Chapter 281: Emperor Willow

Chapter 281: Emperor Willow

Qi Xuansu wondered what Master Yin’s true appearance was like.

Master Yin did claim to be a thousand-year-old ghost. Master Wan and Madam Bai also called him an old ghost, so perhaps Yin Jiuyin really was a millennial ghost.

Even if Yin Jiuyin did not have a thousand years of cultivation, a century-old ghost was still terrifying enough. Was that what a Ghostly Immortal was?

Yin Jiuyin did not express any opinion on this. Instead, he cut to the chase. “Madam Bai, Master Wan said that you have that thing.”

“That thing?” Madam Bai’s tone turned solemn. “The Ghost Kingdom is barren, unlike the Kunlun Cave. This is one of the few possessions we have, so you must tell me what your plans are if you want to take it away.”

Yin Jiuyin sighed. “Life is fleeting, but one must have foresight and prepare for what is to come.”

Madam Bai fell into silence.

Qi Xuansu was like a child watching a conversation between adults. He could not interrupt and could only patiently wait until they could leave. However, he had a hunch that this matter might be related to him or his Xuan Jade of Death.

After a long time, Madam Bai asked, “What are you going to do?”

Yin Jiuyin glanced at Qi Xuansu. “Well, that depends on our friend here. It’s just an idea for now, and we won’t know the specifics until later.”

Madam Bai stood up from the throne. “Follow me.”

After that, she turned around and walked toward the side door next to the main hall.

Yin Jiuyin and Qi Xuansu followed her.

They passed by many different halls. One would surely get lost in the maze of halls if one was not familiar with the place.

However, Madam Bai had been living here for hundreds of years, so she was very familiar with this place.

They walked through the corridors and halls deep into the palace.

That was when Qi Xuansu could see an island in the center of the blood lake. However, the island was not made of earth and rocks. It was made of countless corpses.

Qi Xuansu was shocked beyond words.

Yin Jiuyin explained, “After the Daoist Order conquered the Ghost Kingdom, they gathered all corpses here to be processed. This is also where Master Wan eats.”

A gory image emerged in Qi Xuansu’s mind—the giant wading through the bloody water to the corpse island, where it could enjoy its meal.

In addition, there was a massive willow tree in the middle of the corpse island. Its tree trunk reached the sky, and its canopy almost covered the entire lake. Each of the hanging willow vines was as thick as an adult man’s waist.

Peach wood was known to be a yang object, while willow wood was a yin object. Therefore, peach wood could be used to exorcise evil spirits and destroy ghosts, while willow wood allowed ghosts to reside in it.

This willow tree was planted in the Ghost Kingdom, taking root in the island of corpses and a ??bloody lake. This was a magnificent sight that one would never get to witness in the yang realm.

Yin Jiuyin raised his hand and pointed at the tree. “This tree is called the Emperor Willow, a masterpiece created by the Daoist Order. As I mentioned before, the Zaoge Cult back then managed to corrode a crack in the barrier between the yin and yang realms, connecting the netherworld to the mortal realm and causing the yin energy to spread to the entire Beimang Mountain.

“In order to fill this crack, the Daoist Order planted this Emperor Willow to feed on the yin energy from the corpses and bloody water. It flourished and reached a height of over 666 meters in just 200 years.”

Qi Xuansu’s jaw dropped.

It turned out these were the measures the Daoist Order put in place to revive Beimang Mountain to its original glory. It was truly impressive how the collective efforts of thousands of people could repair something that seemed irreversible.

Madam Bai interjected. “Actually, if you think about it, we can be considered members of the Daoist Order as well, because we all have our own duties. Since this blood lake has concentrated yin energy, even the Spirit Guards would find it difficult to stay here for a long time. So my duty is to guard this place and not allow outsiders to get close to the Emperor Willow. It sounds like a heavy responsibility, but it’s really boring because I don’t get any visitors.”

Yin Jiuyin added, “I suppose there is no need for me to elaborate on Master Wan’s responsibilities. His main job is to get rid of these corpses. My granddaughter isn’t wrong to say that all he does is eat and sleep. As for me, I am a liaison, so I can travel freely between the Ghost Kingdom and the Ghost Pass.”

Qi Xuansu did not know what to say, so he could only nod.

If the Ghost Kingdom was already so impressive, Qi Xuansu wondered what the Kunlun Cave was like. The Kunlun Cave was known as the best paradise in the world.

Madam Bai turned to Yin Jiuyin. “What you want is on the Emperor Willow.”