Chapter 82: The Tenfold Demon-Subduing Incantation

Although I wasn’t very familiar with Shangguan Yiran, I was not the sort to stand by and watch someone perish. Moreover, considering I was now the first generation King of Demon Corpses, I figured I could handle these blood clans and the so-called Ghost King without too much trouble. Even if I couldn’t win, I was confident I could escape with Yiran.

At that moment, the Ghost King was drawing ever closer to Yiran, almost ready to possess her. If she were possessed by such a vicious ghost, her life would be ruined; at best, she’d suffer severe anemia for two years, at worst, she’d face a bloody calamity.

Suddenly, I recalled what Wang Sheng had said about the seven fleeing Ghost Kings—they could harm even divine beings if they joined forces when not restrained. If this Ghost King managed to possess Yiran, his power would multiply several times. At that critical juncture, I sprang out from behind the trash bin, pushing off with my feet and leaping over three meters high. I landed a fierce kick on the chest of a blood clan member, then shouted at the Ghost King, “If you dare harm her, my Demon Corpse clan swears to hunt you to the ends of the earth, for all eternity!”

Thankfully, my words had an effect. The Ghost King paused, slowly turned to look at me, and a chilling wind swept through the dead-end alley, tossing my silver hair in wild disarray, as though an ancient demon had entered this newborn world.

The blood clan member I had kicked was merely a viscount; under the force of a Demon Corpse King’s strike, he dissolved into dust, carried away by the Ghost King’s sinister wind.

Truth be told, I felt immense pressure at the time—using the title of Demon Corpse King, unsure if it would work. But to my delight, the Ghost King was indeed intimidated by the reputation of the Demon Corpse clan. He floated to a spot three meters away from me, stopped, and stared at me with hollow eyes. In a voice as ethereal as mist, he asked, “Was that corpse energy just now released by you?”

I was about to say “yes” when three voices rang out behind me: “No, it was us!”

Turning around, I was astonished—it was reinforcements! Wang Yong, whom I hadn’t seen in days, the headmaster Gano whom I’d met just this morning, and most importantly, another Demon Corpse King: Fang Pangguo, Chief of Police in City Z.

Such powerful reinforcements instantly doubled our fighting strength.

The air was no longer filled with the Ghost King’s sinister aura, but instead, the corpse energy surged and swept across City Z, causing the nighttime temperature to plummet.

“It’s been ages since I’ve felt such fighting spirit. Even thousands of years ago, I never encountered masters like these. Why don’t we make a wager? Including those two old men, what do you think? If you win, I’ll return the girl to you; if you lose, there’s nothing more to be said.” He finished, gesturing behind me and Fang Pangguo.

Following the direction indicated, I saw Uncle Ma and Uncle Mao, who had arrived with their Taiji Luogengs, each wielding a copper coin sword half a meter long.

There was no time for pleasantries. Uncle Mao shouted, “Xiaodong, all seven Ghost Kings have gathered here. Their combined power can harm even gods—be careful!” With that, six talismans flew from his sleeve and struck the empty air.

As the talismans burned, six Ghost Kings with forms identical to the Ghost King appeared. One, who seemed especially fierce, addressed Uncle Ma in a drifting voice, “Descendant of the Ma family, do you know I am the ancestor of your clan? Are you committing the crime of betraying your forebears?”

Uncle Ma was unmoved. He continued to manipulate his fingers and recite the nine-character incantation: “Rin, Pyō, Tō, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!” As he spoke, a golden ring formed above his head, enveloping him in a protective shield.

Uncle Ma heard the Ghost King’s words but remained calm, replying coldly, “Hmph, merely the evil thought of a Heavenly Sovereign. If not for the compassion shown by the Sovereign in the past, you would have been purified long ago. How dare you still show off here!”

The origins of this Ghost King were significant. All of this was explained by Uncle Ma later. It turned out there were two Daoist Sovereigns, both enlightened by the Human King Fuxi: Mao Wuying of the Mao family and Ma Qingxia of the Ma family.

The Ghost King opposite Uncle Ma was a sliver of evil thought from Qingyun. During national turmoil, wars raged, corpses piled up, and vengeful spirits proliferated. The world’s positive energy dropped to historic lows, the underworld overflowed with ghosts, rivaling the rush of spring festival travel. Lax management by the underworld officials allowed countless ghosts to return to the world of the living.

These empowered ghosts began by absorbing weaker spirits, but eventually started consuming the life force of humans, drawing the attention of the Daoist strongholds—Mount Mao and Mount Shu. (Mount Shu was originally the birthplace of the Ma family.)

Because of the ghosts’ rampage, vast regions across China became deserted—sometimes not a single living being could be found for hundreds of miles, only blackened corpses.

Of course, these stories exist only in the records of the Southern Mao and Northern Ma families, as few would believe them; most would dismiss them as myth.

Mao Wuying and Ma Qingxia met at this time, perhaps by destiny. The disciples of Southern Mao were all men, while Northern Ma’s were unmarried women. They were paired and dispatched to subdue the spirits, but the task was colossal—too great for just a few thousand disciples. So Ma Qingxia forged a forbidden Ma family spell, the Ten Directions Demon Subduing Incantation.

Once cast, the land revived. Powerful evil spirits were crushed by the hands of hell itself, though a few managed to escape—very few.

This forbidden art drained all of Ma Yunxia’s energy and lifespan within a year, and she was only nineteen at the time. That day, all Southern Mao and Northern Ma disciples fasted, and even the Human King Fuxi appeared. He rode a lily blossom to Ma Yunxia’s side and recited a verse: “When fate brings calamity, how can it be overcome? Where does one find the one destined? So close, yet speechless, meeting too late for words!” With that, a drop of rain fell from his hand onto Ma Yunxia’s forehead.

Ma Yunxia’s tightly closed eyes grew moist and red, as if she were about to cry. From her heart, golden words emerged: “Only when you hold my hand can I feel the red thread tied by the Old Man of the Moon trembling for us!” All of this happened before Mao Wuying, whose eyes also grew wet, for he was holding Ma Qingxia’s hand and could feel their pinkies trembling together.

The Human King Fuxi left with one final message: “Take one, leave one. Whether evil or good, let your heart decide. Whether to keep or to kill, it’s up to you, Mao Wuying!” With that, he drew the slumbering soul from Ma Yunxia’s body and ascended to the heavens on the white lily.

Everything returned to calm. But Mao Wuying found a trace of evil in Ma Yunxia’s body, still in its infancy, like a child suddenly born, gradually manifesting from Ma Qingxia’s abdomen as a wisp of energy in the round hall.

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