CHAPTER 143: CHAPTER 143: A STROKE OF LUCK (THIRD UPDATE)

Yun Mo listened with envy, thinking about how Elder Bai, being a Demon Cultivator, could disguise a mountain as a seal in the Netherworld—what an impressive feat!

"Brother Long, you’re just too awesome!" Wan Mingchuan was equally astonished.

Bai Yunqi replied irritably, "I initially thought the Venerable Family could burn some paper money and let your grandfather try it out first.

After so many years, perhaps the seal has already been forcefully broken; or maybe it’s ineffective due to age, making it impossible to find the sealing spot and open it according to my instructions. Just a vague idea, thinking about getting the matter settled quietly before informing the Venerable Family, but you’ve hastily blurted it out."

"But I have to listen to my master," the other party said confidently, "Besides, such a big matter should be kept quiet, in case Grandpa leaks the news if he doesn’t handle it properly, wouldn’t that be a huge mess?"

Jiang Yuan nodded in agreement, "It’s definitely not a small matter. At the very least, Little Bai, you should consider Grandfather Wan’s safety. He is old and weak, and not a Ghost Cultivator. Once news about the mining leaks, he could be in a dangerous situation because ’an innocent man gets into trouble for carrying a treasure’."

Things in the Netherworld are just as complex as in the Wilderness World; he doesn’t believe that a common old man who perished could manage such an immense undertaking.

Remember, just a few days ago he was laboring in the depths of Luoshan; without Ma Hongtu’s connection, he wouldn’t even escape if he died in the mines.

"Since I mentioned this, I would definitely consider it thoroughly." Bai Yunqi sighed softly and explained, "My plan is to burn paper money for the old master and simultaneously burn a Ghost Book.

In the Ghost Book, I’ll teach him to go to the Ghost City and buy a few talismans that can be used for dream communication, thus enabling private communication to avoid news leaks.

When the time comes, I’ll instruct him on how to use the talismans to create a simple array. If the seal still exists, it can allow him to teleport back and forth without leaving his home.

If there’s still mining potential in the mountain, he can find an excuse to buy the mountain to prevent other Ghost Cultivators from coveting it.

Then it becomes simpler; he secretly utilizes the array to teleport back and forth with the Yin Warriors, whether gathering herbs or extracting ores, we can have small amounts transported over through the array method I taught him—how is it dangerous?"

Slightly impatient, his horns raised up, "As long as the old master doesn’t foolishly shout in the streets about having a mine, even those local folks wouldn’t possibly know his whereabouts!"

Jiang Yuan contemplated carefully and thought it might be worth trying, especially when it wouldn’t cost much.

"Brother Long, are you sure you want my grandfather to handle such an important matter?" Wan Mingchuan knew his grandfather was very kind, skilled at hunting, and reliable, but after all, he had never encountered anything related to Cultivators in his lifetime.

Now that he’s just entered the Netherworld, he might not have adjusted to life as a ghost, suddenly entrusted with significant responsibility—would it be mishandled, thereby delaying matters?

"I have to quickly find a way back to the peak. My main body is still precariously sleeping; once the origin is fully depleted, no matter how powerful this avatar is, it will instantly perish. If precious treasures are excavated in the Netherworld, the Venerable Family can use what they need, and we can exchange what we don’t for resources. In chaotic times, becoming stronger at all costs is the key!"

Jiang Yuan was taken aback by the words, "So as an avatar, you can’t even control your own life?"

Hit at a sore spot, the other party grimaced and nodded helplessly, "Of course not. If an avatar could be powerful enough to cultivate origin, then I would master the resurrection method and find the path truly belonging to me.

The origin can only exist within the main body. Generally, when an avatar dies, at most, the main body suffers some damage but not to the extent of harming the origin; but when the main body perishes, all avatars, no matter how powerful, will immediately vanish into smoke.

Therefore, when the main body is severely injured, it will form an avatar to seek opportunities, become stronger, and then nourish and restore vitality back to the main body slowly. I mustn’t keep stagnating on the Deserted Island; I need to heal the wounds and return to the peak before the origin is fully consumed, allowing the main body to recover naturally again."

He paused briefly and added, "Regardless of the type of avatar, they cannot exist apart from the origin. Many small cultivators without guidance mistakenly believe that creating an avatar is like having two selves that can fool around or reverse priorities, ultimately leading to origin damage, lifespan depletion, and death."

So that’s how it is! Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but feel secretly grateful; although a bit cowardly, foolish, and pleasure-seeking, it turned out to be unexpectedly fitting!

At present, it’s evident that this Wilderness World represents an alternative "avatar," while the real main body exists in the physical world.

If priorities are reversed and one overindulges in the Wilderness World while the main body weakens or if there’s insufficient yang longevity obtained here while consuming too much, leading to premature aging or death in the real world, wouldn’t that be an awful deal!

Yun Mo looked at Elder Bai with shocked eyes, thinking how mighty he was, yet he’s just an avatar? Then his main body must be insanely powerful!

No wonder Elder Bai knows so much; he’s undoubtedly a true expert!

"I’ve seen Grandfather Wan’s soul," Bai Yunqi directed his gaze at Wan Mingchuan, "and heard your conversations. Also, through your understanding of the old master’s past in the last couple of days, I feel he is reliable. In my current situation where I cannot enter the Netherworld but urgently need abundant resources, entrusting it to the old master is the best choice. He is your grandfather; you are the Venerable Family’s disciple, with this relationship firmly tied, I believe there won’t be any issues."

The resources belong to Bai Yunqi; he chooses who to collaborate with, and others have no right to interfere. Jiang Yuan thought since it wouldn’t consume too much effort, whether it works or not, being a master and owner, he would have done his best.

Wan Mingchuan thought it through and realized he might be unable to decide for Grandpa, so it’s better to contact him and discuss it in detail.

He agreed with a nod, and Bai Yunqi wasted no time, reaching for pen and ink to write a letter.

"The words you write are so strange; both familiar and unfamiliar..." The room was cramped with two people and a Half-Demon Beast—Yun Mo’s size too large to fit in, sticking its head through the window. Yet, half of them were illiterate, Jiang Yuan glanced and recognized the "Ghost Book" somewhat.

The other party wrote meticulously, fearing missing any crucial details and worried that others might notice something amiss when reading the letter, casually asking, "You can see it?"

"Ah, I can."

"A Ghost Book is actually just written with our usual characters reversed; ghosts read text backward."

Learned something new again, Jiang Yuan suddenly realized they were traditional characters written backward, so naturally, they seemed familiar but hard to recognize.

After finishing the letter, Bai Yunqi specially cut a piece of paper and wrote Grandfather Wan’s name and birthdate according to specifications, and packed them along with the Venerable Family’s prepared golden ingots into a paper package, sealing it; to prevent news leaks, and since it’s not the season for burning paper, to ensure the recipient will receive it, he added a layer of seal before letting Wan Mingchuan go burn it at the alley.

Finally completing the important task, Bai Yunqi slouched against the Storage Box, his long tail stretching out through the window, leisurely swaying. With a deep breath, he reached out, "Little Chuan, how well did you learn those two words?"

"I’ve learned how to write them!" Wan Mingchuan responded excitedly upon being asked, jumping up to show the characters he wrote neatly, having drawn them countless times on the ground with a stick, feeling satisfied the first time he penned them on paper.

Glancing over the writing, it indeed looked tidy but evidently appeared clumsy due to unpracticed penmanship.

"Brother Long, I can only write them but can’t read them yet. What do these two words say?"

With a smirk curling at one corner of his mouth, Bai Yunqi raised an eyebrow and replied, "These two words are pronounced: ’Regret.’ You’ve grown so much yet never learned to write your own name, but now you know how to write ’regret’."

Wan Mingchuan’s smile suddenly froze as he stared at the "regret" he wrote hundreds of times, thinking to himself, "You’re a huge snake, but why is your heart so petty?"