Chapter 489: New Atmosphere in Nanxiang County

Having inspected every corner of Nanxiang County and found nothing amiss, Hua Changxi arrived at the county seat.

Since the Zhu Que Army took over the county seat, the cultivators who had previously mingled like fish and dragons immediately behaved themselves; those seeking to 'profit from chaos' either fled far away or kept a low profile.

The number of cultivators in the city had decreased significantly, yet the former chaos was gone.

Song Weimin truly possessed genuine talent in governing the people; having managed the county yamen for just over a year, the appearance of the county seat had been completely transformed.

The former atmosphere of 'cultivators lording over all beings and treating commoners like weeds' had quietly changed; now, cultivators and mortals within the county seat could coexist peacefully.

Cultivators were no longer aloof, and mortals no longer walked on thin ice or scraped by in survival; seeing such conditions, Hua Changxi felt a touch of pride, believing she had shown keen insight in promoting Song Weimin.

After wandering through the city for a while, Hua Changxi departed.

Outside the city, many cultivators could still be seen venturing deep into the wild mountains and forests; most traveled in groups, with powerful clans and nobles standing behind them.

Hua Changxi knew that the various factions had not yet abandoned their desire to explore the 'Nanxiangchengcheng Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land'.

However, under the iron-fisted deterrence of the Zhu Que Army, these people now dared only to cautiously seek opportunities, no longer killing for treasures and disrupting order as recklessly as before.

After making her rounds, Hua Changxi felt that although the current Nanxiang County could not be called an era of peace and prosperity filled with song and dance, it did display a thriving scene of stable livelihoods.

She could not understand: since everything was developing in a positive direction, where exactly did this unease in her heart originate?

Unable to find the source of her unease, Hua Changxi suppressed her inner irritation, transformed into a crimson shadow, and headed straight for the Zhurong Tomb.

Jing Sheng had been tempering himself in the Zhurong Tomb for a year; he should have completely absorbed and refined the medicinal power of the Xuanhuang Fruit by now.

She planned to pick up Jing Sheng and go to the Ghost Fire Well, then use the Ghost Fire Well to enter the Ghost Realm Forbidden Zone once again.

Entering the Nine Netherworlds served two purposes: first, to investigate the reason behind the black broken blade's vibration.

Since Tong Yao had said this broken blade had no grade and its explosive power depended on the user's strength, she felt it was necessary to repair the blade.

Second was the Jiuguan Auction; since this auction was held only once every fifty years and had been conducted many times before, it meant many 'old monsters' surely participated, and she needed to broaden her horizons.

The third reason was that the Ghost Realm Forbidden Zone lay in the heart of the Nine Netherworlds; traveling from the ghost race's territory to the Nine Passes of the Demon Prison would allow her to explore the expanse of the Nine Netherworlds along the way.

Hua Changxi soon arrived at the Zhurong Tomb; with a movement of her divine sense, she located Jing Sheng.

"Not bad; your physical body has grown stronger by another notch."

Seeing Hua Changxi, Jing Sheng's face lit up with joy: "Old Sister."

Hua Changxi nodded slightly and continued, "In the future, whenever you have no matters at the Ghost Fire Well, you may come to the Zhurong Tomb to cultivate; having broken five layers of your physical shackles, you are well-suited for the path of the physical body."

"The Nine-Layer Prison Tower is a Dao weapon; if you can comprehend and realize the Dao rhymes within it, it will absolutely help you forge your own Great Dao."

Listening to Hua Changxi's guidance, Jing Sheng showed gratitude on his face: "I owe my present state entirely to Old Sister; I will cultivate diligently..."

Seeing him assume that grateful demeanor again, Hua Changxi quickly interrupted him: "I need your help to enter the Ghost Realm Forbidden Zone."

Jing Sheng responded with a serious expression; afterward, neither continued with pleasantries. They soared into the air side by side and sped toward the Ghost Fire Well.

Soon, the two arrived at the Ghost Fire Well.

After entering the Nine-Layer Prison Tower, Hua Changxi first met Fang Zhuyue and chatted with him for a while; she then checked on the status of the Zhu Que Army, and seeing they had adapted well, she followed Jing Sheng down to the bottom of the prison tower.

"Old Sister, I will go first."

At the mouth of the Ghost Fire Well, Jing Sheng jumped in first, with Hua Changxi following closely behind.

After the Zhu Que Prison-Suppressing Great Formation resumed operation, the ghost qi and ghost fire seeping into the well through the cracks decreased significantly; nowadays, only the well bottom was filled with ghost qi and burning with a small amount of ghost fire.

Jing Sheng could clear it all without Hua Changxi needing to lift a finger.

However, neither of them did so; the Nine-Layer Prison Tower relied on mobilizing ghost qi and ghost fire to physically punish offending cultivators, so retaining a small amount of ghost qi and ghost fire aided the tower's operation.

"Old Sister, once you enter the Nine Netherworlds, you must be careful about everything."

After Jing Sheng voiced his worried admonition, he manipulated the Ghost Fire Token to open the restrictions of the Zhu Que Prison-Suppressing Great Formation.

In an instant, a circular hole appeared in the center of the formation stone platform.

Hua Changxi nodded to Jing Sheng, then without any hesitation, leaped down, quickly disappearing into the deep, pitch-black fissure.

The moment Hua Changxi jumped, Jing Sheng closed the restrictions.

The entire process lasted only a few breaths; the ghost qi that had seeped in was scattered completely by a wave of Jing Sheng's hand.