Chapter Eighty-Three Xiaodong, you must win.

When Mao Wuying realized the evil entity was the result of forbidden arts, he ignored the protests of his disciples and sealed it in a jar, leaving it there for thousands of years. No one could have expected that even within the jar, the evil entity could cultivate, eventually breaking free. Perhaps this was fate—a calamity born from Mao Wuying's mercy, resulting in an evil entity that grew within the jar to become a Ghost King, now joined by seven other Ghost Kings from different eras. If a battle were to break out, who could say who would be the victor?

Looking at these Western vampires, each seemed eager for us to start fighting as soon as possible.

Shangguan Yiran watched in terror as all this unfolded. I wasn't sure if he had seen me under the dim lights. With a swift stride through the air, I raised a gust of wind and struck at Ma Yunxia’s evil entity, my fist wrapped in a faint golden glow.

It was my action that ignited the battle. The vampires soared overhead, watching the chaos within the dead-end alley. Light and shadow flickered at the alley’s entrance, and a wild melee began.

Uncle Mao handed his compass to Shangguan Yiran, who was hiding in a corner, then charged at the Ghost King locked in combat with Uncle Ma, wielding his coin sword.

Yang energy is the nemesis of Yin; the two Daoists fighting a ghost had the advantage.

I took on three Ghost Kings alone. Fang Panguo, more experienced than I, also handled three by himself. Eventually, Uncle Mao and Uncle Ma teamed up to restrain a single Ghost King. Talismans and incantations echoed throughout the alley, filling the air with crackling sounds.

As we settled into our rhythm, the vampires above suddenly swooped toward Shangguan Yiran. The horse-faced Ghost King roared at the approaching vampire lord, "Boy, don’t touch her—she’s my bargaining chip!" Then he hurled himself at Fang Panguo, resuming their fight, his fist blasting a hole in the building’s half-meter-thick wall. Had that blow struck a mere mortal, they would have been reduced to pulp.

The vampire lord paid no heed to the horse-faced Ghost King, evidently dismissing him entirely. If the Ghost King realized how little he mattered to this vampire, the lord’s existence would lose all significance.

As the vampire lord neared Yiran, a figure leaped from the rooftop, slamming him hard to the ground. Upon closer look, it was Gano! Who would have thought that the old fellow had been watching the vampire lord all along? Gano was sharper than he seemed, a far cry from his previously timid demeanor.

The vampire lord, struck by Gano from five or six meters up, lay sprawled on the ground, then turned to glare at the bald, second-generation demon corpse standing on his back. He growled at Gano, "Shit! I’ll tear you to pieces," then yanked Gano off his back and hurled him against the opposite wall.

The violent impact left a deep dent in the concrete wall, and Gano fell to the ground, coughing twice.

Humiliation—raw, naked humiliation. Gano, a thinking being, was thrown out so disgracefully. His jade fangs emerged, orange pupils fixed on the vampire lord. The two locked eyes like primordial beasts, then collided in a fierce clash.

The battle unfolded not just in the alley, but also in the sky above.

Fang Panguo tried to draw all seven Ghost Kings together, but they seemed to know not to split up.

The fight raged fiercely; though it was mostly physical, the Ghost Kings were frequently thrown by Fang Panguo and me from the heights, crashing down to carve craters in the ground. It made me think these Ghost Kings were not so formidable after all.

High above, shrouded in darkness, I faced three grotesque Ghost Kings. It seemed we all were about to unleash our special powers.

A faint radiance enveloped me, while the three Ghost Kings formed a grayish mist defense over their bodies, like a shroud of black sorrow, heralding the next round of assaults.

Ah—once such a good person, now here I was, brawling with the police chief, a tale for the ages if word got out.

The relentless attacks from the three Ghost Kings made me wary of their coordinated assault.

At that moment, I recalled the Earth God. No wonder the Earth God and his wife suffered such severe injuries facing these seven Ghost Kings—their relentless attacks would wear anyone down. Moreover, I still hadn’t discovered how to strike at their soul bodies, which left me uneasy. If this continued, not even the Jade Emperor could withstand such attrition!

Desperate, I called out to Uncle Ma, "Uncle, these guys won’t yield to anything—what do we do?" No sooner had I spoken than a ghostly shadow flashed before me and delivered a vicious kick to my abdomen.

Damn, I had barely uttered a word, only to be caught off guard by a Ghost King. The force of that kick must have been several thousand pounds; it sent me plummeting, my wings losing balance.

By sheer misfortune, I landed right in front of Shangguan Yiran, cracking the cement beneath me and startling Yiran into a scream.

But in an alley like this, even if someone heard, they wouldn’t intervene; most Chinese cherish their own lives and never meddle in others’ affairs. So Yiran’s scream was likely in vain.

I slowly raised my head to find Yiran staring at me. When she realized it was me, she was visibly shocked, trembling as she said, "You’re Hu Xiaodong!" Then she reached out her pale hand and tore a tag from my collar. I remembered this tag—it was the one she had stuck there, with "Big Dumb Pig!" written on it.

I was helpless; I hadn’t wanted anyone to know my identity, but now Yiran had uncovered it, leaving me at a loss.

Struggling to my feet, I looked at Yiran, my wings flapping gently, golden talismans shimmering around me. At that moment, I felt like a god—majestic and powerful.

Smiling at Yiran, I said, "Yiran, the world isn’t as beautiful as you imagine. As you’ve seen, they truly exist in this world. In the vast universe, there is nothing you cannot imagine, nothing that doesn’t exist. This battle, I fight for you!" As I spoke, my jade fangs grew, my strength surged, and with a sweep of my wings, I soared toward the three Ghost Kings standing in the air.

The Ghost Kings’ scornful expressions betrayed their reckless arrogance. It’s not that I couldn’t defeat them, but their soul bodies were so hard to damage. If I could find their weakness, even ten or eight more would be no problem.

What surprised me was that Yiran wasn’t afraid of me. Instead, she shouted from below, "Xiaodong, you must win! Go for it!"

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