20 – Chapter
The Ghost King Appears
After Liǔ Niáng and Mu Lingyan left.
He Xuan effortlessly broke free from the Binding Divine Rope.
The Binding Divine Rope transformed into an ink-black soft whip and automatically coiled around He Xuan’s waist.
He walked over to Village Chief Hu and kicked him directly.
Seeing Village Chief Hu still lying on the ground pretending to be dead, He Xuan said indifferently:
“If you don’t wake up now, I’ll peel your skin off…”
Village Chief Hu, lying on the ground, still didn’t move.
He Xuan’s icy words drifted to his ears.
“Did you think you could easily capture me if I wasn’t willing?”
“That was all an act. If you cooperate now, I might spare your life.” After saying this, he sneered. “Look at your face, covered in corpse spots. And your neck—the skin has already sagged. How disgusting…”
Village Chief Hu’s fingers twitched. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and glared at He Xuan with hatred.
“How did you know I was also a demon?”
He Xuan sat down at the table, tapping the tabletop with his index finger, looking relaxed.
“Both of you have a very faint mark on the back of your necks.”
“As Skin-peeling demons, you can’t even sew a skin properly. The monster king’s subordinates are nothing special.”
Village Chief Hu sat up from the ground, tearing off the skin covering his body to reveal the bloody, mangled flesh beneath.
“What about the Binding Divine Rope?” As he walked forward, blood dripped onto the ground.
“No cultivator could break free from the Binding Divine Rope!” he roared, his voice hoarse with fury.
He Xuan looked disgusted. He extended his left hand, stopping the demon from approaching him.
Only after the Skin-peeling demon stopped did he mock, “Tsk, I haven’t even asked you any questions, yet you’re interrogating me?”
The Skin-peeling demon: “Is this how Immortal Sect disciples are? Deceitful, despicable! Pretending to be bound!”
Faced with the demon’s mockery, He Xuan remained unmoved, even feeling like laughing a few times. He asked directly:
“Is your accomplice already dead? If I recall correctly, Skin-peeling demons can sense each other. Did she die from demonic energy? Was it a single fatal blow, or did she struggle for a long time?”
The Skin-peeling demon stood not far away and suddenly burst into laughter as if remembering something.
“Hahaha, is this how Immortal Sect disciples are? You don’t even know that your own sect is harboring such a powerful demon?” As he spoke, he laughed so hard he bent over, and more blood flowed out.
“I wonder how True Lord He Xuan will deal with his own Demon Cultivator disciple? I’m really looking for…ward…”
The last two words were drowned out as a flying sword pierced his throat. Blood gushed from the hole in his neck.
He Xuan flicked a spark from his fingertip, disdainfully burning the flying sword to ashes.
It seemed that troublemaker had easily dealt with the Skin-peeling demon using demonic energy. Given his current cultivation level, he wouldn’t dare claim he could kill such a demon so quickly.
Moreover, female Skin-peeling demons were at least three times more powerful than male ones.
He Xuan lowered his gaze in contemplation.
If he wanted to kill her, he would have to wait a little longer.
“Master! Danger!” Mu Lingyan rushed in frantically, only to see He Xuan calmly sitting at the table, even leisurely lifting a teacup for a sip.
At the feet of He Xuan, who resembled a lofty mountain of ice and snow, lay a pool of bloody flesh.
Mu Lingyan’s throat tightened.
“M-Master, when did you wake up?” Could he have woken up long ago and discovered she was a demon?
He Xuan: “When this demon tried to kill me, I sacrificed some of my spiritual energy to wake up and killed him.” His handsome face suddenly paled, and he covered his mouth with his hand, coughing weakly twice.
Mu Lingyan felt relieved and was about to tidy up the aftermath when He Xuan’s light, almost casual words struck her ears like thunder.
“Disciple, how did you manage to kill the other demon? Not long ago, during our trip to the Demon Realm, I recall you were injured as well.”
Mu Lingyan spun a lie without hesitation.
“I once obtained a heavenly-tier treasure in a Secret Realm. I took advantage of the demon’s carelessness and struck her from behind, severely wounding her. Your disciple’s victory was not honorable.”
He Xuan stood up, smoothing the wrinkles in his sleeves. “So that’s how it was. You’ve worked hard, disciple. When we return, I’ll make sure the Sect Master rewards you generously.” With that, he looked at Mu Lingyan with concern.
Mu Lingyan was moved to tears. Since childhood, she had been lonely and was most afraid of others being kind to her.
“Lingyan thanks Master. Please rest and regulate your breath to recover from your injuries. I’ll clean up here.”
As she spoke, a soft groan came from nearby.
Ruan Jiujiu rubbed the back of her head and slowly sat up, her words slurred and confused.
“Senior Sister… where’s the Skin-peeling demon?”
Mu Lingyan lowered her gaze and glanced to the side.
Ruan Jiujiu followed her gaze, let out a scream, and her eyes rolled back.
She fainted again.
“Uh…” System: Host, your junior sister is quite amusing.
Mu Lingyan: To be honest, I think so too…
After cleaning up the room, He Xuan closed his eyes to rest and recover.
Mu Lingyan bid farewell and left.
She first went to the Kunshan Sword Sect outpost in White Egret Town and called for two disciples, instructing them to quickly find someone to fill the vacant position of town chief.
Then, she wandered around the cultivation market to see if she could find any valuable treasures.
The cultivation market was no different from an ordinary market for common folk. Vendors laid out cloths on both sides of the street and displayed their goods on them, waiting for buyers.
The only difference was that the mortals were more enthusiastic in their calls to attract customers.
The cultivators, on the other hand, looked arrogant and indifferent, barely paying attention to anyone.
Mu Lingyan scanned her surroundings, trying to spot some rare treasure with her ordinary eyes.
As she passed by a stall, she noticed the vendor was quite unusual.
Not only was he very enthusiastic, but he was also a Buddhist cultivator!
“Amitabha, would the benefactor care to take a look at this humble monk’s stall?”
The tall monk before her was handsome, with rosy lips and fair skin.
He wore a white kasaya embroidered with golden thread and held a golden staff in his hand.
He looked like a wealthy Buddhist cultivator.
“Benefactor?” The monk lowered his head to inquire. Mu Lingyan inadvertently caught a glimpse of a mark on his neck as he bowed.
A black ghost fire…
Was this the Ghost King??
Holy crap!
What should she do if she ran into the Ghost King while shopping?
In the fantasy cultivation novel she had written, the world was divided into four realms: Immortal, Demon, Ghost, and Mortal.
Among them, one of the cruel and mysterious villains who rarely appeared and was seldom described in detail was this Ghost King.
Because he often disguised himself, very few had ever seen his true appearance.
But she was the author herself.
Although she couldn’t remember the detailed outline, she still knew the important character settings perfectly, right?
This ghost fire mark on the back of the neck—under the heavens, only the Ghost King of the Ghost Realm possessed it.
In a flash, Mu Lingyan adjusted her emotions and smiled faintly. “Oh? Does this master have any good treasures on his stall?”
“Benefactor, I am Moga. You may call me by my name. Please, this way.” With that, he turned and walked toward a stall at the corner of the street.
Mu Lingyan followed him to the corner, her eyes sweeping over all the items displayed on the stall.
It looks like a pile of scrap metal, nothing good.
“Master Moga, I apologize, but I can’t see any treasures at your stall.”
The other party resembled an enlightened monk, every movement filled with Zen-like grace.
Even in the novel she had written, it was hard to imagine that this was the new Ghost King who had turned the Ghost Realm upside down.
Moga picked up a piece of dark, worn iron. “Patron, this is a true treasure. If you exchange a wood spirit fruit with me, I will give you this Star-Moon Profound Iron.”
Star-Moon Profound Iron?
That was excellent material for forging.
And she truly needed it!
It would be perfect for the sword tassel she was making for her Master.
Mu Lingyan still wore a smiling expression, but her attitude had cooled.
“How do you know I have a wood spirit fruit?”
Moga revealed a smile, giving off a somewhat demonic monk vibe.
Holding his prayer beads in his hand, he chanted “Amitabha” before explaining.
“Mu Lingyan, eldest disciple of Immortal Lord He Xuan, Master of Worry-Free Peak in the Kunshan Sword Sect. Her appearance is demonically enchanting, with eyes that seem to hold springtime allure. Because of her looks, she was named the number one beauty of the Demon Realm, not the Immortal Realm. She also placed first in last year’s Immortal Sect Grand Competition. Naturally, I can only exchange the wood spirit fruit with you.”
“Did this humble monk speak correctly?”