Qing Xuan smiled, and a sea of crimson spider lilies bloomed around him as he descended.
The ghosts retreated, leaving only the two of them on the grand hall's steps.
"Ghost Ancestor, you didn't always call me the Nether Lord," Qing Xuan said with a seemingly casual smile.
"The Nether Lord didn't always call me the Ghost Ancestor either," Shi Tian replied plainly.
Qing Xuan sighed, "We are ultimately no longer what we once were. Indeed, which Heavenly Venerable would deign to serve another?"
The Ghost Ancestor offered no rebuttal, merely gazing up at the black cocoon and saying, "The first Great Power of the Ghost Dao is about to emerge. My Ghost Dao will advance further."
"Not necessarily," Qing Xuan stated with seriousness. "The Heavenly Dao reigns above, the Earthly Dao below. Heaven is dominant, Earth is subordinate. A Great Power of the Ghost Dao is not tolerated by the Heavenly Dao."
"Is the Earthly Dao not there?" the Ghost Ancestor asked calmly.
"But I am the Master of the Earthly Dao," Qing Xuan chuckled. "Whether the Heavenly Dao can be stopped depends on me, or rather, on the Ghost Dao and the Earthly Dao."
The Ghost Ancestor furrowed his brow. "What do you mean by that? The life and death of the beings in the Underworld are in your hands. If they perish, the momentum of the Earthly Dao will also be extinguished."
Qing Xuan sighed. "If the Ghost Dao truly wishes to submit to the Earthly Dao, then the Earthly Dao will wholeheartedly assist. But can the Ghost Dao today still elicit the Earthly Dao's full support?"
The Ghost Ancestor faltered, his expression shifting slightly.
At that very moment, the sky of the Underworld changed, and a terrifying pressure struck fear into all the ghosts.
A middle-aged figure emerged from the black cocoon, gathering Yin energy from all directions. A true spirit was forged above the Ghost Dao, and a Great Power of the Ghost Dao was born!
Simultaneously, the Underworld's sky darkened with thick clouds, lightning flashed, and deafening roars shook all living beings of the Underworld.
Qing Xuan sighed. "Ghost Ancestor, look. The Heavenly Dao can already influence the will of heaven and earth. Great Powers of the Great Dao bear the mark of stepping onto the Dao Stair, yet a Great Power of the Ghost Dao has instead become a Heavenly Tribulation."
The Ghost Ancestor's eyes flashed with ferocity. "Why does the Heavenly Dao target the Ghost Dao so intensely?"
"Because the Ghost Dao's influence is vast, using the souls of all beings as its foundation. In terms of influence, it is even more formidable than the Earthly Dao. The Heavenly Dao is righteous and public, inherently Yang; the Ghost Dao is private and self-serving, inherently Yin. The Heavenly Dao fears the Ghost Dao more. After all, the Earthly Dao is merely a Heavenly Venerable, but if the Ghost Dao were to grow too powerful, it could affect the entire Primordial World."
As they spoke, the middle-aged man, after his initial shock, began to undergo his tribulation.
Serpentine energy surged, and thunder roared. Nine layers of heavenly lightning struck down, causing the Yin energy on the ghost cultivator to swell, forming nine layers of Yin clouds above his head.
With a thunderous boom, the terrifying lightning illuminated the entire Fengdu City.
The nine bolts of lightning shattered the nine layers of Yin clouds. The ghost cultivator quickly wielded a painting, from which a hundred ghosts flew out, wandering through the void.
The nine bolts of lightning merely dispersed nine ghost souls.
But the second wave of tribulation descended, eighteen bolts of lightning roaring forth.
The third wave brought thirty-six bolts of lightning, and the fourth wave unleashed seventy-two bolts, like a sea of thunder descending.
The Hundred Ghosts painting turned to ash amidst the torrent of lightning.
The Ghost Ancestor's face grew grave. "Nether Lord, do you have a solution?"
Qing Xuan shook his head.
The Ghost Ancestor said indifferently, "Then allow me to test the might of this Heavenly Tribulation!"
"Absolutely not!" Qing Xuan exclaimed. "If you intervene, the Heavenly Dao will surely be enraged. The Heavenly Dao's will will amplify the tribulation, increasing its power a thousandfold. Though you may disperse it for now, as long as this Great Power of the Ghost Dao takes one step out of Fengdu City, the tribulation will descend again!"
The Ghost Ancestor grumbled, "Then tell me, how can he pass? These nine layers of heavenly lightning are by no means passable by a Daluo-level ghost cultivator."
Qing Xuan smiled. "I do have a method, but it depends on whether the Ghost Ancestor is willing to part with it."
"What method?"
"Allow this Great Power of the Ghost Dao to enter my Earthly Dao!" Qing Xuan said with a smile.
"My Ghost Dao is already under the Earthly Dao. If he becomes a Great Power of the Ghost Dao, he naturally belongs to the Earthly Dao!" the Ghost Ancestor stated coldly. "Unless you intend..."
"Precisely!" Qing Xuan replied. "He will be a Great Power of the Earthly Dao, not a Great Power of the Ghost Dao! While this method is somewhat ungenerous, it is the only way. The heavens and earth disfavor a Daluo-level ghost cultivator, let alone the Heavenly Dao! Only by having him enter the Earthly Dao, and receiving its will, will the Earth's will within the consciousness of heaven and earth protect him from the fatal lightning tribulation."
As he spoke, the eighth wave of tribulation descended, with one thousand one hundred and fifty-two divine lightning bolts filling the sky, like deities and heaven, unstoppable.
The ghost cultivator, his body covered in wounds, roared at the surging lightning, "In this vast world, why is there no place for me to belong! Heaven and earth are unjust, the Heavenly Dao is selfish!"
This outburst seemed to enrage the tribulation further. The overwhelming lightning struck the ghost cultivator with the force of ten thousand jun.
The middle-aged man bowed to the Ghost Ancestor. "Qin has failed the Ghost Ancestor's trust and is ashamed of your years of painstaking guidance."
All the ghost cultivators in Fengdu City trembled. If this ascended Great Power of the Ghost Dao was not tolerated by heaven and earth, could their path ever lead to Daluo?
Despair filled the hearts of myriad ghosts. When their faith was lost, their spirit faltered.
Fengdu City became enveloped in an atmosphere of death, appearing as if facing annihilation under the Heavenly Tribulation.
The Ghost Ancestor's heart hardened. "Nether Lord, quickly! Take action!"
Qing Xuan, however, felt a sense of relief. The Ghost Ancestor was not solely driven by self-interest; he still possessed affection.
Qing Xuan stepped forward, positioning himself before the thousands of lightning bolts. With his authority over the Earthly Dao, he summoned the divine radiance of the Three Lives Stone, channeling the Great Dao of Reincarnation into Qin's brow. Qin's ghostly form instantly glowed with golden brilliance, like a divine being. The thousand bolts of lightning only managed to make him spit out a mouthful of blood.
Qing Xuan transmitted his voice. "The Earthly Dao lies below. Today, I, as the Lord of the Underworld, officially enfeoff Qin, the Great Power of the Ghost Dao, as the King of the Netherworld, naming him King Qin Guang. He shall reside in the Xuan Ming Palace, governing the affairs of this region of the Underworld. As long as the Earthly Dao endures, this Earthly Deity shall never die!"
With these words, the will of the Netherworld permeated the air, and the will of Earth rose to resist the will of the Heavenly Dao. The power of the lightning lost its most forceful, Yang-infused divine might, transforming into Yin-Sha lightning.
The final wave, nine bolts of heavenly lightning, descended, filled with Yin-Sha energy. When it struck King Qin Guang, it merely mended his severely damaged body.
Yin energy from all directions poured in, coalescing into a minor world of ghosts within King Qin Guang's body. The Daluo-level Ghost Dao was recognized by the Earth.
King Qin Guang was filled with astonishment. He had believed he was destined to die under the deluge of heavenly lightning, only to find salvation in despair.
He did not forget his roots, first bowing to the Ghost Ancestor, then to Qing Xuan.
The Ghost Ancestor's face broke into a broad smile. "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Under my Dao, a Great Power has finally emerged. It was not in vain that I spent a hundred eons of effort!"
Qing Xuan smiled. "The Ghost Ancestor's Dao has taken a significant step forward. Congratulations!"
The myriad ghosts, their fear and unease replaced by excitement, all bowed, addressing King Qin Guang as "Your Highness."
The concept of the Ghost Dao was, in essence, a new path, unprecedented in ancient times. Every step required countless ghost cultivators to risk their lives, with even the slightest misstep leading to the utter annihilation of their souls.
But now, the Ghost Dao could ascend to Great Power status, signifying that the Dao itself was achievable!
For all beings, even in their dreams, they never envisioned reaching the Hunyuan or ultimate realms; they only aspired to become Daluo Golden Immortals, which they considered the ultimate goal.
Therefore, Daluo was their realm of attainment, the pinnacle of the Dao.
From this day forward, Daluo could be achieved within the Ghost Dao, and all ghosts could find solace.