Chapter 1 Ghost?

In the street, a yellow dog barked softly as An Qisheng sized everything up with great interest.

In his mind's eye, three shadows flitted over.

They had no physical form, and their screams didn't travel through the air. Instead, they echoed directly in his mind, carrying with them a resentful aura. A single scream was enough to trigger fear in ordinary people.

They had no physical form, so naturally, they had no shape.

In Sa Wuling's eyes, they were grotesque little devils with green faces and fangs, but in An Qisheng's eyes, they were merely shadows, because he felt no fear.

"This person is raising little devils!"

Sa Wuling's expression darkened as he heard the screams. He shook his bell, ready to toss out a talisman.

But An Qisheng was faster. He took a light step forward, and the firewood knife in his hand swept upwards, engulfing all three little devils.

"Senior!"

Sa Wuling hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Ghosts were immune to blades and fists, but he didn't believe that this 'senior' didn't know that.

*Chi*

The firewood knife passed through empty air, as expected.

But a shrill, agonizing wail suddenly echoed in Sa Wuling's mind!

It was as if the devils had been thrown into a boiling oil pot or tossed onto a mountain of knives!

The little devils were instantly sliced apart the moment the firewood knife passed through them!

Divine intent was like a blade, instantly tearing the devils apart!

The shadows were instantly severed, as if people had their limbs and torsos cut off. After a series of慘叫s, they dispersed into the air.

Ordinary blades and fists couldn't harm insubstantial ghosts, but An Qisheng's divine intent was incredibly powerful. Even though it was limited by his current weak body, a single sweep was enough to extinguish the very root of their existence!

"Greed, anger, ignorance, hatred, love, malice, desire... extreme emotions combined with the resentful energy of Heaven and Earth... so that's how ghosts come to be..."

An Qisheng lowered the firewood knife, a hint of understanding in his eyes.

Worlds were different.

Xuanxing was a place devoid of spiritual energy. Divine intent couldn't leave the body or exist independently. The Jiu Fu realm also lacked these conditions. Even experts as powerful as Divine Meridian cultivators could only allow their divine intent to exist briefly or within specific objects like human-skin scrolls.

The Huangtian realm was different again.

The Heaven and Earth of the Huangtian realm contained spiritual energy and various resentful and ominous energies, which became the breeding ground for ghosts.

But ordinary souls couldn't kill people because the human body itself possessed a life force field. In this world, it could be said that people had three lamps. As long as the lamps weren't extinguished, ghosts couldn't approach.

These little devils had all suffered nearly hopeless torture in life, allowing them to remain in the world after death and even kill.

As for the nature of that torture, presumably no one would be interested in knowing.

Hearing a distant curse.

An Qisheng's expression turned slightly cold as he strode forward.

Before the ancestral hall, the black-robed Daoist was in great pain. Raising little devils was not easy.

He had used secret methods to manipulate these little devils while they were still alive, forcing them to kill their parents, wives, children, and siblings in the slowest and most gruesome ways possible. Then, he had used secret methods to refine them day and night for three years before they reached their current state.

They were destroyed before they could mature. The pain in his heart was immeasurable.

"Go, kill them!"

The black-robed Daoist slammed his hand on the ground and roared, glaring at the approaching duo and dog.

*Roar!*

A loud roar erupted.

The two puppet warriors guarding his sides charged out like madmen.

In life, they had been experts in the martial world. After death, they were refined using secret methods, becoming immune to blades and spears. They were much more powerful than low-level walking corpses.

As they charged forward, the ground trembled. The air howled as they covered more than ten zhang.

The blades and swords they wielded shone with a chilling light, making them incredibly ferocious.

"He even refined living corpses?"

Sa Wuling was shocked. He shook his bell and tossed out several talismans.

Refining living corpses was also an evil art of the Heterodox Dao.

It involved refining living people into corpses, combining the agility of the living with the invulnerability of zombies. They even retained memories from their lives. With further refinement, they even had the potential to become Iron Armor Corpses or Copper Armor Corpses.

Back then, the Heterodox Dao's master, Heterodox Zhenren, had even refined a *shi ba* that was of an even higher level than a Golden Armor Corpse!

That *shi ba* could fly through the skies and tunnel through the earth, with limitless power. It was said that even a Great Zhenren who had entered the Dao was killed by it!

*咻*

The talismans ignited the moment they left his hand, flying as fast as arrows, instantly shooting towards the two living corpse puppets that were charging at him.

*Bang!*

The living corpse wielding the saber didn't dodge or evade, but forcefully smashed the fire arrow. Its body only staggered back a step, and there wasn't even a scratch on its exposed chest.

The living corpse wielding the sword had already slashed over with its sword light.

"呔!"

Sa Wuling gritted his teeth, shaking the bell like a madman while chanting incantations. He tossed out talisman after talisman.

*Bang!*

*Bang!*

Fires and bursts of air exploded continuously.

The old Daoist went berserk, and with the onslaught of talisman attacks, he actually managed to hold off the two living corpses.

"Living corpses?"

An Qisheng assessed the two living corpses, firewood knife in hand.

These two living corpses were immune to blades and spears, and they possessed immense strength. Their raw physical power rivaled that of a martial artist in the Jiu Fu realm who had mastered the blood exchange technique.

If they weren't so slow, a mediocre Daoist like Sa Wuling wouldn't be able to defeat them.

"Senior!"

Sa Wuling rolled away after tossing out a talisman, shouting with a dirt-smeared face, "Senior!"

*铮*

His voice still echoed when a blade light flashed across the night sky, slicing through the blade and sword shadows wielded by the two living corpses like water or wind.

It appeared and disappeared in an instant.

*嗤*

The two burly living corpses froze for a moment, then their two large heads fell to the ground. Foul-smelling black blood spurted out a zhang high, sizzling as it landed.

An Qisheng, firewood knife in hand, looked indifferently at the skeleton.

Living corpses were still just living corpses. Aside from their invulnerable bodies, their skills couldn't compare to even a Ming Jin martial artist from Xuanxing.

Their flailing blade and sword shadows were a joke to him.

"What?!"

Before the ancestral hall, the black-robed Daoist suddenly stood up, his face filled with horror.

The moment the two appeared, he had sensed through secret methods that these two people had no magical power. Only the old Daoist's bell was an inferior magical artifact.

A mortal without any magical power, wielding a rusty firewood knife, had killed his living corpses?

How was that possible?!

The black-robed Daoist was shocked, but Sa Wuling seemed to have found support. He wiped the dust from his face and cursed loudly:

"Evil Daoist! You raise little devils, refine living corpses, and feed White Bone Human Demons! Your actions are an outrage to both Heaven and men!"

While cursing, he was also secretly rejoicing.

This evil Daoist had clearly received a register, meaning he was no longer at the Qi Nurturing level. If he had encountered him alone, he would have died a miserable death.

"Hmph!"

The black-robed Daoist ignored Sa Wuling, his gaze fixed on An Qisheng:

"Who are you? Why are you opposing me?"

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't detect any magical power in the youth. He was clearly an ordinary mortal without a register, and his physique didn't seem particularly strong.

But it was this ordinary mortal who had killed his living corpses with a firewood knife, despite him having spent great effort to refine them!

He had captured martial arts experts to create these living corpses, cutting open their skulls and pouring in a specially made molten iron. They were immune to blades and fire.

They were not something mortals could fight against.

*Kacha, kacha, kacha*

The White Bone Human Demon sitting cross-legged among the crowd also slowly stood up, its green light flickering as it stared intently at An Qisheng.

A murderous aura surged like a tide.

It was clear that it sensed its master's deep apprehension.

The villagers who had been lured here by the bewitching incense retreated in a frenzy under the impact of the murderous aura. Even without their senses, they felt immense fear.

"It seems you don't recognize me."

An Qisheng sighed softly.

Although it had only been three days, he was at a different level. Three days for him was equivalent to three years of grinding for others. He was naturally incomparable to the foolish and dazed original owner of this body from three days ago.

It was natural that this black-robed Daoist didn't recognize him.

Of course, more importantly, the human brain subconsciously forgot unimportant things.

Clearly, the original owner of this body wasn't qualified to be remembered by the black-robed Daoist.

"I recognize you?!"

The black-robed Daoist was somewhat bewildered.

He thought carefully, but he didn't recall such a person in his memory. Otherwise, with the youth's skills, he couldn't possibly have forgotten.

"It's fine if you don't remember. There will be plenty of time to remember slowly later!"

An Qisheng spoke at a measured pace.

But his steps suddenly quickened. The moment he finished speaking the words 'remember slowly', he had already combined three steps into two, brandishing his knife at the White Bone Human Demon that had also sprung up.

*嗡*

In the depths of his eyes and soul, beneath the Daoyitu, the Wangquan Sword that carried his spiritual world shone brightly!

The Wangquan Sword was neither iron nor gold, neither qi nor spirit. It was the manifestation of his Dao essence when he was Wangquan Daoist. It was the fruit of An Qisheng's life, a condensation of his will.

The Jiazi deductions and three thousand years of planning in the Jiu Fu realm. He had done much more than anyone could imagine!

What he wanted wasn't a weapon inherited from a world, but a natal divine weapon that could accompany him into the myriad worlds in his dreams, never to be separated!

After several months of intersection above Xuanxing, the Wangquan Sword had become a part of his origin.

It could be brought with him into the myriad worlds in his dreams!

However, just as An Qisheng needed a vessel to enter his dreams, the Wangquan Sword also needed a suitable vessel to exert its power.

This firewood knife was naturally not enough to bear the divine intent of the Wangquan Sword.

However, all that he faced,

Were not remarkable characters.

*Boom!*

A wisp of golden light arose from the firewood knife, then burst forth.

This eruption was so terrifying that the air beneath the night sky seemed to become a solid surface of water. The ripples spread out, colliding with the murderous aura raised by the White Bone Human Demon, erupting into visible waves of air!

*Roar!*

The White Bone Human Demon had just raised its arm and hadn't even released any power before it was forced back a step by the rolling air currents.

It was only a step.

It was only an instant.

But An Qisheng's body had already calmly stepped across the air currents, brushing past the White Bone Human Demon. At the same time, the golden light of the firewood knife descended, stirring up a cold and sharp ocean of saber qi:

"Swords cannot harm the little devils, and blades cannot pierce the living corpses. I wonder, are you also immune to blades and swords?"