into a ghost.

Peony couldn't bear it, so she often asked Yan Chixia for help.

However, the only skill he knew was the Flowing Cloud Sword. He was neither a Taoist nor a sorcerer, and he did not know any methods like shamanism. He was helpless in this regard and could only teach Ning Caichen how to cultivate the Flowing Cloud Sword, hoping that he could persevere for a while longer.

However, Ning Caichen was only thinking about leaving the Ghost Realm and had no interest in cultivation. Even if he had the talent, it would be of no use. Moreover, as ghost energy and yin qi entered his body, he suddenly developed hysteria one day and seemed to be able to hear Xiaoqian's calls in his ear.

then.

Yan Chixia assumed he was crazy, and every time he had an attack, he would hit him on the back of the head to make him faint, thus alleviating the symptoms.

However, Ning Caichen's symptoms continued to worsen until that day when he actually found the celestial meteorite that was being suppressed under the Nanwu Temple, and quietly left Daheishan with his two daughters!

"After that, Aunt Nie integrated the Tianxing meteorite into my father's body, and caused the spiritual realms within my two older sisters to awaken."

As she finished speaking, the young woman clenched her fists. "After my father took my two older sisters back to Daheishan, his body disintegrated in an instant and, with each breath, entered Yan Chixia's body."

Then, the radiance of the earthly spiritual realm, corresponding to the radiance of the celestial spiritual realm within the Heavenly Palace, spontaneously manifested itself—

Yan Chixia became the vessel.

However, he himself could not fully bear the corresponding spiritual radiance of the earth's realm. Forced to do so, he used the fifteen Buddha statues within the Namwu Temple to separate himself, forming the Ten Kings of Hell and the Five Ghost Emperors… From the moment the meteorite merged into Yan Chixia's body, he became an immortal monster; as long as the Ghost Realm exists, he will not die.

"Then why can't they leave their designated locations?"

Jiang Liu was puzzled. "The radiance of the Earth's spiritual realm cannot leave the Great Black Mountain? Surely their range of activity is limited to that little area?"

"This is all thanks to my mother."

The young woman gritted her teeth.

After Ning Caichen's death, Shaoyao also went mad.

The reason is that Peony was originally a wandering ghost. When Ning Caichen was alive, she was relatively stable. After Ning Caichen died, she lost her solace. In addition, after Nie Xiaoqian was suppressed in the southern part of Daheishan Mountain, many ghosts and monsters were born one after another, which made her upset and she even had the idea of ​​"ascending" to the Heavenly Palace to find Nie Luoli.

Has the peony successfully "ascended to heaven"?

The young woman didn't know.

But one thing is clear: after that, the soul shell was taken over by "Xiaoqian," who disguised herself as a peony and approached Yan Chixia. Using the effect of the spiritual realm, she transferred the Ten Kings of Hell and the Five Ghost Emperors to various places in the Black Mountain and set up restrictions to prevent them from entering a specific area.