I Went Crazy Killing in the World of Gods and Demons - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

By the River of Forgetfulness flows the water of oblivion, upon the Terrace of Longing one gazes homeward once more. Bones buried beneath springs turn to mud and dust, yet the fragrance of the dead surpasses that of the living. Houtu has bestowed upon you the authority of reincarnation, and henceforth, you possess the Mystical Power of soul return.

Beneath the vast earth lie corpses buried for years, relics lost for millennia, new ghosts and ancient objects, bodies and skeletons all that bear attached spirits shall bow in submission to you.

In an instant, Xie Qingling felt a surge of power wildly rushing into her body, flowing through her limbs and bones.

Her body instinctively rejected this unfamiliar and immense force, yet her marrow, muscles, skin, and tissues naturally fused with it, dissolving it. With each breath, her bloodstream carried this strange, colossal energy, eventually sweeping through her entire being.

She couldn’t tell how long this Divine Blessing lasted. Xie Qingling felt as though her body had undergone a thorough tempering.

When she opened her eyes after the blessing, the first thing she noticed was the Offering on the altar.

The bottle of silvery fluid medicine had lost its dazzling, mesmerizing glow, turning into a pile of ordinary, plain white powder.

An Offering could only be used once. After this bottle was expended, it no longer held any “medicinal efficacy.”

Xie Qingling picked up the bottle and examined it closely.

She had a feeling this medicine resembled powder ground from some kind of bone.

However, with no equipment on hand to analyze the powder’s composition, visual observation yielded limited insights. Deeming further analysis pointless, Xie Qingling tossed the bottle into the trash.

As she moved, Xie Qingling caught a strong, foul odor.

And this stench was emanating from her own body.

This smell…

Xie Qingling looked down at herself.

After receiving the Divine Blessing, she had gained the ability to control “Spirits,” effectively undergoing a cleansing of her sinews and marrow, a rebirth of her entire being.

The “impurities” within her body had been expelled through the Divine Blessing, resulting in a layer of black, sticky filth coating her skin.

She reeked, and it was disgusting.

“…”

So that voice saying she was impure… she really had been impure.

Xie Qingling didn’t have time to properly understand her new abilities yet. Currently, her scalp was crawling with disgust, utterly intolerable. She rushed into the bathroom to wash up.

Warm water fell from the showerhead onto her skin, bringing a comforting warmth. Just as Xie Qingling was about to relax and sigh in relief, she heard a “pop” the showerhead in her hand had…

Exploded!

Xie Qingling froze for a moment, ready to curse it as some cheap, counterfeit product. But as she fumbled, trying to fix the showerhead and only making it worse, she suddenly realized

This mess was likely her own doing.

After the blessing, her physique had transcended that of an ordinary person. Her strength, endurance, and more were now at the level of a Spirit User. However, having lived twenty-two years as a normal human, she hadn’t yet adapted to her new body as a Spirit User, so her control over her strength was poor.

Realizing this, Xie Qingling knew what she needed to do.

She quickly took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and attempted to guide the energy within her body.

Moments later, the chaotic and overflowing ‘Spirit’ within her body was quickly guided and organized by Xie Qingling, turning into small streams that could be channeled through defined pathways.

Like rivers flowing into the sea, there was now a traceable pattern.

Xie Qingling placed her hand on the showerhead and tested it again.

It worked.

After realizing her own power had grown substantially, she would no longer accidentally break things without reason.

Fortunately, what she had broken initially was just a showerhead something her wallet could handle. Otherwise, she might have ended up in debt because of this job.

Xie Qingling breathed a sigh of relief happily and continued her shower.

Only after washing thoroughly three times did she completely remove all the grime from her body. Wrapping herself in a towel, she slowly stepped out of the bathroom.

Her clothes were too dirty to wear again, so Xie Qingling used her phone to order a new set online. While waiting for the delivery, she decided to properly understand how this “Soul Return” ability actually worked.

Xie Qingling crouched on the floor, closed her eyes, and pressed her palm firmly against the ground.

Having mastered the “Soul Return” Mystical Power, she almost instinctively wielded this force.

A stream of mental energy followed her consciousness, penetrating through the floor, concrete, and steel reinforcement where her palm made contact, all the way down to the earth.

It was as if an invisible hand and eye were guiding everything wherever it passed, she could observe and explore.

Those corners rarely touched by sunlight were all laid bare before her.

On the ground, there were fish bones gnawed clean and discarded; there was also a snake crushed to death by vehicle tires on the road.

Tilting her head slightly, Xie Qingling tried using “Soul Return” to connect with and command them.

As she wished, the scattered fish bones began to move, and the snake skin pressed against the ground slid across the surface like flowing water.

The “resurrected” fish bones and snake skin traveled along the road, rushing toward Xie Qingling through the darkness, in corners unseen by others though they weren’t truly brought back to life, just their deceased forms driven by Xie Qingling’s will.

However, they ultimately failed to reach her side.

They only moved about ten meters before becoming still again.

Xie Qingling’s brow furrowed slightly.

“New ghosts and old objects, corpses and skeletons, all that bear attached spirits shall bow to your command.”

“All that bear attached spirits” this was the limitation of the Soul Return technique.

Xie Qingling speculated that the energy level of the corpse before death would also affect the power of its posthumous revival.

Because their ‘Spirit’ wasn’t sufficient.

In that case, she would try with remains and relics left forgotten for millennia.

Xie Qingling continued probing deeper beneath the surface.

At this moment, the underground world within a hundred-meter radius centered on the hotel was being systematically explored by Xie Qingling.

There were unidentified meat chunks buried along with garbage; there were bone ash powder mixed with lime; and also

Hm?

Wait.

Human bones?

Quietly buried in the soil lay a human skeleton, without a grave marker, just lying there alone.

Having found what she wanted, Xie Qingling immediately used the Soul Return technique, commanding that human skeleton which could be called a skeleton to rush upward toward the surface.

This time, it went much more smoothly.

Humans, as the pinnacle of living beings, naturally possessed far more “Spirit” than other creatures, so Xie Qingling found it effortless to command the skeleton.

The skeleton burst forth from the earth like an earthworm, swiftly and frantically responding to Xie Qingling’s summons.

However, the skeleton seemed to have collided with something hard like a wall.

Xie Qingling froze for a moment, then halted the summoning. Instead of letting the skeleton continue toward her, she sent it back to its eternal slumber.

She now had a rough idea of how to use her abilities.

Meanwhile, about fifty meters away from the hotel, on a pedestrian street.

A drunken man stumbled over a suddenly collapsed section of the ground and fell hard, the impact sobering him up instantly.

“Damn it, why did the ground cave in here? Don’t they repair and block off this road every day? Shoddy construction!”

The drunk cursed and staggered away.

No one knew what had just happened on that patch of land.

The next day, Xie Qingling woke up early.

She felt refreshed and energetic, her eyes particularly bright.

This was the direct effect of the Divine Blessing.

With every breath, she could feel herself merging with the Spirit of heaven and earth, continuously tempering her internal organs, muscles, and bones.

Over time, she would achieve a more perfect fusion with her abilities.

Checking the time, Xie Qingling changed into fresh clothes and headed to No. 221 Central Street to report for duty.

The ebony door of No. 221 was still slightly ajar, guarded only by two stone qilins.

Today was her first day at work.

As a newcomer, Xie Qingling couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous. She took a deep breath and stepped inside.

In the hall, only Ye Anran was present.

Holding a cup of coffee, she was flipping through some documents. Hearing Xie Qingling’s footsteps, she looked up and greeted her with a sweet smile, “Hey there, cutie! You’re here? I’m on duty today. We always have one person stationed in the office to handle daily affairs. Today it’s me, and you’ll have to take shifts too in the future.”

Xie Qingling had thought she would meet her future colleagues today, but it turned out only Ye Anran was here.

The others were undoubtedly out on missions.

They sure are busy fitting for a department with only six employees, Xie Qingling thought.

She asked, “Hello, Senior Ye. Ling Fang mentioned that you would guide me through the work procedures. What should I do now?”

“You can just call me Anran, but you can’t call Ling Fang by his name directly,” Ye Anran said, closing the documents she had been reviewing and looking up with a smile. “His rank is higher than ours. You should address him as Minister.”

“…Understood. I’ll correct that in the future,” Xie Qingling replied, glancing around. “Is there anything I need to do?”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing urgent. There’s no need to rush into the work procedures. You’re still new and unfamiliar with many things. For now, just stay in the office for duty shifts. The Minister said you’ll start as a recorder so we can assess your performance. Your specific tasks will be assigned later.”

Just as Xie Qingling was about to ask what the “recorder” role entailed, Ye Anran approached her, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Holding her coffee, Ye Anran circled Xie Qingling, examining her from head to toe, and repeatedly exclaimed, “Not bad, not bad. The Minister has a sharp eye. You’ve already received a Divine Blessing so quickly? Did the Minister teach you?”

Xie Qingling nodded.

“Which deity’s blessing did you receive?” Ye Anran asked.

Xie Qingling pursed her lips, wondering if this was something she could disclose, when she heard Ye Anran chattering away: “I received blessings from the Medicine Deity, so my ability is healing. What about you?”

“Medicine Deity? Shennong?” With Xie Qingling’s limited knowledge of mythology, the only figure she could associate with the Medicine Deity was Shennong.

“How could that be?” Ye Anran shook her head and laughed. “Shennong is the primordial deity of agriculture and medicine. A primordial deity like that wouldn’t easily bestow blessings. As far as I know, there are no more than five people who have received blessings from a primordial deity.”

Ye Anran held up five fingers and, taking advantage of Xie Qingling’s slight surprise, continued to explain: “The Medicine Deity who blessed me is a Benzhu of the Bai people. Most of the Benzhu they worship are ancestors or historical heroes who made significant contributions to their community. Over time, through continuous incense offerings, these figures gained divinity and were revered as deities. There are many such deities in our folk beliefs.”

“Which deity blessed you?” Ye Anran steered the conversation back.

Xie Qingling thought for a moment and said, “‘She’ is called Houtu.”

She is the mother of earth and mountains, transformed into the Six Paths, wielding authority over reincarnation.

That was all Xie Qingling remembered.

As for the rest, she didn’t know much.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Ye Anran spat out her coffee in shock.