Ghost and God Domain

Ghost and God Domain was what cultivators called those inexplicable, mysterious regions.

Such places were often accompanied by bizarre rules. For example, outside the provincial capital of Xinxiang Province lay a place called Huixing Town, a famous Ghost and God Domain.

Anyone who entered Huixing Town would endlessly repeat the events of the same day, cycling through them again and again, never able to leave until death.

There was also a Ghost and God Domain in Nanmen County that turned anyone entering it into paper people. Even the greatest divine abilities were utterly useless there.

However, these places had long been famous throughout the land. Everyone knew them as notoriously perilous lands.

Huangpo Village, meanwhile, was merely a village under Xinxiang County in Xinxiang Province. How could it contain such a dangerous place without anyone knowing?

"Xinxiang's great rotten seed, you shameless little bastard!"

The woman in purple had only just thought this when the Imperial Guard who had followed her fell into chaos. Some activated spells, trying to restore their bodies. Others ran back, thinking that leaving this Ghost and God Domain would return them to normal. Still others, panicked, fell while running and smashed themselves into pieces across the ground.

The woman in purple shouted, "Do not run around! Follow my orders!"

The crowd gradually steadied their emotions and gathered together again, pair after pair of eyes turning toward her.

The woman in purple composed herself and said, "Since this place has a Ghost and God Domain, it proves we came to the right place. This is precisely the rumored True King's Tomb..."

Just then, Chen Shi's voice came from ahead. "Big Sister, why haven't you caught up? The Porcelain Dolls' nest is right here!"

The woman in purple's gaze flashed like lightning as she looked toward the voice. A small head poked out from behind a large dirt mound. It was Chen Shi. His face was innocent, his gaze clear yet foolish; he clearly did not look like the crafty schemer she had imagined.

"He is just a child. Perhaps I have been overthinking this."

The woman in purple felt somewhat guilty. She had actually imagined Chen Shi as someone skilled in schemes, forgetting that he was still a child of barely ten.

As the woman in purple examined Chen Shi, her heart stirred. Like them, Chen Shi had also become a Porcelain Doll!

"This brat has clearly not come here for the first time. Then he must know how to turn from a Porcelain Doll back into a human!"

Her eyes lit up, and she immediately ordered, "Follow him! Seize him while we have the chance!"

Everyone rushed forward. The forest ahead gradually thinned, the trees no longer dense. Instead, tall earthen mounds appeared one after another.

The mounds were hollow, bearing scorch marks left by fire, like kiln caves.

There were also enormous ceramic jars, some shattered and some intact. They stood four or five times taller than the group, like inexplicable giant objects, exuding an oppressive presence.

The group chased Chen Shi, weaving between the ceramic jars and kiln caves. The woman in purple brought up the rear, looking around in astonishment before suddenly realizing, "No, this is not the True King's Tomb! This is... a kiln factory that fires porcelain!"

All sorts of thoughts surfaced in her mind. How had a rural kiln factory become a Ghost and God Domain?

And where had the kiln factory's porcelain come from?

Why had Chen Shi brought them to the kiln factory?

She had barely considered this when Fang He's voice suddenly came from ahead. "We lost him... There are people over there! It is that group of Porcelain Dolls!"

The woman in purple hurried forward. The Porcelain Dolls who had been playing by the stream earlier were now hiding in the shadows of a still-broken kiln cave, staring at them in terror.

One of the Porcelain Dolls repeatedly waved at them.

An Imperial Guard laughed. "These little things are afraid of us..."

The woman in purple understood at once, and her expression changed drastically. She said rapidly, "They are not afraid of us, but of something else! Retreat at once—"

Suddenly, the earth rumbled and shook. The world abruptly darkened, and a wild wind rose. Three giants dressed in blue-gray clothes strode toward them.

The giants were thin and tall, a full ten to twenty feet in height. With the woman in purple and the others transformed into Porcelain Dolls less than a foot tall, the giants seemed even more enormous.

The giants had long, slender limbs, and faces like clay sculptures, utterly expressionless. They resembled kiln workers molding porcelain in the factory. Every movement stirred gusts of chilling wind, and upon seeing them, they reached out to grab them.

Everyone ran for their lives. Suddenly, one person was seized by a kiln worker. With a crack, his neck was snapped, and his porcelain head was crushed to powder, spilling through the giant's fingers as dregs.

Seeing this, the others ran even faster. Yet each stride of the kiln workers equaled dozens of their own steps. They easily caught up to another person and scooped him into a hand.

The woman in purple was terrified beyond measure. Though she was a cultivator and had long cultivated a Divine Embryo, within this Ghost and God Domain the might of her Daoist arts had been greatly diminished. She could not threaten these kiln workers at all!

One light step from a kiln worker would likely crush her into dust!

She ran desperately, darting through the kiln factory and evading the kiln workers' pursuit. Yet fewer and fewer people remained at her side. Before long, she was the only one left.

Everyone else had been caught by the three kiln workers.

The woman in purple suddenly thought of the Porcelain Dolls hiding in the kiln caves. Inspiration flashed, and she hurriedly hid in a dilapidated kiln cave as well.

Several Porcelain Dolls were hiding inside this kiln cave too. When they saw her enter, they repeatedly waved their hands, signaling for her not to make a sound.

The three kiln workers bent low, looking around. One poked its head forward, its enormous face blocking the entrance to the kiln cave.

The woman in purple held her breath and focused, not daring to make the slightest sound.

The kiln worker moved stiffly. Its eyes were vacant, and even its eyeballs resembled porcelain, making a soft rasping sound as they turned. It swept a glance through the kiln cave, then rose and strode away.

The other kiln workers stopped searching as well.

After a moment, the few Porcelain Dolls furtively poked their heads out, looked around, and sighed in relief before beckoning to her.

The woman in purple approached, bent at the waist, and quietly followed the Porcelain Dolls away.

Not far away, an enormous kiln cave blazed with raging flames, its charcoal fire scorching hot. The three kiln workers threw the Porcelain Dolls they had caught into the inferno.

The Porcelain Dolls struggled, screamed, melted, and warped in the flames.

The woman in purple's heart ached. Those Porcelain Dolls were Imperial Guard of the Xinxiang Zhao Family, yet they had now died in such a wretched rural place!

She followed the few Porcelain Dolls and quietly left the kiln factory.

"Miss, were you also tricked into this place by that little beast from Huangpo Village?" one Porcelain Doll asked.

The woman in purple said, "I cannot understand what you are saying... Hm?"

She discovered in astonishment that after becoming a Porcelain Doll, she had somehow learned without instruction to understand the birdlike language of these Porcelain Dolls!

The woman in purple did not conceal anything. She explained what had happened, then said, "He said his name was Chen Shi, but his belly is full of bad water! You all..."

One of the Porcelain Dolls sighed. "We also came here seeking treasure. He tricked us into this place, and that is how we ended up like this."

"And us as well." Several more Porcelain Dolls came over.

"And us."

Outside the kiln factory, wave after wave of Porcelain Dolls approached, each wearing a dark expression.

"We heard that the True King's Tomb was nearby, so we came to search for this great tomb in hopes of finding some fortunate opportunity. Who would have thought that people's hearts had grown so corrupt? In the supposedly simple and honest countryside, there was actually such a little devil!"

A seemingly elderly Porcelain Doll was overcome by grief and indignation. He struck the ground with his cane and said furiously, "That little devil tricked us here and turned us into porcelain! Over the past two years, more and more people have fallen for it, all suffering at his hands!"

Someone said indignantly, "He deserves no descendants!"

The crowd echoed him. "Right! He deserves no descendants!"

The woman in purple joined in, but inwardly she thought, These people came seeking the True King's Tomb too. Like me, they must have intended to kill and silence him. Little Chen Shi noticed, so he tricked them here. This brat...

When she thought of Chen Shi, her teeth itched with hatred. Is that stinking brat really only ten or so? And how did he turn from porcelain back into a human?

"Miss, you are..."

A Porcelain Doll resembling a middle-aged man stepped forward and examined the woman in purple. Suddenly, he cried out, "You are Second Miss Zhao of the Xinxiang Zhao Family?"

The woman in purple was startled. She nodded and said, "You are...?"

The Porcelain Doll said, "I am Li Xian of Quanzhou. Second Miss Zhao, we met once years ago!"

The woman in purple was shocked. Li Xian of Quanzhou came from a prestigious family and had long enjoyed great renown. She had heard that fierce bandits occupied Dragon Abyss and none could defeat them, yet Li Xian of Quanzhou had stormed Dragon Abyss alone, entering and leaving seven times with no one able to stop him!

When he had come to Xinxiang Province, her father had even told her to pay respects to Uncle Li. She had never expected him to be trapped in this remote, impoverished place!

"I am He Qinghe of Danjiang. Greetings, Second Miss Zhao."

The woman in purple was shocked again. He Qinghe of Danjiang was likewise a famous figure. Having cultivated a Golden Core, he was an expert among the younger generation!

Yet he too had been trapped here!

A Porcelain Doll resembling a woman said, "This humble one is Lin Feishuang. Greetings, Second Miss Zhao, and greetings, everyone."

"I am Long Gang of Xinxiang. Greetings, Second Miss Zhao, and greetings, everyone!"

"I am Huaqingchi of Yudu. Greetings, Second Miss Zhao."

One by one, the Porcelain Dolls announced their names. They were all notable figures, and among them was even an elder who had cultivated a Nascent Soul!

The woman in purple was both astonished and horrified. Some of these powerful figures were people even the Xinxiang Zhao Family had to treat with courtesy, yet every one of them had fallen for that little fellow's trick, becoming Porcelain Dolls at the mercy of others!

"However, my standing in the Zhao Family is not low. If I do not return home for several days, Father will surely send people to search for me. Once they find Huangpo Village, they can trace us and rescue me!" she thought.

In the kiln factory, flames shot into the sky.

Chen Shi quietly retreated toward the shadows in a corner, avoiding the three kiln workers that resembled wooden carvings and clay statues.

Several large urn-shaped jars were in the corner. Seeing him squeeze toward them, they hurriedly tucked in their limbs and packed themselves tighter, trying to leave no room for this Porcelain Doll to squeeze in.

Yet the gaps between them were rather large, and Chen Shi still squeezed inside.

The three long-limbed kiln workers passed in front of them. One of them glanced toward the jars in the corner, and one jar was so frightened that with a pop, it grew a leg.

The other two kiln workers immediately turned to look. Seeing that things had gone badly, the jar immediately grew two arms and another leg, then took off running, its lid clanging loudly.

The three kiln workers immediately chased after it. After a moment, two kiln workers returned and bent down, bringing their expressionless faces close to each jar in the corner as though checking whether any other jars had come alive.

Chen Shi, hidden in the corner among the jars, secretly looked out. The kiln workers' eyes were grayish white, like porcelain that had failed in the firing.

After examining them, the two kiln workers found that the jars were not causing trouble and finally left.

After another moment, the remaining kiln worker dragged back the escaped jar and threw it into the kiln cave to be melted down.

In the shadows of the corner, Chen Shi and the surviving jars crept away on tiptoe.

The surviving jars seemed to have a score to settle with Chen Shi as well. Once they had escaped the sight of the three kiln workers, they turned to confront him—but behind them was empty. Chen Shi had long since slipped away without a trace.

----Tomorrow's update will be around eleven in the morning. Everyone is welcome to bookmark, read, and vote!