Black Journey to the West: The Imposter Star Lord

Chapter 39: The Dark Web

Cao Xing sat in the chair, his heart filled with excitement.

How did I become Kui Mulang?

While wondering, Cao Xing suddenly felt as if he had endless power all over his body. Sitting in this chair, he had the power to look down on all living beings. As far as his eyes could see, chaos swirled before him, as if starlight and the sun and moon were shining on the earth.

this!!

Cao Xing had only a fleeting thought when the scene in the chaos before his eyes changed, and he was now reflected on Wochao Mountain. He only glanced at it briefly.

In an instant, inside the Sanqing Hall on the main peak of Wochao Mountain, a Taoist priest suddenly opened his eyes, his hair standing on end, and hurriedly got up from his prayer mat and went outside the hall.

The Taoist priest bowed his head and knelt respectfully on the ground: "This humble Taoist priest pays his respects to the Supreme Immortal. May I ask what instructions the Supreme Immortal may give?"

He was the founder of Shangfang Temple, wasn't he?

Cao Xing's eyes were fixed on the patriarch of Shangfang Temple. His gaze sharpened and he saw that the Taoist priest was surrounded by a faint, shimmering light. However, in Cao Xing's eyes at this moment, this light was no more than a grain of rice.

Now, Cao Xing also became curious and unconsciously reached out his finger to try to poke the scene in front of him. He found that his power could not truly touch the other side at all. The two were not on the same plane at all. It seemed that he could only go this far and could not interfere with the mortal world further.

It seems that with the help of Kui Mulang's power, I can only do this much. I can no longer use his power to directly intervene in the human world.

Just as Cao Xing was about to probe further, a cold voice made him turn his gaze away.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you, Star Lord. I hope you're doing well."

As he withdrew his gaze, the Taoist above was almost paralyzed with fear. He didn't know which star lord had stared at him like that, but he was certain that the other party's status was frighteningly high.

"Is it because the tributes have been less in the past two years, thus displeasing one of the star deities?"

After considering this, the Taoist priest above stood up and threw out an official seal: "Send my seal to His Majesty, and this year's rain tax will be doubled."

As soon as he finished speaking, a young Taoist priest stepped forward, took the seal, and immediately took out a cloud-riding talisman, flying straight towards the capital of Wuji Kingdom.

Cao Xing had no idea that his casual glance would cause Wuji Kingdom's tax revenue to surge by 30% the following year.

At that moment, he looked in the direction of the sound and saw the chaos in front of him break open, and a girl in a green dress appeared out of thin air in front of Cao Xing. The girl nodded slightly to Cao Xing, but her gaze did not shy away from Cao Xing's scrutinizing eyes.

Who is this person?

He seemed to know Kui Mulang quite well.

Cao Xing thought carefully about Kui Mulang's usual personality and imitated Kui Mulang's tone: "Thank you for your concern, Fairy. Everything is fine."

"Today is not the appointed time. Star Lord, have you come to the dark web today because you have something else to inquire about?"

That's bullshit! I have no idea what the dark web is. It's just that unscrupulous businesses are harming people.

But it wouldn't be good not to say anything; I can't just say I'm bored.

After thinking for a moment, Cao Xing remembered something and tentatively said, "I would like to know something about the Qionglou Xianghui."

The news of the Qionglou Incense Gathering was provided by those old ghosts.

According to those old ghosts, there is a mid-grade magic artifact they have deposited in the Qionglou Incense Gathering. However, although this magic artifact is mid-grade, it has hidden secrets. Only by using a special method to open the magic artifact can one discover that there is actually a low-grade magic treasure hidden inside.

However, Cao Xing didn't trust them. He knew too little about the Qionglou Xianghui. Since he could inquire about information here, he might as well give it a try.

"Huh!"

Upon hearing Cao Xing's words, the woman was quite surprised: "I didn't expect that the Star Lord had also noticed. As expected of the head of the constellations, your insight is indeed keen."

What was she saying? I was just asking casually.

Seeing that Cao Xing remained silent, the woman continued, "If you are interested in this matter, Star Lord, I can act as a go-between for you."

"Your kindness is so great, I don't know how to thank you enough," Cao Xing replied half-jokingly.

"You're too kind, Star Lord. This is simply Qing'e's duty. As for the reward, we'll stick to the old rules. If this matter is successful, Qing'e will take 10% of the profits."

What are you talking about? What profits?

Damn riddle maker!

Cao Xing inwardly complained that this woman wasn't being clear, but given how things had progressed, he knew he couldn't press her any further.

"Is there anything else, Star Lord?"

Cao Xing knew it was time for him to leave.

But... how do I exit this?

Is there an exit button?

Just as Cao Xing was thinking about how to leave, his body suddenly jolted, and his consciousness was quickly pulled back by a force.

Watching the figure gradually disappear from the seat, Qing'e couldn't help but sigh, "He just left like that, without even saying goodbye. I thought he had changed his ways, but he's still as rude as ever."

"Wake up, wake up!!"

As Cao Xing regained consciousness, he heard Gu Su calling out to him.

As soon as he opened his eyes and his blurry vision began to focus, he saw Gu Su staring at him with a serious expression.

"Uncle-Master Gu, what... what happened to me?"

Cao Xing shook his head and quickly sat up straight on the bed.

"What kind of haphazard practice were you doing? You almost went into qi deviation."

Gu Su picked up the book "Inspiration Yin Yang Measurement" from the ground and threw it at Cao Xing's face: "You dare to practice this kind of evil technique? You're lucky your ancestors are still alive."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xing smiled wryly and said, "Uncle-Master Gu, I'm poor. Even if you give me a hundred taels of silver, I still can't afford other cultivation techniques. This one was specially recommended to me by a senior brother from the Transmission Pavilion. He said he would give me a 20% discount because of your sake."

A cold glint appeared in Gu Su's eyes: "You mentioned my name, and he still tried to push this cultivation technique onto you?"

"Yes, as soon as I mentioned Uncle Gu, he immediately recommended this cultivation technique to me. I thought it was some kind of great technique."

Cao Xing looked completely innocent, staring at the Yin-Yang Scale of Inspiration in his hand, and continued, "I came back yesterday and focused on reading and trying to cultivate, and then suddenly..." At this point, Cao Xing scratched his head, looking as if he couldn't remember the rest of the story at all.

Seeing this, Gu Su's expression gradually softened: "This was my fault. Let's eat first, and I will give you an explanation for this matter."

"Oh, okay! I've been hungry for ages."

Cao Xing nodded and got out of bed. Taking advantage of Gu Su's inattention, Cao Xing glanced at Bixia hidden on his wrist. After confirming that Bixia was still there and that he hadn't lost anything else, he finally felt relieved.

"Uncle-Master, is this Yin-Yang Inspiration Technique truly an evil art?"

Cao Xing, with a chicken leg in his mouth, asked about the origin of the Yin-Yang Dimension of Inspiration while eating.

"Some people in the sect used to cultivate, but in the end, they cultivated themselves into something neither human nor ghost. A person who weighed over a hundred pounds died with less than three pounds on their body."

Gu Su took a sip of wine to moisten her throat and continued, "This cultivation method does have its unique aspects, but upon closer inspection, it's useless. Humans have three souls and seven spirits, which correspond to the destiny of heaven. Only by cultivating both body and mind and forming the Nascent Soul can one achieve a unified whole, with infinite wonders. Even if one wants to create another self, there are advanced cultivation methods such as the Second Nascent Soul. These are all orthodox paths. Why not learn these and instead learn this kind of shortcut cultivation method?"

With a chicken leg stuffed in his mouth, Cao Xing looked as if he had just received a profound enlightenment. Only after the chicken leg was swallowed did he ask, "If it's an evil technique, why keep it? Wouldn't it have been better to burn it?"

Gu Su silently broke off a piece from the steamed bun, put it in her mouth, and ate a few bites before saying, "Because after mastering this method, although one is neither human nor ghost, if one finds a high-grade magic treasure to house one's soul, there is still a chance to advance further."

Going a step further?

Cao Xing's eyes widened, and he understood what Gu Su meant. He couldn't help but twitch his lips: "Black, really damn black."