Chapter 240: Volume End · 4

Youming Jie.

Since Youming Jie suffered a great calamity and about two‑thirds of its land vanished, its hatred toward the Rift‑Stone has become beyond measure.

How could such a heavenly‑angry, human‑resented Spiritual Material appear in Youming Jie? Moreover, it exerts an unparalleled suppressive effect on ghosts, so after the underworld vanished, Youming Jie established a Small Underworld Office to manage the ever‑expanding cycle of ghost reincarnation.

"Sir! This b is not right—why doesn't the Meng Po soup work on him?"

"What's wrong?"

"Look at this soul… Clearly a mortal, yet it seems to have undergone dozens of reincarnations; the spirit actually has substance?"

The busy ghost investigator summoned the overburdened Niu Tou Ma Mian, and they examined the odd mortal soul.

Niu Tou Ma Mian asked, "What is this person's surname and given name, and where is his origin?"

"His name is… Zhang Xungui? He appears to be a direct descendant of a major sect, but survived a childhood calamity by hiding in a mortal noble family until age twenty. Yet because he dabbled in cultivation, his destiny was disrupted, and he died prematurely instead of living to eighty‑eight."

"Who killed him?"

"Unknown. It's possible the murderer was a cultivator, and since he was in the Nan Ting Mountain Region under Daoist suppression, we cannot trace the cultivator's karmic fate now," the ghost investigator paused, the meaning obvious.

Niu Tou Ma Mian twitched, "If the ancient underworld still existed, what could a mere cultivator have done?"

Even saints could, using the Earth Register, determine how many people he killed, how many children, whose they were, and so on.

Alas, it's far worse now.

"Then, I'll take him to see Yan Wang Ye and ask what's going on."

"Understood."

A mortal soul unresponsive to Meng Po soup will surely pique Yan Wang Ye's interest.

When they arrived at the Yan Wang Hall, it was not the ghostly gloom mortals imagine; instead, bright lanterns bathed the place, and the dazzling light made Niu Tou Ma Mian squint each visit.

Immediately after ushering the soul inside, they saw a troupe of ghost maidens in bizarre attire, short pleated skirts with long socks, respectfully shouting:

"Welcome~~"

Niu Tou: "....."

Ma Mian: "....."

The whole scene resembled a mortal fireworks display.

Those who don't know might think the underworld changed its business.

Entering the hall, they saw a solemn new Yan Wang, his brows knit, eyes narrowed, long whiskers by his ears, a square crown, long robe, left hand gripping a prayer bead before his knee, right hand holding a tablet placed on his knee.

"Niu Tou Ma Mian, what brings you here?"

Niu Tou bowed and said, "We have seen you, Yan Wang Ye. The ghost envoy at Meng Po's side discovered a mortal soul unresponsive to Meng Po soup. Didn't you say to watch such cases? So we bring it to you for inspection."

"Oh?"

Yan Wang Ye rose and approached Zhang Xungui's soul.

"It's him, it's him! Heaven‑outside Soul Dao Dao Mark!"

Yan Wang exclaimed in surprise, and Niu Tou Ma Mian was taken aback.

"Ah? Yan Wang Ye, is this person from beyond the heavens?"

"Is it true?"

"Of course it's true; don't underestimate these heaven‑outside folk, each one is a pork knuckle."

"Pork knuckle?"

Niu Tou Ma Mian was puzzled—are all heaven‑outside people pork?

Yan Wang Ye coughed, "He is the protagonist; his Soul Dao Dao Mark is so intense, he must carry a great destiny! Follow my orders: promptly send him into reincarnation and give him a Six‑turn Soul Heart Lotus to strengthen his foundation."

"Huh?"

"Wait, Yan Wang Ye, are you really this generous?"

Niu Tou Ma Mian looked bewildered; the Soul Heart Lotus only grows in Youming Jie, and once it reaches six turns even a Hua Shen‑stage cultivator gains great benefit—so to give it to a mere mortal?"

"You truly have a great household and enterprise; don't you know the Small Underworld Office is just getting started at a crucial stage?"

"What do you know!" Yan Wang Ye saw Niu Tou Ma Mian's doubtful gaze and immediately said, "This is called investment. The early input I expect him to repay ten thousandfold later. Now that he has taken the Soul Heart Lotus, his Soul Dao can only proceed, destined to interact with our Youming Jie; are you afraid we won't recoup the cost? You cling to old thinking—such a heaven‑outside person bearing a heaven‑outside Dao Mark is watched over by Heaven itself, not allowed to die so easily. I am merely going with the flow."

"This… is," Niu Tou Ma Mian began, then stopped. The current Yan Wang Ye is truly bold, daring to blurt anything out.

"Can we even speak of the Heavenly Dao?"

"We don't even dare to imagine it."

"Proceed."

"Understood."

When Niu Tou Ma Mian, following his orders, took Zhang Xungui's soul away and cast it into reincarnation,

a voice suddenly sounded in his ear:

【Mission to Find Heaven‑outside Person Completed, Reward: Nine‑turn Wheel Power】

"As a Yan Wang, I can finally begin cultivation now; I truly don't know how long I can keep this hidden from these shrewd ghost envoys," he sighed, feeling quite conflicted.

Who could have imagined that an ordinary ghost, just after entering Youming Jie, would be struck by a great destiny and, within a few decades, build the Small Underworld Office and become the new Yan Wang?

Yet even now, he remains just an ordinary ghost.

Three years passed.

A baby quietly cried out in a rugged mountain valley; the hunter family, seeing their child, laughed joyfully.

"Brother Hu, this is our child."

Seeing his wife on the bed, drenched in sweat and weak, the man gently placed the child before her and said:

"Thank you for your hardship, Feng'er. I, Zhang Hu, finally have an heir!" Zhang Hu sighed.

"What name do you intend to give the child?"

Zhang Hu fell silent for a long while, then looked toward the continent's heart: "I want to return home, to bring you all back. I want the elders at home to see that I, Zhang Hu, am not a coward and have the ability to carve out my own world…"

"It's a pity I can't do it myself, this child.... if one day he could find the way back home for me, that would be nice." Zhang Hu's face was full of bitterness, and he lowered his head.

The woman stroked the man's head, chuckled, and said: "Then let's call him.... Xungui?"

"Mm!"

"Xungui, Xungui, my child, you must surely find the way back home. That is not only our home, but also yours." Zhang Hu murmured.

The woman reached out her hand, pulled the child to in front of herself, gently stroked him, her eyes full of happiness.

Not long after, the reborn Zhang Xungui woke up, seeing the unfamiliar man and woman before him, he was stunned for a moment.

"Waa waa!!!"

"The child is crying, the child is crying! Brother Hu!"

"Hahaha, it's good that he cries out loud, it's good that he cries out loud."

The couple looked very happy, but Zhang Xungui was puzzled.

"What kind of start is this, how did I come back to life?"