Chapter 24

Placing the *Hell Ghost Sealing Chart* on the bookshelf, Su Xing did not intend to continue meditating. With the abundant results, he knew when to be content and stop.

Su Xing understood that although he looked spirited after meditating, it actually consumed a lot of mental energy. If he continued, the depletion of his mental energy would make it counterproductive.

Although the *Hell Ghost Sealing Chart* was a replica, it was still extremely powerful, being the work of Lord Cui. Even without the divine aura, its complex form and rich colors were not something ordinary ghosts could meditate on in one go.

One could say that Su Xing's talent was extraordinary. If he were in the Heavenly Realm or the human world, he would surely be sought after by major sects and cultivated as a core disciple, protected by powerful figures and provided with abundant resources.

However, he was in the Netherworld, where the natural laws were most evident. The major forces in the Netherworld did not care about how extraordinary one's talent was; an unproven genius was just a flower vase, with no value and a high risk of failing halfway.

Only when one became a powerful figure would the major forces extend an olive branch and show favor. Of course, there were exceptions; the direct descendants of major forces would enjoy the treatment of geniuses.

For example, the Netherworld Emperor's daughter, Princess Yaling, was immersed in the Yellow Springs from birth, and her ghostly form was definitely more powerful than Su Xing's. Her cultivation speed was almost like a rocket, soaring to the ninth heaven.

Su Xing was very clear about his current situation. He knew that his ghostly form was solid compared to ordinary ghosts, but compared to the descendants of powerful ghosts, it was like a small wizard facing a great wizard.

To become a powerful figure, to be invincible at the same level, and even to fight across levels, one needed not only high cultivation but also countless fortuitous encounters, advanced cultivation techniques, powerful treasures, and the ultimate realm!

The descendants of powerful ghosts were indeed formidable, enjoying countless resources, solid ghostly forms, and rapid cultivation speeds. However, Su Xing had an advantage they did not have: the virtuous soul!

Su Xing's gaze shifted to the *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra* on the bookshelf, his eyes flashing with excitement.

"The *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra* should be a high-level cultivation technique, not inferior to the *Wuchang Sutra* and the *Ghosts' Senlin Sutra*. If I complete the *Nili Sutra*, can I cultivate the *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra*?"

As he spoke, Su Xing's mind began to wander. Since landing on the San途 River and settling in the outskirts of Fengdu, everything had gone smoothly, with almost no setbacks or hardships, and he could even say that luck had always favored him.

Taking out the *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra*, Su Xing held the book with both hands, his heart pounding. He opened the thin pages, and the first page revealed a graceful young girl.

This was a charcoal portrait, with black and pink lines miraculously depicting the girl's gentleness. Her hair was tied into two braids, and the carbon powder left on them formed tiny stars, highlighting her youthful vitality and the beauty of her teenage years.

The girl in the portrait had large, bright eyes, a cherry mouth slightly open, revealing a small canine tooth. She was cupping her hands to her mouth, as if calling to someone far away.

"What a vibrant young girl. This can't be a self-portrait... It seems the artist put a lot of effort into it, infusing his emotions into the work." Su Xing was momentarily stunned by the girl's beauty, which, though not breathtaking, was captivating in its youthful charm.

If he was not mistaken, the background of the portrait was the banks of the River of Forgetfulness, with green bamboo, clear springs, and orchids everywhere, a scene from the old Netherworld before it was polluted.

For some reason, Su Xing's mind conjured up the image of a boatman rowing a small boat on the River of Forgetfulness, and a strange sadness welled up in his heart. He gently touched the charcoal drawing, and the girl's youth remained forever recorded in the book, visible only to each generation of Mengpo.

"This girl is the first Mengpo, the true Mengpo..." Su Xing suddenly said, then was startled, "Why do I think this?"

He touched his face, chuckled, and turned the first page, continuing to read.

"Transcend emotions, pursue the Dao! Mengpo sells soup, why seek forgetfulness?"

The opening was a self-questioning passage, pointing to the sorrow and deep doubts of the Daoist heart.

Su Xing's brows furrowed slightly. Without a firm resolve to pursue the Dao, how could one advance further on the path of cultivation?

"Still, I should continue reading. I don't necessarily have to choose it for cultivation, but broadening my knowledge will benefit my future cultivation."

The thin dozen pages were mostly filled with doubts and wavering Daoist hearts. Only in the latter part of the *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra* did the content suddenly shift, becoming as firm as gold and stone, with each word a gem and each sentence a truth. Su Xing alternated between sudden enlightenment and confusion, but he did not fully comprehend it.

"The latter part of the *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra* is truly a precious heavenly book, filled with profound truths!" Su Xing closed the sutra, his expression devout and his tone extremely excited. He savored the content he had just read.

"Not bad, not bad, worthy of its name..."

"Too obscure, can't remember clearly?"

"Hey, why did I forget most of it?"

Su Xing recalled, becoming increasingly puzzled, and finally slapped his thigh in frustration. "What's going on! I have a photographic memory, how could I forget everything!"

"That's not right, absolutely not right!" Su Xing shook his head, his face full of disbelief. He quickly flipped through the *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra* again, trying to recall the content.

"That's not right! I forgot again!" Su Xing's face changed, and he continued to flip through the pages.

After a while, Su Xing's face was a mix of emotions, and he held the *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra* in both hands, which felt as heavy as lead.

"I won't believe it! I can remember a whole dictionary, but I can't remember you!" Su Xing, angry and childlike, extended his finger, channeling energy from his spirit wheel to the tip, and carved a line on the bookshelf.

"I can't remember, so I'll carve it down!" Su Xing gritted his teeth, his finger moving on the wooden shelf, leaving strong, clear marks, recording the *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra*!

*Scratch, scratch...*

In the quiet scripture hall, the sound of scratching echoed. The eternal lamp illuminated the basement, where a golden statue stood in the center, exuding a sense of grandeur. The statue, barefoot and with a long robe, resembled a sage, with a sword halo on its back, as if a celestial being. Its long hair flowed over its shoulders, and its face showed a hint of compassion, like a living Buddha.

This was a mysterious and wondrous statue, which Su Xing considered a treasure. It was surrounded by a circle of bookshelves, with books scattered around.

Su Xing named it the Treasure Hall, with the ambition to fill the bookshelves and collect thousands of scriptures.

"Phew~" Su Xing took a deep breath, instinctively reaching to touch his forehead, only to find no sweat. He smiled proudly, "Finally, I've finished it. *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra*, you're just a dead object, how can you match me, Su Xing?"

"Hmm?"

Su Xing turned to admire the carved words, but his proud expression suddenly froze.

"What, what... What's going on!" Su Xing shouted, frantically rushing to the wooden shelf, his hands desperately touching the surface.

"How can this be? How can this be! My carved words! My *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra*!" Su Xing's hands clawed wildly, and the words he had painstakingly carved were gradually disappearing!

They vanished into thin air, as if erased by an invisible hand!

Su Xing refused to believe it, and when he looked back at the freshly carved words, he found that the once clear marks were now fading.

It was beyond his control, too bizarre!

"Truly a ghostly phenomenon!"

Su Xing, being a ghost, would have been terrified if he were not one. He collapsed on the ground, his head lowered, and saw the wood chips he had chipped off the bookshelf.

"Defeated!" Su Xing said with a bitter laugh. He had been thoroughly defeated by a book. The world was full of wonders, and with his weak cultivation, he could not understand many mysterious events.

Perhaps, the inability to record the *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra* was part of its profound meaning, only to be recorded by great sages in books for future ghosts to study and comprehend.

Su Xing sighed, feeling a mix of gain and loss. "I should find a time to return the *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra* to Mengpo and see if Yuan Liunian is at the Bridge of Helplessness, to settle some accounts."

As he spoke, Su Xing seemed to recall a few ghosts he had encountered when buying materials.

"Hehe, and those few ghosts, I need to settle accounts with them too. A gentleman takes revenge after ten years, but a petty person does it the same night." Su Xing shook his wrist, making a cracking sound, a mischievous smile on his lips.

The Bridge of Helplessness and the River of Forgetfulness were far from Su Xing's residence, though both were in the outskirts of Fengdu, they were on opposite sides, one in the west and the other in the east.

How big was Fengdu? Roughly, it was about the size of half a country on Earth!

The exact size was hard to imagine. Was this the size of a city? The city walls and mountains circled a piece of land in the Netherworld!

Su Xing drove his car for half a day, only to wander around the outskirts of Fengdu. The true area was in the famous mountains, where the Tenth Hall, the Heavenly Emperor's Hall, was located!

Speaking of being under the Heavenly Emperor, the distance was actually too great, and the area was vast, which was why the City God of Fengdu managed the city.

"I'll go another time, at least when I can ride the clouds and mist." Su Xing thought about the distance, his scalp tingling, and decided to wait until his cultivation reached the Ghost Official realm, when he could ride the clouds and mist.

He had also considered Mengpo coming to retrieve it, but with the endless queue in front of her stall, unless she retired, there was no chance for her to come.

"Everything comes down to strength!" Su Xing clenched his teeth, his fists tight, his eyes blazing with determination, a flame burning in his heart.

The virtuous soul, the yellow virtue aura, becoming a powerful figure was not a pipe dream, not impossible!

Su Xing put away the *Mengpo's Great Forgetfulness Sutra* again, his slightly restless heart gradually calming down. His spirit seemed to have been honed, becoming more clear and bright, the ghostly thought crystal in his heavenly soul shining like a branch on a "tree crown."

*End of Page*