Heavenly Change

"...Zhang San, born blind, unable to speak, suffered the punishment of nose amputation shortly after. Origin: Tu Prefecture, Great Li Dynasty... Lifespan: fifteen years, eight months, and four days. Drowned at the hour of the rabbit."

"...Li Si, missing eyes, missing tongue, lame leg. Origin: Tu Prefecture, Great Li Dynasty... Lifespan: seven years and six days. Died prematurely at the hour of the dragon."

"...Wang Wu, missing all five senses, crippled. Origin: Tu Prefecture, Great Li Dynasty... Lifespan: eighteen years, one month, and two days. Drowned at the third quarter of the hour of the monkey."

"..."

The text on the Life and Death Book began to appear line by line. As Zheng Que watched, he suddenly noticed that the lifespan listed after his own name had changed.

The original "sixteen years, seven months, and three days" had become "sixteen years, seven months, and ten days."

His lifespan had increased by seven days!

Zheng Que was stunned at first, but then he realized: the lifespan he had initially seen on the Life and Death Book was not his true lifespan, but his Dao Entry Tribulation!

If he had not survived the Dao Entry Tribulation just now, then the hour of the pig tonight would have been the end of his life!

But now, having slain the Call-Sound Ghost and passed the Dao Entry Tribulation, his remaining lifespan had changed accordingly.

However, he was currently free of illness and disease, feeling full of vigor. Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for his lifespan to be only seven days. This meant that in seven days, another tribulation awaited him...

Thinking of this, Zheng Que frowned. Just then, the text continuously appearing on the Life and Death Book finally stopped.

These newly appeared entries corresponded to thirty-five names in total, all from Tu Prefecture of the Great Li Dynasty. None of them had a lifespan exceeding twenty years.

Furthermore, all thirty-five of these people were disabled; if one were to add up their intact facial features, they wouldn't even total thirty-five.

He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but Zheng Que felt that after the records of these thirty-five people appeared, the Life and Death Book seemed to have undergone some kind of change, yet upon closer inspection, he could find no difference.

Just as he wanted to study it further, the surrounding scene rippled like water. In the blink of an eye, the grand hall faded away, and he was back in his room in the small town.

Looking at the familiar room before him, Zheng Que immediately noticed that the wounds on his chest and arms had completely healed. The edges of the wounds had drawn together, leaving behind scars, though his clothes were tattered and ragged like a fishing net, hanging on him and making him look quite disheveled.

He touched the wound on his face; it was smaller and had already scabbed over.

Beyond that, he felt his body brimming with energy, and his sensory perception had become much sharper. It seemed he had received an all-around improvement.

Since it was still night and he was worried about further accidents, Zheng Que immediately sat on the bed and continued his cultivation.

As his mind sank into the circulation of his technique, everything around him faded, and a cold current wrapped in confusion rushed toward him.

Zheng Que closed his eyes slightly, sitting cross-legged on the bed, motionless.

Outside the window, the cold moon shone eerily. The entire town was deathly silent, without a single human voice or dog bark.

Time passed slowly. The moon sank in the west, the sun gradually rose, and daylight returned to the earth.

When the sky was completely bright, Zheng Que stopped his cultivation. He looked around and, sensing nothing amiss, got out of bed, put on his shoes, ate some dry rations, and changed into a clean set of clothes before immediately heading out toward the dilapidated temple.

Along the way, the figures were sparse, each one gaunt and haggard in appearance.

As he walked, Zheng Que suddenly frowned. It seemed that none of the people he had seen on the road just now had shadows...

Lost in thought, he arrived at the entrance of the dilapidated temple. After confirming the distance between the hanging woman, the tree shadows, and the threshold, he pressed himself against the side wall and cautiously stepped inside.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds. The coffins from yesterday had already been removed, and the crushed blades of grass had returned to an upright position.

The temple door opened, and daylight spilled in, illuminating Daoist Qu, who sat cross-legged beneath the shrine. His eyes were half-closed, and he remained motionless.

Zheng Que stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Disciple greets Master!"

Hearing this, Daoist Qu opened his eyes. He scanned the injuries on Zheng Que's body, nodded slightly, and said, "Not bad."

"Being able to survive the Dao Entry Tribulation shows that your fortune is sufficient."

"Today, what I am going to pass on to you is a technique."

Hearing this, Zheng Que felt a surge of joy. He hurriedly bowed respectfully once more and said, "Thank you, Master! This disciple will certainly practice with diligence and will not fail your teachings!"

Daoist Qu's expression remained indifferent, showing no reaction to his pledge. He simply continued, "Before I pass on the technique, there are some common truths you must first understand."

"Last night, in your battle with the Call-Sound Ghost, did you notice any issues?"

Issues?

Zheng Que thought for a moment and immediately replied, "Reporting to Master, the Call-Sound Ghost seemed to have no physical form."

"Ordinary punches and kicks could not touch it, let alone cause it any harm."

"Only by coming into contact with a cultivator's blood could one directly attack it."

Daoist Qu nodded gently and said, "Before the Great Change, the yin and yang were distinct, and the paths of the living and the dead were separate; there were not so many calamities in the human world."

"But in this current world, 'ghosts' run rampant, 'evil spirits' are as numerous as the hairs on an ox, 'wicked karmas' emerge one after another, 'monstrosities' are a common sight, and there are countless other miscellaneous wandering ghosts..."

"The Call-Sound Ghost you encountered during your Dao Entry Tribulation is one type of 'ghost'."

"Generally speaking, a 'ghost' is formed when the twisted resentment of anywhere from dozens to millions of people who have died merges together, condenses, and refuses to dissipate."

"In the past, cultivators who had passed the Dao Entry Tribulation possessed a body bursting with yang energy, like a roaring bonfire in the darkness, and could directly harm these 'ghosts'. But in this current world, the qi that cultivators absorb during their training is more yin than spiritual energy."

"This imbalance of yin and yang is the problem you encountered last night."

"However, since you are a cultivator, no matter how much yin energy you absorb, your essence remains that of a cultivator."

"The spiritual blood within your body still contains the energy of extreme yang..."

Zheng Que listened intently, and soon, a thought occurred to him.

"Is the Call-Sound Ghost composed of the lingering resentment of many deceased people?"

After he dealt with the Call-Sound Ghost last night, thirty-five names had appeared on the Life and Death Book.

Were those thirty-five people the source of the resentment that formed the Call-Sound Ghost?

Furthermore, while he had indeed absorbed a great deal of yin energy during his cultivation, that energy had ultimately been sucked away by the Life and Death Book.

Logically speaking, his constitution should not be much different from the cultivators before the Great Change.

So why did he still have to rely on spirit blood to injure the Call-Sound Ghost?

While he was lost in thought, Zheng Que heard Daoist Qu continue, "Today, I will teach you a technique called the Ghost Controlling Technique."

"This technique can command ordinary wandering ghosts and spirits to serve your own purposes."

"Cultivators with profound cultivation can even use this technique to enslave 'specters'."

"I will demonstrate this only once."

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