Chapter 323: Chapter 293: Hehehe, Fellow Daoists, would you be willing to enter my Human Emperor Banner and assist me in cultivation!?
The eerie Yin wind swept past, and the temperature suddenly dropped.
The two ghosts couldn’t help but marvel at Chu Yi’s compliance, so they took him and Ji Xuexin away.
Just as both sides harbored ulterior motives, thrilled by their own schemes, a figure in the distance, pursued by a horde of ghosts, sprinted towards them at breakneck speed.
As the figure drew closer, they saw it was a middle-aged man, drenched in blood. Half of his face was stripped of skin, revealing raw flesh and bone.
Only a faintly familiar countenance allowed Chu Yi to recognize him: Han Yuan, the City Lord of Taiping City.
At this moment, this once-powerful figure from a Noble Family was in a wretched state, his Mana utterly depleted. He sliced off a tumor growing on his arm and shaved away tendrils sprouting from his face. Upon seeing Chu Yi, tears of joy streamed down his face as he exclaimed excitedly, "Brother Chu, save me!"
Behind him trailed a group of other figures, all nobles.
Though Chu Yi hadn’t met him many times, this City Lord had arranged accommodations for him and had even persuaded the Nanjiang Noble Family on his behalf, professing his willingness to be the first to serve under Chu Yi.
But this time, the Ghost King himself had acted. Compounded by Taiping City’s defenses being systematically dismantled by Chu Yi on his way, the losses were catastrophic, and the city had fallen without a moment’s resistance.
The cultivators, led by Han Yuan, reeling from the double assault of the Underworld’s forces and a bizarre, spectral snowstorm, had exhausted their Mana, already teetering on the brink of utter collapse.
"Stand back!" Ma Mian stepped forward and bellowed, Ghost Qi swirling menacingly around him.
"Brother Chu, I am willing to offer the upper volume of the Three Heads Six Arms Technique! No, from this day forward, I vow to be your servant, to attend to your every need!" Han Yuan cried out, his face a mask of terror as he scrambled to dodge a hooked chain lashed out by Ma Mian.
However, Chu Yi remained completely unmoved, not even blinking. He continued forward, pulling the dazed Ji Xuexin along with him.
After a brief pause, he glanced at the two ghosts who had halted, his displeasure evident. "Well? You have your orders from the Ghost General. How can you two be so negligent? If you delay the Ghost General’s important affairs, can you bear the consequences?"
Ox Head and Horse Face: ???
Is he serious? This damn traitor! the two ghosts thought, aghast.
They were seasoned veterans of the Underworld, having witnessed countless bizarre occurrences, but this was a first. It truly broadened their horizons.
He hasn’t even met the Ghost General yet, and he’s already trying to curry favor, ordering us around? Does he fancy himself some kind of loyal minister? If he were a colleague, even more ambitious than us, that would be utterly outrageous!
"Audacious!" Ox Head glared at Chu Yi and snorted coldly. With a flick of his chain, a Divine Soldier of the Underworld designed for reaping souls, he instantly snared Han Yuan’s spirit. This chain was exceptionally effective against cultivators from the Mortal World who lacked a strong spiritual foundation. Coupled with Han Yuan’s dreadful condition, his soul was hooked out in an instant.
WHOOSH!
Before Han Yuan’s plea for help could fully escape his lips, his consciousness shattered. His physical body crumpled to the snowy ground, immediately swarmed and devoured by the ghosts, the air filling with sickening, rustling chewing sounds.
Witnessing this, the nobles trailing behind felt their own souls trying to flee their bodies, and they shivered uncontrollably.
He... he actually stood by and did nothing... How could this young man be so cruel, so ruthless, his heart so cold!? Han Yuan had treated Chu Yi with utmost courtesy, never wronging him in any way, yet Chu Yi had turned his back on him without a second thought.
A daring, electrifying thought flashed through their minds.
Could it be... that *he* is the Ghost King!? Yes, only the Ghost King could have single-handedly smashed through Nanjiang’s defenses!
In an instant, all hope abandoned them. The cultivators scattered, fleeing madly in every direction.
「The command tent.」
Chu Yi surveyed his surroundings. The command tent was astonishingly tall, perhaps seventy to eighty feet high, and permeated with an oppressive atmosphere of gore and terror.
Countless Fierce Ghosts, clearly holding positions of rank, bustled in and out, carrying platters of food and wine served in vessels the size of large vats. They trod upon a carpet of human skin, soft and smooth underfoot.
As they moved, crimson liquid sloshed in the containers, releasing a potent stench of blood, mingled with heart-wrenching wails.
Skulls were piled high. Humans were treated like meat on a chopping block, flayed alive by the ghosts, their screams providing a gruesome soundtrack as they were processed into various "delicacies."
In that one place, the dry bones numbered in the tens of thousands.
"Ugh..." Ji Xuexin clapped a hand over her mouth, her body trembling. Her beautiful hair swayed gently as she fought to suppress an overwhelming surge of killing intent.
The sights, sounds, and smells were almost unbearable. Yet, her azure eyes, though veiled by her hair, held not a trace of fear, only a deeply concentrated, chilling killing intent.
These are all citizens of the Longwu Dynasty, she thought. But I must endure. I know the young man beside me will slaughter every last one of these beasts.
Chu Yi spared her a glance, a flicker of cold light in his bright Star Eyes. His expression remained impassive as he stepped into the command tent.
Ox Head and Ma Mian had hoped to see Chu Yi terrified by this scene, perhaps even secretly betting on whether he’d lose control of his bladder. Now, they exchanged glances, utterly disappointed.
This kid, why is he acting like he owns the place? Not only is he unafraid, but he’s the first one to go in and meet the Ghost General! If the Ghost General hadn’t taken a fancy to his Treasure Body, we’d almost think a career-climber even more ambitious than us had shown up. What a close call. You almost outdid us, kid. The bureaucracy in the Underworld is already cutthroat; any more competition and we’d genuinely perish.
On the main seat, Doomfiend half-reclined, a favored concubine nestled in his arms. His appearance was terrifying. He had the head of a pangolin, crowned with blood-red fur. His face was ferocious, his mouth a gaping, bloody maw, and his teeth were like saws. This, combined with his massive physique, radiated an intense pressure that instantly subdued all the other ghosts.
"Pan-fried and deep-fried is best!"
"Decapitate and roast, add some spices—rich but not greasy. That’s truly top-tier."
"If you ask me, this skewer of freshly formed twin fetuses is absolutely divine!"
"..."
As Chu Yi entered, the Ghost Generals, who had been critiquing the "dishes," fell silent one by one. Their eyes lit up, and they licked their lips, visibly agitated and eager.
The potent aroma of Human King’s Treasure Blood emanating from Chu Yi was enough to make any ghost drool. A single sip of that vibrant, hot blood could grant immortality.
Meanwhile, the ethereal beauty of the young woman beside him, Ji Xuexin, made the lecherous Ghost Generals’ eyes widen. They cast fiery gazes her way, practically itching to strip her bare and have their way with her.
Some of the green-faced, tusked Ghost Generals grumbled. The women from last time had been too fragile, easily torn apart. They hadn’t lasted more than a few thrusts before being ruined, only good for filling their stomachs afterward.
"Lord Ghost General, we have successfully completed our mission," Ox Head and Ma Mian announced, shedding their imposing demeanor from outside. They knelt and kowtowed, their faces sycophantic.
Yet, Doomfiend immediately tossed his concubine aside and sat bolt upright, his gaze fixed intently on Chu Yi.
The faint aura of blood and qi leaking from this boy is truly astounding, Doomfiend thought. His life force is as vast and radiant as the blazing sun! If I consume him, I might even reach the Ghost King’s level of cultivation!
The next instant, he jolted with a horrifying realization. A Treasure Body of this caliber... I can’t keep it for myself! If the Ghost King discovers I’ve hidden such a prize, he’ll never forgive me!
"Good, good!"
"Good, good!"
Two voices rang out simultaneously. Doomfiend was momentarily stunned.
He saw Chu Yi swaggering forward, meeting the avaricious, cunning, and blood-red gazes of the assembled ghosts without flinching. Chu Yi scanned the surroundings and nodded in satisfaction.
With his perception, Chu Yi knew this command tent was situated precisely at a half-step into the Underworld. There was no longer any need to feign subservience; it was too late for these ghosts to retreat fully into their domain.
This fool, Ox Head and Ma Mian sneered inwardly. Still trying to play the loyal traitor? You’re the main course here, kid! Truly... truly idiotic enough to make a ghost laugh.
In the eyes of the assembled ghosts, this vibrant morsel of life was like a perfectly roasted goose, waltzing obligingly onto the dining table.
A feast for the eyes, nose, and palate! Magnificent, simply magnificent!
The next moment, before the ghosts could even think of carving him up, Chu Yi, though surrounded and seemingly trapped in a Desperate Realm, threw his head back and let out a piercing laugh. "HEH HEH HEH! My esteemed fellow Daoists, would you be willing to enter my Human Emperor Banner and aid my cultivation?"
Chu Yi could no longer restrain himself, a vicious grin spreading across his face.
An even more astonishing and terrifying Ghost Qi erupted from beneath his human-skin disguise. Demonic flames surged skyward, whipping up a furious storm within the massive, football-field-sized command tent.
Chaos, depravity, malevolence, terror... a maelstrom of countless auras intermingled, spreading with abandon, and crashed down upon the assembled ghosts.
"What?!"
The Ghost Generals, renowned for their horrifying power and strength, were sent tumbling by this oppressive force. Their Ghost Immortal Bodies, which were also Vajra Bodies, began to rupture and explode, unleashing a torrential rain of blood!
The swirling Yin wind that erupted was far more dreadful than that of any ghost present.
"You treacherous villain!" Doomfiend roared, realizing with shock that this was a high-level cultivator who had concealed his true power. He attacked instantly!
But his vision warped. The surrounding scene twisted and spun like a chaotic vortex. The world turned upside down, and he lost all sense of direction.
THUD!
The next moment, he crashed to the ground, rolling into a pile of putrid compost, a wretched sight.
He looked up.
A blood-red night sky loomed above. The cold, refined moonlight illuminated a sprawling, dense forest. Shadows writhed and twisted like living things, and the tree canopies undulated like mountain ranges.
This... this is an Illusion Realm!? Doomfiend thought, his mind reeling with shock and uncertainty. He immediately unleashed the full power of his Yin Spirit Technique, transforming into a pangolin-like creature some sixty to seventy feet tall. His lower body resembled that of a deep-sea monstrosity, possessing thousands of legs, with a conch-like shell growing from his flesh, all encased in an armor of ill-omen.
He had just begun to move when he froze.
In the crimson gloom of this nightmarish landscape, he beheld a colossal, boundless entity that blotted out the sky. From afar, it resembled an enormous, sentient, carnivorous flower. Countless eyes, densely packed, all swiveled to fix upon him.
Doomfiend froze, his expression one of utter horror.
He had fought countless battles in his half-lifetime, slain innumerable powerful foes, and in the Underworld, he had feared nothing save the Ghost King himself.
But at this moment, raw, unadulterated terror gripped him. His will to fight vanished, replaced by an overwhelming urge to flee.
That... what in the blazes *is* that thing? If I stay here, I will die!
His mind raced. Doomfiend whirled around and bolted. His massive frame generated astonishing explosive power, and his figure shot away like a bolt of lightning.
In the cold, dark forest, his escape was cut short by a delicate, mocking laugh.
A woman, robed in a gown like a rainbow cloud with a moon-motif shawl, her face like jade and lips like cinnabar, glided forward. Her palace dress was magnificent, further accentuating her smooth, snow-white skin.
As she walked, the scarlet hem of her skirt billowed like blooming blood flowers, revealing a pair of snow-white, bare feet. Skull Bells adorned her ankles, tinkling with every step. Her every movement was imbued with a languid grace and a captivating, seductive charm that could make one’s mouth go dry.
"You almost got away," she purred. "Nearly let *it* snatch you up."
Nine Infants held a Beauty Fan. The various beauties depicted upon it seemed to come alive, their voices smooth and melodious, their forms graceful and vivid.
This fan was a Magical Treasure refined in (or produced by) the Nether Secret Realm. Like the Soul-Calming Bell, it could suck in souls, transforming them into spectral figures trapped within the fan.
The eyes of the beauties on the fan all turned in unison, fixing their gazes upon Doomfiend.
BOOM!
Doomfiend exploded.