The Ghost King Yanling held the porridge bowl, his chest still trembling.

An indescribable sense of satisfaction prompted him to lift the bowl to his lips and down its contents in one gulp, despite his inability to speak eloquently.

At the same time, the Food Cauldron Celestial Book beside Chen Xu opened.

[You used food to stir emotions and expounded on the path, causing the Ghost King's heart to awaken. Overnight enlightenment, reward: Hundred Causes Fruit.]

[New spiritual material unlocked, reward Fireworks Value +300]

[Hundred Causes Fruit: When cooked with nine steams and nine dries, eating it allows one to trace the path of causality and lock onto an enemy, then cast a spell to slay them from afar.]

...

Initially, Chen Xu merely glanced at the entry for the Hundred Causes Fruit and paid it little mind at first.

It wasn't until his gaze lingered for a second time that Chen Xu was struck with an unusual sense of wonder and joy.

The Hundred Causes Fruit!

It seemed to be the same type of spiritual material as the Hundred Evils Fruit, but the marvel of the Hundred Causes Fruit was truly beyond imagination.

And the appearance of the Hundred Causes Fruit was just the beginning.

The Ghost King Yanling drank the bowl of porridge as if it were fine wine, taking it all in one gulp.

After drinking, tears began to roll down his face.

Suddenly, Chen Xu's fingers twitched slightly.

His left hand retrieved a porcelain bottle, while his right hand, using the Spirit Manipulation Technique, quickly guided the tears of the Ghost King into the bottle before they could fall to the ground in the Ghost Market.

A melodious sound of ghostly tears falling into the bottle was heard.

The Ghost King Yanling was momentarily stunned.

He raised his eyes to look at Chen Xu.

Without evasion, Chen Xu offered the porcelain bottle to the Ghost King Yanling, saying, "Tears of the Ghost King, an unparalleled treasure; would you like to keep it, brother?"

The Ghost King Yanling was at a loss for words momentarily, regaining his voice after a pause, with a slight hoarseness in his tone: "Such an item… If you fancy it, consider it a gift for you, brother."

Chen Xu then collected the porcelain bottle.

The entry displayed: [Tears of the Ghost King, containing extreme emotions of life and death. When added to spiritual food, it can evoke divine thoughts in diners, leading to epiphanies or clarity, with a small chance of leading diners into madness.]

Chen Xu realized many ingredients have dual natures.

Just like the world's countless elements, where there is positivity, there is negativity; where there is yin, there is yang; opposing forces coexist.

Understanding this is essential to truly walk the Path of the Food God.

After his initial excitement subsided, the Ghost King Yanling let out a long sigh, then took up the wooden spoon to serve himself another bowl of porridge.

This time, he savored it slowly, tasting it leisurely.

After a few bites, he paused, seemingly reminiscing about past worldly affairs within the porridge's taste.

Only after an indefinite time did he sigh, "This is the taste… In the past, a bowl of coarse rice porridge was a rare delicacy in my life.

Later, though I became displaced, I could afford white rice porridge.

Yet, no porridge as good as that bowl of coarse rice porridge ever existed.

Now, becoming a ghost, porridge from the Mortal World is a lavish dream once again."

[Likes +1000]

Truly deserving the title of Ghost King of the Netherworld, a single commendation from the Ghost King Yanling earned Chen Xu an instant bonus of 1000 likes, surpassing self-proclaimed ghost kings like Xie Huaizheng.

His prowess measures up to the Great Scholar, truly unfathomable!

Finally, the Ghost King Yanling requested the pottery jar Chen Xu used to cook the porridge.

With a tone mingled with chants and reminiscences, the Ghost King, with slight awkwardness, uttered, "The sun and the moon set, and time is not on our side. Only emotions remain unbroken, irrelevant to the wind or the moon…"

Upon finishing, he sighed and continued, "I am not well-read, not adept in the ways of scholars like you.

But this sentence I understand; the beauty of the language is truly a direct strike to the hearts of the undead.

Having been wasting away in the Netherworld for years, I never realized there was a part of me always yearning for the Mortal World.

Perhaps, it's time for me to return to the Mortal World for a look.

Diligent cultivation in the Netherworld can no longer advance my cultivation by even a fraction.

In my heart, I long to be human; though I have a ghostly body, I possess a human heart..."

As his words trailed off, the Ghost King Yanling suddenly smiled at Chen Xu.

Though his face was fierce and menacing, with blue features and sharp tusks, his tone was light-hearted and humorous:

"My ghostly brother, as we part, who knows when we shall reunite? Will you not let me see your true face?"

What?

It was now Chen Xu's turn to be taken aback.

The Ghost King Yanling had seen through his disguise as a hanged ghost?

Indeed, after all, he was a true Ghost King.

Chen Xu, too, broke into a smile, standing up with unrestrained ease, and suddenly pulled from atop his head, unveiling half of the puppet mask of the hanged ghost.

Facing the Ghost King Yanling, a pale and handsome face emerged, exuding a vibrant human aura.

He was alive, not a ghost!

Were it not for the domain of the Ghost King Yanling cloaking this area, the rest of the ghosts in the Ghost Market might have overlooked the event, but Chen Xu's bold unveiling might have caused a great uproar in the Yellow Springs Ghost Market.

Yet, despite the domain barrier, Chen Xu's bold move still stunned the Ghost King momentarily.

Moments later, the Ghost King Yanling burst into laughter.

He, too, stood up, and with a flick of his sleeve, all the objects on the stall were swept up by a tablecloth, swiftly tied into a neat gray bundle.

The Ghost King Yanling handed the entire bundle directly to Chen Xu, exclaiming loudly:

"Throughout my life, I've been bound by restrictions.

Though I had some guts in life, and some persistence after death, achieving some cultivation accomplishments. But I never knew why, not once did I open my heart and freely act as I wished.

You are more carefree than me, truly a dragon among men!

These items are as per our earlier agreement, all for you, brother.

My name is Ding Yang, also known as the Ghost King Yanling, what is your name, brother?"

Chen Xu responded calmly, "I am Chen Xu of Yunjiang Prefecture, pleased to meet Brother Ding."

Upon saying this, he reattached the puppet mask he had peeled halfway.

The Ghost King Yanling recited Chen Xu's name, saying, "I have memorized your name, brother. Having exchanged names, we are bound to meet again when I head to the Mortal World."

As his words ended, he suddenly drew the Yanling Saber from his waist.

In drawing the blade, the speed and finesse were such that it was like an antelope's horn, truly leaving not a trace of earthly smoke or fire.

Despite Chen Xu's current strength of Divine Soul, he only managed to perceive the Ghost King Yanling effortlessly waving his saber.

As for the true mystery of this blade, Chen Xu could comprehend only partially.

He saw the saber's strike, unexpectedly slicing into the most fragile node between the Netherworld and the Mortal World.

No—

Rather, perhaps it shouldn't be said that the blade struck the weak point of the interdimensional barrier directly.

But that with the saber's strike, what seemed like a distinct separation between the two realms revealed a thread-thin weakness.

At the same time, the saber strike of Ghost King Yanling cleaved this frailty at the closest possible moment.

Flash!

A mystical void appeared beneath the dim sky.

Outside the void, it seemed like a vague night, or perhaps an endless commotion.

The Ghost King Yanling laughed heartily, exclaiming, "Brother Chen, I'm off to the Mortal World too!"

Having said this, he stepped into the void in front of him with one foot raised.

In an instant, he vanished from the Yellow Springs Ghost Market.

And the cleaved void closed soon after within the hazy mist of the Ghost Market, as if it had never appeared.

The Tray Ghost watching on was dumbfounded, its mind unable to process what had just happened, it simply stammered, "He, he, he… The Ghost King, he really went to the Mortal World?"

And it's not just the Ghost King heading to the Mortal World?

At the exact moment the Ghost King Yanling disappeared, Chen Xu also took action.

He tossed out the Ghost-Bidding Pearl hidden in the palm of his hand, instantly encapsulating both the Tray Ghost and the short ghost within the pearl.

Then, clutching the pearl, he stepped back into the Mortal World as well.

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