My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

"No need."

Ye Qingfeng's voice came from behind.

The ghostly soldiers paused, then turned around in unison.

Ye Qingfeng had already stood up.

He looked at the local earth god, the calm expression on his face gone, replaced by... dissatisfaction.

"Is this how you treat your guests?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly:

"This humble Taoist priest is not yet full."

The local deity's face turned pale:

"Please calm down, sir! Please calm down, sir! This humble one will..."

Before it could finish speaking, Ye Qingfeng suddenly raised his hand and slapped the wall next to him.

"boom--!!!"

The entire temple began to shake violently.

Where that palm struck, the blue bricks shattered, stone chips flew everywhere, and a deep pit the size of a millstone was actually created!

Cracks spread outwards like a spider web, extending all the way to the roof beams, and tiles fell off with a clatter.

The Earth God's mouth was so wide open that a fist could fit inside.

This temple is its sacred domain.

It was refined bit by bit using a century of cultivation and the Earth God Seal.

Here, it is the ruler, it is the god.

Even an ordinary cultivator, with a higher cultivation level, could never damage a single brick or tile here.

But this expert slapped a huge hole in one hand.

The local earth god felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

It looked at the large pit where debris was still crumbling, then at Ye Qingfeng's increasingly impatient face, and only one thought occupied its mind—

What kind of monster is this Taoist priest?

Without a second thought, it roared at the ghostly soldiers:

"What are you all standing there for?! Go now!"

The ghostly soldiers seemed to awaken from a dream, and turned to run away.

But they had only run a few steps when Ye Qingfeng spoke again:

"stop."

The voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

The ghostly soldiers stopped abruptly, not daring to move.

Ye Qingfeng did not look at them.

He simply looked at the local earth god, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The smile was faint, yet it sent a chill down the spine of the local earth god.

"No need to look for it anymore."

As Ye Qingfeng spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to one of the Yin soldiers:

"Isn't this food readily available?"

The local earth god was stunned.

It followed Ye Qingfeng's finger and looked in that direction—the ghostly soldier was trembling, his pale face filled with fear.

"This...this..." the ghostly local deity stammered, "Master, these are my subordinates, not food...you must have mistaken me for someone else?"

Ye Qingfeng shook his head, his smile deepening.

"Misread? How could I possibly be mistaken?"

He stared at the ghostly soldier as if he were eyeing a delicious dish:

"These ghosts, they taste quite unique. Especially the old ones, they're really chewy."

The ghostly soldier was so terrified that he fell to his knees with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Merciful sir! Merciful sir! I'm not tasty! I really am not tasty!"

Ye Qingfeng ignored it.

He simply looked at the local earth god, a hint of amusement in his eyes:

"What? You can't bear to part with it?"

The Earth God's throat moved.

It was obvious to everyone that this master must have mastered the art of devouring ghosts, which allowed him to swallow ghosts and transform them into cultivation.

It looked at its subordinate, then at Ye Qingfeng's ambiguous smile, and after struggling with its decision for less than a moment, it made its decision.

"If a wise person is willing, that's its good fortune!"

It gritted its teeth and forced a smile:

Please enjoy!

The ghostly soldier raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief:

"Earth... Earth God..."

The local earth god turned his head away, not daring to look at it.

Ye Qingfeng smiled.

That smile held a hint of satisfaction, yet also a hint of irony.

He did not wait for the local earth god's permission any longer.

He raised his hand and made a half-hearted grabbing motion.

The kneeling Yin soldier felt an invisible force envelop him, and he was lifted into the air, flying towards Ye Qingfeng.

It struggled desperately, but couldn't even move a finger.

Ye Qingfeng opened his mouth.

Take a bite.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound.

The screams of the ghostly soldiers abruptly ceased.

Ye Qingfeng chewed for a moment and nodded:

"Yes, it's definitely chewy."

The remaining ghost soldiers stood there, trembling, too afraid to even run.

The local earth god's face turned green.

It watched as Ye Qingfeng chewed up his subordinate piece by piece and swallowed him, its heart churning with turmoil.

Those ghostly soldiers were subdued by it bit by bit over hundreds of years. Each one was hard-won, and each one was its confidant.

But now, it's been eaten just like that.

But it dared not move.

They dared not utter a single word of dissent.

It could only force a smile, watching Ye Qingfeng finish eating the ghost soldier, and then cautiously hand him a cup of wine:

"A truly...wise man, have a sip of wine to soothe your soul."

Ye Qingfeng took the wine cup, took a sip, and then looked at the remaining ghost soldiers.

When he looked at them, the ghostly soldiers all took a few steps back and huddled together.

Ye Qingfeng put down his wine glass and stood up.

Take a step forward.

The next instant, he appeared behind a ghostly soldier.

Before the ghost soldier could even react, he grabbed him and shoved him into his mouth.

"Crack!"

Another crisp sound.

The remaining ghost soldiers completely collapsed.

They screamed and scattered in all directions, some running towards the door, some burrowing into the corner, and some even burrowing into the ground—but as soon as they were halfway in, a hand grabbed their ankles and dragged them out.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

One crisp sound after another.

Ye Qingfeng's figure flickered in the temple. Every time he appeared, a ghostly soldier was grabbed by him and stuffed into his mouth.

Within a few breaths, all the ghostly soldiers went into his stomach.

The temple fell silent.

Only Ye Qingfeng and the Ghost Earth God remained.

The local earth god stood there, a smile still on his face, but that smile had become as stiff as it could possibly be.

It looked at Ye Qingfeng, its throat bobbed, and it managed to squeeze out a sentence:

"Wow...you have a good appetite..."

Ye Qingfeng turned around, looked at it, and licked his lips:

"Eat until you're 80% full."

The local earth god was overjoyed and quickly said:

"Then...then let someone go find some more...there must be more outside...and those even chewier old ghosts..."

Ye Qingfeng shook his head.

He stared at the local earth god, a hint of amusement in his eyes:

"Keep the change, please."

The smile of the local earth god froze.

Ye Qingfeng took a step forward:

"Since you say I am a guest..."

Another step has been taken:

"Then you might as well go all the way..."

Take another step:

"Let this humble monk eat his fill."

The local earth god's expression changed completely.

It let out a shriek, and its whole body burst out with black light. It then hurled the cane in its hand at Ye Qingfeng!

That staff strike, imbued with a century's worth of cultivation, was powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks!

But before the cane could even touch Ye Qingfeng's clothes, it was blocked by a layer of golden-red flames.