Kill the Ghost

A cool breeze swept along the road. Facing the pitch-black night around him, Qiusheng wasn't the least bit nervous.

Come on, he was already a Human Master in the late stage. Even if he ran into Ren Weiyong, he figured he could give him a fight. Why would he be afraid of walking down a dark road?

But tonight was destined to be anything but ordinary.

Halfway along the road, a thick white fog suddenly appeared, completely enveloping him.

Qiusheng saw the unexpected fog and smiled faintly, not taking it to heart.

He'd come to think of running into ghosts as a good thing, not a stroke of bad luck.

After all, in his eyes, these creatures were good ghosts who'd come to give him Exorcism Points. Naturally, he welcomed them with a smile.

"Sir, do you remember me?"

A woman's ethereal voice rang out as a figure dressed in white floated toward him.

Qiusheng stared at the woman who had appeared before him and paused, then suddenly remembered who she was.

Wasn't this the female ghost who'd shared a brief tryst with Qiusheng in the original story?

Looking at the female ghost who had suddenly appeared in front of him, Qiusheng's lips curled into a smile.

"Miss, when have we ever met? How could I not remember you?"

"Sir, it's all right if you don't remember. I'm Xiaoyu. It's a pleasure to meet you. May I ask your name?"

"Heh, I'm Qiusheng."

"Your form is hazy, and the yin energy around you is extremely strong. Could you be a ghost?"

Qiusheng pretended not to see through Xiaoyu's true nature and asked in a gentle voice.

"You jest, sir. How could I be a ghost? I'm clearly a living person, flesh and blood."

As she spoke, Xiaoyu hurried forward, gently took Qiusheng's arm, and tried to press his hand against her chest.

"Sir, if you don't believe me, feel for yourself. I have a heartbeat."

Seeing her brazenly take his hand and press it against her body, as if she had no idea of the danger, Qiusheng's smile grew even brighter.

The moment his palm touched Xiaoyu, he unleashed Palm Thunder and blasted her in the chest.

As Qiusheng's Palm Thunder struck, Xiaoyu's body shuddered. In an instant, her appearance turned hideous, and her figure grew faint.

"Haha! You audacious evil ghost, trying to show off in front of me? You're asking for death!"

Seeing that his first move had landed, Qiusheng lunged forward and threw a punch with Lightning Bolt Fist.

But Xiaoyu's cultivation was surprisingly formidable. Though she'd taken a direct hit from his Palm Thunder to the chest, she still had plenty of fight left in her.

Her jet-black hair turned white in an instant and lashed toward Qiusheng.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Qiusheng's fists, wrapped in lightning, crashed into the white hair rushing at him. He didn't flinch.

"You filthy Taoist! I meant to repay you for burning incense for me by giving myself to you and becoming your carefree ghost wife. But you have no idea how to appreciate it! Now die!"

Seeing Qiusheng attack without mercy, every blow aimed at her vital spots, Xiaoyu roared in fury.

As she screamed, the ghostly energy around her surged, making Qiusheng's eyelid twitch.

He'd thought Xiaoyu, who'd barely appeared in the original story before Uncle Nine swiftly dealt with her, was just a minor character and would be easy to handle.

But now that he was actually fighting her, he realized things weren't as simple as he'd imagined.

"Shangqing Dongxuan, capture ghosts and exterminate demons. A spark of mystic power—break the evil!"

Seeing that Lightning Bolt Fist couldn't break through Xiaoyu's ghostly hair, Qiusheng formed a hand seal and flung an Evil-Breaking Talisman. It instantly drove back the ghostly hair she'd strengthened with her immense baleful energy.

Qiusheng didn't stop there. He pressed his advantage and struck while she was weakened, unleashing Palm Thunder again. His palm slammed into Xiaoyu's head and sent it flying.

"Qiusheng, Qiusheng..."

Just as Qiusheng knocked Xiaoyu's head away, her eyes, which had been tightly shut, snapped open. She unleashed a soul-stealing spell at him.

Completely unprepared, he fell for it at once.

Xiaoyu was about to take the opportunity to drain all the yang energy from Qiusheng's body when a burst of golden light suddenly erupted. The seal at his waist shone with rays of gold, breaking her soul-stealing spell.

As his senses returned, Qiusheng's back was drenched in a cold sweat. That had been far too close. If he hadn't been carrying a precious treasure, Xiaoyu might really have killed him.

Sure enough, one could never underestimate the methods of vengeful spirits and evil ghosts. The slightest lapse in attention could exact a terrible price.

His thoughts churning, Qiusheng gripped the Mystic Dao Seal and poured all his power into it.

As Qiusheng's magic power flowed into it, the dragon's roar rang out from the Mystic Dao Seal once more. A streak of golden light shot out and circled Xiaoyu's disembodied head.

"Ah, spare me, sir! I won't bother you again! Please don't make my soul scatter!"

"Hmph! You evil ghost dare to beg for mercy? You think I don't know? All that ghostly and baleful energy you carry comes from the lives you've taken."

"Cruel and vicious evil ghosts like you won't be accepted by the Netherworld. Your only fitting end is to have your souls scattered."

As he spoke, Qiusheng sprang into action and unleashed Lightning Bolt Fist again. This time, punch after punch struck Xiaoyu's body, reducing it to a cloud of ashes.

With her body smashed to pieces, Xiaoyu's head could hold on no longer. It, too, crumbled into ash and vanished from the world.

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have slain a hundred-year-old evil ghost and received 300 Exorcism Points."

Hearing the system notification, Qiusheng was delighted.

That was wonderful. He'd already had 400 Exorcism Points, and now he'd gained another 300. Didn't that make him rich again?

"Heh. You said you'd repay me for burning incense for you, but instead you tried to take my life. Now that I've beaten your soul to pieces, all the grudges between us are settled once and for all."

Qiusheng murmured as he looked at the spot where Xiaoyu had vanished.

He went out of his way to say this because he wanted to put his conscience at ease.

After all, he'd chosen to kill Xiaoyu partly because she really had taken human lives, but partly because of his own selfish motives.

In other words, Xiaoyu could have been killed, or she could have been spared. It was just that Qiusheng was so desperate for Exorcism Points that he'd ruthlessly struck her down.