Chapter 195: Chapter 160: Seeking Medicine in the Nine Ramparts, Capturing the Yangshen Taisui

"It should be mid-morning by now."

Jiang Yi glanced around. A thin mist hung in the air, and the gloom was so heavy it felt as if dawn would never break.

Upon reaching the gates of the Palace of the Six Departed Heavens, he saw two gatekeeper ghosts standing guard on either side, each holding a long halberd.

They had originally been mere burial artifacts, only gaining sentience after accumulating enough yin energy to become spiritual. At first glance, they resembled two bronze masks of human faces, each with a broad jaw and a wide forehead.

"Is the Landscape Attendant heading out?"

Ah Da spoke up.

"Fool! The Landscape Attendant has already walked all the way here. Of course he’s heading out!"

Ah Er immediately shot back. Every time Ah Da asked a question, he had to call him a fool first.

Watching these two gatekeeper ghosts bicker every day was rather amusing.

"I heard from Miss Xiaoqiao earlier that many places on the Eighteen-Layered High Platform are off-limits. I wanted to ask you two, which places are safe to visit freely?"

Jiang Yi asked politely.

"Who is Miss Xiaoqiao?"

Ah Da asked again.

"Fool! She must be a palace maid from the Profound City Central Palace! Do you even need to ask?"

After their verbal spat, Ah Er—the one fond of calling the other a fool—answered respectfully:

"The Eighteen-Layered High Platform is where myriad ghosts lie hidden, so many spots are quite perilous. However, since the Landscape Attendant wears a Jade Token, you have no need to worry."

At this, Jiang Yi’s mind was put at ease. Ah Er then pointed out a few places where he could go for a leisurely stroll.

"Thank you both. Also, I wish to gather some blooming treasure herbs and Spirit Plants to make medicine. Might I trouble you two to help? Or, telling me where I can gather them would be fine as well."

Ah Da excitedly piped up:

"In the land of the Nine Layers, below which flows the River of Oblivion, both banks are lined with countless Spirit Plants and treasure herbs. You can find any kind you want!"

Jiang Yi nodded his thanks and headed straight for the Nine Layers.

"Fool! Why did you have to blurt that out?! The River of Oblivion isn’t a place one can just casually set foot in!"

Ah Er raised his long halberd and brought it down on Ah Da’s head with a CLANG, making him see stars.

"Didn’t you say that since he’s wearing the Landscape Attendant’s Jade Token, he doesn’t need to worry?"

Ah Da said, aggrieved.

"Fool! ’Landscape Attendant’ is just a hollow title bestowed by the Profound City Central Palace!"

Seemingly unable to contain his frustration, Ah Er swung his long halberd and smashed it down a few more times.

By the time the two gatekeeper ghosts finished arguing, Young Master Jiang was already out of sight.

...

...

The land of the Nine Layers was originally a place of rebirth carved out by the Ghost Dao.

Each layer is divided into four strata, for a total of thirty-six layers, and each is governed and guarded by an Earth Emperor condensed from boundless yin qi.

It is said that under the watch of these thirty-six Earth Emperors, the land of the Nine Layers expands day and night, threatening to fill the entire Netherworld.

’What a pity.’

Jiang Yi stood on the Eighteen-Layered High Platform and looked down. The vast, boundless territory of the Nine Layers looked like a piece of molten glass crystal, mostly scorched black, with only a single corner in the middle retaining its crystalline luster.

As a fellow fire cultivator, witnessing such a terrifying scene—one capable of incinerating the heavens and razing the earth—was truly startling.

’What incredible power! The leading True Monarch of the Eight Sceneries Palace, a Daoist Monarch seed who made his name at the Dan Yuan Dharma Assembly... a great reputation is truly well-deserved.’

Jiang Yi habitually begged the Celestial Book, his daily ritual of inquiring about the fortune of his trip.

’Before rashly going out to "explore," I definitely have to make sure it’s safe enough.’

After a few moments, the Celestial Book gave an eight-word prophecy: "Perilous, yet safe; disaster will turn into fortune."

’Even finding some Treasure Medicines and Spirit Plants comes with trials and tribulations. Such is the arduous life of a Fate Shuzi.’

He sighed softly but didn’t abandon the idea. He summoned a surge of brilliant flames and burst through the layers of dark clouds, flying downward.

「Two hours later.」

He had already arrived at the first and highest layer, the Land of Rich Color.

"Of the Nine Layers, the very bottom one is the Abyssal Colorless Framework Land, known as the ’Uttermost Abyssal Chasm, Framework of Heaven and Earth, Boundless and Limitless, Devoid of Color and Qi.’ It’s now filled with resentful and Fierce Fiends. Xiao Jiang, you must absolutely not go there,"

True Master Xuanmiao advised from within his robes.

Regarding the great war between the Ghost Dao and the Immortal Dao, he had not only heard of it, but also knew some of the inside details.

That was likely the most recent war between Daoist Lineages.

"This land of the Nine Layers is so vast. I suppose it has something to do with the Earth Virtue?"

Jiang Yi set foot on the Land of Rich Color and felt the fertile, rich soil beneath his feet. The vegetation was lush and green, and many strange flowers and exotic plants bloomed wantonly out of season. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.

"The Demon Dao has several True Monarchs who also cultivate Ji Earth but haven’t ascended to a primary position. They all lent a hand back then."

True Master Xuanmiao mumbled in a low voice, his front paws kneading the soft earth, which gave off a mellow, nourishing aroma.

"The land of the Nine Layers can be considered a great manifestation of the Earth Virtue. If it had existed long enough, it might have given rise to a flourishing Ji Earth Dao and elevated a corresponding Daoist Monarch."

He paused, then listed the names of the other eight layers:

"The Land of Rich Color, the Land of Hard Color, the Land of Stony Luster, the Land of Moisture, the Land of Golden Millet, the Land of Adamantine Iron, the Land of Water Control, the Land of Great Wind, and the Abyssal Colorless Framework Land."

"This land of the Nine Layers consumed almost seventy to eighty percent of all the Earth Element Spiritual Objects in the entire Yanfu Vast Land."

"Xiao Jiang, you should just wander around the first four layers. If you’re lucky, you might be able to pick up a few good things."

The moment he left the Palace of Stored Elegance, True Master Xuanmiao couldn’t help but frolic about. He pawed at the dirt excitedly and said:

"You have to understand, Earth Element Spiritual Materials have the widest range of uses! Cultivators of the other four elements all need them, whether it’s for opening a Cave Mansion, establishing a sect, or supporting the foundation of a Dharma Lineage!"

Jiang Yi smiled. ’His Cat Master was really treating his Perfect Saint King fate like some kind of wish-granting tree.’

He decided to first head down to the fourth layer, the "Land of Moisture," to find the "River of Oblivion." He would gather the materials needed for the Cat Master’s restorative tonic and then look around.

...

...

The Fourth Layer, the Land of Moisture.

"What a tremendous opportunity!"

A young man in a muddy-yellow Daoist Robe held up a purple-skinned gourd in his right hand. Plumes of Fierce Fiend wolf smoke shot out from it, transforming into ghostly faces that chased a wingless, legless, fog-riding serpent.

The woman next to him wore a bright red dress, her hair in an updo, with a bewitching face and a graceful figure. She was smiling as she praised him:

"I never thought Senior Brother Kang would have such an opportunity! To have the means to break the restrictions and sneak into the land of the Nine Layers!"

The young man surnamed Kang laughed smugly:

"Junior Sister, you may not know, but I came down the mountain this time with a direct order from Elder Kang. That fellow Huang Zishang is an outsider, after all—unreliable. He completely botched the heaven-sent opportunity he was given!"

"Elder Kang saw that my fortune was extraordinary and bestowed upon me a ’Profound Law Upper Cavern Talisman’ to pass through the spiritual and enter the netherworld to get here!"

The young man Kang strolled leisurely. He formed a hand seal and pointed. The Fierce Fiend wolf smoke morphed into seven or eight terrifying ghostly faces that surrounded the fog-riding serpent from all sides, trapping it.

"Junior Sister, just watch from the sidelines and see how I capture this ’Teng Snake’ and refine it into a spirit pearl. It’s just what I need to craft the ’Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains’."

Young Man Kang clapped his hands together, activating his turquoise Kui Water True Qi, which surged forward like a great, rushing river!

In an instant, the legless, wingless, fog-riding serpent was torn to shreds. A few of the ghostly faces followed up, tearing at it and dissipating the thick, escaping earthy stench until only a two-foot-long, rice-ear-like, clear-yellow ray of essence remained.

With a sweep of his Divine Thought, Young Man Kang quickly collected it into a square box made of flint.

Ji Earth is yin-aligned and should be stored in a container of yang wood. Yin wood is damp and can easily cause decay.

But he only had a Ding Fire item on hand, so he had to make do.

If it were a Bing Fire item, it wouldn’t work; its nature is too dry and hot, which would damage the spiritual nature of the Ji Earth.

The eyes of the woman in the red dress flowed like water, and her voice suddenly became cloyingly sweet:

"Congratulations, Senior Brother! This portion of Ji Earth Essence Qi is worth at least a million talisman coins! If you can also find that ’Seedling God Taisui,’ I’m afraid this trip will provide enough resources to reach the Twelfth Level of Cultivation!"

Young Man Kang, brimming with satisfaction, recalled the purple-skinned gourd hanging in mid-air. The billowing wolf smoke was drawn back inside.

"Elder Kang specially taught me the ’Dragon-Seeking, Gold-Dividing Spell,’ which is designed to survey the flow of earth qi. This land of the Nine Layers is overflowing with Ji Earth. I can’t imagine how many Spirit Plants and treasure herbs have grown here!"

He didn’t pay much attention to the woman in red. He had brought her along to "share the opportunity" mainly so that if they encountered danger, he would have someone to scout ahead or cover the retreat.

This was a common tactic among cultivators of the Demon Dao Dharma Lineage.

Young Man Kang looked up at the sky. Above them, besides the higher layers, was the Eighteen-Layered High Platform.

That was the place that truly held great opportunities and immense fortunes.

But forget him; even Elder Kang himself wouldn’t dare trespass there.

"Don’t worry, Junior Sister. When I reach the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer someday, I definitely won’t forget you. You’ll naturally get a share of the Ji Earth Essence Qi we find later."

Young Man Kang said this, making empty promises, while simultaneously performing a technique with his hands and moving his feet to find his bearings.

「Before long.」

His face lit up with joy, and he laughed loudly:

"My fortune truly is extraordinary! I’ve found that ’Seedling God Taisui’!"

He immediately rode his Kui Water True Qi, which flowed like a great river, and sped away.