The reason behind Huangpang City turning into a ghost city lay with the Mo Fei sitting at its center. He was a great cultivator at thirtieth level sequence, able to manipulate anyone who arrived here if they were weaker than him. They would live out their days in the ghost city without ever thinking anything was wrong.
Qu Cu was able to remain clear headed because he was thirty-three levels of sequence; he was stronger than Mo Fei. Heâd issued many requests for help from others, but for some reason, everyone who came here walked into the ghost city despite themselves. Even if they knew the truth beforehand, they would ultimately become part of the city and part of the sight in front of him.
In Qu Cuâs view, this was the beguilement of the ghost city. There was a restriction planted in his soul that made it impossible for him to speak of the truth unless he was near it. But if others were near it, they found their feet carrying them in. The only thing he could do was ask for help again and again, bringing over strong foreigners or geniuses tied to supremes. Only then could he make a proper plea for help.
âŚâŚ
Dejection flashed through Qu Cuâs eyes when he saw Lu Yun walk into the city. Another one. He followed the young man in.
A great hubbub rose over the metropolis as passersby jostled each other on the streets, voices and sweat alike flying through the air. A large sun high in the sky threw off bright radiance. It was a picture of thriving prosperity and the peopleâs expressions seemed perfectly normal.
âHave you ever heard of the saying âthe ghost of one devoured by the tigerâ?â Lu Yunâs voice suddenly rang in Qu Cuâs ears.
âHuh? What?â The man blinked. How was the brute lost in the city talking to him? Is this a coincidence? Or maybe he remembers me, but doesnât know that heâs already in the ghost city?
âThe ghost of the tigerâs victim helps it devour others⌠thatâs a saying from the mortal world. As the legend goes, someone that the tiger eats turns into a ghost that obeys the tiger. Instead of seeking revenge from the tiger, they become their murdererâs henchman. The ghost lures more people to the tiger so that the tiger can eat them too.â Lu Yun turned around to face Qu Cu and said haltingly, âThe ghost⌠speaks complete bullshit⌠It cajoles and beguiles⌠rousing the listenerâs curiosity and greedâŚ
âIâve been wondering why I grew curious simply because you threw down some mystifying statements. It turns out youâre the ghost. A chang ghost.â
It didnât necessarily take a tiger to turn someone into a chang ghost.
âThe immortal wasnât scared out of his wits,â Lu Yun murmured. âRather, he was no longer under the cityâs control after he cultivated the way of ghost immortals. Thatâs why you killed him.â
It felt like lightning had struck Qu Cu. He stared dumbly at Lu Yun, not able to say a word.
âDo you mean⌠Iâm dead? That Iâm a chang ghost who keeps luring people here to feed that ghost king?â he said blankly.
Twin beams of black light flashed through Lu Yunâs eyes, reflecting Qu Cuâs ashen face out of his pupils.
âYes, thatâs the case, you just donât know it yet. Everyone in this city, including that so-called Ghost King Mo Fei, is alive. You are the only one dead. You are the chang ghost by the vengeful ghostâs side.
âItâs not your fault, Qu Cu. You remain unaware of your true state because your heart is kind. You have no idea that youâve already been refined into a chang ghost by the vengeful ghost of the supreme.â Lu Yun patted the manâs shoulder again when he saw black smoke waft upward from Qu Cuâs body.
Qu Cu had thought that everything he was doing would save people, that his actions would help the situation. The vengeful ghost used this mindset to blind him and steer him into helping the ghost instead.
Sometimes people had no idea theyâd died; they thought they were still alive. Lu Yun had encountered that situation in the world of immortals. Qu Cu was already a chang ghost, but he was completely oblivious and thought that he was still alive. Since Lu Yun had pierced through the veil of misdirection, Qu Cuâs balance between life and death was shattered and he could clearly see himself for who he was.
âThe vengeful ghost of the Huangpang Supreme doesnât need dead souls, he needs the resentment of the living. The living in this city have only lost themselvesâthey havenât been hurt in any way. But when the time comes, theyâll all become the ghostâs sacrifice and be tormented unto death. The massive resentment that results from this will become food for the vengeful ghost.â
The Huangpang Supreme had died an unjust deathâhe shouldnât have died at all. What made his death particularly undeserved was that heâd suffered needlessly before his final breath.
The resentment of the aggrieved dead was the greatest. Even if it was a saint who died, and one who died without a hint of bitterness, they would still become a vengeful ghost after death. As a ghost, their desire for revenge would flare and they would wreak havoc on the living.
The living and ghosts walked separate paths⌠While one might be kind in life, resentment after death could change everything.
Lu Qingtian was a prime example of this. Heâd died peacefully and content, having achieved all of his lifelong goals. But he still turned into a vengeful demon in death and plagued Lu Yun after his disciple gained the ability to resurrect him.
âThe ghost city grows at every second. It will be big enough to devour the entire major world after another few hundred million years, turning it into a ghost world.â Lu Yun continued, âThe enigma stones youâve collected arenât to keep the ghost king in check. Instead, the cityâs eaten them as food.â
The vengeful ghost hadnât collected all of the worldâs living beings due to this reason. If the major world was empty, no one would ever dare set foot on its soil again. However, the resentment of one worldâs inhabitants was far from enough.
Qu Cu nodded expressionlessly. He was well aware of his identity now and there was no longer the presence of the living around him. Everything that Lu Yun said to him was meaningless.
âIâm, Iâm going to kill that ghost and eat it!!â he suddenly shrieked. Black smoke drifted from his body and soared to the sky with towering resentment. His bitterness was aimed at only the ghost thatâd killed and continued to manipulate him.
Lu Yun patted him on the shoulder for a third time. A variety of expressions rapidly flickered across his face as Qu Cu returned to his initial state.
âAhâŚâ He looked blankly at Lu Yun.
âGo find the ghost king. If my guess is right, the vengeful ghost is near the ghost king and is watching us right now.â Lu Yun was a bold person with skills to back up his impulses. The Myriad Spirit Supreme didnât dare draw near the ghost of the fallen supreme, but he was eager to give it a try. âIt wonât require a supreme for me to take care of it.â
He chuckled and strode forward, the surroundings changing around him. He was already at the center of the cityâthe old city lordâs manor. It looked sumptuous and magnificent, but it lay in disgraceful ruins without a single intact building.
Mo Fei sat in the middle of the courtyard. There was no one here other than him.
âWould you believe me if I say that I let myself be covered in resentment and turned into a ghost king?â he said before Lu Yun could speak. Plainly, heâd heard the entire conversation between his visitor and Qu Cu.
âYou still retain your consciousness?â Lu Yun blinked. âAre you the Huangpang Supremeâs disciple? Or descendant?â
âI am her dao partner,â he responded softly. âCollecting the resentment of countless beings to help her grow beyond the form of a vengeful ghost is also my idea. Everything here is my planâŚâ Mo Fei gently caressed a crystalline skull next to himâthe Huangpang Supremeâs skull.
The Huangpang Supreme was a woman! Mo Fei had sacrificed himself for her. Although he was still alive, he was neither human nor ghost.
âWhat is the meaning of this?â Lu Yun shook his head. âThis wonât resurrect the dead.â
âIt wonât because her resentment is too strong from her unjustified death. Iâm doing this to dispel her resentment so that she can be revived!â Mo Feiâs expression twisted and he roared, âWhy?! Someone else already took the legendary item, so why did that bastard vent his spleen on Huang Pang?! Just because we are the closest to the damned Firmament Prison?!
âSo then what of killing everything alive for Huang Pang and setting myself against existence itself?!â
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