Things have changed, and people are no longer the same.
On the streets of the capital, Mu Hongqing and his companion led their horses, looking around. The streets were eerily deserted, a stark contrast to their previous impressions. Although the capital city used to have a dry and cold climate, it was the center of the dynasty, attracting peddlers from all over the country, making the morning markets quite bustling. At this time of year, the breakfast vendors would have already been running around with their baskets. Now, however, the vast streets were completely deserted.
Only a few hotels had their lights on.
The two randomly chose an inn to stay at, ordered two servings of flatbread and meat porridge, and asked the waiter to bring them to their room. They also asked for a pot of liquor.
"You know, this is also a place teeming with spirits, so why is the climate in Jiangnan so comfortable, while it's so cold and damp here?" Liu Yu rubbed his hands together and asked.
"Even spirits can be divided into vengeful spirits and benevolent spirits. In Jiangnan, everyone lives so well. Even if someone dies unexpectedly, they still receive benefits in the Underworld. People's hearts are warm, so there is naturally no coldness or malevolence. But here? How many children's lives were lost at that Mother and Child Ghosts Temple? How many people died unjustly in secret? The evil spirits that linger here have all fought their way from the Yin-Yang Road. How can it have the atmosphere of Jiangnan?"
"Brother Mu has a very high opinion of Jiangnan."
"Anyone who goes there will have a high opinion of it." Mu Hongqing picked up his wine cup, took a sip of liquor, and said, "If the whole world could become like Jiangnan, the malevolent energy in the world would be reduced by at least half."
"But this isn't good for those in power," Liu Yu said, looking out the window with a melancholy gaze. "The resentment is key to the Earth Spirit Revival. In this world, those in power live on the suffering of the lower classes. If the majority of people no longer suffer, where will their joy come from?"
" Chen Qing is too idealistic; he's making enemies of all the terrifying beings in the world!"
"If that's the case, why did the Duke still come to help Chen Qing?" Mu Hongqing asked curiously, putting down his wine cup.
"I owe Ziyue a favor, and I have to repay it." Duke of Song smiled and put down his wine cup, "Just this once, and from now on, we'll be even."
"I see." Mu Hongqing nodded. "Then what does the Duke need me to do? Now you can tell me, right?"
"Have you heard of the Four Great Ghost Kings?" Liu Yu asked instead of answering.
"I've learned a bit about it." Mu Hongqing nodded. "The great families have records that when ancient times arrived, Yin and Yang were out of balance. The vengeful spirits squeezed out of the Yin-Yang Road would swarm into the human world. That was their only chance to return to the mortal realm. And the four most terrifying monsters that came from the Yin-Yang Road were the Four Great Ghost Kings. They were all terrifying beings who almost led vengeful spirits to devour the human world."
"The one who cooperated with the Xiao Household was none other than Ghost King Xiang."
"I've heard about that too," Mu Hongqing said with a smile. " King Xiang, the youngest Ghost King, but also the Ghost King with the best battle record. It's said to be the only Ghost King who almost conquered the Central Plains. Our Emperor has certainly partnered with an extraordinary figure."
" King Xiang is incredibly brave, but his foundation is weak." Mu Hongqing drew a circle on the table. " The Yin-Yang Road is the same size as the Yang Realm. The evil spirits within are divided into factions, and for countless years they have been in utter chaos, constantly attacking each other. The Ghost King who emerge from this struggle are beings who have accumulated power over countless years, with the most loyal followers. But King Xiang is different. He relies on his personal bravery, and his subordinates are all unruly, newly born evil spirits. The reason they submit to King Xiang is because King Xiang is too powerful. But such evil spirits, given the chance, will devour their master!"
"Your Excellency, the Duke, seem to know a lot about the Yin-Yang Road."
"After all, there are places I can go that you can't," Duke of Song said with a smile.
Back then, he explored various ancient places with A Li and the others, and learned about many long-forgotten secrets. Although the Yin-Yang Road is mysterious, for the successor of Evening Elephant, no matter how mysterious the place is, he can go there.
"I'm suddenly a little envious of the Duke's magical techniques," Mu Hongqing said with a smile. "I've always thought you were the freest person in the world."
"Freedom?" Liu Yu was taken aback, then shook his head with amusement. "Freedom. What freedom do the weak have?"
"That's true." Mu Hongqing nodded, and stopped talking about that, asking about the important matter, "What business does the Duke have here?"
"Stop an ancient force from occupying the capital."
"Ancient forces? What are they?"
"It's that's been chasing me and Ziyue!"
"Huh?" Mu Hongqing was taken aback. He had never expected the other party to say such a thing. Was there really something in this world that was relentlessly pursuing Duke of Song and Lord Ziyue? Was that true?
"Ever since I obtained the Evening Elephant Technique, I've been on the run from pursuers," Liu Yu laughed. "At first, I thought they were looking for Ziyue, but later I realized that even without Ziyue, they would never let me go."
"Chasing after a Evening Elephant Sorcerer? Those people are really audacious. Aren't they afraid of retaliation?"
"The prerequisite for revenge is that you know who the other person is."
"You don't know?" Mu Hongqing looked at the other person in surprise.
"Even now, I'm not entirely sure what they are," Liu Yu said with a wry smile. "Zi Ziyue and I investigated for a very long time. The mystery surrounding that group is beyond your imagination. The only clue is that they started their scheme during the Warlock Dynasty. Later, I joined the King of Qin, thinking that with King of Qin knowledge, he would surely be able to find the origins of that group. But that wasn't the case. We can only guess that they belong to some kind of ancient force, and then I began planning for the ancient times."
"I want to know the truth. I don't want to be kept in the dark, but the deeper I dig, the more terrified I become. My knowledge of this world is beyond anything you can imagine, yet even so, I still haven't found out who those mysterious guys are!"
Yes, the more Liu Yu knew, the more fortunate he felt to have survived until now. He even knew the general outline of the Genesis of this world and the so-called Data City through his good apprentice, but he still didn't know what those guys were.
The four rulers who once controlled this world were kept in the dark; that hidden force in the shadows was something he wanted to eradicate immediately.
Just as Ziyue said, there will be no peaceful sleep until they are eradicated!
"Since you don't have any intelligence, what will you use to deal with them this time?" Mu Hongqing asked doubtfully. "And judging from your tone, that force is probably incredibly powerful. What can the two of us do?"
"Whether we can do anything or not, we'll have to wait and see. Now that force is finally baring its fangs and coming into the open, I've been scared for so many years, I should at least come out and take a look, right?"
"Is it related to the Celestial Master Mansion?" Mu Hongqing guessed cleverly.
He had heard about the Celestial Master Assembly, and even his prized disciple Chen Ying had participated. He had some suspicions that Cloud Capital, who had always kept a low profile, was making such a big move. Cloud Capital was definitely not simple, but he hadn't expected it to be this exaggerated.
" The Celestial Master Mansion's Mansion is descended from the Warlock Dynasty, so of course it's inseparable from them. From the moment they invited all the leaders of various forces, I knew that those people were finally about to make their move."
"Right now, the Xiao Household's most relied-upon force is King Xiang's ghost soldiers. If they want to control the capital and completely overthrow its power, they must start with them," Mu Hongqing speculated. "So, they'll attack King Xiang's subordinates? That's why you mentioned the Four Great Ghost Kings earlier, right?"
"Yes!" Mu Hongqing said in a low voice, "I suspect that King Xiang's subordinates have been infiltrated, and I suspect that one of the Four Great Ghost Kings has been won over by that force. Because it's impossible to take down King Xiang's entire army with just an inside agent. But now, King Xiang's elites have been lured to the border, far from the Capital. If they collude with outsiders at this time, they have a good chance. After all, that Mother and Child Ghosts Temple has one major weakness!"
"The weakness of the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple?" Mu Hongqing's eyes lit up immediately. "What is it?"