Nezha's Senior Brother, Whom I've Never Met

[Your character "Stonecutter" has died, role-playing anecdote concluded]

[Obtained "Unformed Stone Crone Ghost Eyeball"]

Yang He's eyes were vacant. The pain of near-death was nothing; he was long accustomed to it. What truly bothered him was discovering that the Ghost in the Stone was somehow connected to Nuwa.

"Nuwa's festival is precisely the beginning of the Investiture of the Gods plot, isn't it?"

Yang He had to admit that King Zhou's defiance of heaven was certainly among the top tier.

In the original story, the Shang Dynasty still had its national fortune intact at the beginning, with at least several decades of peace. But then, during a festival where King Zhou was supposed to be worshipping the heavens, he inexplicably became infatuated with Empress Nuwa.

That's right, King Zhou not only leered at Nuwa's statue and fantasized, but he also wrote a poem on the wall, making sure it was visible to the citizens entering and exiting Nuwa's palace.

It wouldn't have been such a big deal if there were no immortals or Buddhas in the Investiture of the Gods world. The problem was that Empress Nuwa genuinely existed and immediately perceived King Zhou's blasphemy.

Seeing that the Shang Dynasty's fortune had not yet run out, Empress Nuwa summoned malevolent spirits to wreak havoc upon the court.

This led to the subsequent affair with Daji.

"In the anecdote world, Empress Nuwa's festival seems to have become even more sinister."

Yang He redeemed the Stone Crone Ghost Eyeball and stuffed it into the pouch where he kept ghost eyes.

[Unformed Stone Crone Ghost Eyeball]

[A yin entity that manifested before the Stone Crone Ghost was born. It can be refined through the "Dao of the Stone Crone." If embedded in a rock and watered with blood daily, it will give rise to a Stone Crone Ghost after ten days.]

"Carving divine statues with malevolent spirits... are you sure you're worshipping Empress Nuwa?"

Yang He swallowed, then summoned the panel again.

[Mundane Item: Stone-Born Stone]

[Associated Anecdote: "Ghost in the Stone," do you wish to consume 1 point of Spiritual Vision to enter the anecdote world?]

"Let's continue. The priority now is to advance the Pupil Ghost to the Hungry Ghost stage."

[Identities "Stonecutter" and "Hunter" have died, cannot select for role-playing]

[Stonecutter (White): You went to a deserted mine to quarry stones. When discovered, your corpse appeared to be embedded in the rock face.]

[Hunter (White): You went alone into the wilderness to find a lone prey. The next day, you were found dead at the foot of the mountain, your body transformed into a stone statue.]

Yang He shook his head. Countless people must have died quarrying stones.

[Please select the identity to role-play in the anecdote]

The first role was still Temple Priest, with almost no change in the description. After all, only a moment had passed in the anecdote world.

[Stonecutter (White): As it is the festival in Chaoge, 108 divine statues are needed for the consecration ceremony. A large number of stonecutters have gone to the mountains, and you are one of them.]

[Soldier (White): The General's Mansion's matriarch is pregnant with her third child and her health has been poor. You are responsible for escorting the matriarch to Chaoge to rest during her pregnancy.]

The Stonecutter appeared again, and Yang He wasn't surprised. However, the clear mention of a Soldier from Chentang Pass made his eyelids twitch.

"All civil and military officials must participate in the festival, so Li Jing is definitely going to be there."

"Madam Yin won't turn into a ghost in Chaoge, will she? Damn it, Nezha's senior brother, whom I've never met, just stay in there honestly, don't cause any trouble!!"

After much deliberation, Yang He chose to role-play as the Temple Priest.

According to the development of events, they were still in the early preparatory stages of the festival, but a strange and inexplicable Stone Crone Ghost had already appeared. It was better to sneak into the Five Lights Temple early than to continue toiling away as a stonecutter, which was thankless work.

There would likely be a period of relative safety before the stone materials arrived.

[Do you wish to consume 2 points of Spiritual Vision to teach the identity "Temple Priest" the Qi Gazing Technique?]

[Do you wish to consume 2 points of Spiritual Vision to teach the identity "Temple Priest" the Three-Headed, Six-Armed Dharma Body?]

"Confirm."

Inside the main hall of the Five Lights Temple.

The floor was paved with bluestone, and the walls were adorned with undulating patterns.

In the center stood a bizarre divine statue, resembling the remains of a great fire. The offerings were also charred.

Twenty to thirty people sat with their eyes closed on prayer mats; they were all Temple Priests of the Five Lights Temple.

Yang He gradually regained consciousness, but his body remained immobile.

He was one of the Temple Priests on the prayer mats. He could smell the scent of incense in his nostrils, and then the two ghosts within him gradually awoke.

"En?"

The Pupil Ghost sensed danger, while the Potential Ghost restrained its aura, daring not to reveal itself.

Yang He cursed inwardly. The Pupil Ghost could sense yin qi as if it were tangible. None of the starting scenarios for these characters were ever smooth sailing.

There was a ghost... sharing the same room with him.

"Miaoyin, how many Temple Priests are participating in this consecration?"

"Replying to Elder Xuanzhao, there are twenty-four in total."

Yang He narrowed his eyes, noticing a person and a ghost conversing by the door.

Or rather, a person and a corpse.

Yang He's heart skipped a beat as he glanced at the so-called Elder Xuanzhao.

He looked to be in his seventies or eighties, with dark skin covered in burn scars. A gust of wind blew through, carrying a foul stench of decay.

"Hiss..."

In his Spiritual Vision, Yang He saw that Elder Xuanzhao's skin was not filled with flesh and bone.

Instead, it was packed with countless twisted, wailing faces, desperately trying to break free from the skin, their agony palpable.

Yang He's scalp tingled.

Unlike cultivators who nurtured ghosts, this man seemed to be a temporary vessel for sealing them.

And he was sealing thousands of ghosts.

The ghostly faces writhed in agony within the skin, appearing to be slowly merging together, like a mixture of different colored modeling clay.

It was nauseatingly disgusting, and Yang He couldn't imagine what would happen if the skin were to break.

The other temple priest from Miaoyin Temple also had dark, scarred skin, but there were no ghostly faces within him; he was just an ordinary old man.

Elder Xuanzhao spoke, "In two months, it will be Empress Nuwa's birthday. Make sure not to increase the number of our [Living Immortals]. Don't forget that many Living Immortals have already lost control."

Miaoyin asked with noticeable nervousness and heavy breathing, "Elder, how are you? How is your health?"

Elder Xuanzhao didn't reply. He simply stared blankly at the crescent moon, the thousands of ghosts within him wailing and desperately trying to break free from the skin.

Yang He secretly clicked his tongue. Was the Five Lights Temple raising malevolent spirits?

They made idols from malevolent spirits and then consecrated them with malevolent spirits. Were they afraid that the festival would go too smoothly and wanted to invite some strange entities to liven things up?

Yang He quietly looked around and noticed that the temple priests present were beginning to awaken.

Their expressions were fanatically fervent, clearly aware of the upcoming ritual. It was as if surviving this night would grant them enlightenment and immortality!

Yang He felt that the Five Lights Temple exuded a strong Buddhist aura.

In the original work, Buddhism had not yet spread to the central plains.

However, the arrangements of the Western Buddhas had already begun.

Many from the Jie Sect and Chan Sect would later join the Western factions, with Daoist Rādharana being a prime example – he was, after all, the second most powerful figure in the Chan Sect.

Dong dong dong.

Miaoyin struck a copper gong, signaling the beginning of the ritual.

"Great God of Five Lights, sensing your boundless power..."

He chanted nonsensically, swaying his head, then took out a stick of incense and hung it in the idol's hand. It didn't need to be lit; wisps of smoke already curled upwards.

Yang He heard a sound like a knife slicing through butter emanating from Miaoyin. His skin seemed to be undergoing scorching, and the new scars became even more pronounced.

Following that.

The twenty-four temple priests came next.

Their skin became red and swollen, with blisters forming.

Most terrifyingly, their internal organs felt as if they were being steamed in hot water. The so-called ritual was actually an internal burning torment.

[Spiritual Vision: 103.5 points]

Yang He's Spiritual Vision began to increase. His organs were gradually failing, as if the temple priests had taken special elixirs beforehand. The pain wasn't intense, but the abnormality of his own skin made him shudder.

To be precise, his skin was undergoing ghostification!