“You… you… you are so ruthless!”
By the time Wu Ming, with thunderous force, suddenly struck down the two henchmen, the original Demon God Envoy finally reacted.
But by then, it had also suffered a heavy blow from Wu Ming. Although it barely maintained its form, it was in a state of great disarray. The flame atop its head was now less than a foot tall, clearly indicating severe damage and the loss of centuries of spiritual cultivation in one fell swoop.
It was furious!
Against ordinary opponents, even Taoist priests or Buddhist monks, who would ever act so recklessly and disregard all rules?
First, this opponent was perceptive enough to detect the setup in advance, avoiding the trap and preventing the Yin Spring Formation from being deployed!
Second, he attacked mercilessly, completely ignoring its official position and status as a legitimate deity!
These two factors combined left the Demon God Envoy bloodied and in despair: “How dare you attempt to arrest me? Don’t you fear the law?”
It roared at this moment, emanating a kind of “righteousness!”
This was the majesty of one who belonged to an organized system, protected by divine law.
Which ordinary ghost would dare resist a ghost officer? Even monks and Taoists would hesitate, feeling a moment’s fear and hesitation at such a roar.
In a battle between two strong opponents, even if their powers were equal, if one side lost confidence while the other had no reservations, could the outcome even be questioned?
Yet Wu Ming, indifferent to such intimidation, upon hearing the shout, only grew colder in gaze, his hands crackling with lightning.
To be honest, these ghosts and deities, relying on the prestige of Heishan Jun (the Black Mountain Lord), were almost always victorious within the Ghost Kingdom of Black Mountain.
Unfortunately for them, Wu Ming was an outsider with nothing to lose. Moreover, during his previous mission in the mortal world, he had already slain the Black Wind General, thereby earning the undying enmity of Heishan Jun, so he had absolutely no reason to be afraid.
He sneered coldly, raised his hand, and wind and thunder immediately arose.
At this sight, the Demon God Envoy’s face changed drastically:
“With actions such as this… you… the Bull God will never let you off the hook…”
“Bull God? Do you mean that envoy of Heishan?”
Upon hearing this, Wu Ming hesitated slightly in his movements.
“Correct! The envoy of Heishan is a special emissary of the King. Taoist! Matters of life and death—you had better think carefully. Even if you don’t consider yourself, you should think about your sect and loved ones behind you!”
The Demon God Envoy, not in vain having been a veteran officer in life, immediately roared out.
“Again with this old trick?”
Wu Ming listened, both amused and annoyed, his expression gradually turning colder: “Unfortunately… this Taoist has never feared threats in my entire life!”
Past experiences from his previous life, and the struggles for survival in the Great Zhou Dynasty, all told him one thing: yielding in hopes of peace only leads to destruction.
Peace through struggle survives; peace through compromise perishes. Truly wise words.
Thus narrowing his eyes, he immediately summoned strands of lightning that coalesced into a giant palm, ruthlessly slamming downward!
The Five Thunder Palm!
Although it was only at the second level—the Realm of Water Thunder—within the Yin realm, its power had increased significantly. As stray sparks of lightning scattered, repelling the gray mist, the Demon God Envoy wore an expression of utter despair, able only to watch helplessly as this earth-shaking palm descended, like a mere ant.
“Stop!”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
From several miles away, a terrifying black whirlwind blew forth, accompanied by a mighty roar. Within it, one could vaguely see the shadow of a gigantic monster.
“Fool!”
Wu Ming sneered coldly, his lightning palm mercilessly descending. Amidst a flash of electric light, wisps of black qi rapidly dissipated.
After the light faded, a deep, charred palm imprint remained on the ground, while the Demon God Envoy had long vanished.
“Daring Taoist!”
The whirlwind arrived in front of him and suddenly dissipated, revealing a monstrous figure with a bull’s head and human body, holding an iron trident. Lantern-like eyes glared fiercely at Wu Ming. Black hooves stamped upon the ground, and the breath from its nostrils struck the earth, raising a violent gale: “I just told you to stop!”
“And who are you, to give me orders?”
Wu Ming rolled his eyes, thinking this ghostly deity who looked like a bull-headed creature must have something wrong with his head.
As enemies, why should he obey its commands? Was it mad? Not to mention that in warfare, one must always strive to reduce the enemy’s strength first.
With fresh reinforcements arriving, naturally he must seize the opportunity to eliminate the remaining enemy forces and prevent the enemy from gaining strength.
This bull-headed creature had probably become too accustomed to wielding absolute power in the Underworld. It paused for a moment before finally realizing the situation, then roared furiously and swung its iron trident straight at Wu Ming.
This bull demon exuded an overwhelming killing aura, dark and pitch-black, nearly four or five chi in size. Flames of power burned around it, creating a tremendous oppressive force on nearby beings even before it had begun to channel its spiritual energy.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The spiked iron trident smashed downward directly, sending a fierce wind that struck the face.
“This spiritual pressure—it’s definitely no ordinary minor deity. No wonder it could become an envoy of Heishan!”
Wu Ming’s eyes narrowed slightly. In his consciousness, a sudden burst of light illuminated his mind, and as spiritual energy surged, a talisman seed immediately emitted a glow.
Boom! Boom!
In an instant, four earthen hills erupted from beneath, forming massive stone pillars resembling railings, halting the bull demon’s advance.
“Five Thunder Palm!”
At the same time, beneath Wu Ming’s feet, an earthen hill erupted upward, instantly lifting him to the same height as the bull demon. He swung his palm, unleashing wind and thunder in a single strike.
Peng!
Crackling!
The palm and trident collided, dazzling electric sparks flashing across the weapon, leaving deep scorched marks, while wisps of black qi seeped from its edges.
The bull demon stepped back twice, its hooves crushing the stone pillars and earthen hills beneath. Its lantern-like eyes narrowed slightly: “What a Taoist!”
It considered itself a powerful ghost deity under the command of Lord Heishan, which was why it had been granted the prestigious position of Heishan Envoy, patrolling the Ghost Kingdom with immense authority.
Yet it hadn’t expected that a random Taoist would not only withstand its trident strike but even match it blow for blow!
“Which sect do you belong to? State your name!”
Such high-level cultivation usually meant strong backing from a major sect. The bull demon asked cautiously.
“Hmph! Bullying the weak and fearing the strong—indeed the norm in the underworld!”
Wu Ming sighed, then continued: “Bull demon, I merely saw the wronged souls and pitied them, performing a rite of salvation to gain merit. Why would your Heishan Lord forbid this?”
“So, you’re just a wandering Taoist!”
The bull demon grinned widely: “This is a decree from my Lord Heishan. Within the territory of the Ghost Kingdom of Heishan, all must abide by it. Do you think you have the right to question it?”
“Indeed, what a mighty sight! What a fierce aura!”
Wu Ming nodded, inwardly knowing that his slaying of the Black Wind General had not yet been discovered. Moreover, the enemy’s strong reaction suggested there might be some hidden secrets involved.
There was now no room for compromise. He adjusted his Taoist cap, and a clear light radiated from above his head, spreading outward. A red glow swept through the area, dispelling the gray mist, exuding a formidable aura.
“You dare resist further?”
Seeing the clear light approaching, the bull demon’s eyes twitched slightly. It roared loudly, then suddenly shook its body, releasing countless tiny insects resembling lice from its fur.
These small creatures expanded midair, transforming into ghostly figures with different faces, including even a beautiful female snake spirit.
“Behold the might of my Bull-Hair Ghost Soldiers! Form the formation!”
The bull demon roared, and the small ghosts immediately arranged themselves into a battle array. Layer upon layer of black clouds surged forth, carrying the killing intent of ghostly troops, rising into the sky to form the massive head of a ferocious beast, its eyes glowing red as it lunged straight toward Wu Ming.
“Storing soldiers within your body? Quite a clever technique!”
Feeling the combined might of martial spirit and killing aura, further enhanced by the bull demon’s magical powers, Wu Ming nodded appreciatively, even finding time to comment.
The bull demon’s spiritual power was roughly on par with his own.
But if one added to that the assistance of these long-cultivated, mind-linked ghost soldiers, Wu Ming would be at a disadvantage.
Yet his current calm and composed demeanor clearly indicated he had a secret weapon.
“Now that you understand your own limitations, I won’t play with you anymore!”
Wu Ming reached into his robe, grasping the Suizhou Pearl, linking his own fortune with it.
Roar! Roar!
In an instant, accompanied by a dragon’s cry, his fortune energy transformed dramatically!
Golden and azure qi gathered, forming auspicious clouds. Strands of lucky energy descended like flames, rising several zhang high, emitting a terrifying spiritual pressure almost tangible. Powerful waves spread outward, forcing the gray mist to retreat repeatedly.
Roar!
From within the clouds, a dragon-like figure emerged, its eyes glowing purple. With a mighty roar, it struck downward with one claw!
Boom!
With just one claw strike, the beast’s head formed by the ghost formation screamed and disintegrated into nothingness. Yet the dragon was not satisfied, twisting and soaring through the air like a coiling cloud, diving straight into the formation.
Crackling!
A surge of golden flame erupted, instantly reducing the frontline bull-demon ghosts to dissipating souls. From within the black qi, ghostly figures struggled free, filled with resentment, yet all quickly dissolved under the golden light.
“This… this is… dragon qi!”
The cloud-dragon vanished, the phenomenon fading. Wu Ming stepped forward. The ghost soldiers were completely annihilated, and in the center of the large crater, there lay a figure whose form was now incomplete.
The Bull Demon Envoy’s once-mighty body had entirely disappeared, reduced to a size no bigger than a human palm. Flickering weakly atop its head were the last remnants of its flame. Its armor was shattered, its iron trident long gone, and it could barely speak: “Which royal dynasty do you hail from, a dragon prince or descendant? Why must you oppose a humble deity like me?”
After catching its breath, its expression turned fearful: “No! Such fortune—surely even ordinary imperial princes wouldn’t possess it. Just who exactly are you?”
“This dragon qi… truly impressive…”
Wu Ming, however, had no intention of wasting words with this deity. In fact, even he himself was somewhat astonished by the immense power his fortune had displayed in the underworld.
The human world’s dragon qi could suppress the five elements and ban all magical arts!
Yet in the mortal realm, it still had to work subtly, seeking triggers before it could be unleashed. Yet who could have imagined that in the underworld, where spiritual cultivation, fortune, merit, and incense offerings could all be directly converted into tangible spiritual pressure and flame, the effect would be so terrifying!
“No wonder whenever a new dynasty arises in the mortal world, a new blessed land or even a Ghost Emperor emerges in the underworld, protecting the people. Could it be for this very reason?”
Wu Ming murmured to himself.
Based on what he had just witnessed, if he so desired, he could easily switch to cultivating as a ghost deity in the underworld. With such fortune, although he could never hope to become a Ghost Emperor, becoming a Ghost King or feudal lord, wielding great power and majesty, would be effortless.
“Unfortunately… that path is not the one I seek!”
With a sigh, he stepped forward, casually stomping on the begging Bull Demon, reducing it to nothingness, then turned and left without hesitation.
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