Chapter 146

In the wind and snow at the top of the mountain range, there came a continuous, ear-piercing, and unpleasant screeching like night owls.

It was the cry of the "Man-Eating Twilight Bats" summoned by the Dragon Gate successor Long Ting with his flute sound. This was a type of fierce beast with tyrannical combat power and a vicious temperament, with bodies two or three meters long, large fleshy wings, sharp claws, and hideous human-like heads.

In the confrontation at the mountaintop, he had fallen into a disadvantage and was forced to summon the Man-Eating Twilight Bat swarm to balance Jiang Ning.

The miserable cries of the Man-Eating Twilight Bats rang out, and they died one after another under Jiang Ning's sword, turning into blood rain in the wind.

"Boom!"

Long Ting fought while retreating, his figure moving through the air as he headed north.

The magic power fluctuations of the two's confrontation gradually weakened and disappeared into the darkness.

Li Youyi slowly stood up, looked at the gap in the mountain terrain where the avalanche had occurred a hundred zhang away, and then gazed in the direction where the two had left, full of longing. Only by reaching such a height in cultivation could one lead the way among the younger generation and look down upon the heroes.

His gaze fell on Li Ling beside him, and he could feel that completely different look in her eyes, just like a sixteen-year-old girl who had seen the vicissitudes of thousands of years in a single day.

Li Ling turned her face and met his eyes: "Shall we chat?"

"Since we are chatting, I hope everyone can be a bit more frank."

Li Youyi was not intimidated by the invisible aura emanating from her, trying hard to adjust his state of mind, telling himself that she was no longer the ancient Son of Heaven who once dominated the Lingxiao.

Li Ling looked toward Yun Prefecture, which was shrouded in endless darkness and deathly silence, her eyes deep and profound: "Have you heard of Yang Marriage?"

Li Youyi's eyes were blank, and he shook his head.

"Don't you have three departed spirit old guys by your side? They don't know either?" Li Ling said.

Li Youyi shook his head again.

"Hmph, these three are truly ignorant."

Li Ling used this as a starting point and recounted in detail: "That day, you fell onto the bronze warship and happened to crash onto my grave mound, shedding a lot of blood. It was the blood flowing from your body that awakened me, who had already passed away."

"This is the unique energy of the bloodline of your ancient clan's descendants!"

"If it had stopped there, I would have just woken up, and like those three old guys, I would have been nothing more than a departed spirit. My past cultivation experience would be useless, and I would have to walk the path of a departed spirit's cultivation. Wanting to cultivate back to my former height would be infinitely slim."

"The departed spirits in the Nether Realm mostly rely on mutual devouring to become stronger. Their cultivation method is realized through devouring. Their wisdom is gradually born after their cultivation base becomes strong."

"Therefore, compared to the path of the departed spirit, which is completely unfamiliar and full of various uncertainties, I chose the path of life that I had once walked."

"Once truly alive, bones will grow flesh, the spring eyes and Qi Sea will naturally return, the Dao Seed can easily bloom and bear fruit, and the Longevity Lock will have long been broken... I can return to my peak in a very short time, and even recast a stronger and more perfect foundation, and will go further in the future."

"But to reverse life and death is to fight against the laws of life and destroy the order of the Yang Realm."

"The only way is to borrow the special bloodline of you descendants of the ancient clan and marry back into the Yang Realm."

Li Youyi was shocked by this statement and found it hard to understand: "Marry back into the Yang Realm? A ghost marriage?"

Li Ling appeared extremely calm: "According to the records in the classics, your ancient clan does indeed have extraordinary abilities, capable of seizing the creation of heaven and earth. As long as one becomes a member of the family, one can turn from death to life."

Li Youyi saw that she was extremely serious and earnest, not as if she were joking: "It's too absurd and too superstitious. Senior is an ancient Son of Heaven, yet you actually believe in the nonsense recorded in the classics? If one could turn from death to life just by marrying a descendant of this family, wouldn't all the departed spirits in the world be fighting to marry? Besides, Senior said it yourself, this is destroying the order of the Yang Realm and violating the laws of life. Who can fight against the laws of nature?"

"The masters of order, laws, and rules," Li Ling answered him in a serious tone.

Li Youyi said: "..."

"Legend has it that the ancestor of your ancient clan was not simple, so the bloodline of the descendants is uniquely blessed."

Li Ling continued: "I couldn't be sure if Yang Marriage really existed until your Guardian Wife appeared, which made me completely believe the legend."

Li Youyi fell into silence.

The Guardian Wife was indeed eerie, and it seemed there was no other reasonable explanation besides believing in Chan Hai Guan Wu.

He asked: "How exactly does one marry back into the Yang Realm? On the bronze warship, why did you pull me into the grave and want to put me to death?"

Li Ling stared at him: "I didn't want to put you to death. Pulling you into the grave was to complete the Yang Marriage ceremony."

"The Yang Marriage ceremony?" Li Youyi said.

Li Ling said: "It's the exchange of souls! In the grave, I injected a wisp of my soul into your body. Just as I was about to take your soul, you broke free, so the ceremony was only half completed at the time."

Li Youyi recalled carefully; when he was facing the white bone forehead of Chan Hai Guan Wu in the grave, a cold force did indeed enter between his brows.

No wonder Li Ling could always find him and accurately lock onto his position.

No wonder the Yan Prefecture Overseer Zhu Qinfeng would mistake him; it was because he sensed the soul aura of Chan Hai Guan Wu on him.

"Wrong!"

Li Youyi shook his head and said: "On the bronze warship, you clearly said that you needed to take a large amount of my blood and soul. Since it's a marriage ceremony, everyone should be fair, right? Why should I pay so much more? If you had said at the time that you only needed a wisp of my soul, perhaps it wouldn't have caused so many misunderstandings later."

Li Ling said: "Needing a large amount of your blood is to grow flesh and blood capable of resisting the order of the Yang Realm, so I can turn back into a living being. As for the soul... it's the same principle. After all, you are a normal person in the Yang Realm, and the Nether Wife is an abnormal one."

Li Youyi always felt that she was not speaking from the heart, was not frank enough, and had not told the whole truth.

But it didn't matter!

Because it was absolutely impossible for Li Youyi to give her a large amount of blood and soul. Who knew if he would be controlled by her because of this in the future?

Or have his life and death held by her?

Not to mention that she didn't truly want to marry him.

Even if she truly wanted to marry him, a woman is a completely different person before and after marriage. The more you give away before marriage, the more deeply you will be constrained after marriage.

"What if I choose not to give you blood and soul?"

Li Youyi thought of the tyrannical strength the other party had shown earlier and finally swallowed these words that had reached his throat, laughing: "Why do I feel that the so-called Yang Marriage ceremony is just you constantly and forcibly demanding, never having asked for my willingness?"

"I can understand your mindset. A dignified ancient Son of Heaven, a living being standing at the peak of the Lingxiao Life Realm, once possessed the supreme supernatural power to plow a thousand miles with one finger and hold a river and sea in a cup. How could you possibly look down upon a mere weak mortal man?"

"Would you care about his willingness? Would you consider his feelings? You didn't treat him as a husband for Yang Marriage at all, just as a tool that could allow yourself to come back to life."

"If you had chosen to communicate at the beginning, the result might have been completely different."

Li Ling refuted: "If I had communicated with you at the beginning, would you really have given me blood and soul? Would you have believed my words? Without enough understanding, neither of us would trust the other."

"You are right. After thousands of years of cultivation, my mindset has changed a lot, and it is already very difficult to put myself in a mortal's shoes to consider his feelings."

"But I can guarantee you that once the Yang Marriage ceremony is completed, I will definitely be responsible for you and will definitely protect you for a lifetime."

"If you don't believe me, you can go ask those three old guys; they should understand what kind of person Chan Hai Guan Wu is."

Li Ling's gaze fell on Li Youyi's chest, her eyes fixed on the Buddha relic of the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish, where she sensed the fluctuations of the three departed spirits.

The reason she could perceive it was because the three masters had been sensing the outside world and eavesdropping on their conversation.

Master Guan was very excited and transmitted his voice to Li Youyi: "Marry her, that's Chan Hai Guan Wu! Losing a little blood and soul is nothing. Anyway, you also control a wisp of her soul. Think about it, walking the world in the future, mentioning that my wife is Chan Hai Guan Wu—how impressive that would be!"

Master Lingwei said: "Youyi, my advice to you is that the logic of Yang Marriage and all the behaviors of Chan Hai Guan Wu from waking up on the bronze warship to parasitizing Li Ling's body can be explained; what she said should be the truth."

Master Coffin said: "The information I can give you is that Chan Hai Guan Wu, at least her actions while alive, are enough to make me admire her. But don't listen to your Master Guan; once you marry her, the karma will not be small. This is a lifelong bond."

Li Ling's voice was cold and sharp: "Do you three think I can't hear your voice transmission? You dare to call the name Chan Hai Guan Wu directly? A thousand years ago, when you came to Lingxiao Palace to pay respects, how did you address me?"

The three masters immediately fell silent and spoke no more.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The ground shook.

Snowflakes splashed and drifted down from the mountaintop, accompanied by a large amount of falling rubble.

"Awoo!"

A tiger roar that shook the heavens and the earth resounded through the night, and ripples of magic power energy appeared in mid-air.

On the snowfield on the mountain ridge, there were more experts in a fierce battle.

The tiger-leopard beast, which had become only the size of a cat, was very excited and flew toward the mountaintop, but was pulled by its tail by Li Ling and lifted up.

"It's Cangli's power aura. Why did he also come to the Nether Realm of the Dead?"

Li Youyi went into stealth again, restrained his aura, and looked upward.

He could see two bright clusters of magic power energy colliding fiercely. Cangli released the White Tiger battle intent, while opposite him was a cluster of dazzling golden light. The living being in the golden light had four arms, and all four arms held a high-grade magic artifact of extraordinary power.

"It should be the demon tribe successor of Tianya Ridge, the Heartless Golden Ape," Li Ling said.

Li Youyi nodded. In the entire Southern Region, besides Zuo Qiu Ting, only the Heartless Golden Ape was a young expert who could fight Cangli to this extent.

This was an unusual signal!

If it weren't a last resort, why would these young geniuses with bright futures all run to the Nether Realm of the Dead? And, they were making such a big commotion; were they really not afraid of startling the departed spirit fierce demons at the Dao Seed level?

Thinking of something, the two looked at each other suddenly.

Li Youyi said: "If riots break out in Yao Guan City and Burial Xianzhen, it will inevitably trigger a larger chain reaction, and then the entire Lizhou will be engulfed in flames of war. Young martial cultivators from major forces wanting to leave Lizhou seem to find it safer to walk along the edge of the Nether Realm of the Dead."

"That is the logic," Li Ling said.

Li Youyi felt a strong sense of crisis and said: "The Jiuli tribe will send the outstanding martial cultivators of the younger generation out of the Lizhou battlefield, and the four major sects will definitely do the same. This mountain range is likely to be very lively next. Senior Chan Hai, how is your strength exactly? Can you handle it?"

Chan Hai Guan Wu's strength was very strong, but it didn't seem to last long and could only be a bluff, which was why Li Youyi asked this.

Li Ling said: "If the Yang Marriage can be completed, I can naturally protect you."

Li Youyi smiled noncommittally: "Is there no other way?"

"Yes, enter the Shaoyang Star to hide for a few days. After they pass through, we will slowly follow," Li Ling said.

This was indeed a pretty good method!

Avoiding the sharp edge was the wise thing to do; there was no need to dance on the tip of a knife.

But Li Youyi was very afraid that it would be easy to invite a god but hard to send one away, so he communicated with Master Lingwei first.

"Rest assured, the Shaoyang Star is your home field," Master Lingwei didn't dare to say too much, being concise and to the point, fearing he would offend Chan Hai Guan Wu again.

Li Youyi and Li Ling quickly swept toward the foot of the mountain on the side of the Nether Realm of the Dead.

In a hidden area near the foot of the mountain, Li Youyi quickly excavated a cave and used the Ghost Flag and mud to seal the entrance.

Before activating the Buddha relic, he used a black cloth bag capable of blocking perception to put the tiger-leopard beast inside.

"Whoosh!"

Spatial fluctuations spread, and he and Li Ling disappeared into the cave.

Inside the cave, only the Buddha relic remained, suspended in mid-air by a Taiji mark.

After Li Youyi's mental power attainment reached the realm of Square-Inch Bright Fire, the blood mud space had become several dozen zhang in size.

On the blood-colored mud ground, the thirty-meter-long magic artifact jade boat and the silver coffin, which was as large as a corridor house, were the most eye-catching.

Li Ling's gaze was attracted by the Prefecture Overseer's treasure seal, which was over two meters high, at the bow of the magic artifact jade boat, and she whispered: "I didn't expect you to have collected such a treasure."

"Whoosh!"

Bright auspicious brilliance bloomed from Li Ling's body, her petite body was wrapped in a cluster of light, and the powerful aura of the ancient Son of Heaven erupted.

Gradually, a stunningly beautiful figure, much taller than Li Ling's posture, walked out of the auspicious brilliance, with a height of nearly 1.8 meters and an incomparably perfect body proportion.

She was dressed in a red skirt and robe of extraordinary grade, her long hair draped down, full of peaceful and quiet Dao rhyme.

Her skin was as white as immortal jade, and she had a flower mark between her brows. She looked only eighteen or nineteen years old, and although young, she gave people a sharp temperament that looked down upon the mortal world.

Chan Hai Guan Wu did not deliberately release her aura, but she possessed the bones of an ancient Son of Heaven, and her true body walking out was enough to shock ordinary martial cultivators into kneeling.

Li Youyi employed the Jade Void Breathing Method to stabilize his mind, standing three zhang away, staring at her.

He could not see her face clearly.

There was mysterious energy around her, distorting space and light.

"Whoosh!"

Chan Hai Guan Wu, like an immortal in red, soared up, landed at the bow of the magic artifact jade boat, and her slender fingers touched the official seal.

Ripples of magic power dissipated from her fingertips.

The official seal, which was the size of a millstone, quickly shrank, turned into the size of a fist, and fell into her palm.

The soul shadows of the three masters appeared behind Li Youyi.

Master Guan's soul shadow looked out while whispering and inciting: "Marry her, that's Chan Hai Guan Wu! Losing a little blood and soul is nothing. Anyway, you also control a wisp of her soul. Think about it, walking the world in the future, mentioning that my wife is Chan Hai Guan Wu—how impressive that would be!"

"Master Guan, you only want face, not substance?"

Li Youyi shook his head, pondered for a moment, and said loudly: "Senior Chan Hai, didn't you say that you needed a large amount of my blood to grow flesh and bones? I see that you seem to have grown back your physical body now."

Chan Hai Guan Wu stood on the jade boat, like an immortal wanting to ride the wind, looking down and saying: "This is the physical body condensed in the Blood Moon Lake in the Thirty-Three Mile Mountain. It cannot deceive the order of the Yang Realm. Only in that sea of bones and this Shaoyang Star can I leave Li Ling's body."

Li Youyi said: "So, you want to completely get rid of the restrictions of Li Ling's physical body, truly return to the Yang Realm, and be free in the universe, you still need a large amount of my blood and soul? Let me give you a bottom line!"

"A large loss of blood will definitely make me fall into weakness, which is still bearable. But giving you a large amount of soul is something I really cannot do."

"Even if Senior was wise and peerless while alive, I really don't understand you, and I have no obligation to pay such a price to help someone I don't owe."

Chan Hai Guan Wu looked at Li Youyi, seeing that his eyes did not give in at all: "Is this your final decision? Aren't you afraid I'll be ashamed into anger? How much chance of winning do you think you have if you all come together?"

Li Youyi said: "Senior doesn't need to intimidate me. Killing me has no benefit to you; you won't do that."

Master Coffin said: "Mist Son of Heaven, he is someone valued by the owner of the bronze warship, and even more so the owner of the Shaoyang Star. You should know better than us what these two forces mean."

Chan Hai Guan Wu sighed: "Come up, I will talk to you truly and frankly once."

Li Youyi thought for a moment, leaped, and landed on the jade boat.

The two stood opposite each other, both re-examining the other, but their mindsets were completely different.

On the jade boat, white brilliance emerged, isolating them from the outside world.

Chan Hai Guan Wu finally spoke: "Actually, the Yang Marriage ceremony doesn't necessarily require a large amount of your soul. For soul exchange, both sides only need a wisp each."

"Then why did you open your mouth like a lion?" Li Youyi asked, puzzled.

Chan Hai Guan Wu said: "Because I don't want to go through the normal Yang Marriage ceremony."

"What is the normal Yang Marriage ceremony?" Li Youyi asked.

Chan Hai Guan Wu said in the fewest words: "Bridal chamber."

Li Youyi was not a fool, and he understood instantly, then couldn't help but laugh and cry, suddenly realizing: "I can understand! This is indeed too difficult for you. With your existence, with your pride, and the object being a mortal like me. That hurdle in your state of mind is very hard to overcome, right?"

"Yes, very hard."

Chan Hai Guan Wu said: "But do you know why I chose to talk to you face-to-face instead of forcibly taking your blood and soul? Because you are actually okay, and I can convince myself to accept you."

After knowing the truth, Li Youyi's mood relaxed a lot, and he laughed: "I feel you are very reluctant, and I feel you haven't convinced yourself yet."

Chan Hai Guan Wu couldn't laugh at all: "I know you are also resisting, so I thought of a pretty good way to get along. We can be husband and wife in name, and allies in reality. You help me marry back into the Yang Realm, and I help you cultivate and protect you. Both sides benefit; why not do it?"

"Then aren't you just another Guardian Wife? Actually, if it's just exchanging a wisp of soul, I'm not that resistant," Li Youyi observed her eyes and laughed like this.

Black lines appeared on Chan Hai Guan Wu's forehead; she knew she shouldn't have told him the truth.

Li Youyi stopped smiling: "Just a joke. I'm not someone who takes advantage of others' misfortune. But I've already told you my bottom line. I really can't do it if you want to take a large amount of my soul to complete the Yang Marriage. And, are you sure my Guardian Wife will agree?"

Chan Hai Guan Wu fell into deep thought.

"You were very right in what you said earlier. We can be allies; at least there's no need to be enemies. If you force it, you will definitely suffer a backlash. Do you really think you can suppress me for a lifetime? My cultivation speed is not slow."

Li Youyi leaped off the jade boat.

Li Youyi had plenty of food on him and had "earned" a large amount of precious medicine and dyed-mist exotic medicine in Burial Xianzhen, so he went into seclusion to cultivate in the blood mud space.

With Light Flame Pills and the Fusang Divine Tree providing spirit light continuously to replenish mental power consumption, he could drive the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish for a long time.

Half a month later.

Li Youyi, sitting cross-legged on the huge silver coffin, raised his right arm, and magic power gathered in his palm, forming a storm vortex with a diameter of two meters.

Inside the vortex, magic power condensed into three-inch-long fine needles like cow hair.

"Bang bang!"

Dozens of solid magic power needles hit the jade boat in the distance one after another, with a clanging sound, possessing the ability to pierce gold and crack stone.

Li Youyi withdrew the magic power into his body, cherishing it very much.

After all, he had to cultivate the magic power in the first Qi Sea to the full before he could impact the second realm of the Five Seas. Half a month of accumulation had already stored five parts, and the Qi Sea was half full.

"Magic power turns into reality; with my cultivation of the first realm of the Five Seas, I have cultivated second-grade Five Seas Qi."

Li Youyi was in a great mood. By taking Light Flame Pills for a long time, the spirit light bright fire in the Yintang Spirit Realm was flourishing, and he could impact the "Square-Inch Realm" of a Great Mentalist at any time.

Chan Hai Guan Wu, who was meditating on the jade boat, was awakened by the magic power flying needles he hit, and a look of curiosity floated in the bottom of her eyes, so she slapped out a palm through the air.

"Whoosh!"

A magic power handprint several zhang in size hung above Li Youyi's head.

Li Youyi had long been aware of it, only feeling wind force surging from all directions, the pressure so great it was like the sky collapsing.

"Heaven-Turning Palm Print."

He struck a palm toward the firmament, magic power sprayed out, and a miraculous and huge golden seal appeared, as big as a millstone, colliding with the handprint struck by Chan Hai Guan Wu.

With a boom, both collapsed and opened.

She praised: "As expected of the Chan Sect's unique skills, the power is extraordinary. Your magic power is only second-grade Five Seas Qi. But relying on this palm technique, the divine seal condensed, the degree of magic power refinement can reach the level of four or five times second-grade Qi."

"How about you come for another palm?" Li Youyi said.

Chan Hai Guan Wu frowned slightly, too lazy to bother with him, and continued to absorb the power of the Shaoyang Star to nourish her soul.

Li Youyi stood up: "I'm serious. In the collision with you just now, I vaguely felt the existence of battle intent. I think the Heaven-Turning Palm Print move should be able to cultivate powerful battle intent, but it needs to be explored in battle."

Chan Hai Guan Wu looked at Li Ling and said: "You go and feed him moves, no need to hold back."

(End of chapter)