Chapter 159: Chapter 150: Plotting Against the Ghost King
The Ghost King thought his plan was a success, but he never could have imagined that Shen Lang possessed something as heaven-defying as the Silver Eyes of Truth.
Not only had Shen Lang pieced together the Ghost King’s situation from various clues while inside the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, but he had also used his Silver Eyes of Truth to see everything with perfect clarity!
Initially, Shen Lang had only been suspicious and couldn’t be entirely certain.
But now, after observing with his Silver Eyes of Truth and discovering the Ghost King’s little tricks, he sneered inwardly.
’Looks like this old ghost can’t wait any longer...’
Previously, as Shen Lang had repeatedly emerged to cause trouble, he noticed that with each passing foray, the power of the green Ghost Pearl’s attacks against him grew progressively weaker.
Shen Lang was as cunning as a demon and keenly perceptive, and he had mastered countless Cultivation Techniques. With his profound knowledge of the continent’s various hidden Secret Techniques, how could he possibly fail to notice something so obvious?
’It seems this old ghost didn’t become unbearably weak from using that Ghost Secret Technique to advance; he forcefully sealed his own Soul Fire. As the saying goes, it’s better to dredge a river than to dam it. By forcefully sealing his power, the old ghost has ended up even weaker than he was in his original weakened state!’
To verify this, Shen Lang had previously used his Silver Eyes of Truth to observe the Ghost King’s flight path on multiple occasions.
And he discovered...
The Ghost King’s speed had indeed slowed quite noticeably!
And now, the Ghost King’s true body was hiding right beside the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, while he had sent his Divine Split to Yinfeng Cave to feign Cultivation. Connecting these events, Shen Lang immediately deduced all the possibilities!
’This old ghost can’t wait any longer. Especially now that I’ve reactivated the Barrier, he doesn’t have the power to escape. If his strength drops to the Spirit Martial Realm Early Stage, he won’t even be able to conceal himself anymore...’
’It seems he really does want to enter my body and perform Possession... If he has any advantage over me right now, it would be his soul!’
Beside him, Nalan Ziyun saw the unpredictable changes in Shen Lang’s eyes as he watched the situation outside—one moment they would gleam, the next they would fill with killing intent, then he would let out a wild, cold laugh. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes and say, "Hey, can you just say what you’re thinking? Aren’t you tired of racking your brain all by yourself?"
Shen Lang shot her a glare. "This is a battle of wits and power. It’s complicated. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it."
"You bastard, are you calling me an idiot?" Nalan Ziyun fumed.
"See? You’re not that dumb. Though it looks like the ’all bust, no brains’ part is here to stay..." Shen Lang shook his head, his attention returning to the outside of the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.
"Bullshit! You’re the one who’s all bust and no... Ptooey!" Nalan Ziyun subconsciously glanced down at her own ample chest, a blush creeping onto her face. She shot Shen Lang a vicious glare and fell silent.
Outside, a swarm of ghosts, under the command of five Rakshasa Ghosts, had completely surrounded the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.
"Burn this Small Cauldron with Ghost Fire! Burn them to death!" one of the Rakshasa Ghosts shrieked.
Instantly, all the ghosts opened their mouths and spat out Ghost Fire. Raging flames immediately engulfed the entire Heaven-Sealing Cauldron. frёeωebɳovel.com
However, much to their astonishment, even after adding the Ghost Fire from the Rakshasa Ghosts and burning it for what felt like an eternity, the half-man-high Heaven-Sealing Cauldron remained completely unchanged!
"Damn it, this is freaky! My Ghost Fire can burn even Profound Iron to ash, so how has this Small Cauldron not changed one bit?" one Rakshasa Ghost said in disbelief. "Minions, get over here! I’ll help you lift this thing and throw it into the Yinfeng Cave. I refuse to believe this piece of junk can withstand the Yin Qi in that cave! Forget a human—even if we fell in, we’d never make it out alive! Haha!"
The Rakshasa Ghost blustered as it gathered a swarm of ghosts, and together they got a hold on the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.
BUZZ!
Even with the immensely powerful Rakshasa Ghost and a large swarm of ghosts heaving with all their might, the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron only let out a faint hum and didn’t budge an inch!
Inside the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, Shen Lang was rapidly deducing the Ghost King’s next move and formulating his own counter-strategy. When he saw what was happening outside, he snorted coldly.
"You’re courting death!"
With a flicker of his Divine Thought, the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron suddenly shuddered!
A cloud of dust billowed out, and the surrounding ghosts were instantly stunned!
The Rakshasa Ghost and the swarm of lesser ghosts holding onto the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron were blasted into dust by a mysterious Energy, unable to even utter a scream!
"AHH!"
It was unclear which ghost had shrieked, but the horde that had been packed tightly around the cauldron immediately scattered like startled birds. Not a single one dared to approach the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron again!
The Ghost King, who had been lurking near the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, fled faster than a rabbit, zipping into the sky in an instant.
The Ghost King looked down at the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron below, a lingering fear in his heart. ’Thank goodness I was cautious. Thank goodness I’ve always treated myself like a jade vase, refusing to clash with a clay pot! Damn it, if I had been careless and that thing had touched me, wouldn’t I have been turned to ash too? Where the hell did this monster come from? I’ve never even heard of a Magical Treasure like this! A Rakshasa Ghost is at the Spirit Martial Realm Seventh Heaven, and its physical body is nearly on par with a Xuanwu Realm Powerhouse’s! How was it turned to dust without even a scream?’
In the Ghost King’s mind, Shen Lang became shrouded in yet another layer of mystery.
"My lords! A treasure! What an incredible treasure!" a lesser ghost cried out as it scurried up to the remaining Rakshasa Ghosts. "This thing is just too powerful! If our Dark Forest had this treasure, conquering the Phoenix Mountain Range wouldn’t be just a dream!"
SMACK!
The Rakshasa Ghost slapped him straight to the ground. "Treasure my ass! You think we can handle something this heaven-defying? Even if that kid was willing to give it to you, do you think you could touch it? Shut up if you don’t want to die! Trying to convince me to go touch that thing and get my soul scattered so you can become the new boss? Dream on! You take me for a pig? I’m as smart as a whip!"
The Ghost Fire in the eyes of the remaining Rakshasa Ghosts flickered; they were all thinking of retreating. ƒrēewebnovel.com
But with the enormous Barrier enclosing the area, how could they possibly escape?
They thought about asking the Ghost King, but the old fellow was sitting above Yinfeng Cave, seemingly deep in Meditation and with no time to spare for them.
In truth, they weren’t the only ones who were dumbfounded; Shen Lang, inside the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, was a bit stunned himself.
As it stood, Shen Lang had absolutely no ability to control the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron for attack or defense.
At most, he could only make it vibrate slightly or move it a little.
This was only the second time he had even made it vibrate; the first had been a few hours ago in the Abyss, when he had shattered the Cannibal Flower that had completely enveloped the cauldron.
The Cannibal Flower and these lesser ghosts were one thing, but shattering the incredibly durable Rakshasa Ghost into dust had left Shen Lang deeply shaken as well.
’I just used my Divine Thought to make the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron vibrate a little, without even infusing any Spiritual Power, and it’s already this powerful! If I can actually wield this cauldron to fight enemies in the future, then wouldn’t I be...?’
’Forget it. I’ll study the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron later. The priority right now is to deal with the Ghost King.’ A glint flashed in Shen Lang’s eyes. ’Since the cauldron is this powerful, my plan to lure him into a trap will be even easier. Old ghost, you want to perform Possession, don’t you? Hehehe...’
Seeing Shen Lang’s sinister chuckle, Nalan Ziyun rolled her eyes again.
...
Outside the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, the five Rakshasa Ghosts led their minions far away, no longer daring to get anywhere near it.
The Ghost King hesitated in the air for a long while. Finally, with the thought of ’nothing ventured, nothing gained,’ he secretly descended once more, though he stayed five or six meters away from the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, not daring to get any closer.
Just then, Shen Lang reappeared with his long saber where the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron had been, having recalled the artifact into his body.
"Old ghost, I’ve had enough rest. Let’s go another round!"
Shen Lang stretched lazily and pointed his long saber at the Ghost King, who was sitting cross-legged in the air above Yinfeng Cave.
The Ghost King opened his eyes. The Ghost Fire in his pitch-black pupils leaped twice, and with a wave of his hand, he sent the green Ghost Pearl flying. "Junior, die!"
Unlike before, this time the greenish-blue Ghost Pearl didn’t fly directly at Shen Lang. Instead, it let out a sharp whistle in midair and released a great surge of profound yin-cold qi, transforming into a ten-foot-tall Great Demon that pounced toward him.
This Great Demon had two horns on its head and demonic eyes as large as bronze bells, brimming with ferocity and brutality. Its body was pitch-black and covered in sharp spikes. Python-like tendons writhed and squirmed beneath its skin, and its Demon Qi soared to the heavens!
’No wonder my arm went numb when it clashed head-on with my Celestial Water Blade. So this Ghost Pearl is actually a Profound Artifact, and it even has such a ferocious Demon sealed within it!’
Shen Lang’s eyes narrowed. He sheathed his Single Saber and formed several complex, indecipherable Hand Seals. Then, he slowly pushed his palms toward the pouncing Great Demon.
"Thunder Control Divine Technique, Thunder Dragon Roar!"
ROAR!
A deafening roar echoed within the Barrier, shaking the surrounding ghosts so violently that huge swaths of them fell from the air.
Three intersecting Thunder Dragons pounced fiercely toward the Great Demon.
Upon seeing the three Thunder Dragons, the once-ferocious Great Demon’s eyes filled with fear. Without the slightest hesitation, it spun around and fled in the opposite direction!
The power of the three Thunder Dragons was clearly much weaker than the Great Demon’s, but the creature was terrified to its core and didn’t dare to engage in battle...
The raging Thunder Power was its natural nemesis; it had no choice but to flee!
But at the very instant Shen Lang pushed out his palms and the Thunder Dragons left his body, a sinister wind howled from behind. The hidden Ghost King had finally made his move!
"You cunning old ghost!" Shen Lang roared, throwing a punch at the pouncing black mist.
However, the black mist was completely unaffected by the force. It instantly wrapped around Shen Lang’s fist and shot madly up his arm!
"Too late, boy!" the Ghost King’s voice echoed from the black mist. "Evil Ghost Possession! Bind!"
The black mist abruptly split into countless black Locking Chains, instantly binding Shen Lang tightly!
SLITHER!
One stream of Supreme Yin black mist shot up like a slippery eel and drilled into his body through his forehead.
"You little bastard!"
Inside the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, Nalan Ziyun let out a frantic scream! Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the floor...