Chapter 158

159. Chapter 159: A World That Cannot Be Broken

Li Yi was currently riding a tall Underworld Horse, holding a ghost-headed saber, galloping within Sanyang City.

Throughout the city, various ghosts were running rampant, and chaos was occurring frequently. Although all the commoners in the city were hiding in their homes, not daring to go out, in reality, this measure was useless; instead, because you were staying at home and not moving around, it made it even more convenient for those Lifespan-Collecting Ghosts to absorb your lifespan.

But Li Yi would not tolerate it. He galloped past, and the ghost-headed saber in his hand slashed across instantly.

A Lifespan-Collecting Ghost was instantly cut in two and turned into a stream of yin energy on the spot, merging into this world and dissipating directly, leaving only one or two white ghost bamboos falling to the ground.

Two white ghost bamboos represented two years of lifespan, and according to what Li Yi knew, the ghosts and gods of the Four Seas and Bazhou collected lifespans on the first day of every month, and for one person, they would only collect one month of lifespan each time. These two years of lifespan meant that twenty-four commoners in the city had already had their lifespans stolen.

Li Yi was not that noble; he did not think about returning these lifespans to others. After picking up the two ghost bamboos that had turned white, he immediately charged toward the next Lifespan-Collecting Ghost.

The Yin Horse galloped over, and the ghost-headed saber in his hand moved with the rhythm of his strikes.

He didn't need any flashy methods; he only needed a casual slash, and this ghost-headed saber could easily kill ghosts, making them perish completely. It was simply a sharp weapon for killing ghosts, much stronger than what Li Yi had used before with the Guidance Technique.

Killing the Lifespan-Collecting Ghost and picking up the ghost bamboo could also be considered indirectly helping others reduce their one-month lifespan loss.

"Kill!"

Li Yi's murderous intent had already risen. He ran quickly through various parts of Sanyang City, slashing whenever he saw a Lifespan-Collecting Ghost. Every time he killed a Lifespan-Collecting Ghost, he could obtain anywhere from a few months to a few years of lifespan. These lifespans seemed small, but in reality, accumulated, they already amounted to at least several decades.

This was just the beginning. If Li Yi waited another hour or two, each Lifespan-Collecting Ghost would have at least three to five years of lifespan in its hands; by then, if he made a round, he could probably intercept hundreds of years of lifespan.

It was just that Li Yi did not want to do that; otherwise, what difference would there be between him and those naturally evil ghosts and gods?

Another Lifespan-Collecting Ghost was instantly slashed to death by him.

Several white ghost bamboos fell and were grabbed by Li Yi, who collected them directly. At this moment, on his horse's back, there were already several bundles of white ghost bamboos, but there were still many Lifespan-Collecting Ghosts in the city. Even if he worked until dawn, he probably couldn't kill them all, and as time passed, he discovered that the number of Lifespan-Collecting Ghosts was constantly increasing.

The speed of their increase even surpassed Li Yi's speed of slaughter.

"Tonight is the first day of the month, and the world has changed; it is too friendly to ghosts. It is almost impossible to kill them all unless I strike at the source, but that is not something for me to consider right now. What I can do is kill more ghosts and intercept more lifespan. When the time comes, I will return these lifespans to Master, Zhao Qian, and Rong Niang; perhaps they can also live to be a hundred like me."

Li Yi's ability was limited; he couldn't care about so much and only thought about taking care of himself and the people around him first.

However, just as he was passing an estate in Sanyang City on the Underworld Horse, a voice suddenly came out: "Is the one riding the Underworld Horse the senior brother of the Zhao Martial Arts School, Li Yi, Brother Li?"

A room in the City Lord's Mansion was lit.

A young man dressed in brocade clothes opened the window, looked out, and suddenly asked.

"The City Lord of Sanyang City, Fan Zhizhou?" Li Yi narrowed his eyes, recognizing this person. But what was strange was that there were very few ghosts near the City Lord's Mansion, and no Lifespan-Collecting Ghosts appeared.

He was a bit curious. The Yin Horse neighed, and then he turned around and galloped over; it only took a few seconds to land on a roof of the City Lord's Mansion.

"It really is Brother Li. I was just saying, on the deep night of the first day of the month, when ghosts and gods collect lifespans, all the commoners and martial artists hide at home to sleep—who would be so unscrupulous as to dare to ride a Yin Horse and hold a ghost-headed saber to kill ghosts everywhere and intercept lifespans? Only you, Young Master Li, an expert who is not from the Four Seas and Bazhou, would dare to treat ghosts and gods as nothing."

Fan Zhizhou expressed heartfelt admiration. This kind of person who despised princes and did not respect ghosts and gods could not be raised in this place of the Four Seas and Bazhou.

Whether it was ordinary people or martial artists, they feared royal power and revered ghosts and gods in their bones; how could they dare to do such rebellious things?

"City Lord Fan, listening to what you mean, you know about the ghosts and gods collecting lifespans?" Li Yi's vertical pupils glowed, staring at him from afar as he spoke.

"Naturally, I know. I am a descendant of the Eight Kings and a disciple of a great family. This matter of ghosts and gods collecting lifespans has existed since ancient times; of course, I know a thing or two." Fan Zhizhou did not hide it and nodded directly in admission. However, he only dared to tell such a big secret to Li Yi and did not dare to leak it to others; otherwise, he would also have to pay a considerable price.

Li Yi rode over: "Since you already know, why do you let the ghosts and gods collect lifespans? Are the martial artists of the Four Seas and Bazhou so weak that they dare not resist? Do you just let the ghosts and gods run wild?"

Fan Zhizhou's mouth revealed a bitter smile: "We cannot resist. Ghosts and gods rule the world together with the great families; it has been so since ancient times... Does Brother Li still remember what I mentioned to you before about the martial artists of the Upper Three Realms?"

"I remember," Li Yi said.

"After Meridian Cultivation comes Spirit Cultivation... Once one becomes a Spirit Cultivation expert, even after death, their essence, Qi, and spirit will not dissipate and can turn into a Yin God. Ghosts and gods collect lifespans, and the Yin God is one of the culprits." Fan Zhizhou said helplessly: "Every Spirit Cultivation powerhouse represents a Yin God. May I ask, where is the logic in one's own people opposing their own people? I won't hide it from you, Young Master Li, my Fan family also worships our Fan family's Yin God. Of course, it's not just my Fan family; the other seven great families are the same."

"For a Yin God to exist in the world for a long time, they must have the lifespan of the living to extend their lives; otherwise, the Yin God will dissipate between heaven and earth. But having cultivated a Yin God body, who is willing to perish? Who doesn't want eternal life? So the people of the Four Seas and Bazhou suffer; their lifespans are constantly harvested, and their lifespans decrease, leading to death at fifty."

"It really is a world that eats people." Li Yi's expression was solemn. Hearing Fan Zhizhou say this, he finally understood.

Fan Zhizhou continued: "Brother Li, you should still restrain yourself a bit regarding the matter of killing ghosts and stealing lifespans tonight. Your behavior is undoubtedly snatching food from the mouths of the Yin Gods. If you are targeted by the Yin Gods, they will definitely send experts to deal with you; they will not allow people like you to exist."

"I restrain myself? Haha." Li Yi laughed loudly: "The ones who should restrain themselves are those Yin Gods who fear death and cling to life. I only regret that my cultivation time is still short; otherwise, I really want to kill all these Yin Gods of the Four Seas and Bazhou and return peace to the world."

He understood that his means of dealing with ghosts and gods were almost limited and he couldn't change anything; now he could only take care of himself.

But he refused to believe that with so many practitioners on Earth, and the existence of cross-dimensional travelers, he couldn't find a way to deal with Yin Gods and fierce ghosts.

"Brother Li has great courage, but before the general trend is formed, I still advise Brother Li not to go against the thousand-year-old ghosts and gods of the Four Seas and Bazhou first; otherwise, it will easily lead to disaster." Fan Zhizhou still kindly advised.

Li Yi's gaze shifted: "City Lord Fan, you are also a martial artist; why haven't I seen any ghosts or gods come to collect your lifespan?"

"If there is a Spirit Cultivation powerhouse sitting in the family, all ghosts and gods will give some face and will not collect the lifespans of their family members or clansmen. My Fan family still has a Spirit Cultivation powerhouse sitting in it and worships a Yin God, so Fan family disciples can be exempted from lifespan collection." Fan Zhizhou told the truth.

"No wonder. In your world, no one rebels; it turns out that ghosts, gods, and the great families are all one body. The living collect taxes, and the Yin Gods collect lifespans. All the commoners of the Four Seas and Bazhou are food; for generations, they have never had a chance to turn things around." Li Yi could not help but sigh.

Fan Zhizhou added: "Although the great families live better than the commoners, they are nothing more than food. Spirit Cultivation experts can become Yin Gods after death, but the supreme powerhouses of the Dharma Aspect Realm are natural-born ghosts and gods. They are the true rulers of the Four Seas and Bazhou. And ever since they ruled the Four Seas and Bazhou, the Four Seas and Bazhou haven't produced a new Dharma Aspect expert for hundreds of years. Once a Spirit Cultivation powerhouse breaks through the realm, they will be surrounded and killed by those ghosts and gods."

"There is such a thing?" Li Yi's expression sank: "Why is this? Could it be that they aren't worried about being fought to the death by new experts?"

"The thousand-year-old ghosts and gods are themselves supreme powerhouses, and they are surrounding and killing; there is no possibility of failure." Fan Zhizhou said: "My Fan family produced a martial arts genius three hundred years ago who was a peak Spirit Cultivation expert at the age of only fifty, and then forcibly broke through the barrier, attempting to break the legend that the Four Seas and Bazhou cannot produce a Dharma Aspect. The result was still failure."

"A full five thousand-year-old ghosts and gods came together and surrounded and killed my Fan family ancestor. Fortunately, those five thousand-year-old ghosts and gods were worried about being too ruthless and feared that the Eight Kings would join forces to rebel in the future, so they gave my ancestor a chance: give up breaking through the realm, end his own life, and achieve the position of a Yin God."

"My ancestor was forced to agree, cut off his own martial arts path, and became one of the Yin Gods worshipped by the Fan family."

After Fan Zhizhou finished speaking, he looked at Li Yi, his gaze somewhat complex: "So, Brother Li, as long as you are in the Four Seas and Bazhou, this thousand-year-old ghost and god situation cannot be broken. The only way to break the situation is to cross dimensions and leave, achieve the Dharma Aspect Realm in another world, or have strength that surpasses the ghosts and gods. Only in this way can you recreate the universe and redefine yin and yang."

Li Yi said: "City Lord Fan, these words of yours should be absolute secrets; you revealed them to me so easily?"

"If it were anyone else, I would never say a word more, but you are different, Brother Li. You crossed dimensions to come here and are not a person of the Four Seas and Bazhou. Moreover, you are exceptionally talented. Give you another ten years, and you will definitely be able to settle the mountains and rivers with your fists and suppress the ghosts and gods. It just depends on whether you, Brother Li, are willing to do so." Fan Zhizhou said.

"If I really did that, the Yin God worshipped by your Fan family would also be finished." Li Yi said calmly: "You are a disciple of the Fan family; could it be that you would also allow such a thing to happen?"

Fan Zhizhou laughed: "The Fan family is very large. To put it bluntly, the rise and fall of the Fan family is not up to me, a disciple, to decide. All I long for is to jump out of this world of the Four Seas and Bazhou and go see the wider world. If my capacity is limited to one family and one clan, that would be too pathetic. A frog at the bottom of a well looking up at the moon—if one is even reluctant to leave the bottom of the well, then one will be a frog for a lifetime."

"You want to cross dimensions?" Li Yi's gaze froze, and he stared at him for a while.

He didn't expect this Fan Zhizhou to have such thoughts.

"Can Brother Li fulfill this wish of mine? If Brother Li can help, no matter what the request, Brother Li, just ask; as long as I can do it, I will never refuse." Fan Zhizhou said seriously, and at the same time, he took this opportunity to formally reveal his thoughts to Li Yi.