Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 137 A New Type of Spiritual Material, Truly Wonderful, Every Drink and Every Peck

You used the Ghost King as firewood, burning away the bones of those you now resentful before you.

[Obtain the Spiritual Material to Illuminate Your Fate.]

[Unlocking a new type of spirit material rewards you with +1000 Firework Points]

In the firelight, only crackling sounds could be heard.

Xie Huaizheng had been burned into two shapeless wisps of smoke, which swayed in the flames as if trying to make a final struggle.

Chen Xu controlled the fire and summoned the wind, causing clouds to surge around him.

The vast fog generated by the proximity of water and fire, like billowing smoke, made the indifferent young man appear as if he were from another world.

A hoarse voice could be heard amidst the firelight: "Ten years of grudges, today they all turn to dust. You brat, it's not my fault, but I fell for your treacherous scheme!"

Chen Xu said, "No, I think it's because you yourself don't want to continue anymore. Otherwise, why were you getting weaker day by day?"

Look at this bamboo grove and thatched cottage; it's like a pastoral paradise from a dream. Senior, do you seek revenge, or do you wish to live in seclusion?

“I…you, no, you brat, don’t even think about ruining my spirit.”

I'm not reconciled, I still hate it! I hate that the old scoundrel still sits in his high seat, while the evidence I painstakingly investigated has been destroyed in an instant..."

"Senior, you were truly naive even in death." Chen Xu laughed. "If there are people on the Heavenly Ladder in this world, and one can kill them, what need is there for evidence? If one cannot, what use is evidence?"

"If it can kill, what need is there for proof? What need is there for proof..."

In the firelight, the smoke flickered, then suddenly froze.

It was as if some terrifying truth had pierced through everything.

Then, a long laugh rang out: "What need is there for evidence? What need is there for evidence? Hahaha, I was blinded by my own ignorance, I was so incredibly stupid!"

But was my original intention wrong?
In the end, I was too naive and destined to fail. I wanted to devour you, so you killed me; today I die without regret.

In life, he indulged in unrestrained power as an official; after his death, the arrogant heavens destroyed my spirit. I have not wronged you!

[You possess the insight to understand human nature, concoct evil spirits, scatter their souls, and obtain a pinch of the ashes of a thousand eons of spiritual material.]

boom!
The fire suddenly intensified at that moment, and the wisp of smoke in the flames was finally extinguished completely by the scorching heat.

Then came a sound like glass shattering.

Click click click——

Chen Xu saw that all the waves and clouds that he had controlled around him with his water-drawing technique had vanished like bubbles.

The bamboo grove, thatched cottage, and stream all shattered before my eyes, like a fragile porcelain painting.

The smoke suddenly dissipated, and looking around, there was no longer any waterfall or bamboo forest.

This is clearly still deep within the dense locust forest.

The flames leaped and danced, returning from the ephemeral world to the human realm, continuing to splash and grow wildly.

They landed on the dense, horizontally growing branches of the locust tree, setting the dark locust trees ablaze.

Cai Laozhuang collapsed to the ground, his body covered in strange tree roots and flames.

He looked up at Chen Xu with a horrified expression, pleading in terror, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me... I don't know anything, I'm just a tree spirit!"

I'm so innocent, I'm so innocent...cough cough cough!

Suddenly, he was choked by a thick cloud of smoke and began to cough violently.

Then he coughed up human skulls the size of chicken eggs from his throat.

Skulls rolled to the ground with a clatter, growing to the size of normal human skulls as they were blown by the wind, emitting a strong, fishy stench.

Cai Laozhuang immediately stopped talking and looked at Chen Xu in horror.

It turns out that this Cai Laozhuang was the evil spirit of the locust tree on Pufeng Mountain.

This evil spirit and the Ghost King were originally interdependent. Now that Xie Huaizheng is dead, the evil spirit of the locust tree, which was almost one with him, will naturally suffer a backlash.

The evil spirit of the locust tree has a powerful foundation. After eating Chen Xu's meat and mushroom soup, it can provide Chen Xu with 500 likes with just a word of praise.

However, this evil spirit of the locust tree only has a foundation; its combat ability is mediocre at best.

After Xie Huaizheng died, he was firmly controlled by Chen Xu and could not resist in the slightest.

He could only plead for mercy, "Spare me! I will absorb the essence of moonlight every night to offer to Your Majesty! Spare me! I am willing to be loyal to you forever..."

Seeing that Chen Xu remained unmoved, the flames around him burned even brighter.

Cai Laozhuang's eyes suddenly widened, and he said with a mixture of surprise and disbelief, "Your Majesty, be careful! On the right, the imperial inspector is launching a sneak attack!"

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of light appeared.

Chen Xu drew his sword in an instant, and the sword fell.

Today, he even chopped up the Ghost King as firewood, let alone a hunting envoy under the Ghost King.

With that slash, flames immediately followed.

In the firelight, a shadowy figure revealed its true form.

The evil spirit screamed miserably and fell to the ground, staring at Chen Xu in disbelief and saying, "Impossible, why are you no longer blinded by my six senses?"

Not long ago, he had infiltrated Yunjiang City and manipulated Chen Xu like a puppet.

If it weren't for Gongsun Jiuniang from the Zhenyu Si (prison office), Chen Xu would have been tied up like a chicken and taken back to Pufeng Mountain long ago.

How could a defeated foe, aside from his schemes and tricks, possess such formidable strength?
The imperial inspector, Zigui.

Through his understanding of Xie Huaizheng's deeds, Chen Xu already knew that the full name of the imperial inspector was Yuan Zigui.

Yuan Zigui was absolutely loyal to Xie Huaizheng. If Xie Huaizheng hadn't shattered his ghostly body with a single palm strike, Chen Xu might not have been able to kill Xie Huaizheng in one fell swoop with Yuan Zigui's help.

Unfortunately, Yuan Zigui struggled to restore his ghost form and attempted to ambush Chen Xu again, but was instead exposed by Cai Laozhuang, who was on the same side.

Chen Xu did not answer Yuan Zigui's question, nor would he tell him that even if Cai Laozhuang hadn't betrayed him or revealed his whereabouts, Chen Xu still wouldn't have been able to be ambushed by him. Since breaking through to the late stage of the Meridian Opening Realm, he had further comprehended the wondrous uses of the Innate Qi.

Even without consciously focusing his mind, Chen Xu can now perceive the energy of heaven and earth within a radius of about ten feet around him with remarkable sensitivity.

The six senses can no longer deceive him.

Yuan Zigui's sneak attack, though seemingly concealed, was actually crystal clear to Chen Xu, as clear as a candle shining through a window.

But Chen Xu wouldn't say anything. He didn't answer any of Yuan Zigui's questions, nor did he pay any attention to Cai Laozhuang.

He simply stood in the firelight, calling out to the wind to fan the flames.

The reason I had many exchanges with Xie Huaizheng before was that scholars often prioritize winning hearts and minds in their battles.

Verbal battles are invisible confrontations; to destroy their spirit, one must first destroy their heart, otherwise even the Ghost King will be difficult to kill.

However, neither Cai Laozhuang nor Yuan Zigui, who was already seriously injured, could escape the raging flames before them.

If that's the case, then there's no need to waste any more words with the enemy.

On Pufeng Mountain, flames blazed like banners.

A short distance away, the ghosts in the locust grove were greatly alarmed.

The flames came too quickly; they didn't spread from one place to another. Instead, as soon as Cai Laozhuang, the evil spirit of the locust tree, was burned, all the locust trees on the mountain were simultaneously engulfed in flames.

Chen Xu's original strength was actually insufficient to control the raging fire across the mountain.

But who can blame us for letting wood fuel fire?
This fire is no ordinary fire, but a fire of the heart, a fire ignited by the primordial Qi.

As the fire spread across the mountains, the flames inside the dense forest actually fueled the fire.

In the ghost market, ghosts wailed and howled.

Old Cai was spitting tears and his whole body trembled like a leaf.

"Your Excellency, please stop! I beg Your Excellency to put out the fire! Even though I am not innocent, everyone in that ghost market is a pitiful ghost!"
How could one fire possibly extinguish them all?

If you were to truly slaughter them all, wouldn't Your Majesty feel fear in your midnight dreams?

Chen Xu did not answer, but stood at the very center of the raging fire, carefully contemplating the immense intensity of the flames.

After today, it will probably be difficult to see such a large fire again.

"Fire is born from wood, yet it burns wood; the Way resides in form, yet it transcends form."

The subtle and essential points of fire control techniques flowed slowly through Chen Xu's mind.

Yuan Zigui, burned to almost nothing but a twisted lump of charcoal, still managed a weak, cold laugh:

"Although this person is human, his heart is as hard as stone. Instead of begging him, you might as well fight with all your might!"
I misjudged him; I shouldn't have provoked him. No wonder the King often told me that unfaithful men are often scholars.

Since I cannot kill this scoundrel, I am willing to die for my king… Ah!

In the blazing flames, he let out a final, mournful howl.

Its charred body suddenly crumbled into ashes.

[You scorch the evil spirit, destroy its heart and soul, and extinguish its true spirit, thus obtaining the spiritual material, the Ghost-Summoning Pearl.]

[A new type of spiritual material has been unlocked; Fireworks Value +300.]

The disappearance of Yuan Zigui silenced Cai Laozhuang's cries for help.

As flames roared up on Pufeng Mountain, on the opposite side of Pufeng Mountain, on another mountain called Wanshi Peak...

Little hedgehog Wei Yuan is diligently searching for the "Huayou Grass" on the mountain.

Everything in the world is prone to mutual restraint and mutual generation.

Just as with a venomous snake, the antidote can often be found within seven steps.

A type of ghost-dispelling herb that grows on Wanshi Peak is very helpful in dispelling ghostly energy.

However, this item is hard to find. More than ten days ago, when Wei Yuan learned that the evil spirits of Pufeng Mountain wanted to harm Chen Xu, he had been frequently coming to Shishan to look for medicine in order to prepare for any eventuality.

Unfortunately, it was unlucky; after working so hard for more than ten days, it gained nothing.

"No, no...it's still not here!"

It grew anxious, its small body appearing and disappearing intermittently on the rocky mountain covered with strange stones, displaying its earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique that allows one to escape from the earth) skill with unparalleled prowess.

Even though the mountain was covered with rocks, it couldn't stop it from burrowing through the earth.

Once again, Wei Yuan, carrying his book box, stood on tiptoe and gazed into the distance.

"I wonder how Fellow Daoist Chen is doing in the city now? I can't find the medicine, so I can't help him. Could he really be killed by the evil spirits on Pufeng Mountain?"

The thought that Chen Xu might die made Wei Yuan's eyes sting uncontrollably.

Overwhelmed by anxiety and grief, it could no longer hold back and gritted its teeth, saying:
"At worst, I'll go and fight those evil spirits! How can a ghost be so wicked? My teacher said that being too wicked will bring retribution."

Such a gentle and kind person as Fellow Daoist Chen must not be bullied by these evil spirits..."

The little hedgehog stomped its foot, and its body began to sink into the soil and rocks beneath its feet.

It decided to use earth magic to travel to Pufeng Mountain and have a proper talk with the Ghost King.

Just then, a red light suddenly flashed on the opposite mountain peak.

Then came the sweltering heat, and the sound of roaring fires.

Wei Yuan was halfway through his earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique for earth-遁 is a method of ...

"Heavens, heavens, heavens... could it be that my curse has come true?"

"How could a fire suddenly break out on Pufeng Mountain?"

"Could it be that those evil spirits have truly received their retribution!"

(End of this chapter)