It was unexpected to see the Jingling Hall, which had a significant connection to the Song Dynasty, in this distant vassal state of the Far East. Ji Xiang arrived before the grand hall in the form of an影神 (Ying Shen - Shadow God). At this moment, the sound of a door being pushed open came from behind.
Ji Xiang did not evade, maintaining his影神 (Ying Shen) appearance. In this state, ordinary people would absolutely not be able to detect him.
If he were discovered... it would simply mean that the person arriving was not ordinary, and it would be a good opportunity to interrogate them thoroughly.
Creak.
The great door opened, and it turned out to be the King of Joseon.
King Li Fang of Joseon.
Wearing a deep red dragon robe, symbolizing a rank one level below the imperial yellow dragon robe, yet higher than that of ministers, the monarch of a vassal state was accorded the ceremonial rites of a prince in the Ming Dynasty.
However, this vibrant red faded into dimness the moment he stepped before the Jingling Hall. The dragon patterns on it seemed to come alive, but they became somewhat eerie and sinister. His face was also extremely gaunt and sallow, and his eyes were fixed solely on the great door of the Jingling Hall.
Ji Xiang pondered.
Had this king been this emaciated before?
The war had been raging for seven years. For this king, there was no part of his country that was not embroiled in conflict. Some fatigue was normal, but such a complexion suggested a severe illness.
Was he here to pray to his ancestors in the temple and speak of restoration? But surely that had been done long ago.
Or perhaps...
Ji Xiang could not help but raise his eyelids.
What was the name of this great hall that he was seeing before him?
When the Japanese army arrived, they had dismantled all other superfluous temples within the ancestral temple to seize the national destiny. Only this ancient temple, established by the founding emperor of Joseon, remained. However, the name of this temple should have been the Fengxian Hall.
Ji Xiang narrowed his eyes, recalling this matter. Although he had not lingered in the royal capital for too long before, almost just passing through, the surrounding mages or the rough-and-tumble generals, when conversing, would inevitably mention the situation when they first entered the capital. This ancestral temple had naturally been visited, and some had seen the circumstances.
"Speaking of which, something like this seems to have happened before."
Ji Xiang began a brief recollection again.
The first time the Song Dynasty appeared, it had invaded and occupied the bodies of several main deities of the seventy-two divisions of the underworld. Using their spiritual essence, they forcibly controlled their divine positions, sealed their souls, and imprisoned them within their divine positions, thereby controlling them like unfeeling puppets.
After that incident, it was said that the name Jingling had appeared in some underworld government offices and on the plaques of the Dongyue Temple.
And the last time Jingling Palace appeared.
It was in the mountains and wilderness near Xiangyang, within the illusions formed by those giant tombs!
That time, the Heavenly Net King appeared!
The King of Joseon did not notice Ji Xiang. In fact, given his state and level, his physical body was still thoroughly mortal, and he could not possibly detect the presence of the影神 (Ying Shen). He directly pushed open the great door of the Jingling Hall, and the ancestral tablets placed inside were clearly visible.
*Plop—*
The King of Joseon entered the Jingling Hall and actually knelt down, kowtowing seven times.
And the moment these seven kowtows were completed.
The King of Joseon took out a ceramic jar from his sleeve and placed it before the ancestral tablets.
The moment the ceramic jar was placed before the ancestral tablets, it began to shake. As the lid of the jar automatically opened, a pure soul power emerged from it!
[䰟 (Hùn): Soul of the weather. Over ten thousand souls gathered and did not disperse, controlled within a vessel by an unknown spell. Ten thousand souls converge in the altar, wandering souls transform, ultimately giving birth to a supreme essence of ten thousand souls, symbolizing the return of acquired souls to their innate essence.
For Ghost Immortals to consume, it can increase their cultivation by five hundred and fifty years.
Can be refined into "Zhenling Pills."]
"Yin and Yang transform, two essences give birth to truth, jade spirit returns the soul, captures the spirit and suppresses the divine, three and five mix, do not leave my body, obtain the preservation of sun and moon, three essences greet the dawn."
"Please, true spirit, descend and appear."
At the same time, a corresponding, echoing event occurred.
From the row of divine tablets in front, wisps of incense smoke drifted out. After inhaling the smoke, the King of Joseon revealed an expression of extreme pleasure.
And his extremely emaciated, sallow complexion, as if severely ill, instantly regained its rosy hue. He even appeared somewhat robust.
Ji Xiang observed this strange situation.
Even he, who fed on incense, would not become like this if he did not consume incense. The same was true for those incense spirits; they would become weak, but not undergo such a transformation. Rather than saying this change in demeanor was a transition between hunger and gluttony, it was more like the King of Joseon was currently smoking opium.
As the incense entered his body, the next moment, wisps of black energy emanated from the row of divine tablets!
Ji Xiang's gaze suddenly sharpened!
These black energies, like the incense smoke, were inhaled by the monarch of Joseon. This time, his expression became even more pleased, and he was completely in a state of excitement. He even clenched his fists and raised them high in the ancestral temple, then jumped and cheered like a monkey!
He looked completely mad!
Trading national destiny for poisonous incense and black energy, could a country's monarch so easily become an addict?
Since the two attempts to seize power from the Ming court had failed, was the Song court trying to use Joseon's territory this time to reverse Yin and Yang again?
Was the extermination of the Yinshan Sect and the plundering of the Yinshan Dharma teachings meant to make a grand gesture in Joseon?
There was also a change.
After this peculiar inhalation ritual stopped, a divine tablet in the center suddenly shook, followed by a shadowy figure twisting and emerging from it, like a large amount of smoke gushing out from an extremely small opening!
"How is it? Have you been enjoying the black energy I've been giving you recently?"
"The first time you saw me, I told you, you would definitely come back to find me."
The shadowy figure emitted a terrifying voice. As it spoke, it sounded as if three voices were speaking simultaneously from three directions towards the center. Their overlapping voices caused a constant ringing in the ears, affecting the mind.
This was not ordinary conversation, but the use of underworld spiritual methods.
"Your Majesty, your son thanks you for your grace!"
The King of Joseon was not in a normal state. His eyes were pitch black, and his mouth was split into a foolish grin. He knelt again before the shadowy figure, continuously kowtowing, and constantly expressing his gratitude to the other party.
"When your son was at his wit's end, it was Your Majesty who extended a helping hand. Your son was first invaded and his country destroyed by the Japanese pirates, then insulted by the Ming Dynasty. Now, it is time for them to pay."
"Good. It seems you have finally made up your mind. This is the correct choice, though you have no other choice at this moment."
"The land of 骊山河 (Li Shan He) disdains you; the Ming Dynasty looks down on you; the Japanese pirates are mortal enemies; as for the Western missionaries, they admire China. Some cross the sea to Japan, but none have been seen crossing the East Sea to preach in your country. In the end, they also look down on you."
"As for the people of the Southern Ocean, they are uncivilized, separated by thousands of miles of water, and have little connection with you. As for the Jianzhou and Tatars, they are constantly thinking of gnawing at your flesh and drinking your marrow. To converse with them is no different from dancing with wolves or plotting with tigers."
"Only we, to some extent, still uphold some faith and righteousness."
The shadowy figure seemed very satisfied with the King of Joseon's statement. "Since that is the case, your country can continue to appease the Ming Dynasty by 'serving two masters as one vassal.'"
However, upon hearing this, the King of Joseon was greatly alarmed and quickly retorted, "The Ming Dynasty does not treat Joseon as a son, Joseon does not treat the Ming Dynasty as a father, and Joseon is not the Goryeo of previous dynasties. How can there be the principle of one vassal serving two masters!"
"Goryeo was arrogant, betrayed its lord and father, and defected to a foreign tribe, taking a foreign lord as its father, not taking the lord of China as its father. It is like a vicious wolf. Joseon was originally unwilling to betray the Ming Dynasty. It is truly because the lord did not treat the subject as a subject, and the father did not treat the son as a son, that Joseon betrayed its former father and defected to the current father. How can it be ranked with Goryeo?"
"The Japanese pirates are fierce and brutal, brazenly killing their father. Joseon is weak, yet its blood is mingled with that of the Ming Dynasty. However, the father does not cherish his own son, but instead thirsts for his son's blood. The son, in order to protect himself, had no choice but to abandon him!"
The King of Joseon vehemently argued, stating that to pledge allegiance to one side was to be that side's son, and there was no such thing as one son having two fathers. However, the shadowy figure appeased him, saying that it could accept his attitude, but he must now pretend to be a filial descendant of the Ming Dynasty and not betray them easily.
"It occupies your land, gathers your people. Nominally, your country is autonomous, but in reality, everything is decided by them. This method of stationing troops abroad can maximize the borrowing of your country's strength, completely controlling your national destiny and prestige."
"Although still independent, in reality, you are no longer in control. A vassal is ultimately a subject, and a suzerain is ultimately a lord. If the lord wants the subject to die, how can the subject not die?"
"But since ancient times, if a subject is unwilling to die, there will be a rebellion."
"Our Great Song, the Chenqiao Mutiny, the Grand Ancestor donned the yellow robe. This reversal of heaven and earth, this act of betraying the lord, is not something that can be easily accomplished."
The shadowy figure sighed a few times and then said:
"To gain power, one must pay a corresponding price. Selling out the country's destiny and connecting it with our Song court, uniting Yin and Yang, and doing such a great deed that blurs the lines between life and death, is only to avoid repeating the fate of national destruction. Of course, I understand your feelings."
"Therefore, we will help you."
"From now on, in this country, there will be no more life and death. We will release our power throughout the entire territory, including the lands occupied by the Ming Dynasty. We will replace their incense, change their temples, and allow the dead to mingle with the living, with the ghosts of the underworld replacing the living ghosts of the mortal world."
"The Ming Dynasty wants to spread its national prestige on your territory. This will inevitably cause their national destiny to cover your land. In this way, the national destinies of the two countries will be intertwined, with the Ming Dynasty as the leader and Joseon as the subordinate. If the Ming Dynasty falls into danger, it will draw blood from your country's national destiny to revive. They will not only do this in your country; next, the Tatars, the Western Regions, the Southern Ocean, the Southern Yue... they will all do this."
"You spread my underworld destiny, and my Song court's destiny can be merged with the Ming Dynasty's destiny. In this way, the three countries will become one. Not only will my underworld strength greatly increase, but at that time, it will not only be your country's living beings who lose the concept of life and death, but the Ming Dynasty's living beings will also lose the concept of life and death."
"I am not only saving you, but I am also saving the Ming Dynasty. They should be grateful to me. Without this army of the undead, would they have to fight the immortals of 骊山河 (Li Shan He) with their physical bodies?"
As the shadowy figure spoke, it suddenly looked around.
"Is there someone?"
Ji Xiang's brows twitched at this moment. Several sword edges had already emerged from the shadows.
"Perhaps it's an illusion."
The shadowy figure stared at the location where Ji Xiang existed. Whether it truly saw him or not, its expression remained unchanged. It then controlled the entire Jingling Hall with magic, isolating it from all prying eyes.
Subsequently, an unusual power seemed to twist the space where the Jingling Hall existed, causing it to enter a world of illusion.
Ji Xiang recognized this as the method used by the Heavenly Net King before, but this shadowy figure was not the Heavenly Net King.
Who was he?
After a while, Ji Xiang had almost reached the entrance of the distorted space, and that power suddenly vanished without a trace.
Only the King of Joseon remained, slumped on the ground.
The King of Joseon's voice was not loud, and his eyes were filled with anger. The most significant aspect was that the whites of his eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by blackness.
He muttered to himself:
"The suzerain state wants to occupy the territory of its vassal state, seize my country's national destiny, and even strip my country of its autonomy. My country's national destiny has only recently recovered, and it's not even enough to show filial piety to the lord. How can it be coveted by this Ming country?"
"I am indeed incompetent, unable to defeat the Japanese pirates, which has led my country to this situation. Today, I bow down as a lackey of the former Song court, precisely because I cannot protect my country!"
He spoke to himself alone in the Jingling Hall, sometimes weeping, sometimes roaring, and finally returning to a state of calm. As the blackness in his eyes faded, he also returned to his previous useless, fatigued appearance.
However, he began to murmur, needing that energy...
"As long as I have this energy, which can keep me in a state of vigorous spirit and strength, I can become a great monarch, diligently governing the country. No matter what faction, or foreign Japanese pirates, or even that so-called celestial dynasty, can influence my decisions."
"I am the King of Joseon, and no one can influence my will. I would rather sell my soul to ghosts and spirits... If someone wants to control this land, then I will kill everyone on this land. As long as the mountains and rivers remain, I am still the monarch here!"
"People are gone... will people be gone? The underworld will send me a large number of souls, allowing them to reincarnate and be reborn here."
"They don't even need to combine male and female; they can directly send me living people made from existing flesh and blood."
"It's like planting vegetables..."
Ji Xiang watched all of this in silence.
The King of Joseon had gone mad. If it were his former self, he would never have said such things. But now, the fearful, timid look had completely disappeared, replaced by the madness of addiction and absolute obsession.
But Ji Xiang could not say that his thoughts were wrong.
It was truly difficult for a small country to seize its own benefits from the conflicts of a large country. Everyone wanted to be the master of the world, and people were driven by desire. But this desire was not entirely without merit.
However, the price to be paid after failure was to be borne by the entire nation's living beings. This was enough to show that his state of mind had been twisted.
The common people did not care about these things; they only wanted to live well. If it was at the cost of sacrificing the lives of everyone in the entire country to achieve one person's supreme achievement... then was this not the act of a tyrant?
Ji Xiang watched as the King of Joseon, in a state of delirium, left the temple. This fellow did not return to his residence but, as he walked, transformed into the appearance of an old farmer. This was also one of the powers bestowed upon him by that shadowy figure.
The Song court had been researching the art of胎化易形 (Tai Hua Yi Xing - Fetal Transformation and Form Change), but they lacked the most crucial 赤虹玉 (Chi Hong Yu - Crimson Rainbow Jade). This was a heaven-sent treasure that could only be brought forth by those who possessed immense righteous energy, a truly divine object passed down since the Spring and Autumn period.
"It's not an illusion; it's a change in his form and spirit. Is it the ability of a夙怨鬼 (Su Yuan Gui - Grudge Ghost) or a炼形鬼 (Lian Xing Gui - Form Refining Ghost)?"
Ji Xiang followed the King of Joseon. His pace was not fast, but each step seemed to traverse several different landscapes. Thus, after walking a thousand steps, he had arrived in a deep mountain.
A long hoe appeared in his hand. There was a vegetable garden here.
"It will definitely appear."
The King of Joseon said, murmuring to himself. This sentence represented all his aspirations. With this hoe strike, the soil beneath the vegetable leaves was dug open, and a bloody hand emerged from it.
A fetus, covered in blood and seemingly not fully developed, crawled out of the earth.