The Price Must Go Up

Cultivating the Dao was not about risking one's life. Slaying demons, vanquishing devils, and upholding justice would not make him immortal either.

Only by living could one pursue the Dao.

Five-Powers Daoist had cultivated for many years and had long seen through everything.

"Then I must ask Daoist to save me?"

Zhang Gao had no choice but to speak.

"Having accepted another's trust, one must remain loyal to their task.

I will naturally save you.

But how I save you is another matter.

Do you want me to keep you alive? Or trace the source and destroy that ghost? Or do you want me to fight across the void and contend with the person behind it?

Oh, and the price you offered before is only enough for me to keep you alive. Seeing as you were generous, I had originally been willing to help you deal with that ghost along the way.

But that ghost is terribly troublesome. It is hiding somewhere far away, and it will not be easy for me to drag it out and destroy it.

So, the price must go up.

As for fighting the person behind it?

That would mean asking me to risk my life.

The price for risking one's life is different again.

After adding more money, it will have to double."

Five-Powers Daoist waited calmly, wearing the look of a shrewd merchant calculating every last coin.

Zhang Gao's face, already somewhat bluish, immediately turned green.

More money? Double?

To invite Five-Powers Daoist to act this time, he had practically emptied his entire fortune. Where could he possibly find more money?

But his life was on the line. No matter how high the price, he could only bear it.

Thus, he chose to destroy the ghost.

As for asking Five-Powers Daoist to engage in sorcery?

Though he wished he could grind the person behind this to dust and scatter their ashes... he simply could not afford the doubled price.

"Good. Now that the price is sufficient, everything is easy to discuss.

Open your mouth. I'll first force out a mouthful of heart's blood for you."

As Five-Powers Daoist spoke, his finger traveled upward from Zhang Gao's chest. With a light tap, a thick stream of blood spurted out.

Then, with a casual sweep of his hand, he caught it. His fingers drew a talisman through the air, while his other hand made a motion, and somehow, a black pearl appeared in his palm.

He tapped the talisman onto the pearl.

Sizzle, sizzle...

A talismanic inscription immediately branded itself onto the black pearl.

"This is an Evil-Repelling Thunder Pearl. I have already cast a spell on it and linked it to your heart's blood. Put it directly in your mouth. Remember not to swallow it, or if it accidentally explodes, no one will be able to save you."

"Huh? Can I not put it in my mouth?"

"Do you want to live or not?

This Evil-Repelling Thunder Pearl is meant for killing ghosts.

Earlier, I used a severing technique to interrupt its siphoning of your vital energy. That must have frightened it badly.

People fear ghosts, but ghosts are just as cowardly. So during the time we were talking, it did not dare continue drawing your vital energy.

But ghosts are greedy and generally lack reason.

After some time, it will forget what happened and be unable to resist siphoning your vital energy again.

That will be when we strike."

As Five-Powers Daoist spoke, he flicked his hand and stuffed the Evil-Repelling Thunder Pearl into Zhang Gao's mouth.

The Evil-Repelling Thunder Pearl was stained with his heart's blood. The foul stench made him nauseous; he could neither swallow nor spit it out, and it took him quite a while to recover.

What followed was a long wait.

For him, it was even more of an ordeal.

The night gradually deepened.

Chen Shaojun had been watching the ghost in the distance all along. He knew this was the critical moment. Zhang Gao must have invited an expert capable of dealing with the ghost.

Thus, he was secretly waiting in anticipation as well.

Finally, the little ghost moved. It lay in Zhang Ke's arms again and greedily took a breath.

"Now!"

On the other side, Five-Powers Daoist, who had long been prepared, gave a thunderous shout. He pointed forward and formed a hand seal, activating the Evil-Slaying Thunder Pearl.

At the same time, Zhang Gao opened his mouth. The Evil-Slaying Thunder Pearl immediately shot out, wrapped in a breath of vital energy from within his body, and vanished along an unseen trajectory.

The little ghost opened its mouth and took a vicious inhale.

The Evil-Slaying Thunder Pearl mixed within the vital energy surged out as well, and it swallowed it in one gulp.

The little ghost narrowed its eyes in satisfaction, savoring the fullness of vital energy entering its body.

Suddenly, its cold, vacant eyes snapped wide open.

Riiip!

A deafening blast rang out.

The Evil-Repelling Thunder Pearl exploded.

"Ah..."

A shrill ghostly howl followed.

The Evil-Repelling Thunder Pearl exploded inside the ghost. Rampaging lightning shattered its soul body, scattering its yin energy and leaving it weakened to the utmost extreme.

Even so, the little ghost had not yet died.

In the blink of an eye, it re-formed. But now, its soul body was clearly countless times weaker than before, nearly transparent. It drifted with the wind, as though it might scatter away at any moment.

Having fed on vital energy for several days in a row had indeed helped it enormously. Its soul body had nearly solidified, and it was about to become a vicious ghost. Naturally, its resistance had greatly increased.

But at this moment, it was truly terrified. Afraid that another attack would make it completely lose its soul and scatter its spirit, it did not spare another thought before instinctively charging toward Water Cloud Retreat within the pawnshop.

Yet just as it was about to pass through the window and flee without a trace, a palm descended, like a massive fan, seemingly light and effortless.

Boom!

But the instant it came down, it was boundlessly tyrannical, its force piercing straight to the bone.

At that crucial moment, Chen Shaojun made his move.

He directly unleashed the Mighty Vajra Palm.

With one palm strike, surging blood vitality and terrifying force burst forth in an instant, all crashing down upon the ghostly shadow.

Almost instantly, the ghost's soul body was completely torn apart and reduced to ashes.

It was dead.

At this moment, that ghost had finally died completely.

Its soul scattered and spirit dispersed.

Though Chen Shaojun had not acted against this ghost these past few days, that did not mean he had not wanted to get rid of it.

It was only out of caution, and as punishment for Zhang Gao, that he had not acted rashly.

Now, seeing it struck by lightning and nearly reduced to scattered soul and dispersed spirit, and seeing it trying to flee, he finally could not hold himself back.

Moreover, the moment he acted, he used the Mighty Vajra Palm he had obtained as a reward.

This Buddhist supreme art possessed extraordinary power.

When a palm was struck, it appeared light and harmless, yet in an instant it could erupt with terrifying, peerless force.

With a single blow, blood vitality surged and force poured forth. Even though the ghost possessed only a soul body, it could not withstand it, and was instantly blasted into scattered soul and dispersed spirit.

Then, just as Chen Shaojun intended to return to his bed, he suddenly froze.

Buzz!

His vision blurred.

The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror appeared.

"What happened?"

"What was that sound?"

"Was that thunder?"

The peal of thunder had nearly woken every appraisal apprentice.

Everyone was uneasy and bewildered, their faces filled with confusion.

Fortunately, most of the Evil-Repelling Thunder Pearl's attack had been borne by the ghost, with only a tiny portion leaking out.

Moreover, most of the scattered attacks struck empty space. The one who endured the most lightning was Zhang Ke... it had to be said that, as the person closest to that ghost, he had borne far too much.

But do not forget.

He and Zhang Gao were under the Plum-for-Peach Substitution Technique.

All the lightning attacks were transferred onto Zhang Gao in an instant.

Thus, Zhang Ke was lucky enough to remain completely unharmed. At this moment, like everyone else, he wore a foolish, bewildered expression, utterly at a loss.