The sky was intoxicated, the earth shaken; all living things fell silent, listening intently.
Time lost all meaning in that moment. How long had passed? Perhaps thousands upon thousands of years, or merely the blink of an eye. In any case, aside from the song, no one retained the slightest awareness.
Suddenly, the radiant glow of Yenuo burst forth like fireworks. Pipay San (Brazen San) let out a piteous cry and rolled onto the ground. Yenuo—who had transformed from a peerless beauty into an extremely ugly woman—lost her radiance and suddenly plummeted from the tips of the grass. She lay there motionless, without the slightest stir for a long while.
Lady Huhou and her daughter, along with Nvmei, rushed anxiously toward the two fallen figures. The Ghost King, still hearing echoes of the melody in his ears, forgot to flee, instead gazing at Yenuo with a look of concern.
After a brief moment, the lingering notes finally faded. The unicorn ghost king suddenly snapped back to his senses, realizing that if he didn’t escape now, there would never be another chance.
“Ghost King, since you’ve come, why rush to leave?”
Suddenly, a ghostly cloud blocked the Ghost King’s path. The mist, spreading ten zhang wide, condensed rapidly into a crooked, uneven figure.
Slanted shoulders, a swinging head, cloth strips binding his hair, eyes veiled in mist, lips twisted in a cheeky grin—it was Pipay Dantian San (Brazen San), back again after disappearing for a while!
The cunning Ghost King resorted to his old trick, transforming instantly to escape.
The magical cloak blocked all traces of his presence, and Dantian San could no longer sense his opponent’s shadow. Yet he remained unfazed, leisurely kicking off with one foot.
“Ha!” In an instant, thousands of plants spread wildly, growing rampantly. Within the span of a thousand zhang, roots and vines took over the space completely. After a series of dull thuds, a ghostly figure was finally “wrapped” into view.
Before his prey could resist, a bolt of lightning tore through the air. Qiao San’s crackling, electric hand clamped tightly around the Ghost King’s throat.
Cornered, all living beings instinctively fight to escape. The Ghost King, his face twisted in desperation, lowered his head. The famed horn of the Three Realms radiated brilliant light, shooting forth like a sharp sword, rapidly extending to stab fiercely at Dantian San’s vital spot.
The Ghost King’s horn, famed as unbreakable, clashed unavoidably with Qiao San’s Tai Xu Xuan Huang Armor, said to be impervious to all. The inevitable collision between spear and shield finally arrived, and truth and falsehood were soon revealed.
“Clang—”
The metallic clash pierced through clouds and split the sky. The horn remained unbroken, the armor unscathed, yet the outcome had already been decided.
The rogue had actually seized the Ghost King’s horn barehanded. The Tai Xu Heaven-Sundering Sword was raised high above his head, poised to strike down upon the Ghost King’s neck.
“No! Merciful Lord, have mercy!” The glow of the divine sword caused the Ghost King’s shadow to shrink by a third. The shrewd old ghost foresaw his tragic fate and, without hesitation, dropped to his knees, shamelessly kneeling before Qiao San.
“Master, he is the king of the ghosts. To kill him recklessly would cause chaos in the Underworld. It really isn’t advisable!” Lady Huhou, filled with joy from head to toe, had long forgotten about the Ten Yin Demon Pearl.
“That’s right, yes… Lady Huhou is absolutely right. The old ghost swears, from now on I will never oppose the Holy Lord again. If I do, may lightning strike me down and may I suffer a terrible fate!”
Lady Huhou nestled into Dantian San’s arms, deeply inhaling his familiar scent, while flashing a charming smile. The sight left the cunning ghost momentarily stunned.
“Master, I have an even better idea. You already possess the Ghost Sutra, making you the King of Ghost Spirits. Why not gain another ghost servant? Hehe… I’ve heard that the Ghost Clan has a kind of magic. Once someone becomes a ghost servant, their life and death are under the master’s control!”
“Mm, my dear, that’s a great idea!”
Dantian San chuckled joyfully as he gave Lady Huhou’s voluptuous body a playful squeeze. With a wave of his hand, he struck a heavy palm onto the scheming ghost’s head. As the incantation rang out, a wisp of soul emerged from the Ghost King’s body and flowed into Dantian San’s palm.
Moments later, the scheming ghost involuntarily dropped to his knees, kneeling for real. “Your humble ghost servant greets his master! Please give your orders!”
“Mm! Very good!” Qiao San made the Ghost King slap himself a few times before nodding in satisfaction. “Speak! Was there anyone behind today’s events?”
“Reporting to my master, your humble ghost servant was ordered by Chancellor Gou Yuan to harm you. I acted foolishly, please forgive me, Master!” With his life in his master’s hands, the horned Ghost King was more obedient than a house dog, as docile as a little kitten.
“Gou Yuan?!” Qiao San recalled the ever-changing woman. Even now, he couldn’t remember her exact appearance, only that she was a vision of ethereal beauty. He couldn’t help but doubt and ask further, “Gou Yuan? Why would she want to harm me?”
“Your humble ghost servant dares not utter a single falsehood!” Once the horned traitor started betraying, he did so completely and thoroughly, leaving Qiao San, his new master, no choice but to believe him. “Master, Gou Yuan had two motives: one was to seize the Ten Yang Pearl; the second was to eliminate obstacles. I suspect she may be plotting to take the throne of the Ten Thousand Demons. Since you’ve been getting too close to Yushan, she decided to eliminate you!”
A sense of loss stirred in Qiao San’s heart. At the thought that Gou Yuan could be so two-faced, his chest twisted painfully with frustration. He waved his hand irritably. “Horned one, return to Gou Yuan’s side. Report to me immediately if anything unusual occurs. Do you understand?”
The pitiful Ghost King respectfully kowtowed and departed. This trip had not only failed to bring him any benefit, but had turned him into a servant of the rogue. He had truly lost everything.
Once the scheming ghost had gone, Qiao San’s expression instantly changed. He rushed anxiously to Yenuo’s side, who was still unconscious. “Mistress Mei, has Yenuo woken up yet? Was she injured?”
At this moment, Nvmei was cradling Yenuo in her arms. As the man rushed over, the Peony Spirit couldn’t help but blush slightly. Instinctively, her figure shimmered, conjuring a robe to cover her exposed body before she calmly said, “I’m not sure either, but Yenuo wasn’t injured. She might have simply overexerted herself and will wake up naturally after resting enough. Sigh… I never knew she possessed such formidable power!”
Qiao San checked Yenuo’s pulse and finally felt reassured. As his worry eased, his thoughts drifted in another direction. His eyes changed, filled with both remorse and a hidden, burning passion as he gazed at Nvmei’s graceful figure.
“Mistress Mei, earlier I… I…”
“Don’t say anything. It was just a nightmare.”
The radiant flower spirit interrupted Qiao San’s stuttering explanation before he could continue. Then, walking away without looking back, she said softly, “Brother Qiao, let’s forget everything that should be forgotten. Let’s go back to how things were before, okay?”
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