The sake gourd stopped its devouring, and the might of Shutendoji vanished. Xin Lei, Bing Huo, and Zhang Hanshan, who had rushed over, quickly went to rescue the girls falling from the sky.
Shutendoji looked confusedly at the flames igniting at his feet and on the ground nearby.
Because Mo Chuan poured all his magic points directly in, five dark red walls rose from the ground, encircling this ghostly domain.
Subsequently, dark red flames began to burn on the ground within the prison walls. Some ordinary people discovered that these flames, while giving a sense of danger, caused no burning sensation upon touch.
Of course, this was for humans.
For all ghosts, these were no different from the karmic flames of hell, as these flames continuously burned their exposed souls and ghost qi.
From the moment Mo Chuan activated his skill, the souls constantly converging on the soul-guiding lamp, the crows flying through the sky, and the endless spiritual energy were all strengthening Mo Chuan.
Killing a ghost allowed Mo Chuan to recover health by having the crows pick up soul fragments. The pollution passive drained spiritual energy to restore mana, and the hell curse stacked passive effects. His magic power and armor constantly increased, and the damage from pollution followed suit.
From Tier 1 to Tier 9 ghosts, the level of targets he could instantly kill gradually increased. With just twenty-five ghosts, Mo Chuan's mana bar and stamina would be completely refilled.
"What... what is this?!" Shutendoji felt an increasingly intense burning sensation. His pupils contracted as he looked at the "evil spirit" in front of him wearing a Hannya mask. Without even wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he roared furiously, "You are not a ghost! You are not that Hannya fellow either! Who are you?!"
"I... am the thing you fear the most..." Mo Chuan said coldly, feeling his constantly growing power.
"Bastard!" Shutendoji ripped the grappling hook from his shoulder armor, then bent his knees slightly, and with a burst of strength from his legs, instantly appeared before Mo Chuan. "Die!"
Seeing the ghost claw reaching for his face, Mo Chuan let out a cold snort and pulled back the grappling hook in his hand. "This way~"
The Doom Bell activated, forcibly repelling Shutendoji.
"Ahhhh!!!—" After being repelled, Shutendoji instantly teleported in mid-air and appeared directly above Mo Chuan, punching down at Mo Chuan's crimson shield.
*Bang~*
Shutendoji retracted his right fist with a pained expression. He retreated a few steps using the momentum, only to find his fist had swollen. Looking up at Mo Chuan again, the shield had merely flickered, without even a single crack.
Mo Chuan listened to the constant system upgrade notifications and silently opened the combat log from earlier.
"Shutendoji used [Ghost King Fist] on the host, dealing 73 physical damage. (Shield value: 13056)"
"Ding, host has leveled up to level eight, automatically learning skills [Barren Land], [Wall of Pain], [Requiem]."
"Host can no longer level up, excess experience overflowed and was automatically converted to gold coins at a proportional rate."
In just over five minutes, Mo Chuan had eliminated all ghosts below Tier 9 from the Hyakki Yako, turning them into unfortunate prisoners in the soul-guiding lamp.
Mo Chuan looked at the prison, which was missing only two walls, and nodded in satisfaction, closing the Netherworld Hell.
Now, only eight Ghost Kings remained.
It was time to settle the score.
Mo Chuan first locked onto the dying Otamaro, the controlled Arakawa Tarou, the physically dispersed Umibozu and the physically mature Tengu. He naturally went for the easier targets.
"Barren Land."
Emerald green energy erupted beneath Umibozu (a puddle of water) and Otamaro (an acquaintance).
Before Shutendoji could even comprehend what was happening, a mass of evil energy exploded from beneath Umibozu, splashing water. Subsequently, the latter's aura vanished.
"Umibozu... is dead?"
Shutendoji looked at Mo Chuan casting the lantern towards Umibozu's "corpse" in disbelief. The lantern flashed red, and the soul dressed as a monk struggled as it was absorbed, even letting out a wail.
Next was Otamaro.
Then Arakawa Tarou.
In the blink of an eye, three Ghost Kings were collected into the lantern.
Shutendoji reacted and quickly shielded Tengu and Ibaraki Doji behind him.
It was a joke; without any ghosts, what kind of Ghost King were they?
"Tamamo-no-Mae! You go! Take him down!" Shutendoji furiously pointed at Su Daji, who had been spectating, and said.
"Why? Are you still the Ghost King now?"
To everyone's astonishment, Su Daji gracefully walked towards Mo Chuan and then performed a standard dogeza, saying, "I, Su Daji, am willing to offer you as the King of Hyakki, to command hundreds of demons and ghosts, and to be the supreme commander of the night parade."
???
King of Hyakki?
Has the leadership changed?
Mo Chuan was a bit bewildered himself, but as he was about to refuse, he saw Su Daji's lifted, pretty face.
She looked… familiar…
Isn't that Teacher Su?!
How did she become a ghost?!
But… she just said her name was Su Daji…
No?! That's Tamamo-no-Mae, isn't it?!
Just as Mo Chuan realized this, he noticed a teasing smile on Su Li's face.
Damn it, so she recognized him. That's why she's pulling this stunt.
Although he didn't know what trick Teacher Su was playing, he trusted she wouldn't set him up. Thus, he nodded and said, "I accept."
"Please, the new Ghost King, challenge the former Ghost King to a decisive battle. The victor shall be the King of Hyakki."
Su Daji's words clearly held some power of heaven and earth. Both Mo Chuan and Shutendoji simultaneously felt the mission to fight each other to the death.
An unprecedentedly powerful ghost qi erupted from Shutendoji's body. With the cooperation of the sake gourd, a phantom image of a purple evil spirit enveloped Shutendoji.
The evil spirit opened its eyes. With only its upper body visible, it extended a giant claw and swiped at Mo Chuan.
Mo Chuan sneered and began to sing a ballad slowly:
Ji Ni Tai Mei~ (Not!)
In that distant place~
Stands an immortal monarch~
He spent his life pursuing~
The truth of death~
A scepter forged from blood and bone~
The sacred bell no longer rings brightly~
The god of death throws his spear~
Striking down the gods from heaven~ (Sung to the tune of "Variations on a Theme by Haydn," lyrics self-composed.)
Requiem began, and besides Su Daji, the bodies of the remaining Ghost Kings emitted a wave of emerald green power from within.
"This... it's the same power that killed Otamaro and the others!"
Shutendoji's pupils contracted. Before this monster finished singing, he had to interrupt him! With this thought, Shutendoji unleashed all his spiritual power, directly increasing the strength of the ghost claw.
On the other side, Zhang Hanshan, after safely placing the unconscious Mo Fei and the other two, looked up and saw Shutendoji's all-encompassing palm strike towards Mo Chuan. He immediately shouted, "Brother Chuan!"
This shout immediately drew Xin Lei's attention. Seeing this strike, Xin Lei's pupils also constricted, but he soon noticed that Mo Chuan seemed to be singing a skill as well.
Although he didn't know Mo Chuan's stance, the urgent task was to defeat Shutendoji!
Xin Lei's body was enveloped in lightning. His entire being's spiritual energy leaked out, transforming into a silver dragon that charged towards Shutendoji.
The latter was startled by this and quickly waved his hand to block Xin Lei's sneak attack.
The giant ghost claw and the ferocious silver dragon collided directly. The overflowing energy directly stirred up violent air currents, blowing away all the dust on the ground.
For a moment, dust and smoke filled the air.
Xin Lei was ultimately sent flying into the air by Shutendoji's palm, but the corners of his blood-stained mouth turned upwards.
Because he felt Mo Chuan's chanting had ended.
A terrifying spiritual power erupted directly from the souls of the Ghost Kings, instantly blasting Tengu and Ibaraki Doji into indescribable messes.
Shutendoji fell straight into the collapsed rooftop ruins, his life or death unknown.