Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

Meanwhile, behind the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk, the figures of the Ten Yama Lords appeared: King Qinguang, King Chujiang, Emperor Song, King Wu Guan, Yama, King of Equality, King of Taishan, King of Capital, King of Biancheng, and King Zhuanlun—all ten Yama Lords were present, each dressed in imperial robes, their presence awe-inspiring like the ocean.

This display astounded Lu Yu - these were Ghost Kings who had existed since ancient times, each endowed with divine duties and protected by heaven and earth. Despite the Monkey's havoc in the Netherworld showing little to no combat ability, these ten were capable of turning the heavens and earth upside down with the utmost ease should they truly get serious.

"Indeed, it is a fine strategy. It can not only reduce our workload but also expand our Underworld's influence and strengthen our connection with the Human Path. It's no wonder that heaven and earth would bestow virtues," said King Qinguang.

"However, this is a serious matter that could determine the future direction of the Underworld; we must not take it lightly. We'll probably need to choose a location to test its efficacy," the King of Equality spoke carefully, as he was always thorough in his considerations.

"In my opinion, why not emulate the old affairs of Divine Enthronement? Our Underworld can also establish a stele, and all those named on it could fall under the City God's jurisdiction," suggested the King of Taishan, having experienced Divine Enthronement himself.

The ten Emperors, who had managed the Netherworld Underworld for many years, discussed among themselves and quickly devised a general plan, deciding to find a dynasty in the mortal world with promising fortune and destiny to emulate the old affairs of Divine Enthronement and establish the Way of the City God.

"My lords, I have something to say," Lu Yu spoke after listening to the Yama Lords' discussion, inspired by a sudden idea.

"Honestly, within the vast Great Chen Dynasty of the Southern Province, the dynasty is at the cusp of transition, and considering my homeland extensively practices the Way of the Human Immortal with enough Cultivators to choose from, I boldly suggest that Great Chen be the land of experiment." Lu Yu knew well that the role of the City God was essentially a position of extended life.

Although it was the Way of Ghost Deities, as long as one conducts themselves righteously, they can enjoy longevity. Naturally, he thought of vying for this for his homeland.

Today is unlike the ancient times of Divine Enthronement, where each immortal held celestial ranks - already possessing immortality, they held little regard for the positions on the Divine Enthronement Stele.

In the current Great Chen, only those in the Primordial Spirit Realm could achieve longevity. If one were to scrutinize, amongst the numerous cultivators, how many could genuinely cultivate to the Primordial Spirit Realm? With an opportunity for longevity at hand, who wouldn't clamor for it?

"Since this initiative arose from your idea, leaving it to you isn't a bad idea. Stay here for a few more days while we draft the regulations, then you can go back. During these days, let Kui Ba show you around the Netherworld," the Yama Lords naturally wouldn't make this difficult for Lu Yu.

Since the choice of location wasn't particularly demanding, as Lu Yu was the initiator, it was naturally better for him to oversee it than those unknown to the core, especially since the Yama Lords, ever so cunning, wouldn't miss this chance to ingratiate themselves with Lu Yu.

What Lu Yu did not know was that since the era of Divine Enthronement, those who practiced the Celestial Immortal Dao were extremely rare, and among them, only a handful could evoke Innate Five Qi and step into the true Immortal Realm. Each was a person of significant destiny and each exceptional.

Over the next few days, under Kui Ba's guidance, Lu Yu thoroughly toured the Underworld. However, it was not the scenery of the Netherworld Underworld that interested him most, but his intense curiosity about the Witch Tribe. After all, following the ancient battle, the Witch Tribe had disappeared from the mortal world, leaving behind only fragmented legends.

The members of the Witch Tribe did not cultivate their souls but rather their blood and qi. Their way of cultivation was entirely different from that of the present world, resulting in each member being strong and battle-ready but not versed in magical techniques or understanding of celestial patterns.

However, solidifying the power of their bloodline also extended their life, representing an alternative approach to longevity, albeit unsuitable for the human race's cultivation.

One day, Kui Ba brought Lu Yu to a stele and said, "Brother Lu, this is the Heritage Stele I mentioned to you, which records some of the Mystic Arts and Spells of the great witch ancestors."

After conversing with the members of the Witch Tribe these past few days, Lu Yu realized that the Witch Tribe indeed had Mystical Techniques; however, their techniques originated from the ancient rituals of sacrificing, leveraging personal power to manipulate the rules of Heavenly Dao.

Their methods of cultivation drastically differed from the Taoist Laws, impossible to learn without proper heritage.

Since discovering that the Witch Tribe still preserved ancient Heritage Steles, Lu Yu had been intrigued and was finally brought here by Kui Ba with the approval of the Elder of the Witch Tribe.

Looking up, a black stele stood towering, adorned with ancient characters and patterns depicting the Witch Tribe hunting and performing sacrifices.

Kui Ba extended his hand, bit a cut into his finger, and smeared the blood onto the stele. Suddenly, the dark stele emitted a dim blue light; the depicted Witch Tribe members seemed to come alive, dancing an ancient sacrificial dance around Lu Yu. The grand sounds of sacrifice echoed, as if returning to the scene of the ancient Witch Tribe offering sacrifices to heaven and earth.

Lu Yu listened carefully to the sound of the sacrifices, which seemed to contain endless secrets; it felt as if he had returned to Mount Fangcun at Lingtai, still listening to the teachings of his mentor.

After a while, the sound of sacrifices gradually faded, and Lu Yu felt as if something had been added to his Primordial Spirit.

A magical talisman was imprinted on his Primordial Spirit; upon closer feeling, he discovered that this so-called talisman was actually an ancient character: "Stabilize."

"Freezing Curse?" Lu Yu exclaimed in surprise. At that moment, he understood the Divine Skill he had received. He had always admired this famous skill of the monkey. However, after becoming familiar with the monkey, he realized the monkey knew nothing about the Freezing Curse, as it relied on its naturally gifted physique and disliked pondering these Mystical Techniques.

On the contrary, because of memories from his former life, Lu Yu, whose mind was more open, liked pondering over the famous Divine Skills of his previous life. He had slowly figured out the "Incarnation of Heaven and Earth" himself. Who would have thought that the monkey, with its thick face, would pester Lu Yu, learn this technique, and even use it better than Lu Yu.

Lu Yu had also tried to deduce the Freezing Curse but found himself utterly clueless until today, when he received the Freezing Curse and finally understood that this Technique could not be deduced—it was an entirely different type of skill compared to "Incarnation of Heaven and Earth."

This Technique uses the talisman in the Primordial Spirit as its foundation, leveraging the power of heaven and earth to stabilize everything under the heavens; if cultivated to the utmost limit, even space could be stabilized with a single word.

Having obtained such a magical technique, Lu Yu exclaimed that his journey was not in vain, and seeing Lu Yu so happy, Kui Ba was also incredibly excited. Born in the Underworld, he had never seen the scenery of the Mortal World.

It was Lu Yu who told him about the vibrant world outside, and only then did he learn that the sky was blue, the earth was green, and the legendary seas were azure, not blood-red.

Lu Yu also felt pity for Kui Ba, trapped in this part of the Underworld, unable to see the wonderful world outside; therefore, he shared everything he had seen and heard with him, cultivating a very close relationship between the two.

When the two returned to their residence, ten Yama Lords had already sent a Judge to welcome Lu Yu to discuss matters.