The ghost immortal had been following Ji Xiang, watching him dismantle other people's dojos and altars, while the powerful Dharma Masters, deeply entrenched in Dingjia City, dared not show themselves.
From the bottom of his heart, he began to revere Ji Xiang.
In the face of absolute power, even the renowned Dingjia Six Sects of Xiaomao Mountain did not dare to confront him directly. It seemed that after the failure of the Great Splendor Dharma Master, the other five Dharma Masters had been scared out of their wits.
"To die at the hands of such a person is not a mistreatment of oneself..."
The ghost immortal had already avenged his great hatred and viewed annihilation with a detached perspective. He was a ghost anyway, and dying again was no big deal. He could endure the physical pain, and the annihilation of his soul would be entirely painless, perhaps even accompanied by a serene smile as he departed.
However, at this moment, he noticed chickens and ducks appearing on the streets and near the alley entrances.
He didn't pay much attention at first, but the chickens and ducks were simply standing there, dazed and foolish.
This strange sight immediately put the ghost immortal on alert.
Buzz buzz buzz...
Following this, a strange and inexplicable power began to manifest within Dingjia City. The ghost immortal was the first to react to this power, suddenly feeling uncomfortable as his ghost immortal power was being suppressed.
It was the yang energy of living souls; it seemed the entire city harbored malice towards him.
"Something has happened. Don't you feel it? Has the yang energy in this city become abundant?"
The ghost immortal spoke to Ji Xiang and the Shangqing Daoist, warning them. The Shangqing Daoist sensed it and nodded, "Indeed, it seems there are many more living people. What is going on? Has there been a large population migration?"
"Or is this some kind of yang-gathering formation?"
Ji Xiang asked curiously, "As the Daoist of the Shangqing Sect, can't you tell if it's a formation?"
The Shangqing Daoist replied honestly, "It resembles a formation but lacks an eye, nor are there any traces of a grand formation operating. My cultivation is still too low; I truly cannot discern it."
Ji Xiang's gaze shifted to the chickens and ducks that stood like sculptures.
These chickens and ducks looked no different from ordinary poultry, but they stood there, dazed and foolish, as if waiting to be driven. As expected, cowherds soon appeared.
Cowherds, men in black, and little girls with braided pigtails.
The ghost immortal's eyes instantly widened!
This was exactly the same situation he had witnessed seventy years ago, before the great plague had occurred!
These people seemed to have returned from outside the city!
Ji Xiang walked towards the three individuals. The ghost immortal immediately called out to stop him, "No! These should be plague ghosts. If you try to stop them, you will also contract the great plague! Yang energy alone cannot resist it..."
But then, a scene that astonished the ghost immortal unfolded.
The three "plague ghosts" actually stopped in front of Ji Xiang and bowed to him.
"Oh? You bow to me, do you recognize me?"
Ji Xiang found it amusing. The three ghosts showed no hostility and were extremely respectful.
Not only did they show no hostility towards him,
but they showed no hostility towards anything within Dingjia City.
Ji Xiang asked, "Are you spirits born of heaven and earth, or plague ghosts transformed from departed souls?"
"Were you summoned by the Dharma Masters here?"
"What are you here to do? Where are you going? Are you here to kill people?"
The little girl with braided pigtails responded, "Reporting to the divine being, the Dharma Master has issued a summons."
Ji Xiang: "To spread plague and kill?"
The little girl with braided pigtails shook her head, "We are here to collect living souls."
Ji Xiang's expression immediately turned one of disbelief, and even the Shangqing Daoist found it absurd.
The Dharma Masters of Dingjia City, unable to defeat Ji Xiang and avoiding him, intended to use plague ghosts to deal with him? This was preposterous. For cultivators above the Earth Immortal realm, dealing with them through illness would require at least the Five Plague Envoys of the Heavenly Department.
This wasn't killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own.
Rather, it was like saying, "If I get angry, I can kill my entire family..."
"Utterly ridiculous."
Ji Xiang frowned, "Little ghosts, there are no lives here that need collecting. Disperse quickly."
However, the three plague ghosts did not move. The man in black in the middle said, "Reporting to the divine being, we are here to spread plague, not to kill people."
Ji Xiang was truly perplexed, "Plagues that don't kill people?"
The man in black replied, "Yes."
"The plague cannot take the lives of the people in Dingjia City. Only when they are willing to give up their lives can the plague cause them to die. Therefore, it is not the plague that kills them, but they themselves who abandon their lives."
The words were strange, and Ji Xiang felt something was amiss, so he pressed further:
"Explain in more detail."
However, before the man in black could speak, their forms suddenly began to twist, and they vanished before Ji Xiang's eyes.
Ji Xiang's Dharma Eye illuminated the surroundings, but he could not trace their disappearance. The ghost immortal immediately said, "Once plague ghosts disappear, it inevitably means the great plague has begun to spread. You should leave here first. The yang energy in the city is rising abnormally!"
The Shangqing Daoist also said, "Indeed. If a great plague occurs, more people die, yin energy rises, and yang energy declines. But now, plague ghosts appear and disappear, and the city's yang energy increases instead of decreasing. Things that are abnormal must have a cause."
"If yang energy is too abundant, it is also not good for mortals. A person's body requires a balance of yin and yang. The three souls belong to yin, and the seven spirits belong to yang. Under normal circumstances, the three souls guide the seven spirits. But if the seven spirits begin to guide the three souls..."
"I have not encountered such a situation, but that does not mean it cannot happen."
Ji Xiang, however, was unconcerned, "I have heard of methods where the dead return to life and generate yang energy; it is not unheard of..."
However, Ji Xiang looked at the ghost immortal and the Shangqing Daoist. These two would indeed have no resistance to the impending disaster...
Ji Xiang intended to take the two of them out of Dingjia City. The ghost immortal wanted to stay, saying to Ji Xiang, "Since you were going to kill me anyway, it's fortunate that this place is full of yang energy. Since I regained my senses, I haven't experienced such abundant yang energy."
"It's almost like I'm dying in the midst of yang energy while still alive; it could be considered a form of enjoyment."
His form had already begun to be eroded by the yang energy, becoming significantly more visible. His soul was being burned by the yang energy.
Ji Xiang asked, "Aren't you going to visit the Pure Land of Eastern Joy?"
Ghost Immortal: "Naturally, heaven and earth are my best destination. Within the Dharma Realm, even with eternal life, I would still be merely a pure and ethereal ghost."
Ji Xiang: "Everyone has their own aspirations; I will not force you. However, you are still useful to me, and it seems that this time, I cannot allow you to die directly under the yang energy."
With that, he rolled up clouds and took the two of them out of Dingjia City. However, the yang energy had spread to a vast expanse of heaven and earth. Even after leaving the city, they found that the yang energy in the mountains and wilderness was equally abundant and vigorous. The ghost immortal's form and spirit burned fiercely, uncontrollably. The erosion by the yang energy intensified, and even the Shangqing Daoist's limbs felt somewhat unresponsive.
"The seven spirits are without intelligence. If the seven spirits become overly strong and suppress the three souls, a person will become muddled and lose their wisdom. However, it will also stimulate the full potential of the physical body, granting immense strength, allowing one to kill a fierce tiger with ease. Yet, one's lifespan will continuously decrease along with the strengthening of the physical body."
The Shangqing Daoist used a spell to stabilize his three souls and suppress his seven spirits, using lightning techniques to stimulate his body and temporarily paralyze his flesh. Ji Xiang, however, moved freely in this environment without any discomfort.
"Why am I unaffected?"
Ji Xiang looked at the Shangqing Daoist, who could only offer a vague explanation, "Perhaps it is due to the ascension of the Yang God. The Ascension Realm is above the Pure Yang Realm. The human body transforms into pure yang, and yang energy only becomes an aid, no longer affecting the body's balance..."
As they were speaking, the forms and spirits of the Shangqing Daoist and the ghost immortal suddenly began to twist, and then they vanished before Ji Xiang's eyes.
The vast yang energy distorted this calamity, and the source of this yang energy was the lives of the people of Dingjia City.
From the depths, a voice echoed, as if a grand sacrifice were being performed.
"Who says the lives of all beings are insignificant? They are all flesh and blood, skin and bone..."
"Essence is born from the heart and harmonizes with the Dao, representing human aspirations; Life originates from the heart and harmonizes with virtue, representing the qi of the yang."