Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 446 - 443: Undercurrents Surge

Chapter 446: Chapter 443: Undercurrents Surge

With Yama’s return to his position, a brilliant golden divine light shot into the sky from Fengdu City.

It made the eternally somber sky of the Underworld brighten up at once.

Even that ancient and unchanging atmosphere of gloom and decay seemed to dissipate quite a bit.

The Yin Officials and Ghost Officers of all the different departments and palaces couldn’t help but feel elated and rushed to spread the news, hoping that the good days they had been longing for were finally on their way.

However.

This earthly Yin World was vast in territory, its area far surpassing that of the Mortal World.

Beyond the core area controlled by Fengdu City, there were many places beyond the reach of the Yin Department Ghost Gods, where powerful vassals and ghost kings, unrestrained by heaven and unmanaged by earth, still existed.

Some would gather the natives of the Underworld, or seize aggrieved souls and evil ghosts to establish their own ghost countries.

On the far side of Yin Mountain, which was almost like a separate world, there lay vast expanses of territory occupied by powers far greater than just the "Underground Master."

The fog was dense; in the deep recesses of the menacing Ghost Peach Forest,

In front of a green stone shrine dedicated to the "Underground Master,"

Wu wu wu...

As gusts of cold wind howled past, ghosts of various sizes, with faces either red or blue, twirled and landed here.

Compared to the Yin Officials in Fengdu City, who didn’t look very different from the living, these ghosts, although dressed in fine garments, shining with jewels and treasures, could only be described as ghastly.

When a living person dies, the soul gradually separates from the flesh, losing its support.

Without the ability to control their nature, they become more susceptible to extreme emotions, perfectly embodying the saying, "Appearance follows the heart."

Externally, this means they become less and less human-like, increasingly ugly.

Evil ones grow fierce; angry ones grow large; contemptuous ones grow thin; and the mad take on beastly forms...

The greedy bloat; the miserly narrow-faced; the sycophantic sharp-headed...

Moreover, those prone to anger have red faces; those filled with sorrow have grey faces; those cold-hearted have blue faces... Over time, they no longer retain their original human form.

The kinder the ghost, the clearer and calmer the soul; whereas those harboring malicious intentions grow increasingly ferocious and hideous.

Clearly, all the ghosts that came here were, without exception, none of the kind variety.

Moreover, at this moment, their inherently ugly and ferocious faces were filled with panic, restlessness, and a deep, hidden fear.

As soon as they landed, they couldn’t help but hurriedly grab familiar ghosts to exchange information:

"The world’s first living ’King Yama’ has just returned to his position, do any of your countries have any measures in place?"

"Where would we have the time for measures? We came to consult with all of you the moment we received the internal report.

But with millions of ’Merit’ to his name, this ’King Yama’ is certainly no easy opponent; every bit of his merit represents our blood and tears."

"For thousands of years, the Precepts and Taboos of Yin Department, and where their enforcement ends, have been thoroughly understood by all our great ghost countries.

Ordinary ghosts can only passively obey the rules, but we have been able to exploit these inflexible regulations, enjoying freedom even within the Underworld.

The great ghost countries keep to themselves, isolating themselves from the Fengdu Ghost City."

After several chaotic battles, we were unable to shake the ruling position of the Yin Department.

The prime concern of Fengdu Ghost City is to maintain the balance between Yin and Yang, so they lack the strength to clear out the ghost countries.

But today’s unprecedented changes are likely to completely destroy the existing situation."

"If it were just the ghost countries scattered behind Yin Mountain, it would be okay. The existence of ghost countries just slows down the cycle of Yin and Yang.

But ever since the ’Underground Master’ led us to join the ’Killing Tree,’ starting with ’Asura Ghost Country’ to shake the foundations of the Heavenly Dao,

The Heavenly Dao would naturally try to save itself.

Unprecedentedly opening up the Heavenly Department Divine Position to allow cultivators to intervene in the Yin Department was something that was bound to happen sooner or later.

We should be thinking about how to deal with that ’King Yama’ now."

"Hmph, we are not the only ones in a rush; the great ghost countries have never been united.

’Lord Hao Li’ always prides himself on being above the fray, refusing to mingle with us, maintaining neutrality all the time. Let’s see if he can stay put now."

"..."

Obviously, this large group of ghosts all came from the various ghost countries behind Yin Mountain.

Most of them were emissaries stationed in the "Asura Ghost Country" of Ghost Peach Forest.

In this region behind Yin Mountain, which is difficult to govern even for the Yin Department, the situation seems to be no less complex than in the Mortal World.

With many ghost countries established, each with diverging interests, forming alliances and factions, and frequent infighting,

And furthermore,

Heavenly Dao and Human Dao complement each other; the Underworld has naturally undergone a lengthy evolutionary process to become what it is today.

Both the "Underground Master" and "Lord Hao Li," like "King Yama," were once the supreme rulers during the Netherworld’s evolution.

However, after being replaced and divided by new divine positions,

"King Yama" still holds a position among the ten courts, but the former two have been thoroughly stripped of their roles in the Yin Department.

Even with some lingering power, they have become exiled ghost gods.

The appearance of King Yanluo was like a stone causing ripples upon the water, startling the already chaotic ghosts of the Underworld as if they had encountered a formidable enemy.

No matter who had obtained the Divine Position and whatever their attitude towards the multitude of Ghost Nations, just the fact of leaning on the "Heavenly Dao of the Natives" as their backing was enough to send shivers down the ghosts’ spines.

This throng of shadowy figures gathered together, their ghostly murmurs buzzing incessantly; they were extremely anxious but unable to come up with any useful plans.

It wasn’t until within the shrine that a cluttered voice composed of seven or eight different tones suddenly rose:

"There is no need for further discussion.

I have already clashed with that Yama in the Mortal World; he is merely a Mage of the Earth Essence realm.

Each family should select their elite Divine Transformed and peak Military Leaders, initiate their insiders, and track his movements.

The moment this person leaves Fengdu City, we strike together with the force of thunder and reduce him to mincemeat with our blades!"

A host of ghosts realized that it was the consciousness of the Underground Master, whom none had ever seen in person, descending upon them, and they all knelt in unison.

With the guidance of this being, considered second only to the Corpse Dissection Immortal, their unease was swept away in an instant.

Their faces reveal a brutal ferocity as they clamored:

"A mere mortal who dares flaunt his power in the halls of the Yin Department, we shall take his life!"

"Exactly! What of King Yanluo? He’s just in the Earth Essence realm—if he shows his face, we’ll ensure he never returns!"

"Seize the opportunity to eliminate this lackey of the Heavenly Dao in one fell swoop, and we will let others know who truly rules this Underworld!"

Without the delays and red tape of the Mortal World Officials, the reaction of the ghosts was as swift as lightning.

While Wang Yuan’s plans were still brewing, they were already preparing to take decisive action.

Reality is not a game, and enemies and monsters are unlikely to wait patiently for heroes to come and vanquish them in the name of justice.

Surprises are the norm, and the unexpected always arrives unannounced.

...

At this time, the outside world was in turmoil.

But within that space constructed by the Yu State Tripod,

a profound metamorphosis perhaps more ancient and unprecedented quietly approached its end without attracting anyone’s attention.

A Divine Power Talisman of "Golden Que of the Jade City" burst forth from the crown chakra, transforming above Wang Yuan’s head into a structure composed of Runes and Talisman words forming the "Five Senses Altar City" and "Triple Treasured Pagoda".

Bathed in brilliant golden light, its eight corners dangled and sparkled.

In the Yellow Seal Realm, Wang Yuan completed the three-step process of Man, Earth, and Heaven, formally stepping into the Divine Transformation Realm.

At the same time, out of the 3.25 million Yin Morality recorded in his account, one million were instantaneously consumed, transforming into the pure favor of the "Heavenly Dao".

This assistance also pushed the avatars of the Taibai and Yama, who were on the brink of this threshold, to cross it alongside their original Body.

An ethereal Yin God, who now seemed almost indistinguishable from a real person, had the Small Book of Life and Death floating above his head, showering down bicolored Divine Light.

Just as with the third realm of the Red Seal, the Yin God realm, where the Yin God could finally freely exit the Body, leaving it behind,

The Divine Transformation Realm represented an important transitional phase concerning the metamorphosis of the Yin God.

If one said that the Red Seal’s Yin God realm was like a newborn breathing on its own after leaving the womb, then the current Divine Transformation of the Yellow Seal realm was like a three-year-old child, capable of running and jumping,

Self-sufficient to a certain degree.

The Yin God could freely travel around, instantly covering a thousand miles.

As long as the Meat Body was not dead, one could continue to act externally as a Yin God without fear, unlike in the Red Seal’s Yin God realm where the Body would decay if separated for too long.

A Dharma Seal that was like a small tree finally taking root, no longer limited by the environment, began to show signs of self-sustenance.

Wherever the Earthly Que Magic Light shone became one’s own Dharma Domain, and rules could be set according to one’s Daoist Skill and desires.

But that wasn’t all.

The Dharma Domain of the Divine Transformation Realm formed the foundation for the Green Seal Sage’s "Inner Scene Heaven and Earth".

The more complete and aligned with the rules of the Great Thousand World one’s Inner Scene Heaven and Earth were, the stronger the power one would have upon advancing to the Sagehood of the Green Seal.

Through an almost impossible to duplicate set of opportunities,

Wang Yuan’s now perfected "Three Realms of the Other Shore" emulated the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man, achieving this "alignment" to near perfection.

While ordinary Dharma Domains could set just one layer of rules,

This "Three Realms of the Other Shore" could encompass three full layers!

The Yin God retracted the Dharma Domain into his Body, but Wang Yuan was in no hurry to finalize it.

Instead, he once again culled the complete information about the "Spirit and Body Unification" Technique from the memories of the Taoist Heavenly Prison.

He scrutinized this technique that claimed to transcend the Corpse Dissection Immortal, gradually sinking into contemplation.

"I have already achieved the "Triple Cave Dharma Body" representing the Meat Body, as well as "Dharma Domain - Three Realms of the Other Shore" representing the soul.

Both are incredibly suited for the ’Spirit and Body Unification’ technique.

However, if I forego the grand path previously trodden by the group of Corpse Dissection Immortals represented by "Nine Soldiers",

And instead embark on a road never before traveled, with an uncertain destination, is it really worth it or not?"