For the time being, Mu Zhengfeng had been dealt with, but Hu Donghan did not feel particularly relieved.
Beating Mu Zhengfeng had indeed made him feel better, but the last fig leaf between them had been completely torn away. From now on, if any conflict arose between him and Mu Zhengfeng again, they would absolutely go for each other's throats!
Even so, Hu Donghan did not regret it in the slightest.
Mu Zhengfeng had come looking for a beating himself. If Hu Donghan had still swallowed it, then he would not be Hu Donghan!
"Now I've completely fallen out with Mu Zhengfeng. Once he moves against me, with my current foundation, dealing with him will probably be difficult... Forget it! If it really comes down to it, I'll invoke the girl's name. It may be a little humiliating, but it's still better than losing my life. Besides, the girl is our child bride—there's nothing embarrassing about it between husband and wife." After turning it over and over in his mind, Hu Donghan found that this truly seemed to be the only way to ensure his safety in the short term.
If Hu Donghan had been given enough time, Mu Zhengfeng would not have been much stronger than an ant.
Hu Donghan did not know whether Hu Meier had been keeping watch over him all along. After hesitating for a moment, he carved the four words "Girl, save me" onto his door before shutting it.
"Mu Zhengfeng's arrival today was rather strange. I only returned yesterday afternoon, yet Mu Zhengfeng came knocking early this morning. Someone must have gone to inform him. Among the outer disciples of Overlapping Peaks, there probably isn't anyone willing to bother with that clown and do something so disgusting. The only ones who could do such a thing should be the menial disciples!" Hu Donghan sat cross-legged on his bed, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. "Since returning to Overlapping Peaks, the only menial disciple I've had contact with was the one serving near my room... Hmph! What a fine menial. One day, I'll find an opportunity to kill him outright and be done with it!"
After a pause, Hu Donghan immediately thought, "I should have rested properly for two days after half a month of hard work, but it seems improving my strength comes first."
As he pondered, Hu Donghan touched the Soul Ring on his hand and released that Mortal Ghost.
A soul in Ghost Wraith form could not escape at all. Hu Donghan first recalled the Yin Soul Sect's Ghost-Summoning Technique, then formed several hand seals and bit his finger, dripping a drop of blood onto the Mortal Ghost.
"Ghost-Summoning Technique, condense!"
Hu Donghan shouted softly. As the Profound Yin Heart Method circulated within him, streams of spiritual power burrowed into the Mortal Ghost. Once that spiritual power came into contact with the Ghost-Spirit Light inside it, the drop of blood that had been floating on its surface also merged into its body. In the end, that drop of blood fused with the Mortal Ghost's Ghost-Spirit Light. As the blood, spiritual power, and Ghost-Spirit Light merged, the originally formless Mortal Ghost gradually began to change shape, becoming a faint humanoid figure—
Almost at the same time, Hu Donghan vaguely sensed that some indistinct connection had formed between his mind and the Ghost Wraith before him. This Mortal Ghost now felt like a part of Hu Donghan's own body.
He continued using the Ghost-Summoning Technique until the connection between himself and the Mortal Ghost became clearer and closer, only then stopping.
He reached out and touched the Mortal Ghost before him, sending spiritual power inside to examine its condition. Hu Donghan breathed a slight sigh of relief. Immediately afterward, he began a more meticulous analysis of it.
"The Mortal Ghost's soul strength is somewhat weaker than the Evil Ghosts I commanded in my previous life. Its growth potential also seems poor. However, this Mortal Ghost actually has no attribute at all. Back on Earth, that meant special methods could be used to cultivate it into all kinds of attributes! In terms of its growth direction, it should possess limitless possibilities."
"Limitless possibilities! I never expected the Mortal Ghosts of this world to be the supreme ghost creatures I had sought a hundred times over on Earth without ever obtaining! If I had possessed an attribute-less ghost like this on Earth, I could have followed the Medicine Spirit Ghost cultivation method in the 'True Exposition of the Ghost Path' to raise a special Ghost Wraith. How could I possibly have ended up dying without even a complete corpse?"
"Moreover, according to the 'True Exposition of the Ghost Path,' ghosts that possess spirit may be nourished with souls; those skilled in commanding ghosts must follow the Ghost Way in order to attain longevity. On the path of the Ghost Way, if we speak only of Soul Bodies, the Ghost-Nurturing Art in the 'True Exposition of the Ghost Path' can both raise a Soul Body's cultivation and improve its aptitude. If a Mortal Ghost like this is cultivated further, it might even have a chance to advance into a Low-Grade Ghost Demon!"
"Still, what I'm thinking now is only speculation. Whether the Ghost-Nurturing Art in the 'True Exposition of the Ghost Path' truly works can only be known after trying it!"
In his previous life, Hu Donghan had relied on merely a tiny fraction of the strange arts from the "True Exposition of the Ghost Path" to dominate an entire region! Its contents naturally could not be simple.
Aside from a general outline of the Ghost Way, the "True Exposition of the Ghost Path" was divided into four major categories: Soul Bodies, Zombies, Skeletons, and miscellaneous types.
Within the "True Exposition of the Ghost Path," cultivation of Soul Bodies was the foundation for cultivating the other three major categories. If one failed to master the Soul Body path, then forcibly cultivating Zombies, Skeletons, or miscellaneous types would inevitably bring terrifying backlash!
The contents concerning Soul Bodies mainly covered how to catch ghosts, nurture ghosts, command ghosts, and all manner of bizarre cultivation methods for Soul Bodies. In particular, the Soul Body branch gave detailed introductions to methods of nurturing and commanding ghosts.
In the Ghost-Nurturing Art, to nurture a ghost, one first had to choose a Soul Body capable of enduring the power of ghost command. If a Soul Body could not even withstand the basic power of ghost command, its fate would certainly be for its soul to scatter and its spirit to disperse, leaving it with no cultivation value at all. It was just like the Yin Soul Sect's Ghost-Summoning Technique: when using it, one had to choose a Ghost Wraith. If one casually used it on a Wandering Soul, then even if it succeeded, that Wandering Soul would inevitably be unable to bear the spiritual power and dissipate on the spot. In truth, this was the same as the Ghost-Nurturing Art.
The Ghost-Nurturing Art also contained countless classifications for Soul Bodies.
The five largest categories were the five attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, which were also the five easiest attributes to find. In his previous life, Hu Donghan had found several yin lands and gathered Evil Ghosts of all five elements.
Beyond those five major types were the three rare types of wind, ice, and lightning, which were comparatively uncommon among Soul Bodies. Beyond even those were many unusual Soul Bodies. For instance, the Hidden Soul Body, which remained invisible from the moment it was born, and the Soul-Shaking Body, whose voice could seize a person's soul the instant it opened its mouth.
In short, any Soul Body one could imagine basically existed in reality.
The "True Exposition of the Ghost Path" alone proposed over a hundred possible Soul Bodies in its Soul Body section. Moreover, more than half of them came with cultivation methods. The Medicine Spirit Ghost that made Hu Donghan's eyes turn red with envy was one of them.
(End of chapter)
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