171: The cooked duck flew away

The little prince who was swapped back then, of course, didn't survive either; he drowned not long after leaving the palace.

Li Shun looked at the silver-armored general in the phantom, his heart feeling as if squeezed by an invisible hand.

That person's face was seventy percent similar to his, and the resolute look in his brows was identical.

"Father..."

He unconsciously murmured, then was startled by the address that slipped out.

Even Netherworld Old Ghost no longer doubted; he looked at the young general in the phantom, then at Li Shun, feeling as if he had been stir-fried.

He stared intently at Prince Zhenbei in the phantom, then looked at Li Shun, as if confirming something.

Finally, Netherworld Old Ghost slumped his head, even his ghost fire dimming a few shades.

"So... my long-planned revenge, I actually sought the wrong person?"

Lin Chuping glanced at him indifferently and nodded slightly.

Though the truth was absurd, it was the fact.

Netherworld Old Ghost was silent for a long time, then suddenly let out a piercing, tragic laugh.

"Hahaha... ridiculous! How ridiculous!"

"Good that he died, good that he died!"

"So there really is such a thing as retribution in this world."

His ghost fire swayed wildly, as if it could extinguish at any moment.

"In the end, the true Li Bloodline has long been severed, yet I nearly forced Prince Zhenbei's only descendant to his death..."

Fate plays tricks on people.

Netherworld Old Ghost looked up, and a faint clarity unexpectedly emerged in his ghost fire.

"Li Shun... no, Prince Zhenbei's Heir, I, Netherworld Old Ghost... owe you a life."

As his voice fell, the ghost fire on Netherworld Old Ghost's body suddenly contracted, turning into a faint light that shot towards the sky!

"Boom—!"

The ghost fire exploded in mid-air, turning into countless specks of light, dissipating between heaven and earth.

Self-destruction of the Soul, to atone for his sins.

Li Shun stared blankly at this scene, his heart a mix of emotions.

Lin Chuping also stared blankly at this scene, silently extending his hand in a gesture of dismay.

After showing off for so long, when it was time to reap the rewards, this thing actually self-destructed.

Who would have thought that the cooked duck, it actually flew away.

If only he had known, he wouldn't have been so wishy-washy.

"Host, may I interview you? I saw a line in a novel: 'Villains die from talking too much.' How do you interpret that?"

"Get lost!"

He wasn't a villain, and he wouldn't die.

"You're not a villain, you just like helping others, bringing salvation to all beings, being greatly compassionate..."

"Are you mocking me? How was I supposed to know that Netherworld Old Ghost, a minor boss, would be so sensitive? Can you blame me?"

"Host, hold on, it's just a million Incense Points, right? For you, it's just an appetizer, not even a main course."

"How much?"

"How much did you say?"

Lin Chuping felt an arrow pierce his chest; it pained him!

How could he still have difficulty breathing, even as a Soul body?

"Host, it's only a million, compared to your debt, it's just a drop in the bucket!"

Lin Chuping: "..."

"Fine, consider me unlucky."

He took a deep breath, turned to look at Li Shun, who was still immersed in shock, and lightly coughed, feigning profundity.

"Your Majesty, this matter is concluded. Netherworld Old Ghost's self-destruction of his Soul can be considered atonement for his sins."

Li Shun recovered, nodding with a complex expression: "Lord Chuping is absolutely right."

Lin Chuping nodded with satisfaction. Although the Incense Points were gone, at least he kept his tool-Emperor; it wasn't a loss.

However, the System unexpectedly delivered another blow:

"Host, after Li Shun's true identity is revealed, the court situation may become turbulent. It is recommended to prepare a contingency plan in advance."

"...You shut up! Don't think I don't know you're just enjoying my misfortune!"

As for what happens in the imperial court next, that was no longer his concern.

If Li Shun didn't have the ability to stabilize the court and was overthrown by others, that could only mean he was incompetent.

"Let's go. Oh, right, bring those six golden ones."

* * *

In the unseen background of the Divine Temple.

Lin Chuping placed the six golden Souls on the ground.

These six Souls had been refined by Netherworld Old Ghost and experienced a battle; they had long lost their consciousness, leaving only pure Soul Power glowing.

Lin Chuping extended a hand and lightly pointed, a faint Divine Power accurately shooting into the spiritual platforms of these six Souls.

This trace of Divine Power was like a key, completely opening the sealed spiritual platforms.

The first to regain consciousness was the eldest, Zhao Hanyi.

He slowly opened his eyes, looking around blankly, finally fixing his gaze on Lin Chuping.

"Where is this..."

His voice was hoarse and dry, "Am I... still alive?"

"What are you thinking? You're all long gone."

Lin Chuping squatted down, meeting the gaze of the newly awakened Zhao Hanyi: "To be precise, you are still alive, just freed from the constraints of your Physical Bodies."

"Because your Souls are special, I cherish talent, which is why I brought you back."

Originally, Lin Chuping only intended to bring these six ghosts back to experiment if his God Cultivation Art could be used by ghost cultivators.

But Lin Chuping suddenly thought of something just now: since he wanted to revitalize the Netherworld, he couldn't do it without some manpower.

Anyway, his own Cultivation time couldn't be compressed.

Encountering six good subjects at once, Lin Chuping was very satisfied with this.

* * *

Lin Chuping's words made Zhao Hanyi tremble, memories flooding in like a tide.

He painfully clutched his head. The other five brothers also gradually awoke, their faces showing dazed expressions.

"Big Brother?"

The youngest, Zhao Liu, was the first to recognize Zhao Hanyi, "Are we... all dead?"

How good, to still be together even in death.

"Big Brother, I saw you being forced to drink poisoned wine... then we all died."

"Sixth Brother!"

Zhao Hanyi grabbed his hand excitedly.

"We died, but then we were saved."

Although Zhao Hanyi, still not fully awake, spoke somewhat incoherently, Zhao Liu understood.

Because when he was sent to Netherworld Old Ghost in Soul form, he had regained consciousness once in between.

Unfortunately, his consciousness quickly fell back into Chaos, and he was unable to save his brothers.

Zhao Liu looked around, then vigilantly at Lin Chuping, "Your Excellency, who are you? Why... did you save us?"

Lin Chuping: "..."

Lin Chuping did not answer, only slowly spoke when all six Zhao brothers had fully regained consciousness.

"My true name is Lin Chuping, and I am the Divine Spirit of this generation in Qingzhou."

Lin Chuping stood up, looking down at them.

"I already know everything about your affairs."

"Now, are you willing to serve under me?"

They had heard the name Lin Chuping when they were at Liu Chongshan's mansion.

They said he was a hypocrite, outwardly virtuous but inwardly sinister and deep-minded; of course, he might also be a thousand-year-old ghost, because they heard that Lin Chuping also consumed incense offerings.

This was the beautified version from the servants' discussions.