The Three Dukes Take Their Places

Duke Wu listened and sighed in admiration. "A fine choice, Milord. A fine name indeed—'Wrongfully Dead'."

He bowed again. "Sovereign, there is still one thing I do not understand."

"After I awoke, I performed a divination for myself."

"The hexagram indicated that after I, Purity and Filth, Duke Martial, and Duke Wen died, our souls did not dissipate. Instead, they were drawn here by some force."

"I followed the divination and found that the source of this power is you, Sovereign."

"But I cannot calculate exactly what method you used."

"This is beyond my understanding."

Duke Wu paused here, a hint of embarrassment appearing on his face.

"I say this not to question you, Sovereign."

"It’s just... I’ve grown accustomed to it."

"Back in Tianchi Province, this is how I spoke to Old Man Purity and Filth. I say what is on my mind and never beat around the bush."

"He was the ruler of a province, and I was in charge of the Witch Department and the Medical Department for him. We old fogies bickered for a lifetime; we never minced our words."

"If I have offended you, Sovereign, please forgive me."

Chen Zhou looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"It is nothing."

"I am not one to fuss over mere words."

"If you have a question, ask it directly."

"I walk the Great Path of Divinity, wielding authority over reincarnation to guide lost souls and forge new bodies. However, I still lack capable people under my command."

"Though Purity and Filth's dynasty collapsed a thousand years ago and you all perished, a strand of your remnant souls survived, and a sliver of your obsessions remains unextinguished."

"Now that your souls have been reshaped, are you willing to serve under me?"

Duke Wu trembled, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Sovereign, during my life, I managed the Witch Department and the Medical Department for Purity and Filth, and I saw countless extraordinary people and eccentric talents."

"But I have never seen anyone like you, Sovereign—someone who can reverse life and death and control reincarnation."

"The arts of a god are indeed beyond the reach of mortal speculation."

"It is only natural that I could not calculate it."

"I have already seen the city under your rule."

"The people live in peace and work happily. Everyone has fields to farm and food to eat. Souls can rest here, and children can go to school to learn to read and write."

"A place like this is somewhere I would dream of living."

"Since you do not find these old bones of mine useless, Sovereign, I am naturally willing."

As soon as he finished speaking, the beetle in his palm became restless again.

Purity and Filth squirmed, his six legs kicking wildly, before he opened his mouth and bit a hole in Duke Wu's sleeve.

Rrip—

A hole was gnawed into the robe condensed from soul energy.

Duke Wu's face darkened. He raised his other hand and gave Purity and Filth a sharp smack.

Slap!

Purity and Filth saw stars from the blow. His six legs went limp, and he slumped in the palm, motionless.

"You little rascal!"

Duke Wu's beard bristled with anger.

"I am speaking with the Sovereign! Can't you settle down for a moment?"

Just then, a hearty laugh drifted over from the other side of the medicinal field.

"Hahaha! Is this the world after death?"

Duke Martial's soul body floated out from the fields.

He was burly, broad-shouldered, and thick-waisted, with a face covered in scars. Behind him followed a group of soldier souls in a loose formation, looking around and letting out exclamations of wonder as they floated along.

"Good heavens, this place is magnificent!"

"What kind of soil is this? How can you squeeze spiritual liquid out of a handful of dirt?"

"Why are there so many plant demonlings? Every one of them is plump and sturdy. How could something so healthy die? Hey, little demon, how did you die? Surely it wasn't from starvation!"

Duke Martial strode over, looking left and right with excitement written all over his face.

Then he spotted Duke Wu.

"Eh? Duke Wu? You're here too?"

He floated over and reached out with a massive, fan-like hand to clap Duke Wu hard on the shoulder.

"Hahaha! I thought it was just us brothers who came here. I didn't expect you old fogey to—eh?"

He clapped so hard that Duke Wu stumbled. His hand loosened, and Purity and Filth seized the opportunity to break free, buzzing away on vibrating wings.

The beetle dove headfirst into a nearby medicinal field and began gnawing on Green Heart Grass again.

Duke Martial's eyes widened as he watched the yellow beetle rampaging through the fields, gnawing on Green Heart Grass and then Purple Jade Fragrant Smartweed before moving on to rub against the Vermilion Spirit Ganoderma, sending the plant demonlings fleeing in all directions.

"Hey, that bug..." Duke Martial scratched his head. "It looks quite a bit like Purity and Filth."

"Look at the way it gnaws. It’s exactly the same way Old Man Purity and Filth used to gnaw on official documents! Hahahaha!"

Duke Wu's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Duke Martial continued to laugh, doubling over as the soldiers behind him joined in, their laughter echoing over the medicinal fields.

"Hahaha! Look at that bug. After gnawing on spiritual plants, it even knows to rub against the flowers. It’s the same virtue Old Man Purity and Filth had when he’d finish marking documents and run off to drink!"

"And those six legs! Look at the way it runs. Doesn't it look like the way Old Man Purity and Filth used to chase Duke Wen across the Golden Hall for the ledgers?"

The soldiers laughed even harder. Just then, another voice drifted over from the other side of the field.

"Oh? You are all here?"

Duke Wen's soul body floated out from behind a row of Seven-Star Tea Trees.

He was hoary-haired with a gaunt face and a refined aura, wearing a light gray robe and leaning on a bamboo staff.

Half a step behind him followed a woman in pink, her features delicate and her temperament calm.

Behind Tao Tuantuan, a large number of civil official souls were waking up one after another.

Duke Wen looked around as he floated, his face filled with wonder.

"This place..."

He crouched down, picked up a handful of soil, and sniffed it.

"The concentration of spiritual rhythm is at least fifty times that of the outside world."

He looked up at the inverted mountain hanging in the sky, the waterfalls cascading from the peak, and the rainbow bridges formed in the mist.

"What a grand undertaking."

"Truly a grand undertaking."

He turned to Tao Tuantuan and said, "Tuantuan, look. That medicinal field over there is likely planted with Green Heart Grass. It grows far better than the ones in the underground palace of Tianchi Province."

"And that Purple Jade Fragrant Smartweed is blooming so vigorously. Its blooming period will last at least another three months. In the outside world, lasting a month would be a miracle."

Tao Tuantuan listened quietly, her gaze sweeping across the medicinal fields before finally landing on the yellow beetle rampaging through them.

Duke Wen saw it too.

He narrowed his eyes, studied it for a moment, and suddenly smiled.

"Tuantuan, look. There is a bug over there."

"Purity and Filth's true form looked much like that, though it was far more massive."

"When he first revealed his true form before me, he was as large as half a royal city, blotting out the sun and sky."

"Then he climbed onto my trunk and began gnawing on flat peaches."

As Duke Wen spoke, a nostalgic look appeared on his face.

"I wonder how Old Man Purity and Filth is doing now."

"We have all died, leaving him alone in Tianchi Province. With his personality, he is bound to blame himself. I wonder when he will join us."

Duke Wu finally couldn't take it anymore and spoke up with a dark expression.

"Duke Wen."

Duke Wen turned his head. "Hmm?"

Duke Wu pointed at the yellow beetle and said through gritted teeth, "That is Purity and Filth."

"You two, help me catch him!"