Chapter 129: 171, 172

Nothing could describe the mood of the Xiao family head at this moment; if one had to put it into words, it would be like "you are watching TV in your safe home with all the security doors locked, but just then, black and white static flashes across your TV screen, and immediately after, Sadako crawls out and breaks into your home."

Xiao Cibei stared fixedly at the black tortoise, then looked at the "Song Cheng" placed in the first position on the ancestral tablet genealogy.

The family head had changed.

From this day forward, the head of the Xiao family was Song Cheng.

And the black tortoise before him reminded him directly of the True Martial Emperor who had killed the Saintly Heavenly Buddha in seconds.

Sure enough, Song Cheng was gifted with extraordinary talent, and there was indeed a massive force behind him, but he never imagined that this force would be terrifying to such an extent.

Now, he had nowhere to escape.

Facing a great power who could break into the Yin She at will, facing a new family head who could summon him back at any time, how could he escape? "Emperor."

Xiao Cibei stood up and bowed respectfully.

Helpless, there were some realities that had to be accepted; when one must bow one's head, one bows.

"Do you submit?"

The black tortoise let out a muffled sound.

Xiao Cibei said: "From now on, I shall follow the Emperor's lead in all things."

Song Cheng looked at him, not expecting that this thick-browed, large-eyed man with a vigorous spirit was actually a person who knew how to adapt to circumstances, so he continued in a muffled voice: "Of the people who fought with this seat that day, three escaped; you should know their hiding places, right? If you do not know, then you have lost the chance to prove your loyalty, and from now on, you shall be sealed directly in this Yin She."

Xiao Cibei: At this moment, his thoughts were like lightning, flashing through ten thousand possibilities; he almost wanted to open his mouth to argue, "I truly do not know," but seeing the cold, icy gaze of the black tortoise opposite him, he closed his mouth instead.

He did not know if, once he spoke the words "do not know," he would still be able to see tomorrow's sun.

As the head of the Xiao family, the master behind the scenes who controlled a province in Jiangnan, coveted the world, and had stepped over the Reappearance Tribulation, when had Xiao Cibei ever suffered such grievances? But in a world of power, it was just that realistic. Xiao Cibei sighed long and said: "I am willing to cooperate fully with the Emperor. Among those three, one should be the Subduing Demon Arhat, and the other two are the Sword Immortal and the Heavenly Son. I can only vaguely know the location of that Subduing Demon Arhat; as for the other two, perhaps only after catching the Subduing Demon Arhat can I follow the vine to find the melon and seek them out."

Song Cheng asked again: "Song Cheng is a junior of my Immortal Tower, left behind in the human world. You took him into the Xiao family, only because you valued the troop-training power he possessed to help the Xiao family vie for the Central Plains. But why do you all want to vie for the Central Plains?"

Immortal Tower?

Xiao Cibei was stunned for a moment, then said: "Could it be that that Xuan Nu Niang Niang is also..."

Without waiting for an answer, he muttered: "No wonder, no wonder..."

Until this moment, Xiao Cibei truly intended to let the broken jar break; after all, the other party was also an incomparably massive force, so he said: "The great trend of the world is that long division leads to unity, and long unity leads to division. Those of the great trend are Yang.

When Yang gathers, Yin gathers; when Yang scatters, Yin scatters. Only when Yin scatters can the Ghost River not gather.

Then, supplemented by the Yunhe, connecting the waters of a hundred rivers, drawing the ghosts of a hundred lands, gathering them in one place, and discharging them into the Canghai.

In this way, this land can be kept safe and sound."

Song Cheng thought for a moment and said: "Fart. When more people die, ghosts naturally become more numerous; in a place without people, there is no Yang Qi to resist the Yin Qi."

Xiao Cibei smiled bitterly: "Previously, I heard the Saint... Saint..."

"Saintly Heavenly Buddha." Song Cheng helped him say it.

Xiao Cibei said repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, the Saintly Heavenly Buddha said that Yin Qi comes from the Great Yin; it does not change because of the number of people, but only changes with the adjustment of Yin and Yang... I didn't expect this to be false."

"Where is the Saintly Heavenly Buddha?" Song Cheng asked again.

Xiao Cibei said tremblingly: "He has already been killed by the Emperor at the Imperial Capital."

In the eyes of this Xiao family head, the huge black tortoise seemed to recall for a moment before saying in a muffled voice: "Even that little monk dares to call himself a Buddha?"

Xiao Cibei laughed "Hehehehe" and said: "Yes, yes, the Emperor is right."

On the other side, Song Cheng was also slightly relieved.

If what he swallowed and killed really was the Saintly Heavenly Buddha, it seemed he could truly walk around this land now.

"Then take me to find the Subduing Demon Arhat."

"Yes, Emperor. But this subordinate only knows his possible location and cannot be entirely certain. This subordinate will do his best." Xiao Cibei was filled with fear and trepidation.

Song Cheng thought for a moment and said again: "Have your people set off to fetch Song Cheng?"

"This subordinate will immediately have him..." Before the words were finished, Xiao Cibei suddenly realized that he could no longer summon his subordinates.

Just as the words fell, he suddenly discovered that Song Cheng had disappeared.

Song Cheng crawled outside the Xiao family, but discovered that as long as he was in the Tower, the people of the noble families could not be forcibly kicked out, so he crawled back in and said: "This is easy, I will summon them for you; you... you pretend to still be the family head."

"Yes."

A moment later, Xiao Bi and Xiao Yan, who were preparing to go to the North Land to "invite" Song Cheng back, received inexplicable instructions and the two had to turn back. Xiao Bi asked why, and as a result, was scolded severely by Xiao Cibei.

Several days later.

A "Xuanwu Temple" was established somewhere in Jiangnan, and a portrait of a giant tortoise was hung inside the temple.

Another few days passed.

Deep underground somewhere in Jiangnan, in a deep soil pit like an ice cellar, a monk's coffin was dragged out directly; the Soul inside had just wanted to escape when it was swallowed in one gulp by the dark golden black tortoise.

The Soul of the Subduing Demon Arhat spun continuously inside like a fallen leaf in a whirlpool.

While spinning, the power on the surface of his body, and even his ghostly color, seemed to be scraped away continuously as if by "a thousand cuts." Xiao Cibei watched from the side, stunned.

He had thought the battle would be earth-shattering.

But... it was just a damn single gulp.

Seeing that half of the Subduing Demon Arhat's life was almost gone, Song Cheng dragged him into the Xiao family's Yin She, and the black tortoise's big mouth loosened slightly, letting one of the Arhat's arms stretch out from between the fangs.

He said in a muffled voice: "Join the Xiao family, and I will spare your life."

The Subduing Demon Arhat was already on the verge of having his soul scattered; how could he dare to say "no"? He hurriedly raised his hand to write.

Not until the name "Subduing Demon Arhat" appeared on the tablet did Song Cheng spit this Arhat out.

The Arhat lay on the ground, his Ghost soul looking like it had suffered a severe injury, "torn and mangled" from being pulled.

Song Cheng questioned him again and began to follow the vine to find the melon to catch the remaining two people.

Half a month later.

Yan Muyi was caught... This Sword Immortal had no choice but to join the Xiao family as well.

Another half month.

The "Ji Family Ancestor," Feng Tianshi, was killed.

The first half of the process was exactly the same: Song Cheng, under the guidance of "collaborators," searched everywhere for the possible hiding places of Feng Tianshi. Once found, he was first tortured to the brink of death, then brought to the Xiao family to be forced to "affix his thumbprint."

But the second half was somewhat different; Feng Tianshi acted as if he had gone mad. The expression on his Soul shifted constantly, at times human, at times a flood dragon, at times a shattered elephant, and from his mouth came strange, elephant-like "Ao-Ao" cries.

Afterwards, his entire body frantically emitted energy from Soul attacks, attempting to severely injure Song Cheng, only to be killed and have his Soul scattered to the winds.

Song Cheng searched for his physical body, which was hidden in an Ice Coffin.

Even though the Soul was scattered, the physical body remained as it was in life; even if taken out of the Ice Coffin and abandoned in the wilderness, it could still repel insects and remain undecayed for several months.

Because this Ice Coffin was in the Imperial Capital, Song Cheng did not take it away, but instead slightly altered the hiding spot, waiting until he arrived at the Imperial Capital in the future to retrieve and study it. The interrogation of Yan Muyi and the Subduing Demon Arhat only yielded more information regarding the destruction of Qingque Continent, and their motive for inciting chaos throughout the world was exactly the same as what Xiao Cibei had said.

Before seeing through it, Song Cheng felt these people behind the scenes were high and mighty, possessed of great talent and strategy, stirring up the winds and clouds. But after seeing through them and even capturing them, Song Cheng only felt that "in the end... they were just struggling desperately."

Behind the scenes?

Orchestrating?

Nonexistent.

This thousand-year-old scheme was all just to stay alive, all just to ensure the Ghost River would not Chongxian.

Using chaotic situations to manipulate yin and yang, sending fragmented yin energy into the Yunhe, then deliberately cultivating great Ghosts in order, and finally sending the great Ghosts into the Canghai—this great Ghost, naturally, is now the Drowned Ghost.

But the Drowned Ghost is still currently in the process of digestion; after all, the fusion of Ghosts is truly too slow.

Therefore, going around in circles, the true enemy is actually not a person, but heaven and earth, the environment, that catastrophe which is becoming increasingly worse and is impossible to resolve.

Even though Song Cheng had already taken Yan Muyi, the Subduing Demon Arhat, and Xiao Cibei as his subordinates, he still needed to face this problem.

Catastrophe: "Have your people cooperate with the Prince of Zhao to stabilize the world's situation once more."

After issuing this order, Song Cheng left the Xiao family Yin She and returned to the An Mansion. Song Cheng either did not leave home, or if he did, it was counted in months.

Upon returning home, he sought out An Jie and gave a general account of what he had done this month.

Among all his women, An Jie was the most reliable.

At this moment, An Chenyu listened patiently to his affairs of the month; although her expression held astonishment, it had already become moderate. Ever since she learned her man had a dual Soul and was the Xuanwu Emperor, she had been rapidly accepting this reality.

If the cards are bad, one must not be startled.

If the cards are good, one must not be chaotic.

"Do you still remember Su Houzhang?" An Chenyu asked suddenly.

Song Cheng nodded and said, "An Jie, are you saying that Yan Muyi and these people were also bewitched by some evil Ghost? Mistakenly believing that inciting chaos and digging the Yunhe was resolving the future Ghost River catastrophe... but in reality, they were just lured by an evil Ghost."

"That elephant mask, isn't it the very clue left behind by the person who lured them?" An Chenyu knew nothing of the world of the "Xuan Realm"; she was simply inferring based on logic. "Such a strange mask, it is only right that you, Husband, do not wear it. But we can find some people to test it—death row prisoners, Ghost servants, or even animals."

In the candlelight of the night, Song Cheng looked at the thoughtful expression on his wife's face, and he could not help but think as well.

Animal mask?

Where had he encountered this thing?

Soon, several words flashed through his mind.

"Leopard Woman," "Mysterious Doctor," "Extreme Bliss World"... Thinking of it this way, he truly felt it was very similar.

In the Extreme Bliss World, that mysterious doctor hoped to tame people into wild beasts, subsequently changing them into monsters from the Soul, which was very similar to a Soul wearing a mask.

And before leaving, a single Pill that could make one clear-headed had created a "Human-Skin Ghost."

Song Cheng felt he was likely not that doctor's match.

However, what kind of thing was that doctor? Was it human?

Or a Ghost? Or something else? He had no idea.

The night was boundless, and for a moment, a hazy panic floated into his heart.

Even though he had already conquered all the power he could see on the surface, the more he understood, the greater the darkness he touched. "An Jie, let's not test the mask for now. We will move to the Imperial Capital early, going before this wave of Ghost Tide arrives."

"The Imperial Capital has many people, after all, and the yang energy is sufficient. It would be hard for you to see a Ghost there."

An Chenyu said softly, "I will listen to you."

After she finished, she said in a low voice, "I am almost thirty years old; I fear that if it takes any longer, I will want to take root somewhere completely... It is good to go to the Imperial Capital now."

Speaking of thirty, Song Cheng only then noticed that the beautiful face of An Jie had lost the Water Spirit of when they first met, and had gained a bit of the vicissitudes unique to a married woman. If a young girl's skin was like a honey peach, then An Jie's skin now clearly showed extremely fine sagging.

Among her hair as black as a raven, there were also one or two inconspicuous silver hairs—this was a sign of overwork.

And all of this served to remind Song Cheng of one thing: his family and loved ones would all grow old and die.

When that day truly arrived, he did not know how much grief he would feel.

Therefore... "When we reach the Imperial Capital, you and Tong Niangzi should practice martial arts together, practicing in one breath until you reach the Qi Realm. Only when the body is well can everything be well."

"What about the Yin Gui Society?"

"You can find some more vice-presidents, establish some protectors, envoys, and the like... Once the power grows large, you cannot possibly bear it all alone." "But A Ting's secret must not be known by others again."

"Then we shall just stop, and let A Ting return to the well-behaved little girl she once was."

"Coo."

"Coo-coo..."

"Coo-coo..."

A brown owl was squatting on an old tree in the wilderness of the North Land.

The wind was blowing, the tree was swaying; clearly it was the season when spring flowers were in bloom, yet there was not a trace of warmth here.

"Coo-coo..."

"Coo-coo..."

The owl continued to call, low like a muffled drum, and also like a strange laugh.

In the night, it was like a needle piercing the eardrum.

Under the scattered moonlight, those feathers revealed a bit of coldness.

The owl was lowering its head.

Under an old tree, a kind-hearted old man leaning on a staff looked up.

One person and one bird were staring at each other, as if both were extremely curious that they could actually see the other here.

After watching for a long time, the old man bowed first, offering a gentle salute to the bird.

The owl, however, laughed with a "coo-coo-coo" sound.

The old man spoke, his voice kind: "The senior actually succeeded; it seems it really is possible."

"Coo-coo-coo," the owl laughed.

Seeing the other party unwilling to engage, the old man bowed again, turned, and vanished. The owl watched the departing old man, then lifted its trembling leg, spread its wings, flew far away, and disappeared from sight.

Creak. Song Cheng pushed open the door and saw A Ting still drawing, so he sat down beside her, glanced at it by the moonlight, and said, "An owl."

"I can already draw many things." A Ting made a cute sound, but her voice was a little shaky.

Song Cheng smiled, "A Ting is amazing," then said, "In a few days, our family will move to the Imperial Capital. Once we reach the Imperial Capital, Daddy will take you everywhere to play."

He had already decided to temporarily set aside many things.

No matter how busy he was, he had to make time to accompany his daughter.

"Daddy."

A Ting waved her hands and suddenly said, "Just now I saw an old man, very scary, I was so frightened. But that old man didn't move, so I didn't move either. We both stared at each other. That old man suddenly said something like 'The senior actually really succeeded,' so I just kept laughing. After laughing for a while, that old man ran away. I ran away too."

After finishing, her face turned pale, and she added, "It was in the far north, a place where it's impossible for anyone to be."

She was, after all, still a child, and the pressure that old man gave her was actually immense, greater than all the many dead people she had seen.

Such great pressure made her involuntarily seek help from her closest kin.

Song Cheng's pupils constricted sharply, and he asked, "What did he look like?"

A Ting drew with a "swish-swish" sound.

Before long, the appearance of a kind-hearted old man appeared on the drawing paper.

This appearance was exactly that of the "doctor" Song Cheng had encountered in the Extreme Bliss World.

Song Cheng asked in detail again.

But A Ting and that doctor had only met by chance, and the process was extremely hazy.

Song Cheng held the pale-faced A Ting, and no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't see how his daughter resembled a "senior."

That meant that "mysterious doctor" had misunderstood.

But why would he misunderstand?

What had A Ting succeeded at? Song Cheng narrowed his eyes.

This sudden event further solidified his desire to leave the North Land quickly, and at the same time, it took the protection of the secret of "Master Sect" a step further.

If that "mysterious doctor" found out that A Ting was not the "senior" he mistook her for, the consequences... would be unimaginable.

It was also fortunate that A Ting was clever and didn't say anything like "Mother doesn't let me talk to strangers."

That night, the frightened A Ting huddled with her parents and slept, then continued to sit aloofly in a dim corner to draw.

An Jie and Tong Niangzi began preparing for the move, striving to finish and depart within a few days.

At the same time, An Chenyu issued a special regulation for the Yin Gui Society: "Master Sect" is a Taboo secret of the Yin Gui Society; those who speak of it recklessly shall die! After setting this rule, An Chenyu gave an order to all medicine men: anyone who speaks recklessly of Master Sect shall be killed without mercy.

Song Cheng went to find Su Mengzhen.

He wanted to persuade his sister-in-law to move her entire clan into the Imperial Capital.

And at this moment, his sister-in-law did not seem to cooperate, just leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed, saying, "Pull up your pants and just walk away?"

Song Cheng truly could not fathom his sister-in-law, who was at times noble and elegant, and at others vulgar and base.

Thus, he sighed lightly and said, "I am a person of the Tower; I have finally returned to my ancestral roots."

Su Mengzhen was stunned for a long while, then suddenly asked, "Is it the Tower of Xuan Nu Niang Niang?"

Song Cheng did not know why his sister-in-law mentioned his female persona at this time, but he nodded.

Su Mengzhen said, "You want me to follow you to the Imperial Capital with the Su Family; I probably can't do that because the other clansmen won't agree. But Xiao Yu'er and I should be able to carry the Ice Coffin and go with you. Also, that old thing Su Houzhang is already dead, and his Ice Coffin is empty; you can take that too.

However, I have one condition."

Song Cheng really did not want to smile bitterly, but he suddenly guessed Su Mengzhen's request with a flash of intuition.

Sure enough, Su Mengzhen said, "I want to see Xuan Nu Niang Niang."

After saying this, she actually pulled out a palm-sized statue of Xuan Nu from the side.

It was pure white and flawless, possessing both the majesty of a deity and the charm of Xuan Nu. Su Mengzhen said, "You are already a Six-Tail; Xuan Nu Niang Niang must be even more powerful. I... I... I want to ask her old self for advice on subsequent cultivation methods, and I also want to get close to her old self."

Song Cheng:... Su Mengzhen saw his silence and added, "Forget it if you can't."

Song Cheng said, "I promise you, but Xuan Nu Niang Niang seems to be in seclusion, and I cannot find her. You and Xiao Yu'er follow me back to the Imperial Capital first. I guarantee that as soon as there is an opportunity, I will let you see Xuan Nu Niang Niang."

Su Mengzhen was already close to him, and even if Song Cheng hadn't agreed, she would have followed him to the Imperial Capital, so she smiled and said, "That works."

The Su Family side also discussed it properly, and there were no problems from any party.

The An Family side began to head south with carts and wagons.

This journey took a full two months.

And just as everyone left the North Land, a Ghost Tide broke out... However, there were no commoners left in the lands ravaged by the Ghost Tide, and there was a vast wilderness between Beixue Zhou and Donghai Zhou and Yu Prefecture... It would still take a very, very long time to spread to the next prefecture.

Song Cheng's family arrived at the Imperial Capital in this way, and went to the depths of the Huangcheng, and although they did not enter the Gugong, they settled in the most luxurious mansion next to the Gugong.

The next day, the Heavenly Son's rewards arrived. Song Cheng was enfeoffed as King Song, and An Chenyu and Tong Niangzi were enfeoffed as First-Rank Noble Ladies. These were all just superficial titles.

But regardless, Song Cheng had finally stabilized.

And once a person stabilizes, once life becomes regular, and once crises diminish, time begins to pass quickly. Song Cheng began to rapidly carry out various necessary investigations and research, as well as tricks to consolidate his status.

He tested the Elephant Mask and discovered that this mask should be a type of special Ghost artifact, but that Ghost artifact was controlled by someone... It could not exert its effect in Song Cheng's hands. But it was certain that this mask possessed a bewitching effect.

He also used the clan's life-extending Ice Coffin to test the "life-extending" ability.

He placed a death-row prisoner into the Ice Coffin, and as a result, the prisoner not only did not have their life extended, but was frozen to death directly.

When taken out of the Ice Coffin, the death-row prisoner's entire body was stiff, frozen solid from the inside out.

Song Cheng continued his tests; death-row prisoners or evildoers of the four realms of Force, Strength, Form, and Qi were sent into the Ice Coffin one by one, but the outcome never changed, and even the time it took to freeze to death remained the same—to enter the coffin was to freeze.

The Ice Coffin, which could double the lifespan of a scion of a noble family, was a "lethal weapon" that meant instant death for ordinary people or even those at the Qi Realm.

Utilizing the uniqueness of his status and the information gap, he began acting as a "servant to many surnames."

He incessantly had his name added to the Genealogy of major noble families in every prefecture, then followed the same pattern one by one, gathering all the major noble families into the Nine-Layer Nether Tower.

Until he, Song Cheng, became the head of every family except for the Su Family.

Yet, few of the clansmen of those families knew, still believing their family head had not changed, and still believing that the Prince Song was merely a "servant to many surnames."

Song Cheng performed these tasks tirelessly.

Before he transmigrated, he read some novels and found it very puzzling, not understanding why a protagonist who possessed an absolute advantage would not spend time turning those advantages into benefits; now, as he did these tasks, he felt very comfortable.

The entire Great Shang Dynasty was becoming a place where only Song Cheng's word mattered.

Xuanwu Temple grew increasingly powerful, rapidly replacing the original Buddhist faith.

Besides this, there was also Xuan Nu Palace.

The Holy Heaven Buddha disappeared, and the monks were gone.

Replacing them were Daoist priests.

Pressured by all sides, the Barbarian King sent Lady Zhushan back directly; Song Cheng received Lady Zhushan at the Song Prince Mansion and had her stay in the same courtyard as Tong Niangzi to fulfill their master-disciple bond.

As for the method of Taming Technique, he no longer needed to obtain it through Lady Zhushan; as the de facto head of the noble families of Yu Prefecture, he had already learned the Barbarian Taming Technique from the noble families' subordinates.

He passed this Taming Technique on to Song An.

Compared to A Ting, Song An was truly very ordinary.

But living in an extraordinary family, Song An was also rapidly becoming outstanding, though that was only among ordinary people.

As for Song Cheng himself, while integrating the major noble families, he was also rapidly acquiring the cultivation techniques of those major noble families.

He wanted to digest every power he could reach; in the blink of an eye, ten years passed, and Lady Zhushan's lifespan had reached its end.

On this day, she suddenly said she was "feeling a bit uncomfortable," then returned to the couch, and after lying down for just a little while, she closed her eyes and passed away; Tong Niangzi, who had the deepest affection for her, had reddened eyes.

But Tong Niangzi knew that Lady Zhushan had already lived a long life for a mortal, had experienced a life beyond what ordinary people could imagine, and had enjoyed family happiness in her old age; this should actually be a joyous funeral.

Yet for some reason, she just wanted to cry.

She glanced again at her husband beside her.

Since she and her husband had become a couple, nineteen years had passed, and she had become a mature woman, yet her husband remained a young man.

A scion of a noble family could live for nine sixty-year cycles, and with further improvement, even longer.

Her husband was an existence who could live for a thousand years even without entering an Ice Coffin.

For a moment, she did not know if she was crying for Lady Zhushan's death from old age, or crying because she was merely a passerby in her husband's life.

Soon, Lady Zhushan was placed into the coffin.

Incense mist perfumed the body, the coffin was wide open, and the family members walked around it to pay their last respects.

Lady Zhushan's beautiful face finally faded from its original color, becoming withered, wrinkled, and waxen white, with sparse white hair. (End of this chapter)