: The Variable of Yang Sky

Meng Yaoyin's voice, originating from the Crossroads Lantern, reached directly into the depths of Ning Zhuo's mind.

"Successor of the Crossroads Lantern, with your foundation of a million human souls and your position as the ruler of White Paper Immortal City, you must be the celestial variable foretold by Elder Grey Bone's divination!"

"You must thwart the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's scheme and restore peace to the entire Yin Tide Black Marsh Wetlands."

Along with these words, a massive amount of information was transmitted to Ning Zhuo.

Heavenly Ghost Transformation Life Tribute Rite...

Heavenly Ghost Skull...

Postnatal Aptitude...

Choosing White Paper Immortal City for the blood sacrifice, offering it to the Yin Sky...

A moment later, Ning Zhuo fully digested this astonishing news, a sharp light gleaming in his eyes. "So that's it!"

In that instant, he learned the entirety of the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's grand plan.

Within this information, Meng Yaoyin also provided a method to achieve victory.

She clearly stated that she had once personally descended to the Netherworld and was personally received by Elder Grey Bone. Under his guidance, she leveraged means left behind by the Mysterious Scholar to control half a paper doll army using mechanisms and arts.

However, she did not explicitly state how to thwart the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's plan, instead expressing confidence in her successor: since you are the variable triggered by the Yang Sky's destiny, there must be a way to win!

"So that's how it is."

"This is the origin of the Heaven-bestowed Talisman that Boss holds."

"Elder Grey Bone..."

Ning Zhuo heard this cultivator's name again; the previous time was from Luo Si.

Now, hearing it felt completely different.

"Mother made these preparations long ago, waiting for the destiny to unfold. Now, the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's scheme is nearing success. Although I arrived here by chance, I am likely this very variable!"

"I should spare no effort, following Mother's will, to handle this matter properly."

Given the gravity of the situation, Ning Zhuo immediately contacted Sun Lingtong via the Life Thread.

Sun Lingtong was still within the Yin army's formation, watching White Paper Immortal City resist the ghost tide from afar. Upon learning this, he was greatly astonished.

"Incredible, Xiao Zhuo! Your mother's methods are truly remarkable. She actually managed to seize control of half a paper doll army. We've hit the jackpot!"

Ning Zhuo replied, "According to the information Mother left, someone needs to go there personally to activate the formation within to gain control of that half army."

"But how to use this power to thwart the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's scheme, Mother didn't say."

Sun Lingtong wasn't bothered: "Xiao Zhuo, your mother doesn't possess divination abilities. Achieving this much is already quite impressive. As for what to do next, well, she already hinted at it, didn't she?"

Ning Zhuo knew exactly what Sun Lingtong meant and nodded. "Right. Back then, it was Elder Grey Bone who guided Mother. Even accessing the hidden army in White Paper Immortal City was Elder Grey Bone's arrangement."

"Therefore, we should first seek out this cultivator and ask for his guidance."

Sun Lingtong: "Elder Grey Bone might already be waiting for us. His arrangement for Luo Si to fish by the River of Forgetfulness was likely meant to contact us."

"If that's the case, then General Luo Si might actually be Elder Grey Bone's arrangement, an ally for us?"

Ning Zhuo pondered: "That's possible, but we need to visit Elder Grey Bone and get more information first."

"Boss, it seems the day of your Golden Core advancement will be postponed again."

Sun Lingtong was silent for a moment, then sighed wryly. "No choice! Since the truth is like this, I must also actively cultivate my soul, striving to raise my soul foundation to a million human souls to be qualified to disrupt the Heavenly Ghost Transformation Life Tribute Rite."

Ning Zhuo already possessed a million human souls; Sun Lingtong also needed to cultivate to that level as a second safeguard.

Sun Lingtong: "Also, should we tell the White Paper City Lord this secret?"

Sun Lingtong hesitated about this.

Ning Zhuo frowned, thinking. "Mother's message didn't mention the White Paper City Lord. Clearly, she had some reservations."

"Whatever those reservations are, in her view, resolving this crisis doesn't involve the White Paper City Lord much."

"Humph!"

"Mother, for the sake of this Immortal City, didn't hesitate to shorten her lifespan, exhausted her mind, risked entering the Netherworld, made so many arrangements, waiting for a successor... Mother was truly too kind and generous, thinking of the world, sacrificing herself without regard."

"Compared to Mother, what has the White Paper City Lord lost?"

"She met me and pinned the title of 'savior' on me! Obviously, she wants to use me, just like she used Mother back then."

"But she doesn't realize that although I am Mother's son, my temperament is different from hers."

"I'm willing to be the savior, and I'm willing to do good deeds, but the premise is that I gain something from it."

"My level of enlightenment isn't as high as Mother's!"

Hearing Ning Zhuo's response, Sun Lingtong felt relieved and praised him greatly: "Xiao Zhuo, that's more like it! We shouldn't be the kind of self-sacrificing goody-two-shoes; that's no fun!"

"Your mother's lofty perspective is another matter."

Ning Zhuo nodded: "Exactly."

To this day, the three talismans forced upon Ning Zhuo by the White Paper City Lord were still hidden within his three Dantians.

Ning Zhuo had mobilized the power of his Spirit, Energy, and Essence Dantians respectively, surrounding and heavily compressing these three talismans.

He was just waiting for the right moment to have Sun Lingtong use his theft art to try and remove them.

Doing it now was too early.

The White Paper City Lord would definitely become uneasy and apply stronger measures.

The ghost tide lasted for three days and three nights before finally dispersing.

"We survived another wave." Iron Bone Zheng also stood guard on the battlements, fighting tirelessly for three straight days.

He felt no joy of victory, only casting a grave gaze outside the city.

There, a well-organized Yin army was slowly retreating.

This army had not participated in the attack but had actively gathered the remaining ghosts. Thus, from start to finish, their numbers had actually increased by twenty percent.

"Damn it! Not being able to destroy this vanguard army is truly frustrating." Iron Bone Zheng punched the battlement, gritting his teeth.

In stark contrast was Qing Chi.

"My battle achievements must be enough this time, right?" Qing Chi cheered excitedly.

Qing Yan's expression was unpleasant, but he didn't deny the facts, nodding in acknowledgment. "Indeed, Chi'er, without detailed calculation, your battle achievements have indeed met the standard."

"But right now, the Virility Institute is under full lockdown. If you rashly visit that Jiao Ma kid, not only will you be stopped, but you'll also cause him a lot of trouble."

"After all, he is now the City Lord's male consort."

Qing Chi immediately frowned angrily, glaring at Qing Yan. "Father, are you going back on your word?"

Qing Yan quickly waved his hands. "No, no. Sigh, I mean, if you want to see Jiao Ma, you need to use the right method. For example, I can write a letter to secretly arrange a meeting for you outside. Isn't that better than inside the Virility Institute?"

Qing Chi's anger subsided, and she nodded repeatedly. "Father, you're right. Inside the Virility Institute, we can't do anything; we even have to watch our words. Outside is more convenient!"

Qing Yan nodded, then his expression changed, and he held out his hand. "Wait a moment!"

"'Can't do anything'? What do you want to do?!"

"'Outside is more convenient'? Convenient for what?!"

Qing Chi snorted coldly. "Old man, I've grown up. Don't interfere; I have my own plans."

Qing Yan was so angry the corners of his eyes twitched. "Don't do anything reckless! Jiao Ma's Primordial Yang being intact is very helpful for his cultivation!"

Qing Chi: "Hmph, before, I held back because of that, didn't cook the rice... now there's still a chance..."

Qing Yan was so angry he stamped his foot. "No, no, you can't do that! You're a girl; being too forward, Jiao Ma won't cherish you. Chi'er, you need patience..."

"Patience?!" Qing Chi waved her arm, becoming very agitated. "You want me to watch patiently as Jiao Ma dual cultivates with that old woman, the White Paper City Lord? Absolutely not!"

Hearing Qing Chi call the White Paper City Lord an 'old woman', Qing Yan was furious, terrified, and anxious. He glared fiercely, lowering his voice. "Shut up! You really have no filter!!"

Qing Chi wasn't afraid of her father and was about to speak again.

Qing Yan quickly waved his hands. "Stop talking, stop talking, you blockhead! I won't interfere with your actions. Go ahead and cause trouble. Don't mind your father, don't mind our family!"

Qing Yan saying this actually softened Qing Chi's attitude. "Father..."

"I was wrong, don't be angry."

"I'm just too anxious to save Xiao Ma."

"Sigh!!!" Qing Yan covered his face with a long sigh, not wanting to speak for a moment.

Ning Zhuo had long returned to the Virility Institute, continuing his arduous cultivation.

Sun Lingtong, after the army withdrew, informed the general that he needed to return to the Netherworld.

He carried Luo Si's military order, allowing him free movement. The general even told him the way back.

Sun Lingtong sank into the main channel of the Nether Dragon River, diving deep all the way, piercing through the barrier between the Yang World and the Netherworld, arriving once again in the Netherworld.

Although he didn't know the way, Ning Zhuo could contact him anytime, and the latter controlled the Crossroads Lantern.

Sun Lingtong followed Ning Zhuo's guidance as he traveled.

His target was the seventh paper doll army.

This army was still incomplete, in the process of being created.

Precisely because of this, Elder Grey Bone and Meng Yaoyin were able to intervene and seize control of this army.

As Sun Lingtong traveled, he took out a talisman.

This talisman was made of dark jade, three inches and seven-tenths long, with dark golden light flowing over it.

The center of the talisman's front had a complete Yama's Square Mark, and the edges were surrounded by images of the Eighteen Hells.

The back of the talisman had vermilion text of the "Thirteen s of Netherworld Laws".

It was the Heaven-bestowed Talisman.

"Never thought this jade talisman, which wasn't delivered to Ning Zhuo, would still be used by me." Sun Lingtong sighed.

He continued on his way, while quietly activating the jade talisman.

Instantly, a stream of soul power poured into Sun Lingtong's soul.

This soul power was quite vast, and more importantly, extremely pure. Sun Lingtong's expression changed immediately; he felt his soul inflate rapidly like a balloon.

Unlike Ning Zhuo's cultivation using the Four Treasures, Sun Lingtong's soul foundation skyrocketed steadily and rapidly, without any hidden dangers of an unstable foundation.

Sun Lingtong's physical foundation was much stronger than Ning Zhuo's, better able to withstand the surging soul power.

By the time Sun Lingtong reached the seventh paper doll army, his soul foundation had already reached over two hundred thousand human souls!

Of course, he had a base before; he was older than Ning Zhuo, so it was natural for his soul foundation to be stronger.

"Xiao Zhuo, you should have used this talisman. It's the most convenient cultivation method." Sun Lingtong sighed sincerely.

"Once this opportunity passes, it's gone. Chances to get something from a Netherworld Lord are rare."

Ning Zhuo laughed. "That sounds familiar. Didn't I try to persuade you the same way earlier?"

Sun Lingtong: "It has almost no drawbacks! If I had to name one, it's that auditory hallucinations appear, hearing someone chanting a sacrificial text. It's very noisy."

Ning Zhuo's heart stirred. "What's the content of the sacrificial text?"

Sun Lingtong: "I've memorized most of it."

"Prostrate before the Supreme Yin ruling the extreme, the Nine Netherworlds shedding light. Yama upholds the law, capturing spirits from all directions in the Netherworld; the Yellow Springs surge with snow, ferrying souls through ten thousand tribulations of the vast world. Now, with the Rite of the Heavenly Ghost's Transformation and Life, devoutly offered before the seat of the Mysterious Vault Nether Lord..."

"Respectfully present... hang the Yama's Square Precious Seal above the Mysterious Altar, array the true diagrams of the Eighteen Hells as curtains. Black snow covers the earth sevenfold, receiving Yang souls to nurture Yin fiends; vermilion writes upon the heavens nine times, knocking on the Nether Laws to connect with the Netherworld's vastness."

"Beg the Mysterious Vault to open a shortcut to the Netherworld, pardon the deep-seated sins of the evil souls; bestow the Heaven-given Jade Talisman, solidify the foundation of the Spirit Platform. May..."

"...Trembling words, prostrate and hopefully enjoy the offering!"

Hearing Sun Lingtong's recitation, Ning Zhuo's face showed joy. "This should be the grand sacrificial text of the Heavenly Ghost Transformation Life Tribute Rite. Boss, listen carefully, remember the entire piece. We might find a way to break the situation from it."

Sun Lingtong shook his head. "Neither of us are Confucian cultivators. Finding a flaw in it is extremely difficult; that's not reliable!"

Ning Zhuo: "When the time is right, we can show this text to Wen Ruanyu..."

"Let's not talk about this for now. Let's first gain control of this half army, then march to Water Burial Valley. These paper puppets should be enough to prove our identity and gain Elder Grey Bone's trust."

"If we encounter trouble, we can still use this army to fight for us!"

Sun Lingtong nodded: "Xiao Zhuo, from now on, I'll just follow your orders."

Ning Zhuo then, following the information left by his mother, guided Sun Lingtong to successfully find the formation disk hidden deep underground.

Sun Lingtong channeled his magic power into the formation disk, but nothing happened.

After investigating, Sun Lingtong found the answer: "This is a Myriad Forms Formation Disk. It needs to be filled with Myriad Forms magic power to activate. What should we do?"

Ning Zhuo pondered: "It seems Mother intended for this opportunity to fall to the Myriad Forms Sect."

"That's easy to handle."

"Earlier, when chatting with Wen Ruanyu, I learned that one of the Myriad Forms Sect's introductory spells, the Conversion Art, can generate Myriad Forms magic power."

"I'll write to Wen Ruanyu now and ask about the related spell!"

While Ning Zhuo was dealing with the Netherworld army, Qing Chi arrived at the main gate of the Virility Institute.

"Please inform Jiao Ma that Qing Chi is here to see him. Ask him to come out and meet me!" Qing Chi's eyes shone, full of anticipation.

"Little girl, has your beloved become the City Lord's male consort?" Suddenly, a voice came from behind Qing Chi.

(End of )