Chapter 48

"Whose wind blew you here today?" the owner in white joked, a smile on his face, his voice warm like a spring breeze, his face like jade, his lips crimson, and his appearance extremely youthful.

He was none other than Li Shi Yu, the City God of Fengdu, the one closest to the peak of the Netherworld!

"Li Shi Yu, it's fun to say that, but didn't you invite me here?" Yu Sai, draped in a seven-colored scale robe, lightly made up, and somewhat effeminate, said. No ghost dared to criticize his aesthetics and attire, for he was one of the Ten Great Generals of the Netherworld!

The City God of Fengdu, Li Shi Yu, and one of the Ten Great Generals, Yu Sai, gathered in the central courtyard of the City God's residence to discuss major events affecting the Netherworld, while the head chefs, including Su Xing, were frantically preparing a feast of "mountain delicacies and sea flavors."

"Has the recent incident been resolved?" Li Shi Yu asked, picking up his teacup, a smile playing on his lips, his voice calm.

The fragrant tea steam blurred Li Shi Yu's vision. The two ghosts sat facing each other, their gazes meeting, a faint aura of divinity between them.

The incident Li Shi Yu referred to occurred when Su Xing entered the Netherworld and passed through the Ghost Gate.

At that time, a powerful soul collector had captured a ghost, but due to an urgent imperial decree, he left the ghost behind and rushed off. Subsequently, the ghost devoured thirty thousand souls, alarming the General Ox Head.

"The situation was severe. Half of the Ten Great Generals were mobilized, including the Black and White Impermanents and the Ox Head and Horse Face. They were injured, and many powerful soul collectors perished, being devoured," General Yu Sai said solemnly, recalling the earth-shattering battle, his gill-like features on his cheeks fluttering, and his rouge falling off.

Li Shi Yu took a sip of the fragrant tea and continued, "I didn't expect any remnants to still exist and to make a comeback. It won't be long before the immortals and buddhas of the Heavenly Realm intervene. On the surface, they are reinforcements, but in reality, they are like wolves and tigers!"

"Immortals and buddhas..." Yu Sai's brows furrowed, a flash of disgust in his black, fish-like eyes. "What immortals and buddhas! They just covet the Netherworld! Once the remnants are suppressed, they will surely show their fangs again!"

"Just like the great war of the three realms a million years ago, after the sins were eradicated, the Netherworld was almost crippled. The Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak handed over the Seal of the Netherworld to the Ten Kings of Hell to rebuild the Netherworld. In the end, the Buddha left a Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha with a great vow, and the immortals left the cycle of rebirth, casting boundless merit, aiming to divide the Netherworld."

Li Shi Yu said this with a solemn expression, his mind recalling the tumultuous era. Back then, he was young, and the old City God would personally describe the great battles, sometimes using supreme ghostly arts to display them for his observation and learning.

"The world's rhythm rises and falls, a cycle of prosperity and decline. The emergence of the remnants might be a sign," General Yu Sai said with a heavy heart, his tone a mix of sighs, worry, and... yearning.

Seeing the expression on General Yu Sai's face, Li Shi Yu seemed to understand. Though his appearance was eternal, he was no longer young, his soul age consuming, his three souls and seven spirits beginning to age.

All things in the world have their rise and fall, their prosperity and decline. Life is finite; even the sun and moon are not eternal. The world will eventually sink.

Through the ages, from the beginning of recorded history to the present, no supreme being has achieved eternal life, ultimately turning to dust!

With the pursuit of truth and the Way, the goals of living beings have gradually changed, from seeking immortality to pursuing a life of glory!

Li Shi Yu put down his teacup and said, "A glorious era is about to begin. Many great ghosts have added offspring, each with extraordinary talent. Not long ago, the child of the Lord of Mount Tai caused a commotion in Fengdu, and many arrogant and disrespectful young ghosts were taught a lesson."

"The child of the Lord of Mount Tai, Tai Ping? His talent is indeed terrifying, and few can match him. But the youngest son of the White Impermanent, Bai Xi Xun, is also excellent. He is dashing and not only powerful but has also formed a team with boundless potential!"

General Yu Sai smiled with satisfaction and continued, "And the young daughter of Ox Head is also remarkable. The Netherworld Emperor's youngest daughter, Princess Ming Ling, is worth looking forward to, and there are more..."

General Yu Sai listed many geniuses, all well-known throughout the Netherworld, capable of ranking on the list of potential dragons and phoenixes of the three realms!

"By the way, Li Han Lin of the City God's residence is also quite good!" General Yu Sai suddenly thought of something and said.

Li Shi Yu was taken aback and then laughed, "That brat? He's not much, not much!"

"But Han Lin is only well-known in Fengdu. How did you know about him, Yu Sai?" Li Shi Yu asked curiously.

"I met him on the way. He seems like an interesting young man, and the Hanlin Academy is doing well under his management," Yu Sai said, a smile involuntarily appearing on his face, indicating his satisfaction with Li Han Lin.

"Han Lin indeed possesses something that other geniuses lack. If he can stay on the right path, his future is boundless," the City God of Fengdu said, giving a fair evaluation. He then mentioned a few other promising young talents from the City God's residence, hoping that General Yu Sai would take an interest in them.

If they join the ghost army and participate in the campaign against the remnants, it would be an excellent training ground, accumulating battle merits and valuable experience, with immense benefits.

Among the geniuses mentioned by the City God of Fengdu, Zi Nv was prominently listed. She was favored by Li Shi Yu, her identity mysterious, and rumored to be his illegitimate daughter.

The City God of Fengdu and General Yu Sai spoke in low voices, their lips moving but no sound escaping.

"Li Shi Yu, I've heard that your residence is famous for its delicious dishes, with the most renowned chefs in the Netherworld. You must let me taste them," Yu Sai suddenly changed the topic.

"Ha ha, I've already given the order. The main kitchen is preparing 'mountain delicacies and sea flavors,' and it should be ready soon," Li Shi Yu said, twirling a golden ring on his finger and smiling.

"Oh? I look forward to it," General Yu Sai smiled faintly, his cheeks' gill-like features fluttering, and bubbles even appearing.

Li Shi Yu was not surprised. Before the feast, he chatted with General Yu Sai, often mentioning the astonishingly talented and boundless potential of the young generation, not limited to the Netherworld but encompassing the three realms.

For example, the top-ranked genius on the list of potential dragons and phoenixes of the three realms, Ye Xian, the universally recognized number one genius!

Ye Xian was born with a Dao body and a immortal embryo, reaching the Celestial Immortal realm at birth!

What is an immortal embryo?

It means that the innate immortal energy is condensed, requiring no time to cultivate immortal qi.

What is a Dao body?

It means exceptional insight, close to the Dao, advancing one level each day and one realm each year. Any scripture, technique, immortal art, or Daoist method can be comprehended at a glance!

It is said that Ye Xian, after cultivating for just twenty years, reached the Xuan Immortal realm, achieving the supreme state of Luo Shang.

What is the supreme state of Luo Shang? It means being invincible at the Xuan Immortal realm!

There are many other geniuses, all astonishing, even making the City God of Fengdu and General Yu Sai marvel. The new generation is indeed formidable, not inferior to the City God and the Generals when they were young.

Truly, it is a glorious era, with the rise of the new generation, pushing the old to age.

However, the geniuses on the list of potential dragons and phoenixes are too far from Su Xing. The truth lies in the small, round, pomegranate-like, smooth black obsidian-like poison sacs. Su Xing happily collected them all in his ghost pocket, his eyes narrowing with joy.

"Feeling good is just great; eating and sleeping are even better!" Su Xing said with a silly smile, his teeth almost falling out, completely ignoring the ten head chefs.

The head chefs were busy preparing the "mountain delicacies and sea flavors," the time for the feast approaching, and they were in a frenzy, unable to pay attention to Su Xing.

"Go and carve the tofu into mountain flowers, a hundred peonies, a hundred azaleas, a hundred mountain chrysanthemums..." Li Da Zui, buried in cooking, his hands almost unable to keep up, wished he had four more hands. His hands moved like a blur, and he kept giving orders to Su Xing.

"A hundred kinds of mountain flowers, each with a hundred blooms." Just hearing it made Su Xing's head spin. The tofu for carving was provided by the Fengdu tofu shop, soft and delicate, making it difficult to carve.

"The whetstone is in the second cabinet," Li Da Zui suddenly said. Su Xing was taken aback, opened the second cabinet, and found a whetstone.

"Ghost Ink Stone?" Su Xing was surprised, giving Li Da Zui a puzzled look, guessing his intentions.

The Ghost Ink Stone is a very precious whetstone, hard to come by, and using it to sharpen a knife can improve the quality of the blade.

"I won't be polite!" Su Xing said, picking up the Ghost Ink Stone, pulling out a stool, and taking out the "Ages" butcher knife from his ghost pocket, starting to carve the tofu flowers.

Red peonies, azaleas, mountain chrysanthemums... one by one, the delicate mountain flowers were placed on the cutting board.

The black butcher knife seemed to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Placing a few pieces of tofu on the wide blade, a flick of the wrist sent the tofu flying into the air.

Su Xing immediately raised the butcher knife, his wrist moving, the blade flashing, and the flower patterns appearing.

When the tofu fell, it landed steadily on the cutting board, and the mountain flowers were successfully carved, indistinguishable from the real thing.

This skill was no less impressive than the knife work displayed by Gao Lao earlier!

"Ho ho," "ho ho," "ho ho"...

"Sharpening the knife for the tofu..."

Su Xing grabbed the butcher knife and sharpened it on the Ghost Ink Stone, sparks flying, landing on the ground. The Ghost Ink Stone glowed, seemingly transferring its energy to the butcher knife, making the blade black and shiny, its sharpness and quality improving, approaching the high-grade low-level category.

"Heave, heave."

Su Xing was full of energy, sharpening the knife and carving the tofu flowers, feeling the quality of the butcher knife genuinely improve, and the thoughts in his Heavenly Soul becoming purer.

Although the effect was small, even a small gain was valuable, and Su Xing did not let anything slip.

"Mountain delicacies are here!"

A clear shout rang out, like smooth jade beads falling into a silver plate. A huge shadow immediately appeared at the red door, a small mountain held by a cute little girl with two pigtails.

Lilu, the sixth head chef among the ten!

"Here you go!" Lilu's bright eyes flashed with a hint of mischief. Her slender, tender arm flicked, and a strong wind blew, the small mountain hurtling towards Su Xing.

"My tofu!" Su Xing shouted, his eyebrows rising, extremely angry. The small mountain arrived in an instant, covering him and the tofu flowers, a terrifying pressure descending!

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