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The city of Lu Ye is teeming with ghost cultivators; without absolute concealment, it's best not to enter lightly. If discovered by a ghost cultivator, one would face the entire city of them, making escape impossible.

Ning Yuzhou instructed them to wait here and, if all went well, he should return before nightfall.

It was dawn, when there were fewer ghosts, but this did not apply to ghost cultivators. For them, the night was more suitable for cultivation, while during the day, they would venture out like human cultivators.

In the Netherworld, daylight did not harm ghost cultivators with its yang energy, so they naturally did not hide away. This unique environment of the Netherworld made it a world of ghost cultivators.

After arranging for the group, Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao left.

They walked for some distance before Ning Yuzhou suddenly stopped and pulled her to a secluded spot.

Wen Qiao, holding the long whip tied around her waist, looked at him in confusion.

Ning Yuzhou took out a gray spirit pill, "Chui, take it."

The color of the spirit pill was somewhat eerie, but Wen Qiao swallowed it without any doubt.

The pill dissolved upon contact with her mouth, turning into a cool liquid that made her shiver instantly. Then she felt changes in her body; the warmth characteristic of a human cultivator faded, leaving her body cold and devoid of any temperature. When she touched her hand, it felt like a piece of icy white jade.

Moreover, the spiritual energy flowing through her meridians seemed to have transformed into a cold gas, and the traces of a spirit cultivator had vanished from her body.

Wen Qiao widened her eyes in surprise and asked, "Husband, what kind of spirit pill is this?"

Ning Yuzhou checked her condition and said with satisfaction, "This is a Yin-Gathering Pill. It gathers yin energy to mask the spiritual aura of a cultivator, making them appear like a ghost cultivator."

He found the formula for the Yin-Gathering Pill among the alchemical texts passed down through the bloodline of Emperor Xi.

It was said that in ancient times, when the passages between the three realms were not sealed, human cultivators, ghost cultivators, and demons interacted freely. That era was the zenith of the cultivation world, a time of unparalleled talent and brilliance, especially among the alchemists who created countless spirit pills.

The Yin Gathering Pill sounds like a pill specifically crafted for Ghost Cultivators, but in reality, the cultivator who invented it created it to allow Human Cultivators to move freely in the Netherworld. It alters the physique of Human Cultivators, making them appear indistinguishable from Ghost Cultivators.

Of course, the Yin Gathering Pill is also suitable for Ghost Cultivators, functioning similarly to the Spirit Restoring Pill used by Human Cultivators.

"Earlier, while searching the mountains, I found many yin-attributed spirit herbs, including the materials needed for the Yin Gathering Pill, so I collected some to brew the pill," Ning Yuzhou said, smiling faintly. "The Netherworld's environment is uniquely suited for the growth of yin-attributed spirit herbs. Most Ghost Cultivators aren’t adept at alchemy, so they ignore these resources—there’s quite an abundance of them."

Wen Qiao’s eyes lit up. Though they had been constantly on the move for the past half-month, Ning Yuzhou occasionally took time during their nightly rests to refine pills.

At the time, she had assumed he simply couldn’t stay idle, never guessing he’d quietly brewed the Yin Gathering Pill without a word.

Whenever the cultivators from the Red Rock Forest saw him stopping to gather yin-attributed spirit herbs, they assumed he was merely intrigued by their toxicity, never suspecting he intended to use them for alchemy.

With the Yin Gathering Pill, the two could disguise themselves as Ghost Cultivators, keeping them safe.

This was also why Ning Yuzhou dared to enter the ghost city with Wen Qiao.

Once Ning Yuzhou took the pill too, the two set off toward Luye City.

As they gradually approached Luye City, they encountered many Ghost Cultivators.

Ghost Cultivators looked almost the same as Human Cultivators—only their skin was paler, wreathed in an eerie yin energy, their ghostly demeanor making their identity unmistakable at a glance.

Wen Qiao discreetly observed them and felt reassured. The disguise provided by the Yin Gathering Pill seemed flawless—as long as they didn’t use spiritual energy, they wouldn’t be exposed. For other cultivators, this might pose a challenge, requiring extreme caution, but for a body cultivator like her, attacking without spiritual energy was no issue at all.

She had her fists, after all. =v=

Before long, they arrived at Luye City.

The towering black city walls loomed overhead, banners fluttering in the wind, emblazoned with blood-red ghostly characters. Those characters pulsed with ghostly power, making onlookers dizzy.

"Don't look!" Ning Yuzhou said softly. "This was written with the Ghost Emperor's power, imbued with his consciousness."

Wen Qiao lowered her head and didn't look again.

Many ghost cultivators queued to enter the city. Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou weren't in a hurry, instead observing discreetly. When they realized they needed to pay an entrance fee—and that the fee required yin stones—the two wordlessly retreated together.

They discussed how to obtain some yin stones.

Ning Yuzhou smiled. "A'Chui, pick out a ghost cultivator you like the look of. We'll make a deal with them."

Wen Qiao vaguely understood his intention and naturally didn't object. She crouched by the roadside, eyeing the passing ghost cultivators.

Before long, she spotted one and leaped forward, blocking his path. "Fellow Daoist, may we speak privately?"

The ghost cultivator initially thought someone meant him harm and instinctively prepared to attack, but quickly recognized the girl blocking his way.

He obediently followed her, his pale cheeks actually showing a faint blush. "Miss, where are you taking me? If you don't mind..."

"I don't mind!" she declared solemnly. "You're the easiest on the eyes."

The ghost cultivator's spirits lifted even higher, his face tinged with shyness. He fidgeted and said, "I'm Ji Chengsi. May I ask your name, Miss?"

"Wen Qiao."

"Miss Wen, do you... think we should take some time to get to know each other first, or..."

He was cut off when the beautiful ghost woman said, "Husband, I've brought a fellow Daoist."

Husband?!

Ji Chengsi looked up and immediately saw the male ghost cultivator standing beneath a ghost-withered tree. Though his face was deathly pale and his body shrouded in dense ghost qi, he seemed to glow with an inner light. His gentle and refined aura dispersed even the oppressive ghostly atmosphere, giving him the momentary appearance of a radiant spirit cultivator.