Gu Zhao had finally spotted the crux of it, and he also realized what had felt wrong earlier.
The three Golden Wind Sect ghosts who had attacked today were roughly as strong as the black-clad ghost that had chased the white fox that day. Moreover, each of them seemed to have a Magic Artifact on hand.
Meanwhile, the Golden Wind Sect Divine Maiden he had killed just after crossing over had been the weakest of them all, slain by a single Palm Thunder.
But!
The black-clad ghost had possessed no Magic Artifact. Although these three ghosts had wielded Magic Artifacts, aside from the four metal bracelets, both the wooden cane and the red gauze ribbon had been destroyed by his lightning.
Yet compared to those fragile Magic Artifacts, the wooden carving he had taken from the Golden Wind Sect Divine Maiden back then remained completely intact. Through his soul sense, he could also tell that the energy contained within it was far richer than that of those three Magic Artifacts.
If he had never seen this world's magical treasures and Magic Artifacts, it would have been one thing. But now that he had, and after connecting it to what had happened that day, Gu Zhao had instinctively felt that something was off.
Now that he had heard the white fox's explanation, the whole matter became crystal clear.
He had accidentally killed the Golden Wind Sect Divine Maiden passing through the village, taken that wooden carving—their incense idol—and sent it over to Blue Star, after which he had simply ignored it.
The black-clad ghost investigating the matter had discovered the white fox at the Golden Wind Sect's base in Xiu Yue County. A misunderstanding had led to a relentless pursuit, and Gu Zhao had happened to run into them and kill the ghost. Thus, from the Golden Wind Sect's perspective, it instead confirmed that the white fox had stolen the idol and slain the black-clad ghost.
At that thought, Gu Zhao looked at the white fox with a trace of embarrassment.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Bai Ke misunderstood Gu Zhao's gaze and bared her teeth. "I'm not a thief. I never stole their incense idol. That thing has already been infused with the Golden Wind Sect Master's curse. If I dared use it, wouldn't I become his puppet?"
Gu Zhao nodded reflexively, then pointed at the white fox. "You said yourself that you went there to mooch off their incense offerings."
"That was scattered, ownerless incense and fire!" Bai Ke's tail puffed up as she snapped. "There was only a tiny little bit!"
"Fine, then what exactly is this incense idol?" Gu Zhao asked tentatively.
Bai Ke looked at Gu Zhao as though she were looking at an idiot.
This time, Gu Zhao understood the white fox's look. His left hand formed another Heavenly Thunder Seal.
"The Golden Wind Sect Master was originally an evil ghost. Later, he encountered a fortunate opportunity and began preaching in several counties around Changping Prefecture. He built altars, erected idols, gathered the Incense and Fire Thought Power of believers, then absorbed the power of incense from the idols to nourish his soul, strengthen his divine nature, and increase his godhood," Bai Ke explained.
Gu Zhao nodded slightly, his expression unchanged.
He could understand every word, and he roughly grasped the meaning, but he still felt vaguely muddled.
"They preach in Changping Prefecture and absorb their believers' incense offerings. By rights, shouldn't they keep the region safe? But they look like an evil cult to me!" Gu Zhao thought of what those ghosts had said and what they had actually done. They did not treat people as people at all. "Doesn't the Imperial Court do anything?"
"The Imperial Court? It's merely the nominal overlord. Even the Profound Might Divine Sect, which protects the nation, is nearly driven out of the lands south of the Myriad Spirits River. Few from the Spiritual Court, which patrols the realm, ever come here either. It would already be fortunate if three of the Eight Prefectures of Jiangzhou still obeyed the Imperial Court's orders," Bai Ke said with a curl of her lip.
Gu Zhao nodded as if he understood, but did not ask any questions for fear of exposing his ignorance.
Still, several conclusions could be drawn from the white fox's words.
First, the Profound Might Divine Sect and the Spiritual Court were likely forces under the Imperial Court.
Second, the realm was probably far from peaceful now, with local powers and Imperial Court forces locked in fierce open and covert struggles.
Third, Xiu Yue County belonged to Changping Prefecture, Changping Prefecture was one of the Eight Prefectures of Jiangzhou, and it lay south of the Myriad Spirits River, where the Imperial Court's forces were at a disadvantage.
Fourth...
Gu Zhao asked, "Since the Golden Wind Sect needs believers to provide incense offerings, why are they still so unscrupulous, treating human lives like grass?"
"The Golden Wind Sect Master calls himself the Golden Wind Divine King, but he's really just an evil god who obtains incense offerings by deceiving believers." Bai Ke spoke disdainfully. "Naturally, the ghost gods under him are no good either."
Gu Zhao understood. It was the standard template for evil cults. Every world was much the same: a compassionate face that claimed to save the suffering for outsiders, while beneath it lay rot and depravity beyond imagining.
Of course, neither the Profound Might Divine Sect nor the Spiritual Court had anything to do with Gu Zhao right now. What he cared about was whether the Golden Wind Sect would find this mountain village again.
"When I was discovered by a Golden Wind Sect protector, he identified me and captured a wisp of my aura." Bai Ke shrank her neck. "But these three protectors already came here carrying my aura. They'll never be able to find me again."
"That black-clad ghost, and these three ghosts, were all Golden Wind Sect protectors?" Gu Zhao asked.
Bai Ke nodded repeatedly. "The Golden Wind Sect has one Great Sect Master, two Divine Consorts, and eight protectors."
Gu Zhao teased Bai Ke. "You know quite a lot."
"Because all of them were made into idols and placed on the Golden Wind Sect's altars for people to worship," Bai Ke said as though it were perfectly natural.
Gu Zhao was speechless. "Worshiping the liv—wait, no, they're already dead... Wait, that's not right either. Since they're dead, why don't they go to the underworld?"
Bai Ke looked at Gu Zhao. "What is the underworld?"
Gu Zhao fell silent.
Although this world looked very much like ancient Tianxia, it was actually different in many ways. For instance, it clearly had no Daoists, and now it seemed there was no underworld either.
"When people die and become ghosts, do they all just wander the world of the living?" Gu Zhao asked.
Bai Ke once again looked at Gu Zhao with an utterly strange expression. This time, before Gu Zhao could form a Heavenly Thunder Seal, she immediately answered, "Ordinary people's souls disperse when they die. Even spellcasters and us demons are no exception. Only those with extremely deep obsessions or resentment, or those empowered by divine power, can become ghosts.
"Originally, aside from a few scattered wild ghosts, only those blessed by the Profound Might Divine Sect could become ghosts. They would then cultivate through the incense offerings of believers, stabilize their souls, and not only move about in daylight, but also remain unaffected in strength by the sun.
"Later, the Imperial Court weakened and ghosts and monsters sprang up everywhere. They set up altars, preached their doctrines, absorbed faith and incense offerings to become gods, and wielded divine power. That was how more ghost gods appeared in the world."
"So gods are ghosts?" Gu Zhao asked. That was rather similar to the legends of his own world. Even in the Investiture of the Gods, people had to die before becoming gods.
"Not necessarily. Some demons also cultivate the divine path, but only to assist their soul cultivation. Most of them mainly rely on their own demonic power. Only demons with frail true forms focus primarily on the divine path," Bai Ke explained.
"For example, I don't cultivate the divine path. At most, I absorb a little scattered incense and fire to nourish my soul." Bai Ke flicked her tail. "Originally, I never intended to find someone to form a pact with for cultivation, but then I met Xiuniang."
Without waiting for Gu Zhao to ask further, Bai Ke explained on her own, "A cultivation pact can only be formed between a human and a demon, or between a human and a ghost. If their souls are especially compatible, they can cultivate together through the pact. It benefits both sides, and the more compatible their souls are, the faster they cultivate."
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