Chapter 242: Young Master Ghost... Dead?

Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Young Master Ghost... Dead?

However, Zong Ziqi’s attack had already exceeded the limits of Wuji Fairy’s Defense. "Infinite Yin and Yang" couldn’t fully repel his assault, only managing to reflect a portion of it.

Even so, that partial reflection was enough to land a devastating blow on Zong Ziqi. He was sent flying for hundreds of meters, the Golden Light Spell protecting him shattered, and a section of his chest caved in. Blood sprayed from his mouth, traveling several meters.

The Young Master Ghost was overjoyed to see this.

"Excellent! Wu Tuo! U Damo! He’s weakened again! Now is the perfect time to kill him!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Tuo and U Damo immediately gave chase. But Zong Ziqi didn’t stay to fight. Instead, he used the force of the reflected blow to make a run for it...

"You’ve got the numbers today, so I’ll be taking my leave! This lord won’t play with you any longer. Have fun on your own! I’ll be seeing you next time you’re alone!"

Zong Ziqi was incredibly fast and about to get away. Hearing his threat, the Young Master Ghost’s heart lurched with terror.

’If this ambush fails and Zong Ziqi gets away again, my life is over. I’ll have to live in constant fear, always looking over my shoulder no matter where I go.’

"After him! We can’t let him escape!"

The Young Master Ghost pointed at Zong Ziqi and shouted, taking the lead in the pursuit.

When Wuji Fairy, who was beside him, saw the Young Master Ghost race off into the distance, she ignored her own grievous injuries and hurried after him.

In his anxiety, the Young Master Ghost moved with startling speed—so fast it seemed unnatural. In her grievously wounded state, Wuji Fairy had no hope of catching up.

Just then, the Young Master Ghost also sensed something was wrong. He abruptly slowed his pace, but it was already too late!

At the Young Master Ghost’s side, a strange figure had appeared out of nowhere. This humanoid shape seemed both ethereal and solid, its face a blur, its true features impossible to make out.

He tightly gripped a Flame Longsword formed from Innate True Flame. It blazed like lava, a translucent crimson like the heart of the sun. The flames dancing upon it did not scorch the surrounding air, but burned silently, releasing a terrifying, heart-stopping pressure.

The Young Master Ghost was horrified. He recognized with a single glance that the Flame Longsword contained Innate True Flame, capable of incinerating and purifying all things. It was one of the True Flames in Heaven and Earth that was a natural bane to ghosts and evil spirits. For any normal Ghost Cultivator, a single touch would bring unimaginable consequences.

Just as alarm bells screamed in the Young Master Ghost’s mind and he was about to act, an unstoppable force slammed into the space between his eyebrows. The pain was like a searing-hot iron spike driving straight into his marrow, instantly plunging him into extreme agony and confusion.

He tried to summon his internal power to resist, but the force was too fast and too fierce. It pierced through his Defense in an instant, striking deep into his very soul.

Then, the Young Master Ghost felt his entire body being thrown into the flames of Purgatory. The scorching heat of the Innate True Flame brought him a pain worse than death. Every cell in his body wailed as it was burned to ash.

His consciousness grew hazy, then faded completely into darkness. In the end, all that was left was a fiercely burning ball of soul-fire, which then extinguished itself in the bleak night.

Silence.

Dead silence.

The entire battlefield was deathly still.

Everyone watched as the Young Master Ghost’s screams grew fainter within the True Flame.

A deep chill instantly washed over everyone present.

The Faceless Man glanced around, then vanished from where he stood.

The two members of the Barbarian Race and Wuji Fairy were at first too stunned to react. But the instant the Faceless Man vanished, they jumped in fright and threw up every defensive measure they could muster.

Wuji Fairy was especially terrified.

Of the three who had originally ganged up on Zong Ziqi, two were now dead, and one had died a bizarre death right in front of her.

Moreover, she hadn’t detected the Faceless Man’s appearance at all.

She also didn’t understand why the Young Master Ghost had put up no resistance after the Faceless Man appeared, allowing himself to be annihilated by that Flame Longsword.

’If I can’t figure it out, I’ll be the next one to die!’

...

While the three remaining villains on the battlefield were still terrified, Jiang Xu watched them carefully.

This Faceless Man was, naturally, Jiang Xu.

He had deliberately concealed his face to hide his identity.

When Zong Ziqi made his second assassination attempt on the Young Master Ghost, Jiang Xu had already decided to take matters into his own hands.

After the second assassination attempt failed, Jiang Xu had immediately used a voice transmission to tell Zong Ziqi to flee and what to say.

Given Zong Ziqi’s character, he would have sooner died in battle than think of fleeing. That was the nature of his Sword Heart.

However, since this was Jiang Xu’s strategy and not Zong Ziqi’s own idea, his Sword Heart would remain unaffected. Thus, he naturally followed the instructions completely.

Jiang Xu’s purpose in having Zong Ziqi say those words was to make the Young Master Ghost afraid, thereby clouding his judgment.

Then, Jiang Xu secretly cast a Light Body Spell on the Young Master Ghost, drastically increasing his speed so Wuji Fairy couldn’t keep up.

Once the Young Master Ghost was isolated, Jiang Xu appeared, used a Spiritual Sense Needle—a form of Magic especially effective against Ghost Cultivators—to immobilize him, and then used Innate True Flame to turn him to nothing.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Only after the Young Master Ghost was truly dead did Jiang Xu finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Watching the Soul-Calling Banner and the Young Master Ghost’s Storage Bag fall limply from the sky, Jiang Xu made no move to collect them.

He was very wary of this Young Master Ghost.

Even though the Young Master Ghost was dead, Jiang Xu was still unwilling to touch his belongings, wanting to avoid any potential trouble.

But just as Jiang Xu was wondering if he should use his Innate True Flame to burn everything the Young Master Ghost had left behind, the Soul-Calling Banner, which had just settled on the ground, suddenly began to float on its own, giving Jiang Xu a start.

It wasn’t just Jiang Xu; the others also stared blankly at the Soul-Calling Banner, unsure of what was happening.

The Soul-Calling Banner, which was hovering in the air, suddenly waved as if controlled by an invisible force. In that instant, the air seemed to freeze under the influence of some powerful will as a strange fluctuation spread silently across the battlefield.

In the very spot where the Young Master Ghost had been burned to nothing by the Innate True Flame, a faint but distinct green Spiritual Light suddenly appeared.

Before anyone could react, the Spiritual Light transformed into a streak of lightning and, faster than a thunderclap, shot straight toward the Soul-Calling Banner in midair.

In the blink of an eye, the point of green Spiritual Light pierced the air and burrowed unerringly into the Soul-Calling Banner.

Then, the Soul-Calling Banner unhurriedly flew away from the battlefield, drifting off into the distance.

No one present, not even Jiang Xu, dared to stop it.

"Is that... a Ghost King?" Wuji Fairy murmured.