Outside the Moon Palace, flanking Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable were the Corpse Generals of the Ten Shades Path and the attendants of Celestial Emerald of the Shíluó Heaven.

These hundred-plus accompanying Immortals were all meticulously selected males and females, possessed of exquisite beauty and the bearing of true celestials. They were the closest disciples of Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable, serving as his retinue on journeys abroad—the very face of the Yuánluó Palace and Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable himself, almost representing their combined image.

Yet, from within this very contingent of personal guards and attendants, a communication token suddenly flared, rendering Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable’s expression profoundly grim.

Staring intently at his entourage, Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable then glanced toward the Cave Dwelling of the Cloud Splendor Mountain Lord belonging to Gǔ Xié Chén. Inside and out, this dwelling had not been secured with a single restrictive barrier. Never mind the accompanying Immortals, who possessed Golden Immortal cultivation; even an ordinary person with slightly keen senses could overhear the discussions inside without any concealment.

The worst part was that Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable placed absolute trust in his own followers. During the recent discussion, he had employed no restrictive seals on the dwelling, nor had he used his divine sense to scan the surroundings. To cause such a massive blunder directly in front of Gǔ Xié Chén was an unmistakable loss of face.

His complexion darkening, Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable let out a chilling, sinister laugh. After chuckling for a long moment, he finally took the lead, commanding, “Miàokūn, these men are yours to handle. Who was it that sent the token just now? Interrogate them thoroughly.”

His eyes flickering, Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable ground his teeth and hissed a low order: “All attendants will be interrogated using Soul Searching techniques! We must see if there is a traitor among us!”

The expression of Immortal Lord Miàoyún was equally ghastly. He and Immortal Lord Miàoguāng were the two most vital disciples of Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable. While Immortal Lord Miàoguāng managed the external affairs of the Yuánluó Palace, Miàoyún single-handedly controlled the internal administration. Now, among the very guards he had selected for the Heavenly Venerable, there was a traitor daring to issue a token and leak information right under the Heavenly Venerable’s nose. Immortal Lord Miàoyún felt the urge to die.

Responding with palpable killing intent, Immortal Lord Miàoyún lunged towards the attendants, who were now pale-faced and nearly incapable of standing steady.

The might of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal was evident in his imposing presence. Immortal Lord Miàoyún unleashed hundreds of feet of golden radiance and purple vapor from his five fingers, pressing down like a vast net. The hundred-plus Golden Immortal attendants, enveloped by the golden light, instantly went limp, their bones softened and muscles paralyzed, unable to stir even slightly.

A female Immortal, exquisitely beautiful and faintly suffused with pure energy, resembling a water lily in a mountain stream, suddenly cried out in distress, “Heavenly Venerable, spare us! We all saw it was Pǔxiá who sent the token! This has nothing to do with us, Heavenly Venerable, have mercy!”

Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable’s expression grew even uglier, and Immortal Lord Miàokūn’s face blackened as if a layer of frost could be scraped from it. Pǔxiá Immortal, in truth, was a direct descendant of the Yuánluó Palace—his father was Immortal Lord Miàokūn’s own nephew. For him to betray Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable was utterly unconscionable! Miàoyún’s heart hammered like a drum; would the Heavenly Venerable suspect him of orchestrating this?

The golden light and purple vapor swept around the hundred-plus Immortals. Dozens of streams of purple light burrowed into their various acupoints, sealing their primordial spirits and immortal energies.

Immortal Lord Miàoyún shot a vicious glare at Pǔxiá Immortal, who lay motionless on the ground, his face so pale it was almost translucent. Infuriated, he stamped his foot repeatedly, roaring incoherently, “Seize that rebellious spawn! Torture him with the ‘Yīn Mó Duàn Hún Curse’—quickly, quickly!”

The handsome Pǔxiá Immortal, clad in a purple robe and golden crown, let out a desperate, drawn-out shriek. He struggled violently, but could only writhe on the ground like a frozen eel. He wailed toward Miàokūn, “Grand-Uncle, Grand-Uncle! I don’t know what’s happening! I don’t know what happened! That token—it wasn’t on me, it has nothing to do with me!”

Miàokūn, agitated and terrified to the point of confusion, quickly glanced at Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable, then swiftly reversed his hand and pointed at Pǔxiá Immortal.

With a flash of purple light, Miàokūn initiated a silencing restriction against Pǔxiá Immortal, but Gǔ Xié Chén, who had been thoughtfully observing nearby, instantly flashed to his side. He unleashed a tiny bolt of lightning that intercepted the restriction. Startled, Miàokūn flinched, and even Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable looked over with displeasure. Gǔ Xié Chén, however, merely smiled and nodded to both of them, stating very seriously, “This matter truly has nothing to do with Pǔxiá Immortal!”

“Hm?” Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable, Miàoyún, and Miàoguāng all froze.

Gǔ Xié Chén cupped his fist toward Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable. After a moment of contemplation, the Heavenly Venerable nodded lightly, signaling Gǔ Xié Chén to proceed as he wished.

Walking slowly up to the pale and terrified Pǔxiá Immortal, Gǔ Xié Chén flipped open his eyelids and noticed that the area beneath them was faintly darkened, with seven minute green spots subtly visible. He then had Pǔxiá stick out his tongue; the area near the root of his tongue was also faintly green. Finally, Gǔ Xié Chén undid Pǔxiá Immortal’s topknot and carefully examined his hair roots after parting the strands.

After a moment of deep thought, Gǔ Xié Chén smiled at Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable. “Heavenly Venerable, come here and observe these spots on Pǔxiá Immortal.”

Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable, Miàoyún, and Miàoguāng hurried over. They closely scrutinized the areas Gǔ Xié Chén pointed out: the eyelids, the base of the tongue, and the hair follicles. The eyelids were dark with a seven-star pattern; the tongue root was green, faintly exuding a strange fragrance; the hair follicles were purplish, and when squeezed with a fingernail, a viscous, ink-like fluid emerged, slowly creeping up the hair shaft by two to three inches.

Truly worthy of being one of the supreme experts of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable frowned and nodded. “We have indeed wronged Pǔxiá; he has been manipulated. This poison appears to be the ‘Three-Colored Soul-Separating Sap.’ After ingestion, it clouds the mind, making one unaware of their own actions.” Prying open Pǔxiá Immortal’s eyelid, Gǔ Xié Chén pointed out, “Just the sap of the Three-Colored Soul-Separating Grass would merely induce drowsiness, like drunkenness, healing after a few months of rest. However, judging by these seven green spots, Pǔxiá Immortal has also been struck by the ‘Reverse Seven Star Seed Soul Art.’”

The moment the ‘Reverse Seven Star Seed Soul Art’ was mentioned, Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable stamped his foot in fury, roaring in a low voice, “Ghost Saint of Two Minds, how dare you!”

Pǔxiá Immortal’s gall bladder suddenly turned a ghastly green, and his skin became translucently bright, like glazed jade. Distorted, monstrous faces writhed and roared beneath Pǔxiá Immortal’s skin. A hoarse, unpleasant voice filled with chilling cold emanated from Pǔxiá Immortal’s mouth: “Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable, do not be angry. If this Saint had not acted this time, how would I know you discovered the whereabouts of the Human Source Star?”

Cackling several times, the voice spoke with smug satisfaction: “Whatever benefits the Human Source Star holds, this Saint demands forty percent! If you refuse, do not blame me for leaking this news in a quarter of an hour! Can your Yuánluó Palace withstand the covetous attention of so many Immortal friends?”

Gǔ Xié Chén smiled; this was simple blackmail. He had heard the name of the Ghost Saint of Two Minds from Daoist Wǒchén. This entity was known as the most secretive, unpredictable, stingy, and malicious figure among the ghost cultivators of the Ten Earths. Although his cultivation was only at the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level, his techniques were exquisite, specializing in the art of ‘Two Minds.’ Consequently, he was a figure that everyone in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths dreaded facing.

The so-called Art of Two Minds, if translated into the parlance of the mortal realm, involved schizophrenia and subconscious control over the Ghost Saint’s actions. He might intend to walk east, but in reality, move west; he might wish to kill someone, yet end up bestowing that person with copious amounts of gold and jewels; the concubine he doted on the night before might have her head severed the following morning.

Such erratic and bizarre behavior from the Ghost Saint made him the most unpredictable entity in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Even dozens of Grand Unity Golden Immortals skilled in divination combined could not calculate his next move. When he acted, he moved like a fleeting phantom, delivering a lightning strike before instantly vanishing thousands of miles away. Furthermore, he possessed no fixed lair, making him utterly troublesome.

Hearing the words of the Ghost Saint of Two Minds, Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable’s face grew even uglier.

With a cold snort, Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable calmly demanded, “Are you deliberately trying to vex my Yuánluó faction?”

The Ghost Saint of Two Minds cackled, “Jie jie.” He spoke slowly: “A quarter of an hour, Yuánluó. Only a quarter of an hour.”

Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable’s face turned icy, and he was about to rebuke the entity when Gǔ Xié Chén quickly tugged his sleeve, sending a swift signal to the Heavenly Venerable. Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable paused momentarily, then hastily waved his hand, setting up a restriction nearby, and looked at Gǔ Xié Chén with puzzlement.

Glancing at the convulsing Pǔxiá Immortal on the ground, Gǔ Xié Chén quickly whispered a few words to Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable. The Heavenly Venerable blinked, then erupted in elation.

Dispelling the restriction, Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable gazed coldly at the phantom face on Pǔxiá Immortal’s face and sneered, “Very well. You must swear not to divulge the news of the Human Source Star to anyone else, and I shall swear to take you there! You must also remove the restrictions you placed on my disciples who were harmed by your machinations.”

Hearing the Heavenly Venerable agree, the Ghost Saint hurriedly chuckled, “Naturally, naturally. To be honest, I have planted more than a dozen hidden pawns within your Yuánluó Palace! Ah, it’s not that I intentionally plotted against your Yuánluó faction; I’ve also placed manipulations on others under different masters. Tsk tsk, years of effort to poison so many people—if I release them all now, I’m the one losing out.”

Seeing this, it was clear that more than one or two Immortals within the Yuánluó Palace had been manipulated by the Ghost Saint of Two Minds without their knowledge. Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable was so enraged his hair nearly stood on end. He, a peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal, had had restrictions placed upon his own disciples without even detecting it himself—what a complete loss of face.

While feeling humiliated, Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable, as well as Gǔ Xié Chén and the others, developed immense wariness toward the Ghost Saint of Two Minds. His techniques were so bizarre and unfathomable; they certainly hoped they hadn't fallen victim to his schemes as well.

Despite his caution, Gǔ Xié Chén possessed full confidence in his self-preservation. With the Haotian Pagoda protecting his primordial spirit, what manner of spirit control technique could possibly affect him?

Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable negotiated with the Ghost Saint of Two Minds for a time. Both parties exchanged oaths. They would cooperate to search for the treasures of the Human Source Star, and whatever they obtained would be shared with Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable taking sixty percent and the Ghost Saint taking thirty percent. Immediately thereafter, the Ghost Saint retracted the restrictions from the thirteen disciples of the Yuánluó Palace.

The moment this happened, Gǔ Xié Chén saw the faces of Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable, Miàoyún, and Miàoguāng instantly turn as black as ink. Of these thirteen disciples, besides Pǔxiá Immortal, Miàokūn’s own grand-nephew, the other twelve were all close associates of Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable. Among them were even two Seal-Keeping Disciples who regularly managed the common seals for the Heavenly Venerable!

All ten thousand-plus Immortals of the Yuánluó Palace hung their heads, feeling utterly disgraced.

Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable bared his teeth in fury. It seemed that upon returning, he would need to thoroughly overhaul the order within the Yuánluó Palace. No one knew what methods he would use to purge his disciples.

Gǔ Xié Chén merely frowned. The Great Desolation Scripture contained preventative measures against this type of primordial spirit restriction. If an Immortal whose spirit was restricted approached, a warning would trigger. He pondered whether he should teach this divine ability to Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable—and if so, how much benefit he should demand in exchange.

However, it was clear that many profound techniques in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had been lost since that great cosmic upheaval between the two universes. A mere peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal failing to notice that his own disciples were being controlled—while Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable lost face, the true standard of the Grand Unity Golden Immortals in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths was now evident to Gǔ Xié Chén.

Summoning the Flying Dragon Boat, Gǔ Xié Chén, along with Peng Hua and his entourage, accompanied Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable’s cloud chariot as they slowly ascended. Hundreds of Corpse Generals from the Nine Nether Path followed.

After the massive contingent departed the Spiral Star Domain and sped toward Earth for several hours, a flash of green light suddenly appeared in the distant void behind a small star. A cloud of black energy, wrapped in green smoke and concealing two hazy figures, rushed rapidly toward them.

Even from a great distance, Gǔ Xié Chén clearly saw the figures within the green smoke. They were one tall and one short, one fat and one thin—the tall, fat one resembling a bloated pig, and the short, thin one like a monkey—two bizarre old men. Their skin was wrinkled and covered in a layer of seemingly repulsive slime. Their faces lacked any expression, their stiff visages betraying a hint of lifelessness; their eyes, flashing green light, were filled with vicious, cunning malice. The two flew toward them arguing incessantly.

When they were about a hundred miles away, the black energy and green smoke coiled inward, and the two figures merged as if they were phantom projections, transforming into a single white-haired, white-bearded old man, eight feet tall, with a benevolent, kindly appearance, like a gentle grandfather next door. He wore a greyish-white Daoist robe, and tucked behind the collar was a Ruyi scepter, black as ink and inlaid with dozens of green and blue gems.

The head of the Ruyi was nearly a foot in diameter, indicating the implement was quite large. From time to time, a chilling, malevolent aura drifted off the scepter.

The old man smiled and cupped his hands toward Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable, but the first words he spoke startled Gǔ Xié Chén. In contrast to the hoarse, unpleasant voice used through Pǔxiá Immortal earlier, his own voice now was as crisp as the cry of a Yellow Peng Bird, sweet and mellow like a girl of sixteen.

“Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable, I have arrived early.” The Ghost Saint narrowed his eyes, chuckling, “Tsk tsk. But you managed to find the news of the Human Source Star without me knowing—this piece of pie cannot be eaten alone.”

Glancing sideways at Gǔ Xié Chén, the Ghost Saint suddenly sighed deeply. “No wonder your Yuánluó Palace shows such great favor to Venerable Evil Dragon. The news of the Human Source Star is indeed worth this price. Little Evil Dragon, do you have any other good news to offer this old ghost?”

Looking at the Ghost Saint of Two Minds with apprehension, Gǔ Xié Chén suddenly laughed. He smiled faintly, shook his head, and spread his hands, signaling that he had already presented all his wealth to the Ghost Saint and had nothing left to hide.

The Ghost Saint gave Gǔ Xié Chén a noncommittal look, then suddenly bowed trembling to Immortal Lord Miàoyún. “Immortal Lord Miàoyún, please do not blame this Saint for laying hands on your grand-nephew! Hee hee, who told Pǔxiá Immortal to be so unlucky as to run into this Saint?”

As the Ghost Saint of Two Minds was engaging Miàoyún in conversation, a phantom face, nearly ten feet square, suddenly shot out from the black jade Ruyi behind him. From the ghost face’s eye sockets, each spanning two feet in diameter, two incomparably long, ghastly green claws shot out, clawing directly down toward Gǔ Xié Chén.

The two claws were entirely ghastly green, covered in dense black-green hairs several inches long, and tipped with two-inch black talons. Faint blue phosphorus fire flickered over the claws. Even dozens of feet away, a pungent, fishy stench mixed with surging evil energy assaulted Gǔ Xié Chén. Even Gǔ Xié Chén, with his perfected Primordial Yellow Indestructible Body, nearly choked and fainted from the foul odor.

Standing beside Gǔ Xié Chén, Yang Jian and the Monkey let out cold snorts. A saber and a staff coiled up a curtain of golden light and met the claws head-on.

With a dull thud, the two green claws were effortlessly smashed to powder by Yang Jian and the Monkey. Just as they were expressing surprise, the void before Gǔ Xié Chén rippled, and a small, two-foot-tall grimacing phantom face darted out, opening its maw to bite directly at Gǔ Xié Chén’s neck.

The Ghost Saint of Two Minds suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly: “Child, you were the one who spirited away Daoist Wǒchén! This old ghost remembers you!”

“You can find the Wandering Immortal Star, and you can find the Human Source Star too! Jie jie! You must have quite a few good things on you!”

Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable’s face darkened. A speck of golden flower purple fire shot out from between his brows, transforming into a hundred-foot-long flood dragon that barreled toward the Ghost Saint of Two Minds. Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable roared in anger, “Old ghost head, are you intentionally trying to challenge me?”

Miàoguāng and Miàoyún also shouted in unison: “Daoist Wǒchén was merely a first or second-grade Golden Immortal, hardly a matter worth mentioning! To dare attack an Elder of my Yuánluó Palace is intolerable!” The two simultaneously launched flying swords, which instantly transformed into a magnificent sword Qi ten thousand feet long, slashing down toward the phantom face before Gǔ Xié Chén.

At this moment, the phantom face was less than two inches from Gǔ Xié Chén’s neck, its long fangs mere moments from piercing his throat.

Peng Hua, standing beside Gǔ Xié Chén, suddenly shrieked, opened his mouth, and bit down hard on the phantom face, forcefully swallowing it into his stomach with a loud gulping sound.

Patting his stomach with satisfaction, Peng Hua grinned wickedly at the stunned Ghost Saint of Two Minds: “Old ghost, your essence vitality tastes quite good!”

Once swallowed, the phantom face instantly transformed into a pure stream of ghost energy that integrated into Peng Hua’s body. Peng Hua felt utterly elated, as if he had smoked several thousand cigars. This tiny morsel of the Ghost Saint of Two Minds’ essence vitality actually increased Peng Hua’s magic power by nearly ten percent!

The Ghost Saint of Two Minds was greatly alarmed. He cried out, “You, a Taiyi Golden Immortal cultivated from a mere zombie, actually can—”

The Ghost Saint’s gaze flickered for a moment before he suddenly burst into laughter, retreating several miles. Two streams of green energy sprayed from his nostrils, barely managing to neutralize the fire dragon shot out by Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable. “Yuánluó, listen to my words. The agreement we just made still stands. I swear not to strike this child again, how about it?”

After shouting a few more times, the Ghost Saint threatened, “I came here myself, but several of my clones are still causing trouble in the Myriad Immortals Star, and my disciples are also prepared. If you push me further, I will reveal everything about the Human Source Star.”

Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable, with no other choice, made the Ghost Saint swear another series of oaths before inviting him onto the cloud chariot. The group continued forward.

Gǔ Xié Chén watched the Ghost Saint of Two Minds seated on the chariot with cold eyes, a surge of killing intent rising within him.

This old ghost was still holding a grudge over Daoist Wǒchén and the Wandering Immortal Star. If his cultivation weren't so formidable, he would find a way to end him.

Traveling swiftly, in just a few days, the party arrived outside the Solar System.

With Earth visibly before them, Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable suddenly spoke, asking, “Elder Evil Dragon, where is the Human Source Star?”

Gǔ Xié Chén and the others were startled. Earth was right there; could Yuánluó the Heavenly Venerable not see it? (To be continued)