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Chapter 52: Ghost
Chapter 52: Ghost
Chapter 52: Ghost
Chapter 52: Ghost
Xu Disheng summoned the black Spirit Cloud, then took out a spirit stone and placed it in the core array before getting on it.
He checked the map of Floating Moon Valley in his jade identity tablet. It wasn’t too far from where he was now. Mingxin Mountain’s branch of the Mountain Affairs Peak was located near the edges of the Mingxin Mountain Range, while Floating Moon Valley was located right on the very edge of the mountain range. There was only a distance of several hundred li between them.
When he tried to activate the Spirit Cloud, it began to float slowly upwards above the Mountain Affairs Peak, where it hovered in midair among mist and clouds. It was his first time controlling the Spirit Cloud, so he wasn’t that proficient in it yet. He spent some time trying to learn how to change direction, lift off, and accelerate.
After he became somewhat accustomed to it, he urged the Spirit Cloud in the direction of Floating Moon Valley.
This Spirit Cloud was a bit conspicuous and unsightly, and other disciples who rode past him on their flying-type Spirit Tools would sometimes give him weird looks. At least there were a few other people who were using the same type of Spirit Cloud, so it wasn’t considered too unconventional.
The reason that Spirit Tool longswords were so expensive is that aside from being used for killing, they could also be used as flying mounts. Therefore, they were priced at tens to hundreds of spirit stones, so ordinary disciples couldn’t afford to buy one.
Inside of the mist and clouds off in the distant horizon, the vague outlines of countless towering mountain peaks could be seen. Beneath the gray clouds, the mountains extended onwards boundlessly. The three suns in the sky gradually lowered on the horizon, dying the nearby mountains and clouds a homogeneous shade of gold. All that remained in the dusk was the lonely mountain peaks standing straight and tall in the clouds and mist.
Halfway up one of the mountains, there was a pounding waterfall, crashing heavily upon the rocks. Yet at the same time, the water looked soft as cloth. Over tens of thousands of years, the water had slowly worn down the rock, transforming it into smooth, polished stone as it gently flowed past. The rushing water weaved throughout the mountains, forming a picturesque beauty rife with the harmony of graceful water and rugged earth.
On one of those mountains, there was an extremely steep mountain cliff. About halfway up, a certain figure could be seen speeding along, seemingly as small as an ant against the backdrop of the scenery, pushing through the mottled golden clouds as he climbed towards the summit of the mountain of untold heights.
Xu Disheng was standing atop the black Spirit Cloud, wearing the light green Spirit Tool Daoist Robe. His long hair floated in the wind, and a resplendent, mystical gleam shone like starlight within his pupils, hiding the black vortexes within.
He pushed the speed of the Spirit Cloud to its maximum, piercing through the clouds, which were painted pale gold by the sunset. Although this Spirit Cloud wasn’t as good looking as the rest, it was a level faster than ordinary Spirit Clouds. In the span of about one hour, he already reached the edge of Floating Moon Valley.
After checking the map in the jade slip, he slowly brought the Spirit Cloud to the ground. The terrain of this mountain peak was extremely steep, and the deep valley below it was known as Floating Moon Valley. At a mere glance, the valley was filled with craggy rock formations, overgrown thickets of trees, wild beasts, and venomous insects, teeming with danger.
Xu Disheng put away the Spirit Cloud, then pulled out the jade slip once again to check what the Beauty’s Demise Herb looked like before heading directly down to Floating Moon Valley at the base of the mountain.
The trees in the valley were lush and thick. The more he continued down into the valley, the more dangerous it became. Eventually, Xu Disheng came to a stop. Before his eyes, there was a wide, clear creek flowing through the basin of the valley, the gentle murmuring of flowing water reaching his ears.
Bluish-green grass grew by the water, which was completely clear and transparent. However, Xu Disheng felt a sense of danger coming from the creek.
With a wave of his sleeve, he cast a Shangqing Incantation to surround himself, then went directly towards the creek.
10 meters… 6 meters… 3 meters…
Xu Disheng walked right up to the edge of the creek and looked down.
The clear waters of the creek were reflecting the grass and trees, but Xu Disheng’s reflection was completely different!
Xu Disheng’s reflection had the appearance of a withered, dried-up skeleton with only a single eye that was dripping tears of blood.
When the strange reflection saw Xu Disheng lower his head to take a look, its single eye trembled grotesquely, and it shot a ghastly claw out of the creek, swiping towards Xu Disheng’s face!
Bang!
The shroud of profound qi surrounding Xu Disheng ruptured with a loud explosion. Smoke rose off of the ghostly claws. The bloody eye sockets of the ghost filled with an utter, unquenchable hatred as it retracted its claws.
Just as it was about to flee into the water, it suddenly found itself unable to move, causing it to let out a bizarre, ear-piercing screech.
Xu Disheng had formed the hand seal for the Amassing Water form, trapping the reflection in a layer of water. Half of its body was underwater, but half of its body was suspended above the water, making it unable to move whatsoever.
Xu Disheng glared at the ghost and asked, “Are you capable of human tongue?”
Xu Disheng understood very little about ghosts since they didn’t exist in the Seventh Mortal Secret Realm. This was his first time seeing the ghosts of the Human Realm, so he couldn’t help being a bit curious. This ghost was very weak. Xu Disheng had sensed right away that the ghost thought he was going to run, so it used his own body’s reflection to lure him in. But nonetheless, Xu Disheng deliberately approached it.
The ghost struggled, but it wasn’t able to break free of the seemingly soft water prison. It didn’t have a mouth on its face, but it was still able to produce those ear-piercing screeches. If an ordinary mortal heard these screeches, they would probably pass out on the spot.
Seeing that there was no response, Xu Disheng shook his head. It didn’t seem to possess sapience. He revolved the Sealing Soul Mantra to try to see if he could seal it inside of his Spirit Tool Daoist Robe or not.
Although the Sealing Soul Mantra could only allow him to select one Soul Vessel to nourish, it didn’t necessarily have to be a weapon. A defensive-type Spirit Tool also worked. Earlier, Xu Disheng’s Soul Force underwent a qualitative change. His Soul Force had coalesced into a Soul Force Flute, so he could already completely make use of the third scripture, the Sealing Soul Mantra.
The ghost’s cries became louder and shriller as its body slowly shrunk down under Xu Disheng’s control, causing it to float towards him. Xu Disheng reached out his hand, and a small vortex of Soul Force appeared in his palm. The ghost was sucked towards the vortex, cutting off the cacophony of screams.
Xu Disheng looked at the black vortex in his palm, then thrust it towards the standardized Spirit Tool Daoist Robe.
On the way here, he had been imbuing the Daoist Robe with Soul Force the entire time, so now Xu Disheng could trap his first soul within. Although it belonged to a ghost, it still counted.
The selection of the Soul Vessel was extremely important. The scripture of the Sealing Soul Mantra said that only one Soul Vessel could ever be selected. For Xu Disheng to randomly select this standardized Spirit Tool Daoist Robe as his Soul Vessel, was he unaware or did he have a plan?
After having that epiphanous change in his frame of mind, Xu Disheng became like a completely different person. The look in his eyes would transform endlessly, making it difficult for people to see through him.
Xu Disheng lightly grasped the Daoist Robe, causing a black beam of light to flash. A dull black shadow floated out before his eyes. Its facial features vaguely resembled the ghost from just now.
As soon as the shadow appeared, it politely expressed its gratitude. “Greetings, Master. Thank you for washing the ghost energy from my soul and allowing me to be reborn.”
Xu Disheng ignored him and asked, “Is there a monster on this mountain?”
The black shadow’s tone grew resentful as he replied, “Master, there is a wolf monster with an extremely large physique in this valley. I was originally from a hunting family in Stone Village of the Mingxin Mountain Range. When I was out hunting one time, I accidentally set foot into this valley, and by this creek, that wolf monster swiped me to death with a single claw. After that, I turned into a ghost and my consciousness became unclear. It’s already been more than 10 years since then.”
Xu Disheng nodded and asked another question. “Do you know of its current whereabouts?”
The black shadow hesitated a bit, then responded, “I don’t have the slightest idea. After I transformed into a ghost, everything became blurry. In the last ten or so years, I was completely dominated by my instincts, and killed several mortals who had accidentally wandered into this place. I didn’t find any clues on the wolf monster during that entire time.”
Xu Disheng pondered a little, but didn’t speak further. He reached out to grab the black shadow, and it began to grow weaker and more transparent.
The black shadow tried to avoid his palm as it urgently said, “Master, can you release me back into the cycle of reincarnation? I promise to work myself like an ox to pay Master back in my next life.”
Xu Disheng shook his head. “In the next life? After you enter my Soul Vessel, you will be confined within it forever. You already have no more afterlife, but at least there will be people coming to join you in the future.”
With that, he grabbed the soul in his hand and thrust it back into the Daoist Robe. A resentful howl resounded in his ears, and the force of that intense, bitter resentment within was absorbed by the Daoist Robe, slightly raising the power of the Daoist Robe.
Xu Disheng felt a bit frustrated. Every single scripture of Soul Song, the cultivation method that accompanied him at birth, was extremely malicious. The first scripture, the Nourishing Soul Mantra, was an exception, but the second scripture, the Passing Soul Mantra, was completely unheard of. The technique allowed him to pass a person’s soul into nothingness, which was an extremely frightening concept.
The third scripture, the Sealing Soul Mantra, left the souls unable to beg for death nor life. They would be trapped within the Soul Vessel for eternity, being used as fodder for their resentment energy to raise the power of the Soul Vessel. Unless Xu Disheng died, they would be resigned to this fate forever.
However, Soul Song was essentially his bread and butter, so he couldn’t just give up on it. To uncover the truths behind his past, he had to become stronger at all costs. After all, everyone had their own selfish ambitions.