"From this moment on, space, time, and even mass are all under my control."
As he spoke, the hideous spirits beside the Ghost King vanished. In their place appeared another Fang Xiu, Kunai in hand and just as expressionless. "For the next 72 hours, I'll keep stabbing you with this kunai."
As he spoke, both Fang Xius raised their hands and stabbed at the Fusang Ghost King. It seemed he had only one option:
Endure it all.
"Ah!"
The first scream rang out.
Once, the Ghost King had endured the pain of being torn apart by his own kind. Now, the pain was unbearable.
Why?
There was no other reason.
Fang Xiu had added a little something extra. He'd held back his Lightning Release nature transformation before, but now he channeled it through the kunai into the old Fusang ghost. The results were naturally outstanding.
After an unknown stretch of time—perhaps ages, perhaps only an instant—the Ghost King opened his eyes and saw another version of himself in front of him! Five pitch-black chains bound him, impossible to break free from. Across from him stood two Fang Xius.
"This is..."
The Ghost King stared at everything in disbelief. He seemed to realize what was happening and resisted what was about to come.
"In the world of Tsukuyomi..."
"Whether it's time, space, or mass..."
"It's all under my control."
Delivering his cold verdict by rote, the two new Fang Xius raised their hands and repeatedly plunged lightning-wreathed kunai into the Ghost King's body, working like machines.
"Ha... ha..."
It wasn't laughter. He was panting from the pain. The old Fusang ghost forced himself to hold on and tried to remind himself with a secret technique: Calm down. Calm down. No matter how real the Genjutsu felt, it was still just a reflection in the water, a flower in the mirror.
Fang Xiu tilted his head. The tomoe spun like a pinwheel, as if he'd seen right through the Ghost King's thoughts. "My ocular technique surpasses yours. Do you understand what these eyes mean?"
As he spoke, he stabbed into him again.
"The pain they cause isn't an illusion at all. It'll be felt in the real world."
At those words, even the coldblooded Fusang Ghost King was in too much pain to speak.
Laughing wildly?
Without overwhelming strength, all that awaited him was a beating.
"How long can your willpower hold out? Since you chose this path, you might as well enjoy it."
As he spoke, Fang Xiu drove the kunai, charged with Lightning Release Chakra, even deeper.
The Fusang Ghost King roared and raised his head. A red moon hung in the sky, and chains covered the area around him, each one binding a familiar figure.
All around him were men who filled him with despair.
"Another 71 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds." Countless Fang Xius spoke in unison, then all picked up their kunai at once.
"How... how is this possible..."
"All this torment, and only..."
"One second has passed?!"
The Fusang Ghost King had read the relevant memories, so he was familiar with modern units of time. That was why he couldn't understand. He'd lost count of how many times he'd been tormented into madness, and surely more than a second had passed.
But everything was clearly just as Fang Xiu had said: in this realm of illusion, he controlled everything! The Ghost King's willpower and resistance weakened considerably once more. Naturally, the strain on Fang Xiu's ocular power also decreased, making it easier and easier to replicate a knockoff Tsukuyomi World.
"Is there some secret technique you can offer up?"
"It might lessen your pain a little."
"Isn't a peaceful death a kind of release?"
The old Fusang ghost: "..."
The torture had never stopped. He hadn't found a single chance to speak!
"Tell me how you cultivated that illusory warrior you projected."
"Old ghost, as long as you tell the truth—" "Every version of you needs to tell the truth."
"Let this painful torment end. It could all be over in the next moment."
Clearly, Fang Xiu saw the Ming-dynasty-era old Fusang ghost as a source of loot, hoping to squeeze out every last bit of value rather than settle for the fixed reward from the main quest.
So while he spoke, the kunai in his hand never stopped. He kept the pressure at its limit!
"What secret techniques do you know?"
"Tell me the whole truth."
"Just because one of you doesn't talk doesn't mean the others won't. Hurry up and choose."
At that moment, all the Fang Xius stopped. The Ghost King, who'd been tortured without respite, felt a moment of happiness. Twisted and sick as it was, it was still happiness.
"Don't let even longer torment force you to make the right choice."
"Time here doesn't move in sync with the outside world."
As Fang Xiu spoke, he and countless mirrored copies mechanically raised their hands again. Before they could stab, one of the bound Fusang Ghost Kings—
"Ah!!!"
"Stop! I'll talk!"
And so it began.
"Let me talk! Just stop torturing me! I'm a victim too—I'm one of the poor souls Asō swallowed..."
A fluke.
The Ghost King had used a mental attack first. Otherwise, Fang Xiu wouldn't have imitated Tsukuyomi Space. But...the results were excellent.
The Ghost King was, after all, a kind of amalgamation. He'd grown exceptionally powerful by devouring countless other ghosts of his kind.
That which made him had undone him.
If he'd been in decent shape, nowhere near the brink of collapse, these consciousnesses would never have had the chance to awaken. They'd have remained another trump card for the Ghost King.
But now?
One after another, they came out to betray the Ghost King, hoping only for a quick death.
Was this level of mental power because of these eyes? With them, victory seemed only natural.
The Ghost King, his consciousness sinking away, struggled to open his eyes again. Fang Xiu stood in a crowd before him.
—Raised hands.
—Stabbing.
In truth, Fang Xiu had never intended to let the primary consciousness go, in case he tried anything again.
As for the other ghosts that had awakened, he could give them a quick death—but only if they gave him what he wanted. A simplified version of Fa Tian Xiang Di might provide important insights for further developing Susanoo.
"Talk. If your stories don't match, the execution will begin again, and you'll fall into endless despair..."
Before he could finish, the souls who wanted to die quickly and painfully rushed to answer, proving that Genjutsu along the path of mental power was never useless.
After a long while.
Having obtained a secret technique as he'd hoped, Fang Xiu looked at the Fusang Ghost King, whose mind was nearly dead from the torment of Tsukuyomi. A flash of red lit his eyes, and the Mangekyō began to spin in reverse.
"Release!"
Outside.
Deep Forest Emergence. The massive arena formed by the Sage Art: Ten-Thousand-Mile Earth Style Wall. Only one second had passed.
Xiaogui and Ma Shangfeng had barely had time to blink!
The old Fusang ghost lifted his head, a smug, sinister grin on his lips. His figure abruptly turned translucent. He tilted his head slightly—
Before him, Fang Xiu still gazed down at him calmly. The eyes in Fang Xiu's sockets were eerie, mysterious, and strangely beautiful.
Almost by instinct, the Ghost King reached out to grab them.
But his movements were incredibly slow.
Before you continue