Chapter Forty-Two: The Fierce Battle at Soul Longevity Valley

After I reached the center of the Bitter Kunai Gate, I noticed a simple map lying on the ground. Examining it closely, I confirmed it was left behind by Master and the others. I glanced once more at the road ahead leading to Soul Longevity Valley, tightened my backpack, and hurried forward.

Master’s group was moving at a steady pace—not too fast, not too slow. Before they reached Soul Longevity Valley, three Ghost Generals appeared standing atop the gloomy sky. Master halted, looked up at them, and spoke first, “You three really have nothing better to do, do you?”

Standing off to the side, the Ghost General Xiefan stared at the group, suddenly startled and exclaiming in disbelief, “Tan Boqing! Wasn’t his power sealed away? How could he have broken free so quickly? This shouldn’t be possible.”

“Hah! Xiefan, so this is what you call ‘destroying Tan Boqing completely’? Seems your Crying Soul Cavern isn’t so impressive after all,” sneered the Ghost General Xingqing.

Xiefan’s face darkened at this, turning to glare at Xingqing as he retorted, “You dare criticize me? Your Water Moon Illusion wasn’t much either. Didn’t it get blasted to pieces by heavenly thunder?”

Xingqing’s expression soured; he fixed Xiefan with a cold stare and said, “Xiefan, mind your place. You are merely the second Ghost General—I am the first. If you can’t follow orders, I’ll be happy to teach you how.”

“Hey, hey, come now, sirs,” interjected the Ghost General Chihun, attempting to mediate. “We all serve Lord Qingchen. Why let trifles ruin our camaraderie? What matters now is how to deal with Tan Boqing and the others, is it not?”

Xingqing shot Chihun a glance, snorted, then turned his gaze toward Master and his companions. “Tan Boqing, I respect your courage. If you’re willing to retreat today, we’ll spare your lives. Who knows, perhaps we might even find cause to cooperate in the future. What do you say?”

As his words faded, Xiefan stared at Xingqing wide-eyed, wanting to speak, but Xingqing waved him silent. Master, standing below, looked up at the three in the sky with undisguised disdain and laughed. “Xingqing, have our previous blows rattled your brains? Do I really need to state the obvious outcome?”

Xingqing nodded, understanding Master’s meaning. “Since you insist on courting death, so be it. Listen up, ghost soldiers! Surround and slay these mortals with the three Ghost Generals!”

At his command, a rumbling sound echoed all around. Master frowned as he scanned the surroundings. In moments, the once-empty ground was suddenly teeming with hundreds of thousands of ghost soldiers, stunning everyone present.

Elder Chufeng gazed at the legions of ghost soldiers, muttering, “How can there be so many more of them?”

Even the Ghost God Qiyuan’s face fell. “We were careless. Boss, what now?”

Before Master could reply, Elder Yaoshengtian interjected, “What now? We fight, of course! Are you suggesting we back down?”

Master nodded, observing the ghost soldiers lining up in formation. He spoke, “The eastern front is weakest. Break through there. Don’t get bogged down in a war of attrition with the larger force opposite us.”

Having finished his instructions, Master shouted toward the rear, “Sikong, it’s your turn! Unleash some thunderbolts on the eastern side for me!”

He continued, “The plan remains unchanged. Old Monster, you and Sikong break through the east. The rest, hold them back with me. If any of the three Ghost Generals make a move, we’re more than ready for them. Stay alert, all of you.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Elder Yaoshengtian’s figure flashed and appeared at the eastern front. Thunder crashed—three bolts of lightning struck the eastern edge of Soul Longevity Valley. Working together with Elder Yaoshengtian’s demonic aura, the eastern force was weakened to the extreme. Master and his companions intercepted the ghost soldiers trying to reinforce the east, blocking them in the center.

The three Ghost Generals hovered in the air. Xingqing took the lead, saying, “Let’s have some fun with them.”

With that, the three Ghost Generals dove to the ground. Chihun charged at Elder Chufeng, swinging a massive axe. Elder Chufeng leaped back and, with a kick, struck Chihun’s axe. With a metallic clang, he leveraged the force, standing in direct opposition to Chihun.

Meanwhile, Xingqing and Xiefan lunged at Master and Qiyuan. Both reacted swiftly, parrying the Ghost Generals’ attacks and then retreating to stalemate positions at a distance. When the three Ghost Generals descended, the ghost soldiers halted, standing behind their leaders. Instantly, Soul Longevity Valley became a battlefield divided into two camps.

Master faced Xingqing; Qiyuan squared off with Xiefan; Elder Chufeng faced Chihun. The trio stood before the ghostly masses, when Elder Yaoshengtian’s shout rang out, “The ghost soldiers keep coming—I can’t break through the east yet! Can you hold out?”

The three gave no answer, letting their actions speak for them. Master gestured; a golden sword fell into his hand. With a taunt, he beckoned to Xingqing, who responded with an icy command, “All ghost soldiers, reinforce the east! Don’t let them break through!”

With those words, Xingqing charged at Master, the other two Ghost Generals following suit, while the remaining ghost soldiers skirted around Master’s group, surging toward Elder Yaoshengtian. Temporarily pinned down by the Ghost Generals, Master and the others couldn’t provide support. Elder Yaoshengtian bellowed, sending several ghost soldiers flying with a punch. A domineering aura began to emanate from him; a white tail unfurled from his back and, with a mighty sweep, sent hundreds of ghost soldiers scattering.

A tiger’s roar shook the air. Elder Yaoshengtian transformed into his true demonic form, his body swelling to colossal proportions. He leaped upward, stomping down atop tens of thousands of ghost soldiers. With a thunderous crash, the whole valley shook, the earth itself sinking.

Xingqing and Master exchanged a palm strike, sending Xingqing flying backward. Staring at Elder Yaoshengtian’s transformed body, Xingqing muttered in disbelief, “An ancient tiger demon? Such power! Was he holding back before?”

Master remained where he was, glancing back at Yaoshengtian. “Old Monster, you finally decided to reveal your true form.”

As he spoke, Master brandished his golden sword and lunged at Xingqing once more. The blade thrust forward, and Xingqing, regaining his senses, dodged aside. But Master’s reflexes were faster—he swept the blade sideways, its tip slicing into Xingqing’s shoulder.

“Aaargh!” Xingqing howled, retreating rapidly. Yet Master gave him no respite, stepping forward and vanishing instantly. Xingqing froze, muttering to himself, “He disappeared? Could it be… the Power of Guardian?”

But before he could ponder further, Master reappeared behind him, a sword beam erupting from the golden blade and slashing Xingqing’s back. Xingqing pitched forward, coughing a plume of black mist. Regaining his balance, he glared at Master. “Old fool, wasn’t your Power of Guardian sealed? How can you still wield it?”

Master pulled a cigarette from his pocket and tucked it between his lips, replying icily, “Who said this was the Power of Guardian, Xingqing? Why don’t you look a little closer?”

With these words, Master vanished once again, as if he’d never been there. This time, forewarned, Xingqing unleashed a terrifying aura of ghostly energy around himself. Master’s attack missed, and the ghostly energy surged, striking at Master’s chest. He raised the golden sword to block, but was still forced back several steps by the impact.

Xingqing sneered, “Trying the same trick again? Let’s see what else you’ve got. Time to die.”

With that, he conjured several ghostly claws and lunged at Master. Master dodged frantically, but he knew this couldn’t continue. Seizing an opening, he vanished once more. Xingqing, now furious, shouted, “Damn you!”

After a moment, Master’s voice rang out from the shadows, chanting, “God’s head slips into darkness; in the gloom ascends the spirit.”

As the last word fell, Master appeared in the distance, a massively enlarged golden sword hovering above his head. Seeing this, Xingqing finally lost his composure and backed away in terror. But Master gave him no chance—his eyes flared with dazzling golden light as he was shrouded in its radiance, like a descending deity.

With a swing of his golden sword, the enormous blade above crashed down upon Xingqing. Too slow to evade, he was struck squarely by the golden sword. Instantly, the entire valley shook even harder, dust billowing everywhere. Even the underworld earth seemed to rumble, as if splitting apart.

When the dust finally settled, a giant crater now marked where Xingqing had stood, but he was nowhere to be seen. Master appeared on the crater’s rim, sensing the lingering ghostly aura within. He frowned, “You still managed to escape. As expected of the First Ghost General.”

With that, Master straightened up and rushed toward Elder Chufeng and Qiyuan. Despite Elder Yaoshengtian’s enhanced power after transforming—lifting himself to the level of a world-destroyer—even he began to falter under the relentless assault of hundreds of thousands of ghost soldiers. He roared, “Demonic Art! Power of the Demon God, awaken!”

With the emergence of the Demon God’s power, his disadvantage began to shift ever so slightly. On his own, he radiated a terrifying tiger’s might. An even more formidable demonic aura surged around him, pressing down on all the ghost soldiers and striking terror into their hearts. Some were even crushed to dust by the pressure.

Yet as the pressure he exerted began to wane, the unruly force of the Demon God’s power proved too much for him to handle. Not having truly entered the realm of the Demon God, after ten minutes of wielding that strength, he finally fell into defeat. Panting heavily, he was caught off guard by a ghost soldier’s sneak attack to his back. It didn’t end there—more ghost soldiers swarmed him, their spectral blades slashing his body. Summoning his last reserve of strength, Elder Yaoshengtian flung the surrounding ghost soldiers away and collapsed to the ground.

Still, the ghost soldiers kept coming. Seeing Elder Yaoshengtian fall, Master and the others rushed to aid him, but the two remaining Ghost Generals fought with reckless fury, blocking them at all costs.