True Lord Erlang

"Master, is this little thunder pool also a tradition of our Ghost Opera lineage?"

On the night road, two figures moved quickly. Although it was dark all around, the grass, strange rocks, and thorns seemed to be hidden from their eyes.

"Of course not. This is a unique skill of the Mage lineage within the Hundred Schools of the Underworld. People of this lineage are somewhat like Taoists, but wilder and with more bizarre methods... You'll understand when you encounter them."

After a pause, Yu Zhensheng instructed, "Each school has its strengths. When your Dao cultivation is successful in the future, you can also try to trick-- I mean, learn the unique skills of other magical lineages. They might prove very useful."

Zhou Sheng nodded, silently taking note of his Master's teachings.

"Of course, the most important thing is our Ghost Opera skills. You absolutely cannot neglect this."

Hearing this, Zhou Sheng's heart stirred, and he quickly asked, "Master, when I fought the Guardian Soldiers earlier, I entered the Unity of Person and Role state again. I almost couldn't break free from the opera. At that time, I seemed to see--"

"You saw Zhong Kui, didn't you?"

Yu Zhensheng suddenly raised his eyes and looked at him, saying, "Not only did you see Zhong Kui, but you also felt like the other party wanted to communicate with you, and that you could merge with him if you got closer, is that right?"

Zhou Sheng nodded.

"Remember, from now on, no matter what you hear in that state, don't take it seriously, and don't try to interact with Them."

At this moment, Yu Zhensheng's expression became unprecedentedly solemn.

"But Master, I felt like that was... more than just an illusion?"

Zhou Sheng recalled the scene of seeing Celestial Master Zhong Kui. He seemed to have truly heard the whispers of the gods and felt their divine aura.

It was as if he were standing before Zhong Kui, separated by some space-time.

The tremor in that instant gave him a strong intuition that the figure riding the tiger, whose gaze met his, was real.

Hearing this, ripples appeared in Yu Zhensheng's eyes, and he then looked deeply at his disciple.

"Your Master's Master, your Grandmaster... asked me the exact same question back then."

Zhou Sheng was startled and quickly asked, "Then how did Grandmaster answer?"

"'Extreme wisdom leads to ruin, high cultivation leads to madness. Form and formlessness are all illusions.'"

"That was your Grandmaster's answer."

Zhou Sheng felt a bit disappointed, thinking that his Grandmaster believed those were merely simple illusions.

"But I, your Master, don't believe it. At that time, I was just like you, absolutely trusting my intuition. Later, I tried to interact with the deities in the illusion."

The voice stopped abruptly here. Yu Zhensheng seemed to be lost in some memory and remained silent for a long time.

"Master, and then?"

Yu Zhensheng finally came back to his senses and immediately let out a cold laugh.

"And then?"

"And then my entire family died, I was crippled, and I had to retire from the world and live incognito. That's how I met you, you little troublemaker!"

Zhou Sheng: "..."

For a moment, he couldn't tell if his Master was telling the truth or not. Just as he was about to ask further, his Master suddenly stopped.

"Master, what--?"

"Shh!"

Yu Zhensheng silenced him and then slowly surveyed their surroundings, a trace of solemnity gradually appearing in his eyes.

Ahead lay a winding and rugged mountain path, surrounded by a dense forest of tall locust trees. Their thick leaves almost completely blocked out the moonlight.

Dark and eerie.

"How long have we been walking?"

"About... an hour."

Zhou Sheng's voice also began to turn serious, clearly having noticed something was amiss.

He had walked this mountain path back and forth many times. With his and his Master's pace, they could usually exit the mountain and see the memorial pavilion on the main road in about half an hour.

But after walking for so long, why were they still on the mountain path?

He and his Master had been too engrossed in their conversation about illusory deities, neglecting this point.

Yu Zhensheng bent down, scooped up a handful of dirt, sniffed it, and then let out a cold laugh. "The people coming from below have heavy yin energy, and their feet are stained with the waters of the Yellow Springs. Wherever they go, even if it hasn't rained, the soil will be unusually damp."

"It seems they've caught up."

Zhou Sheng's heart trembled, and a chill surged through him. He hadn't sensed anything at all.

Yu Zhensheng patted his shoulder, then surveyed the surroundings, let out a loud laugh, and cupped his fists. "Yu Zhensheng, successor of the Ghost Opera lineage. Since the Judge has arrived, why not show yourself?"

The surroundings were silent, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind.

"Although my humble disciple killed Magistrate Zhu and the Guardian Soldiers, it was to uphold the justice of the Underworld's laws. After all, the matter of swapping heads... doesn't sound very good."

"The Judge has traveled far to the mortal realm, and your journey must have been arduous. This paper money is a small token of my respect. Please accept it for tea, and let this matter end here. My disciple and I will keep our mouths shut and will never get involved in this again."

As he spoke, Yu Zhensheng took out a large stack of paper money from his sleeve. He recited an incantation, and with a wave of his palm, flames ignited on the paper money.

Yu Zhensheng scattered the paper money.

However, the next moment, a mountain wind blew, not only extinguishing the flames on the paper money but also scattering it everywhere.

Yu Zhensheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said coldly, "It seems the Judge is determined to kill my disciple?"

The surroundings remained empty, with no sound.

Zhou Sheng activated his Wise Eye and examined carefully, but found no clues whatsoever, not even a shadow of an Underworld spirit.

"There's no need to waste your magic power. With your level of Dao cultivation, if the Judge doesn't want to show himself, you'll be exhausted to death before you can see him."

Yu Zhensheng shook his head. While the Wise Eye could see ghosts and gods, it was only effective if they didn't intend to conceal themselves. Otherwise, it was like being blind with your eyes open.

"Master, what do we do now?"

"What do we do? Of course, we keep moving forward. Don't look back."

Yu Zhensheng stepped forward, but after walking for a full half hour, the surroundings remained the same mountain path.

"Heh heh, a ghost wall. It seems the Judge is determined to trap us, master and disciple, here until we die."

Zhou Sheng's heart tightened upon hearing this.

He wasn't afraid of ordinary ghost walls; he could break them with a single gesture. However, he couldn't find any flaws in the soul-confusing formation set up by the Judge, even with his Wise Eye.

The other party didn't even intend to reveal himself, leaving him with no way to exert his desperate fighting spirit.

If he didn't use the Luoshu, he feared he would truly be helpless and lost here forever, until death.

Fortunately, besides the Luoshu, he still had his Master.

"Since the Judge insists on taking my disciple's life, then take it!"

Yu Zhensheng declared loudly, his voice echoing through the woods, full of vigor, like the beating of gongs and drums.

Zhou Sheng felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

What is this?

Even the Yin wind, which had been weaving through the rocks and plants, seemed to pause briefly.

In that instant, Yu Zhensheng moved.

At some point, a smear of cinnabar mud appeared on his fingertip. He closed his eyes and applied it to his brow, forming a vertical crimson mark.

It resembled a vertical pupil condensed from flames.

The next moment, Yu Zhensheng suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes. Whether it was an illusion or not, the dark mountain forest seemed to brighten for a moment, like a flash of lightning.

The lightning arrived, followed by thunder.

Yu Zhensheng opened his mouth and began to sing, his voice like a thunderclap.

"Qingxu Miaodao Erlang Shen, his mighty reputation shakes the Heavenly Court!"

"The Supreme Heavenly Palace's great general, ordered to capture—"

"Little-- Monkey King!!"

Thanks to Zhe Shisan for the 500 reward, sending virtual hugs!