Chapter 1582: Owing a Ghost Debt

Chapter 1582: Owing a Ghost Debt

Without the ferocious Golden-Armored Mighty Warriors barring the path, the various mechanisms dispensing water, fire, and toxins in the Mechanism Passage were troublesome, but they did not pose any significant obstacles.

After expending some effort, the group of Golden Cores dismantled these mechanisms head-on and continued forward.

After walking for another incense stick's time, the corridor along the way was still cast entirely from spirit stones, radiating a dazzling, shimmering blue glow throughout.

Were it not for the chilly air, where the spiritual qi mingled with moisture in a profoundly uncomfortable manner, the group might have almost believed they were guests in the banquet hall of some great clan, rather than opening a tomb of an unknown entity deep inside an eerie underground grave.

From then on, mechanisms appeared ceaselessly along the way.

These mechanisms remained high in rank and numerous in quantity. An ordinary Golden Core Cultivator, even one at the Golden Core middle stage, would never have been able to breach these mechanisms if breaking in single-handedly.

Moreover, a smattering of sinister ghost entities was hidden within these mechanisms. Along the way, evil entities were also concealed within small figurines, tomb-guardian beasts, one-eyed pillars, and the like.

This was likely an application of a certain kind of Ghost Dao Mechanism Art.

Because the hidden ghosts were formless and traceless, such mechanisms were far more treacherous than ordinary civil mechanisms using water, fire, sand, or stone.

However, compared to the Golden-Armored Mighty Warriors, who could both take a beating and strike hard, brutal and tireless, they were still far inferior. Ordinary minor yin-evil entities could all be seen through in advance by Esteemed Master Mo.

Following Mo Hua's instructions, the group turned danger into safety and remained unharmed all the way, facing no major turbulence.

Only now did Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai truly believe that the rumored titan of the tomb-raiding world, the brother recognized by the underworld as the Black-Faced Fiend, was actually real.

Not only were Mo Hua's formations formidable, but his attainments in tomb-raiding were remarkably profound as well.

Mo Hua's learning ability was simply too terrifying. And the cultivation world was a giant dye vat; once he left his sect without supervision, he absorbed everything, good and bad alike...

To think he even learned tomb-raiding...

Gu Changhuai sighed helplessly in his heart.

...

Over the next half-hour, under the leadership of Esteemed Master Mo, the group cracked about a dozen mechanisms, both large and small. Finally, they traversed the long corridor and arrived at the final main burial chamber.

The view opened up before them into a vast expanse. Even the radiance of spiritual power had more than doubled in intensity, bordering on dazzling.

Narrowing their eyes, everyone peered closely ahead.

Unfolded before them was a massive, magnificent spirit stone grand hall. Its furnishings were sparse, but because it was cast entirely from spirit stones, at first glance it seemed like an ocean of spiritual power.

It was the pure color of spirit stones, monotonous yet unimaginably brilliant and tantalizing.

For a moment, everyone was dazed.

Mo Hua in particular felt his heartbeat quicken and his meridians fall into disarray. His Taotie instincts stirred restlessly, urging him to gorge himself.

Mo Hua could only try his best to suppress his nature. After all, the serious business was not finished yet; he could not afford to care only about eating.

While Mo Hua was lost in thought trying to suppress his hunger, someone suddenly gasped in astonishment beside him, "What is that..."

Mo Hua looked up, gazing into the distance toward the stone wall of the spirit stone grand hall.

In an instant, his pupils constricted slightly.

Carved upon the wall of the spirit stone grand hall was a colossal mural.

This massive mural was also cast entirely from spirit stones. Nothing else was drawn upon it; virtually all of it was...

Ghosts.

Ghosts of all shapes and sizes: headless ones, broken-legged ones, Scapegoat Ghosts, Hanged Ghosts, Rat-Headed Ghosts, Starved Ghosts, Tragic Death Ghosts, Chengsi Ghosts, Mirror Ghosts, Urn Ghosts, Sword Ghosts, Beast Ghosts... a myriad of kinds, too numerous to mention.

Even to Mo Hua, an Esteemed Master of the Divine Dao, it was a breathtaking sight.

So many kinds of ghosts could actually exist in this world, presenting such grotesque and bizarre forms.

The entire colossal mural was utterly a Turbid-world Hundred Ghosts Diagram, portraying the myriad states of the ghostly realm.

Even stranger was that these hundreds of ghosts, headless, broken-legged, dying in diverse manners, ferocious and hideous, were carved onto a massive slab of translucent, lustrous blue spirit stone.

As if yin and yang were seamless, spirit and ghost fused into one, it was simultaneously aesthetic and grim.

Such a colossal scene carried a powerful impact. Looking at this Hundred Ghosts Diagram, everyone was stunned and shaken, their emotions churning ceaselessly.

"What... on earth is this?" Great General Chang frowned, muttering, "It's completely filled with ghosts..."

Bai XiaoSheng's pupils also shrank as he silently murmured a phrase in his heart:

The Path of Myriad Ghosts...

"This diagram... doesn't seem finished?" Gu Changhuai's expression was grave.

Hearing this, Mo Hua looked up to examine it carefully once more, only then realizing that the majority of the Hundred Ghosts Diagram before him was incomplete.

It looked as though someone had sketched the simple outlines of the hundred ghosts with rough brushstrokes. The lines were very faint and blurry, not very distinct.

The vast majority of the ghosts had not yet been meticulously carved.

The only ones carved deeply like chisels and axes, vivid and lifelike, were merely three to five kinds of ghosts in the corner.

These ghosts all shared one characteristic: they were related to wealth.

Some had ingots stuffed into their mouths, as if choked to death by ingots.

Some had gold necklaces around their necks, the chains cutting so deeply into their flesh that their heads were nearly severed.

Still others had their two eyes gouged out, replaced with copper coins.

"These are... Wealth Ghosts?"

Mo Hua's heart stirred slightly. He turned to Pei Tanggong and asked in a low voice, "Does Tanggong know what this diagram is? What origin does it have?"

Pei Tanggong stared blankly at the Hundred Ghosts Diagram, a trace of obsession surfacing in the depths of his eyes. Then he sighed, "If this old man is not mistaken, this should be a... Underworld Bureau Hundred Ghosts Diagram."

The Underworld Bureau Hundred Ghosts Diagram!

Mo Hua's pupils constricted slightly. He asked, "Does the Underworld Bureau truly exist in this world?"

Pei Tanggong looked at Mo Hua, puzzled. "Esteemed Master... you actually don't know?"

Mo Hua's tone did not change. "My Tongxian Cult possesses boundless divine powers. Wherever we reside, evil spirits disperse and yin souls cannot linger, let alone an Underworld Bureau. Even if an Underworld Bureau exists, it must heed the decrees of my Tongxian Cult Leader."

Pei Tanggong was shaken to the core, momentarily unsure whether this Esteemed Master Mo was truly bragging or speaking the truth.

Evil spirits disperse, yin souls cannot linger, let alone an Underworld Bureau?

Could there truly be such a sky-reaching faction in this world, capable of governing even the Underworld Bureau?

Pei Tanggong shook his head and sighed, "Whether an Underworld Bureau exists, this old man does not know either; it is merely hearsay..."

"With this old man's experience, I can still claim a superficial understanding of ghost entities. But the Underworld Bureau is different. If an Underworld Bureau truly exists in the territory of Kun Province, it has likely been there for tens of thousands of years, dwelling in the Underworld, never seeing the light of day, seizing souls and wresting spirits, meddling with life and death. To what extent its power has reached is truly beyond this old man's imagination..."

Mo Hua looked at Pei Tanggong with a deep gaze and asked again, "Then what relation does this Hundred Ghosts Diagram have with the Underworld Bureau?"

Pei Tanggong said, "This old man has only heard of it as well. Rumor has it that the Underworld Bureau refines Hundred Ghosts Diagrams to subdue, suppress, refine, and even control the various resentful souls and vengeful ghosts of the mortal world..."

"Control various resentful souls and vengeful ghosts, and then what?" Mo Hua asked.

"This..." Pei Tanggong smiled wryly. "If an Underworld Bureau truly exists, then its control over resentful souls and vengeful ghosts is naturally to maintain the laws and order of the Underworld, just like..."

The Dao Court Division.

Did the Dao Court not also establish laws to maintain its rule and the stability of the cultivation world?

Pei Tanggong did not voice these words; after all, matters concerning the Dao Court easily touched upon taboos.

Mo Hua, however, understood tacitly. He nodded and said, "Tanggong, you truly know a lot."

Pei Tanggong said, "Esteemed Master overpraises me. I have merely lived several centuries in vain, hearing a bit more about unorthodox paths and side doors."

Mo Hua looked at Pei Tanggong. "Tanggong, your injuries..."

Pei Tanggong coughed a few times, his face turning somewhat paler. "Thank you for your concern, Esteemed Master. I can still barely hold on. Once the cause and effect of Great Philanthropist Lü is resolved, this old man will recuperate properly."

Mo Hua nodded, then looked around, searching for the entrance to the final burial chamber.

According to his tomb-raiding experience, since before them lay the main hall, behind it was likely the main burial chamber, which was to say, the destination of this trip, where Great Philanthropist Lü's coffin lay.

Sure enough, before long, Mo Hua found a tomb door directly beneath the center of the massive Underworld Bureau Hundred Ghosts Diagram.

The tomb door was not large, and it was almost entirely integrated with the Spirit-wall Hundred Ghosts Diagram, because two ghosts were also drawn upon the tomb door.

These two ghosts were both ghosts within the Hundred Ghosts Diagram and ghosts of the tomb door.

Mo Hua and the others drew close to look. They saw these two ghosts had long faces and protruding fangs, dressed in merchant robes.

One ghost held a scale, weighing spirit stones.

The other ghost cradled an account book, seemingly recording something.

These two ghosts, one on the left and one on the right, stood opposite each other, carved into the two sides of the tomb door.

Mo Hua found it novel and asked, "What kind of things are these two?"

Pei Tanggong glanced at Mo Hua and asked, "Esteemed Master, you do not recognize these either?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "This Esteemed Master's mighty power is derived from the Imperial Decree of the Sect Master True-Person. I do not know much about these unorthodox ghost matters."

Pei Tanggong nodded. "If that is the case..." He pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, "What this old man knows is merely superficial and not necessarily accurate. If there are any errors, I hope Esteemed Master will bear with me."

Mo Hua nodded. "Please speak, Tanggong."

Pei Tanggong looked up at the two ghosts on the tomb door and said, "If this old man is not mistaken, these two ghosts should also be two kinds of 'Wealth Ghosts'..."

"The one weighing is called the 'Haggling Ghost.' Greedy and stingy, it bargains over every single detail in business, refusing to yield even a single spirit stone."

"The one holding the ledger is called the 'Debt-Lending Ghost.' It actively lends spirit stones to others, but the interest is high, and every single entry is recorded in the ledger, with no chance of defaulting."

Mo Hua was slightly taken aback.

Haggling Ghost, Debt-Lending Ghost...

Rather interesting, but...

Mo Hua asked again, "What is the intention of carving these two ghosts onto the tomb door?"

Pei Tanggong pondered, "Likely... to guard the tomb."

Mo Hua said, "Guarding a tomb... shouldn't powerful ghosts like evil ghosts, vengeful ghosts, and fierce ghosts be used to guard the door? What tomb can two greedy Wealth Ghosts guard?"

"Esteemed Master might not know..." Pei Tanggong said, "Greedy ghosts are precisely the best for guarding a tomb; with greedy ghosts guarding a tomb, things only go in and never come out."

Mo Hua suddenly thought of the big-headed Pixiu.

The Pixiu was also "in only, no out," a total miser.

Give it something, and it would be overjoyed.

Take something from it, and it was like taking its life.

Greedy and stingy was indeed the consummate temperament for guarding tombs and treasures.

Speaking of which, he had not visited the Pixiu in a long time. He wondered how the Pixiu and those other things were doing...

Mo Hua's thoughts shifted slightly. He nodded and asked again, "In that case, how do we enter this tomb?"

Pei Tanggong said, "Generally speaking, by following the rules of the ghosts, one can enter through this tomb door."

Mo Hua asked, "What rules?"

Pei Tanggong pointed at the two ghosts, pondering, "If this old man is not mistaken, the answer lies right on the surface."

"Of these two ghosts, one is a Haggling Ghost and the other is a Debt-Lending Ghost. The Haggling Ghost holds a spirit stone scale, and the Debt-Lending Ghost holds a Ghost Ledger."

"Borrow spirit stones from the Haggling Ghost, and then have the Debt-Lending Ghost record it in the ledger. That would be acting according to the rules of the ghosts."

"As long as we owe spirit stones to these two ghosts, they will likely let us enter the tomb."

Mo Hua said, "Just like that?"

Pei Tanggong nodded. "According to the rules, it should be so."

Mo Hua said, "And what if I don't follow the rules?"

Pei Tanggong froze. "What does Esteemed Master mean?"

Mo Hua said, "I am a person who dislikes owing things to others. Otherwise, I can't sleep at night."

Pei Tanggong wore a wry smile.

Mo Hua looked at Bai XiaoSheng and said, "Right Protector, see if you can break the door directly."

Bai XiaoSheng grumbled inwardly, Making me do free labor again.

Yet in front of everyone, he still gave Mo Hua full face, cupping his hands. "Yes, Esteemed Master."

He then drew his white-jade-like treasured sword and slashed it against the tomb door.

A dull thud rang out. The sword carved a small slit upon the tomb door, yet the door did not budge in the slightest.

Stroking the tomb door with his hand, Bai XiaoSheng sensed it for a moment, then shook his head. "Too thick..."

This tomb door was integrated with the massive Underworld Bureau Hundred Ghosts Diagram, and further integrated with the cast-as-one Great Spirit Stone Tomb. There was no telling how deep and thick it was.

If one truly wished to hack it open, there was no telling how long it would take.

Whether other unforeseen changes would occur during the hacking was also hard to say.

Bai XiaoSheng glanced at Mo Hua. Though he did not speak, his meaning was evidently that he did not recommend forcing the door open.

With golden light welling in his eyes, Mo Hua looked at the two ghosts on the tomb door and even released a wisp of Divine Dao pressure.

Peculiarly, the two ghosts on the tomb door merely showed fear for a brief moment before returning to an unmoving state.

Not afraid of me? Mo Hua felt slightly surprised.

Were these not living ghosts?

Or rather, were these ghost entities formed from laws? Did they only operate according to their own rules?

"Ghost... laws..."

Mo Hua's gaze flickered slightly. Turning to Pei Tanggong, he said slowly, "Since this is Great Philanthropist Lü's tomb, forcing the door open is impolite after all. Let us follow the rules then..."

Pei Tanggong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was also somewhat afraid of this Esteemed Master acting recklessly. Once this Esteemed Master acted recklessly, no one knew what situation might arise.

Now that he had retreated before difficulties and was willing to follow the rules, it was naturally for the best.

Mo Hua asked again, "What needs to be done?"

Pei Tanggong pondered for a moment, looking toward the Haggling Ghost, and said:

"On this Haggling Ghost's scale, there is a pile of spirit stones. Each person takes one spirit stone, and after using it, once it is recorded in the ledger, one should be considered to have started 'owing a debt.'"

Hearing this, Mo Hua reached out to take a spirit stone from the Haggling Ghost's scale.

Gu Changhuai hastily stopped him, "Esteemed Master, let me go first."

Pei Tanggong watched Mo Hua silently.

Mo Hua said, "It's okay."

Hearing this, Gu Changhuai knew Mo Hua had a plan in mind, so he stopped objecting.

Mo Hua reached out and retrieved a spirit stone from the scale of the Haggling Ghost before the tomb door.

The Hundred Ghosts Diagram was carved entirely from spirit stones.

This Haggling Ghost, from head to toe, right down to the scale pan and counterweight, was also made entirely of spirit stones.

Yet strangely, though Mo Hua had clearly taken a spirit stone from this ghost's scale, the spirit stones upon the scale neither increased nor decreased, remaining exactly the same as before.

"And then?" Mo Hua asked.

"Use this spirit stone," Pei Tanggong said.

Without thinking much, almost out of instinct, Mo Hua casually tossed the spirit stone into his mouth, chewed it with a crunch, and swallowed it.

Pei Tanggong froze.

He had seen quite a few eccentric people in his life, but eating a spirit stone plain like snacking on melon seeds was exceedingly rare.

What kind of bizarre habit was this?

Chewing the spirit stone, Mo Hua asked indistinctly, "Is this fine?"

Snapping back to his senses, Pei Tanggong turned to look at the mural on the tomb. He saw that the very instant Mo Hua ate the spirit stone from the Haggling Ghost's scale, the other Debt-Lending Ghost's eyes already flashed with sharp light as it made an entry in the Ghost Ledger.

This meant the debt had taken effect.

Even if it was just a single spirit stone, it was still a debt.

"It is fine," Pei Tanggong said.

Almost simultaneously, Mo Hua felt the spirit stone he had eaten undergo a wondrous transformation.

After the spirit stone was digested, the internal spiritual power seemed to transform into an obscure Karmic Thread.

One end of the Karmic Thread wrapped around his body, while the other end was held in the hand of the Debt-Lending Ghost.

He was now considered to be "in debt."

Moreover, what he owed was a ghost's debt.

(End of Chapter)