Ghosts, Specters, and Evil Spirits

"Junior Brother Chen, the journey to Cloud Mist Mountain is quite long. Why don't we find a few other disciples to form a team and head there together?"

Yu Hailong suggested.

"I am in urgent need of contribution points right now, so I will have to team up with you for a mission to Cloud Mist Mountain another time, Senior Brother Yu."

Chen Changming wore an apologetic expression.

He was indeed in urgent need of contribution points, but that was not the primary reason.

The most important reason was that in two days, he had to go to the Ziyuan Secret Realm to water the medicinal fields; if he went to Cloud Mist Mountain, it would affect his commitment to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Seeing Chen Changming refuse, a look of disappointment appeared on Yu Hailong's face.

Chen Changming walked to the entrance, handed over his identity token, and said to Elder Liu, "Senior, I would like to accept the mission for Penglai Village."

"The ghosts and evil spirits in Penglai Village are no ordinary foes. You are only a small disciple at the second level of Qi Refining—are you not afraid?"

Elder Liu glanced at the youth and asked.

"I shall give it a try..."

Chen Changming smiled faintly. Even if he could not defeat the ghost or evil spirit, he could still use the Dragon Glide Step to escape.

How powerful could a mission worth 200 contribution points really be?

The strength of this ghost or evil spirit was likely only comparable to a first-rank, low-level demonic beast!

Seeing that the youth was determined, Elder Liu swiped his identity token.

Chen Changming bid farewell to Yu Hailong, left the Lingxiao Sect alone, and headed straight for Penglai Village, two hundred miles away.

Penglai Village was named after Penglai Lake.

This great lake spanned a hundred miles, its waters vast and green, the scenery pleasant, providing a constant source of food for the villagers living along its shores.

Upon arriving at Penglai Village, Chen Changming visited some of the villagers to understand the extent of the losses of their cattle and sheep, while also inquiring about the situation regarding the ghost or evil spirit.

According to the villagers' descriptions, this ghost or evil spirit was thin and long, pitch-black all over, and only appeared at night.

Once this ghost or evil spirit attacked the cattle and sheep, it would drain them of every drop of blood.

Is it a snake demon?

Hearing the villagers' description, the image of a snake demon was the first thing that surfaced in the youth's mind.

However, he immediately dismissed it.

If it were a snake demon, the cattle and sheep would have been devoured until not even scraps remained; how could it only drain their blood?

"Immortal Master, this thing has eaten hundreds of our cattle and sheep. You must uphold justice for us..."

An old man, tears streaming down his face, knelt down.

Chen Changming helped the old man up and said slowly, "Rest assured, I will definitely help Penglai Village eradicate this ghost or evil spirit."

"Many thanks, Immortal Master."

The old man stood up, wiped away his tears, and felt a weight lift from his heart.

The Lingxiao Sect enjoyed a prestigious reputation throughout the entire Yue Kingdom, so they had great confidence in an Immortal Master from the Lingxiao Sect.

Night fell.

The sky was thick with dark clouds, hiding the starlight, and gusts of wild wind rose up, as if a heavy rain were about to fall.

On the roof of a villager's house stood a youth with a blade strapped to his back.

The youth's gaze was deep as he scanned his surroundings with great vigilance; the howling wind whipped his robes into disarray.

It was said that this ghost or evil spirit came out to forage every night, so Chen Changming waited for it to reveal itself.

At the bottom of Penglai Lake.

In the pitch-black water, a small cluster of red light suddenly rose, within which human silhouettes flickered, indistinct and unclear.

"Hmm, one more blood-draining session and my injuries will stabilize, then I can return to the sect to report back..."

A man's voice rang out softly from within the red light barrier.

Following the sound of water, a black, strip-like object extended from the red light, moving like a spirit snake, rapidly traveling along the silt of the lakebed. Within a few breaths, it reached the shore.

This black, strip-like object quietly breached the surface of the water without making a sound and stealthily slipped into Penglai Village.

A muffled lowing of cattle sounded from the east side of Penglai Village.

Even with the wind howling so loudly, it still reached Chen Changming's ears.

"It's here!"

Chen Changming felt an inexplicable excitement. He drew the steel blade from his back, leaped, and activated the Dragon Glide Step, vanishing from the rooftop in the blink of an eye.

He covered the distance of several hundred meters in an instant.

It had to be said that after being strengthened twice, the speed of this Dragon Glide Step was truly terrifying.

"What kind of ghost is this?"

Chen Changming stared at the black entity tightly binding a yellow ox in the night, startled.

If his eyes did not deceive him, this snake-like, ribbon-shaped object was actually a massive bundle of long, black hair.

By now, this mass of hair had already strangled the ox to death; one end of the black strands had burrowed into the ox's body, frantically absorbing its blood, and the ox's carcass was visibly withering away.

Swish!

The phantom of five tigers manifested behind him, and Chen Changming slashed down with his blade.

This strike was like a Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain, unstoppable in its momentum.

The black hair clearly had not expected someone to ambush it so quickly and, unable to dodge in time, was struck squarely by the blade.

Puff, puff...

A dozen strands of hair were severed.

Stung by the pain, the hair recoiled violently, retreated from the ox, and fled rapidly along the wall.

"Trying to run?"

Chen Changming sneered; this was worth 200 contribution points, and he was determined to kill it.

Like a swimming dragon, he wound through the dark night, catching up to the black hair in just two breaths.

Puff, puff...

Two more slashes landed.

Yet, Chen Changming had only managed to sever a small portion of the hair; the remainder continued to act like a mad thing, charging toward the nearby lake.

"What on earth is this monster?"

Chen Changming's gaze flickered as he noticed his blade edge had begun to curl, and he could not help but feel astonished.

He had reinforced his Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade twice and knew its power well, yet it could not kill this bizarre black hair!

Without hesitation, Chen Changming activated his Dragon Glide Step to continue the pursuit, landing several more strikes and severing hundreds of strands.

The remaining hair dove into the lake water.

Chen Changming activated his Spirit Armor Art and gave chase, plunging in after it.

Once in the water, his Dragon Glide Step was hindered, his speed dropped, and he could only watch helplessly as the black hair vanished into the depths of the lake.

Naturally, Chen Changming did not want the duck that had already reached his mouth to fly away, so he continued his search within the lake.

"What, a disciple of the Lingxiao Sect?"

From within the red glow at the bottom of the lake, a man's angry roar erupted.

The black hair nodded repeatedly.

"Damn it, my injuries were caused by the Lingxiao Sect, and now that I was finally about to leave this place, another little second-layer Qi Refining disciple from the Lingxiao Sect has come to cause trouble!"

The man roared incessantly, his voice growing louder and louder.

It seemed his reverse scale had been touched, and he was determined to vent his rage on this little Lingxiao Sect disciple.

"What is that?"

After swimming a hundred meters underwater, Chen Changming spotted a small cluster of red light in the distance, which immediately put him on high alert.

This red glow must have been quite far away, which was why it appeared so tiny, no larger than a fingernail.

Could this be the lair of the black strands?

A thought surfaced in the youth's mind. He remained cautious, slowly closing in on the red light. After half an incense stick's time, he finally arrived twenty or thirty meters away from it.

The red light was a barrier of energy, flickering continuously; human figures seemed to be inside, but they were not clearly visible.

"Heh heh, you Lingxiao Sect scum, are you here to throw your life away?"

A sinister, mocking laugh suddenly rang out from within the red barrier, the voice arrogant and filled with a sense of unbridled conceit.

Chen Changming was startled and activated his Dragon Glide Step, immediately retreating several dozen meters.

He held his steel blade in his right hand, the phantom of five tigers manifesting behind him, their roars echoing across the lake floor; meanwhile, the fingers of his left hand trembled slightly, ready to unleash his ultimate move at any moment—

Spirit Finger Flick.

This instantaneous technique was his final trump card.

"Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade? Ha! You kid aren't doing very well in the Lingxiao Sect, are you? You've already started cultivating, yet you still use martial arts from the secular world!"

The man inside the red light jeered.

"Who are you?"

Chen Changming asked with a solemn expression.

The red light slowly receded, revealing a man in blood-red robes sitting cross-legged on the sandy bottom, a red disc hovering above his head. Beside him lay the mass of black hair.

One end of the black hair rested on his palm, continuously drawing blood that was absorbed into his skin.

The red-robed man's cultivation was at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, but his face was deathly pale and his aura weak, as if he had not yet recovered from severe injuries.

Seeing this bizarre scene, Chen Changming understood immediately: the opponent was absorbing blood to heal his wounds.

The man in the blood-colored robe sneered while drinking blood to heal his wounds. "What a fool, you couldn't even recognize the attire I'm wearing. Hah, no matter... once you're dead and report to King Yama, you'll find out."

"You're a disciple of the Blood Demon Sect!"

A flash of insight streaked through his mind, and Chen Changming blurted it out.

"Hmph, not bad, you still have a bit of a brain."

The man in the blood-colored robe finished drinking, slowly rose to his feet, and smiled with a sinister expression. "I nearly died, all thanks to your Senior Sister!"

As he spoke, he suddenly waved his hand, and that mass of black hair snapped upward, shooting toward him like black lightning!

"Go to hell!"

His expression was ferocious as he let out a sharp roar.

Chen Changming did not hesitate; his left hand instinctively flicked repeatedly, and in an instant, several thick beams of spiritual energy shot out from his fingertips.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

His Spirit Finger Flick was actually faster than the black hair.

Boom! Boom...

Two beams of light slammed into the black hair, the violent force instantly dismembering it, shattering the spiritual energy inch by inch until it was completely destroyed.

Pfft!

Pfft!

At the same time, three beams of light struck the man in the blood-colored robe, sending blood spraying everywhere as three bowl-sized holes were blasted into his torso.

"How... could this..."

The slain man in the blood-colored robe stared at the youth in the distance in disbelief, his gaze unfocused as his body collapsed onto the sandy ground.

He died with his eyes wide open.

He never imagined that a lowly cultivator at only the second level of Qi Refining would strike like thunder and fire, leaving him no time to react and ending his life in an instant.

After killing the man in the blood-colored robe, Chen Changming smiled faintly.

His Spirit Finger Flick possessed terrifying power within a hundred meters and arrived in the blink of an eye. This Blood Demon Sect disciple had been far too careless, failing to even activate the magical treasure above his head, which led to him being killed in a single strike, dying with his eyes wide open.

Chen Changming drifted over, collected the severed black hair into an empty Storage Bag, and approached the Blood Demon Sect disciple. With a swift motion, he severed the head and stowed it away in his Storage Bag as well.

This was his trophy, as well as the proof required to exchange for contribution points.

Chen Changming's gaze shifted toward the Red Disk that had long since fallen into the sand. His eyes brightened as he muttered to himself, "This treasure seems quite decent..."

He had never seen a formal magical treasure before; today was his first time.

Now that the Blood Demon Sect disciple was dead, this magical treasure had become his spoils of war.