Liu Xin walked out of the felt tent, and upon seeing him, the herdsmen outside immediately bowed slightly in salute.

The herdsmen here lived by hunting and herding. In name, they were subjects of Dazhen, but Dazhen rarely paid attention to this place.

This place was simply too far north, where ice and snow never melted throughout the year, and crops couldn't be grown. Even common livestock were hard to rear, so they could only raise the reindeer native to the area.

There was little contact with the outside world here, which was precisely why Liu Xin set his sights on this place.

For decades, he had come here each year to stay for a period, gradually breaking down the resistance of the natives, teaching them words and things that could improve their lives.

Over the decades, people here had low marriage and birth ages and short lifespans, so most of that first generation had passed away. The few still alive were children from decades ago.

With one generation of brainwashing after another, the people here now regarded him as the Holy Master, supposedly the envoy of the legendary Immortal God who harnessed the aurora.

Every time the aurora appeared, it was a revelation from that Immortal God, who was revered as the White Sun Holy Mother.

"Holy Master, do you think the time is near?" a woman with dark skin asked reverently.

"The time has not yet come, but the Holy Mother has just sent down a revelation, and disaster is about to befall." Liu Xin, with a kind face and gentle voice, still seemed hesitant, as if something was hard to say.

"Holy Master, what do we need to do? Our devotion to the Holy Mother is unparalleled," the woman's tone was resolute.

Liu Xin wavered and shook his head, then turned and left.

Moments later, a large number of herdsmen gathered in front of Liu Xin's felt tent, kneeling on the ground.

"Holy Master, please tell us how to survive this calamity."

A moment later, Liu Xin, back facing the crowd, sighed and turned to look at them.

"The calamity cannot be stopped; the only way is to invite the Holy Mother to descend in advance to lead us away from it."

"However, doing so in advance will require an enormous price."

"Holy Master, we are ready for anything, including our lives," the herdsmen shouted in unison.

When the herdsmen had petitioned in the icy world for a full hour, with some trembling from the cold, Liu Xin's voice came.

"Abu and your family, come inside."

The woman with dark skin led her children into the felt tent.

Liu Xin had a sympathetic look on his face, filled with sorrow.

"Inviting the Holy Mother to descend in advance requires more than just the price of life. A blood sacrifice is necessary for even the slightest chance."

"Holy Master, we have long been prepared."

Liu Xin glanced at the boy from this family. Though his skin was somewhat dark, his eyes seemed to reflect the brilliant aurora, possessing immense spirituality.

Liu Xin had considered this place as a backup option years ago because the boy's eyes made him certain that he could serve as an alternative target.

However, after more than a decade, the boy had grown.

Combined with the small population here, this place could only serve as a backup of backups.

Now, this was the best choice among the backup options—high spirituality, thoroughly brainwashed, with unquestionable devotion.

Three days later, on a hastily built sacrificial altar, Liu Xin donned his High Priest robe to personally conduct the ritual.

The boy changed into a white robe he had never worn before, wielding a knife that had ended the lives of countless reindeer.

His mother and sister knelt on the ground, their necks exposed in reverence.

Beyond the altar, all the herdsmen knelt, chanting devoutly.

Having never been exposed to the outside world and brainwashed for generations, the boy didn't see anything wrong with this. He felt like he was doing something sacred.

His knife plunged without hesitation into his family members' chests.

Blood flowed along the patterns on the altar, and the blood sacrifice ritual began. Liu Xin shouted loudly, coordinating with the ceremony to maximize the chances of a successful descent.

The boy held the curved knife with determination, looking toward the distant aurora, reciting words that had been engraved in his bones.

An hour later, the aurora on the horizon flickered slightly, as if guiding the boy, who hoarsely chanted and pierced his own chest with the knife, letting the blood flow.

Suddenly, the boy's chanting paused slightly, turning into a mesmerizing low whisper.

Liu Xin was instantly overjoyed. Though difficult, it had ultimately succeeded.

He knelt on the ground, quietly waiting.

Another hour passed, and the boy opened his eyes again, with none of the earlier anomalies. Instead, he laughed toward the sky.

"Qing Ziyu, just wait. I'm back."

He spread his arms, absorbing all the Incense Fire Wish Power, advancing immediately to First Tier.

Moments later, in the warm felt tent, the White Sun Holy Mother sat at the head, tossing an Incense Fire Crystal to Liu Xin.

"Although it was a bit forced, you accomplished this within half a year. You truly are talented."

"Holy Mother, forgive me. The time was truly too short. This was the best vessel I prepared over the decades to invite the Holy Mother fastest."

"It doesn't matter. This vessel has a Divine Soul with very high spirituality, and I am very satisfied, more than the last time."

The White Sun Holy Mother was particularly pleased and satisfied.

He glanced at Liu Xin, and his smile faded.

"I know what you seek; you also know what I seek.

Now is an unprecedented opportunity. If missed, there might never be another chance.

I hope you understand, don't pretend to be reverent before me anymore.

I want you to accomplish one thing at any cost. If successful, I promise you enough Incense Fire Crystals to cultivate to the Tenth Tier.

If we fail this time, we may never succeed again.

The Three Divine Dynasties may not initially care about us, but once I advance to the Ninth Tier, they will forcibly kill me.

But now, someone knows I am continuously descending. Once the Holy Sect publicly appears, they will immediately obliterate the Holy Sect.

They won't expect me to descend so quickly, which is why we have this final chance."

Liu Xin remained unmoved, his face still respectful. He knelt.

"Holy Mother, please instruct, and I will exhaust all my efforts, not hesitating to die, to carry out your orders at any cost."

"I want a person, his name is Qing Ziyu; I died at his hands.

When he killed me, there were two other people. I couldn't see through them, just felt they were peculiar, but by his side was a Devil Dao cultivator, this person should be from Dali.

I want you to find Qing Ziyu, bring him to me alive."

The White Sun Holy Mother's eyes gleamed with fervor, his mouth curved uncontrollably.

"Do you know how astonished I was when I saw Qing Ziyu wielding the power of the Hungry Ghost Dao with his human form?

I was eager to die at his hands then and return as soon as possible."

Liu Xin abruptly looked up, his eyes revealing surprise.

"To cultivate the Hungry Ghost Dao with a human form!"

In an instant, Liu Xin understood its significance.

It meant their previously abandoned idea of exploiting the Hungry Ghost might be revisited due to this unprecedented opportunity.

"Actually, even without Qing Ziyu, you could, if you found another way, to wield the Hungry Ghost Dao with a human form, you could also try.

But preferably, it should be Qing Ziyu.

I dare say, even if others could wield the Hungry Ghost Dao with a human form, they wouldn't progress as far as Qing Ziyu.

The Hungry Ghost appeared not long ago, yet when he killed me, he showed power of no less than the Fifth Tier.

Liu Xin, do you understand?"

The White Sun Holy Mother stared intently at Liu Xin, previous calmness completely gone, filled with terrifying ferocity.

This wasn't just revenge, but also an opportunity.

"At any cost!" Liu Xin replied solemnly, then immediately left the village.

This time, he was serious too. At any cost.

…

"Concentrate, focus, reveal your soul, the trinity, this is the first stage of the Hungry Ghost Dao."

Yu Ziqing lay on the ground casually, raising one arm and sticking up a middle finger.

This was his posture the first time he starved to death.

And it was also the position he found most fitting and comfortable at the moment.

He was about to advance to Fourth-tier Yin God Realm.

In the void Sea of Consciousness in his mind, a vague Divine Soul fully materialized, condensing into a Yin God, its outward appearance the most ordinary form of a hungry ghost.

The Yin God, curled into a ball, slowly stretched its body, mirrored Yu Ziqing's posture, lying casually there, and gradually opened its eyes.

In the pure black eyes, it was as if a vortex was swirling.

On the raised hand of the Yin God, at the tip of the middle finger, a globule of what seemed like black oil—the Black Fire—suddenly appeared, suspended and burning quietly there.

Yu Ziqing quietly sensed that Black Fire; it was his first naturally awakened Hungry Ghost Dao Divine Skill after advancing to Yin God.

As for other Secret Techniques, he had to research and create them himself.

After sensing it for a while, Yu Ziqing opened his eyes, his expression somewhat peculiar.

He indeed hadn't anticipated that truly embarking on the Hungry Ghost Dao's cultivation would awaken Divine Skills, specifically, an extremely rare curse-type Divine Skill.

The cultivation of the Hungry Ghost Dao, with the advance to Yin God Realm, truly began.

After all, the Hungry Ghost Dao actually belonged to the Ghost Path.

He raised his right hand, and on the middle finger, a black flame appeared from nowhere, exuding a formidable curse and ominous aura.

"Just wondering, who will be the first guinea pig to try the power of this Divine Skill."

"If I could choose, I wish all the White Sun Evil Dao could become this guinea pig."

"By then, I could even set up a control group to compare the effects."