Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Chapter 543: Chapter 350: The First True God_2

Indeed, despite the many tattered items on the stalls of Ghost Street, there are ultimately a few treasures overlooked by people.

After a short walk down the street, Zhao Sheng stopped three times, three times he exchanged for a piece of Starfall Iron, a damaged bone hammer, and a half copper spear stained with blood.

An hour later, at the end of Ghost Street, the round black stone platform had come into view.

Zhao Sheng’s pupils shrank when he saw that the figure of the door-guarding Corpse Ghost Chi Shura was gone, replaced by a nine-feet-tall golden-armored corpse with muscles bulging like armor, emitting a faint golden light all over.

Approaching the black platform, the golden-armored corpse suddenly blocked the way. Zhao Sheng, seeing this, spoke the password, “Heaven’s dawn ascends to Divine Road, untroubled by human and ghostly path!”

Thankfully, the passcode hadn’t changed!

The golden-armored corpse immediately stepped aside, and Zhao Sheng successfully climbed onto the black stone platform, which flashed with black light and then was left empty.

Ghost Market, shrouded in black fog.

The ground was still the sticky, soft texture of flesh and blood, while the white bone chairs were scattered in the dim fog, appearing intermittently.

Zhao Sheng slowly walked forward, and with each step, he left behind shallow footprints. Quickly, a trace of blood-red mucus began to ooze out of the impressions.

Zhao Sheng was a little surprised to see this, as he had been here many times before, but this phenomenon had never occurred.

This time he’d arrived a bit early, and there were not many figures sitting on the white bone chairs.

Zhao Sheng walked over to a bone chair on the periphery, casually took a seat, and silently waited for others to arrive.

As time slowly passed, more and more figures started to populate the Ghost Market, with over thirty white bone chairs now occupied.

After another half an hour, following a strange screech, the trading in the Ghost Market officially began.

As was his custom, Zhao Sheng was not in a hurry to speak up, choosing instead to wait for others to make their trades.

“One bottle of Heart-washing Pill, highest bidder takes it!”

“Thousand-year-old Ghost Locust Wood Marrow, weighing nine pounds and nine taels, wishes to exchange for a mid-grade spiritual artifact, preference given to bells, banners, or swords.”

“I have a map of a legacy dungeon in my possession; the dungeon’s owner was a Golden Core Main Priest from a thousand years ago. I wish to venture into the dungeon and explore; any fellow daoists interested in this could have a private discussion with me.”

“…One hundred-year-old copper-armored corpse, three Thousand Ghost Altars, each anchoring a Fierce Ghost as the mainstay. Interested parties may offer a price!”

“The Soul-breaking Sect is recruiting a disciple with Yin Life and Yin Soul, with Spirit Roots above Four Spirit Roots.”

…

After half a day, Zhao Sheng felt it was about time, and suddenly stood up, addressing the seated figures with his request:

“I am known as Prison Ghost, and I have already made my request known to the fellow daoists present here on previous occasions. I am in need of a Five Passes Snake God Divine Statue, the more potent the Power of Incense, the better.

Those who have heard of me will know that I have a sizeable wealth and many treasures at my disposal. As long as it satisfies me, I can surely satisfy you.”

In recent years, Zhao Sheng had made a name for himself in the Ghost Market under the moniker Prison Ghost. Cultivators who had heard of him knew that he was financially strong, possessed many treasures, and importantly, was known for his generous dealings.

“Ha ha! After waiting so many days, you’ve finally made my wait worthwhile. Prison Ghost, come! Let’s go to the side and talk,” a man laughed heartily.

Laughing uproariously, a tall figure suddenly stood up from not too far away and gestured towards Zhao Sheng to come over.

Zhao Sheng’s heart leapt with joy at this, so he also got up and walked towards the man.

Moments later, deep within the black fog, the two of them stood a zhang apart.

Bang!

A flash of golden light, and before Zhao Sheng, there appeared a Divine Statue with a human head and snake body, its surface emitting a faint light, the Power of Incense extremely dense.

Zhao Sheng released his Divine Sense and meticulously inspected the statue, his eyes showing appreciation as he spoke, “The divinity within this statue is inherent, and it brings to life the natural allure, and the Power of Incense has been gathered for at least five hundred years. A fine item indeed! What would my fellow daoist like to exchange for it?”

The tall figure chuckled heh heh, couldn’t help rubbing his hands together with a nervous tone, “Heh heh! I hear you’ve got many treasures and cultivation techniques. My Divine Soul was severely damaged by ghostly screams years ago, and I’ve been unable to heal it for a long time. Do you have a way to heal such injuries to the Divine Soul?”

“That’s quite simple! I have two kinds of Spirit Pills, called the Nourishing God Pill and the Returning God Pill…

A moment later, Zhao Sheng and the man returned from the depths of the black fog, one in front of the other.

Just as they reached the edge of the White Bone Chair Forest, Zhao Sheng heard a harsh and old voice by his ear:

“…Five Wheel Wanderer, Plague Taoist, remnants of the Sky Heart Sect, and others have had their bounty rewards increased by thirty percent,” said the City Governor’s Mansion official. “Whichever fellow Daoist can capture any of the fugitives for the City Governor’s Mansion will have their reward doubled for each person.

Any fellow Daoist who knows the whereabouts of any fugitives, please come and speak with me. As long as the information proves to be true, I will immediately issue part of the bounty reward.”

Zhao Sheng sat down beside a White Bone Chair as he mulled over the brazen partnership between the government and Ghost Market. He was astonished that they would openly discuss the issuance of bounty rewards in the Ghost Market, in front of numerous Evil Demons and dissidents.

“Who knows what the relationship is between the owner of the Ghost Market, the court, and the Heavenly Dao Sect? Are they enemies? Allies? Or are they simply in cahoots?”

Harboring various suspicions and conjectures, Zhao Sheng didn’t wait for the Ghost Market to close. He had just sat down, but then he stood up again and walked out, quickly disappearing into the depths of the fog.

…

Time flies, three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

During these days, Zhao Sheng devoted all his energy to refining the Five Passes Snake God and Mouse God within the Book Forest Cave beneath Zhao Mansion.

Persistence pays off!

Today, three months later, the last two Vengeful Spirits were successfully refined.

At this point, all five Five Passes Divine Statues were completed, and the Divine Communication Spiritual Beasts were all properly matched. Things smoothly moved on to the next stage.

On the Magic Platform in the center of the cave mansion, Zhao Sheng was sitting cross-legged, with five tall Divine Statues, glowing with golden light, standing erect behind him.

At this moment, three feet above his head, a small golden Seal was gently swaying, emitting layers of Divine Light.

Around the small Seal, green, black, red, white, and yellow light orbs neatly formed a circle, slowly rotating around it.

Inside each of the five light orbs was a small figure similar to Zhao Sheng, also sitting cross-legged, with an appearance both solemn and sanctified, resembling individuals who had attained the Tao.

However, these five figures bore the characteristics of animals: a snake, mouse, hedgehog, toad, and bat respectively.

At this instant, the five Vengeful Spirits were continuously casting spell after spell, sending streams of green, black, red, white, and yellow Light Spells towards the Enfeoffment Decree.

The vast majority of the Light Spells were obliterated by the Divine Light emanating from the decree before they could even come into contact, with only occasional threads managing to land upon its body.

The white Light Spells, in particular, were most prevalent.

After half an hour, Zhao Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze shot out fiercely and he bellowed, “The Tao is boundless, Enfeoffment Decree, Five Passes Kidney Rat returns to position!”

Following his bellow, Zhao Sheng suddenly formed a complicated and unique Dharma Seal with his hands. A thick pillar of scarlet light shot into the sky from between his hands, hitting the Enfeoffment Decree.

Simultaneously, the green, black, red, and white light orbs scattered, instantly embedding themselves within the corresponding Five Passes Divine Statues.

Only the white light orb, representing the Kidney Rat, then surged through the layers of Divine Light and leaped onto the Enfeoffment Decree, swallowing it in one gulp.

Zhao Sheng didn’t lift his head, but his powerful Divine Sense had already enveloped the space above, his Spiritual Power surged out from his hands.

In an instant, the scarlet light pillar thickened by a third.

Suddenly empowered, the Kidney Rat Vengeful Spirit grew ecstatic, its form rapidly expanding, instantly transforming into a gigantic white luminary, eighteen feet tall, with a Golden Seal faintly visible inside its Dantian.

About half a month later, the Enfeoffment Decree successfully fused with the Five Passes Kidney Rat God.

This marked the birth of the first God among the Five Passes to be officially recognized by heaven and earth!

In Netherworld, “Divine Spirits” include Mao Gods, Wild Gods, Ghost Gods, recognized Gods, and Emperors, ranked in five levels.

Typically, the ranking of the five types of ‘Gods’ does not have much correlation with their strength.

Although recognized Gods rank just below Emperors among deities, quite a few are pathetically weak, with some even unable to defeat Mao Gods, such as the Ear Reporting God.

For example, the newly ordained Five Passes Kidney Rat’s strength is even weaker than that of an average Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Of course, Zhao Sheng doesn’t usually seek to use the Five Passes Gods in combat.

In a sense, the Five Passes Gods are merely tools Zhao Sheng uses to explore the truths of the Tao.

“With one more month to go, that should be ample time to find a place prevalent with Five Passes influence to build the Divine Temple.” Zhao Sheng stood up, muttering to himself, waving his hand to collect the five Divine Statues into the Space Storage Seal.

He looked around, his figure flashed, and he suddenly vanished from the Magic Platform.