Chapter 44

Xue Ming witnessed such a spectacular scene for the first time. She saw thousands upon thousands of people pouring out from the gate, and the densely packed corpses on the ground were wailing in unison. The fierce wind whipped her hair into a frenzy, and her robes flapped loudly. She could barely stand and tightly held onto Jiang Xing’s neck. Her ears were filled with the tragic cries, the resentful, unyielding, and sorrowful shouts weaving a rhythm that tugged at the heartstrings. These ghosts, occupying all her vision and drifting around, each had once been a living person, creating a bustling scene of shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.

At this moment, Xue Ming suddenly somewhat understood why Jiang Ruoming always confidently spoke of leading a hundred ghosts to conquer the world. The number of ghosts before her was comparable to a vast army, and unlike ordinary people, if she could really use the Hundred Ghosts Flag to command these ghosts, it would undoubtedly be a catastrophe for the world.

Xue Ming felt the Hundred Ghosts Flag in her hand tremble as if it had heard a call. The black aura around the flag grew thicker, almost obscuring its patterns. She was momentarily bewildered, instinctively wanting to throw away this terrifying object, but she knew Jiang Ruoming was surely waiting for an opportunity nearby. If she had discarded it now, it would have ended up back in her hands. However, Xue Ming didn’t know how to use the Hundred Ghosts flag or what it could do.

In the chaotic crowd, Xue Ming searched for Yanyu He’s figure but suddenly heard a sharp, mournful scream from behind, “Wretch, return my body!”

Xue Ming was startled and turned around abruptly, only to see Jiang Ruoming’s ghostly face right in front of her, her sharp claws reaching for her. In an instant, before she could dodge, Jiang Ruoming pounced on her. Xue Ming’s vision went black as she was hit with tremendous force, her body uncontrollably thrown off Jiang Xing’s back like a kite with a broken string. The powerful impact knocked her soul out of her body, which was then floating in mid-air and helplessly watching as her body fell. She instinctively tried to rush over but was grabbed by Jiang Ruoming. Jiang Ruoming was extremely fierce. One ghostly claw gripped her neck, and the other her wrist, entangling and fighting with her in mid-air.

Xue Ming had no experience in fighting. Her temperament, if described nicely, was good-natured and generous; if described harshly, it was cowardly. She had never fought anyone before, but the situation’s urgency and Jiang Ruoming’s relentless harassment ignited her anger. She turned and slapped her twice, struggling and shouting, “Let go of me!”

Jiang Ruoming was equally stubborn, using both hands to restrain the struggling Xue Ming. She couldn’t free her hands to defend against her attacks, enduring the slaps with gritted teeth while chanting incantations.

Upon hearing Jiang Ruoming muttering incantations, Xue Ming knew she was up to no good again and turned to fight her.

While Xue Ming wasn’t good at fighting people, she was adept at dealing with dogs. She had perfected the “General Yu’s Flying Kick” technique against her neighbor’s vicious dog, and with a few kicks, she sent Jiang Ruoming flying, freeing herself and rushing towards her body. She saw Jiang Xing had already caught her body, circling around her with short, encouraging cries.

Jiang Ruoming was kicked into a broken wall, and before she could recover, there was a loud “bang” as the wall shattered completely. Through the falling dust, Xue Ming saw Hundred Crow, severely injured and looking miserable. His clothes were tattered, his body covered in sword wounds, and his left arm severed at the root, surrounded by a black aura as it slowly healed.

Hundred Crow took a few deep breaths, too tired to get up, and sat beside Jiang Ruoming, casually pulling off the iron chain around his neck and sighing, “I’m exhausted.”

Jiang Ruoming was furious, “Is this all you can do? Finish them off and help me! The hundred ghosts have entered the human world, and our grand plan is just a step away. You’re wasting time by fighting these insignificant people!”

Hundred Crow glanced at Xue Ming floating in mid-air with a dazed expression, then at Yan Yuhe with his sword, Gu Jinglan with his fan, and the Black and White Impermanence on either side. He said to Jiang Ruoming, “Shall we switch?”

Jiang Ruoming snorted coldly, turned, and floated into the air, forming a hand seal and chanting rapidly. In the next moment, four long chains flew toward Xue Ming’s body, binding her hands and feet and yanking her off Jiang Xing’s back.

The chains were made of incantations, their blood-red color tightly gripping her fair skin. Xue Ming struggled to break them but couldn’t move the chains. Jiang Ruoming then struck Xue Ming, knocking her away, and tried to enter her body, attempting to take it over. Just as she was about to enter, she felt a fierce heat that instantly melted half of her soul. Jiang Ruoming was violently thrown back, letting out a piercing scream. She looked down to see that half of her arm had melted, emitting thick white smoke.

“Ahhh!” Jiang Ruoming screamed in rage, her eyes red with fury, glaring venomously at Xue Ming, “You destroyed my extreme yin body!”

Jiang Ruoming quickly realized that the body was filled with too much yang energy and violently rejected her. Even if Xue Ming handed over the body now, she couldn’t possess it.

Seeing Jiang Ruoming about to go mad, Xue Ming took the opportunity to return to her body. As she approached her sleeping body, a strong suction pulled her soul in. When she opened her eyes, she was back in her physical form. She got up, hugged Jiang Xing’s neck, and shouted, “Run, get away from that witch.”

Jiang Xing immediately flew upwards, rapidly ascending several dozen meters. Xue Ming glanced down and felt a surge of fear at the height, clinging tightly to Jiang Xing.

Jiang Ruoming wasn’t about to give up easily. Seeing that the body was too full of yang energy, she activated a formation. Blood-red incantations appeared on the ground, covering it in a layer of red mist. The corpses’ stored yin energy was swept up by the wind, forming a several dozen-meter-high tornado with Xue Ming at its center.

A large amount of yin energy began to converge and pour into her body. Due to its sheer volume, the originally translucent yin energy became a hazy black mist, tightly wrapping around her. Realizing the danger, Xue Ming remembered her two generals and quickly shook the bell to release Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen.

“Absorb this yin energy, quickly!” Xue Ming ordered loudly.

Nie Xiaoqian, who had been quietly waiting in the bell for the past two days, was released and immediately saw the overwhelming yin energy. Her eyes lit up, her face twisted with excitement, and she began frantically absorbing it.

Ning Caichen, having recently died and still retaining many human habits, did not feed on yin energy. He pretended to absorb a bit before retreating to the side to vomit.

Despite Nie Xiaoqian’s desperate efforts, the yin energy was too much. Xue Ming’s entire body was enveloped, and energy was frantically trying to enter her. She felt a burning sensation on her back, waves of heat surging, while her limbs remained cold as if soaked in snow.

The more yin energy Nie Xiaoqian absorbed, the larger her soul became, doubling in size. Seeing Xue Ming in increasing pain, she stopped absorbing and used her white sleeves to form layers of barriers around Xue Ming, trying to block the yin energy. But yin energy was formless, and as a ghost, Nie Xiaoqian had no technique to block it.

Jiang Xing circled in the air, emitting cries for help. Yan Yuhe, distracted for a moment while fighting Hundred Crow, threw his sword straight down. The sword, glowing with golden light, pierced the center of the formation on the ground. The earth shook, the formation shattered, and countless deep cracks appeared, swallowing the corpses into the abyss.

Seeing Yan Yuhe distracted and weaponless, Hundred Crow took the opportunity to swipe at his neck. Just as he was about to hit, a chain with a scythe wrapped around his wrist yanked hard, diverting the claw’s trajectory. The scratch left on Yan Yuhe’s neck left blood immediately staining his fair skin.

Enraged, Hundred Crow tore the chain apart. Losing his grip, Black Impermanence looked at the broken chain in his hand and clicked his tongue.

Upon seeing the destruction of the underworld’s property, White Impermanence immediately distanced himself, “This is your doing; don’t blame it on me when we get back.”

Knowing he would be reprimanded, Black Impermanence irritably advised, “Mountain Ghost, your defeat is certain. Why struggle further?”

Hundred Crow sneered at him, “Catch me first, then we’ll talk!”

Gu Jinglan, having dealt with Hundred Crow for a century, knew him well. Hundred Crow could only be coaxed, not scolded. Twirling his fan, Gu Jinglan smiled at Hundred Crow, “Mountain Ghost, you are indeed a natural-born spirit, a demi-immortal. Even with our combined efforts, we can’t defeat you. The throne of the Ghost Emperor rightfully belongs to you, without dispute.”

Hundred Crow was pleased by these words, standing proudly with his hands on his hips, “Of course, now kneel and pay homage to your king.”

Before he finished speaking, he felt a gust of wind behind him. Instinctively dodging, he couldn’t completely avoid it, and Yan Yuhe’s sword sliced off half his shoulder.

At this moment, the tornado of yin energy began to weaken, the wails of ten thousand ghosts rising and falling, the wind swirling sand and gravel in the air. Nie Xiaoqian suddenly felt a surge of power, and in the next moment, her white sleeves were torn to shreds, forcing her to retreat several meters.

Under the bright moon, amidst the raging wind, Xue Ming stood on the white crane’s back, holding the Hundred Ghosts Flag high. The dense black aura spread out like an endless river of ink. Her long hair billowed in the wind, her clothes fluttered, her skin as flawless as porcelain, her hands adorned with dark nails, and sharp ghostly fangs peeking from her lips.

Xue Ming’s eyes were blood-red, glowing like bright, translucent rubies. The Hundred Ghosts Flag released a black aura that covered the sky like thick clouds. The previously chaotic ghosts were now all under the control of the Hundred Ghosts Flag, kneeling towards Xue Ming. The small flag in her hand rapidly grew until it was taller than her, forcing her to hold it with both hands. The silver-patterned black flag fluttered in the wind.

Xue Ming’s body had absorbed so much yin energy that she was almost no longer human. Her once beautiful face had become bewitching, and black mist swirled around her, moving across her limbs. She looked at the circles of ghosts kneeling before her, feeling a bit panicked.

At the same time, Hundred Crow, Yan Yuhe, and the others stopped fighting and turned their attention to Xue Ming.

“This is bad,” Gu Jinglan’s face changed, “How did she activate the Hundred Ghosts Flag?”

Above, dark clouds began to gather, and thunder rumbled like the roar of wild beasts, shaking the soul and making people tremble uncontrollably. The sound came from all directions, converging on Xue Ming’s location.

“Yan Chixia!” Gu Jinglan shouted, but before he could say more, Yan Yuhe had already moved, his robes fluttering as he rushed toward Xue Ming.

Holding the Hundred Ghosts Flag, Xue Ming saw the ghosts bowing at her feet. An indescribable desire surged from her heart, filling her limbs with boundless power. Every vein seemed to burn, and her longing for power peaked. With a simple wave of the flag, she could control everything. No one would ever trample on her, bully her, or humiliate her again. She would no longer fear for her life, as countless people would protect her with their lives at her command. The Xue Ming, who had struggled through life and constantly looked down upon and worried about survival, would cease to exist. She would become the queen of ten thousand ghosts, the ruler of power, a figure everyone feared and respected.

Xue Ming stared at the Hundred Ghosts Flag in her hand, looking at the mass of ghosts kneeling before her. A dazed expression appeared on her face, completely unaware of the thunderclouds gathering above her. The dark clouds formed a massive vortex, slowly rotating around her, with silver-white lightning flickering within, occasionally illuminating the night. The wind howled, and the cries of ghosts echoed in the air. She faintly heard Yan Yuhe’s voice calling her, but it seemed she had lost her hearing, staring blankly at the Hundred Ghosts Flag.

“Become the Ghost Emperor, and everything will be within your grasp.”

She seemed to hear many voices, male and female, young and old, whispering incessantly in her ears, and it also seemed the world had gone silent, leaving her alone.