After Qing Li left, Zheng Que immediately began cultivating.
As wisps of spiritual energy were drawn into his body, his cultivation slowly improved.
Time trickled by. Soon, Zheng Que opened his eyes to the familiar sight of the dilapidated Wide Hall.
He looked at the [Life and Death Book] before him.
After he had killed those four Water Ghosts yesterday, there had been forty-two names in the [Life and Death Book].
Then Qing Li had gotten a taste of the benefits, and gone out again that night to kill six more ghosts.
He didn't know what level of cultivation those six ghosts had possessed, but the names recorded in the [Life and Death Book] now numbered forty-eight.
He hoped Qing Li would work hard over the next two days and carry her master...
As he thought, Zheng Que kept his eyes fixed on the [Life and Death Book], waiting for a new name to appear.
However, unlike last night, this time he waited a long while. It wasn't until the black qi rising from between his brows had grown extremely faint that an unfamiliar name finally appeared in the [Life and Death Book].
"...Cai Daniu. Native place: Changfu Town, Taiping County, Tu Prefecture, Great Li Dynasty. Lifespan: twenty-three years, eight months, and sixteen days. Died by self-immolation at the third quarter of Xu Hour."
This was the forty-ninth name.
Zheng Que was suddenly a little confused. Qing Li's efficiency had dropped quite a bit today...
As he wondered about it, the last wisp of black qi between his brows sank into the [Life and Death Book].
Just as Zheng Que thought he would return to reality like before, great surges of ink-black yin energy suddenly poured from the [Life and Death Book] before him. The energy was dense and concentrated, churning and spreading like a vast sea of clouds. In the blink of an eye, it rose into the air and stretched across half the Wide Hall, like an upside-down ocean of ink.
Before Zheng Que could think it through, the dark clouds of yin energy rapidly contracted and shifted, forming a strange symbol that looked like an insect or a fish. It hovered directly above the [Life and Death Book].
The symbol resembled some ancient script, carrying an air of age and antiquity. It also looked like intertwined, winding vines, conveying wisps of the aura of the laws of nature.
Zheng Que froze. Before he could figure out what was happening, the ancient symbol hovering above the [Life and Death Book] suddenly turned into a streak of black light and shot into the space between his brows like lightning!
The next moment, Zheng Que felt as if his head had exploded. A terrible pain struck him, and it was as if he'd fallen into an ice cellar, the chill piercing to his bones.
As his consciousness blurred, an unfamiliar piece of information seemed to appear in his mind...
In a daze, he had no idea how much time passed before a familiar voice reached his ears. "Human brat, get up!"
Hearing that voice, Zheng Que immediately came to his senses and hurriedly opened his eyes. All he saw was darkness. He had returned to reality and was lying on the floor of the inner room.
Outside the back window, the sky had grown dim. It was completely dark now, and he seemed to have been unconscious on the floor for some time.
Qing Li swung back and forth from the beam. The yin energy around her had thinned considerably, and she was still swaying slightly. Her body had grown much more indistinct; she had clearly been through a fierce battle.
Seeing Zheng Que wake up, Qing Li said, deeply displeased, "You human brat are truly useless. You can get into trouble even when cultivating by yourself."
"If your great-aunt hadn't come back in time, who knows how long you'd have lain there?"
"Your great-aunt needs to rest now. You human brat, make sure you guard me properly!"
At her words, Zheng Que furrowed his brow, but didn't argue with Qing Li. Instead, he carefully recalled the unfamiliar information that had appeared in his mind...
The ancient, timeworn symbol that had appeared in the Underworld Space was an "Imperial Edict"!
It could confer titles upon ghosts!
It had formed because the [Life and Death Book] had recorded enough names and condensed one.
Imperial Edicts came in different grades. A high-grade edict could confer a higher-ranking Yin Profession in the Underworld; a low-grade edict could only confer a lower-ranking Yin Profession.
An edict's grade depended on the yin energy absorbed by the [Life and Death Book].
While recording enough names, the more yin energy the [Life and Death Book] absorbed, the higher the grade of the edict it eventually condensed, and the higher the Yin Profession it could confer.
The Imperial Edict he had just obtained contained extremely weak yin energy. At present, it could only confer the lowest-ranking Yin Messenger in the Underworld.
As for what a Yin Messenger could do?
He wouldn't know until he used the Imperial Edict.
Thinking this over, Zheng Que took a deep breath. This was a new function of the [Life and Death Book]: for every forty-nine names it recorded, it could condense an Imperial Edict.
The yin energy that the [Life and Death Book] siphoned from between his brows whenever he cultivated was the energy it used to condense Imperial Edicts.
He had always thought that the names in the [Life and Death Book] served only to let him foresee his own death.
But now it seemed that Imperial Edicts were the most important purpose of recording names in the [Life and Death Book]!
No!
Who knew how many other secrets were hidden in the [Life and Death Book]?
It was too early to draw that conclusion.
As his thoughts raced, Zheng Que looked up again at Qing Li, hanging from the beam.
Qing Li was the only Ghost Servant he had.
This Imperial Edict could only be given to Qing Li.
With that thought, Zheng Que immediately used the [Ghost Controlling Technique] to draw Qing Li into his palm.
Then he immediately began cultivating.
As the [Life Planting Technique] circulated, Zheng Que entered the Underworld once more.
Everything here was as it had always been.
He looked at the [Life and Death Book] spread open before him. Forty-nine names sat quietly on its pages.
Without hesitation, Zheng Que used the [Ghost Controlling Technique] and released Qing Li.
A streak of blood-red light shot out and landed below the hall, transforming into a Female Hanging Ghost with white clothes and black hair.
As before, when Qing Li appeared, her expression was vacant and her eyes unfocused. She stood motionless.
Seizing the opportunity, Zheng Que immediately displayed the "Command Character" in his palm and pointed it at Qing Li.
A great deal of yin energy converged from all directions, circling Qing Li and continuously pouring into her body.
As her long hair whipped about, Qing Li quickly regained her wits. When she realized she had arrived in the Underworld, delight first crossed her face. Then she hurriedly knelt and kowtowed respectfully. "This humble woman pays her respects to Your Excellency!"
"Many thanks for Your Excellency's grace! Your Excellency sees all with perfect clarity, is noble and upright, impartial and just, steadfast in righteousness, and as clear as a polished stone..."
Seated high above, Zheng Que remained silent, just as he had the last two times. He simply watched Qing Li.
This time, Qing Li's yin energy grew at an astonishing pace. Before long, she had reached the peak of the fourth level of Tongue-Pulling Hell.
Yet even then, her yin energy did not stop growing. It continued climbing, level by level.
Watching this, Zheng Que stared in surprise. The increase in Qing Li's yin energy had already surpassed what Old Lady Zhao had gained that time!
If nothing unexpected happened, at least two of the seven ghosts Qing Li had killed this time had been at the fourth level of Tongue-Pulling Hell or higher!
Just as he was thinking this, yin energy surged around Qing Li, and she suddenly shot upward. In an instant, its intensity rose another level, billowing like black smoke until it nearly swallowed her whole.
Fifth level of Tongue-Pulling Hell!
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