C28 Out of the Blue

Fate is as sharp as a blade. Regardless of my intentions today, I'm responsible for the death of fifty innocent spirits. These were lent by the Earth Granny from the City God, possibly even his seasoned soldiers. Who knows how many good deeds they've accomplished...

The greater their merit, the more virtue is stripped from me. Yet, I harbor no regrets, for I must act.

The underworld has its stringent laws, and the human world, its moral codes. I vowed to save Wang Lele, and I'll do whatever it takes to rescue her. She's an innocent girl who's done no wrong.

This is the divergence between the paths of Yin and Yang, and why many sages, fully aware of the underworld's severe laws, still strive for a glimmer of hope.

On the return journey, Wang Dali and Bai Xiaoxiao fell silent. I could tell they were pondering the fate of those fifty spirits. Likely their first encounter with spirits vanishing into ash, they needed time to process. But I believe they'll come to understand and overcome this hurdle. If I hadn't acted, we would all have perished at the hands of those hundred or so vengeful spirits.

As for myself... my first experience witnessing the demise of spirits was probably more unsettling than theirs.

It happened after Zhou's death when I first attempted to refine spirits using the notes he left behind.

Without the protection of the spirit guards, we could make out a few ordinary spirits nearby, hardly worth noting. The Old Ghost didn't bother sending more to stop us; it would have been futile!

We arrived at the site of the Soul Devouring Prison. The iron gate still stood there, solitary as ever, but we weren't about to make the mistake of entering again. Bypassing the gate, we reached the rear of the prison and were met by the Old Ghost and a thick throng of Yin Soldiers.

"You forsake the path to paradise and choose to storm the gates of hell. Hehehe, let's see how you'll escape today!" the Old Ghost sneered menacingly.

I remained composed, methodically arranging the items I'd brought. The Old Ghost didn't interfere, and before long, a makeshift altar was ready.

"Let's get one thing straight—I didn't run away that day. I left only after knocking you to the ground and giving you a good thrashing. How's the back of your head feeling now?"

That day, I had used the sound of thunder to frighten the Old Ghost, striking him on the back of his head with my peach wood sword. It was a heavy blow; he shouldn't have recovered so quickly.

As expected, mentioning this made Old Ghost's eyes blaze with fury. He ordered the Yin Soldiers to attack us.

Previously, I had repelled these Yin Soldiers using an array. Now, under Old Ghost's command, they didn't form any particular formation, but they moved with a coordinated advance and retreat, making them tougher to handle.

The critical issue was that we no longer had any Yin Soldiers to counter them; it was up to the three of us to fend for ourselves.

"Dali, you're the best fighter around. Not even eight or ten of the village lads can take you down. Can you hold them off for a bit?"

Wang Dali didn't even pause to think before he thumped his chest with a resounding boom, "Sure thing! Wang Xu, rest easy. I'll knock their heads so hard they'll be seeing stars!"

I hadn't anticipated Wang Dali's eagerness to jump into the fray.

Naturally, I wouldn't send him into battle unarmed. I affixed talismans to his limbs and handed him a willow branch soaked in black dog's blood to whip the Yin Soldiers with.

Wang Dali charged in, swinging wildly. He might not have had any technique, but his sheer strength, combined with the power of the talismans, allowed him to hold off the Yin Soldiers, buying me precious time to cast my spell.

Old Ghost stood opposite us, not daring to approach, merely sneering as I prepared the altar: "Heh, kid, you think I'm an idiot? Last time you made such a fuss, and all for what? A lot of noise but not a single bolt of lightning. You're no better than that Zhou fellow. Do you really think setting up another altar and conjuring a few thunderclaps will scare me this time?"

I ignored his taunts and continued with my preparations. This altar was far more intricate than the last, not only featuring the three standard offerings, including incense burners and rice bowls, but also numerous small magical instruments. These were essential for fine-tuning my magical energy, ensuring I was in peak condition when I commenced the ritual.

I ignored the old ghost, but he just kept babbling on:

"Heh, when Old Zhou came around back then, he certainly had his fair share of powerful tricks. My Yin Soldiers and fierce ghosts were no match for him, and he even managed to break several of my formidable magical artifacts...

But what of it? He couldn't kill me, and he didn't dare to try! I did as I pleased, occasionally tossing him a few minor specters. What's that in the grand scheme of things?

Old Zhou once tried to take me out, setting up the same kind of altar, performing the same rituals, aiming to call down heavenly lightning to strike me dead! When he attempted it, heh, not only was he better prepared, but he also immobilized me with a talisman!

The thunderclouds churned overhead, thunder booming for three days and nights! And yet, what did it matter? Despite the deafening thunder, not a single bolt struck down. Here I am, still living the good life... Tsk tsk..."

From the old ghost's ramblings, I gathered that Old Zhou probably didn't have any effective strategies to handle him back then, which is why he resorted to the thunder method. This technique, a fusion of metal and fire, carries the righteous qi of heaven and earth and can obliterate all malevolence. Old Zhou's cultivation was leagues beyond mine, but even he couldn't call forth the heavenly lightning. To be honest, that left me feeling rather uneasy.

Judging by the thick black fog and dense Yin Qi the old ghost exhaled, he had at least a millennium of cultivation under his belt, and without a trace of evil energy, conventional methods wouldn't stand a chance at killing him. Only the thunder method had the potential to either annihilate him or deal a devastating blow.

Just then, Wang Dali, who was fending off the Yin Soldiers at the front, cried out:

"Wang Xu, there are too many! I'm out of strength, I can't hold out any longer!"

With a sigh of resignation, I recognized that the altar wasn't fully prepared, but with Wang Dali at his limit, I had no choice but to start. We had come to rescue someone, after all. It would be a complete farce if we didn't manage to save them and ended up losing one of our own in the process.

I gripped the peach wood sword and advanced, tracing a talismanic rune in the air before slashing at the Yin Soldiers encircling Wang Dali. These soldiers, under the Old Ghost's command, were numerous but not particularly skilled in their cultivation, and I quickly forced them back.

Drawing Wang Dali with me, I positioned him behind me at the altar to serve as a guardian. This arrangement would also enhance the likelihood of a successful spellcasting.

Across from us, the Old Ghost watched with a sardonic smile, seemingly convinced that my thunder spell wouldn't be able to call forth any lightning.

As before, I threaded three runes onto the peach wood sword, then vibrated it as I recited:

"I am receptive, and the Thunder God responds. With each call and answer, the bond is unbreakable..."

Thanks to the now fully equipped altar and the array of auxiliary magical instruments, dark clouds swiftly amassed overhead, accompanied by the ominous rumble of thunder, which had already sent many Yin Soldiers fleeing in fear.

Yet, the Old Ghost remained nonchalantly in place, showing no signs of retreat.

Pointing the peach wood sword at him, I challenged:

"Old ghost, have you ever heard of the saying, 'the pupil surpasses the master'?"