I Have Refined Qi For 3000 Years!

Book 8 Chapter 40 - Thirty Years

Upon Jiang Lan’s return, the Palace of the Ghost Emperor had just been completed; thus, the two of them moved in together, assuming their roles as the Ghost Emperor and Ghost Empress.

Naturally, Bai Qiuran could not simply abandon her at night to go study the supernatural arts of the Ghost Realm in the Great Library by himself.

Consequently, he adjusted his schedule to make full use of the daylight hours, reserving the nights to keep Jiang Lan company.

As for Zhi Xian—who was essentially “bound equipment”—he felt that constantly hovering nearby might be a bit too conspicuous. He therefore volunteered to stay in the Ghost Realm’s Great Library; Bai Qiuran granted him full access, allowing him to browse the contents at his leisure.

Once Bai Qiuran had familiarized himself with the affairs of the Ghost Realm, he—assisted by Yin Zun and the others—began to carry out the duties proper to the Ghost Emperor.

After Xue Ling became one of the Three Venerables and took charge of the “ferrying” operations, he immediately leveraged his workaholic nature. Under his supervision, the underworld envoys mobilized, gradually rounding up the malevolent ghosts and vengeful spirits spawned in the mortal realm, as well as unattended wandering souls, and bringing them all back to the Underworld to await reincarnation.

Meanwhile, Lie Zun and the original Three Venerables also accelerated their efforts. The entire Ghost Realm threw itself into the work of judgment and reincarnation; after an initial period of intense activity, order within the realm was gradually restored.

Subsequently, the Five Directional Immortal Emperors engaged in various probes and frequent petty maneuvers. However, Bai Qiuran maintained a tough stance; with him standing at the forefront, Xue Ling, Yin Zun, and the others could act boldly to eliminate these minor schemes—tactics that had previously been tolerated with a blind eye.

Chastened by their disadvantage during that clash of divine consciousness, the Five Directional Immortal Emperors dared not confront Bai Qiuran head-on. After all, the five of them were not truly united; they harbored mutual suspicions and guarded against one another.

Eventually, the Immortal Emperors’ machinations subsided. Even when Bai Qiuran stripped away the soul of Ran Zun and cast it into the Avici Hell to suffer, the Immortal Emperors raised no further objections. Of course, Bai Qiuran knew that these fellows were merely biding their time in the shadows; if it were so easy to make an Immortal Emperor abandon his schemes, then this world would be far too simple a place to navigate.

Yet, he remained unconcerned. As long as the Ghost Emperor had not been defeated, the Underworld would fear no one—not even the Primordial Immortal Emperor who had founded the Immortal Realm.

In the blink of an eye, twenty-nine years had passed in the Underworld since the Ghost Emperor’s ascension. Unknowingly, the underworld envoys and spirits within Fengdu City had grown accustomed to the presence of a supreme ruler presiding over them.

Over these twenty-nine years, the environment of the Underworld had improved significantly. The Empress was approachable and possessed the dignified grace of a mother to the realm; though she appeared youthful, her speech and conduct were remarkably mature, exuding the wisdom of an elder.

As for the Ghost Emperor, his might was formidable—the memory of his direct confrontation with the Five Immortal Emperors twenty-nine years ago remained vivid—and he was no slouch when it came to administration. Under his leadership, the cycle of life and death had operated smoothly for over two decades, and the realm was slowly recovering from the turmoil of the Asura Path uprising. Furthermore, immortals who had been dispatched from the Immortal Realm or had arrived after death no longer dared to look down upon the Underworld’s envoys with arrogance.

A positive image of the Ghost Emperor was gradually taking shape, and his prestige was accumulating bit by bit, slowly spreading across the various worlds.

However, not long ago, the Ghost Emperor unexpectedly promoted an underworld envoy—whose cultivation level was below that of an Immortal Venerable—to become one of the “Three Sovereigns of the Underworld,” the trio responsible for overseeing the cycle of reincarnation.

It appeared he was gradually delegating authority, returning the administrative power of the Underworld to the Three Sovereigns so they could manage affairs on his behalf.

There was, of course, a reason for this.

About a month prior, Jiang Lan—who had returned to the Fusang Immortal Palace to visit her handmaidens and disciples—had brought Bai Qiuran a piece of news.

Su Xiangxue and the others were about to emerge from seclusion. The thirty-year term he had set for himself was drawing to a close. Bai Qiuran felt it was only natural to return—whether as a master to see Tang Ruowei, as a partner to see Su Xiangxue, or even as a friend to see Li Jinyao.

—

Inside the Hall of the Ghost Emperor, the Three Primordial Sovereigns watched as Bai Qiuran—clad in white robes—slowly removed the mask from his face and put it away. They bowed and asked:

“Your Majesty, are you truly leaving?”

“Mm, I am leaving.”

Bai Qiuran turned back, smiled at them, and said:

“After all, I am a living being.”

“A living being?”

Xue Ling, standing nearby, remarked coldly:

“A living being who owes the Ghost Realm over two thousand years of lifespan? Even the Heavens themselves are itching to claim your soul.”

“Then if you’ve got the guts, go ahead and have Him come take me.”

Bai Qiuran remained unfazed, pointing a finger at Xue Ling as he added:

“By the way, show me some respect from now on. I know your employee ID number—watch out, or I might just file a formal complaint against you with the Ghost Emperor.”

Xue Ling was left speechless by this shameless display of self-directed antics.

“Once I leave, I entrust the order of the Ghost Realm to your care. As for the Puppet Sovereign I promoted as a special exception—her cultivation base is still lacking, so I ask that you look after her.”

Bai Qiuran continued his instructions:

“Her strength will inevitably invite criticism, and there is a chance that agents of the Immortal Emperors might try to strike at her from the shadows. However, her potential and administrative abilities are top-notch, and she is a second-generation Ghost Immortal native to this realm. You must ensure she successfully ascends to the realm of Immortal Venerable.”

The Three Sovereigns and Xue Ling bowed in acknowledgment.

Bai Qiuran glanced up at the throne within the hall. With a wave of his sleeve, he released a swirl of mist; a figure emerged from within, transforming into a Ghost Emperor wearing a bronze mask, who then sat composedly upon the throne.

This was the result of twenty-nine years spent in the Great Library of Fengdu, where he had mastered the most common illusionary arts of the Ghost Realm. “This illusion possesses strength roughly equivalent to that of an Immortal Emperor. Should the Ghost Realm face peril, you can use it to fend off the threat, and I will be able to sense it when that happens.”

Bai Qiuran said to Xue Ling:

“I will teach you the incantation to activate it; you can then pass it on to the other three Sovereigns.”

He produced a scroll and tossed it into Xue Ling’s hands.

With this settled, he had no further concerns about leaving the Ghost Realm. The Yin Sovereign had a family and lived in retirement within Fengdu City, while the Bone Sovereign and Blood Sovereign were a couple living in seclusion deep within the realm; should any situation arise, they could rush over at a moment’s notice.

As for the current three Sovereigns of the Ghost Realm, Xue Ling was, of course, beyond reproach; the Puppet Sovereign had been personally promoted by Bai Qiuran and was entirely trustworthy, while the Fierce Sovereign had shown no signs of disloyalty over the past twenty-odd years.

Even if the Ghost Realm were to face an unstoppable external attack, Bai Qiuran could still rush back in time.

“In that case, Bai Qiuran shall take his leave now.”

Bai Qiuran cupped his hands in a salute to everyone in the hall.

“Let me see you off.”

Xue Ling exchanged a glance with the original three Sovereigns before speaking.

The two walked out of the hall one after the other, when suddenly, a shout came from nearby.

“Wait a moment!”

The Sage of Wisdom floated out from a corner and latched onto Bai Qiuran’s belt.

“Old Bai, don’t you go forgetting me! I’ve pretty much absorbed all the knowledge the Ghost Realm has to offer by now; it’s high time I went to see other places.”

“Ah.”

Bai Qiuran slapped his forehead and said:

“Sorry, you’ve been so inconspicuous lately that I almost forgot about you.”

He secured the Sage of Wisdom properly and nodded to Xue Ling.

Xue Ling channeled an illusion to cloak their figures, then led Bai Qiuran to the riverbank on the far side of the Underworld River, just outside Fengdu City. “Just ahead lies the path back.”

Xue Ling stood on the riverbank and said to Bai Qiuran:

“Thank you very much; farewell.”

Bai Qiuran accepted the thanks with composure and bade him farewell in return:

“Then I shall head back. Farewell, Venerable Ling.”