Two Powers

As the words fell, a figure in white clothes with black hair instantly emerged beside Zheng Que, wrapped in thick Yin Energy. It was Qing Li.

Qing Li glanced at Zheng Que, nodded with great satisfaction, and said, "Human brat, you did well!"

"It is thanks to your dull aptitude, your unteachability, and your status as rotten wood that cannot be carved, that you finally managed to anger that old Daoist into leaving!"

"I am in a very good mood today, so I shall show mercy and cooperate with you, little brat, just this once!"

Zheng Que was already feeling somewhat irritable, and hearing this made him even more displeased.

However, he could not defeat her at the moment. If he really tried to teach this Female Hanging Ghost a lesson, the most likely outcome would be getting beaten up again.

How did he, a dignified Master of the Underworld, end up living so miserably?

Thinking of this, Zheng Que did not speak and began to practice the Spirit Descent Technique.

Under the guidance of the cultivation method, the spiritual power within his body began to circulate, and he formed strange hand seals one after another.

His master had just said that among the three techniques, the Spirit Descent Technique was the easiest.

Now that he was trying it himself, he quickly discovered that this technique was indeed surprisingly easy to practice!

Before long, he had completed most of the hand seals. The spiritual energy within his body circulated like a wheel, completely restraining all the Yang Energy in his body.

At this moment, Zheng Que changed his hand seal and opened the palm that had the character "Order" written on it.

Unlike the Ghost Controlling Technique, the Spirit Descent Technique did not require aiming the character at the Ghost Servant. Using the practitioner as a vessel, it could forcibly summon the practitioner's Ghost Servant back onto their own body.

The next moment, as if pulled by an invisible force, Qing Li drifted uncontrollably toward Zheng Que's palm.

Whoosh!

Qing Li immediately transformed into a streak of blood-red light and was sucked into Zheng Que's palm in an instant.

Following that, this streak of blood-red light did not stop at his palm but spread rapidly along his arm, his body...

Soon, Zheng Que's entire arm was covered in interlaced black and white patterns.

These patterns extended densely like roots, spreading to his neck in the blink of an eye and growing rapidly along the side of his neck.

Zheng Que felt his body growing colder and colder, his body temperature dropping rapidly, but the hand seals he was forming did not pause; instead, he accelerated the circulation of spiritual energy within his body.

At the same time, he clearly sensed that the power within his body began to climb steadily.

As Zheng Que performed the final hand seal, the patterns on the side of his neck seemed to finish gathering momentum, and a second head suddenly sprouted!

This head had a pale complexion and messy long hair, with a purple-black ligature mark on the chin, exuding a fierce and violent aura. It was none other than Qing Li!

The moment Qing Li's head appeared on Zheng Que's neck, his entire aura became extremely cold, yet his body felt as if it had been infused with immense power out of thin air. Every movement was filled with a sense of overwhelming strength, and he felt more powerful than ever before!

The Spirit Descent Technique has been successfully cultivated!

The entire temple felt as if it had plummeted into an ice cellar. The dense Yin Energy cast a black veil over the field of vision once more, making everything appear exceptionally gloomy and chilling.

Zheng Que stood in the open space. His face, neck, the backs of his hands—all the exposed skin was covered in a pattern of interlaced black and white. These patterns looked as if they had grown naturally; their shapes resembled both a web and roots. While they spread across his entire frame, they surged toward the side of his neck, clustering around the head of the Female Hanging Ghost.

The sight was terrifying and grotesque, far surpassing that of any demon or ghost.

Zheng Que's expression remained calm as he carefully sensed the changes in his own strength.

The head of Qing Li beside his own suddenly spoke: "Human brat, this technique of yours is quite interesting!"

"With this technique, you won't have to worry about that great... about the tribulation you face in three days, little brat."

"Alright, hurry up and put your head to sleep. Don't occupy this body; this lady needs to ponder this technique properly."

Hurry up and sleep?

Don't occupy the body?

Zheng Que chuckled. His master had said that the greatest risk of the Spirit Descent Technique was being backlashed by one's own Ghost Servant. In this situation, if it were an ordinary cultivator who had practiced this technique, hearing a Ghost Servant say such things would surely have terrified them.

But he was different. With his other identity in the Underworld, even if he were to punch Qing Li in the face right now, nothing would happen!

Of course, if he actually did that, Qing Li would definitely retaliate once the Spirit Descent Technique ended. Until his strength surpassed hers, he would have to endure for the time being.

Thinking of this, he retorted unceremoniously: "Enough talk! Am I the master, or are you?"

"Have you already forgotten how miserably you lost our last battle of master and servant?"

"Listen well, you low-level Ghost Servant: only a master can occupy a Ghost Servant's body to study their methods. No Ghost Servant can occupy a master's body, let alone study the master's techniques!"

Hearing this, Qing Li flew into a rage and immediately said: "You human brat, if you have the guts, fight me again!"

"This time, I'll beat you until you're missing teeth!"

"And don't you dare use the Ghost Controlling Technique..."

Hearing this, Zheng Que laughed. Since his current strength was inferior to Qing Li's, it was impossible for him to fight her again.

Of course, if they really did fight, he wouldn't just use the Ghost Controlling Technique; he would drag her into the Underworld and use his other identity to intimidate her into kowtowing and begging for mercy in the real world...

With that thought, Zheng Que ignored Qing Li. He tried moving his limbs and performed a few motions, discovering that apart from Qing Li's head, which remained outside his control, there was nothing unusual about the rest of his body.

Immediately after, he walked out of the dilapidated temple and threw a punch at the open space in the courtyard.

BOOM!!!

Amidst the deafening roar, sand and stones flew. The bluestone-paved ground was instantly smashed into a deep pit. Water bubbled up from within the crater, and gravel and sand rolled everywhere. The momentum was astonishing. The nearby households, which had previously shown some faint signs of life, seemed to have triggered some mechanism; after the loud noise, even the sound of their breathing vanished without a trace, as if Zheng Que were the only person left in the world.

Zheng Que brushed away the dust swirling toward his face and gazed into the deep pit, nodding slightly.

His current strength might have already reached the level of the second, or perhaps even the third, layer of Qi Refining.

However, compared to Qing Li's true form, there still seemed to be a gap.

This was likely because his physical body was too weak to unleash the full power of the Yin Energy within Qing Li.

Zheng Que then began to test his techniques. He quickly discovered that the area covered by his Yin Gathering Technique had more than doubled, and the Yin cloud generated by this technique provided a significant boost to his power.

He had no ghosts to test his Ghost Controlling Technique on for the time being, and the Spirit Eye Technique remained exactly as it was before, showing no changes at all.

Beyond that, he could now use all the methods Qing Li herself had mastered, and their power seemed even greater than when Qing Li used them herself!

It was just that his execution speed was not as fast as hers...

After further attempts and comparisons, Zheng Que finally gained a rough understanding of this technique.

During the Spirit Descent Technique, although the caster risked being backlashed by the Ghost Servant, they could simultaneously control both the cultivator's spiritual power and the ghost's Yin Energy!

Furthermore, apart from the Spirit Eye Technique and the Ghost Controlling Technique, all other spells and methods were enhanced to a certain degree.

It was just that his current application of Yin Energy was too raw, making his use of Qing Li's methods feel rather stiff.

To achieve the same level of proficiency as Qing Li, he would need much more practice...

Once he had clarified the situation, Zheng Que immediately cast a spell to deactivate the Spirit Descent Technique.

The next moment, Qing Li's head separated from Zheng Que's neck like a ripened fruit. In the blink of an eye, the black and white interwoven patterns peeled off his body and fell to the ground along with her head.

Zheng Que felt his body temperature rise rapidly, quickly returning to normal.

Seeing Qing Li lying on the ground without getting up, Zheng Que was taken aback and immediately asked, "Low-level Ghost Servant, what's wrong?"

Qing Li remained motionless, prostrate on the ground, her body trembling slightly. The Yin Energy on her flickered violently, like a candle flame buffeted by a strong wind. After a long while, she replied coldly, "Human brat, your technique consumes a great deal of this lady's Yin Energy!"

"This lady needs to rest now. Do not disturb me, you brat!"

With that, Qing Li finally rose slowly and drifted toward the withered old tree by the courtyard wall, soon hanging herself from its branches.

Watching this scene, Zheng Que realized that after the Spirit Descent Technique ended, the Ghost Servant would enter a period of weakness...