Yu Ziqing understood that Cece couldn't empathize, but he could.

He had already starved to death twice!

Now, whenever he saw someone starve to death, he felt an unsettling discomfort from deep within.

No matter what, no one should die from hunger.

If it were due to natural disasters that someone starved, Yu Ziqing was powerless, but he would feel terrible.

But if someone was starved intentionally, and he had the power to prevent it but didn't act, he could foresee that in the coming months there might be even greater man-made disasters, potentially resulting in millions, possibly tens of millions, starving to death.

It might not even end there.

First, it was far easier to cause harm than to save. All it took was turning a blind eye, and those people's consciences wouldn't be affected in the least.

Second, the population in Dazhen far exceeded that of the Wilderness, by orders of magnitude; adding two zeros might not suffice.

The scene of that hell on earth would be far more terrifying than that of the Wilderness back then.

Whether it was his identity or his own beliefs, Yu Ziqing did not want to witness a more terrifying hell on earth.

If such a price couldn't entirely counteract the White Sun Holy Mother, he was even less willing.

After pondering for a long time, Yu Ziqing sighed.

He was different from those who walked the Evil Dao without limits or conscience; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to be ruthless.

Yu Ziqing took out a small packet of sedative and slowly swallowed it, causing his five senses to warp while enhancing a sixth sense.

He reached out his hand and saw black oil seeping from his body, forming a massive black book before him at his will. The book was entirely black, without a single word on its surface, as if made of pure black shale, page by page stacked.

He opened its blank first page.

With a single finger, he pricked it to draw blood, then wrote with it on the blank page.

"The incense fire of the hungry ghost, no living or dead spirit (including the ghost itself), nor any object can absorb it; any who covet it will find their Divine Soul and consciousness irrevocably tainted, never to transcend."

Writing became increasingly difficult, as each word seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

Yu Ziqing regretted not studying classical Chinese back in the day, or he could have written half as much now.

Cece and Wu Shuangge saw Yu Ziqing, wrapped in black scale armor, extend his left arm and then the claws on his right hand.

The claw of his right index finger pierced his left arm, writing unknown runes into his flesh with his own blood. His hand trembled as if it was becoming more challenging, but gritting his teeth, he persevered and wrote the final character.

Once the inscriptions were completed, the blood mingled with the black oil, rising as dark red runes identical in appearance.

This was the price.

Even though the Hungry Ghost Dao was pioneered by Yu Ziqing, it was a Dao of equality among all beings, and any personal additions, even those meant to protect the hungry ghosts, required a toll.

However, as the King of Hungry Ghosts, Yu Ziqing could afford this price.

As the blood flowed, a spectral image of Senluo Avenue suddenly appeared before Yu Ziqing, stretching out into the sky.

The dark red, ominous meteor-like runes fell into the avenue, deeply imprinting and merging with the path.

Cece knelt on the ground, tears streaming, paying deep respects.

Although she knew this might not be the most advantageous choice, it was the most satisfying result for her at heart.

She knew that if similar situations arose in the future, her master, her king, would never abandon her or let her sacrifice herself.

Though she was always willing to lay down her life, it didn't change her feelings at this moment.

Wu Shuangge, meanwhile, wept openly, kneeling and kowtowing heavily. Even though his master disliked it, he couldn't do otherwise, wanting only to express his feelings.

With the fall of the ominous, dark red meteors into Senluo Avenue's specter,

Far away on Jinlan Mountain, countless hungry ghosts personally bestowed by Yu Ziqing emerged.

It was as if they all saw Senluo Avenue manifest in their hearts, with their king using blood to maintain them, setting forth a strict prohibition etched onto the Hungry Ghost Dao for their sake.

Not knowing how to express their gratitude, they uniformly kowtowed to express respect and thanks to their king.

Amidst the snow on Jinlan Mountain, two individuals moving at such a speed that the air crackled with explosions suddenly stopped to look at those hungry ghosts.

One figure, lean and elderly in appearance yet full of vigor, stood bare-chested with bronzed muscles, steaming heat emanating like a furnace.

The other was a towering goat standing on two legs, three zhang tall, with bulging muscles like boulders, hair like steel thorns, and exuding intense ferocity.

Their warm-up complete, the two elders glanced at the hungry ghosts and then in the direction of their worship, exchanging a glance.

The village chief put his clothes back on, reverting to his frail, elderly appearance, picked up a cane, and then slowly walked toward the village.

"I'll check to see if anyone in the village is slacking off. Laziness won't do…"

Yang's body also began to shrink, transforming back into a gaunt old goat, chewing on a cabbage leaf.

"Yeah, perfect timing. I'll check if my vegetable plot is growing, if the Jinlan Mushroom has revived…"

…

Finished with the inscription, Yu Ziqing stumbled slightly, with Cece appearing beside him instantly to support him, and Wu Shuangge quickly brought over a toilet bucket for him to sit.

Moments later, the world before Yu Ziqing's eyes returned to normal. He raised his hand, looking at his left arm.

There was a rune mark he recognized as the word "Prohibition," perfectly placed over the location of a death orifice.

This was a death prohibition that even he couldn't alter.

"Cece, is there anything to eat? I feel so hungry…"

Cece broke into a smile amid tears and quickly brought some food.

"There's plenty, Master, eat as much as you like."

"Thankfully, preparations were already underway last time. Focusing on cultivation for a few days made good progress; otherwise, it wouldn't have been easy."

Unbothered, Yu Ziqing sat on the toilet bucket, eating constantly to quell the overwhelming hunger threatening to drive him mad.

Soon after, everyone came out from Despair Abyss, with Cece supporting the headache-stricken Yu Ziqing to rest.

Lying in bed, Yu Ziqing quickly fell into a deep sleep, his considerable exertion taking its toll.

Close to awakening, he suddenly began to dream.

In his dream, he saw White Sun Holy Mother, an extraordinarily beautiful woman who mocked him while surrounded by countless worshiping hungry ghosts, her power growing as she laughed hysterically.

Then, suddenly, the incense fire wish power she absorbed transformed, though it didn't kill her outright, turning her from an indescribable beauty into a grotesque figure with coarse skin, chickenpox-filled face, lesions all over, and legs bloated larger than her waist.

Yu Ziqing laughed out loud and, laughing, woke himself up.

Sitting up, he rubbed his dizzy head, grabbed snacks Cece had already prepared, and hummed while eating.

If she wasn't killed in retaliation, so be it; this method was difficult to execute, unless all White Sun Holy Mother's incense rites came solely from hungry ghosts.

…

Several days later.

"Holy Mother, we've already brought all the hungry ghosts from every base."

With a respectful expression, Liu Xin reported the latest news.

White Sun Holy Mother lifted her eyelids and nodded.

"Well done.

Given the decline of the divine path, even Daqian's divine thrones now require Emperor Qian's decree.

Over the years, your foresight in preemptively arranging so many precautions has served well, outpacing the former High Priest.

When I ignite the divine fire, you shall have a seat beside me."

"Thank you for your grace, Holy Mother. I will dedicate myself entirely until death."

"Have you advanced to the Seventh Tier of the White Sun Holy Scripture?"

"Holy Mother, this subordinate is dull. Only this year have I entered the Seventh Tier."

White Sun Holy Mother contemplated, extended her hand, and tiny specks of light emerged, gathering in her palm.

Gradually morphing into a rice-grain-sized, white jade-like gem.

White Sun Holy Mother lightly tossed it, and the crystal automatically flew into Liu Xin's hand.

"Find time to cultivate, Seventh Tier is still lacking."

Holding the crystal with joy on his face, Liu Xin immediately saluted to express his gratitude.

After chanting the customary slogans, he withdrew slowly.

Upon leaving White Sun Holy Mother's residence, Liu Xin straightened his slightly bent posture.

With a gentle smile, he returned to his quarters.

In his cultivation chamber, he assumed a cross-legged position, cradled the crystal in his hands, and upon beginning cultivation, the previously slow progression accelerated, powered by the crystal's energy.

After an hour, the cultivation ended, and the crystal shrank in size, yet his progress equaled a month of arduous effort.

With mediocre talent and shaky foundations, when first joining one of Daqian's sects, he had been deemed unlikely to ever cross the threshold from Sixth to Seventh Tier barring extraordinary luck.

Now, he had reached the Seventh Tier, with cultivation progress even faster than before.

Everyone at the White Sun Base was prepared.

Those who had lost themselves, retaining only instincts after becoming hungry ghosts without regaining sanity, had been gathered at the sacrificial grounds.

Here, the finest sacrificial site, most complete rituals, best incense candles, and most suitable main worshipper could maximize incense fire wish power.

Upon success, they'd never worry again about incense fire crystals.

Hungry ghosts were significantly easier to manage than humans.

Governance of millions of unproductive populations consumed vast resources, even in basic grains, demanding prolonged covert preparation.

Housing, sustenance, waste management, and disease control required comprehensive plans to prevent large-scale casualties.

Controlling tens of millions was beyond their capacity, insufficient to supply the bare necessities.

But hungry ghosts needed no such foresight, even regarding food.

With identical resources, they could support tenfold, hundredfold, or thousandfold the number of hungry ghosts.

Facing a shortcut, who wouldn't take it?

Now marked the beginning of their shortcut.

White Sun Holy Mother ascended the stage, smiling warmly at the sea of hungry ghosts below, who instantly, instinctively recognized her presence.

Sincerely chanting and continuously worshiping,

Liu Xin stepped forward to orchestrate the ceremony.

Rising incense fire mingled with purest wish power, transforming into the purest incense force, continually converging upon White Sun Holy Mother.

Liu Xin spread his hands as if embracing the worshiping hungry ghosts, continuously assimilating the incense power.

Yet soon after, before the ritual concluded, as accumulated incense power morphed into growing cultivation, advancing his realm.

Change arose.

All incense power suddenly radiated intense ominous aura, integrating with the incense force.

Or rather, the incense force itself metamorphosed into something ominous.