Fighting the Ghost Spirits

009: Fighting the Ghost Spirits

Ming Shu carefully read the instructions for using the [Demonic Spirit: Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King] in the Life Book, then immediately exited.

With the Demonic Spirit possessing him, his injuries from before had vanished. The increased strength, recovery abilities, and resistances made him instantly feel like he was back in fighting shape.

Taking advantage of the Green Light he had just released, he had already wiped out most of the low-level Ghost Spirits around him—the shapeless, scattered masses of Ghost Spirits.

Those Ghost Spirits whose faces were blurry but whose limbs had taken shape were slightly more resistant to the Green Light.

Besides, that Green Light had not been a targeted attack.

After the Demonic Spirit possessed him, Ming Shu carefully experienced everything described in the instructions. Sure enough, he had automatically gained a large number of practical combat techniques with spears and cudgels.

He did not even need to control his own body to fight.

He had just been about to use the Demonic Spirit's power to condense a spear-cudgel in his hands as a weapon.

Ren Yuan, who had rushed over, stopped him.

Ren Yuan waved the short blade in his hand while handing Ming Shu the cudgel strapped to his back. "Use this for now."

"I don't know the exact abilities of the Demonic Spirit inside you, but whatever you do, don't use its power to condense a weapon. The consumption is far too great. You've only just come into contact with this kind of power, so you might not be able to hold out for long."

This was truly extremely valuable experience.

Ming Shu immediately followed his advice. He also understood even more clearly why Chong Li and Ren Yuan had not used the power of their Demonic Spirits despite fighting until now.

The most important thing was still one's own strength. Demonic Spirits and Ghost Spirits were merely borrowed external forces.

Ming Shu was no longer afraid of close-range attacks from this group of little ghosts.

Under Ren Yuan's guidance, Ming Shu used the cudgel as they fought their way back toward the carriage.

Ming Shu condensed a trace of Demonic Spirit power in his hand and swept the cudgel out. Several Ghost Spirits behind him were smashed apart.

These were merely probing appetizers. As most of the shapeless little ghosts were worn down, more Ghost Spirits with formed limbs surrounded them.

Ming Shu had also returned to the area near the carriage with Ren Yuan. The four of them guarded the carriage together. Ming Shu, who should have entered the carriage to await rescue, had also become one of the main fighters.

It could be confirmed that the Stone Pagoda in his hand was of no low quality, and the Demonic Spirit within it was also very high-level.

Receiving four abilities right from the start made him feel the new-player gear's sincerity to the fullest.

Besides, he had already become its master. Why would he talk about returning it? Chong Li probably would not dare come ask for it back anyway.

Chong Li called the Ghost Spirits with formed limbs Level 2 Ghost Spirits, while the shapeless masses of Ghost Spirits were Level 1 Ghost Spirits.

Ming Shu had also seen several Level 3 Ghost Spirits. They had facial features, cold glints in their eyes, and greater intelligence, allowing them to act independently.

Level 1 and Level 2 Ghost Spirits needed to rely on a Ghost Cultivator's control.

Ghost Cultivator was the term used by the Sky-Toppling Observatory and Demon Hunters for cultivators who hid in the shadows, specialized in raising ghosts, and borrowed the power of Ghost Spirits.

Level 1 and Level 2 Ghost Spirits could not exist for long. Unless there was more than one secret place nearby specifically used for raising ghosts, they could not survive for an extended period.

Yet they had stockpiled such a massive number.

These Ghost Spirits had certainly been gathered from the Soul Spirits of people who had died in the surrounding area.

This work had probably been going on for many years.

These were merely Chong Li's guesses based on the number of Ghost Spirits. Later, they would need to conduct an in-depth investigation both inside and outside Qing Shui County, as well as in the nearby Zhuo Shui County.

Ming Shu needed to strike a Level 2 Ghost Spirit several times. Even when Old Zhao circulated his internal energy, he needed two or three blows.

Ren Yuan and Chong Li had an easier time. They were experienced in fighting Ghost Spirits and knew where to strike, allowing them to conserve their strength and kill one with a single move.

Little Zhao hid inside the carriage, too afraid to come out. He did not even dare look outside.

"Just hold out until dawn if possible." That was what Chong Li told everyone.

Calculating the time, they probably still had two or three shichen to go.

The difficulty was extremely high.

Ming Shu's combat experience gradually grew richer. He tried using the Spear Stab to Break the Enemy skill, thrusting the cudgel forward and directly piercing through three Level 2 Ghost Spirits.

He felt that he had still wasted quite a bit of the power and had not controlled it precisely enough.

But it also gave Ming Shu greater confidence. His move should be enough to fight a Level 3 Ghost Spirit head-on.

With Pagoda Protection added on top, he could still save his life at a critical moment.

The four of them continued fighting like this for an hour, eliminating a huge number of Ghost Spirits. There were barely any of the cannon-fodder Level 1 Ghost Spirits left.

Yet the Level 2 and Level 3 Ghost Spirits grew more numerous by the moment.

Ming Shu and the others had never expected that they would become bait for the Second Senior Brother, helping him fish out such a huge swarm of Ghost Spirits.

Just as Ming Shu began to feel exhausted and Old Zhao grew so tired that he had no choice but to retreat into the carriage,

Ren Yuan and Chong Li still had not used the Demonic Spirits on their bodies. The only one who had been borrowing a Demonic Spirit's power to fight was Ming Shu.

Activating Demonic Spirit power had already proven that they were Demon Hunters. The Ghost Spirits continued arriving as reinforcements, surrounding them tightly and leaving them no chance to break through.

Chong Li was certain that the distress signal she had sent at the very beginning had been received by the Second Senior Brother. Yet the Second Senior Brother had actually waited more than an hour before slowly making his way over.

The cudgel Ren Yuan had given Ming Shu had been used to perform Spear Stab to Break the Enemy multiple times, killing several Level 3 Ghost Spirits, and had now been completely ruined.

He had no choice but to retreat urgently into the carriage.

Only then did the Second Senior Brother finally arrive in haste.

Demon Hunters surrounded them from all directions. Although they were not professional Ghost Exorcists, every one of them had ways to deal with Ghost Spirits, and their strength was formidable.

Ming Shu could only listen to their battle. He had no time to watch.

At that moment, he was immersed in the Life Book. He had seen fragments of obsessions left behind after some Ghost Spirits dissipated.

He learned of several forbidden grounds where Ghost Spirits were imprisoned. Some of the older Ghost Spirits had already been tortured or refined here for as long as ten years.

Perhaps ten years ago, the other party had not anticipated the current situation. But this pawn, slowly accumulated through ten years of painstaking effort, had already become a devastating trump card.

If it was not meant to deal with the Sky-Toppling Observatory and the Demon Hunters, then using it against the scholars from the Academy—especially those good-for-nothings who only knew how to squabble among themselves—would be absurdly excessive.

With the slightest push, it could probably bring down several high-ranking local officials, even dragging the major figures of the provinces and commanderies into the mire.

What a pity. The Sky-Toppling Observatory also loved stirring up trouble in secret. This time, it had gathered a huge number of Demon Hunters and had even sent out a powerhouse like the Second Senior Brother.

Before he had even made a move, the Demon Hunters had already wiped out the Ghost Spirits—their trump card.

The operation after entering Qing Shui County should be much easier.

If this group of Ghost Spirits had erupted inside the city, many people would probably have died overnight.

The final battle seemed extremely violent. Ming Shu did not see it, nor did he dare go out to look. Only Ren Yuan and Chong Li remained guarding the carriage.

It seemed that several Level 4 Ghost Spirits had appeared at the end. One of them had fought its way to the carriage, and only then did Chong Li and Ren Yuan simultaneously use the power of their Demonic Spirits to block it.

In any case, before dawn, the Second Senior Brother had appeared. Yet he had not made a move. He had merely watched, and the Ghost Spirits had been completely cleared out.