A life of clearness

Chapter 90 Everyone Can Be an Official
The wedding procession quickly crossed the bridge and fell into thick darkness. Even the faint sounds disappeared completely.

The flowing line of the river carries a small boat from afar.

Without hearing any words in her ears, Rong Qing knew that this was an invitation for her to get on the boat.

Without hesitation, she stepped into the boat. She wanted to find out the truth about the Hades, which was the same goal as the voice.

The boat started moving immediately, following the current, all the way forward. Circles of lines were swung on both sides of the boat, and when it passed under the bridge, everything Rong Qing saw made her gasp.

"What do you think? Even the world of cultivation cannot be so spectacular." A cold voice said complacently in Rong Qing's ear.

There were hundreds of millions of tall buildings, and palaces as far as the eye could see, rising and falling. Every building and every floor was decorated with intricate and extravagant decorations. The bright light shining from the buildings lit up the entire city into a huge radiance.

The clamor of so many voices suddenly filled Rong Qing's ears. For a moment, she thought she was in the mortal world, not the gloomy underworld.

In the center of the city, there grew an extremely large tree. The treetops covered the entire city tightly, and countless pieces of paper hung from the branches without any wind. These countless pieces of paper were densely packed together, almost covering all the branches, which was extremely mysterious and strange.

"What kind of tree is this?"

It seems that because it grows in a place without sunlight, it is dark brown in color and has no leaves.

"This is the root of my underworld, and it's called the Wheel of Life." The cold voice chuckled, "It controls the wheel of life and death."

Wheel of life and death?

"Have you seen the notes on the branches? Each note contains the name of a living person. They have entered my underworld lineage. Even if their bodies are destroyed and their souls dissipate, they can still rely on the Wheel-turning Tree to be reborn in reincarnation."

Rong Qing looked, and as the boat got closer to the city, she could see more clearly.

Sure enough, each note had a name on it, and Rong Qing didn't recognize any of these names.

Rong Qing's eyes flashed, and she sneered, "As a cultivator, my life span far exceeds that of ordinary people. As I continue to break through, my life span will continue to increase. Why do I need to rely on the Wheel-turning Tree?"

Rong Qing was very skeptical about the theory of reincarnation.

"Life and death are unpredictable. Even if you are a powerful monk who can turn clouds and rain with a wave of his hand, how can you guarantee that you will never die?" He sneered, "In the eyes of the underworld, the life of a monk is no different from that of a mortal. You will still be reincarnated on this wheel tree."

monk...

mortal……

Rong Qing asked softly, "After reincarnation, what is the difference between cultivators and mortals?"

"Hehe, the difference is big, but not big either. It all depends on how much merit one has. Entering my underworld can guarantee you eternal life and immortality. How can such a good thing be obtained for nothing? Of course, it depends on how much merit one has cultivated.

In the underworld, everyone can be an official. The more merits one has, the higher the official position one holds. Even a mortal can command countless monks.

The higher the official position, the different treatment the reincarnation will receive. If a mortal can achieve 100,000 merits, he will have spiritual roots after reincarnation. If he achieves 1 million merits, he will be extremely talented and will become a genius with just a little practice. If he achieves the legendary 10 million merits…” The cold voice trembled slightly when it said this, “he will be born as a god and have good fortune.”

God!

The state of transformation of the spirit that countless cultivators in the cultivation world have been striving for can actually be achieved in the underworld after one reincarnation. If this news spreads, I wonder how many cultivators will be tempted. After all, there are too many cultivators who have no hope of becoming a spirit in this lifetime, and their life spans have come to an end. If there is such an opportunity, they will definitely grab it tightly and not let go.

"...How should I earn this merit?" Rong Qing said slowly.

"Are you tempted?" The cold voice was not surprised. "Since you are a cultivator, if you join my Hades lineage, you must practice my Hades lineage's skills. Since you have the opportunity to come to my Hades, you must also have a ghost face.

This ghost face is merit! The more ghost faces you condense, the more merit you will gain. Even if you find a host for the ghost face, the host's cultivation level will be enhanced, which can also increase your merit. The more merit you have, the higher your status in this underworld. You don't need to spend resources to increase your cultivation level. As long as the merit increases, your cultivation level and life span will naturally increase, and breaking through the realm will be a piece of cake. "

The cold voice became more and more excited. This was normal. After all, what the Hades could do was almost comparable to the Heavenly Dao. Even Rong Qing was somewhat fascinated by his words.

The reason why Concubine Ji was able to reach the state of incarnation was probably because of the special skills of the Hades lineage. And the Yuanying cultivators under her command must be the hosts of the ghost masks she condensed.

Rong Qing believed that a thousand years had passed since the fall of the Ji Dynasty, and Empress Ji must have accumulated a lot of merits!

However, Rong Qing still found a suspicious point in what the cold voice said.

"The method of earning merit that you mentioned is for cultivators to practice the techniques of the Hades lineage, but mortals cannot practice, so how do they earn merit?"

"Hmph, of course there is a way. I have said that the more merits one has, the higher one's status in the underworld. The higher one's status, the more power one possesses. In the officialdom of the underworld, there are three upper-rank Yama Lords, three middle-rank judges, and three lower-rank Hades officials. There are many mortals who cannot practice cultivation themselves, but whose relatives are cultivators and have a lot of merits. They can use these merits to exchange with the judges for the opportunity to add their names to the merit book. With their names on the merit book, they can enter our underworld. With their relatives giving them 100,000 merits, they can practice cultivation after reincarnation. Since they have become cultivators, of course they can accumulate merits on their own."

While Rong Qing was talking to the cold voice, the boat had already swayed to the city gate.

There is a huge plaque on the wide city gate with the words "Xuanfeng" inscribed on it.

Xuanfeng? Rong Qing recalled the stone tablet with the word Xuanfeng engraved on the sky curtain of Cangliuzhou. It was the jade slip that flew out of this tablet that made the inspector change the number of names. She thought to herself: I wonder what the connection is between the two.

"The underworld is divided into thirty-six prefectures, and this is the Xuanfeng Prefecture." The cold voice said, "There is a third-rank Yama Lord in charge of the prefecture, a hundred fourth-rank judges, a thousand fifth-rank judges, and ten thousand sixth-rank judges. There are countless lower-rank underworld officials."

Oh, so it seems that everyone can be an official. Is there anyone in the city who doesn't want to be an official... Rong Qing complained silently.

The city gate was wide open, and the river actually flowed directly through the gate into the city. Rong Qing stood on the boat, passing through the wide gate, and the magnificent scene that she had seen from afar suddenly appeared before her eyes.

Here, the colors became more vivid. There were dense crowds of people on both sides of the river. They were not wearing strange masks as Rong Qing had imagined, but had normal faces.

Theaters, taverns, gambling houses... the smell of worldly life hits you in the face. A scented handkerchief flew from nowhere, brushed past Rong Qing, fell on the river, and blended into the water along with the rouge on it.

There was not only a small boat like the one Rong Qing was on on the river. There were many cruise ships and pleasure boats, and the sounds of noise and laughter coming from them were endless.

This is the underworld, Xuanfeng Palace, and also... the city that never sleeps!

Rong Qing was a commoner, too insignificant here. The boat almost avoided the surrounding cruise ships and moved forward silently along the edge of the river. The waterways in the city were complicated, but the boat did not hesitate at all and sailed straight with Rong Qing, getting closer and closer to the wheel tree in the center of the city.

"Where are we going?" Rong Qing asked calmly.

"Of course I have to go to the Merit Department and have your name added to the Merit Book. Why? I've spent so much time talking to you, but don't tell me that you don't want to go to the underworld."

There was an obvious threat in his words.

Rong Qing was silent for a while before she slowly said, "I am just a commoner in Xuanfeng Mansion. I dare not refuse your invitation, my Lord."

"But I still have a question." The boat had already reached the vicinity of the wheel-turning tree. Rong Qing stared at the extremely thick trunk of the wheel-turning tree. The scars on it looked too much like human faces. There were old and young, men and women.

"Ask quickly." The cold voice said impatiently. "Apart from reincarnation, is there any other way to enable mortals to practice?"

The cold voice immediately laughed at him, "It is a great blessing to be able to reincarnate, but you are still not satisfied. If it weren't for the power of our Hades lineage, how could you be so wishful thinking now? You are actually thinking of other methods. What other methods are there..."

The cold and mocking voice suddenly paused, as if it had thought of something, and murmured, "I have heard that someone has set a precedent, being able to practice as a mortal."

"Who?" Rong Qing asked hurriedly.

"Humph, it's just a rumor."

"Since it's just a rumor, it's okay for you to tell me about it." Faced with silence, Rong Qing was not discouraged, but smiled and said, "Sir?"

"This is too outrageous. Anyone who believes it is a fool. If you must know, there is nothing I cannot tell you." The cold voice snorted and laughed, "It is said that it was a woman who was originally a mortal. Later, somehow, she cultivated to become a seventh-rank underworld official without reincarnation. Of course, some people curiously asked her how she was able to cultivate. She replied that someone loved her, and in order to keep her alive, he specially found a underworld official to become the host of his ghost mask, and then killed the underworld official and put his life mask on her face, and from then on, he used his own cultivation and lifespan to support her. The more merits the person who loves her has, the more merits she will have. Even if she does not have spiritual roots, she can still extend her lifespan and have the strength of a spirit transformation."

"What's this woman's name?"

"There are countless officials in the underworld, how can I know?" The cold voice asked impatiently, "You ask too many questions."

"It's my fault. I hope you won't blame me."

At this point, the boat returned to silence. In front of Rong Qing, the palaces were getting closer and closer. This should be where the upper echelons of Xuanfeng Mansion were. The middle-ranking judges, or even the third-rank Lord Yan.

The Merit Department is the center of Xuanfeng Mansion's important affairs. It occupies a vast area and the palace is extremely gorgeous. The river ends in front of it. Rong Qing got off the boat and moved forward.

The people coming and going through the wide-open palace door were all cultivators with great imposing manners. Rong Qing didn't dare to guess the cultivation level of some of them, because just a glance from them was enough to frighten her.

Fortunately, everyone else could see that she had no merits, so they didn't bother to even look at her.

Rong Qing walked through the palace gate silently.

"Hiss, it's so cold!" She shuddered immediately. She came here with her spiritual consciousness, but she could still feel the bone-chilling cold.

She walked in silence since she got off the boat, and of course she was thinking about the rumors that the voice said. Some people thought it was absurd, but Rong Qing didn't. She had a vague intuition that this woman was Concubine Ji. With her looks and her methods, it was not surprising that someone loved her to the point of madness. And the record that Concubine Ji had no spiritual roots and could not practice should also be true, and it was not possible that Rong Qing thought later that Concubine Ji's spiritual roots were too low and she was misremembered.

In this way, everything fits. With this method, Concubine Ji can have an endless supply of merits and naturally reach the level of a spirit without practicing. The only question is, how can the person who loves Concubine Ji always get a lot of merits?

Rong Qing pondered over it carefully, and finally figured out the problem. Although the person who loves Concubine Ji is the host of the ghost mask, he should also be able to practice the skills of the Hades, condense the ghost mask and then find the next generation of hosts. It's like... Rong Qing recalled Sima Erba and his disciples. The mask on Sima Erba's face is obviously the next generation of the mask owned by Concubine Ji. According to the known situation, it should be the third generation. The masks owned by Sima Erba's two disciples should be the fourth generation condensed by Sima Erba. Because from Sima Erba's performance at the beginning, it was obvious that he was unaware of the existence of Concubine Ji and her forces.

In this way, the mask of Concubine Ji is the first generation, the people who admire Concubine Ji are the second generation, and the forty-nine Nascent Soul cultivators led by Concubine Ji should be the third generation. Those Nascent Soul cultivators may also have the fourth and fifth generations...

"The white mask in my hand should be the third generation. If we use the method that Concubine Ji mentioned, the safest way is to kill Concubine Ji and take the mask from her. Then the question is, can we be sure that Concubine Ji is wearing the first generation mask..." Rong Qing's mind raced, "Judging from the fanaticism of the person who loves her, if it is not the first generation, then Concubine Ji will not be able to decide her own life and death, which is meaningless. So the probability of it being the first generation... is nearly 100%!"

The hall was extremely spacious, and Rong Qing looked at the people coming and going around her in confusion.

At this time, a monkey dressed in children's clothes walked straight towards her with elegant steps.

Hmm? Rong Qing slightly widened her eyes. The monkey had a human-like smiling face. Was this a monkey puppet that could absorb life energy?

"Come with me." This familiar voice...

It turned out that the owner of the cold voice that had been whispering in Rong Qing's ears was actually this monkey puppet, whose intelligence was almost the same as that of humans.

Rong Qing didn't ask any more questions and followed him as he said.

The roads inside the Merit Bureau were interconnected, and the monkey puppet was obviously very familiar with them. He walked with Rong Qing until they stopped in front of a small door.

037521. This is the code on the small door.

Rong Qing laughed secretly in her heart. It seemed that there were too many grassroots cadres and the office numbers had reached six digits.

After entering the room, the monkey puppet jumped onto his seat and straightened his official hat. "My name is Song Fengzi."

It raised its hand, and a bamboo slip fell on the table. The bamboo slip was opened, and the inside was blank.

A pen dipped in thick ink appeared on Rong Qing's right hand side.

"Write your name in this book of merit."

"Why is the merit book blank?" Rong Qing frowned.

"You are not from the underworld, so of course you can't see it." Song Fengzi had an eternal smile on his face, but his eyes were extremely vicious, "Hurry and leave your name."

The Merit Bureau is not a place you can just leave whenever you want.

As soon as Rong Qing entered this world, she felt the power of confinement. Even if she wanted to withdraw her spiritual consciousness, she couldn't do it. And after entering the Merit Department, the power of confinement was even stronger. That's why Song Fengzi tricked her all the way here. In this way, Rong Qing was like a fish on the chopping board, and could be manipulated at will.

"It's better to leave your name." Rong Qing shook her head, not afraid of Song Fengzi's vicious eyes. "You can't stop me. The time is up. Don't worry, I will come again."

The cold sword in the sea of ​​consciousness slashed fiercely, breaking the invisible bridge connecting Rong Qing's sea of ​​consciousness and the underworld. In Song Fengzi's eyes, Rong Qing's smile suddenly collapsed.

Song Fengzi looked at the empty space in front of him and was extremely angry.

The hairy finger pointed at the pen. The pen trembled and began to write directly on the bamboo slip.

"Do you think that I can do nothing to you just because you cut off your spiritual consciousness? That's all you can do..."

It took the pen almost an instant to write on the bamboo slip. The words "Yu Rong" were printed on it. The bamboo slip rolled up and fell into Song Fengzi's palm.

He exerted force with his palm and crushed it violently. The golden light of merit that burst out from it instantly turned Song Fengzi's anger into ecstasy.

The majestic golden light was not hindered by the door at all. It penetrated the many doors and walls of the Merit Office and even shone through the vast palace of the Merit Office towards the surrounding palaces and even the Chakravartin.

At this moment, countless monks from the Underworld turned their attention to the Merit Department and arrived at a small door in the Merit Department.

Sixth-rank judge, fifth-rank judge, fourth-rank judge...

"A young cultivator who hasn't even reached the stage of spiritual enlightenment actually has such profound merits." Someone sighed.

(End of this chapter)