Yin Messenger

After Qing Li's cultivation reached the fifth level of Tongue-Pulling Hell, the growth rate of her Yin Energy slowed down significantly, and the howling Yin wind in the hall gradually subsided.

Soon, the Yin Energy surrounding the Female Hanging Ghost dissipated, and the commotion in the great hall began to die down. The black smoke retracted, revealing her figure; her cultivation had finally settled at the fifth level of Tongue-Pulling Hell.

Watching this, Zheng Que immediately understood. Of the seven ghosts Qing Li had slain this time, four had been dispatched quickly, but three had been difficult to handle, and Qing Li herself had clearly been injured.

Those three ghosts must have all been at the fourth level of Tongue-Pulling Hell!

Thinking of this, he nodded slightly and prepared to bestow an Imperial Edict upon Qing Li, but after a moment of serious consideration, he suddenly felt it was inappropriate.

A Yin Messenger was merely the lowest Yin Profession in the Underworld, essentially a bottom-tier petty official.

Did he, the dignified Lord of the Underworld, really need to personally intervene to appoint such a low-ranking official?

Wouldn't that make it obvious that his Underworld was nothing more than a small, empty workshop?

He could not use this Underworld identity to confer the title upon Qing Li!

With that thought, Zheng Que did not hesitate. Taking advantage of the moment Qing Li was kowtowing in gratitude, he directly used the Ghost Controlling Technique to draw her into his palm.

Immediately after, he stared at the black energy bubbling from his brow, waiting quietly.

As the last wisp of black energy was absorbed by the Life and Death Book, the surrounding scene shifted, and Zheng Que returned to reality.

The surroundings were pitch black, and the night outside the window was heavy.

Zheng Que opened his palm and released Qing Li.

Upon realizing she had returned to reality, Qing Li didn't waste a second. She spoke directly, "Human brat, this lady is heading out!"

Zheng Que immediately said, "Wait a moment."

Hearing this, Qing Li looked at Zheng Que with dissatisfaction, seemingly very angry that this human brat was wasting her time.

Zheng Que looked at Qing Li, then extended two fingers and tapped his own brow.

As his Spirit Power circulated, a pattern resembling both a fish and an insect gradually emerged on his previously blank forehead. This pattern appeared to be a rune, filled with an ancient, weathered aura, exuding dense Yin Energy and profound mystery.

Upon seeing this pattern, the previously impatient Qing Li was suddenly invigorated.

She could sense very clearly that this ancient, complex symbol contained vast Yin Energy and mysteries. Her deep-seated instincts told her that this symbol held immense benefits for her!

At this moment, Zheng Que said with a serious expression, "This is an Imperial Edict."

"It can confer the title of Yin Messenger of the Underworld upon a ghost."

Before Qing Li could speak, he continued, "When I was unconscious just now, I had a dream. A voice in the dream told me that I am the Person of Destiny, burdened with a mission, and that I must endure countless tribulations before I can achieve a righteous result and attain the status of an immortal god."

"This Imperial Edict is what that voice bestowed upon me."

Hearing this, Qing Li snapped back to reality. That nonsense about being a Person of Destiny, carrying a mission, and attaining the path of immortals and gods... she didn't believe a single word of it!

After all, she was the true Ghost of Destiny, carrying a ghost's fate, destined to attain the path of ghost gods...

These flowery words were surely just this human brat being shameless and gilding his own lily!

However, that Imperial Edict—that looked like the real deal.

Thinking of this, Qing Li immediately said, "Then what are you waiting for, you human brat? Why don't you hurry up and bestow the edict upon this lady?"

Seeing that Qing Li was clearly asking for a favor yet still calling him a human brat at every turn, Zheng Que's face darkened. But he quickly calmed himself.

He was all alone right now; letting Qing Li have the upper hand in words was no big deal.

As long as she worked harder at slaying ghosts from here on out, everything would be fine!

Zheng Que stopped wasting time. He pointed his fingers at his own glabella, then channeled his spiritual energy. A wisp of pitch-black, incredibly pure Yin Energy was instantly drawn out from between his brows.

This wisp of Yin Energy condensed into a solid form, like a dormant seed hovering at his fingertips. It writhed rapidly for a moment before transforming into an ancient, weathered symbol.

Qing Li stared intently at the symbol, a look of intense longing surging in her crimson eyes.

At that moment, following the information that had appeared in his mind earlier, Zheng Que tapped gently toward Qing Li.

The next instant, the symbol turned into a streak of ghostly light, whistling as it imprinted itself into Qing Li's glabella.

Qing Li stood motionless, her gaze dazed. In the blink of an eye, a pattern resembling both a worm and a bird appeared on her forehead. Her Yin Energy rapidly expanded and collapsed, expanded and collapsed; after several cycles, it finally stabilized. The Yin Energy had become refined and pure, as if it had undergone some sort of qualitative change.

Her original plain, thin, and soft white dress also quietly transformed: the fabric became heavier and crisper, and symmetrical floral patterns appeared on the plain surface. Two-inch-wide black borders emerged on the lapels and cuffs. The entire white dress seemed to have shifted from casual wear to an official uniform, looking much more solemn.

Beyond that, a green silk cord appeared at her waist, hanging a small token. The token was pure black, radiating a cold and chilling aura, with the word "Service Token" engraved upon it in ancient script.

After a long while, Qing Li gradually regained her senses, and the worm-bird pattern on her forehead slowly faded away.

The Female Hanging Ghost was no longer a semi-transparent entity. Even up close, she appeared full-fleshed, with hair like a waterfall neatly tied atop her head with a white ribbon and secured with a wooden hairpin. Dressed in a white, satin-like gown, she stood with her sleeves gathered, looking tall and serene. The sinister, ghostly chill that came from a long-lived spirit had vanished without a trace. Apart from her pale skin and still-crimson eyes, she was no different from a living person.

Feeling the earth-shaking changes in her own strength, Qing Li laughed triumphantly. She spread her arms, admiring her current attire and accessories, and praised, "Human brat, not bad."

"This lady is very satisfied this time!"

Seeing Qing Li acting as if a master were praising a Ghost Servant, Zheng Que smiled slightly, planning to make this Ghost Servant kowtow a few hundred more times once they entered the Underworld tomorrow.

He then asked, "Now that you are a Yin Messenger, what is different from before?"

"Do you have any new abilities?"

Qing Li was in high spirits, and upon hearing this, she replied with a smile without the slightest hesitation: "The Yin Profession of a Yin Messenger allows this lady to sense all other ghosts within the Tongue-Pulling Hell, regardless of what methods those ghosts use to hide their aura."

"Furthermore, this lady can directly see the techniques of these ghosts and seal one of them."

"Besides that, from now on, the souls of all living beings killed by this lady will fall directly into the Under... into another world. The same goes for the Yin Energy of any ghosts killed by this lady."