Chapter Seventeen: The Gruesome Demise of the Red Ghost King!

"Done!"

After plastering the General's coffin with talismans and burying it deep underground, Linger nodded with satisfaction. She admired her handiwork for a moment before signaling to the other three that everything was taken care of.

Lin Yueru, Tang Yu, and Anu, however, were left with complex expressions on their faces.

"Alright, let's continue exploring."

Tang Yu calmed his pounding heart, took over the lead from Lin Yueru, and stepped forward once more.

Before they could even take a few steps, however, the massive tomb gate suddenly swung open. A powerful suction force pulled the four of them into the center of the tomb, and the stench of blood that greeted them was so overpowering it nearly made them retch.

Once they finally adjusted to the foul air, they had the chance to survey their surroundings. In the center of the room lay a massive pool shimmering with a blood-red light, filled to the brim with the blood of human maidens. The walls were decorated with regal opulence, clearly marking this as the tomb of a prince—luxurious, yet exuding a chilling, sinister aura.

"Heh heh, who dares disturb my slumber?"

Within the pool, the crimson blood surged like a tidal wave, rising over a meter high to reveal a humanoid figure with distinct features.

"Is that you? The Red Ghost King?"

Lin Yueru stepped forward, her voice high and resolute, like a valkyrie marching onto the battlefield. Or at least, that was the scene playing out in her mind. In reality, the tomb was dim and flickering, with only the eerie blood-red light illuminating her, making her appearance look rather strange.

"A little human brat? A novice at the Golden Core stage? Heh heh, your elders must be truly generous to send you little ones to go demon-slaying."

The Red Ghost King sneered. The blood-tide churned, and two massive crimson hands surged forth, seizing Lin Yueru and Tang Yu and suspending them in mid-air, leaving them unable to struggle.

"Let go of Brother Tang Yu!"

Anu panicked and hurriedly threw out her venomous insects. But against the Red Ghost King, whose true form was a pool of blood, no matter how powerful her insects were, they couldn't inflict a shred of damage.

"Get out of the way, Anu, let me! Profound Ice Spell!"

The talismans descended, and the two blood hands instantly froze into ice. Without the fluid to cushion the blow, Tang Yu and Yueru easily shattered the frozen limbs and returned to the group.

"Ah! How dare you destroy my physical form! I will kill you all!"

With the blood hands destroyed and scattered, the Red Ghost King thrashed wildly within the pool. Countless blood-hands coalesced into palms and surged toward the group. Lin Yueru swung her longsword frantically, trying to block the assault alongside Tang Yu. Unfortunately, her sword relied on physical strikes; even when imbued with mana, it could only tear the blood-hands apart before they instantly reformed, dealing no lasting damage.

Unable to gain the upper hand, the two were forced to defend while calling out to Linger.

"Linger, can you freeze the entire blood pool? It has no physical body—we can't beat it!"

"I can't! The Red Ghost King's power is too strong; the Profound Ice Spell can't penetrate to its core!"

Linger struggled as she cast spells to buff Yueru and Tang Yu's swords. Her mana was limited, and she couldn't keep up the sword energy indefinitely. A moment of carelessness saw Tang Yu struck by a blood-hand that broke through their defenses, sending him flying. With their defensive circle shattered, thousands of blood-hands swarmed in.

"Oh no! Seven-Absolute Sword Formation!"

Lin Yueru’s expression shifted. She tossed her sword into the air, where it split into seven blades to form a formation. Thousands of sword beams erupted from the array, each one striking a blood-hand and turning it into a splash of gore, only for it to be absorbed back into the Red Ghost King. By sheer force of exhausting her mana, she managed to hold back the onslaught. But at her current level, she couldn't maintain it for long.

"Princess, let's retreat! We are no match for the Red Ghost King right now. We can come back for it after we find the Imperial Preceptor!"

Anu frantically helped Tang Yu up, her heart aching at the sight of her beloved’s wounds, and she urged Linger to flee.

Linger's expression remained stern. If they retreated, who knew if the Red Ghost King would escape? It possessed its own pocket dimension; once it fled, capturing it would be nearly impossible. Yet, if they didn't retreat, how could they handle a fluid-type enemy? Her true form as a descendant of Nuwa? Immortal arts? Without enough mana or a high enough cultivation level, even the strongest techniques were no match for the Red Ghost King.

After holding out for a little longer, Linger saw the sweat pouring down Lin Yueru's forehead and the thinning of the sword beams. Realizing they were about to collapse, Linger’s body shimmered, her true Nuwa form revealed, and she stepped in front of Lin Yueru.

"You go first, I'll cover the retreat! Immortal Art: Roaring Thunder Descent!"

"Crack-crack-crack..."

Countless bolts of lightning struck down, forming a sea of electricity between the blood pool and the group. The Red Ghost King shrieked, trying to break through, but the blood-hands dared not enter the lightning; any movement resulted in them being incinerated to nothing.

"Retreat!"

Once the Red Ghost King was trapped, Linger quickly followed the others, fleeing the tomb at top speed.

And there, standing at the tomb entrance, was Hao Yun.

"Master?!"

"Lord Imperial Preceptor?"

Linger and Yueru cried out in pleasant surprise. Anu and Tang Yu stared at Hao Yun with curiosity, trying to find something that set him apart from other people of the Great Tang. His reputation was so legendary that it had reached as far as the Kingdom of Nanzhao and beyond; he was truly a name known to all.

"So, you finally realize there is a heaven beyond heaven and people beyond people? You couldn't even handle a petty Red Ghost King, yet you spend all day clamoring to go demon-slaying."

After teasing the two girls and ignoring their pouting, Hao Yun nodded to Anu and Tang Yu. He took a deep breath, deciding to display his ninjutsu before the four of them for the first time.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Bloom!"

"Rumble!"

The General's tomb shook violently. The ground churned as countless thick tree roots erupted from beneath, forcing the tomb chamber into the air and lifting Hao Yun a hundred meters high. A colossal wooden Buddha palm then descended, crushing the structure!

"Argh! I'll kill you all!"

With its lair destroyed and the blood pool overturned, the Red Ghost King roared in fury. It expanded its body to a hundred meters in size, sending giant blood-palms crashing down toward the wooden Buddha beneath Hao Yun’s feet.

"Tricks of a minor demon! Red Ghost King, you have slaughtered thousands of my people; it is time for you to die!"

Smelling the thick stench of blood, Hao Yun let out a cold hum. Behind the wooden Buddha, a thousand palms manifested, resembling a Thousand-Armed Guanyin!

"Wood Style: Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"

"Boom, boom, boom, boom!"

The thousand palms rained down. The Red Ghost King’s body was pulverized into liquid, and the ground was hammered with countless craters as if struck by meteors. This time, thanks to the energy-absorbing properties of Wood Style, the Red Ghost King’s blood was absorbed the moment it manifested, leaving it no chance to reform.

Hao Yun landed on the Buddha’s palm and reached the ground, picking up the glowing yellow Earth Spirit Bead.

Red Ghost King, defeated.