Chen Changsheng thought it unnecessary to invite trouble, so he cast an Illusionary Trick. He transformed into an old man wearing long, coarse robes and holding a walking staff.

He gently stroked his long beard and looked at his disguise, nodding in satisfaction.

Then he set off toward Ximing City.

Guards watched people entering through the city’s main south gate. Chen Changsheng mixed into the crowd and entered Ximing City smoothly without any obstruction.

He had expected Ximing City to be somewhat like Shangjing, even if not as grand as Chang’an. Yet, to his surprise, the city was incredibly chaotic.

Oxen and sheep walked on the main roads. People sat on the ground chatting. Some even carried gleaming Long Sabers through the streets.

“This Ximing City certainly is disorderly…”

He turned his head just as a butcher shop by the street echoed with a sharp bleat. Blood splattered instantly. A sheep’s throat was slit before its cry could fade.

A thick smell of blood filled the air.

“Obba’lamuu…”

The nearby Northern Desert Tribes suddenly cheered. Shouting in their own tongue, they seemed to celebrate.

To them, food was precious. Every slaughtered animal deserved such praise to heaven for the gift.

Chen Changsheng didn’t linger and pressed forward.

While chaotic, Ximing City pulsed with life. Northerners moving south had learned trade. Vendors and merchants crowded the roads, giving the place some semblance of prosperity.

“Bustling it was.”

Chen Changsheng pulled his gaze away and continued exploring Ximing City.

Soon, the sun hung directly overhead.

Under the blazing light, a restless heat gripped the city.

As Chen Changsheng walked, he sensed something odd.

“The Patrolling Wanderer?”

He frowned.

Having seen nearly every corner of Ximing City, he hadn’t spotted a single Patrolling Wanderer.

Ever since the Badger Demon incident in Donglin Quarter, Chen Changsheng paid close attention to these spiritual guardians. Yet here, he encountered the same absence again.

This vast city lacked even one Patrolling Wanderer.

Finding this strange, Chen Changsheng scanned the crowded street. Sensing too many eyes, he quietly walked toward the City God Temple.

Arriving there, he saw temple doors sealed with strips of paper covered in strange symbols.

“Those seals… feel peculiar,” Chen Changsheng muttered, frowning.

He looked up. Several holes pocked the temple roof tiles. Clearly, no one had maintained this place for ages.

Chen Changsheng stepped through the gateway into the temple grounds.

After a glance around, his focus landed on the statue of the City God.

With just that look, the deity dwelling within the image instantly materialized.

“Qi Xiuming, City God under West Yao Prefecture, pays respects to the Celestial Immortal!”

Seeing the kneeling City God, Chen Changsheng raised a hand. “Please rise.”

But Qi Xiuming remained kneeling.

“Why not get up?”

Chen Changsheng looked closer and his brow furrowed.

“Where is your incense-golden body?”

The City God lifted his head, eyes pleading. “Celestial Immortal, I have a request. If you grant it, I’ll rise.”

Chen Changsheng paused. “First stand. Then tell me.”

Qi Xiuming shook his head, refusing to budge.

Chen Changsheng waved a hand. A soft breeze lifted the City God to his feet.

Qi Xiuming looked panicked. “Celestial Immortal, you…”

“Speak of the matter first,” Chen Changsheng replied.

The City God sighed and began his tale.

In the Mortal World, the journey to Reincarnation follows the City God Temple. Wandering Spirits must receive the City God’s approval before moving on.

But this rule wasn’t absolute!

Long ago, the Northwest Land housed Buddhist sanctuaries. Back then, spreading their teachings, the Buddhist Sect borrowed the Mortal Dynasty’s Fortune. Using Karma, they altered the rules of Reincarnation.

City God Temples became Buddhist temples. Through the power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation chart, souls were guided toward Rebirth in paradise.

Thus, the Buddhist Sect took charge of Reincarnation in the northwest.

The trouble started there.

“Changes among mortal matters shouldn’t trouble me. Yet years ago, the Human Emperor decreed to sanctify the Six Paths of Reincarnation. City God Temples in Western Xiao lost Heaven’s Momentum.”

“Wait.”

Chen Changsheng interrupted. “The Human Emperor affects Ghost Deities?”

The City God nodded. “The Human Emperor collects the fortune of mountains and rivers. Without imperial sanction, we have no authority to guide souls beyond.”

Chen Changsheng thought briefly before lifting his head. “Continue.”

“The problem lies exactly here.”

The Six Paths of Reincarnation in the Northwest Land was a Buddhist leftover. Yet the sect itself only lingered in the Mortal World for mere decades before vanishing completely into decline.

Therefore, only the Northwest Land received Heavenly Dao’s approval to use the Six Paths chart.

Attempting it anywhere else, especially the Southern Region, simply doesn’t work!

The City God sighed deeply. “Now, souls cannot enter the Yellow Springs. Western Xiao’s Reincarnation cycle… is entirely shattered.”

Alarmed, Chen Changsheng asked, “How long?”

“Just one year.”

The City God replied, “Fortuitously, Western Xiao borders Da Xiang. Some souls drift over to its City God Temples. This eased the strain slightly. Many, however, have undergone Soul Disintegration.”

With grave concern, Chen Changsheng said, “This is serious. But aren’t you able to send warning dreams? Why not alert the Human Emperor?”

“That’s precisely what I wish to tell you, Immortal. In this city…”

“A Demon has appeared!”

Chen Changsheng’s eyebrows snapped together.

Qi Xiuming spoke slowly. That Monster arrived in Ximing City right after the Human Emperor decreed the Six Paths.

But its purpose wasn’t devouring souls to boost its Demonic Power. It sought to forge an evil artifact.

“What artifact?” Chen Changsheng questioned.

“A Banner Flag,” Qi Xiuming explained. “A sinister one. It draws souls near and sucks them inside. It reeks of potent Yin Energy!”

“That Demon trapped me here with some Talisman. I cannot escape.”

Chen Changsheng understood.

“The door seals!”

But why hadn’t they blocked him?

Likely, the charm affected only deity spirits.

Yes, probably so.

Regaining focus, Chen Changsheng asked, “Is the Demon in the city now?”

“Celestial Immortal, it returns daily,” the City God said. “It gathers souls, then heads south. Though trapped, I sense its Demonic Qi’s movement.”

“Likely… its ambitions extend beyond Ximing City…”

“Perhaps…”

Qi Xiuming’s lips trembled as he stammered.

“…perhaps the whole of Western Xiao!”