The entire Huaxia was filled with curiosity about the 'Qianyang' Great Sage, who had been famous for years but remained elusive, like a dragon seen only at its tail.
Everyone knew he resided in the old district of Qingzhu City, managing a small martial arts school.
In an era before the emergence of myriad ghosts and the collapse of immortal martial arts, he would undoubtedly have been a figure of awe to all under heaven.
But now, with the immortal and martial paths ruined and myriad ghosts surfacing, mortals, with sufficient intelligence, could control Dao Ghosts, gain Dao power, and ascend to the heavens!
To this former martial arts 'Qianyang' Great Sage, any Dao Ghost controller did not take him seriously.
No matter how strong martial arts were, they were no match for Dao power; they could be instantly annihilated.
Currently, this 'Qianyang' Great Sage seemed to have not had his cultivation abolished, still able to manifest his presence in the air, which caused the Hand Slave and the Substitute Ghost a slight surprise, but nothing more.
If he died instantly upon facing the knocking old woman ghost before him, it would be of no use.
As Chen Jiuyang manifested in the air, he entered the room where the old woman ghost was with a single step.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
The moment Chen Jiuyang entered the room, the old woman ghost's gaze immediately fell upon him.
"Hmm?"
To the surprise of the Hand Slave and the Substitute Ghost, this 'Qianyang' Great Sage did not die. He stood in place, alive and well, without any rigor mortis.
The next moment.
"Wuwuwu~"
A whimpering roar emanated from the old woman ghost's mouth. Dark, resentful, terrifying, and sinister Dao power immediately appeared.
It lunged towards Chen Jiuyang, but before the Dao power could even approach him, it dissipated directly.
Chen Jiuyang looked at the old woman ghost before him with a cold expression, uttering only a few words:
"A mere minor Dao Ghost of the Four Principles, how dare you look directly at me?"
"Presumptuous!"
"Rumble!!!"
A sound of inexplicable Dao power explosion occurred, and an unnameable will ascended, descending upon the scene.
"Crack—"
What followed was a scene that left the Hand Slave and the Substitute Ghost dumbfounded and wide-eyed!
The old woman ghost, which they considered nearly impossible to deal with, shattered.
Then, it transformed into four identical knocking old woman ghosts...
Although this old woman ghost seemed devoid of intelligence and showed no emotional fluctuation, her body began to tremble under Chen Jiuyang's words.
After a while longer, the entire street, shrouded in darkness, began to contract and suppress from the outside in. The majestic Dao power seemed to resist Chen Jiuyang.
"So that's how it is..."
The Hand Slave's pupils contracted sharply: "How could I forget this? It turns out that within the ghost domain of this knocking old woman ghost, no flaw can be found."
"In other words... before this old woman appeared here, she had already killed many people, strengthening her ghost domain..."
Continuing to observe, within two to three breaths, the dark ghost domain that enveloped the entire street instantly condensed into a small room.
"Crack—"
Like a shattering mirror, after a mere moment, the old woman's physical body dissipated, and the dark, resentful Dao power vanished, transforming into pure, harmless Dao power of the Four Principles...
Upon seeing this pure and harmless Dao power, a look of astonishment appeared in Chen Jiuyang's eyes: "The grand scheme of the mortal world, is this the trend..."
"A war of all things..."
Is it Dao Ghosts killing and destroying the world, or humans using Dao power to destroy ghosts...
And between the Dao power of life and death, does it not perfectly align with the stakes of the life-and-death Netherworld Book in the ninth ultimate chess game...
Thus, Chen Jiuyang could understand why Ming Chengdao, Jiang Xuming, Qi Wushuang, Han Jiuguang, Ji Yaoguang, Bai Riyue, Luo Xingchen, and others joined the ranks of the Garrison Commanders, becoming Interpol officers stationed in various locations to eliminate Dao Ghosts...
This Dao power of the Four Principles could be refined and consumed by Chen Jiuyang, as it was ownerless...
The chessboard has been revealed, and all things in heaven and earth are but pieces.
After dealing with this Dao Ghost, the entire block returned to normal.
Immediately, Chen Jiuyang turned around, his gaze falling upon the Hand Slave and the Substitute Ghost, who were clinging to the wall like geckos, both wearing Interpol uniforms.
"Swish!"
The moment Chen Jiuyang's gaze fell upon them, the Hand Slave and the Substitute Ghost felt an indescribable supreme terror descend upon them, causing their bodies to tremble uncontrollably, their faces to turn pale, and cold sweat to break out.
"How... can he be so strong..."
They recalled when they first arrived in Qingzhu City today, they had disdained this 'Qianyang' Great Sage.
Now, with just one glance, their minds were trembling.
Damn it... what level of Great Sage of martial arts is this...
Yet, even so, they instinctively looked at the four streams of pure Dao power in Chen Jiuyang's hand, their eyes filled with desire, wanting to consume them.
This was Chen Jiuyang's first time seeing these Interpol officers. Mortals, controlling Dao power, somewhat resembled Dao Ghosts, yet they were living mortals.
"Are they also pieces... transformed from black pieces to white pieces..."
"This means that even if a mortal encounters a Dao Ghost, it's a four-nine kill, with a sliver of hope for survival..."
"This ultimate chess game is truly extraordinary..."
Chen Jiuyang looked at the Substitute Ghost and the Hand Slave and asked indifferently, "What are your names, the two of you?"
As if spoken by a golden mouth, like heavenly decree, the Hand Slave immediately replied, "My name is Zhang Hai, codenamed Hand Slave."
The Substitute Ghost said, "My name is Li Gen, codenamed Substitute Ghost."
After speaking, the two of them broke out in even more cold sweat. As Chen Jiuyang's words fell, they spoke out uncontrollably, their hearts filled with extreme dread.
This 'Qianyang' Great Sage was definitely among the first to refine Dao Fruit Dao power.
Moreover, he had retained his martial arts cultivation and strength.
Although the two of them had good intellect, they were ultimately mortals before, unaware of the Dao Fruit secret realm or the Nine Nether Myriad Tombs.
Truly, there are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens.
Fortunately, they had come to Qingzhu City and had not immediately sought trouble with this 'Qianyang' Great Sage, otherwise, they would likely be ashes by now.
"Hmm." Chen Jiuyang merely responded with a sound, a faint smile appearing on his face: "Do you two desire this Dao power?"
The two exchanged glances, swallowed, and despite the oozing cold sweat, slowly nodded.
"For now, this Dao power is not for you to use. Go back, do your jobs well, search for the whereabouts of Dao Ghosts, and if you have news, you can come to find me."
Then, Chen Jiuyang's figure slowly vanished from the spot.
Only then did the two gasp for air, feeling as if they had narrowly escaped death.
Damn it, they hadn't felt this way even when facing the knocking old woman ghost earlier. Just being glanced at by Chen Jiuyang made them feel as if they could die at any moment.
But immediately, a hint of joy flashed in their eyes. This 'Qianyang' Great Sage seemed to have indicated that they should work for him, collecting information on Dao Ghosts?
Returning outside the Qingzhu Spiritual Domain, Chen Jiuyang stood by the river, observing Qingzhu City under the night sky, and then looked at the Dao power in his hand:
"If... this Dao power can restore one's cultivation after being refined by someone?"