Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Capturing the Ghostly White Horse
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Skreeeeech-!
'He didn't even use sword qi, so why did the evil ghost...?'
The evil ghosts of the Ghostly White Horse could only be dispelled with sword qi.
Yet it vanished after just a single stab?
No way was it because twenty-five years ago, the Ghostly White Horse's cultivation was lower... That didn't make sense.
Dispelling evil ghosts without physical forms had nothing to do with cultivation level.
'That leaves only one possibility.'
It was then.
Skreeeech!
Skreeeech!
A horde of ghostly wails closed in. At the same time, a gloomy voice pierced his eardrums.
"The one who cut off my ghost, come out here."
The low voice echoed throughout the entire manor.
Gu-ak had naturally heard it too.
"Damn it."
-Little brother, hide for now and think of a plan. I'll go out.
'Oh, showing loyalty in a situation like this. Kinda touching.'
He had planned to gauge the situation, subdue the Ghostly White Horse, and extract information.
But getting exposed right from the start wasn't part of the plan.
After a moment's deliberation on how to proceed, he made his decision.
-Brother Gu. Let's go together.
-Huh? Why try something so foolish?
-I've got a plan. Follow me.
Yang-hui took the lead with a swaggering gait.
The swarming evil ghosts formed a encirclement and trailed after them.
Moments later, upon reaching the front of the manor, Yang-hui furrowed his brow.
'They've killed quite a few already.'
Combining the manor's guards and the gathered warriors, about a third seemed to have been slain.
The survivors had all been subdued as well.
'Maybe because it's only been three days since the rumor spread. Looks like there weren't any peak experts here.'
The thought had just crossed his mind.
"Which one of you is it? Who killed one of my ghosts?"
A gloomy voice, thick with phlegm.
Gu-ak stepped forward.
"Can't you tell? It's me, obviously."
The Ghostly White Horse nodded.
Common sense dictated that a child couldn't have dispelled an evil ghost.
"I see. Try it again."
The Ghostly White Horse flicked his finger, and one of the floating evil ghosts charged at Gu-ak.
Skreeeech!
"Ngh!"
Gu-ak swung one of his twin axes, slicing the evil ghost in half.
But the bisected ghost immediately reformed.
"Not you, then. You haven't reached the peak realm. You lied."
"......"
While focusing on their exchange, Yang-hui assessed the situation.
'Total of about thirty evil ghosts.'
It had been a full twenty-five years before his previous life's encounter with the Ghostly White Horse.
Naturally, his cultivation would be lower, so he could only command fewer evil ghosts.
'Some are tied up subduing the other warriors, so he can only deploy about ten at once.'
Moreover, none of the great ghosts from his previous life were in sight.
The four powerful evil ghosts he had created by corrupting masters' souls with demonic and deathly qi.
Without those... this seemed manageable.
-Brother Gu. On the count of three, we charge. I'll handle all the evil ghosts, so you take down that bastard.
-Wh-what? Do we stand a chance?
-We do. One, two, three!
Yang-hui immediately unleashed his Qi Heaven Steps.
As if anticipating a surprise attack, the Ghostly White Horse flicked his finger again.
Skreeeech!
The evil ghosts surged forward, trailing streams of inky black energy.
But.
With his sword infused with pure inner energy, Yang-hui swung, and the lead evil ghost vanished completely.
Skreeeeech-!
'As expected, it was thanks to the pure qi.'
The pure qi that had emerged after his regression, massively amplified recently by the spirit pill.
He'd named it pure qi due to its lofty, clear nature, but he hadn't known it had this power.
It was blatantly infused with the strength to slay demons.
Wait, was this really pure qi?
'Well, whatever. It's made things easier.'
"It was you!"
While the Ghostly White Horse reeled in shock, Yang-hui closed half the distance.
"Brother Gu!"
"Got it!"
Gu-ak immediately deployed his lightness skill and followed behind.
Yang-hui swung his sword again.
Heaven-Covering 108 Swords, Fifth Stance.
Eagle Feather Scatter, Fifth Variation.
Eagle Feather Scatter scattered sword strikes in all directions, cleaving nine evil ghosts.
Skreeeech-!
Skreeeech-!
Skreeeech-!
The evil ghosts, spewing sinister, insidious energy, vanished in an instant.
"What?! How is this possible?!"
The Ghostly White Horse panicked and couldn't react properly.
He had no choice but to be stunned.
Unless facing a peak expert, he had never lost even one evil ghost before.
Yet now, his precious evil ghosts were winking out one after another.
"Brother Gu! Now!"
Yang-hui thrust at the last remaining evil ghost, following the subtleties of the Four Directions Piercing Darkness.
Skreeeeech!
As the evil ghost dissipated in a burst of black energy.
Gu-ak burst through the qi and buried his axe in the Ghostly White Horse's shoulder.
"Gaaah!"
Before the scream finished, Yang-hui followed up by severing both his arms.
"Guh, gaaah! My hands! My hands!"
"Shut up, you bastard."
The Ghostly White Horse summoned evil ghosts through hand seals.
With both hands severed, he was effectively neutralized.
They had subdued the Ghostly White Horse—who would massacre countless warriors and become a figure of terror in the distant future—with just the two of them.
'Pure qi... I have no idea what's going on with it.'
Puzzles could wait.
The priority now was the Ghostly White Horse.
"Hey, demon. Line up all your evil ghosts in front of me."
"Ngh, who are you to com-, gaaah!"
Gu-ak's axe slammed into his other shoulder, cutting off his words with another scream.
"Obey, or become scraps."
"......"
The evil ghosts that had been subduing the warriors slowly gathered forward.
Yang-hui infused his sword with inner energy and dispelled them all.
Skreeech!
Skreeech!
Skreeech!
Now, the Ghostly White Horse had lost all means of resistance.
What made him fearsome was his sorcery, not his personal martial prowess.
"Brother Gu, well done."
"Ah, that was splendid teamwork."
-By the way, little brother. How did you dispel the ghosts?
It felt awkward to say it was the pure qi, so he brushed it off vaguely.
-No idea. Maybe it's the effect of that spirit pill I took recently.
-Makes sense. Logical enough.
Seeing Gu-ak nod, Yang-hui went around, releasing the acupoints of the warriors.
Most had passed out from the evil ghosts' energy, so it wasn't difficult.
'This way, no more disturbances while we leave.'
Next, he scanned the surroundings for someone specific.
A middle-aged man with a greedy-looking face, plump with fat.
Draped in expensive silk robes, he was obviously the Namgeum Merchant Group leader.
"Are you the leader of the Namgeum Merchant Group?"
"Y-yes, that's me. Thank you so much, young hero."
The gratitude felt a bit off.
The merchant group had suffered this disaster entirely because of him.
'Well, he's a leech who fattened himself on others' blood, so no sympathy.'
"I'm thinking of interrogating this demon. Could I borrow a quiet, secluded spot?"
"O-of course."
'Better to interrogate alone.'
He planned to ask why he was here and what was up with the Blood Cult. If Gu-ak heard, he'd question how he knew to ask.
"Brother Gu, other warriors might wake up, so please stand guard here."
"And the interrogation?"
"I'll handle it alone."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"You saw me wipe out the ghosts. He can't resist."
Grabbing the Ghostly White Horse by the collar, Yang-hui dragged him to the deepest part of the manor and threw him to the floor.
Then got straight to the point.
"Why is someone who should be holed up in the Blood Cult's lair wandering around out here?"
"Wh-what...!"
The Ghostly White Horse's eyes bulged in agony.
"H-how do you...?"
"Questions are the victor's right. Shut up and answer. Why are you here?"
"......"
The Ghostly White Horse fell silent. Why did these cult bastards always have to complicate things?
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
He stabbed the bastard's gut and severed the meridians in his limbs.
"Kuh...!"
"Hurts, huh? Talk, and I'll let you go easy. Deal?"
"......"
Still silent. At least he had more endurance than the assassins of the Nameless Death Valley.
Might as well skip the bone-marrow extraction technique; it wouldn't mean much.
'Wish I had someone from the Tang Clan right now.'
The Tang had torture poisons that amplified pain.
In his previous life, during the cult purge, only Tang torture poisons could loosen prisoners' tongues.
'Ah, wait.'
Ghostly White Horse. A sorcerer who summoned evil ghosts with spells.
Unlike normal martial arts, sorcery was based on the upper dantian.
The Baihui, gateway to the heavens; the Indang, vessel for divine energy.
Dark, insidious qi enveloped his entire head, visible to the eye.
'Worth a shot?'
Yang-hui placed his index and middle fingers on the space between the Ghostly White Horse's brows.
The bastard, silent until now, finally spoke.
"You! What are you trying to do?!"
"You'll see!"
He stimulated the pure core in his dantian.
He couldn't draw out all the pure qi absorbed from the spirit pill, but a far denser concentration merged with his inner energy.
"Gaaaaah! Gaaaaah!"
Screams echoed. The Harmonious Heaven qi saturated with pure qi flooded the upper dantian, dismantling the baleful energy.
"Hurts? Promise to answer well, and I'll stop."
"Gaaaaah! Guh, kuh, ngh!"
"Holding out pretty long?"
Messing with Indang and Baihui wrong could turn him into an idiot.
Yang-hui didn't care and kept pouring in the Harmonious Heaven qi.
Who gave a damn if he went mad?
This was the only way to make him talk anyway.
"Stop! Stooop! I'll talk!"
"Oh."
He withdrew his hand, and the Ghostly White Horse gasped wildly.
"Asking again. Why is someone who should be in your lair wandering outside?"
"......I received orders."
This bastard still hadn't learned.
"From now on, answer in full detail."
"W-wait! Fine, fine, gaaaaah!"
He kneaded the bastard's brain with pure qi again before pulling back.
"Now, spill it."
"I received orders from the cult leader. The goal is to scout or establish forces to cooperate with our cult in advance of the upcoming purification."
Ah, these bastards. They'd already spread roots everywhere.
No wonder they suffered so many humiliating defeats during the cult purge.
"How many were sent out?"
"Dozens, including me."
"Any forces suborned or established?"
"Not in my case. We operate in isolated cells for secrecy, so I don't know about the others."
This bastard knew nothing useful?
What a waste of time.
"What's the Blood Cult's current status? What is your cult leader up to?"
"I don't know."
"Ah, you bastard. Still haven't learned."
"I-it's true! Before leaving the cult, I received the great seal and had my memories wiped! I only get them back at the base!"
This was why dealing with Blood Cult scum was such a pain.
Handling every twisted sorcery from unorthodox factions meant they could pull all sorts of bizarre tricks.
'Interrogation's basically pointless.'
Still, he decided to throw out one last question.
Perhaps the most important one.
"Know anything about the Divine Cult?"
Divine Cult. Proper name: Heaven-Defying Divine Cult.
Yang-hui unconsciously recalled a moment from his previous life.
'If only I could know in advance... I must kill them.'