Chapter 3066

A century passed in the blink of an eye. As Ouyang Canghai grew up, Yan Xiwan and Ouyang Tianyun finally reached the day of their ascension.

Ouyang Canghai had long been sent to the Underworld by his parents. After ascending to the Immortal Realm, the couple would visit the Underworld before continuing their cultivation, waiting for the day they would become gods.

Life in the Underworld continued its orderly pace. Although Yan Xiwan and Ouyang Tianyun had left, Ouyang Canghai remained, working closely with Yan Xizhong. If anyone complained that Ouyang Canghai was too young, Yan Xizhong would easily refute them. After all, Yan Xizhong had handled Underworld affairs as the Vice Palace Master at an even younger age. Besides, Ouyang Canghai was already a hundred years old, even if he looked only like a teenager.

Time flew by until one day, Old Black rushed into the Yanluo Palace.

Yan Xizhong raised an eyebrow as he saw Old Black enter in a hurry. "Uncle Black, what’s wrong?"

"Master, the fierce soul Asa from the Eighteenth Level of Hell escaped to the human realm during the Ghost Festival. We have confirmed he is in a world called Chengyu. That world connects to the Yellow Springs, so the soul energy is heavy. If he devours more souls, his power will grow even stronger," Old Black reported urgently.

Yan Xizhong nodded slightly. "Chengyu… Yun Meng mentioned wanting to experience the mortal world recently and went there too. I’ll go check on her and build a relationship with her, so she doesn’t run away again."

Yun Meng had once been a worker in the Underworld. She fell in love with Yan Xizhong but, fearing she was unworthy of his status, she secretly reincarnated in the Chengyu world to forget him. Yan Xizhong had planned to visit the mortal world anyway, so this was a perfect opportunity.

"I knew you’d go to Chengyu, that’s why I came to you. Leave Asa’s matter to you," Old Black said with a smile.

Yan Xizhong nodded. After finishing his current tasks, he assessed the situation. He could leave the Underworld for at least twenty years, and with Ouyang Canghai handling routine matters, he left with peace of mind.

No one knew how the Chengyu world was formed. But in Chengyu, the sun hung high for only half the day, while the full moon dominated the night. This created an atmosphere where yin energy outweighed yang, naturally allowing wandering souls to cultivate. Generally, only in Chengyu could one become a soul cultivator and progress smoothly.

The Yun family of Hedong had been Celestial Masters and soul catchers for generations. The current generation’s strongest soul catcher was Yun Ling.

One day, after catching a soul, she went directly to her sister Yun Meng’s flower shop.

Yes, Yun Meng, Yun Ling’s biological sister, ran a flower shop.

"Yun Meng, why don’t you come back and help me?" Yun Ling persuaded her again.

Yun Meng’s abilities were no less than Yun Ling’s, but she had no intention of becoming a soul catcher. Her philosophy differed from the Yun family’s. The Yun family believed all souls were bad. Yun Meng believed souls had good and bad distinctions. Bad ones should be caught and dealt with, but good ones should be sent to reincarnation. If they couldn’t be reincarnated, they shouldn’t be destroyed.

"Sister, don’t you understand? I never kill souls directly. My methods take more time, so please stop persuading me," Yun Meng said with a calm expression.

Yun Ling looked at Yun Meng for a long time. "Yun Meng, you should know that if you refuse to return, when you turn twenty, the Yun family seal on your body will consume you."

"I’d rather be consumed than go against my conscience," Yun Meng replied softly.

"Fine, be stubborn. Keep being stubborn. I won’t bother with you anymore," Yun Ling said and left.

Yun Meng watched Yun Ling leave, sighing slightly. She didn’t ask Yun Ling to stay, nor did she warn her about the danger to her life.

Yun Meng didn’t know when she had gained this ability—to see through a person’s life and death. Yun Ling was clearly facing a life-and-death crisis, a result of the karma from the countless souls she had destroyed in the past. Yun Meng could see it but couldn’t help Yun Ling. This was likely the fate of the Yun family.

Yun Meng sighed and continued arranging the flowers.

"The flowers here are so beautiful," Yan Xizhong said, entering the shop and nodding slightly.

Yun Meng looked at Yan Xizhong, startled. "Have I seen you before?"

"We have met, but you’ve forgotten now," Yan Xizhong said directly.

Yun Meng raised an eyebrow. "If I had really seen you, I wouldn’t have forgotten. Because I can’t see through you."

Few people could evade Yun Meng’s sight. If she had truly met Yan Xizhong, she should remember him.

Yan Xizhong smiled. "Think about it slowly. You’ll remember eventually."

Yun Meng raised an eyebrow, looked at Yan Xizhong, but couldn’t recall where she had seen him. She finally asked directly, "Do you need any flowers?"

"A bouquet of red spider lilies," Yan Xizhong smiled.

"Okay." Yun Meng’s flower shop had a unique feature: besides common flowers, she sold unusual ones, including red spider lilies.

Generally, red spider lilies were known as Yellow Springs flowers, and no one bought them. But Yun Meng believed that since the flower existed, it had its purpose. So, her shop never rejected them. In fact, she specially grew several pots of red spider lilies herself.

A small bouquet of red spider lilies, just seven blooms, arranged with some baby’s breath, looked quite elegant.

Yun Meng wrapped the flowers and handed them to Yan Xizhong. He paid and left with the bouquet.

Yun Meng watched Yan Xizhong’s back, feeling a sense of familiarity, but she truly couldn’t remember when she had seen him.

Yan Xizhong left with the flowers, not because he didn’t want to stay by Yun Meng’s side, but because he feared scaring her. At least now that Yun Meng felt a sense of familiarity, his pursuit would not be too difficult.

Holding the red spider lilies, Yan Xizhong walked to the intersection. He plucked a petal and tossed it into the air. The petal drifted autonomously in a specific direction.

Yan Xizhong followed the petal.

His purpose in coming to Chengyu was twofold: to find Yun Meng, which he had done, and to find the fierce soul Asa.

The red spider lily drifted forward, and Yan Xizhong followed, soon entering a tunnel.