Chapter 2111: Innate Spiritual Treasure

Of course, a scene where countless ghosts and underworld soldiers surged out of the Reincarnation Underworld was highly unlikely to ever occur.

Unless, perhaps, the Immortal Realm Civilization were facing some unimaginable catastrophe.

After all, life and death were themselves part of the balance maintained by the laws of the Astral Realm.

The fact that the Immortal Realm could create a civilizational treasure like the Reincarnation Underworld already seemed nothing short of miraculous to the Magus Civilization.

It could guide the dead toward rebirth, allow souls to reincarnate and cultivate anew, and even help dissipate the malevolent energy accumulated from the countless calamities the civilization had endured over tens of thousands of years.

If the Yin Qi within it were unleashed without restraint, allowing countless ghosts to return to the mortal world, then by the Magus Civilization’s understanding, the balance would have been broken.

At present, aside from the legendary Rank Nine beings, only civilizational treasures had the power to shatter that balance on such a scale.

This was also one of the greatest foundations that set top-tier civilizations apart from large-sized world civilizations that were likewise home to overlord-level beings.

Naturally, the Wu Clan, which governed the Reincarnation Underworld, could not release its Yin Qi without limit. In fact, they would not even activate the Reincarnation Underworld without a good reason.

Their expedition to the Magus Civilization’s battlefield this time was primarily organized by the Wu Clan’s upper echelons to temper the younger generation.

Even the underworld soldiers and ghost cultivators who had been frequently mobilized over the past few decades were all legitimate natives within Primordial World.

They were certainly not the result of the Wu Clan recklessly drawing upon the power of the Reincarnation Underworld.

Long ago, before Dao Ancestor Hongjun, the Rank Nine being of the Immortal Realm, departed from the Astral Realm, he had entrusted the Reincarnation Underworld to the Wu Clan rather than to his own direct or nominal disciples.

That fact alone spoke volumes.

No one within the Immortal Realm Civilization dared to question the Dao Ancestor’s wisdom.

And in truth, the Wu Clan of Primordial World were indeed the most suitable beings to oversee such a civilizational treasure.

The members of the Wu Clan cultivated only their physical bodies and did not cultivate primordial spirits, making them naturally resistant to the negative energy and Yin power permeating the Reincarnation Underworld.

More importantly, they were generally simple and straightforward by nature.

Unlike the sage courts and sects of the Immortal Realm, where intrigue and factional struggles were commonplace, the Wu Clan rarely concerned itself with such schemes.

Even in ancient times, when members of the Yao Clan, who shared a deep blood feud with the Wu Clan, were cast into the Reincarnation Underworld after death, the powerful Wu Clan overseeing the process still treated them fairly.

They never did anything like altering the entries in the Registry of Life and Death.[1]

Therefore, when word spread that the Wu Clan would also be dispatching a legion to join the war in the Magus Civilization, neither Nezha nor the other Immortal Realm powerhouses gathered outside Jade Void Palace showed any particular concern or displeasure upon hearing the news.

If anything, they simply treated it as an amusing piece of gossip.

And that was far from the only interesting topic being discussed among the Chan Sect sages.

These sage-level powerhouses rarely had the chance to gather in one place. Most had their own courts to oversee and forces to command.

So whenever they did meet, they would naturally exchange interesting news they had heard, show off treasures they had recently acquired, or discuss their latest insights into the Dao.

Guang Chengzi, the chief disciple of the Chan Sect, did not join in their conversation. He made no attempt to stop them either.

Yang Jian, currently the most outstanding disciple of the Chan Sect, similarly did not join the discussion. With his three-pointed double-edged glaive resting beside him, Yang Jian stood with his arms crossed, quietly waiting for the sect leader to appear.[2]

At his feet lay his beloved Howling Celestial Dog.

Nezha had originally intended to head straight toward her mentor, Daoist Master Taiyi. However, as she passed several other sages, their conversation caught her attention.

The one speaking at that moment was the Immortal Emperor of the North, an early-stage Rank Seven sage of the Chan Sect.

Three other sages stood nearby, all immortal emperors who ruled over their respective heavenly courts, with strength ranging from early stage to mid stage of Rank Seven.

This alone showed just how well the Chan Sect had developed the Immortal Realm’s heavenly courts.

The Jie Sect currently had only two immortal emperors.

The Chan Sect, on the other hand, had four gathered outside Jade Void Palace at this very moment, and that was not even counting Nezha and Yang Jian, both of whom had heavenly courts of their own.

These four, including the Immortal Emperor of the North, rarely returned to Primordial World or the Chan Sect’s courts. Most of the time, they were stationed in the outer regions.

Naturally, this left them rather curious about all the recent happenings in Primordial World. In fact, they had been the ones discussing the Wu Clan’s upcoming expedition to the Magus Civilization just moments earlier.

At that moment, the Immortal Emperor of the North was showing off a peculiar prize he had recently seized from beyond the Immortal Realm.

“It was a unique creature emitting strange laws of the Great Dao. Almost like a meteor, and unbelievably fast. If I hadn’t reacted quickly, it would’ve escaped,” the Immortal Emperor of the North said with a laugh.

For an overlord-level being to describe a manifestation of the laws as “strange”, the meteor-like creature mentioned by the Immortal Emperor of the North was clearly no ordinary existence within the Astral Realm.

One of the immortal emperors’ disciples, a Quasi Sage, could not help asking curiously, “Then what happened to that creature in the end, Martial Uncle?”

“Hehe, it was just a little thing spouting nonsense. How could it possibly escape my grasp?”

The Immortal Emperor of the North stroked his beard with a smile before adding, “Judging from the composition of that peculiar meteor, I should be able to forge a low-tier innate spiritual treasure from it.”

The words “innate spiritual treasure” immediately drew envious looks from the surrounding Great Luo Golden Immortals and Quasi Sages.

Even Nezha could not help casting a sidelong glance in his direction.

In the eyes of the Magus Civilization, there was not much difference between these so-called innate spiritual treasures and acquired spiritual treasures. Both were simply classified as world-class secret treasures.

However, innate spiritual treasures were naturally formed through the laws of the Astral Realm, making them inherently more precious.

Within the Immortal Realm Civilization, traditional beliefs only elevated their value further. Combined with the special cultivation methods used by Quasi Sages on their path toward sagehood, innate spiritual treasures were generally considered far more valuable than acquired ones!

A low-tier innate spiritual treasure could often be exchanged with a sage-level powerhouse for a mid-tier acquired spiritual treasure.

Mid-tier world-class secret treasures were precisely the type of weapons commonly wielded by sage-level powerhouses.

Some overlords who had only recently advanced to Rank Seven and lacked a deep foundation might still be using low-tier world-class secret treasures...

It was therefore no surprise that the younger generation of the Chan Sect looked on with envy when they heard the Immortal Emperor of the North was going to forge a low-tier innate spiritual treasure.

Seeing the admiration on the faces of his fellow sect members, the Immortal Emperor of the North could not help wearing a somewhat smug smile.

However, when he noticed that Nezha had also turned to look, that smile quickly faded. As a renowned Rank Eight sage of the Chan Sect, Nezha naturally drew attention wherever she went.

“Are you interested in that meteor as well, Martial Aunt?” the Immortal Emperor of the North asked respectfully.

Despite Nezha’s youthful appearance, which made her look considerably younger than the middle-aged Immortal Emperor of the North, she was actually more senior than him within the sect.

Nezha waved a hand and was just about to reply when...

Creak!

The main gates of Jade Void Palace, which had remained closed for years, slowly swung open.

The White Crane Boy emerged first, a fly-whisk in hand.[3]

Immediately afterward, the aura of Celestial Venerable Yuanshi spread from within the palace.

Nezha held back the words she had been about to say. Together with the other Chan Sect disciples gathered outside, she respectfully welcomed their leader.

Translator’s Notes:

1. The Registry of Life and Death, also known as the Book of Life and Death, is basically the Underworld’s master record in Chinese mythology. It keeps track of things like lifespans, birth times, and exact times of death for all living beings. According to legend, it is kept in the Underworld and is treated as the absolute authority dictating the cycle of life and death. In certain stories, like Journey to the West, the records can apparently be tampered with. The most famous example is Sun Wukong barging into the Underworld and crossing out his own name from the book, along with the names of all the other monkeys from his mountain. This act freed them from the control of death and made him completely immune to old age and dying. ☜

2. Yes, I know three-pointed double-edged glaive is really awkward to read, but that’s the signature weapon of True Lord Erlang. Here's a nice drawing of him and his dog I found on the Internet:

<img title="" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55541265498_63d40aa417_w.jpg">In case you can't see it, he also has a vertical eye in the middle of his forehead. ☜

3. A fly-whisk is basically a short staff with a bundle of animal hair, usually from a cow, horse, or yak, attached to one end. You’ll often see Daoist priests and Chan Buddhist monks carrying one.

<img title="" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55541151536_9cecf413ca_w.jpg">It is originally used to shoo flies away from livestock without hurting them. Over time, though, Buddhism and Daoism gave it a more symbolic meaning. It came to represent sweeping away worldly desires, evil influences, and distracting thoughts, helping the wielder move closer to enlightenment or transcendence. ☜