Xu Qing instinctively recalled the Golden Man buried beneath the temple of Celestial Lord General, the eighth seat of the Twelve Gates, and now there was also a Golden Man in the Death City controlled by Ghost Law.
"Twelve Golden Men, Twelve Gatekeepers..."
Xu Qing watched the Golden Armor Divine General gradually falling into a disadvantage, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.
To which camp do these Twelve Golden Men belong? What exactly was the purpose of the founding Emperor forging these Golden Men two thousand years ago?
As Xu Qing was pondering this enigma, suddenly, a brilliant golden light surged from the underground of the Death City.
The ground beneath Xu Qing's feet also began to churn and surge; the ashes and sand became raging quicksand, while the tombstones soaring up from the ground turned into solitary boats and floating wood in the flood, and the entire Death City was undergoing an earth-shaking mutation!
Ascendant Fuluan darted up swiftly, his eyes filled with astonishment.
The Golden Armor Divine General was covered in golden light, and his damaged and worn-out body instantly restored to its original state.
Xu Qing felt the domineering aura coming from underground, instinctively activating his Yin Pupil, and using the Heaven Pillar's spine to connect with the earth vein, probing deep into the earth.
Under the Death City, Xu Qing had already explored thoroughly; there were no anomalies before. But now, upon probing again, he discovered that outside the Death City, in a very distant place, a moving tomb was rapidly heading this way!
Ascendant Fuluan exclaimed in shock: "Netherworld Ghost Ship? In the quest for eternal life, the Emperor had long abandoned the idea of crossing the Yin River, so why build this ghostly ship?"
The face of the Golden Armor Divine General was cold and hard: "The Emperor is infallible in his calculations; would he place everything in your hands alone? If he can create an illusion crossing ship for you to seek Immortality across the sea, he can also recreate a crossing ghost ship to bring us back to battle the world!"
As the two spoke, a small hill suddenly rose, and then a gigantic ship burst forth, like a flood dragon out to sea, with a terrifying momentum.
Xu Qing glanced over; the ghost ship was a hundred zhang long, entirely black, with towering masts, and dragon-patterned gold inscriptions embellishing the ship's sides, displaying the grandeur of an emperor's tour!
The one commanding the ghost ship was no mortal. Xu Qing floated in mid-air, overlooking from above, and saw countless ministers on the ghost ship wearing official robes, palace garb, or armor, each diligently performing their duties in navigating the entire ghost ship.
These ministers looked nothing like humans, each with eyes blazing with green flames, Skull Ghost Soldiers.
Xu Qing found this all too familiar; how does this thing look so much like a Western pirate ship?
The ghost ship shrouded in black mist broke through the sand fog and anchored in the Death City.
The collapsing sandy landscapes and tombs around returned to stillness. On the ghost ship, an eunuch in palace attire stood on the deck, delivering an imperial edict: "The Emperor has decreed, this being an epoch of great tribulation concerning the survival of our human race, all subjects should focus on eliminating demons, cease internal strife, and unite against foreign enemies... The upheaval in the Netherworld, the chaos of the Corpse of Law, are calamities not faced by our human race for millennia. All of our race must first confront foreign enemies to protect our common folk!"
"General Tai'e, the local enemy has been subdued, the Emperor commands you to swiftly return to your command, reorganize the troops, and prepare for battle. Any negligence will not be tolerated by military law!"
As the Golden Armor Divine General returned to the ghost ship, the eunuch looked towards Ascendant Fuluan and said:
"Xu Sheng, you've heard the Emperor's decree. Pacifying the great calamity is also removing obstacles on your path to Ascending to Immortality. Even if not for the human race, you must consider your own future."
With these words, the eunuch opened a pathway, saying: "The Emperor has long wanted to see you, Xu Wise Scholar, follow me to pay your respects…"
Ascendant Fuluan, filled with uncertainty, had his magical power ready to flee at any moment. Upon hearing the decree of the founding Emperor, he shivered as if a current shocked him throughout.
Fighting against foreign enemies for the human race, waging a life-and-death battle against the Corpse of Law that even the Celestial Emperor dared not confront head-on...
What formidable resolve is this?
Beyond these, what shocked Ascendant Fuluan even more was the foresight of the founding Emperor.
How did he foresee the changes in the world two thousand years ago?
In this moment, Ascendant Fuluan genuinely had a fleeting thought of boarding the ghost ship to meet the eternal Emperor.
But when he saw the full ship of attendant ghosts, eyes aflame with green fire, staring intently at him, Ascendant Fuluan immediately sobered up.
The founding Emperor's moods were unpredictable; boarding the ship would be easy, but disembarking not so much!
Additionally, even if the Emperor lets him go, the ministers and soldiers on the ship, along with the Golden Armor Divine General, would not necessarily spare him.
After all, were he to present the method of eternal life to the founding Emperor, why would these people be reduced to funeral offerings, unable to reincarnate for a thousand years, drifting in the Yin River...
Seeing Ascendant Fuluan defy the edict, the eunuch delivering the decree was clearly infuriated, yet unable to do anything since the other party wasn't on the ghost ship.
After some reprimands and curses, an aged voice suddenly emerged from within the ship.
"Let him go! For the sake of Ascending to Immortality, he will act eventually, but that fellow... you've slain my Golden Mace General, do you intend to oppose me?"
"..."
Xu Qing, who was spectating, instantly couldn't sit still.
How did this bystander situation suddenly involve him?
Xu Qing actually wasn't afraid of the founding Emperor, but he felt the need to explain himself; after all, everyone was against the Corpse of Law, and he had thwarted the Corpse of Law's plans multiple times. In some sense, he and the founding Emperor were allies.
Allies shouldn't mistakenly harm one another.
"Isn't this a misunderstanding? I'm just a burial expert, came to the Yin River for a funeral, and who knew the Golden Mace General would attack without a word? I couldn't just stand still and take the blows."
After saying these things, Xu Qing added: "It was I who exterminated the Ghost Law, I've long been at odds with these demons that disrupt the world order, unlike some who flee in the face of demons when seeking Immortal medicine at celestial mountains, quite contemptible."
"..."
Ascendant Fuluan raised an eyebrow and glared, why drag me into your talk?
The founding Emperor was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Since it's a misunderstanding, I'll let it go. But I hope you remember your words today; should the human race face a life-or-death crisis one day, I ask you to spare no effort in safeguarding our race."
"There are too few great masters of divine techniques in this mundane world after all."
With those words, the founding Emperor's voice faded, and he said no more.
The ghost ship of the Netherworld sank back into the earth vein, back to wandering the Yin River, as if everything that happened before was just an illusion.
Xu Qing turned his head, and seeing Ascendant Fuluan acting as though wiping sweat despite being dry, he couldn't resist teasing:
"Your master hasn't gone far, you can still catch up if you chase now."
"..."
Had Xu Qing remained silent, it would have been fine, but as soon as he spoke, the grievances Ascendant Fuluan had been suppressing surged:
"You know very well the conflicts between me and the founding Emperor, so why come to harm me under the guise of treasure hunting?"
"How can you turn the tables on me like this?"
Xu Qing argued reasonably: "You also know Feng Shui, so tell me, is this not a Feng Shui treasure land? Isn't the Golden Armor Divine General a treasure?"
"Those who play with tomb-raiding, who knows what they'll unearth? If it turns out wrong, no one else can be blamed! Moreover, I inadvertently acted as a mediator, helping erase the past between you and the founding Emperor. Not thanking me is one thing, but why blame me instead?"
Ascendant Fuluan thought this over carefully and realized it made perfect sense.
He hadn't even detected the slumbering Golden Armor Divine General a hundred zhang deep underground, so how could Xu Qing be blamed?
"I wrongly accused you of good intentions, please forgive me, Daoist brother."
Who knows what they'll unearth? If it turns out wrong, no one else can be blamed! Moreover, I inadvertently acted as a mediator, helping erase the past between you and the founding Emperor. Not thanking me is one thing, but why blame me instead?"
Ascendant Fuluan thought this over carefully and realized it made perfect sense.
He hadn't even detected the slumbering Golden Armor Divine General a hundred zhang deep underground, so how could Xu Qing be blamed?
"I wrongly accused you of good intentions, please forgive me, Daoist brother."