Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Third Ghost Master (Part 1)

With a "splash," Li Qiyi, who had been floating in the river, was fished out by someone.

"Ahh!" Li Qiyi screamed, waking up as he was pinched on the philtrum. The moment he woke up, his first reaction was to jump up. As he "jumped" up, Li Qiyi suddenly felt unaccustomed to his body, stumbled, and almost fell.

"My, my body!" Looking down, he saw that his body was completely unharmed. Li Qiyi was both surprised and delighted. After being a Yin Crow for millions of years, he had finally reclaimed his body. Even he, who had endured countless hardships and seen numerous storms, couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Finally, Li Qiyi took a deep breath and looked up, only to see an old man standing in front of him.

"Hehehe, it was this old man who fished you out of the river," the old man said with a grin. As he spoke, he revealed only three large yellow teeth, and his smile was as lecherous as it could be.

Li Qiyi looked down the river and could faintly see the outline of the Immortal Demon Cave in the distance. Seeing the Immortal Demon Cave, the thirteen-year-old's eyes immediately turned cold, and there was a presence about him that didn't match his age.

Li Qiyi took a deep breath and looked at the old man. After a long while, he said, "What should I call you?"

"Third Ghost Master, from the Ancient Xiyan Sect," the old man said with a grin, revealing his three yellow teeth, and drool trickled down.

"Ancient Xiyan Sect—" Li Qiyi muttered, his memory of being trapped in the Yin Crow's body for millions of years resurfacing.

"Who holds the Heavenly Mandate now?" Li Qiyi asked, coming back to his senses.

"Heavenly Mandate? No one can bear the Heavenly Mandate yet," Third Ghost Master said with a grin.

"What about Emperor Takuoxian?" Hearing this, Li Qiyi's face changed slightly. Could he have been asleep for hundreds of thousands of years?

"Emperor Takuoxian disappeared three ten-thousand years ago," Third Ghost Master said with a grin, his three yellow teeth showing, looking extremely lecherous.

"What about the Black Dragon King of Zhen Tianhai City?" Li Qiyi asked again.

Third Ghost Master shook his head and said, "No one knows. The Black Dragon King also disappeared three ten-thousand years ago."

Hearing this, Li Qiyi's face changed dramatically. He looked up at the faintly visible Immortal Demon Cave in the distance and understood why he had reclaimed his body.

"Let's go—" Li Qiyi's face darkened, and he turned and walked away, not caring whether Third Ghost Master followed.

Zhen Tianhai City, in the present world, was the most powerful and invincible legacy. When the Black Dragon King was alive, he dominated the nine heavens and ten earths, unmatched by anyone! Three generations of respect!

Although the Black Dragon King had been missing for three ten-thousand years, Zhen Tianhai City still stood proudly in the world like a giant.

Outside Zhen Tianhai City, there was a thirteen-year-old boy and an old man who looked extremely lecherous, revealing three yellow teeth when he opened his mouth.

At the city gate, Li Qiyi silently burned paper money, silently saying in his heart, "Xiao Heizi, rest in peace. In this life, you helped me reclaim my body. One day, I will destroy the evil domain and avenge you!"

Finally, Li Qiyi looked up at the giant Zhen Tianhai City, where things were old but people were different, everything felt unfamiliar. Recalling the past, this sea city had risen from the ground year after year through his and Xiao Heizi's efforts!

Unfortunately, after three ten-thousand years, who would remember the Yin Crow who had once been hidden behind the scenes?

"Hehe, let's go back to the Ancient Xiyan Sect," Third Ghost Master said, his three yellow teeth appearing in Li Qiyi's line of sight.

"Let's go," Li Qiyi said calmly. No matter how elusive Third Ghost Master was or what his background was, it wasn't enough to surprise Li Qiyi. After enduring countless hardships and being trapped in the Yin Crow's body for millions of years, having experienced one era after another, having accompanied an emperor, and having walked with the Medicine God, nothing could surprise him anymore.

Not long after Li Qiyi and Third Ghost Master left, a woman of extraordinary beauty walked out of Zhen Tianhai City. She was like a fairy of the green waves, a goddess of the vast sea. As she was about to leave the city gate, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a corner of the paper money that had been burned at the base of the city wall. On that corner of the paper money, a symbol was faintly visible.

Seeing this symbol, the goddess's face changed dramatically, and she said in a deep voice, "Who burned paper money here just now?"

A servant quickly found the answer and informed her, "According to the guards, a short while ago, an old man and a boy around thirteen or fourteen years old burned paper money here."

"Chase them, find them!" the goddess said in a deep voice.

"Is Your Highness going to the Divine Mountain?" the servant asked.

"Chase—" the goddess said, and she immediately flew off, chasing after them.

In the end, the goddess did not find the person who burned the paper money. Returning to Zhen Tianhai City, she remained silent for a long time. The symbol had not appeared in Zhen Tianhai City for a very long time. Why did it reappear after tens of thousands of years? Was it a friend or an enemy?

"Your Highness, we did not find the person who burned the paper money," the loyal servant reported.

"Order everyone to keep an eye on these two people. Do not make a fuss. Report to me immediately if there is any news," the goddess said in a deep voice.

This made the servant pause. Zhen Tianhai City was a powerful force in the world, and the Sea Guardian Goddess was well-known. It was rare to see her so serious.

"The Divine Mountain—" the servant said hesitantly.

"Cancel it," the goddess said in a deep voice. "I need to review the ancient texts left by our ancestors. This matter is a bit strange!" With that, she entered the deepest and most forbidden area of Zhen Tianhai City.

The Ancient Xiyan Sect was located in the territory of the Bao Sheng Upper Kingdom. The Ancient Xiyan Sect could be described as a legacy with a long and profound history, a sect of immortals and emperors. In the early days of the era of emperors, the mighty Emperor Mingren, who dominated the nine heavens and ten earths, founded the sect and named it the Ancient Xiyan Sect.

Unfortunately, after millions of years, the times had changed, and the Ancient Xiyan Sect was no longer the powerful sect of immortals and emperors it once was. After countless years, the Ancient Xiyan Sect had begun to decline, and although it had experienced a revival, it could not reverse the decline.

"Elder, it's not good. A mortal has come to the sect and wants to be our chief disciple," a disciple reported to the Grand Elder of the Ancient Xiyan Sect early one morning.

"Drive him down the mountain!" the Grand Elder said without even looking up. "Do you need to report such a trivial matter?"

A mortal wanting to be the chief disciple of the Ancient Xiyan Sect? What a joke! The chief disciple of the Ancient Xiyan Sect was a position of great significance, symbolizing the successor to the sect leader. Although the sect leader was not present, the elders still had the authority to make such decisions.

"But, but, he, he was recommended by Third Ghost Master," the disciple stammered.

"Third Ghost Master?" the Grand Elder glanced at him and said, "He's not just someone who drinks others' wine and promises them favors, is he?"

Third Ghost Master, indeed, was a member of the Ancient Xiyan Sect, but the sect was reluctant to acknowledge him as one of their own.

Third Ghost Master, a name that sounded powerful, but it brought shame to the faces of the elders of the Ancient Xiyan Sect. Third Ghost Master had three vices: greed, lust, and promiscuity. He called himself "Master," and thus was mockingly called Third Ghost Master.

Third Ghost Master had not practiced cultivation for many days, but he had a significant background in the Ancient Xiyan Sect. It was said that he was the illegitimate son of the previous sect leader, and the previous leader had instructed the current leader to take care of Third Ghost Master before his death.

There were also rumors that Third Ghost Master was actually the illegitimate son of the previous generation's leader. Because the previous generation's leader had a great favor to the current leader, the current leader took the blame and took care of Third Ghost Master. The previous leader also instructed the current leader to take care of Third Ghost Master before his death.

Regardless of whose illegitimate son Third Ghost Master was, his dishonorable background made the higher-ups of the Ancient Xiyan Sect unwilling to investigate deeply or speak about it publicly.

For such a greedy, lustful, and promiscuous Third Ghost Master with little cultivation, neither the elders nor the other disciples of the Ancient Xiyan Sect liked him.

"So what if Third Ghost Master recommended him? Drive him down the mountain!" the Grand Elder was in no mood, and this name had ruined his good morning.

"But, but, he, he has Third Ghost Master's Ancient Xiyan Order," the disciple stammered.

"Ancient Xiyan Order!" Hearing this, the Grand Elder's face changed, and he pondered for a moment before ordering, "Summon the other elders, and have the mortal wait in the main hall!"

The Ancient Xiyan Sect had six elders in total. When the other five elders heard about the "Ancient Xiyan Order," their faces also changed, and they had no choice but to attend.

The Ancient Xiyan Order was one of the three ancient orders left by the founder of the Ancient Xiyan Sect, Emperor Mingren. The other two orders had been recalled long ago, but for some reason, the last one had fallen into the hands of Third Ghost Master.

In addition to the previous leader's instruction to take care of Third Ghost Master, the reason the elders could not do anything about him was that he possessed one of the Ancient Xiyan Orders.

Holding this order was like having Emperor Mingren present. The holder of this order could make one request to the Ancient Xiyan Sect.

Sitting in the main hall of the Ancient Xiyan Sect, Li Qiyi looked at the ancient hall and the statue on the altar, which had been obscured by incense smoke. Many buried memories were stirred up.

The statue on the altar was that of Emperor Mingren. Although countless years had passed, the statue still exuded an ancient divine aura, towering over the nine heavens, evoking a sense of reverence.

Looking at the statue, Li Qiyi felt a myriad of emotions. After so many years, Emperor Mingren was no longer in the world, but he had lived through one era after another. Today, he had finally reclaimed his body as he wished, but so many great figures had vanished into the mists of history.