Chapter 116: A Fleeting Glimpse
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“That is not what you think. I saw that your glabella was shrouded in black energy, an omen of disaster, so I followed you to see what would happen. Who could have imagined that things would change so drastically?”
Xu Cheng gave him a brief explanation.
“You... truly came here only because of me?”
Gu Qixiang was both startled and uncertain.
“That’s right. I’m also looking for someone, though you’re free not to believe me!”
Xu Cheng hurriedly produced the yellowed, battered doll.
The moment Gu Qixiang saw it, his face fell. Earlier, he had even teased Xu Cheng, wondering whether the object he carried had been left behind by a lover. Yet, beset by a turmoil of emotions, he had allowed himself to become trapped in an obsession, overlooking countless details and ultimately reducing himself to his present state.
At that moment, silver threads of light sprang up around the doll in Xu Cheng’s hand, followed by the sound of delicate silver bells.
It was that spell.
Xu Cheng’s entire body seemed to surge with electricity. His eyes widened as he stared at the cloth doll, which swayed gently while giving off wave after wave of ringing.
“It’s Shen Qingshu’s reincarnation!”
Xu Cheng murmured. He immediately gazed into the distance. Within his field of vision, a black figure was vanishing at astonishing speed. As the figure receded, the cloth doll gradually grew still.
It was a long while before his heart finally settled.
“Why did he run so fast?”
Xu Cheng’s mind was filled with questions. His thoughts churned before he finally reached a conclusion: perhaps Shen Qingshu’s reincarnation was the formidable ghost that had appeared so suddenly.
He gave a bitter laugh. If that was the case, matters had become far more troublesome.
It was like a rope tied with dozens of knots—impossible to cut apart and hopelessly tangled.
With profound melancholy, Xu Cheng continued, “I’m sorry. He was the one who appeared just now.”
Zhu Yixue was currently inspecting the seal of magical power on Gu Qixiang’s body. The two of them were so affectionate that the scene was almost unbearably sweet.
“He was the one who lured me into becoming this way! But it doesn’t matter. From now on, I’ll have the strength to protect A-Zhu!”
Gu Qixiang’s face was pale as he pointed toward the distant figure and spoke weakly.
Xu Cheng swept the surroundings with the power of his primordial spirit. Finding no one else, he concluded that Shen Qingshu—the man entangled with the Perfected One Tian Gui through three lifetimes of love—was the mysterious figure.
“Senior, could you remove the seal of magical power from A-Xiang?”
After hearing what Gu Qixiang had said, Zhu Yixue hurriedly asked in delight.
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“Removing the seal is no problem. However, your existence as a ghost has too many drawbacks. You must promise me that you will become a Netherworld Constable and protect this town.”
With so many matters tangled together, everything was exceedingly troublesome. Moreover, Xu Cheng had no idea what sort of temperament Shen Qingshu’s reincarnation possessed, so he did not dare pursue him. It would be better to resolve the problem before him first.
“As a ghost, you must take the blood from a living person’s heart to sustain your life. Otherwise, after enough time has passed, you may vanish from this world altogether.”
Seeing that Gu Qixiang did not seem to understand the drawbacks of his condition, Zhu Yixue quickly explained.
“If I become a Netherworld Constable, will I no longer need to drink the blood from another person’s heart?”
An anxious expression appeared on Gu Qixiang’s face. He had never imagined that attaining such powerful cultivation would demand such a price.
“That’s right. As a Netherworld Constable, you may travel between the worlds of the living and the dead. Nourished by the aura of the Yellow Springs, you will no longer need the blood of the living. So, are you willing to become one?”
Xu Cheng continued, his pupils gleaming as he looked at Gu Qixiang.
“I am!”
Gu Qixiang gritted his teeth and answered.
“Excellent!”
Xu Cheng clapped his hands, then took a Yellow Springs Token from within his robes. From it emerged a Netherworld Constable’s seal.
In the blink of an eye, the seal flew to Gu Qixiang’s chest. Black light erupted from it, transforming his body and merging him with the Yellow Springs, so that he was no longer a terrifying ghost that survived by feeding on the living.
After a long while, Gu Qixiang reappeared. His appearance had not changed, but he had successfully become a Netherworld Constable.
Xu Cheng then completely removed the seal of magical power from his body.
“Thank you, Envoy!”
After reading the information contained within the Netherworld Constable’s seal, Gu Qixiang now understood exactly who Xu Cheng was.
“There’s no need to thank me. I’ll leave the nearby towns in your care. I still have important matters to attend to and cannot remain here.”
Xu Cheng spoke hurriedly, and Gu Qixiang nodded.
A moment later, Xu Cheng transformed into a form of netherworld energy and cautiously followed the faint trace of lingering aura through the air.
At first, the mysterious ghost had not known that Xu Cheng possessed the Perfected One Tian Gui’s cloth doll and would probably have killed him outright. Now that the other party had sensed it, he should at least have appeared to make his position clear. Yet he had merely run away. What could that possibly mean?
Xu Cheng proceeded with utmost caution. After all, his opponent was a supreme ghost that had endured the baptism of heavenly lightning nine times. If it truly intended to deal with him, Xu Cheng would have almost no power to resist.
In the end, it was still a matter of cultivation. If Xu Cheng had already endured nine baptisms of heavenly lightning, then regardless of whether he could kill Martial Emperor Xia Hao or Shen Qingshu’s reincarnation, he would at least have been able to stand on equal footing with them. He would not have been forced into such a wretched state.
As he pondered this, a voice reached his ears.
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“Maodian, if you still refuse to hand over the Supreme Treasure Canon, don’t blame us for showing no mercy!”
To think that he had encountered a legendary murder-for-treasure plot here. The three men intent on killing their target were surrounded by dense blood energy; they were clearly steeped in slaughter. If Xu Cheng eliminated them, he would likely gain a considerable amount of golden merit light.
Although Xu Cheng already possessed an ample store of golden light, it was consumable. Once used, it was gone—just like money. No one would ever complain of having too much, and Xu Cheng was no exception.
“Hmph! That sounds fine in words, but the Supreme Treasure Canon is the secret scripture of our Maoshan lineage that was lost to the outside world! Now that it has been recovered, it is merely returning to its rightful owner. How dare you attempt to seize it?”
The surrounded man stood ready for battle. Several talismans formed from azure streams of light hovered before him.
Using the Lesser Five-Element Creation Art, Xu Cheng concealed himself within the trunk of a tree. Through the Eye of the Yellow Springs, he examined the scene carefully and saw countless tiny spell sigils within the azure talismans. So that was how the Maoshan lineage operated: first condensing spell sigils into magical patterns, then constructing talismans from those patterns to manipulate the myriad things of heaven and earth.
At that moment, the situation changed again. One of the surrounding men shouted, “Stubborn fool! Attack!”
“Five Thunders Talisman of the Upper Purity!”
The Maoshan cultivator summoned five talismans before him. Azure magical power surged into them before merging with the void. Then, five bolts of lightning descended from nowhere and crashed into the men rushing forward.
The attackers each used their own magical power to resist, yet they were still shocked until their bodies were charred black.
Lightning was, after all, the most powerful form of attack.
One of them exhaled a plume of black smoke through his nostrils and said, “The Maoshan lineage’s Heavenly Thunder Talismans truly are formidable!”
The men exchanged glances, then shouted in unison, “Five Ghosts Purgatory Formation!”
Black-and-red vines appeared between the five men. As they linked together, they formed a great array, from which waves of black infernal fire rose.
“Golden Armor Protection Talisman!”
The Maoshan cultivator was unable to break out for the moment. Five talismans, each more than a foot long and formed from magical patterns, appeared around his body. They then transformed into a ring of golden walls, shielding him like an impregnable fortress.
Even so, this could not last forever.
Once the Maoshan cultivator exhausted his magical power, the infernal fire would likely scatter his soul and spirit.
However, after reinforcing himself with the golden walls, the Maoshan cultivator immediately sat cross-legged and opened a book that was entirely purple.
That was... the Supreme Treasure Canon?
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