Du Xiao took several slashes head-on with his long, pitch-black arms, which looked cast from iron, then stamped on the ground and lunged forward, ignoring the blades sweeping toward his back.
As he lunged, his arms stretched forward in a blur and seized an enemy. Its thin body lacked the solidity of a ghost's soul; instead, it felt slick, tough, and resilient.
Normal from the front, paper-thin from the side, smooth and slippery.
What sort of ghost was this?
And it remained expressionless, neither roaring nor panicking, as wooden as ever.
Even as Du Xiao roared in fury, a flicker of uncertainty passed through his mind.
Killing them gave him nothing to devour. They seemed to be neither flesh and blood nor souls. They were like... like chunks of stone.
And there were bloody cuts all over his body.
One or two meant nothing, but they were adding up. These bastards had no fear of the strong whatsoever.
Even though he had torn apart plenty of their companions, they kept attacking without pause.
Worse, they were fast. To tear them apart, he had to either unleash all his ghostly power or spit out ghostly miasma to corrode and defile them. Both cost him strength and energy.
"Urgh... ah..."
He let out a muffled groan.
Those bizarre enemies had slashed his existing wounds, tearing the shallow cuts open again. His regeneration simply could not keep pace with the damage.
"Roar!!"
He roared, his face contorted with fury.
Whipping his head around, he spat out another blast of ghostly miasma.
Then he abruptly retreated, spun around, and tore that enemy apart.
"Ah..."
Another muffled groan escaped him.
The other enemies seemed utterly indifferent to their companions' survival. Without the slightest fear or hesitation, they continued attacking from other directions as he retreated.
Feeling the injuries that had accumulated from all those little cuts, feeling his ghostly power draining away...
Du Xiao actually smiled.
Because...
More than half of the dozens of enemies had already been killed.
I, Du Xiao, will be the one who wins in the end!
As for those lesser ghosts, their deaths had served a purpose. They would return to this world after dying anyway. At least they had taken some of the enemies off his hands.
The pain in his body and the loss of ghostly blood and power only made his long, pointed face twist with greater fury.
"Hehehehe, good. You've truly angered me now. I'll tear every last one of you apart! I'll kill you all!!"
"Roar!!"
He let out a roar.
Black vapor spilled from his body, driving those enemies back again.
Taking advantage of this sudden move, he picked a direction and pounced, tearing apart another enemy.
He threw the enemy's strange, ripped corpse to the ground.
Then he threw back his head and roared again.
"Just wait! Just wait! Once I, Du Xiao, kill them all, you ant, I'll find you! I'll... ah... impossible..."
His roar faltered.
He saw more of those bizarre enemies suddenly dropping down all around him, one after another.
After landing, some charged toward his lesser ghost minions, while even more turned their gazes toward him.
He instinctively shouted.
"Impossible! Who are you? How can you cross between worlds? There's no sign that this world has been breached..."
At last, a note of terror entered his voice!
"Ah!"
As his ghostly heart wavered...
His body suffered another slash.
"Roar!!"
He spat out a mouthful of black vapor.
Suddenly, a figure flickered into its path, blocking it head-on.
Its body immediately began to decay, then cracks appeared.
This was an ordinary paper figure that had just been cut out. Without special paper, its defenses were somewhat weaker, but it made an excellent shield.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
In the dim world, countless thin, ghostlike figures twisted and wheeled, appearing around Du Xiao in alternating flashes as countless blades slashed at him without pause!
"Ah... you... you fight dirty..."
"Ganging up on me! What kind of decent ghosts are you?!"
"I yield! I yield! I promise I won't interfere with that Spirit Child anymore..."
"Roar!!"
He abruptly tore apart another two enemies.
Pain coursed through his entire body again.
He looked frantically in every direction.
He knew some being had to be watching all this from the shadows.
"Come out! Come out! I yield! I'll never bother you again, never oppose you, never seek revenge! I, Du Xiao, swear it to heaven and earth..."
A vicious gleam flashed in his eyes. Give me time. I, Du Xiao, am the king of this world. I'll find you. I'll find you.
The image of that young mortal flashed through his mind. I'll find you!
If he had not already withdrawn his entire consciousness, and opening the passage to that Spirit Child had not required time, Du Xiao would certainly have surrendered in the real world.
"Stop fighting! Stop fighting! I, Du Xiao, acknowledge you! You're worthy of saving her! You're worthy of saving her! I'll grant you that favor."
"Withdraw! Withdraw! I, Du Xiao, will owe you a favor from now on! Withdraw..."
But...
No one paid him any attention. No one answered.
Only the countless paper figures continued their assault.
He could also see that, even now, more paper figures kept descending, one after another.
His opponent... intended to wipe them all out!!
"I yield!!"
"I yield!"
At last, he was afraid.
He began to flee.
But...
This world really was not very big, and those bizarre enemies were ghostly and swift, their efficiency still terrifying.
Silent, expressionless, decisive in their slaughter, and utterly unafraid of casualties!
"I surrender! I surrender... I'm willing to surrender!"
"Spare me! Spare me, Du Xiao! I'll be your dog!"
"Spare my life! Spare my life! From now on, I, Du Xiao, will obey you! This whole world will obey you!"
"My lord! Great lord! Spare my life!"
No one answered.
Those enemies simply continued surrounding and attacking him.
"Roar! Bastards! Bastards! Despicable humans! Treacherous humans! You must have deliberately lured me into possessing her! You must have plotted all this to find my location!"
"Damn you, damn you, damn you! Treacherous, greedy humans! You'll die horrible deaths! You'll die horrible deaths! As heaven and earth change, you humans will all become food in the end! You're lambs by nature! Just wait! Just wait! You'll pay for your greed..."
"Ah, I know now! I know now! You must have set your sights on my secret realm! You must want to seize my home!"
"Boohoo... spare me! Spare me! This isn't a Spiritual Grotto Heaven! This place isn't suitable for humans to live in! I'm willing to surrender and tend ghosts for you in the secret realm..."
"Ah! Ah! I'll fight you to the death! Die, die, die, die... don't even think about taking my domain..."
"I, Du Xiao, refuse to accept this! I refuse! My spirituality finally returned from deathly silence, and heaven and earth rewarded me with this secret realm, yet... yet... I refuse! I refuse..."
"I truly surrender! I truly surrender! I'm willing to submit to True Spirit Binding! Just spare my life, and I'll be your ghost slave!"
Gu Zhe descended into one of the Mysterious Paper Figures.
Standing atop a rock, he listened as the ghost Du Xiao alternated between roaring and begging, raging about fighting to the death, and babbling in terror...
It seemed that whether human or ghost...
Once they possessed an independent will, those who could truly remain composed in the face of death and oblivion were few and far between!
Listening to the information Du Xiao revealed in his desperation...
Gu Zhe grew thoughtful.
But...
Whether Du Xiao wanted to yield or surrender, whether he offered to become a dog or submit to that True Spirit Binding...
Gu Zhe did not waver in the slightest.
The best enemy was a dead enemy.
As for subordinates in a world like this...
He had no shortage of them. He had paper figures to wage war for him. Even if he wanted more adaptable ghost minions, three-legged toads might be hard to find, but ghosts and spirits were everywhere!
Gu Zhe simply watched calmly.
Until Du Xiao's body weakened, until the countless slashes finally cut off his head, severed his limbs, and split his torso apart.
Then they exterminated the lesser ghosts.
Then...
For some inexplicable reason, something like the sound of the Dao seemed to ring beside the ears of the paper figure Gu Zhe possessed.
Amid that mysterious whispering, an instinctive understanding arose.
"You have become the master of the Du Xiao Secret Realm!"
Then streams of dark energy, seemingly bearing mysterious runes, poured out of the small world and into the paper figure Gu Zhe possessed.
At the same time, endless information flowed in, instantly teaching Gu Zhe many things.
He checked the Mysterious Paper Figure's attributes:
[Name: Mysterious Paper Figure (Gu Zhe) (Master of the Du Xiao Secret Realm)] [Master: Gu Zhe] [Rank: Secret Realm Lord, Eighth Sequence] [Traits: 1. Immune to ordinary water and fire, 2. Steel body, 3. Swiftness, 4. Great strength, 5. Absolute loyalty] [Skills: 1. Netherfrost Slash, 2. Secret Realm Frenzy, 3. Secret Realm Blessing]