I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 60 I am the vengeful ghost!?

"I didn't touch your back..." Li Qingniu replied, puzzled. Suddenly realizing something, he immediately nocked an arrow, drew the bow to its full extent, and aimed at Chen Mo's back.

But... there was nothing behind Chen Mo, just emptiness.

This sent a chill down Li Qingniu's spine.

At this moment, Chen Mo had already circulated his true energy and suddenly reached out to grab his back.

empty!

They didn't grab anything.

Ran?

He jumped to his feet, straining his eyes to look around warily, but there was nothing there.

Only the howling wind and biting cold remained.

Chen Mo warily told Li Qingniu, "Be careful here, I just felt something crawling on me..."

Chen Mo stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence and stared intently at Li Qingniu.

Li Qingniu felt a little flustered. "Young Master Mo, why are you looking at me like that?"

Chen Mo's pupils shrank immediately. "I wasn't looking at you, but at your back."

A male ghost with a festering, ulcerated face was climbing down from the big tree behind Li Qingniu, slowly crawling up Li Qingniu's back, and gradually wrapping his hands around Li Qingniu's neck.

"what!"

Li Qingniu suddenly screamed and frantically reached out to pry the hand off his neck, only to find it empty. In an instant, Li Qingniu's body was suspended in mid-air.

He was struggling to breathe, and his face had turned bright red.

Clang!

Chen Mo suddenly drew his sword, his inner energy surging, and rushed in front of Li Qingniu, slashing at him from behind.

Suddenly, a crackling sound like popping beans filled the air. The scalding hot energy burned the man, causing him to scream and quickly release Li Qingniu, retreating backward.

"die!"

Chen Mo rushed out like a wild beast, unleashing the Fiery Sun Poison of the Fiery Palm, and struck the man with a palm.

The fire consumed the man, setting him ablaze that he couldn't extinguish. Finally, amidst a piercing scream, he vanished completely, leaving behind a pungent stench.

Chen Mo stared at the spot where the male ghost had disappeared and opened the control panel.

Slightly disappointed.

I didn't see the box, it seems the ghost's level is too low?

but--

[2 units of original solution essence detected]

【Absorbed? 】

2?

This is a bit too little.

But even mosquito meat is still meat.

absorb!

[Original Solution Essence +2]

Eh?
Just as Chen Mo was about to leave, a wisp of ghostly energy flowed into his body, causing him to shudder and his blood to turn cold.

It absorbed ghost energy again...

This is not a good thing.

After mentally preparing himself, Chen Mo turned around and helped Li Qingniu, who was lying on the ground coughing incessantly, to his feet. "Are you alright?"

Li Qingniu gasped for breath, his neck constricted, and it took him a while to catch his breath. "I'm fine, thanks to Young Master Mo for saving me. Did I just encounter a ghost?"

Chen Mo didn't mince words, "Yeah, a male ghost climbed down from the tree, grabbed your neck, and lifted you up."

Li Qingniu shrank back, a wave of fear washing over him. He involuntarily took two steps closer to Chen Mo, "This place is truly eerie."

Chen Mo asked, "Can I bring a tinderbox?"

"Bring it."

"Go gather some firewood and start a fire."

Li Qingniu dared not go far, so he gathered some dry firewood nearby and lit it with a tinderbox.

The two sat down around the fire and quietly waited for dawn.

Chen Mo looked around warily but didn't find anything unusual. With nothing else to do, he took the initiative to ask, "Qingniu, how did your parents get possessed?"

Li Qingniu's eyes were a little red. "My family runs a coffin shop, handling funeral arrangements. A while ago, a very famous elder from Shuideng Town died, and they asked our shop to handle the funeral. My father invited a Taoist priest to perform a ritual. The priest ran away as soon as he entered the shop, saying that the elder was still possessed by an evil spirit. He couldn't handle the funeral and the body had to be cremated immediately. However, the elder's family refused, wanting a dignified burial. My father couldn't persuade them, so he agreed. That night, the elder actually climbed out of the coffin and bit my parents to death."

Chen Mo found it rather chilling. "What happened to that village elder later?"

Li Qingniu gripped the bow and arrow tightly in his hand. "That very night, I grabbed a kitchen knife and went after him, determined to kill that bastard. But... I still haven't found him."

Chen Mo didn't ask any more questions, guessing that the village elder had also gone mad. He did, however, feel that Li Qingniu was a man of great loyalty and righteousness, and also possessed a ruthless streak.

"If you can get through tonight, you should stay in the village and learn how to exorcise evil spirits. In the future, go find the village elder and avenge your parents."

Li Qingniu looked up at Chen Mo, tears welling in his eyes, and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking. By the way, has Young Master Mo entered the inner sect?"

Chen Mo didn't hide anything, "Yes."

Seeing that Chen Mo had told the truth, Li Qingniu became much more enthusiastic, "I see that Young Master Mo comes from a wealthy family, why would he want to come to the village to suffer like this?"

Chen Mo sighed inwardly.

Do you think I want this?
This is because he's possessed by the blood of the cursed demon.

Upon comparison, Chen Mo felt that his experience was even worse than Li Qingniu's.

He said, "Actually, I'm a martial arts fanatic. I came to the village to learn how to exorcise evil spirits."

Li Qingniu was deeply shocked by what he heard, and his gaze towards Chen Mo changed, filled with admiration. Compared to his own desire for revenge, Li Qingniu felt insignificant.

"Young Master Mo is truly a hero of his generation, and a role model for us all."

Chen Mo: "..."

It's just polite talk, don't take it too seriously.

You are far too naive...

And so, the two chatted intermittently, and time passed little by little.

Soon, it was midnight, almost dawn.

Suddenly, a chilling, damp wind blew from the pool.

The wind was light, but it was very humid, and it managed to extinguish the blazing fire.

"The wind was so cold, it actually put out the fire."

Li Qingniu shuddered, took out his tinderbox to try and relight it, only to find that the tinderbox had gone out. He then took out his flint and steel, trying to strike a fire with them, but he couldn't get a spark out no matter what he did.

Chen Mo said, "A ghost is coming."

Li Qingniu immediately grabbed his hunting bow and took out the Five Emperors Coin.

Chen Mo shook his head. "The Five Emperors Coins are useless. When it's time to run, you still have to run." Li Qingniu felt ashamed. When he left earlier, he had vowed to protect Chen Mo, but he had made a big fool of himself.

Chen Mo didn't pay attention to Li Qingniu's thoughts, but instead turned his head to look at the pool in the distance.

Although it was late at night, Chen Mo, with his exceptional eyesight, saw a large group of pale-faced, disheveled men and women crawling out of the pool and walking towards him.

At first, they just walked stiffly, but then suddenly they stared at Chen Mo with wide eyes, let out a "whoosh" sound, and ran towards him as fast as they could.

Clang!

The next moment, without any hesitation, Chen Mo drew his sword with a clang.

Although these evil spirits looked terrifying, Chen Mo still planned to try slashing them a couple of times first.

If it doesn't work, then we'll retreat.

Chen Mo decided to strike first, taking advantage of the fact that the ghosts surrounded him.

Click!

With a powerful stomp of his feet, turning the stones beneath his feet into dust, Chen Mo charged towards the hundred ghosts like a wild beast, slashing down at the burly ghost running at the front.

The burly man, baring his teeth and brandishing his claws, seemed to believe that Chen Mo's solid blade couldn't harm him, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace. But just as the blade struck the man, he let out a bloodcurdling scream as his entire body instantly burst into flames.

Bloodfire Seal!

The burly man was terrified, screaming in agony as he frantically tried to extinguish the fire with his hands, but found he couldn't put it out. In the blink of an eye, he was burned alive, leaving behind a thick, foul stench.

[Original Solution Essence +3]

Seeing this, Chen Mo felt more confident.

These bastards... are no good.

However, their numbers are too great to deal with, and they would be in danger if they were surrounded.

With a thought, Black Tiger's true energy surged wildly, and in an instant, all the muscles in his body bulged. He brandished his bloodstained broadsword and stepped forward again, slashing fiercely at the woman who was charging in second place.

Suddenly, a scream of "Ah!" rang out. The woman was unable to resist; her body caught fire and she was reduced to ashes in no time.

[Original Solution Essence +1]

Because the kill was so easy, Chen Mo didn't rush to sheathe his sword. Instead, he changed his move and slashed horizontally at the third ghostly man who charged at him. With a shrill scream, the third ghostly man died instantly.

[Original Solution Essence +1]

In a flash, Chen Mo charged towards the hundred ghosts like a tiger, slashing at them one by one. With each strike, a ghost burst into flames and turned to ashes, emitting a foul stench while also providing "nourishment" for Chen Mo.

[Original Solution Essence +1]

[Original Solution Essence +2]

……

Besides the original essence, Chen Mo also absorbed wisps of ghostly energy.

I killed ten ghosts and gained 17 points of Original Essence.

Although the accumulation speed was a bit slow, Chen Mo had already gotten into the zone and was fighting even more fiercely.

Seeing Chen Mo's surging blood and qi, like a fierce tiger slashing left and right at the air, the wind from his blades was fierce, and a foul stench would occasionally waft over.

Li Qingniu wasn't stupid; he knew Chen Mo was slashing at the ghosts. He drew his bow to its full extent, attempting to coordinate with Chen Mo in attacking the evil spirits, but because he couldn't see the ghosts, he dared not shoot casually. He could only think to himself: Young Master Mo truly lives up to his reputation as an internal martial arts master; his blood and qi surge like a tiger!
Soon, Li Qingniu noticed a detail: every time Chen Mo slashed at a spot, flames would appear, burning out a human shape, followed by a foul stench.

Li Qingniu thought to himself: These ghosts are afraid of fire. I need to start a fire to help Young Master Mo. Unfortunately, the firewood here is all damp and tainted by ghostly energy, so it won't light. I'll go find some firewood further away…

Li Qingniu figured the range of the ghostly dampness was limited. He figured if he just ran outside that area to find firewood, he could definitely start a fire.

Without hesitation, Li Qingniu grabbed a flint and steel and ran outside. After running fifty meters, he gathered some dry wood to start a fire, but it wouldn't light. So he continued running…

"So this kid ran away after all? Well, that's fine, at least he didn't die here for nothing."

Chen Mo noticed Li Qingniu running away behind him, but didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, he focused on the hundreds of ghosts rushing towards him.

To avoid being surrounded by the ghosts, Chen Mo constantly changed positions at high speed, always staying on the periphery of the ghost group, only attacking the outermost few ghosts at a time. Through this maneuvering, Chen Mo maintained a safe position.

The prolonged exertion had made Chen Mo feel that his internal energy was running low. Although Chen Mo felt that he had enough remaining internal energy to kill all the ghosts, he couldn't be sure that these ghosts were just scouts, and he needed to leave some room for maneuver.

"Continuing to drag this out will be disadvantageous for me; we need to finish this quickly!"

Chen Mo immediately pushed his true energy to its limit and unleashed a powerful strike. The scorching true energy clung to the blade, instantly slicing across the necks of the five ghosts, causing them to burst into flames and die instantly.

After instantly killing five ghosts, Chen Mo's blade did not stop. He turned and slashed forward in a different direction, sending five more ghosts flying.

Perhaps Chen Mo's methods were too ruthless, for the ghosts were not afraid, but rather thoroughly enraged. As if provoked, they frantically sped up and charged towards Chen Mo, tearing at him.

Two of the ghosts suddenly flew into the air and appeared at Chen Mo's feet, grabbing his thighs with their arms outstretched.

Just as Chen Mo was about to strike at the ghost that was grabbing his thigh, he was horrified to discover that... the two ghosts that were grabbing his thigh had been completely drained.

He didn't even manage to scream.

This surprised Chen Mo greatly: In the past, I had to kill ghosts in order to absorb ghost energy.

Has the cursed blood within me evolved now?
You don't need to kill the ghosts; just a low-level ghost touching me will be drained dry.

That's a bit scary.

In an instant, three more ghosts pounced and grabbed Chen Mo's neck and hands. The moment they touched Chen Mo's body, they screamed in agony and were then sucked away by Chen Mo.

"Ouch~~"

Next, more and more ghosts rushed up to Chen Mo, and were drained of their life force in batches.

In just a dozen breaths, hundreds of ghosts... were completely drained of their life force simply because they touched Chen Mo.

Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the dead demons before him and the pervasive stench.

What the hell have I become now?
Am I the vengeful ghost?

It took Chen Mo a while to come to his senses.

Open the panel.

[Currently available original solution essence: 200]

I gained 200 points of Original Essence for free without doing anything!
Is this how vengeful ghosts are treated?

Just then, Li Qingniu rushed up, panting heavily, clutching a torch in one hand. "Young Master Mo, these ghosts are afraid of fire. I'll bring you a torch to help you."

Chen Mo examined the torch in Li Qingniu's hand. "I've dealt with the ghost. But it was indeed afraid of fire. You were quite quick-witted."

Li Qingniu scratched his head in shame, "I'm not capable enough to be of much help. I can only put some effort into these minor details. Were there many ghosts that came just now?"

Chen Mo said, "About a hundred. But they're all low-level wandering spirits, not very powerful..."

Li Qingniu stared wide-eyed at Chen Mo in disbelief.

Chen Mo chopped down over a hundred ghosts?
Terrifying!
Chen Mo ignored Li Qingniu's thoughts and turned his gaze to the cold pool in the distance, saying, "These ghosts were clearly driven just now, and the dampness that extinguished the fire first... all mean that there is something more powerful controlling the ghosts behind the scenes."

Li Qingniu shrank back, "What does Young Master Mo mean?"

Chen Mo said, "We can't just wait here until dawn without figuring out what's going on with the ghosts in the Cold Pool. Rather than waiting for them to come to us, we should take the initiative and go to the Cold Pool to find out what's going on."

After saying that, Chen Mo picked up his knife and strode towards the cold pool.

Li Qingniu gritted his teeth, grabbed two torches, and strode after him.

A dark cloud swept across the sky, obscuring the bright moon...

(End of this chapter)