Chapter 1089 - 281: Mud of the Muddied World, The First Move
"Do you know what that black sludge is?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? Can't you use your heel to think? Look at you acting all capable."
"..."
Yu Ziqing was at a loss for words and quickly cupped his hands in respect.
"Please enlighten me, I am uneducated. You, sir, are magnanimous, please don't stoop to my level."
Yang snorted softly and set down the teacup.
"This thing, I actually know about it, and I've seen it before.
It's called the Mud of the Muddied World.
I just haven't seen the kind you mentioned that can amass into a whole Mud Sea."
Yu Ziqing said nothing, only refilled Yang's tea.
"Do you know why in many places there are ghosts, especially Evil Ghosts or Fierce Ghosts, that easily lose their sanity and why they haven't been completely eradicated?"
Yu Ziqing wanted to say that it was impossible to completely exterminate ghosts, as long as there are people, there will be an endless stream of ghosts.
But when the words reached his lips, he just shook his head obediently.
"I don't know."
"Were you thinking, as long as there are people, there will be ghosts, and they can't be eradicated?
Heh, in reality, many things can't be solved just by raising a butcher's knife.
In the Langya Institute, there was once a senior who wrote a book called 'The End of Ghosts'. You should borrow it to read when you have time.
Some people, when they die, become ghosts. Even some cultivators, after death, can continue cultivation through the Ghost Path.
Have you ever thought about what happens when a ghost dies?"
"I don't know." Yu Ziqing shook his head. He had heard that ghosts could turn into undead, but clearly, that wasn't the case here.
"A long time ago, seniors researched this.
Just like when people die, only a small portion become ghosts, and when ghosts die, even fewer become something else; they usually just disappear.
But occasionally, some ghostly entities, especially Evil Ghosts, Fierce Ghosts, Resentful Ghosts, carry such intense resentful and aggressive energy.
After their death, they leave behind something else, and when that aggregates, it becomes the Mud of the Muddied World.
This stuff can pollute a cultivator's cultivation, their Yin God, and their magical treasures.
Seeing the way you are, you must have encountered it before. Your Purity Divine Skill can withstand it, right?"
Yu Ziqing nodded.
"It can hold up, but if I were to jump right in, that might not be the case. It's not that the Divine Skill couldn't hold up, but my energy won't last long.
Yet, hearing you describe it like this, how is it different from filth?"
"It's not filth, it's pure mud, and compared to filth, it's much more disgusting.
In the Mud of the Muddied World, there's all sorts of disgusting things—resentment, aggressiveness, etc. It's a complete amalgamation.
Back then, we killed so many ghostly entities, it triggered a full-scale war, and although we won in the end,
it catalyzed the creation of a lot of the Mud of the Muddied World because this ghostly stuff drained several powerful beings and devastated a peninsula.
Later, that peninsula was refined for over a decade with the Great Sun True Fire and then sunk into the sea to finally resolve the issue completely.
This is why now, when a ghost entity goes too far, we'll just kill it rather than sending people to eliminate all the ghostly entities indiscriminately.
This time, you renaming an Evil Ghost wasn't a problem initially, but it seems you've stumbled upon something else."
Yu Ziqing pondered, recalling that, at the start, the Great Devil controlling Cece, the King of Hungry Ghosts, unleashed two Tenth Tier Blood Flames, turning that area into Flame Mountain, burning everything that could be burned.
Upon contemplating this, it suggested that he might have already interacted and clashed with that entity in the Mud of the Muddied World earlier.
It was just that, at that time, the two Blood Flames were of the Tenth Tier, and their momentum was continuously increasing, causing the opponent to back down.
There's even a possibility that back then, the edge of the Mud Sea of the Muddy World was connected to the current Flame Mountain.
But later, the Mud of the Muddied World retreated a bit to avoid the Flame Mountain and avoid being set ablaze.
Still, it ended up getting ignited by Yu Ziqing.
Turns out there was an old grudge; well, that's fine then.
"How about I go over there and stay until the mud pool is thoroughly dried out?"
"..."
Yang was speechless; was it necessary to go that far?
The Mud of the Muddied World isn't something that can move freely or something that has self-awareness.
At most, it's something in that Mud Sea of the Muddy World that possesses some sort of awareness.
"Don't worry, the Little White Fox will surely be fine. With a bit of spirit light, unless it enters the Mud Sea of the Muddy World, it can't be polluted.
The Little White Fox is smart; Jinlan Mountain has been surrounded by you, and you even have people at the Abyss entrance.
With its spirit light, it couldn't possibly be misled."
Yu Ziqing nodded, recalling that the Abyss was once that polluted world, and hearing about the Mud of the Muddied World now, didn't find it all that strange.
He even thought that the Nine-tailed Demon Fox incident back in the day might have been to trigger the Mud of the Muddied World in the Abyss to pollute this world.
Yu Ziqing wasn't sure, but whatever the other side was planning, opposing it was the best course of action.
"I think I'll go back and take a look, find a chance to try and undo all the remaining seals.
I just feel there might be another big trap inside.
If something like the Nine-tailed Demon Fox happens again and isn't resolved promptly, it might be exploited by others.
If something goes wrong then, it would be trouble for our home."
"I'll go with you then."
Having decided on the course of action, Yu Ziqing continued with his tasks while also contacting the Dragon Women.
He asked how the flower planting was going with the Moon God and offered to send more seeds over.