Liusha Country.
Thick black smoke billowed from within the city, coalescing into a vast cloud that shrouded the sky, casting everything into a shadowy gloom. An eerie wind howled through the streets.
The city was in ruins. Zombies, shadow demons, and malevolent spirits roamed freely, their grotesque forms twisted and terrifying.
These creatures were the souls of Liusha Country's deceased, denied entry to the underworld. Enslaved here, they toiled as ghostly laborers under the Ghost King's rule.
Around the city, massive cauldrons boiled at various locations, each emitting clouds of black smoke and malevolent energy.
A closer look revealed the contents: a yellowish corpse broth simmering with bones, flesh, and even the souls of the defiant who had refused to yield.
Their wails and cries filled the air, their sorrow and resentment condensing into yin energy, shaping the ghostly abyss into its current nightmarish state.
From time to time, shadow demons approached the cauldrons to add a single drop of some precious liquid, handling it with reverent care.
Snap!
A whip cracked against the back of an elderly ghost, causing it to stumble.
A skeletal demon overseeing the scene barked, "What are you staring at? Get back to work!"
The old ghost fell to the ground, weak and frail despite being a spirit, as if its soul might dissipate at any moment.
A shadow demon nearby scowled. "Don't kill it. When the Great King reopens the Ghost Gate, these souls are needed as sacrifices."
The skeletal demon grinned. "Relax, I know my limits. Hey, got anything?"
The shadow demon shook its head. "We're running low on Yellow Springs Water. Without it, we can't refine proper pills from the living souls."
The skeletal demon smacked its lips. "Let's hope nothing goes wrong when the Ghost Gate opens."
"With all these years of cultivating using living souls from the mortal realm, I feel more alive than ever."
It peeled back a layer of its own skin, reveling in the sensation of vitality.
The shadow demon smirked. "Who doesn't enjoy it? The mortal realm is rich and abundant—endless blood, countless living souls. Cultivation is ten, no, a hundred times faster than in the underworld."
It began walking toward the royal palace, where an elite troop of ghost soldiers clad in armor guarded an ominous altar.
Beneath the altar, ghostly flames burned, fueling a massive bronze cauldron.
A figure with a green face and sharp fangs was extracting the living soul from a monstrous snake and forcing it into the cauldron.
The snake's agonized hiss echoed as its soul joined the writhing mass already within—hundreds, perhaps thousands of serpentine spirits packed tightly together. The sight alone was enough to make anyone shudder.
As the Ghost King chanted, the cauldron lid sealed shut. The snake's cries ceased, and mysterious light flickered around the vessel as its belly rumbled ominously.
Nearby, ghostly soldiers hauled the snake's lifeless body and discarded it into a river already choked with corpses and bones.
The river's yellowish waters, saturated with yin energy, tainted the surrounding soil and seeped underground, contaminating the entire area.
Suddenly, a panicked voice rang out from above.
"My lord!"
A bird-like demon with a human face descended through the black clouds and knelt before the Ghost King.
The Ghost King, known for his campaigns of terror and abductions of living beings and monsters, had recruited a few cowardly demons into his ranks.
"What's the commotion?" the Ghost King asked casually.
"Lord, a great calamity is upon us! A demon king from the southern mountains has mobilized a force and is marching this way."
The Ghost King tilted his head and chuckled. "Mobilized a force? That demon king only has a few hundred small fry under his command. What force could he possibly muster?"
Laughter erupted from the surrounding ghost generals.
The bird-faced demon added hesitantly, "Not just that. He's also brought a hundred or so strong mortals from Hundred Fox Mountain to fight alongside him."
The Ghost King paused, then burst into laughter. "Humans? What can they do? Are they here to offer up their heads?"
More laughter followed.
"Leave them alive? They'd already be our food if not for the sacrifices!"
"They're just livestock. What's there to fear?"
"Exactly!"
The bird-faced demon persisted. "The humans and lesser demons aren't the issue. The demon king himself is immensely powerful!"
"Powerful?!" scoffed a ghost general, a red-eyed zombie clad in armor. "We of Yin Mountain are infamous even in the underworld. Who would dare challenge us?"
The other ghost generals grinned.
"Exactly. The Ghost King's Nine-Fiend Yin Gathering Array is already in place. Soon, this mortal city will be a true ghostly abyss."
"And even without the array, our king has reached the Mystic Immortal stage. No mere demon king can stand against him."
"Even if another Mystic Immortal appeared, they'd be nothing but prey for our king."
The Ghost King laughed heartily. "Indeed. When that demon arrives, I'll extract his demon soul and refine it into soul pills for you all!"
"Thank you, my lord!"
"Long live the Ghost King!"
The Ghost King turned, his expression cold as he muttered to himself:
"Such a commotion... I mustn't alert the Heavenly Court."
"I'll capture this demon, sacrifice ten thousand living souls, open the Ghost Gate, and refine the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. Then I'll return to the underworld."
"Building a ghostly abyss in the mortal realm? Only a fool would risk that."
He had already scouted the region thoroughly, and this was the final phase of his plan.
Thirty Miles Away
The Great King Yellow Wind stood on a ridge, gazing at the massive shadowy clouds blanketing the area. He frowned.
"Carelessness allowed it to grow to this extent," he muttered.
When he first passed through, it hadn't been nearly as developed. Even the Poison Demon had only mentioned it in passing during the battle with the Thousand-Year Corpse King.
Back then, he hadn't thought much of it. After all, the Ghost King and its lair weren't part of his memories from the future five hundred years later.
"This won't be easy," Old Black Fox remarked gravely. "Those clouds seem tied to an array. If we fight inside, our blood essence will be suppressed. We'll lose the terrain advantage."
Silver Wolf sneered. "Old Chancellor, don't overestimate the enemy and undermine us."
He turned to the Great King Yellow Wind. "My lord, allow me to scout ahead as the vanguard!"
Golden Lion stepped forward. "My lord, leave the vanguard role to me!"
Not to be outdone, the Great Rat General declared, "My lord, I'll do it!"
The Great King Yellow Wind chuckled at their enthusiasm but shook his head.
"Bravery alone isn't enough to win a battle; strategy is key."
"If the Ghost King hasn't made a move, it likely means a trap is waiting inside. Marching in recklessly will play into its hands."
Six-Tusked Elephant asked, "Then what's the plan?"
The Great King Yellow Wind grinned.
"Let's bombard them first!"
The demons were confused.
The Great King Yellow Wind slung the Lightning-Struck Divine Wood Bow off his back, nocked a peachwood arrow, and began chanting a mantra from the Five Thunder Method.
The peachwood came from a thousand-year-old tree struck by lightning three times, its branches imbued with thunderous energy—perfect for crafting anti-evil artifacts.
The bow glowed as the Great King Yellow Wind infused it with his thunder-infused demonic power.
Zzzzzt...
Electric arcs danced across the bow, and a powerful aura emanated from him, forcing the surrounding demons to step back in awe.
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