The Ghost King Emerges, the Final Battle

"Congratulations on mastering the technique. Humanity finally has a way to deal with vicious ghosts."

Zhi Gang was the first to step forward and offer his congratulations, unable to hide the delight on his face.

Even he found it unbelievable.

Back in Kowloon Walled City, he had casually recruited a young man. Now, that young man had truly reached this point and become the key to turning the tide.

Huang Bai smiled, though his face was still somewhat pale.

"If the vicious ghosts are ruthless, then we have to be even more ruthless."

He said it calmly, but he knew full well that, despite how imposing the battle had looked, it had taken quite a toll on him.

His soul had left his body, and he had repeatedly activated spells afterward. Even the inner core in his abdomen had dimmed somewhat.

Ultimately, the reason he could fight so fiercely was because he had the advantage of this world.

The ordinary vicious ghosts here mostly only knew how to possess people and scare them. In terms of actual methods, they were far from formidable.

After possessing someone, they were even vulnerable to blades, guns, and bullets.

Those with a little cultivation merely had stronger yin energy and were stranger in nature. They were nothing like the truly perilous worlds where any random vicious ghost could take a person's life.

That was why Huang Bai could act so freely.

A soul body being immune to physical damage was indeed an enormous advantage, but it did not come without a cost.

When bullets passed through his body, they could not harm his foundation, but they still took away some of his soul power.

On top of that, the attacks of vicious ghosts were all wrapped in yin energy. That stuff could genuinely injure him.

In the end, he still could not get too reckless.

Hong Kong, Kowloon Walled City.

After learning possession and soul-body traversal, Huang Bai found it much more convenient to come and go.

Moreover, his possession was not the ghostly method of seizing someone else's body. It left no lingering consequences and harmed no innocents.

Inside a secluded house, the lights were dim and yellow.

Huang Bai sat cross-legged before a table, flipping through the Naga spells he had brought back from Thailand.

Tracing its origins, this spell was surprisingly connected to Mount Mao. Its full name was <All Techniques Return to the Source: Transforming a Belt into a Snake>.

Huang Bai softly read the contents aloud.

"Take a mountain-crossing wind snake, dry it in the shade, and offer it beneath a black altar. Step upon the Kui Gang, draw in a breath of eastern qi, and recite the Snake Incantation seven times. It shall be complete in seven days."

Once mastered, the dried snake would become a green band worn around the wrist. When needed, one only had to blow a breath at it for it to transform into a snake and kill enemies. The longer it was nurtured and the deeper one's power became, the more heads the snake would have.

Seven days later, a green bracelet had indeed appeared around Huang Bai's wrist.

He raised his hand and pointed lightly.

"Go."

The green band suddenly trembled and instantly transformed into a black-scaled cobra. Its body was slender, its head raised high, while its tail remained wrapped around his wrist.

The snake shadow shot out with astonishing speed. As it lunged low across the ground, it brought a cold, fishy stench into the air.

Watching this, Huang Bai felt more and more that spells truly were profound and mysterious.

Tongtian King of Thailand had used the blood sacrifice of unborn infants to nurture this evil technique, but in Huang Bai's eyes, that was the stupidest possible method.

"Feed it pills, and the results will only be better."

Before long, he summoned everyone.

Huang Yaozu, Li Guoqiang, and Zhi Gang all arrived.

Huang Bai swept his gaze over the three of them and spoke directly. "Lie low for now. Don't make any moves. I'm preparing to work with the authorities and force out the Ghost King."

Huang Yaozu was stunned. "Work with the authorities?"

"The Thailand approach won't work."

"Hong Kong has the mainland behind it. If we confront the authorities head-on, no matter the reason, things will only grow bigger and bigger."

Having reached this point, they had to learn to use the momentum available to them.

A residence in the city center.

Inside the study, a well-dressed middle-aged man was reviewing the Miscellaneous Affairs Bureau's recent files.

"The head of the Miscellaneous Affairs Bureau is suspected of having been possessed by a vicious ghost, murdered his superior, and fled to Thailand..."

The middle-aged man read the report, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Has the infiltration of vicious ghosts reached such a point?"

China had once carried out a purge. That was the only reason the entire land had not ended up like overseas, secretly controlled by ghosts and monsters.

But now, these things had returned?

It would be one thing if only the Miscellaneous Affairs Bureau had a problem. But if they dug deeper, who knew how many ghosts were still hiding in the shadows?

Footsteps suddenly sounded from a corner of the study.

Then came a young man's voice.

"Mr. Lin, hello."

The middle-aged man abruptly rose to his feet, his expression changing drastically.

"Who's there?"

Huang Bai slowly emerged from the shadows.

"Huang Bai." He looked at the man. "You should have heard my name."

"Huang Bai?" Mr. Lin's pupils contracted. "You're that... vicious ghost Huang Bai?"

He almost instinctively took half a step back.

But Huang Bai shook his head.

"The people hunting me are the ghosts."

As he spoke, a wisp of golden light appeared at his fingertips.

The moment the golden glow emerged, a scorching heat filled the entire study.

Huang Bai looked at him and asked, "Have you ever seen a ghost like me?"

Mr. Lin was momentarily speechless.

Huang Bai then drew his ritual sword. He ran a fingertip along the blade, and a faint golden sheen immediately appeared on its edge.

With a casual flick, he drove the sword directly into the wall. It sank several inches deep, its blade humming.

Mr. Lin stared at the sword, and his expression finally changed.

"Who exactly are you?"

Huang Bai sheathed the sword. The lights in the study flickered unsteadily.

"Kowloon Wong Immortal Shrine. Ghost-exorcising Taoist priest, Huang Bai."

Then he took out a videotape.

It contained footage of Huang Yaozu and the others dealing with vicious ghosts.

Mr. Lin remained silent for a long time after watching it.

Only then did Huang Bai continue.

"I represent the Demon-Slaying Bureau in seeking cooperation with you. You provide the manpower, and I kill the ghosts. We'll wipe out this batch of things in Hong Kong for good."

Mr. Lin did not immediately agree.

By this point, it was no longer as simple as arresting a few criminals.

If they truly made a move, they might be opposing half the system—or even people hiding far deeper in the shadows.

Could he really withstand that?

Huang Bai looked at him, his gaze blazing as though forcing him to make a decision.

"If we don't do it, we'll never know whether there's a chance."

"Mr. Lin, do you really intend to leave this mess to the next generation?"

"This world should have changed long ago."

Mr. Lin stared at Huang Bai for a long time before finally nodding slowly.

"Fine."

"I'll cooperate with you."

From that moment onward, the Demon-Slaying Bureau officially established contact with the Hong Kong Government.

Over the following days, the Independent Commission Against Corruption and several secret teams struck at the same time, taking down several so-called major parasites in rapid succession.

These people appeared human on the surface, but in truth, they had long become ghost shells.

One report after another was released.

"The Miscellaneous Affairs Bureau case has now been clarified. Huang Yaozu was the victim. After seeing through Liu Rong's group's conspiracy, he was framed and persecuted by them instead..."

"Huang Yaozu has officially returned to duty and been promoted to deputy commissioner, directly commanding the Flying Tigers. Li Guoqiang will assume the position of head of the Miscellaneous Affairs Bureau..."

"Effective immediately, all of Hong Kong will enter a month-long Level One alert. Criminal organizations and their networks behind the scenes will be severely cracked down upon."

Soon, all sectors began voicing their support as well.

"International superstar Jackie Chan publicly supports the anti-crime operation on behalf of the entertainment industry."

"Multiple associations representing lawyers, finance, merchants, truckers, and others have jointly signed in support."

The Flying Tigers deployed in full force and began ruthlessly striking every force that could not stand in the light.

On the surface, it was a citywide anti-crime campaign.

In secret, what was truly being uprooted were the ghosts hiding behind both the underworld and the legitimate world, along with the human fronts those ghosts had cultivated.

At the same time, the Demon-Slaying Bureau began recruiting newcomers.

Those born with strong spiritual senses, enough courage, and the willingness to risk their lives were gradually brought in.

With the Hong Kong Government acting openly and the Demon-Slaying Bureau clearing ghosts in secret, humanity's counterattack truly began from this small island.

Flying Tigers headquarters.

More than thirty young men and women stood in the hall. They were all recent recruits of the Demon-Slaying Bureau.

Three dark brown Gold-Seeking Talismans sat on the display platform.

These were currently the Demon-Slaying Bureau's most important items.

Every day when reporting for duty, the first thing each person did was touch a Gold-Seeking Talisman to confirm they had not been possessed by a ghost.

Huang Yaozu wore a white uniform and stood before them with his back straight.

The newcomers clearly looked at him with admiration.

"Today, that Taoist priest will be coming." Huang Yaozu swept his gaze over the crowd. "For the coming operation, follow his arrangements."

The moment he said that, a commotion broke out below.

They had heard Huang Bai's name so often their ears had practically callused over, yet not one of them had actually met him.

They only knew that Taoist Priest Huang possessed abilities so extraordinary they seemed unnatural, and that every technique of the Demon-Slaying Bureau had been passed down by him.

As everyone whispered among themselves, a streak of golden light suddenly appeared overhead.

Everyone instinctively looked up.

The next moment, ripples spread across the ceiling like the surface of water.

Huang Bai passed directly down through the roof.

He phased through the ceiling and quietly landed before them, as though completely unbound by the physical laws of this world.

The hall instantly fell silent.

The newcomers who had been whispering all froze, even softening their breathing.

Huang Bai swept his gaze over them and did not waste words.

"Move out. Moonlit Tower."

"Yes, Taoist Priest!"

Only then did they snap out of it. Their voices erupted in unison, making even the roof tremble.

But Huang Bai did not look at them. Instead, he raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through layers of buildings and streets before fixing directly upon a certain estate.

"Hong Kong's richest man, Li Cheng... You hid yourself well. So you're the Ghost King."

At that moment, the Demon-Slaying Bureau and the Flying Tigers moved at the same time.

Elsewhere, the group led by Li Cheng finally tore away their disguises and revealed the armed forces they had secretly cultivated.

Every hidden thread, every blood debt, every scheme was completely laid bare at that moment.

The final battle had finally arrived.