Chapter 25: An Elite Force Capable of Defeating Five Hundred Alone
After Tian Zhongbu, Cheng the Hungry Ghost, and the others had taken turns confirming that the man in purple was truly dead, Yang Dai finally stepped up to the severed head. Even in death, the man’s eyes were wide open, his expression ferocious, as if still unwilling to yield.
“I’m about to extract his soul. Once I’m done, if I lose consciousness, get me out of here at once,” Yang Dai instructed. He then raised his hand toward the purple-robed man’s head, beginning the soul extraction from a distance.
The soul was still present! The moment the connection was made, Yang Dai felt a stabbing pain in his mind, like a thousand needles piercing his brain. He clenched his teeth and endured. Soon, the soul of the man in purple was drawn out, glowing with a faint green light—though dimmer than the others he had seen before.
The pain in Yang Dai’s head intensified, his body trembling uncontrollably. It was a full minute before he managed to fully extract the soul, which swiftly shot into the space between his brows. An overwhelming agony engulfed his consciousness. His body convulsed and he collapsed backward, only for Shi Long to catch him in time.
“Let’s go!” Tian Zhongbu barked. Cheng the Hungry Ghost, ever opportunistic, snatched up the man in purple’s sword and storage pouch. The group of Yin followers moved out in force.
Half an hour later, another group arrived at the scene, quickly discovering the corpse of the man in purple. A middle-aged man in a black robe knelt beside the body to examine it.
“There are many wounds—he wasn’t just beheaded. He must have fought several enemies before dying,” the man said gravely.
A young woman in blue nearby frowned. “There are a lot of traces here—footprints, and even marks where someone hit the mountainside. But aside from him, there’s no other body. Could all those who attacked him have been cultivators?”
The others began to analyze the situation.
“They must have been. Judging from the marks on the mountain wall, if it were ordinary soldiers, their bodies would have been crushed to a pulp.”
“I never thought Liang Zixiao, the genius of the Ghost Abyss Sect, would die so miserably.”
“It serves him right. He managed to infiltrate Daxia territory—likely to cut off the army’s supply lines.”
“If it’s Liang Zixiao who died, his killers must be from Daxia. Why bother investigating? If Liang Zixiao dared come here, there could be other Ghost Abyss disciples lurking as well.”
“This could get troublesome. Liang Zixiao’s master will surely be enraged.”
Amid the discussion, the black-robed man took out a vial of potion and poured it over the corpse known as Liang Zixiao. At once, head and body began to dissolve, releasing a searing vapor.
“Let’s move. Search the entire area.”
The group quickly departed.
…
Yang Dai dreamed that he had been born in a small village. When he was five, famine struck and his parents sold him to a stranger. After that, he was taken to the Ghost Abyss Sect.
Upon joining the sect, he lived with older children who bullied him relentlessly. Fists and kicks were the least of it—sometimes he was even burned. Every day was torment, a living hell, until at age eight the sect tested for spiritual roots. He stood out and was accepted as a disciple by an inner-sect elder, receiving a new name: Liang Zixiao, taking his master’s surname.
Before he was twenty, Liang Zixiao reached the seventh stage of the Qi Gathering realm, becoming a rare prodigy of the Ghost Abyss Sect. Scarred by his childhood, he became bloodthirsty, turning those who once bullied him into ghost slaves. He even returned to find his parents. They had new children, the famine was over, and they lived in peace—but jealousy and hatred now consumed Liang Zixiao.
So he slaughtered the entire village. That night, flames lit up the sky and cries echoed beneath the darkness. With his back to the burning village, Liang Zixiao laughed madly.
He had become a true demon.
The dream ended there, and Yang Dai slowly regained consciousness. He opened his eyes to find the morning sunlight falling on him. The sky and trees seemed to sway before his eyes. It took a while before he was fully lucid.
Tian Zhongbu, Shi Long, Cheng the Hungry Ghost, Liu Junjie, and the other Yin followers surrounded him in concern. The Cang Wolf and his wolf army were scattered through the woods, keeping watch.
Yang Dai sat up and rested for a moment, gradually feeling his strength and spiritual power return. He stood, stretched, and asked, “How long was I unconscious?”
Shi Long replied, “A day and a night. To avoid pursuit, we traveled all night, only stopping an hour ago. We’re well away from the battlefield now.”
Yang Dai nodded, pleased with their actions. Only a day and a night this time—I really am getting stronger.
A smile spread across his face, and the Yin followers watched him with eager anticipation.
A black mark appeared at Yang Dai’s brow. A soul form shot out, visible to all: the purple-robed man himself.
Ninth level of Qi Gathering—Liang Zixiao!
At last, Yang Dai’s followers had a true powerhouse among them.
Liang Zixiao landed before Yang Dai, his expression momentarily dazed before turning complicated. He had ended up as a ghost slave to the very person he had hunted! Yet this was unlike any ghostly servitude he’d known before—he felt a strange control over his own soul, far fewer shackles than before.
Meeting Yang Dai’s gaze, all resentment faded, replaced by a deep, marrow-deep awe. He cupped his fists and bowed.
“Liang Zixiao greets his master!”
Though Liang Zixiao’s voice was soft, it carried a tremendous pressure in the night, unnerving the Yin followers.
This man was truly terrifying. He had stood alone against five hundred. If not for the power of the Heavenly Gang Grand Luo Sword Formation, they might not have been able to protect Yang Dai, and the entire force could have been wiped out.
“What? You’re Liang Zixiao?” Cheng the Hungry Ghost suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone’s attention.
Liu Junjie asked curiously, “You know him?”
Ying Ji spoke up, “Liang Zixiao, a once-in-a-century talent of the Ghost Abyss Sect. He’s been very active in the martial world these past two years, even slaughtering Daxia soldiers on the battlefield several times.”
Cheng the Hungry Ghost shot him a disgruntled look.
Liang Zixiao ignored them, keeping his eyes fixed on Yang Dai, awaiting orders.
The more Yang Dai looked at Liang Zixiao, the more satisfied he felt, as if the words “Ninth Level Qi Gathering! Fights five hundred alone!” hovered above his head.
“Why did you target me?” Yang Dai asked.
Liang Zixiao replied, “You and your group were too conspicuous near the battlefield. I’d been observing you for some time and noticed you seemed to wield a soul-absorbing technique, so I decided to strike.”
Yang Dai glanced at Ying Ji. “Why does the Ghost Abyss Sect want to kill Ying Ji?”
Liang Zixiao answered, “It was instigated by Daxia’s second prince. He wants to eliminate all the princes, then frame the crown prince, and usurp the throne for himself.”
At this, Ying Ji’s eyes widened in shock. “Impossible! My second brother gets along with me very well, why would…”
Liu Junjie patted his shoulder sympathetically. “He can’t lie now. Accept it. You’re a prince—don’t you understand how tempting the throne is?”
Ying Ji frowned. “But if he kills us all, leaving only himself and the crown prince, wouldn’t Father notice?”
Liang Zixiao turned to him, his tone ghostly. “The second prince is actually the son of a major figure in the Ghost Abyss Sect and one of the emperor’s concubines. Only the sect’s inner circle knows this. The Ghost Abyss Sect stoked the war between Daliang and Daxia to draw the Daxia emperor’s attention. Even if the sect’s hand in the princes’ deaths is discovered, the emperor’s rage will fall on Daliang instead. Daliang is merely a pawn—the Ghost Abyss Sect promised to support Daliang, but in truth they aim to annex both dynasties.”
“I sent my disciples to hunt you, and the reason you made it to Ghostcry Ridge alive is because I arranged for you to encounter some outer disciples who didn’t know the truth. You were supposed to die at their hands. They knew nothing of the second prince, so even if captured, suspicion would never fall on him—only increasing hatred for Daliang.”
Ying Ji was dumbstruck. His father had been cuckolded?
Cheng the Hungry Ghost was visibly moved. “So the other three outer disciples at Ghostcry Ridge are dead?”
Liang Zixiao nodded calmly.