In midair, a series of dull thunderclaps echoed. The fire dragon, over a meter long, shot forward like a blazing meteor. Qiao San barely had time to dodge before the dragon pierced straight through his chest!
“Karma, karma!” The old man, with the appearance of an immortal, was truly hypocritical. After ruthlessly attacking, he feigned regret upon seeing his opponent seemingly doomed, politely bowed with an embarrassed expression, and then calmly turned to descend, ready to receive the worship of the common folk!
“Old bastard, you think you can just walk away? Ha! Ha!”
Unexpectedly, Qiao San emerged unscathed from the flames. He then opened his mouth and sucked in the remaining bolts of lightning and fire around him, as if savoring a delicious meal, smacking his lips in satisfaction at the end.
“You… who exactly are you?!”
The face of the Thunderfire Immortal turned paler than a frostbitten eggplant. The cultivator, who had always considered himself the greatest in the mortal world, suddenly realized how fragile his legs were—they trembled under his own weight.
A loud, brazen laugh rang out. Without a trace of etiquette, Qiao San mocked while waving his sleeve, “Your Grace, you’re truly a waste! You can’t even tell the difference between human and demon. Go back to the mountains and train harder before trying to play god again!”
“Whoosh—” A sudden gust of wind blew from his sleeve, further unsettling the already panic-stricken opponent. If not for his dignity as “National Preceptor,” he would have fled on the spot.
“National Preceptor, I’ll help you!” From the crowd below, a fearless expert among the officials rushed forward.
Lord Beigong, hands weaving mysterious incantations, summoned the family treasure of the Beigong clan while quietly whispering to Beigong Zheng beside him, “Zheng’er, hurry to the National Preceptor’s mansion and the Hall of Ancestors for help. This demon is extremely powerful—I am no match for him!”
“Slay demons without fear! Strike without hesitation!”
With Beigong Ping’s roar, a brilliant arc of light flew across the sky at an unimaginable speed. The sword’s radiant blade surged forward without pause, directly targeting the “demon” who had been toying with the National Preceptor.
“Father, he…” Beigong Zheng furrowed his brows slightly, hesitating for a moment before swallowing the words he had intended to say. After one last glance at the figure in the sky, the female martial artist sighed helplessly and vanished into the air, her expression complex.
Dark clouds, disheveled hair, blood-red aura, and killing intent—along with a malevolent light fueled by hatred—transformed Qiao San into someone unrecognizable. Even the formidable Lord Beigong momentarily failed to identify him.
Who could have imagined that the demon terrorizing the imperial city, oppressing the emperor and his officials, was nothing more than a petty rogue?
Only one person knew the truth—Beigong Zhen recognized the rogue instantly. This was the man who had not only taken her innocence but also left an indelible mark on her soul. Even if he turned to dust, she would still recognize him.
Above, the wind grew fiercer. Thunderfire and divine swordlight circled the rogue from front and back, three beams of different colors clashing in the void.
“Hmph!” Just when the officials below thought the danger had passed, Qiao San suddenly let out an impatient snort.
His hands abruptly shifted from extreme speed to extreme slowness. First, he pressed his palms together, then slowly pulled them apart, as if stretching a taut tendon. A heavy, oppressive force weighed down on everyone present. Even Thunderfire Immortal and Beigong Ping found themselves struggling to breathe, their pupils constricting.
Tension gripped the air. The once-noisy imperial city fell into a deathly silence. The Golden Hall was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.
In the stillness, the ground beneath the imperial city began to tremble—real tremors. Before the eyes of the officials, the courtyard below the palace steps slowly cracked open, revealing a bottomless black abyss.
“Oh no! The Ghost Gate has opened! My god, this demon has actually forced open the door to the underworld!”
A hazy ghostly figure floated out, followed by two vengeful spirits with glowing green eyes. Three, four, five… wave after wave of vengeful spirits filled the vision of the crowd.
The Ghost Gate opens, a hundred ghosts appear—the third level of the Ghost Sutra had finally revealed its terrifying power in the mortal world!
Surviving ten near-death trials and emerging from thunderfire refining, Qiao San was no longer the same. He was no longer alone. All the resentful spirits and vengeful ghosts of the world would now fight for him. Without exaggeration, he—Da Dan San, a mere rogue—had become another King of Ghosts, the Yama of the mortal realm!
“Wu…”
The eerie wails of ghosts turned the entire palace into a living hell. Ghostly figures flew through the sky, burrowed into the ground, or ran wildly through the streets. The imperial guards hadn’t even engaged in battle before they were paralyzed with fear.
How could ordinary people fight ghosts? Even the famed Iron Blood Guards turned into a disorganized mob. Once their weapons proved useless against the spirits, their defeat was inevitable.
At this critical moment, over a hundred Taoist priests from the Thunderfire Sect finally arrived. As talismans flew through the air, the ghosts’ advance was finally halted.
True chaos now began. The Thunderfire disciples, skilled in spiritual cultivation, were quite effective against the ghosts. A swing of their enchanted swords could sever a spirit’s essence; a single yellow talisman could cause a ghost to dissipate into nothingness. Unfortunately, from the abyss in the square, more and more spirits kept pouring out. After enduring torment in the underworld, how could they resist rushing into the mortal realm when given the chance?
“National Preceptor, I’ll seal the Ghost Gate!” Realizing the severity of the situation, Beigong Ping withdrew his demon-slaying sword and leapt fearlessly toward the black hole.
“Old bastard, let’s continue our game!”
As the sword withdrew, Qiao San wasted no time. Before the grim-faced National Preceptor could unleash another technique, he extended two fingers and fired two bolts of lightning—each more than twice as powerful as Thunderfire Immortal’s.
“Ahh!”
The National Preceptor, proud of his mastery over “fire,” never expected to be consumed by his own flames. Struck down from the sky by the rogue’s lightning, he struggled midair as his descent continued. His ruthless opponent then struck again with another bolt of thunderfire!
Several priests rushed over in panic to put out the flames. When the fire was finally extinguished, the once-dignified National Preceptor’s long white beard was gone, his robe charred black, and even his long eyebrows singed to stubble.
“Master, what should we do?” Though the National Preceptor’s appearance was comically disheveled, no one could find it in their heart to laugh at such a life-threatening moment.
“Kill him! All of you, attack together!” Discarding his decorative whisk in anger, the National Preceptor, stripped of his false dignity, had become no different from a mad cult leader.
“Wait! Where did he go?!” Just as the priests prepared to attack in unison, they looked up—only to find the rogue had vanished from the sky!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage