Chapter Thirty-Four: The Art of Minor Ren Water Creation

According to the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—if the Little Xu Earth Creation Art continued to be developed, it would surely be followed by minor creation arts related to metal, wood, water, and fire. After thoroughly studying the hundreds of spells Old Demon Qiong had given Xu Cheng, he focused his mind, visualized, and, utilizing the calculating power of the Yellow Springs Eye, began his deduction.

Silvery rays streaked from Xu Cheng’s eyes. In his sea of consciousness, a glowing disc appeared: in the east, Jia and Yi wood; in the south, Bing and Ding fire; the seasons represented by Xu and Ji earth; in the west, Geng and Xin metal; and in the north, Ren and Gui water.

Beside him, the fourteen black pills he had placed began to burn furiously, transforming into energy for Xu Cheng’s deduction. The wheel in his sea of consciousness began to turn slowly.

Within minutes, the fourteen black pills were completely consumed.

With a buzz, the wheel in Xu Cheng’s mind stopped spinning, and finally, two words appeared: “Ren Water,” followed by a series of runes.

He spent the entire day condensing all the runes of this new spell. Its name was the Little Ren Water Creation Art—creation all centered on Ren water—and like the Little Xu Earth Creation Art, it was unaffected by the mark of the Yellow Springs.

However, spell deduction truly devoured resources; if Xu Cheng had still possessed a physical form, by now he would have been completely exhausted and collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

“Lord Right Envoy, we’re back!”

The three arrived at just the right time.

On closer inspection, one hundred and fifty-four ghosts followed behind Cen Ningyue; one hundred and nine trailed Niu Dazhuang; Chrysanthemum was the most impressive, with over five hundred ghosts in his wake.

“Well done! Chrysanthemum, quickly check if there’s anyone among these who could serve as a ghost officer!”

Xu Cheng pointed at the ghosts and gave his order. Chrysanthemum nodded and began interrogating the ghosts brought by Cen Ningyue and Niu Dazhuang one by one.

After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Chrysanthemum returned, dispirited, shaking his head; out of so many, not a single one was suitable to serve as a ghost officer! It seemed his previous luck in finding Cen Ningyue and Niu Dazhuang had been extraordinarily fortunate.

Since there were none, Xu Cheng simply opened the Yellow Springs Gate and sent all eight hundred plus ghosts into the Yellow Springs.

The rewards from Yellow Springs appeared: forty-five black pills in all.

He bestowed ten to Chrysanthemum, three to Cen Ningyue, and two to Niu Dazhuang.

“Well, do you still want to act separately?” Xu Cheng couldn’t help but ask.

“Of course we do!” Cen Ningyue replied at once, unaffected by jealousy of Chrysanthemum’s greater reward.

“Can I go with Lord Ghost Judge?” Niu Dazhuang asked, revealing several deep wounds on his body—he was injured.

Xu Cheng glanced inquiringly at Chrysanthemum, awaiting his opinion. Chrysanthemum, ever shrewd from his long years, didn’t mind giving Niu Dazhuang a hand and nodded his assent.

“You two can go together—divide the pills between yourselves as you see fit. Cen Ningyue will act alone!” Xu Cheng waved his hand, directing the three to absorb their black pills. Who knew what dangers lurked in this land? The stronger they became, the better.

As the four were about to part ways, a ghost’s shrill scream suddenly pierced the air.

The sound waves swept into their ears; Cen Ningyue and Niu Dazhuang, weaker in cultivation, began to bleed from all seven orifices.

Chrysanthemum was left dizzy, but Xu Cheng remained largely unscathed.

A shadow streaked straight for Cen Ningyue.

With a cold snort, Xu Cheng wrapped Cen Ningyue in two layers of shields—one forged from the Little Xu Earth Creation Art, the other from the Little Ren Water Creation Art.

The shadow’s claw tore gashes into the shields, but they healed in an instant; otherwise, Cen Ningyue’s life would have been in grave danger.

This sudden attacker was a powerful ghost, its cultivation at least on par with the Jade Elixir Realm of magic.

Missing its first strike, it sensed the direction of the spell and fixed Xu Cheng with a cold glare.

The ghost’s long hair hung wildly, its hands tipped with five razor-sharp claws each over a foot long, its entire body radiating a murderous aura.

“Kill!”

As it moved, ghostly afterimages flickered around it, its speed lightning-fast. Even Xu Cheng, though prepared, was struck four or five times in the blink of an eye—if not for his unusual body, he’d have been sent to the Yellow Springs himself by now.

“What exactly are you?” Xu Cheng hadn’t even questioned the ghost before it demanded, “What are you?” and stared at him in silence.

At this point, the shield protecting Cen Ningyue had dispersed, and Chrysanthemum had drawn a circle on the ground, raising a black barrier.

Since they were safe, Xu Cheng layered several dozen shields of the Little Xu Earth Creation Art over himself; the ghost was so swift even he could barely react.

His silence only spurred the ghost to greater ferocity. After hundreds of blows, over a dozen layers of defense had been shredded.

What had once been flesh and skin was now stripped away, leaving only bare white bone before the ghost at last ceased its assault and stood aside.

This one must have been a martial cultivator in life; only such could possess such formidable strength.

Xu Cheng kept vigilant, thinking to himself.

With the power of Xu Earth and Ren Water upon him, Xu Cheng’s form returned to normal.

“What use are spells? All of you—must die!” the ghost roared, charging at Xu Cheng once again.

“Come again, then!” Xu Cheng’s anger flared. The Yellow Springs Gate appeared before him, its powerful suction aimed squarely at the ghost’s rushing figure.

The ghost scrambled to dodge out of range.

At that moment, Xu Cheng summoned his Underworld Flame Chains from thin air, binding the ghost into a massive cocoon.

“Let’s see you escape now!” he murmured, preparing to drag the ghost into the Yellow Springs Gate.

But with a loud bang, the ghost erupted with force, shattering every chain.

Such ferocity!

“Dragon’s Ninefold Art—Gods and Demons Unfathomable!” the ghost cried.

As he spoke, phantom moves flickered around him, and he lunged at Xu Cheng. Around his claw, a black dragon with crimson eyes and gaping jaws materialized.

The dragon’s mouth snapped at Xu Cheng—so fast that the attack was upon him in an instant.

“What a monster! So powerful!” Xu Cheng thought, but his hands moved swiftly; he had just enough time to raise ten layers of the Little Xu Earth Creation Art for defense.

The black dragon claw struck Xu Cheng’s chest, hurling him more than thirty meters through the air.

With a crackling sound, his form was once more reduced to bare bone, the skeletal frame on the verge of total collapse.

The monster, too, lay motionless on the ground—the cost of that terrifying martial attack must have been immense.

“Rebirth from Ruin!”

Xu Cheng murmured, pale light glimmering among his shattered bones. Burning through a vast reserve of Jade Elixir magic power, he managed to recover.

He strode over to the man lying on the ground and kicked him a few times; there was no response.

“Finish it. I can fight no longer,” the man muttered, then closed his eyes to await death.

“What’s your name?” Xu Cheng asked casually.

“Hao Guobin.”

He spoke his name at last.

“Chrysanthemum! Investigate Hao Guobin!” Xu Cheng shouted.

The danger now past, Chrysanthemum opened his book and recited: “Hao Guobin, resident of Yongning Village. Trained in martial arts from childhood; master of the Dragon’s Ninefold Art; killed in rebellion against the Great Xia Dynasty; slew nineteen in life! No merit, one hundred and ten crimes!”

“You’re a judge? Impossible! How can I have crimes? The Great Xia slaughtered all three hundred souls of my Yongning Village—how could avenging them be a crime? I refuse!”

Hao Guobin, rage burning in his bloodshot eyes, sat upright.

“Taking a life is a crime. Let me send you to reincarnation.”

Summoning the Yellow Springs Gate, Xu Cheng ignored Hao Guobin’s struggles and forced him through.

He then offered the soul as a sacrifice to the Yellow Springs. To his surprise, for Hao Guobin alone, the Yellow Springs rewarded him with a hundred and ten black pills.