Ancestor Lü

At nightfall, Zhou Sheng lay flat on the bed. A red lantern hung at the head of the bed, while the shoes beneath it were placed one upright and one overturned.

In Master's words, this was a technique passed down through the Spirit Walker lineage. Once midnight arrived and the red lantern turned white, he could rise, carry the lantern, and leave.

Then, he would see... another Xunyang City hidden within the night.

There was still some time before midnight, so Zhou Sheng composed himself and looked upon the Turtle Shell Luoshu shining with flowing radiance within his sea of consciousness.

Without any hesitation, he used the turtle shell for divination, attempting to deduce the true Immortal's Cloud Mica Pill.

This time, the turtle shell trembled violently. The radiance on its surface swiftly dimmed, and then, beneath Zhou Sheng's expectant gaze, a wisp of golden flame finally arose below it.

Success!

Zhou Sheng was overjoyed. This meant that the energy he had gained from killing the Savage Soldiers earlier was already enough to complete and deduce the prescription.

The incomplete Mica Formula had already greatly advanced his Dao cultivation. With the complete prescription, would he not soar straight into the heavens?

The Luoshu did not keep him waiting long. Soon, a crisp crack sounded from the turtle shell, and another tiny fracture appeared upon it.

The next moment, a stream of information flooded into his mind.

"Pure Yang Ancestor's Cloud Mica Formula. A prescription comprehended by Lü Dongbin while cultivating in Immortal's Cave on Lushan Mountain. It can stave off hunger, lighten the body, strengthen the physique, nurture one's foundation, replenish qi, extend one's lifespan, and more. Supplemented by the Guiding Technique, it can increase Dao cultivation..."

"While picking tea on Mount Luofu, He Xiangu encountered Lü Dongbin by chance and received the Mica Formula from him. After taking it, her body became light as a swallow, her cultivation advanced day by day, and it laid the foundation for her eventual achievement as one of the Eight Immortals."

"Upon hearing of it, Wu Zetian summoned He Xiangu and sought the medicine. He Xiangu ascended in broad daylight while traveling to the capital. To repay the Empress's generous favor, she left behind an incomplete prescription. Sun Xing, descendant of Sun Simiao, later spent thirty years completing it and named it the Immortal's Cloud Mica Pill."

Zhou Sheng's heart shook. This time, the Luoshu had not merely divined the specific contents of the prescription—it had even calculated its origins with absolute clarity.

So this Mica Formula had been created by Ancestor Lü, then passed on to He Xiangu, helping lay the foundation of her Immortal Path.

In an instant, he knew he had found a treasure.

A prescription passed down by Pure Yang Ancestor Lü Dongbin—even if it had merely been something he casually created in Immortal's Cave—was an invaluable treasure to any cultivator.

Xunyang City truly was a blessed land. Remembering that Lushan Mountain lay beside Xunyang, Zhou Sheng felt that, in the unseen currents of fate, he was connected to this Mica Formula.

Yet after calming down and examining the prescription's specific contents, his heart suddenly sank.

"Take the essence of Five-Colored Mica; combine Poria cocos, arborvitae seeds, and stalactite. Add cinnamon bark, dipsacus, and ginseng; atractylodes and rehmannia serve as supporting ingredients. Grind and sieve them, mix with asparagus root juice, then steam in rice within a copper vessel as the main preparation. Dry it in the sun, grind it again into powder, and consume it—return to youth and ascend to the Immortal Mansion..."

Because of the Luoshu's infusion, he already understood this prescription inside and out. Yet it was precisely because of that that he discovered a difficulty.

The Essence of Five-Colored Mica!

The prescription mentioned many medicinal ingredients, such as Poria cocos, stalactite, ginseng, and rehmannia. Though precious, they could still be purchased from medicine shops with enough money.

But the Essence of Five-Colored Mica was an exceedingly rare treasure, usually concealed amid famous mountains and great rivers. It could be encountered only by chance, never sought at will. It was absolutely not something that could be bought in a medicine shop.

In other words, if he wanted to continue improving his Dao cultivation through medicine, he first had to find the Essence of Five-Colored Mica.

But where could he find such a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure?

When all matters remained undecided, one could ask the Luoshu.

"Luoshu, where near Xunyang can I find the Essence of Five-Colored Mica?"

He divined once more, deliberately narrowing the scope to the vicinity of Xunyang. Otherwise, if it were somewhere at the ends of the earth, knowing its location would still be far too troublesome.

But after the expenditure just now, the energy stored within the Luoshu was already nearly exhausted. It had grown much dimmer, and after trembling for a while, it ultimately failed to produce that wisp of golden flame.

There wasn't enough energy again!

At that moment, Zhou Sheng keenly felt his own "poverty."

He had saved up energy for so long and been reluctant to use it, only to burn through it all at once. The Luoshu was useful, all right—it was just truly "expensive"!

Still, he was not overly anxious. After all, he had just taken the medicine, and his body needed time to adapt and digest it. Even if the Essence of Five-Colored Mica were placed before him now and the medicine prepared, he would not dare take it.

Clang—

As he pondered, the sound of a night watchman's gong seemed to faintly ring beside his ears.

Zhou Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils narrowing.

The red lantern hanging beside the bed had somehow already turned white. Even its light was deathly pale, exactly like the white lanterns used to mourn the dead.

He rose and lifted the lantern. Having sealed away his yang energy for so long, his body had become somewhat cold and stiff.

The lantern light fell across his pale face, giving it an eerie bluish tint.

If he put on a shroud as well, he would look exactly like a corpse that had just died.

He carried the lantern outside. The instant he opened the door, a gust of yin wind blew straight into his face, icy enough to pierce the bone. All around him was pitch-black and shrouded in mist.

At that moment, Yu Zhensheng emerged carrying a lantern as well.

"Stay close. This time, we are not walking the Yin-Yang Road, but it is even more perilous than the Yin-Yang Road."

With that, he headed forward. Within the black night, that tiny point of lantern light seemed as though it could be swallowed by the darkness at any moment.

Zhou Sheng hurried after him.

"Memorize the route. The first time, I will lead you through the door, but afterward, you will have to walk it yourself."

Yu Zhensheng spoke as he walked, offering his instructions.

"The wick in this lantern is made from whale oil. It can burn through the entire night without going out. Before dawn, you must return carrying the lantern. Otherwise, you will lose your way, and if you lose your way..."

"It will be very difficult to come back."

Hearing that, Zhou Sheng gripped the lantern in his hand even tighter. Walking through the deserted streets, he felt his scalp prickle.

There were no night watchmen, no patrolling soldiers. Even the gambling houses and brothels, which should have been liveliest at night, were utterly dark.

The entire Xunyang City had become deathly still. Though it was the very same place he had seen during the day, it now carried an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity.

"Xunyang is a very special place."

Yu Zhensheng suddenly said, "The Xunyang City you entered during the day is where the living reside. The one we are going to now is another Xunyang City. Those in the trade call it... Little Fengdu."

Little Fengdu?

Zhou Sheng took a deep breath, his heartbeat quickening beyond his control. Fengdu was the name of the underworld, the most famous Ghost City beneath the heavens.

Yet this other Xunyang City hidden in the night was actually called Little Fengdu. Its danger and terror were plain to see.

Sure enough, as the two continued onward, the yin energy around them grew heavier and heavier. At last, a sinister ancient city appeared ahead, with more than a dozen human-head lanterns hanging above its towering gates.

When Zhou Sheng and Yu Zhensheng approached, those human-head lanterns actually blinked.

The city gates stood wide open, their surfaces mottled with bloodstains. Two Soul-Calling Banners danced in the wind, seemingly carrying a soul-snaring power that made Zhou Sheng's head swim.

Fortunately, his magic power stirred, and he immediately regained clarity.

If an ordinary person stood here, their mind would be affected without them even realizing it.

Above the gates, the two ancient blood-red characters for Xunyang exuded an eerie aura. If one stared too long, the strokes seemed to flow, as though they could sense a person's gaze.

Zhou Sheng noticed that, aside from them, others were entering the city with lanterns as well. Yet obscured by the mist and lantern light, they could not be seen clearly.

"Do not use your Dharma Sight to look at others. That is the rule here."

Yu Zhensheng cautioned, "Most of them are headed for the Ghost Market in Little Fengdu. They have nothing to do with us."

"Ghost Market?"

"Yes. The Ghost Market is the core area of Little Fengdu, and also its most dangerous place. Do not go there in the future."

The two walked for a while longer and soon parted ways with those people.

Yet as they walked, Zhou Sheng suddenly noticed that many more travelers had appeared around them within the thin mist.

They wore black clothes, their gazes vacant. Though a large group was walking together, not a single footstep could be heard, nor did anyone speak.

These people seemed to be heading to the same place as him, each tightly clutching a note in their hands.

Perhaps it was only an illusion, but Zhou Sheng faintly smelled something scorched.

Just then, a ghostly voice drifted up beside his ear.

"Why is there no smell on you?"

"Did you... just die?"