“Could it be that you actually know me, young friend?”
Seeing the undisguised shock written all over Lu Chen’s face,
Zhong Kui’s thick brows raised slightly, his bristling beard quivering, a hint of surprise creeping into his voice.
Ever since the mortal world had strictly forbidden private worship of deities,
over the past two or three centuries,
many household gods had long since faded from ordinary people’s view, gradually becoming nothing more than legends buried in old texts.
On His previous excursions to vanquish demons and uphold righteousness, He had occasionally encountered a few mortals, yet not a single one had been able to accurately state His title or origins.
Nor did they have any idea who Zhong Kui truly was.
Only when encountering those deeply cultivated spiritual practitioners of advanced age
would they have a passing familiarity with His deeds.
And yet this mortal youth before Him, barely over twenty by the look of him, could recognize Him at a single glance.
How could this not surprise Zhong Kui?
“Of course I know you! Your True Lord’s name thunders in my ears—who in this world hasn’t heard of you, who doesn’t know you!”
Lu Chen excitedly stepped forward and grabbed Zhong Kui’s hand.
If one were to rank the most famous deities across the Three Realms, Zhong Kui would undoubtedly place in the top ten.
Especially within the Daoist system, His status was particularly unique.
His prestige was probably second only to a few of the Great Heavenly Masters.
To Lu Chen at this moment, it was like a devoted fan finally coming face to face with an idol he had long admired from afar.
Hearing this, Zhong Kui stroked His beard and laughed heartily: “Haha! I never imagined that despite the changing times, there would still be such a brilliant young talent who recognizes me!”
Xie Qingyi and Fan Rusong exchanged a glance beside Him.
They had originally planned to introduce their general to the True Lord, but it turned out their general was already remarkably well-informed.
After a brief round of pleasantries, everyone took their seats.
“Young friend, could you let me have a look at the information on the victims?”
Zhong Kui set aside His smile and spoke seriously.
“Please, True Lord, take a look.”
Lu Chen spread several documents across the tea table.
Zhong Kui leaned in to examine them carefully, then murmured thoughtfully:
“Year of Renwu—zodiac Horse—Willow Wood destiny.”
“Year of Jichou—zodiac Ox—Thunderbolt Fire destiny.”
“Year of Guisi—zodiac Snake—Flowing Water destiny.”
“Year of Gengzi—zodiac Rat—Wall Earth destiny.”
“At this point, only one Sand Gold destiny is missing, and the five destinies will be complete.”
Lu Chen nodded and picked up the thread: “The Five Prisons Ascension Method requires not only the selection of five ‘human specters,’ but also the gathering of the five elemental destinies. What’s more, these destinies must also align with the Four Symbols rites.”
He counted on his fingers: “It requires [Yang Que]—that is, Extreme Yang; [Yin Que]—Extreme Yin; and the six pairings of [Lesser Yang Greater Yin], [Greater Yang Lesser Yin], [Greater Yang Greater Yin], and [Lesser Yang Lesser Yin].”
“Among the four we have now, we’ve got one [Yin Que], one [Lesser Yang Greater Yin], one [Greater Yang Lesser Yin], and one [Lesser Yang Lesser Yin].
We’re still missing one [Yang Que] and one [Greater Yang Greater Yin].”
“But Jiangdu has a population of millions—for the practitioner, finding the remaining two won’t be hard.
But for us, even narrowing down the search as much as possible leaves tens of thousands of matches.
If we only rely on the ‘human specter’ characteristics to investigate, it’s like trying to fish a needle out of the ocean—we’ll only waste precious time.”
The moment these words left Lu Chen’s mouth, not only did Zhong Kui’s eyes flash with keen interest, but even Xie Qingyi and Fan Rusong looked at him with astonishment.
“Young friend, you actually know this much about the ‘Five Prisons Ascension Method’?” Zhong Kui raised a thick brow, genuinely impressed.
“I wouldn’t dare hide it from you, True Lord.” Lu Chen cupped his hands in salute: “My ancestors passed down some secret arts, which I happened to discover, and among them was a record of this Five Prisons Ascension Method.”
Lu Chen continued to use his old excuse to brush it off.
“I see.” Zhong Kui nodded in understanding: “It seems your ancestors were quite well-off in their day.”
Zhong Kui had no reason to doubt this.
The mortal world was full of talented individuals with extraordinary abilities.
Secret arts passed down through generations weren’t exactly uncommon.
“Wow! Our general really knows a lot!” Xie Qingyi’s eyes sparkled with admiration.
But Fan Rusong keenly caught a contradiction: “General, that doesn’t quite add up. If only five human specters are needed, why are there six pairings?”
“That’s because, on top of the human specters, the ritual also requires finding a ‘fated person’—and that fated person corresponds to the final pairing.”
Zhong Kui stroked his beard and looked at Lu Chen with a smile: “Am I right, young friend?”
Lu Chen clasped his hands: “The True Lord is most perceptive! This technique is among the most sinister even within the category of Corpse-Immortal methods.
Unlike methods like Sword Release, Weapon Release, or Staff Release, which allow one to achieve Ghost Immortality through a single object,
this method requires five human specters to endure the torment of the Five Prisons, and the final step requires an outsider to carry out the execution.
And that executioner is the corpse-immortal aspirant’s ‘fated person.'”
He took a deep breath and continued: “This person’s destiny must align with the aspirant’s—meaning they must belong to either the [Yang Que] or [Greater Yang Greater Yin] pairing.
What’s more, the executioner must act willingly, taking on that karmic burden of their own accord—only then can the entire ritual be completed.”
“Whew!” Xie Qingyi drew in a sharp breath: “It sounds simple enough, but the conditions are incredibly strict!”
Fan Rusong immediately followed up: “General, what exactly do you mean by ‘sharing the karmic burden’?”
“Ascension.”
Lu Chen spoke the two words softly, yet they landed like a thunderbolt.
“If the ritual succeeds, both the executioner and the one being executed will ascend together as Ghost Immortals. However…”
He shifted his tone: “That’s what the ancient texts say, but whether it actually works depends on heaven’s will. If fortune favors them, both will ascend. If not, it’s common for both to have their souls scattered to nothing.”
“So dangerous? Then why would the executioner ever agree? That’s practically gambling with their life!”
“Sister, that’s simple—just don’t tell the executioner the consequences, and there you go.”
Lu Chen shook his head: “No, they must be told truthfully! If there’s any deception, it can easily give rise to inner demons, which actually greatly increases the ritual’s chance of failure.”
“Ah? That…” Xie Qingyi was momentarily at a loss for words.
Lu Chen stared intently at the documents on the table and spoke in a grave tone: “So this executioner must have an incredibly strong obsession with achieving Ghost Immortality.
People like that usually fall into one of these categories: either their lifespan is running out, they’re suffering from a terminal illness, or they’re simply deeply drawn to the path of Ghost Immortality.
Otherwise, ordinary people would never willingly take on such karma—after all, one wrong move and they’d fall into eternal ruin.”
“What a terrifying price…” Xie Qingyi clicked her tongue in amazement: “Mortals have to go through all that just to become Ghost Immortals like us?”
Lu Chen laughed: “Mortals are human, and you are immortals. The path of cultivation is always fraught with hardship. Someone like the True Lord here, who received a heavenly decree and directly achieved godhood—throughout all of history, there are only a handful, barely countable on one hand.”
Zhong Kui laughed heartily but didn’t deny it.
From ancient times to the present, no more than five had ever been granted such a fortune.
“Going by that logic, a single Five Prisons Ascension ritual could produce two Ghost Immortals.” Fan Rusong’s expression grew serious: “And with the case at Rebirth Academy thrown in, that means three people have recently attempted to cultivate Ghost Immortality in Jiangdu?”
In the same region, that many people trying to achieve Ghost Immortality through evil methods in such a short span of time—
it was truly horrifying.
If the case weren’t solved quickly, more and more imitators would likely emerge, with consequences too dire to imagine.
“Not necessarily just three people.” Lu Chen turned his palm over, revealing that Yin Thunder Wood, his brows furrowed: “I now suspect… that the one trying to cultivate the ‘Living Ghost Immortal’ might very well have used the Five Prisons Ascension Method as a backup plan. Otherwise, it’s just too much of a coincidence!”
“What?!” Xie and Fan were startled, but after a moment’s thought, they realized it was indeed possible.
“Young friend, let me have a look.” Zhong Kui took the Yin Thunder Wood and His gaze sharpened instantly: “Yin and Yang carved together? I’ve never even heard of such a heretical art!”
Though Zhong Kui was a Demon-Quelling True Lord, His primary skills lay more in subduing demons and monsters.
While He was somewhat versed in secret arts, as a former Number One Scholar, His knowledge in this area was relatively limited.
Knowing about the Five Prisons Ascension Method was already no small feat—He truly had never seen this Yin-Yang dual-carving sorcery before.
Where on earth did this evil technique even come from?
“Putting everything else aside, this piece of Yin Thunder Wood alone proves that the mastermind behind all this is no ordinary figure.”
Zhong Kui narrowed those piercing tiger-like eyes: “This person is highly likely connected to the underworld.
Even if not, they certainly have deep knowledge of netherworld secret arts.
And they have substantial backing!
After all, if they had to purchase it elsewhere,
just acquiring this single piece of Yin Thunder Wood would have cost a small fortune!”
Lu Chen nodded in agreement: “Exactly, the True Lord is absolutely right!
Anyone capable of performing the Five Prisons Ascension Method is certainly no mediocrity.
Not just the Yin Thunder Wood—being able to single out five human specters among millions already shows their formidable skill!
If we wanted to dig deeper, we’d probably find some leads after a month or two, but that would be far too inefficient.
Better to try asking the Four Duty Officers and see if we can get some solid information.”
In Lu Chen’s view, if there was a shortcut, why not take it?
Zhong Kui nodded first, then shook His head slightly: “Even so, I’m afraid it won’t be that simple…”
