"Great Netherworld Scripture"

"No money? So you're a broke ghost too!" Li Yichen jumped up at once, unable to stop himself from grumbling inwardly, If you're broke, what have you been babbling on about?

"I heard you earlier," Li Yichen said casually. "You said you're some kind of 'Ghost Emperor' now. Sounds pretty impressive. Surely you can afford this little bit of money?"

Li Yichen's words nearly choked the mighty Ghost Emperor to death. His face alternated between red and white.

For a thousand years, he had devoted himself entirely to cultivation. Although he had risen to become a Ghost Emperor, he was, just as Li Yichen had said, a thoroughly broke ghost.

Only with great effort did he suppress the urge to slap him. "My ambition lies in the Heavenly Dao. Gold and silver are no more than dung to me. Money... forget about it."

"Oh..." Li Yichen's head immediately drooped.

Then the two stared at each other, both looking utterly miserable.

The Ghost Emperor Haoran was overwhelmed with worries. Even a hero could be brought low by a single missing penny. Now he understood: even a mighty Ghost Emperor was still a broke ghost without money.

Finally, he could stand it no longer. He smacked Li Yichen and glared at him. "You little brat, I'm doing this for you! Can't you think of something?"

Li Yichen felt terribly wronged. "How is it my fault you're broke?"

Then something seemed to occur to him, and he ventured, "Well, there might be another way..."

"What way? Hurry up and tell me!" The Ghost Emperor Haoran was instantly delighted.

"You know, people with real abilities can make money easily no matter the circumstances, right?" Li Yichen kept glancing at him as he spoke.

"What are you looking at me for? Get on with it!" Another slap landed on his head.

"Oh." Li Yichen pursed his lips. "Why am I always the one getting hurt?" With no other choice, he continued, "Teach me some superpowers, like flying or walking through walls."

Then, blushing a little, he added, "X-ray vision would be even better."

"Those aren't superpowers. They're spells." The Ghost Emperor Haoran glanced at him. "You think you can have them just because you want them?"

"This won't work, that won't work. I'm out of ideas. Don't blame me if your family line dies out." Li Yichen spread his hands, ready to give up.

"You little brat, I ought to smack..." The Ghost Emperor Haoran was furious. He was about to give the brat a beating, but the thought of the dreadful consequences made him force himself to hold back.

After pondering for a while, he finally gritted his teeth. "How about I teach you a cultivation method?"

"A cultivation method?" Li Yichen's interest stirred. His eyes instantly lit up, and he asked, practically drooling, "Is it powerful?"

"Of course it is!" the Ghost Emperor Haoran declared with soaring confidence. "As long as you train diligently, you might reach my current realm one day."

"Are you really that powerful?" Li Yichen asked doubtfully. "Oh, right, what's a 'Ghost Emperor'? Who's stronger, you or the Black and White Impermanence?"

"Idiot! You don't even know that?" The Ghost Emperor Haoran rapped him on the head in displeasure. "I'm a Ghost Emperor now, on equal footing with the Ten Courts of Hell Kings. Who do you think is stronger?"

"You never told me. How was I supposed to know?" Li Yichen couldn't help muttering.

"So do you want to learn or not?" the Ghost Emperor Haoran asked impatiently.

"Yes, of course I do!" Li Yichen answered at once, then asked, "What's the cultivation method you practice called?"

"The method I practice is called the Great Netherworld Scripture. I stumbled upon it while traveling the continent back in the day," the Ghost Emperor Haoran said with some pride.

"If I practice this Great Netherworld Scripture thing, will I be on equal footing with the Ten Courts of Hell Kings in a thousand years too?" Li Yichen asked eagerly.

"Dream on!" The Ghost Emperor Haoran immediately gave him a disdainful look.

"But you said so!" Li Yichen protested at once. "If you could do it in a thousand years, why can't I?"

"Every one of the Ten Courts of Hell Kings is extraordinarily gifted, and they still had to cultivate for hundreds of thousands of years. You think you're better than them?" The Ghost Emperor Haoran rolled his eyes.

"So you're better than them? How come you managed it in just a thousand years?" Li Yichen promptly voiced his doubts.

"Heh heh. Haven't you ever wondered why offering incense in our Li Family is so complicated?" The Ghost Emperor Haoran smiled mysteriously.

Li Yichen's interest stirred. He had indeed wondered before, but he had never known the real reason. Puzzled, he asked, "Is there some secret behind it?"

"This incense-burning method is called Blood-Led Incense Burning. It came into being alongside the Great Netherworld Scripture and originated from ancient shamanic arts."

The Ghost Emperor Haoran continued slowly, "But it has its limitations. It only works for those of the same bloodline. Its effects, however, are heaven-defying. A single stick of incense grants the recipient of the offering a year's worth of cultivation."

Li Yichen's eyes instantly widened. "Isn't that cheating?" he exclaimed.

"What else would you call it?" the Ghost Emperor Haoran said matter-of-factly. "Cultivation already goes against heaven. Cheating is a kind of ability too."

"Fair enough." Then Li Yichen suddenly shuddered and said incredulously, "Doesn't that mean the more descendants you have, the faster you cultivate?"

"You're a quick learner." The Ghost Emperor Haoran nodded in satisfaction. "So, young man, feeling motivated to find a girlfriend now?"

"Absolutely!" Li Yichen said impatiently. "Hurry up and teach me!"

"No rush on that." The Ghost Emperor Haoran waved a hand. "I examined your body just now and discovered that you're a one-in-ten-thousand..."

"Genius?" Li Yichen cut in, instantly thrilled.

"Wrong. A hopeless dud." The Ghost Emperor Haoran curled his lip in disdain.

"You got it wrong. You must have! How could I be a hopeless dud? Why don't you take another good look?" Li Yichen immediately panicked. This concerned both the rest of his life and his happiness below the waist. How could he not panic?

"How could I possibly get it wrong?" The Ghost Emperor Haoran irritably tapped his head with his fan. "Don't get worked up yet. Naturally, I have a way to solve this problem."

"What way?" Li Yichen asked at once, staring at him in delight.

"I'm going to transform your body into a Netherworld Ghost Body. That way, you'll get twice the results with half the effort when cultivating the Great Netherworld Scripture," the Ghost Emperor Haoran said, gently waving his fan.

"I... I won't do it..." Li Yichen immediately shook his head like a rattle drum and said fearfully, "I don't want to become a ghost! How would I be any different from a eunuch? How am I supposed to pick up girls? No, absolutely not!"

"I'm only changing your constitution, not making you abandon your flesh. As long as you don't activate your powers, you'll be no different from an ordinary person," the Ghost Emperor Haoran said in displeasure. "Even if you were willing, I wouldn't be! Our Li Family is counting on you to carry on the line."

"Really?" Li Yichen was instantly overjoyed. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!"

"Sit cross-legged now," the Ghost Emperor Haoran commanded sharply. Then he turned his right hand over. A flash of white light passed, and a piece of Netherworld Soul Jade appeared in his hand.