The journey was silent.
It wasn’t until they finally arrived at the site of the disturbance that Yu Sheng’s expression finally returned to normal. They stopped in front of a large pit, created by some unknown explosion. Yu Sheng gradually descended and finally jumped down from the feather duster.
With that jump, a small stool, fixed to the handle of the duster, was revealed. Beneath the stool were two ‘U’-shaped legs that could fit securely on the stick, which was the secret to keeping it stable on the feather duster.
Wen Jiu suddenly understood, and then saw the small stool being tucked away into his master’s robes, disappearing from sight.
Yu Sheng furrowed his brow, looking at the enormous pit in front of him, large enough to fit three big restaurants. “Those sounds earlier… were they made when these pits were blown open?”
Wen Jiu came back to himself, pulling his focus back. The deep pit before them was uneven, with water rushing in from all sides, and it looked like a new pool would form soon.
“Probably,” he said, waving his hand. Several not insignificant spirit entities began to arrive from all directions, bowing to him in greeting. “You all fill this pit back up.”
Yu Sheng blinked, confused, and turned back. “So… just filling this pit is enough?”
“That seems to be the case for now.” Wen Jiu’s expression remained calm. “The spirit realm is different from the other two realms; no matter where it is, there’s a strong self-repair ability. The spirits here adapt very well. If outsiders want to cause trouble, it doesn’t matter how many pits they blow up—just fill them back in.”
Yu Sheng nodded, somewhat understanding. “Even so, there must always be those who cross the boundary to cause trouble, right? What do they gain from it?”
Wen Jiu suddenly smiled. “The Book of Revelation states that when the end times come, the three realms will stand apart. They probably want to break through from the other two realms, but when they fail, they leave behind such traces.”
“Crossing boundaries?”
Wen Jiu replied, “The walls between the three realms have been in place for a long time. Aside from a few individuals who are allowed through, and those who naturally transition from human to ghost, from ghost to spirit, or from spirit to human due to life and death, others have long been prohibited from crossing between the realms. Yet, some individuals are still unyielding, thinking they can break through the walls.”
Yu Sheng understood; this “wall” was probably similar to a border line. He recalled having learned about it from the Cloud Window before but found it boring and didn’t pay much attention. He didn’t know whether it was maintained by magic or formations, or by people guarding the borders.
Wen Jiu frowned and added, “Earlier, when I was in the ghost realm, I had to leave with my senior brother, Zhan… It was because of matters like this. The Ghost King is lax about these things; the establishment of the walls is quite haphazard. He believes that if someone comes, they should just be killed directly and turned into a ghost. If spirits pass through, they’d be killed twice. That’s why my senior brother and I saw such signals in the ghost realm.”
Yu Sheng thought that this was indeed the Ghost King’s style—quite straightforward, but it easily led to “external” disputes. He continued to ask, “This deep pit… was it left behind by someone trying to force their way into the spirit realm, but failing? Does this happen every day?”
“It can happen several times a day when it’s frequent, but sometimes you might go two or three days without encountering anything,” Wen Jiu replied.
“The spirit realm, human realm, and ghost realm are all like this. If we didn’t establish these walls, those criminals who would originally face death or imprisonment would take this opportunity to escape. Once the three realms are completely separated, no one will be able to catch them, allowing them to say goodbye to their past and live carefree lives. Of course, there are other situations where, as long as they are not harmful to this realm, passage is specially allowed.”
Yu Sheng nodded, then sighed helplessly. “So it’s up to you, who governs the spirit realm, and Zhan Xiaotian, the leader of the human realm’s Immortal Alliance, and the Ghost King, Yin Wangzhi, to handle these matters?”
Wen Jiu nodded. “Before this revelation was made, although there were individuals crossing boundaries, there were no walls. Those criminals would be caught no matter where they fled, so there weren’t many actual escapes, and there were few who would loot and plunder at the borders during the chaos. But now…”
The spirit entities worked quickly, soon gathering ‘earth and stone’ to fill the deep pit. In reality, these were things resembling crystals or ice blocks, which sank quickly into the water, allowing the pit to be filled at an astonishing rate.
Yu Sheng stood by the edge of the pit, pondering for a moment. He mentally contacted the system to inquire about the remaining time before the ‘end times conclusion’ that would lead to the separation of the three realms.
System: The time is not fixed; it varies based on the extent of disruption to the plot line. However, if the host actively completes tasks and the situation doesn’t continue to deteriorate, there should be at least two months left before the three realms begin to separate.
Yu Sheng felt reassured and turned to Wen Jiu. “How is the current wall maintained? What about its wear and tear?”
Wen Jiu was taken aback. “Does Master have some idea?”
“I wouldn’t call it an idea,” Yu Sheng hesitated, “I’m just curious if you three have ever tried working together to address this matter?”
“Work together?” Wen Jiu’s expression darkened, and a trace of sarcasm appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Aside from matters concerning Master… how could we possibly work together on other things? It would be good if we didn’t end up fighting to the death.”
Yu Sheng turned back, his expression quickly returning to normal as he smiled gently. “Indeed, it seems you haven’t tried. I hope Master can offer some guidance.”
Yu Sheng studied him for a moment, confirming that there was no unusual reaction before continuing, “I’ve seen that your teleportation array is quite good, but as far as I know, teleportation arrays, while practical, do have certain limitations.”
“Are you saying we should use the teleportation array…?”
“Yes.” Yu Sheng smiled slightly. “Arrange a circle of teleportation arrays at the borders of the three realms, so that anyone who comes from where can return to where they came from, and it would directly send them to the corresponding prisons of the other realms. That should save you quite a bit of trouble.”
Wen Jiu took a deep breath. “This… would indeed require cooperation to accomplish.”
Yu Sheng called to the system again.
Yu Sheng: If the three main characters keep fighting endlessly and their relationships are terrible, it will lead to the separation of the three realms. So if they start cooperating, could that ease the BE plotline?
System: Theoretically, it is like this, but the method the host just proposed is a stopgap measure; it can at most delay the arrival of Be.
Yu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, thinking: Better than nothing.
When the other two disciples arrive, they can discuss this matter together. If the three of them join forces to build a better future, with their hearts in sync and efforts united, it will be a beautiful start to their friendship!
Once they have all tasted the sweetness of working together, the unrest in the various realms can be eased, and any fugitives that need to be captured will be caught. Then, at the right moment, he can bring up the matter of their need to merge—
Ah, come on, we’re all one person; there’s really no need for jealousy! What kind of thing is it to be jealous of oneself? What’s yours is his, and what’s his is yours~
Yu Sheng felt he had reason to believe that, regardless of whether the reasons for the three disciples’ jealousy or dislike towards each other stemmed from him or from something else, as long as everyone calmly accepts the fact that they are one entity, then any conflicts will be easily resolved, and any grievances will become unnecessary.
Who would have nothing better to do than to beat themselves up?
With this thought, the anxious and tense emotions he had felt for a long time finally found some comfort.
Wen Jiu: “Ah, they’re here.”
With a loud boom, the deep pit that had just been filled was blasted open again, becoming an even deeper and wider hole. The white and blue dust and mist had yet to dissipate, and he could vaguely see more than two figures appearing at the bottom of the pit.
Yu Sheng looked expressionlessly at Wen Jiu. “Did they violently break into the spirit realm?”
Aren’t they all rulers of their respective realms? Is this the way of sneaking across borders?
Wen Jiu’s expression was somewhat awkward as he silently averted his gaze and nodded in agreement.
Yu Sheng: “Is it every time?”
Wen Jiu was speechless. Every time? Do they want to come a few more times?
A tall figure emerged from the dust and mist, shouting provocatively from the pit, “Wen the Great Master, why haven’t you set any traps or spread any poison this time?”
Wen Jiu: “…………”
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