Journey to the West: I have Nine Golden Crows Inside Me
Chapter 1166 - 819 Complex Situation_2

Chapter 1166: 819 Complex Situation_2

The residents of North City were the ghosts formed after the death of cultivators. Not all died due to the exhaustion of their lifespan, some were killed by others, leaving only their incomplete souls that fled to the Netherworld to barely survive.

In any case, although the origins of these ghosts were exceedingly complex, they all shared one common trait—they were extremely powerful.

After their deaths, they did not wish to undergo reincarnation but chose to forcefully linger in the Netherworld, attempting to resurrect and walk the path of Immortal Dao again.

As for why they were unwilling to reincarnate, the reason was rather simple. If their cultivation hadn’t reached the level of a Golden Immortal, without the protection of the immortal Dao light, then entering reincarnation would subject them to the influences of the mysteries within the womb.

If they were lucky enough to solve the mystery of the womb, that would be alright. However, if they were unlucky and couldn’t solve it, they would spend their entire lives in confusion, never being able to step onto the path of Immortal Dao.

Put simply, if one’s cultivation had not reached the Golden Immortal level, the outcome after reincarnation was uncontrollable. Whether one would be male or female after reincarnation, or whether one would have the aptitude for cultivation, none of it could be determined.

This was essentially a gamble with their lives, hence, those ghosts would rather choose to forcefully stay in the Netherworld than to reincarnate.

As for whether they could resurrect after remaining behind, that was nonsense. Below the Taoist Master, death was final and resurrection was not such a simple matter. Unless a major figure like the Innate Dao Sovereign lent a hand, relying on themselves, they feared they would never resurrect in this lifetime.

As long as the True Spirit was intact, the Innate Dao Sovereign could resurrect any being below the level of a Golden Immortal with a wave of his hand. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Indeed it is simple for someone like the Innate Dao Sovereign, who has transcended the River of Destiny and possesses boundless power—how could others possibly compare?

This was like Jiang Chen’s previous life where top-tier tycoons could easily buy a villa in the capital, but ordinary folks might spend their entire lives unable to afford even a bathroom in the capital.

Resurrection is akin to a house in the capital; the Innate Dao Sovereign is like a top-tier tycoon, and beings below the level of a Golden Immortal are like ordinary citizens. The former can easily purchase a residence in the capital, but the latter could spend their life trying and still fail to do so.

To those deceased beings below the level of a Golden Immortal, resurrection is that difficult, nearly an impossible feat, and not one in ten thousand could achieve it.

Of course, in this world, there exists the method of forcibly seizing a body—if one takes over another’s body, one can indeed resurrect. However, this is ultimately not the righteous path and once exposed, it would inevitably result in universal condemnation and even the Heavenly Dao would pursue accountability.

Using modern terms, forcibly seizing a body is an illegal act. Once exposed, the consequences are imaginable. Using illegal means to buy a house, once discovered, not only might an individual end up imprisoned, but even the property might be confiscated.

In the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, they are already dead, branded with the mark of death. If they were to appear in the world of the living, they would certainly suffer a heavy strike from the Heavenly Dao, including being struck by thunder. Even by forcibly seizing a body, they cannot change this fact.

They had died, yet were unwilling to accept death. They yearned for resurrection but could not achieve it; nor were they willing to undergo reincarnation. Over time, they had become wandering lost souls in the Netherworld,

Unable to live, nor to die.

What a pity that there was no Ghost Dao in this world. Otherwise, they could have changed their practice to Ghost Dao instead of just wasting away until the end of their Yin lifespan. Though Yin lifespan is longer than Yang lifespan, it ultimately also has its end, and at that time, they would completely vanish.

After Wrongful Death City was established, these wandering ghosts somehow got wind of it and flocked to this place, lingering nearby.

They were not really at fault; it wasn’t right to drive them away, so they were brought into the city. The intention was to gather them together for easier management.

However, this very action inadvertently planted the seeds of trouble for Wrongful Death City. Relying on their strong power, these individuals were not peaceful at all. Although they were not yet usurping power, they often gathered to make a ruckus and fight, throwing North City into complete disarray.

Just now, within North City, there was another major disturbance caused by these ghosts, and even the general responsible for maintaining the peace couldn’t handle it, prompting them to seek help from the city lord’s mansion.

As for why they were causing trouble, it was related to the cultivation of the ghosts. As mentioned earlier, there was no Ghost Dao in the Prehistoric World, so how could ghosts enhance their power?

Simpler—the simplest and least troublesome method was to find various Heavenly and Earthly Treasures that could enhance the power of the soul. Just by consuming them, one could immediately become stronger, and it wasn’t impossible to even directly resurrect and return to life.

Xiang Yu, after his death, not only did he not weaken; instead, he grew increasingly stronger—all thanks to the Witch Clan, who found many Heavenly and Earthly Treasures for him.

However, clearly, Heavenly and Earthly Treasures are not easily found, with some spending their entire lives unable to find them. Thus, a second method appeared, cannibalism.

To grow stronger, one would devour other ghosts. As long as one consumed enough souls, continuous strengthening was possible, even to the extent of rivaling a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

But this method had a disadvantage; cannibalism ultimately displeased Heaven and Earth, and upon reaching a certain level, one would face divine punishment, with almost no chance of surviving it.

Simply put, this method was a slow suicide—the stronger one became, the closer to death one was.

In the Netherworld, many powerful ghost generals and ghost kings, aside from those naturally divine spirits, gained strength through devouring their kind.

And in North City, where powerful ghosts resided, the easiest way for them to become stronger was by devouring their surrounding peers.

Even if it was slow suicide, it could not stop certain people’s determination to become stronger. Thus, there was constant turmoil in North City.

"These wandering souls, truly lawless, no matter what method is used, they could not be controlled,"

one of the five people, the lord of North City, spoke of them in an extremely angry tone. Clearly, dealing with them had been heartbreakingly difficult for the lord of North City over the years.

"It’s your method that’s incorrect. Back then, we advised you to provide them with some benefits, to give them something to look forward to. That way, they could be of use to you. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be causing trouble for you daily like now!"

The lord of the most prominent Central City shook his head as he heard the complaints of the North City’s lord.

These lonely ghosts and wild spirits came to Wrongful Death City, weren’t they drawn by the reputation of the Upper Qing Saints?

They believed that this place held the doctrine left by the Upper Qing Saints in the Netherworld. If they could establish good relations, even if they couldn’t invite masters from the Shangqing Palace to help them return to life, they might use these relationships for reincarnation.

This would ensure that in their next life, they would be able to return to the path of Immortal Dao and not live in utter confusion.

Their calculations were quite good, but unfortunately, the lord of North City considered them a nuisance—or rather, their presence itself disrupted the order of Wrongful Death City, or the Netherworld.

Therefore, the lord of North City had always been thinking of ways to deal with them, ideally sending them all into reincarnation.

Since the two sides did not see eye to eye, conflicts inevitably arose. The discontented spirits constantly created trouble for the lord of North City, who, due to various considerations, hesitated in expelling them.

Eventually, the situation escalated to this point; once they made a mistake and were caught by the lord of North City, he would immediately suppress them with thunderous measures.

As the lord of Central City had said, if the lord of North City were willing to step back and offer them some advantages, these spirits would not only cease being a nuisance but could even become a support to him.

However, the lord of North City chose not to do so and was determined to fight them to the end.

Jiang Chen agreed with this attitude. Although the Shangqing Palace was not powerful, it still belonged to the doctrine of a Saint, and not just anyone could come to forge a connection. Some benefits, I give you, then you can take them. I don’t give them, then you can’t demand them.

Moreover, neither returning to life nor protecting others’ reincarnation were simple matters.