Chapter 205

Chapter 205: Qiu Zhang’s Dilemma

Perhaps because the residual soul had been collected by the Messenger of the Underworld, the Soul Beast instantly became more energetic, lunging fiercely. Yet every attack passed harmlessly through its target.

The Messenger remained unperturbed, even turning to You You with an unnervingly forced smile. "Noble Lady, what brings you here? Shall we sit down in the Nether Realm for a proper chat?"

"No! That’s unnecessary…" Going with him sounded disastrous!

You You glanced at the beast fruitlessly gnashing its teeth against empty air. Clearing her throat, she asked, "I need your expertise. Since you handle ghosts, do you know about ghost cultivators?"

"Ghost cultivators?" The Messenger blurted, "You mean that residual soul Qiu Zhang?"

"You know him?!"

"Naturally." He nodded. "I almost collected him ages ago. But since you seemed to find him useful, I held back. Still proving helpful?"

"…" Since when was Qiu Zhang part of his workload?

Admittedly, Qiu Zhang had been a fading soul until becoming a ghost cultivator. Yuan Papa’s formations and Feng Rong’s soul stabilization allowed him to remain at Zhen Yan Sect. Evidently, the Messenger had known this and withheld action out of courtesy.

Suppressing questions, You You pressed on: "Qiu Zhang’s soul essence has mostly healed, his cultivation restored to God Transformation Stage. But now he’s stuck and can’t absorb spiritual energy. Why?"

"Spiritual energy?" The Messenger frowned. "Why would a ghost need that?"

"To advance his cultivation!"

"He needs dark energy!" The Messenger stepped closer, lecturing like a patient teacher. "Living beings use spiritual/celestial energy. Dead spirits require dark energy, ghost energy, resentment – proper nourishment. Would you feed grass to tigers?"

The analogy clicked. They’d treated Qiu Zhang as human, but ghosts had different needs. Like mismatched diets.

"But earlier, he manipulated spiritual energy!" You You countered. "He practiced ghost techniques using it!"

"His living essence lingered then," the Messenger explained. "Wandering the Human Realm drained his death energy. Now his death energy dominates – incompatible with living energy."

So Qiu Zhang’s recovery caused this? You You pressed, "How to fix it? Will he never progress?"

"Switch to dark energy! Proper nourishment strengthens his soul. Accumulate enough, break through limitations…"

"Then… ascension?"

"Then he dies again!"

You You: "…"

Feng Rong: "…"

Was this a joke?!

(￣△￣；)

"Die again?!" You You gaped. "Not become immortal?"

"Impossible!" The Messenger shook his head. "Dead spirits can’t become living. Otherwise, the Nether Realm would overflow with reborn souls!" His expression screamed ‘Don’t force rabbits to eat meat!’

"Then what’s ‘die again’?"

"Solidify the soul, gain new death-born form." The Messenger gestured. "Dead spirits only truly exist in death’s domain."

"You mean…" Understanding dawned. "Ghost cultivators ascend to the Nether Realm? Become… ghost officials?" Nether bureaucrats?

"Ghost officials?" The Messenger’s eyes lit up. "Excellent term!" He summoned a notebook, scribbling excitedly. Pointing at the disinterested Soul Beast, he declared, "You’re now the Nether Realm’s First Ghost Official!"

The Beast snorted, turning its backside toward him.

"Is the Soul Beast a breakthrough ghost cultivator?" You You asked.

"Obviously!" The Messenger confirmed. "The Nether Realm births no new souls. Like ascendants gaining immortal forms, ghost cultivators manifest Nether forms here."

You You eyed the Beast, then the Messenger. "One last question."

"Proceed, Noble Lady."

"Do all ascended ghost cultivators change species? Or just those with… digestive issues?"

Messenger: "…"

Soul Beast: "…"

Was that sarcasm?!