Chapter 98: Gods and Ghosts

The sea breeze howled fiercely as the two of them stood at the bow of the ship. Fang Yue gathered his thoughts. No matter what, he was still only a post-heaven warrior, with a long way to go before reaching the Martial Saint realm. Worrying about such matters would be premature; it would be better to first break through to the pre-heaven realm.

Having inquired about the superhuman power boundaries on the human side, Fang Yue turned to the classification of ghost and monster strengths.

Lin Qingmiao’s expression was somewhat odd. She paused briefly, lost in thought, then gazed far out to sea. Her white garments fluttered in the wind, snapping and rippling in the gale.

She answered after a moment: “Ghosts and monsters are a general term. They are actually two separate categories. Born from the resentment of heaven and earth, they are called ghosts. Born from the hatred of heaven and earth, they are called monsters.”

Fang Yue nodded. He had heard the same from Yuan Zhixing before.

“Ghosts’ strengths range from low to high and can be divided into resentment ghosts, hundred-year fierce ghosts, thousand-year fierce ghosts, and ten-thousand-year ghost kings. Demons’ strengths range from low to high and can be divided into spirit monsters, hundred-year demon beasts, thousand-year demon beasts, and ten-thousand-year demon kings. Of course, the terms hundred years, thousands of years, and ten thousand years here are merely divisions for realms of power; they do not refer to actual specific years.”

Fang Yue asked, “Do these four boundaries of ghosts and monsters correspond exactly to the cultivation realms of our human race?”

Lin Qingmiao gave a slight nod, confirming Fang Yue’s guess.

He asked again, “Then, above the ghost kings and demon kings, are there even more powerful existences?”

Lin Qingmiao withdrew her gaze from the distant sea, tilted her head slightly, and gave him a sideways glance. “Do not aspire too high. Those existences would include even me… In short, knowing these things will not be of much use to you now.”

Fang Yue fell silent, then after a moment asked the question that had long troubled him: “Is there a god in this world?”

Lin Qingmiao sized him up with her bright eyes, making Fang Yue feel a chill run down his spine. He had no idea which taboo he had violated.

He had been hesitating whether to ask in the first place, but the matter seemed tied to his recent strange dreams, so he had no choice but to press on.

“This world has no gods,” Lin Qingmiao said flatly.

Fang Yue let out a breath of relief.

The newly sculpted sea god statue in Fish Head Town had been modeled after Fang Yue’s features by the former town chief, Deng Hetong.

This was not unusual; sea god legends varied from place to place, as did the statues, and each region had its own distinct styles. Sculpting a deity after a living person’s likeness was a common practice.

At the time, Fang Yue had not taken it too seriously. After all, the sea pirates had wrecked every statue, yet no one had seen any punishment from the sea god.

But the strange dreams that had plagued him for days had now made him vigilant.

Everything else was straightforward, but if true gods truly existed and dared to share in his incense offerings, that would be a grave offense.

Moreover, that so-called incense offering power had been of no use to Fang Yue and only made him feel uneasy.

Therefore, if Lin Qingmiao had confirmed that gods existed, there would have been no choice: Fang Yue would have turned and returned straight to Fish Head Town. He would have ordered the local craftsmen to work day and night with the finest materials to recast a more imposing sea god statue, replacing the original in the temple.

But Lin Qingmiao had replied that there were no gods in this world. This left Fang Yue bewildered. Then what on earth were his recent strange dreams?

“If there truly are no gods, then where did the deities worshipped in the temples come from?”

“Those are merely the projections of ordinary people’s hearts. However…”

“However what?”

Lin Qingmiao’s expression turned grave. “Some strange evil demons are also called ‘gods’ by their followers. These false gods are chaotic and malevolent. One must never get involved with them.”

Fang Yue nodded. Of course he would never casually involve himself with evil demons.

What he truly wanted to know was the cause of his own strange dreams.

Without true gods, there could be no incense faith. His earlier assumption had been wrong.

After thinking for some time and failing to reach any conclusion, he set the question aside for later.

“By the way, Miss Lin, since you can see through my cultivation realm at a glance, does that mean lower ranks have no secrets in the eyes of higher ranks?”

Lin Qingmiao shook her head. “It is not entirely the case. Your vitality is far too vigorous and conspicuous. It would be much better once you enter the pre-heaven realm.”

Fang Yue relaxed a fraction. That would be acceptable. Being seen through at a glance was truly unpleasant, especially with secrets hidden on his body.

Lin Qingmiao thought for a moment. “If you are concerned about this, I possess a method that can conceal one’s qi. Would you like to learn it?”

Fang Yue’s eyes lit up. “Of course I would like to learn it. May I ask what the price is?”

As the saying goes, one does not accept a reward without returning a favor. Moreover, they had only met by chance. Though the technique would be of immense use to him, he still inquired about the cost.

Lin Qingmiao smiled faintly. “You are quite self-aware. The price is simple: in the future, if I ask you for a small favor, you must agree.”

“I don’t know what kind of favor that would be,” Fang Yue replied. “My strength is weak; I don’t know what I could possibly help with.”

“This can be discussed later. In short, it is something you can accomplish. If you are unwilling at the time, you may refuse.”

The condition was lenient. Although Fang Yue suspected that something given for free might later become expensive, he now truly needed a qi-concealment method. Otherwise, everything would be exposed and he would suffer unbearably.

Relying on the Merit System to rapidly increase his strength would make any anomaly all too easy to detect.

“Thank you, girl. I am willing to learn it.”

Lin Qingmiao extended her hand. Her white wrist gleamed like frost and snow, her slender fingers delicate and fair.

Fang Yue stared at her in a daze, unsure of her intention.

“Take my hand.”

Fang Yue hesitated, then reached out and gently grasped it.

The jade hand was fine and tender, smooth and supple as though boneless, though faintly cool. The sensation was exquisite, sending a faint ripple through Fang Yue’s heart.

“Close your eyes. Concentrate your mind and do not think randomly.”

Lin Qingmiao’s clear, cold voice reached his ear. Fang Yue wondered how she knew he had been thinking wildly.

Still, he followed her instructions, closing his eyes and gathering his thoughts.

A strange aura flowed from her jade hand, through his palm, and into his mind.

Before long, a method had taken root within his consciousness.

“Dragon Turtle Qi Concealment Art.”

Fang Yue carefully sensed the contents of the technique. The raging sea waves outside seemed to vanish as though he did not hear them.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and saw Lin Qingmiao frowning as she looked at him.

He lowered his gaze and realized his right hand was still tightly gripping her soft, boneless jade hand. He quickly released it, saying, “I was comprehending the Dragon Turtle Qi Concealment Art you taught. I became momentarily lost in thought and failed to notice. I have offended you, forgive me.”

Lin Qingmiao said nothing more. She had seen that Fang Yue had not deliberately taken advantage.

“What are you two doing there!”

At that moment, a voice came from the cabin.

The green-clothed woman had no idea when she had woken. She stepped out of the cabin just in time to see the two of them holding hands.

She had been drowsy at first, but now she was fully alert.

Her brows shot up, her face filled with fury. “How dare you! I told you long ago that sister you cannot behave like this. This isn’t even the third time you’ve done it behind my back…”