Chapter 188: The Power of Ghost King

The three attackers converged on him—ghosts, corpse puppets, and swarms of gu insects charged toward Chu Xuan.

With a gesture, Chu Xuan summoned his Sky-Shielding Umbrella, and suddenly, a ghastly two-headed, four-armed Ghost King appeared, towering six zhang tall, his body clad in jagged, protruding armor.

The air around him was thick with a chilling ghostly aura and a menacing murderous vibe. His massive mouth seemed poised to devour all souls.

Each of his powerful arms wielded a different ghostly weapon: a loop-headed saber, a vajra staff, a steel hammer, and a trident.

The corpse commander, terrified by the sight, screamed and fled.

The four arms bellowed triumphantly to the sky as the vajra staff was hurled, smashing the ghost commander into two. The ghost commander, sensing danger, promptly fled.

The four arms then threw the trident, pinning it to the ground. A sweep of the ring pommel saber unleashed a blade aura, exploding the swarm of gu insects into oblivion.

"A Ghost King?!"

The leader of the bandit cultivators' eyes bulged, his instincts screaming at him to flee. But how could their speed compare to the mighty Ghost King?

The massive steel hammer descended swiftly from above, smashing the two remaining assailants into a pulp with a thunderous crash!

The four-armed Ghost King roared in excitement, howling up at the sky.

Chu Xuan frowned, "The bodies still have their uses, next time don't smash them so badly. How are your brothers supposed to eat?"

The excited howl of the four-armed figure suddenly stalled, and it hung its head low like a chastised dog, whining softly to show understanding.

Chu Xuan nodded approvingly, "Good, recognizing your mistake is what makes a good dog—no, a good ghost!"

Of the three bandit cultivators, two were now mere pulp. The third, already petrified with fear, was left with a vacant stare.

Chu Xuan promptly used a soul-searching technique on this survivor. "Interesting, at first glance they seem like ordinary bandit cultivators, but they are actually stooges for the Duan family. Anyone purchasing from the Bai and Qin family trading halls could be targeted by them."

"Since the Duan family has such stooges, the Bai and Qin families must have them too, right?" Chu Xuan scoffed, casually breaking the man's neck and tossing him into the Corpse Nurturing Tower.

As for their storage bags, after a quick search that yielded a substantial amount of spiritual stones but nothing else of interest, Chu Xuan hummed a tune and, still under the guise of Huikong, returned to Righteous Dao City. He had just reached the entrance of his cave abode when he noticed two figures approaching from a distance, seemingly headed straight for him.

Chu Xuan's eyes brightened with amusement upon recognizing the duo approaching him. They were Xiao Fengxian and Yuan Zichu, both of whom he had encountered before. Xiao Fengxian still sported his characteristic elegant and handsome demeanor.

As they halted before him, Yuan Zichu subtly sized Chu Xuan up, while Xiao Fengxian clasped his hands in a formal greeting. "Fellow daoist Huikong, I am Xiao Fengxian. We met over a year ago; I trust you still remember me?"

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Chu Xuan smiled in response, "I remember. What brings you, fellow daoist Xiao, to my doorstep?"

Xiao Fengxian's poise remained flawless as he explained, "You might not be aware, but a year ago, fellow daoist Yuan also became an honorary elder for the Duan family. His expertise in talismans far surpasses mine; he is now a distinguished guest of the Duan family." He then shifted the topic, "As you might know, the number of third-tier cave abodes in Righteous Dao City is limited. Once someone occupies one, there are none left for others."



Xiao Fengxian continued with an earnest tone, "Thus, without mincing words, I am here to kindly request that you vacate this third-tier cave abode and allow fellow daoist Yuan to reside here. After all, you are not an honorary elder for the Duan family, and it doesn't seem right for you to monopolize this abode."

Yuan Zichu's expression shifted slightly, interjecting, "Fellow daoist Xiao, I can temporarily reside in a second-tier cave abode; there's no need to ask this fellow daoist to move out."

He had only recently become an honorary elder for the Duan family and had gotten to know Xiao Fengxian because they were both talisman masters.

Xiao Fengxian was charismatic and personable, making it easy for the two to get along as they strolled and exchanged insights on talisman arts within Righteous Dao City.

Yuan Zichu hadn't taken Xiao's previous mention of this matter seriously, thinking it was just a casual remark and not expecting him to actually act on it. Offending a cultivator for no reason was not something Yuan considered wise.

Yuan Zichu had always believed in leaving room for reconciliation in his actions.

Previously, at the Hundred Refinements Sect, after Chu Xuan had destroyed his defensive measures with a single punch, Yuan had given him a flying magic treasure and three talismans, seeking to mend their relationship. Now, he was even less inclined to make an enemy over a mere third-tier cave abode.

Xiao Fengxian shook his head repeatedly, "Spiritual Qi is fundamental for a cultivator's practice, and Fellow Daoist Yuan needs a proper place to rest in Righteous Dao City."

His tone was sincere, seemingly genuinely concerned for Yuan Zichu. Chu Xuan simply listened to their exchange with a faint smile, not immediately revealing his thoughts.

Fellow Daoist Xiao Fengxian gave a formal bow, prompting, "Fellow daoist Huikong, what do you think?"

Chu Xuan responded coolly, "When I first arrived in Righteous Dao City, Duan Que informed me that I could reside in this third-tier cave abode for five years, without the need to provide the Duan family any spiritual stones. Is the Duan family planning to go back on their word now?"

His cultivation indeed did not depend on the quality of Spiritual Qi. However, this didn't mean he was willing to give up his dwelling so readily. He might not need to live there, but that didn't mean he couldn't have it!

Xiao Fengxian seemed ready to say more, but Yuan Zichu interrupted him, "Fellow daoist Xiao, let's not discuss this further." He turned to Chu Xuan, "Fellow daoist Huikong, I had no intention of this, the cave abode remains yours."

With that, Yuan Zichu swept away, his sleeves fluttering, adding over his shoulder, "If fellow daoist Xiao continues in this manner, I fear we can no longer be friends!"

Xiao Fengxian sighed deeply and hurried after him, calling out, "Fellow daoist Yuan…"

Chu Xuan watched them depart, his expression unchanged. Yuan Zichu still seemed to be the same character as before, not easily making enemies. Even though he, as Huikong, had not yet shown his strength, Yuan Zichu was not willing to offend him lightly.

It was Xiao Fengxian who intrigued him; his schemes ran deep. It seemed he wasn't sincerely friends with Yuan Zichu, but rather, was trying to curry favor to learn the secrets of talisman crafting from him. Today's maneuver wasn't genuinely intended to aid Yuan Zichu but to stir enmity for him.

"Others' business is not my concern," Chu Xuan thought to himself. "Yuan Zichu is smart enough to see through this. As for Xiao Fengxian, now is not the time to act against him. Once the rare treasure emerges and the extraterritorial battlefield descends into chaos, I'll find an opportunity to deal with him."

In his mind, Chu Xuan had already sentenced Xiao Fengxian.



... Sёarᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Back in his own cave abode, Xiao Fengxian sat cross-legged, deep in thought.

"This Yuan Zichu is not easy to manipulate," he mused. "I wanted to stir up trouble between him and Huikong to benefit from their discord, but he genuinely doesn't want to offend anyone. Tsk, tsk. He's quite the opposite of Yuanming from Celestial Sound Zen Temple, who is more straightforward and easier to provoke. Next time, I'll stir up trouble between him and Huikong."

Xiao Fengxian chuckled coldly to himself and settled down to draw talismans. His exchange with Yuan Zichu today had sparked many insights into talisman crafting that he was eager to document.

Of course, what he truly desired were Yuan Zichu's memories, which would provide the quickest way to master talisman crafting.