Chapter 32: Xiang Xuanqing's Containment Objects

"Warden!"

As Xiang Xuanqing inspected various containment objects and passed through the Fire Sea World, a deity reduced to barely a flicker of spiritual light called out to him.

The deity of Qiaoming Mountain—Meng Huai.

"Warden, spare me!"

Meng Huai pleaded with Xiang Xuanqing; the Fire Sea World was in truth a Fire Sea Hell, and Xiang Xuanqing was using the full power of the Underworld to wear him down.

Even primordial deities need only a single spark of spiritual light to remain immortal.

But Meng Huai was nearly at his limit.

He earnestly pleaded: "If you spare me, my entire Qiaoming Mountain cavern realm is yours!"

"Since ancient times, I have collected many treasures—I have considerable wealth..."

"Foolish!"

Before Meng Huai could finish, Xiang Xuanqing shook his head.

He rebuked: "If I kill you, all the treasures in that cavern realm are mine anyway."

"..."

Leaving Meng Huai stunned, Xiang Xuanqing walked on without pause.

Good. Even this basic logic eludes him now—his sanity must be severely eroded.

Keep going. Burning this bastard to death can't be far off.

Xiang Xuanqing added more fire to Meng Huai.

Immediately, a scream echoed through the Fire Sea Hell: "Fengdu, you bastard!"

"I won't let you go even as a ghost!"

Xiang Xuanqing said calmly: "No problem. If you become a ghost, you still fall under my jurisdiction."

"Then you'll serve my Underworld for eternity."

Upon hearing this, Meng Huai froze again, even forgetting to scream.

He felt no bitterness, no helplessness, no sorrow or lament.

Instead, he thought:

"Is this even possible?"

If I become a ghost, do I still get to live?

"Warden, stop! I repent!"

Meng Huai grew excited, shouting loudly: "I want to become a ghost! I want to become a ghost! I want to serve the Underworld!"

"Serve it for eternity!"

Even if becoming a ghost means escaping Xiang Xuanqing's control, it's still better than staying in this hellhole!

Staying here, I'll eventually be drained dry, turned into nourishment for the Underworld's growth.

"Warden, we repent too!"

"We want to become ghosts!"

"Serving the Underworld? Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"If you'd said so earlier, we'd have surrendered long ago!"

Xiang Xuanqing's offhand remark ignited nearly half the "containment facility."

One world after another trembled; cosmic law chains spanning the Ten Thousand Realms hissed with energy.

The boundless might of the Dao was activated; primordial deities transformed into edicts, reinforcing the seals over and over.

Yet even so, the prisoners still shouted, still fought for their chance.

They were ecstatic, as if seeing the first rays of hope.

Everyone understood what a ghost was.

Living in the Underworld, how could they not know?

Besides, Xiang Xuanqing frequently visited Taisha Heavenly Palace to recite the "Fengdu Code," intending to convert them, erode their sanity.

As for losing freedom, abandoning their original forms, or working for Xiang Xuanqing—

To these containment objects, was that even worth mentioning?

Better dead than unfree?

Wrong!

We seek to embrace the Dao, to experience a new existence.

Flesh is suffering; true spirit ascends!

Today is the day.

"Warden, teach us how to truly become ghosts!"

"Don't force us to beg on our knees!"

Xiang Xuanqing was startled by the prisoners' cheers.

Are their standards really this low?

Didn't they all once have sky-high pride, convinced they could outlast him and escape the Underworld?

Of course, no matter how much they raged, Xiang Xuanqing ignored them entirely.

They were primordial deities with eighty thousand scheming minds—what game of submission was this?

He remembered clearly how they had once betrayed him and Ming He.

Had primordial deities been easy to kill, Xiang Xuanqing would have slain them all long ago.

Now...

"Stay put in Taisha Heavenly Palace!"

Xiang Xuanqing circled around and coldly snorted: "Your greatest value is to rot away here completely."

"I will turn your Dao, your methods, everything you are, into nourishment for the Underworld's growth. When my Underworld becomes immortal, you will have achieved a kind of eternity."

Xiang Xuanqing spoke, then walked deeper into the palace without looking back.

He spoke the truth.

When these deities became nourishment for the Underworld, they became part of it.

When the Underworld becomes a supreme world, they will have achieved a different kind of immortality.

But what use is such immortality?

As long as Xiang Xuanqing lives, they have no chance of revival.

They had seen the residual thoughts of the Chaos Demon Deity just brought in.

Such beings were suppressed instantly.

Two of them.

At this rate, the hope of outlasting the warden grows ever slimmer.

"Forget it. The damn warden won't teach us? We'll figure it out ourselves!"

"Becoming a ghost? We'll become one and show him!"

"Unite, everyone! Whether we achieve rebirth as ghosts depends on this moment!"

The deity of Qiaoming Mountain, Meng Huai, shouted amid the flames: "Flesh is suffering; true spirit is immortal!"

"We willingly descend into the Underworld, transforming into ghosts!"

The containment objects responded fervently: "Flesh is suffering; true spirit is immortal!"

"We willingly descend into the Underworld, transforming into ghosts!"

Meng Huai shouted again: "All for rebirth!"

The containment objects erupted in fanaticism: "All for rebirth!"

"A bunch of actors."

Xiang Xuanqing sensed the commotion behind him and shook his head.

Meng Huai, the deity of Qiaoming Mountain, cultivated a Dao with one single character: Perform.

This character could mean evolution, transformation, or outright acting!

Long ago, when Xiang Xuanqing was still inexperienced, he nearly fell for Meng Huai's tricks.

Only his overwhelming strength had allowed him to kill Meng Huai and imprison his true spirit here.

Meng Huai was one of the first "residents" of Taisha Heavenly Palace.

A veteran.

"Even with just a flicker of spiritual light left, he's still causing chaos—clearly, Meng Huai has been acting all these years!"

Xiang Xuanqing muttered: "This time, I must upgrade Taisha Heavenly Palace's suppression capability—and increase his punishment."

Xiang Xuanqing continued deeper into the palace.

"Fengdu, if you have the guts, let me out!"

"Let's fight again, with real strength!"

Inside Containment Site Yi-Zi-9, a pitch-black orb spotted Xiang Xuanqing and shouted defiantly.

This was the [Evil Heavenly Dao].

Next door, in Containment Site Yi-Zi-10, the [Unlucky Heavenly Dao] remained silent.

Because it had not survived the Opening Heaven Tribulation, its creator had perished, his Dao extinguished.

The [Unlucky Heavenly Dao] had thus sunk into profound gloom.

In other words, it shut itself off.

Xiang Xuanqing glanced at them twice and casually added two seals.

The Dao of Heaven has many origins.

Some are integrations of world rules—the underlying logic of a world’s operation.

Some are aggregates of sentient beings’ thoughts.

Some were created by primordial great deities.

Another kind is formed from the primordial deities themselves.

As the saying goes: “My heart is the heart of Heaven; my principle is the principle of Heaven”—this refers to a great being merging their Dao-heart with the Dao of Heaven, becoming the Dao itself.

This counts as a cultivation method: “Union with the Dao.”

【Evil Dao of Heaven】belongs to the second type.

However, it underwent some unknown anomaly, causing it, after becoming sentient, to in fact transform into an evil deity.

The world it inhabited was also affected, becoming a haven for evil forces.

【Unlucky Dao of Heaven】is the third type.

Xiang Xuanqing actually wanted to capture a 【Union-with-the-Dao Dao of Heaven】to study.

Unfortunately, he never had the chance.

“Hey, don’t leave!”

“Come back!”

“Don’t make me look down on you!”

Ignoring the 【Evil Dao of Heaven】’s shouting, Xiang Xuanqing traveled to the deepest point—the Jia-1 Universe.

Containment Site: Oil Cauldron Hell (91st Edition)

Contained Object: Chaos Demon God 【Jie】 (Remnant)

Containment Dao Fruit: 【Darkness】 (Authenticity Uncertain)

Note 1: Meng Huai: Mount Qiao Ming… there is a beast here, resembling a hedgehog with red bristles, its cry like “liu-liu,” named Meng Huai. —《Classic of Mountains and Seas, Volume Three: Northern Mountains》

Note 2: Jie [jie], Capricorn.

(End of Chapter)