Liu Xi glanced at Shi Pan with slight surprise, then recalled, "Before entering the wind cave, this poor Daoist saw a black-robed Dao friend not far away and even reminded him to seek shelter inside. Before I entered, he had made no move. Perhaps... he went to another wind cave?"
Hearing this, Shi Pan's face instantly went deathly pale. "Around here... this is the only wind cave. The others... are far away."
At this thought, deep regret surged in Shi Pan's heart.
Before moving into the wind cave, he should have warned that lord!
In the Tiankun Curious Land, many newly arrived cultivators believed their cultivation was profound and paid no heed to yin souls whatsoever. Some even grew curious about them and chose to remain outside during Yin Soul Night.
Yet now, that lord had not entered this wind cave.
According to the cultivator lord beside him, that lord had not made a move before Liu Xi went inside.
It was already far too late to reach any other wind cave.
Outside, the roars of the yin soul army drifted in from time to time, sinister and terrifying. Shi Pan could already imagine what would happen.
Liu Xi maintained a calm expression. "It seems that Dao friend must be a newcomer here. What a pity."
He had seen many such cultivators.
Once, a Mythological expert—the offspring of a Yang God, no less—had come to the Tiankun Curious Land to hunt for treasures.
Conceitedly relying on a Yang God artifact left behind by his revered mother for protection, he had paid no heed to the yin souls patrolling the skies.
The result... he kicked the bucket.
Such things were commonplace. Having seen it plenty of times, Liu Xi was quite indifferent.
"There are still several two-hour intervals until daybreak. Fretful worrying does you no good." Liu Xi was kind-hearted and consoled Shi Pan, "Once dawn breaks, you can go collect his remains. If his bones were sturdy enough, perhaps a few scraps might still be left."
Shi Pan: "..."
Within the wind cave, the cries of yin souls echoed incessantly.
Deeply worried, Shi Pan craned his neck to peer outside the wind cave, yet he dared not step out, his heart aching with concern for Qi Yuan.
Liu Xi, on the other hand, was calm. He settled into a comfortable spot, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest his mind.
...
Meanwhile, beyond the mountain forest, as far as the eye could see across the pitch-black peaks, pairs of deep green eyes faintly glimmered like those of bats.
Thousands upon thousands of the yin soul army stood deployed in formation, heads bowed and eyes lowered, as if attending an oath-taking rally.
Suspended in the void, surrounded by the yin soul army, Qi Yuan used the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture to deliver a speech and brainwash them.
Last night had been an eventful night.
Led by the initial yin soul army, Qi Yuan had swept tens of thousands of li, executing every single yin soul emissary in the surrounding area.
He had taken the opportunity to bring their yin soul armies under his wing as well.
Their current numbers were staggering.
As Qi Yuan stood aloft in the void, the yin soul army gazed up with fervent, fanatical expressions, erupting from time to time into earth-shattering cheers far rowdier than any concert back on the Blue Star.
"If you wish to protect our land and mountains, we must forge a strong army—an army with civility!
What is civility?
Hmm... First of all, in the dead of night, do not disturb the public. You must keep quiet!"
What did civility mean?
Qi Yuan himself was someone of average civility.
He would still get pissed off when Horned Sis chewed him out.
As for how to build a civilized army, he had no real clue either.
At the very least... not disturbing the public ought to count, right?
Unifying their ideology probably counted too?
Sure enough, following Qi Yuan's words, as if stamped with a mental seal, the yin soul army all held their breath, without uttering the slightest sound.
"After gaining civility, you must also have combat strength. This is the Thirty-Sixth Set of Radio Calisthenics. Begin your exercises!"
Qi Yuan felt more and more clever.
In past days when watching television, there were always soldier kings who dominated other worlds with a set of military physical fitness boxing.
His radio calisthenics were not the least bit inferior.
After transmitting the radio calisthenics to the yin soul army, Qi Yuan declared calmly, "Next: train your bodies, build barracks and an armory!"
Qi Yuan commanded.
The yin souls clearly still bore the restraints of the Holy Light Sect.
Qi Yuan could tell that this yin soul army had originally been harmless, with no inherent need to patrol the skies and slaughter living beings.
The Holy Light Sect had tainted them using strange creations, seemingly aiming to achieve some unspeakable purpose.
Qi Yuan transmitted the Thirty-Sixth Set of Radio Calisthenics to the yin soul army and slowly ground down the bells that controlled them, erasing the marks enslaving them.
"Not bad, not bad at all. Once this yin soul army is completely restored to normal, they can work during the day in the Netherworld, and whenever trouble arises, they can enter my Human Sovereign Banner to do battle for me!"
Qi Yuan was a kind-hearted man; he couldn't bear to see this yin soul army jobless, like unemployed vagrants.
So he generously provided them with jobs to lower the unemployment rate.
Back on the Blue Star, providing jobs for so many people would easily earn him the title of a "living Bodhisattva."
Under Qi Yuan's instructions, the yin soul army quickly dispersed in an orderly fashion.
One group began practicing radio calisthenics, while another began chopping trees to construct barracks and a treasure pavilion.
Yet they were all very civilized, making not a single peep.
Everything proceeded methodically.
The sky gradually brightened.
Inside the wind cave, Shi Pan sported two dark circles under his eyes. Having stayed awake all night, his mental state was quite poor.
Outside the wind cave, the furious howls of the yin soul army had faded long ago, leaving behind quietude, yet strange faint noises still seemed to drift in.
Anxious inside, he desperately wanted to go see what was happening outside.
How was that lord who had sheltered them doing now?
"Day has broken, and the yin soul army has dispersed. Excellent." Liu Xi spoke heartily, rising to his feet and heading toward the cave entrance.
Seeing this, Shi Pan and the other refugees stood up one after another and walked out of the cave.
Shi Pan, in particular, was terribly anxious. Being already near the mouth of the cave, he hesitated no longer upon hearing this, dashing out and rushing toward Qi Yuan's location.
"Ah?!"
About ten breaths later, Shi Pan let out a terrified cry.
His legs trembled and buckled under him, and he collapsed onto his rear, his face pale with dread.
"What's wrong?" Shi Pan's mother called out in panic from inside the wind cave, running outside.
"Don't... Yin souls! So many yin souls!"
Shi Pan was shocked and bewildered.
Across the distant mountain range before him were dense swarms of terrifying beings.
They were ethereal, eyes glowing green, like plumes of smoke.
Yet at this moment, some of these terrifying creatures were chopping down trees, some were shouldering timber, and others were clustered together performing an exceedingly bizarre set of synchronized movements, appearing thoroughly comical and ridiculous.
Shi Pan had never seen a yin soul before, but upon seeing these entities, his first thought was that they had to be yin souls.
"You silly boy, it's broad daylight. How could there be yin souls? You must have spooked yourself." Liu Xi smiled as he tidied his robes and walked out of the wind cave.
Evidently, he thought Shi Pan was merely an overfrightened mortal scaring himself.
However, the moment he stepped outside and cast a glance ahead, his expression froze.
The refugees inside the wind cave immediately saw a white silhouette recoil frantically back into the cave.
Then they heard Liu Xi say in utter shock, "Yin souls in broad daylight?!"
He was thoroughly bewildered.
He had lived in the Tiankun Curious Land for a whole century—what hadn't he seen?
Yet encountering yin souls in broad daylight was something he truly had never experienced.
What was more, with just a casual sweep of his gaze, the number of yin souls he spotted exceeded a thousand.
This was terrifying beyond measure.
*Oh no, that kid Shi Pan is still outside...* Liu Xi grew slightly worried.
He had spoken quite a bit with Shi Pan last night and had grown rather fond of the boy.
Now that Shi Pan was outside, given how horrifying yin souls were, he was certainly doomed.
Wait... why wasn't he dead yet?
Meanwhile, the rest of the refugees inside the wind cave were dumbfounded, some stumbling about, others gripped by terror.
"How can there be yin souls in broad daylight?!"
"We're finished! A yin soul saw me! I'm going to meet my ancestors!"
These people were scared out of their wits.
The terror of the yin souls loomed over them like dark storm clouds.
Meanwhile, Liu Xi peered outside again, curiosity creeping onto his face. "Why isn't Shi Pan dead yet? These yin souls are immensely powerful and noticed us long ago. Why... haven't they attacked? And... what on earth are they doing?"
Watching the yin souls, Liu Xi wore a peculiar and solemn look.
Everything happening today was simply too bizarre.
Just then, a thunderous, furious roar rang out from the sky.
"Who is so bold as to dare abduct my yin souls?!"
A Purple Mansion cultivator bellowed, his voice resounding between heaven and earth.
Last night, while leading a yin soul detachment to patrol the skies, he had passed a deserted ridge. Struck by a sudden bout of lust, he ducked into a dilapidated wind cave to have a wild spar with his concubine.
Who could have guessed that after finishing their "sparring," his squad of yin souls had vanished?
This was no small matter.
Tracking the imprint on his bell, he had rushed toward his yin soul squad.
However, just after shouting that curse, the yin soul emissary froze.
Staring at the countless yin souls blanketing the mountains and valleys, his eyes went wide.
"Ah... I was just passing through, passing through! My mistake!"
If someone had merely abducted his single squad, he would still dare to borrow the Holy Light Sect's prestige to throw his weight around.
But this... was countless. Absolutely beyond count.
Greasing his feet, he spun around to flee in an instant.
Just then, a slightly languid voice echoed out.
"Disturbing people's dreams so early in the morning—how uncivilized."
At his words, the yin souls doing radio calisthenics and the yin souls felling trees and building houses all halted, turned in unison toward the yin soul emissary, and roared:
"Show some... civility!"
In the distance, watching this farcical scene, Liu Xi felt his brain short-circuiting.
Was he still half-asleep?
Or had the cultivation world gone mad?
With the unified roar of the yin soul army, the yin soul emissary's body abruptly shattered into a cloud of blood mist.
A faint voice floated over.
"That is what happens when you lack civility."
The voice was calm, tinged with a hint of indifference.
Hearing this voice, Shi Pan's face lit up with joyful surprise. "That's... the lord! It's the lord's voice!"
"What? That's the black-robed cultivator from last night?" At that thought, Liu Xi's body couldn't help trembling.
Among this yin soul army, any mere few dozen could easily suppress and slaughter a Mythological expert.
And the number of yin souls here exceeded ten thousand!
That Dao friend... to subdue so many terrifying yin souls, he had to be at least... an ultimate principle expert!
Even a Heavenly Position Realm Yang God wouldn't be enough!
At this thought, excitement flushed his face.
Hesitating for a moment, he mustered his courage. "Shi Pan, could you take me to meet that senior expert?"
Shi Pan's face showed shock, bewilderment, and joy, but he ultimately nodded. "All right."
After about a hundred breaths, his heart in his throat, Liu Xi finally wove through the yin soul army and came before the black-robed cultivator.
He hastily bowed deeply. "Rogue cultivator Liu Xi pays respects to the Heavenly Venerable!"
Shi Pan's eyes, meanwhile, were gleaming. "My Lord, how did you tame all these yin souls?"
Curiosity showed in Liu Xi's eyes as well.
Yin souls were exceedingly bizarre; it seemed even Yang God Heavenly Venerables could do nothing about them.
Liu Xi had heard that an ultimate principle Yang God was once very interested in the yin souls here. Too timid to enter himself, he paid a heavy price to purchase a yin soul to take back and study, only to conclude in the end that yin souls were unfathomable and harbored immense terror.
"I am a softhearted man. I couldn't bear seeing them homeless in the dead of night, wandering about like lonely, wild ghosts, so I took them in," Qi Yuan said.
There were still plenty of good people in this world.
Some masters couldn't stand seeing vagrants and chased them away; others merely renamed them. Qi Yuan chose to take them in and give them work.
Such kindness could never be repaid in a lifetime.
Hearing this, Liu Xi desperately wanted to twitch his lips.
What did he mean 'like' wild ghosts? These were literal ghosts!
And what did he mean by giving yin souls a job?
He simply couldn't keep up with Qi Yuan's train of thought.
"This yin soul army was originally kind-hearted. However... wicked people corrupted them, using bells to control them to patrol the skies and slaughter living beings," Qi Yuan said, taking out a bell.
Shi Pan's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Grandpa Niu was right after all! The yin souls of the past... were here to protect us. It must be because bad people showed up and took control of them!"
Looking at Shi Pan, Qi Yuan's thoughts drifted back into the past.
During their lives, this yin soul army had guarded the frontier.
Later, they were defeated, their world shattered, and barely one in ten thousand of their people survived, with only a small number escaping to the Tiankun Curious Land.
Even after turning into yin souls, they continued to guard their kinsmen, sweeping away obstacles to ensure the clan's survival.
Regrettably, when the Holy Light Sect appeared, these yin souls were brought under control.
Liu Xi narrowed his eyes at this point. Thinking of something, he lowered his voice and warned, "In the Tiankun Curious Land, the only faction with the strength to control the yin soul army is undoubtedly the Holy Light Sect. Senior, having offended the Holy Light Sect, you must be careful!"
Liu Xi had vaguely heard rumors concerning the yin souls.
Behind the Holy Light Sect stood a member of the Holy Light Clan.
That was exceptionally terrifying.
"No worries, I'm very familiar with the Holy Light Clan," Qi Yuan grinned.
He had once hunted down Dongjun.
Liu Xi's heart tightened upon hearing this, finding this senior increasingly unfathomable.
At that moment, Qi Yuan thought of something and suddenly asked, "Dao friend, how about you do something for me?"
Hearing this, Liu Xi felt overwhelmed by the unexpected favor.
How could he not be astonished that this Heavenly Venerable would address him as 'Dao friend'?
"I want to collect some curious treasures—ignoring quality, focusing only on quantity.
Originally, I thought of having these yin souls collect them for me, but sigh... the eyes of the world are always full of prejudice. Of course, one can't blame them; I worry others might be frightened by yin souls.
Since you are on your own, take a detachment of yin souls with you and help me gather them.
Immortal Jade and treasures are things I have in abundance."
As Qi Yuan spoke, he casually tossed a storage pouch to Liu Xi.
He didn't lack wealth.
Especially after killing so many Yang Gods and practically looting the Moluo Clan clean.
Liu Xi's expression became fraught with hesitation.
Running errands for a Heavenly Venerable naturally brought immense benefits, but... it was not without risk.
After all, this Heavenly Venerable had slapped the Holy Light Sect across the face.
If retaliation came, he wouldn't dare face it.
Hesitating for a brief moment, he struggled before saying, "Forgive me, Senior. I have always been reclusive and rarely interact with others; I fear I would bungle your assignment."
Liu Xi gritted his teeth and declined.
Compared to opportunity, one's life was far more important.
Seeing this, Shi Pan couldn't help chiming in, "My Lord, do you think I could do it?"
He was very nervous.
First, he was very young.
Second, he had no cultivation.
Hearing Shi Pan's words, Liu Xi could barely stifle a chuckle.
This kid Shi Pan was truly daring—and courting death.
Qi Yuan, however, pondered for a moment. "Of course... you can."
Even Liu Bang's Pei County could produce so many formidable figures.
So to Qi Yuan, apart from top-tier innate talent, the thing this world lacked least was "capable people."
What a person lacked most was opportunity.
As long as someone wasn't completely off-the-wall, placing them in that position to gain experience meant they wouldn't necessarily do poorly.
Moreover, he never cared much about others' capability in the first place.
Otherwise, why would he have let Horned Sis join his squad?
Hearing this, Shi Pan's face lit up with wild delight. "Th-Thank you, My Lord!"
"I bestow this talisman upon you; it will protect your life," Qi Yuan said, casually tossing a talisman to Shi Pan. "I'll assign you a detachment of the yin soul army to accompany you in trading.
You have free rein over everything. Just don't disturb me unnecessarily."
Qi Yuan adopted the posture of a completely hands-off shopkeeper.
His primary objective was the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner.
Everything else was secondary.
"As you command!" Shi Pan caught the storage pouch and talisman, wild joy surging in his chest.
"If you can't open the storage pouch, have a yin soul open it for you," Qi Yuan added, tossing over a jade slip as well. "Cultivate casually on your own."
This cultivation art had been collected from the Moluo Clan.
To Qi Yuan, it was virtually junk.
Yet to outside cultivators, this method was enough to make Yin Gods bash each other's heads in fighting over it.
Seeing this from the side, Liu Xi felt a twinge of envy toward Shi Pan, but immediately shook his head.
No matter how many benefits one received, what was the point if one didn't have the life to enjoy them?
...
The Holy Light Sect.
Heavenly Venerable Tiancan narrowed his eyes, his hunched frame resembling an old servant.
Before him, a Mythological cultivator kept his head bowed, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Yesterday's yin soul sky patrol had suffered a catastrophic failure, resulting in the loss of a yin soul army numbering hundreds of thousands.
How could he not be terrified?
Heavenly Venerable Tiancan's eyes were cloudy. "Being able to control the yin soul army means this matter is no longer something we can handle."
This development had also exceeded Heavenly Venerable Tiancan's expectations.
Back then, for the sake of his son, he had been forced to enter the Tiankun Curious Land, only to be imprisoned by the Holy Light Clan and turned into a slave of that Holy Light Clan member.
Most Yang Gods of the Sixth Heaven knew that there was a Holy Light Clan member in the Tiankun Curious Land.
Reasonably speaking, they would certainly stay far away from the Tiankun Curious Land.
Even if they entered, they would steer clear of the Holy Light Clan.
Yet that fellow, far from avoiding it, had actually captured the yin souls.
How could he not be shocked?
Had that Yang God lost his mind, courting death like that?
"Heavenly Venerable, what should we do?" the Mythological cultivator asked uneasily.
Heavenly Venerable Tiancan narrowed his eyes. "In subsequent yin soul sky patrols, keep your distance from that person. Wait until Master comes out of seclusion before doing anything else."
Hearing this, the Mythological cultivator finally let out a breath of relief.
Yet the anxiety between his brows lingered.
If Master emerged and laid blame upon him, he would likely still be unable to escape death.
Spring went and autumn came.
Sun and moon turned.
Six years flashed by in the blink of an eye.
In the barracks, Qi Yuan was sprawled out asleep with zero decorum.
"Sigh, these yin soul emissaries have gotten clever. When patrolling the skies with their yin souls, they actually burrowed underground to do it!"
Indeed, over all these years, Qi Yuan had not only been peeking at the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner, but had also continuously been rounding up yin souls.
Giving those homeless yin souls a proper, decent job.
The Holy Light Sect wasn't as overbearing as expected either; their sky patrols consistently avoided Qi Yuan.
At first it was manageable—they just stayed far away from Qi Yuan.
It cost Qi Yuan a lot of effort to bring those homeless yin souls back.
Later, their patrols became increasingly remote and clandestine, not daring to show themselves openly.
And this time, they didn't even patrol the skies—they drilled straight into the earth to patrol the underground!
Fortunately, Qi Yuan had sharp eyes and keen ears, catching onto the yin soul emissaries' tracks in no time and rescuing his yin soul brothers from beneath the ground.
"My Lord, Shi Pan requests an audience!"
Just then, a voice called out. Not far off, a youth with an upright posture and a dashing demeanor appeared.
This young man was none other than Shi Pan.
Compared to his childish innocence six years ago, he was far more mature and had become a cultivator.
"Come in," Qi Yuan said lazily.
It seemed there was another harvest this time.
Chapter 467