Chapter 325: Chapter 295: Faceless Ghost King, Three-Flame Ghost-Faced Jiao, Netherworld Crippled Immortal
Under the infusion of countless souls, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner stirred up a sinister wind, stretching for thousands of miles. Mingled with the sounds of ghostly wails and wolf cries, it spawned a bleak gray cloud across the sky of the Underworld.
The sky took on the ashen color of corpses turned to dust. Shadowy mountains undulated, vast, cold, and profound, as if harboring endless malevolence. Countless pale vertical eyes emerged, gazing into the Underworld.
CREAK, CREAK...
The rustling and chewing sounds grew increasingly dense, as if the massive Ten Thousand Souls Ridge had come to life, reflecting the heavens and devouring the Underworld.
This is... refining the entire Underworld!
JIE JIE JIE JIE...
Chu Yi sneered, his Clock Eye reflecting golden light, while his other, normal dark eye was threaded with blood-red symbols, writhing like graceful dragons.
Numerous bizarre and eerie visions floated and sank within him. Wherever his gaze landed, a chilling wind whipped up, transforming into pale white claws that snatched back fleeing souls, refining them instantly. It could be said that the area covered by the Ten Thousand Souls Banner was now filled with his eyes and ears.
In an instant, the Underworld trembled, and countless ghosts wailed. So brutal, so eerie, one couldn’t discern which side was truly the villain.
TCH...
Just as Chu Yi was gradually devouring the Underworld, a roar sounded from afar, rapidly closing in. A chilling sense of dread, as if being targeted by a natural predator, swiftly spread through his heart. This was a crisis warning unique to the Law of Causality; an immense terror was ominously descending.
SWISH!
An unfamiliar aura tore through the dark clouds. It was a ghostly flood dragon. Its head bore twin horns from which an orange ghostly fire ignited. It dragged a massive, scale-covered body, hundreds of meters long, generating sonic booms as it lunged forward to bite fiercely.
As Chu Yi prepared to suppress this flood dragon, two bolts of thunder erupted below him, from which surged eerie green and purple flood dragons.
The three flood dragons attacked in unison, laying a death trap, intending to tear the intruder apart on the spot.
"Excellent timing!" Chu Yi smiled coldly, his hair flying. The Clock Eye parted the strands of Twilight Light, and its hands began to move across its face. The twelve Ancient Gods summoned by the Golden Feast simultaneously revealed their brilliance.
The Golden Feast!
As the Clock Eye recovered its original power, the twelve Ancient Gods responded to the summons, taking their places.
The first deity acted, radiating a chaotic Power of Time, as brilliant as the evening glow. As the three flood dragons arrived, their speed drastically decreased, the flow of time around them slowing.
The Ten Thousand Souls Banner shook. The chilling wind howled, weaving into a swirling vortex storm. From it, a corner of the Ten Thousand Souls Ridge emerged, sucking in souls and spirits. It instantly suppressed the three flood dragons, and a strange power swiftly carved Soul Seals onto their bodies.
The next moment, Chu Yi’s eyes shone brightly. He unleashed his Human King’s Treasure Blood and, with the combat reflexes of the Titan Race, threw a punch.
The fist imprint tore through the air, wreathed in vast golden thunderlight. From it, a Suanni Dharma Idol manifested, bringing down a thunderous judgment.
BOOM!
A corner of the Underworld was blasted apart by an invisible force, disintegrating into wisps of gray qi. This qi coalesced into a hooded figure shrouded in dense, tangible white mist, their features obscured.
He waved a sleeve, releasing the three flood dragons from their restraints. They transformed into three streaks of light that flew back to his hand, intertwining to form a spiral-shaped, three-dragon staff.
Moreover, dozens of other auras descended. Banners obscured the sky, and ominous clouds gathered in formations; these were all formidable generals under his command. Upon their appearance, they were startled by the anomaly stirred by the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. They staggered, each one filled with uncertainty and alarm.
"Fellow Daoist," the Faceless Ghost King said calmly, his voice deep as thunder, betraying neither joy nor anger. "Are you unaware that the realms of yin and yang are separate? How dare you tread into the Underworld in your mortal flesh, defying the heavenly order?"
To bear the title of Ghost King, one had to be a pinnacle cultivator in the Underworld.
"Are you the Ghost King?" Chu Yi landed, shielding Ji Xuexin behind him. He glanced at the Ghost King with amusement and said, "The Underworld imprisons countless souls, and its order is chaotic. Why not entrust its management to me, Fellow Daoist?"
In other words, you can get lost. This treasure land, rich in souls and a place of excellent feng shui, now controlled by his Ten Thousand Souls Banner, Chu Yi had long considered his private property.
Even you, this Ghost King, I’ll refine you as well!
Arrogant! Under the hood, a cold glint flashed through the dim gray mist. The Faceless Ghost King, somewhat apprehensive, was filled with an indescribable shock and anger. In the Underworld, he was a formidable overlord; when had he ever been insulted like this?
What manner of demon is this? To force their way into the Underworld with a physical body... Could it be because the seal on the earth’s leylines has weakened? Or perhaps, a major figure among the Outworld Celestial Demons?
He was inwardly shocked. He had learned the truth about the Outworld Celestial Demons not long ago, after capturing a few and extracting information through Soul Search techniques.
Upon hearing Chu Yi’s words, Ji Xuexin’s beautiful eyes brightened.
Since the advent of the Yin Spirit Technique, which allowed souls to exist in ghostly form, reside in the Underworld, and avoid reincarnation, Underworld cultivators came into being. Furthermore, the Yin Spirit Technique was illicitly spread by unscrupulous individuals, touted as a path to longevity. Its allure was immense, and it incited several major upheavals that nearly toppled the Mortal World.
Cultivators who could no longer survive in the Mortal World—be they wanted criminals on the Heavenly List or aged experts desperately clinging to life—mostly switched to practicing the Yin Spirit Technique. They transformed into malevolent ghosts who had lost their human forms, eking out an existence in the Underworld.
Over time, the Underworld became a place of extreme evil, where the weak were prey to the strong and a rigid hierarchy prevailed. Due to the nature of its ghostly inhabitants, hundreds of tortures were invented that would shatter the worldview of any living person; disembowelment and being fried in oil cauldrons were merely elementary.
If Chu Yi were to take over, with his ’chivalrous and righteous heart,’ it would be a tremendous boon for the stability of the realm and its people. Thinking of this, Ji Xuexin stepped forward a few paces, looking at Chu Yi with even greater admiration.
"Hmm!?" The Faceless Ghost King suddenly noticed the Ninth Princess. The gray mist around him gradually dispersed, revealing six or seven chaotically swirling vertical eyes, a hint of surprise within them. This woman possesses a significant amount of dense dragon qi. Is she a member of the Imperial Family?
He pondered for a moment. Though he hadn’t yet discerned the other party’s intentions, he definitely wouldn’t back down.
"Hahaha! The world is in flux. If you are truly interested, Fellow Daoist, what harm is there in relinquishing the title of Ghost King to you?" The Faceless Ghost King emanated a layer of cold light, frigid as an ocean surge, that actually pressed down the ominous clouds stirred by the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. He laughed heartily and said, "This king has remained secluded in the Underworld and hasn’t ventured out, so I failed to recognize you for a moment, Fellow Daoist. I hope you won’t take offense. Please, come in."
To earn such respect from the Faceless Ghost King, one had to be of at least equal cultivation. The assembled ghosts leading his generals exchanged glances, all remaining silent, their gazes towards the youth now holding a greater measure of fear. Listening to their Ghost King’s words—that he would allow the other to inherit the title of Ghost King—was enough to demonstrate the newcomer’s cultivation. Even the Faceless Ghost King wasn’t certain of victory against him.
Damn it, don’t tell me we just stepped out the door only to end up with a new master?
"Heh, I am also new to this esteemed place," Chu Yi said. "My earlier words were merely in jest; Ghost King, please don’t take them seriously." Chu Yi, who always yielded to soft approaches but resisted hard tactics, decided to give this Ghost King some face.
Seeing the Ghost King so agreeable, Chu Yi—who had just refined a million souls, killed one of the Ghost King’s Ghost Generals, this ’great benefactor’ Master Chu who had also thwarted the Ghost King’s grand plan to invade the Mortal World—decided to forgive his earlier rudeness. After all, he was new here and didn’t understand the Underworld yet. It won’t be too late to make my move after I’ve reaped all the benefits.
"Collect." He reached out with an ethereal hand. The Ten Thousand Souls Banner, which was stirring the clouds in the Underworld, hesitated for a moment. Then, it finally jumped with reluctance into Chu Yi’s body, transforming into a layer of human skin.
With the Divine Hand, he could borrow the authority to shape flesh and blood. Thus, when the Ten Thousand Souls Banner was deployed, his appearance was a mimicry. This avoided any gory scenes and helped maintain his refined image.
"What an incredible Magical Treasure." The Faceless Ghost King’s gaze was somewhat heated. His own Three-Fire Ghost-Faced Flood Dragon was already a decent Magical Treasure, capable of summoning three flood dragons to aid in battle. But compared to this Ten Thousand Souls Banner of his opponent’s, it was utter trash.
He suspected this Ten Thousand Souls Banner was an Immortal Artifact. Neither the Underworld nor even the Mortal World could possibly possess such an item! If the opportunity arises, I must kill him and seize this treasure!
At that very moment, the same predatory thought—to kill the other and seize their most valuable possession—surfaced in Chu Yi’s mind as well. Unbeknownst to each other, the Ghost King and Chu Yi had arrived at the identical conclusion.