# Chapter 804: The Territory of Shenchu Ghost King
Xinkong Wuchang naturally did not want to barge into the ghost lair either. After all, the survival rules of the Underworld were ten or even a hundred times more brutal than those of the Kunlun Realm. Spirits devoured one another to grow stronger.
If she charged into the ghost lair, she too would likely lose her life.
However, the Underworld was far too vast. Even a Wuchang could not clearly know every dangerous location. Therefore, she could not be blamed.
Next, they spent another half month, experiencing multiple battles, and passed through the territories of six Ghost Kings in succession. Finally, they arrived at the edge of the territory of Shenchu Ghost King.
Over the past half month, Zhang Ruochen, the Divine Demon Rat, Mu Lingxi, and Hanxue were all exhausted, having endured many deadly encounters. On one occasion, they nearly all perished in a canyon. Fortunately, at the last moment, Zhang Ruochen used the Cosmic Divine Wood Map to take everyone into the Scroll World, saving their lives.
Xiao Hei, on the other hand, was completely unharmed and remained full of energy.
Throughout the journey, Xinkong Wuchang was secretly astonished, stunned by the combat power of this group. Although their cultivation levels were not high, each one was more heaven-defying than the last.
If all cultivators in the Yang Realm were as formidable as them, Xinkong Wuchang began to doubt whether the Ghost Kings who had gone to the Yang Realm could truly conquer it.
"Given your cultivation levels, the fact that you actually managed to reach the territory of Shenchu Ghost King is quite surprising to me. However, I advise you: turning back now is still an option. If you continue forward, it will only become more dangerous," Xinkong Wuchang said.
Even Xinkong Wuchang herself was very reluctant to enter the territory of Shenchu Ghost King.
Zhang Ruochen, however, remained resolute, showing no intention of retreating. "Where exactly is the place where the deity fell? Take us there immediately."
"This is my first time in the territory of Shenchu Ghost King. I only heard that a deity's corpse once fell from the sky and landed on this land," Xinkong Wuchang said.
"In other words, you don't know the exact location either?"
"Mm."
Zhang Ruochen furrowed his brow. He stopped questioning Xinkong Wuchang and turned his gaze to Hanxue. "What do you think?"
"The Void Sword's perception has strengthened several times over. In that distant past, Qiangu Nüdi must have come here. I just don't know if she has already left," Hanxue said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "From now on, we will follow the perception of the Void Sword. It will not lead us astray."
After a brief rest, the group set off again, advancing into the territory of Shenchu Ghost King.
In the Underworld, there was no natural spiritual energy, only Yin Qi and ghost Qi. Therefore, the sacred Qi on the cultivators' bodies would continuously deplete. To restore their cultivation, they could only absorb sacred Qi from sacred crystals.
After traveling about two thousand li, Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power and sensed a faint trace of thin natural spiritual energy lingering in the air.
"Someone has arrived here before us."
Zhang Ruochen stopped, flew to the top of a tombstone dozens of zhang high, and opened his Heavenly Eye to search.
A moment later, Zhang Ruochen retracted his Heavenly Eye, glanced at the others below, and said, "Hanxue, come with me. Everyone else, stay here and wait. If you encounter danger, immediately use the sacred edict to escape."
Zhang Ruochen and Hanxue activated their movement techniques and rushed southeast, disappearing among the massive tombstones. Before long, they had crossed five hundred li and arrived at the outskirts of a blood lake.
The blood lake was vast. Standing on the shore, one could not see the opposite side.
Above the lake hung a moon, emitting a scarlet radiance that reflected on the water's surface, resembling a terrifying, ferocious ghost eye.
At this moment, on the shore of the blood lake, there were three monks wearing kasayas.
Yes, they were living humans, not ghost bodies condensed by Wuchangs.
Besides the three monks, hundreds of corpses lay on the ground. Each corpse exuded a powerful aura. Even though their robes had rotted, their physical bodies remained intact.
Clearly, when alive, those corpses must have been quite powerful beings.
"Amitabha!"
One of the monks, who appeared to be about fifty years old, was slightly plump, with a kind and benevolent face. A string of large black Buddhist beads hung around his neck.
He walked to the side of a corpse, extended a finger, and a golden light appeared at his fingertip. He carved a golden Sanskrit character onto the corpse's forehead.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
The corpse rose from the ground, knelt devoutly before the monk, prostrated with both hands, and pressed its forehead to the ground, like a worshiper paying homage to a holy monk.
The three monks took turns carving Sanskrit characters onto the foreheads of the corpses on the ground. Once carved, the corpses would "come to life."
From a distance, Hanxue watched this scene in shock, her starry eyes wide open. She whispered, "Master, how can this be?"
Zhang Ruochen narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "They should be heretical monks from the Dead Zen Sect, practicing the 'Dead Zen Buddhist Dharma.' They can turn spirits into followers, refining them into battle corpses or ghost Buddhas, turning them into combat puppets. Five hundred years ago, it was precisely because they cultivated this evil Buddhist dharma and killed many innocent people that they were expelled."
Then, Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on the corpses on the ground, and he drew in a cold breath. "They came to the Underworld to find powerful bones and refine them into strong battle corpses. Look, the hundreds of corpses on the ground are at least Half-Saint level remains."
"In the Kunlun Realm, if they tried to steal a Half-Saint corpse, they would surely be besieged by the descendants of that Half-Saint. But in the Underworld, graves are everywhere. It's easy to dig up a Half-Saint corpse, and they might even unearth a Saint corpse."
Hanxue's eyes flashed with a sharp light. She lowered her voice and said, "Master, do you think it could be the Dead Zen Sect that broke the seal of the Fallen God Tomb Forest and released the spirits of the Underworld? That way, they could boldly enter the Underworld, dig up Half-Saint remains, and refine a large number of battle corpses."
"With the number of remains in the Underworld, even if the Dead Zen Sect wanted to raise a battle corpse army composed of Half-Saint remains, it would not be difficult. If so, they could sweep through the Kunlun Realm and unify the world."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Hanxue and increasingly felt that this little girl's wisdom was extraordinarily monstrous. To think of this at such a young age was truly remarkable.
However, Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "It's probably not that simple."
"Why?" Hanxue asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Even if the heretical monks of the Dead Zen Sect dig up many powerful remains in the Underworld, they cannot cross the Corpse River to return to the Kunlun Realm. So what use would it be?"
Hanxue nodded, gently biting her lip. "Master is more thorough in his thinking. How did I not think of that?"
"Still, what you said may not be without merit. The fact that the heretical monks of the Dead Zen Sect could reach the territory of Shenchu Ghost King before us shows that their preparations were very thorough. They likely entered the Underworld in large numbers. These three monks are definitely not the only ones," Zhang Ruochen analyzed.
"Gurgle!"
Bubbles the size of washbasins rose from the surface of the blood lake, and the entire lake began to churn.
Then, a sound of breaking water rang out. A dazzling burst of Buddha light surged from the lake, forming a massive golden sphere thirty zhang in diameter that floated in midair.
When the Buddha light dissipated, a young monk in his twenties revealed himself from within the golden sphere.
The young monk was extremely handsome, with skin as white as jade, thick black eyebrows, deep eyes, and a straight nose. He wore a golden kasaya and slowly descended to the ground.
"Greetings, Xinshu Foshi."
The three monks simultaneously clasped their hands, bowed, and paid homage to the young monk with great reverence.
Zhang Ruochen sensed a dangerous aura from the young monk named Xinshu Foshi. He immediately activated the invisibility power of the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, wrapping both himself and Hanxue within it.
At the same time, they suppressed their auras to the utmost limit.
Xinshu Foshi held a nine-foot-long Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin in his right hand and slowly placed it on the ground. "At the bottom of the blood lake, there was a Ghost King Grand Formation. It took me three hours to break the formation and retrieve this coffin."
Though he was a heretical monk of the Dead Zen Sect, he appeared utterly sacred.
His voice was exceptionally melodious and ethereal, like listening to a holy Buddha expounding the dharma, making one want to kneel and worship him.
"For even Xinshu Foshi to take three hours to break the Ghost King Grand Formation, the owner of this coffin must be extraordinary."
One of the heretical monks, a Second-Step Half-Saint, walked to the side of the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin and peered through the transparent crystal wall. He could faintly see a woman lying inside.
She did not look like a corpse but rather like someone asleep.
Zhang Ruochen also looked at the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin, extremely curious about what treasure required a Ghost King Grand Formation to seal it.
"Oh?"
Xinshu Foshi stood by the lake, sensing a prying gaze. He immediately turned his gaze toward the spot where Zhang Ruochen and Hanxue were hidden.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen and Hanxue felt the air solidify around them. Their bodies became completely immobile, as if sealed in ice.
"His cultivation is too terrifying. Just by glancing at the coffin, he detected us."
Zhang Ruochen struggled to circulate the *Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture*, mobilizing his sacred Qi to impact his meridians, trying to break free from the suppression.
By the lake, Xinshu Foshi's eyes showed a hint of confusion. He took a step and began walking toward Zhang Ruochen and Hanxue.
Just then, a piercing howl sounded from behind Zhang Ruochen and Hanxue.
A pitch-black ghost cloud rushed over from afar, and a loud roar echoed: "How dare you! Stealing the body of Lord Ghost King!"
"Boom!"
Haochuan Wuchang rode a soul beast, galloping from a distance. A powerful force erupted from his body, sweeping up dozens of massive tombstones from the ground and hurling them at the four heretical monks of the Dead Zen Sect.
(Regarding the character Xinshu Foshi, he was mentioned earlier. Only those who read carefully would notice him.)