Chapter 74: The Deadly Bait, Vengeful Spirits Forge the Immortal

“This—how can this be!” All the soldiers stared in disbelief. The art of summoning clouds and rain belonged to the Dragon King; how could a mortal perform such a feat!

“General Guo, Lieutenant Han is simply miraculous,” the black-faced officer exclaimed in endless admiration.

“Haha, excellent! With such a remarkable man in our Yunzhou Command, I shall raise a cup in celebration!” General Guo was overjoyed, eager to drink fine wine.

“Well then, I ask you both to order the four city gates to set up cauldrons and boil water for medicine. By my humble rain-summoning art, I will spread it and have the Black Scarf soldiers drink it,” Han Chong said, withdrawing his spiritual power and feeling quite satisfied with his immortal technique.

Soon, the orders were relayed to the four gates. The soldiers erected ten large cauldrons each, boiling the pungent buckwheat Han Chong had bestowed.

Han Chong used his mountain-carrying technique to lift the cauldrons and pour their contents into the air, spreading rain that fell gently everywhere.

All the Black Scarf soldiers drank the blessed rain, their minds cleared. They saw only one man riding a sword in the sky, distributing rain as he descended, and took him for an immortal. They knelt and bowed in gratitude.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission of rescuing Yunzhou from chaos. You have gained 500,000 merit points.]

...

“Lieutenant Han, when I was still wounded, you managed to turn the tide and crack this great case—truly remarkable. I shall soon submit a petition to the Grand Commander on your behalf.

Perhaps the Grand Commander will transfer you to the capital; it is not impossible.” General Guo patted Han Chong’s shoulder as he spoke.

“Thank you, General. Though the catastrophe in Yunzhou has been quelled, three vengeful commanders remain. My heart is uneasy; time is of the essence. Let us muster our forces and set out to eradicate them.”

“I, too, wish to wipe them out, but these three fiends, frightened like startled birds, are hard to track down.” General Guo sighed softly.

“I am willing to go undercover and investigate. I swear to destroy all three; otherwise, I shall not rest.” Han Chong clasped his hands in petition.

“Very well. Take some lieutenants with you and act with caution. If you find the fiends’ exact whereabouts, do not act alone. Send word to me and we shall go together to cleanse them.”

Han Chong nodded. At this point, there was no other way.

“As you command!”

That evening, Han Chong returned to the command post and found Captain Ning and Leng Yue, but there was no sign of Captain Wu.

Upon inquiry, he learned that Wu and three lieutenants from Pei Jun’s command had fallen in battle, slain by that judge-like ghost.

Han Chong was deeply grieved, and all were moved to sorrow. The next day, they went together to the mortuary to give them a proper burial.

“Lieutenant Han, we must avenge Captain Wu and the others!” a lieutenant cried with tears in his eyes, everyone’s gaze burning as they looked to Han Chong.

“Very well! I have received the general’s orders: we shall destroy the three fiends and avenge Captain Wu and all fallen soldiers. Gather your belongings and follow me!”

Consulting the map, he saw that Innocence Ghost Cliff lay within the borders of Songxiang County to the south. Han Chong flew ahead on his sword, while Captain Ning and the others followed swiftly on horseback.

...

Han Chong approached Ghost Cliff, concealing himself as he descended to its base, passing through layers of spectral mist. At the bottom, countless wandering spirits roamed—a hellish scene of ghosts.

Within a cave shaped like a beast’s maw, lavishly furnished, lay the palace of the Innocent Judge.

Stepping inside, he found no trace of the fiend—unsurprising, for the judge had fled in panic and would not dare linger for execution.

However, Han Chong discovered the source black stone of the mother fiend quietly recovering in a side chamber.

Could it be the Innocent Judge had never returned, disregarding the mother fiend’s life, and sent no message?

It seemed this judge was not only cunning and vicious, but utterly heartless. In that case, Han Chong resolved to kill the mother fiend first.

He gathered all his strength and thrust his sword at the black stone, which spewed black mist.

Hiss.

The Clear Sword pierced the stone an inch deep. A shrill scream rang out—the mother fiend was terrified and cried out, the black stone leaping up to escape.

Han Chong pursued relentlessly, striking again and again. At the entrance to the cliff base, he finally shattered it into more than ten fragments; the mother fiend fell silent.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for slaying one Black Mountain Mother Fiend! You have entered the first level of the mid-stage of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation. Current energy value: 1,310,720 points!

Congratulations on breaking through to a minor realm; you are awarded the Azure Dragon Sword Manual!

Under the God-Slaying Pursuit Curse, your lifespan has dropped to sixty-six percent!

Ding! Congratulations to the host for gaining one skill point. You may select a new skill or upgrade an existing one!]

“Hahaha! Well done, boy, you really came!” A sharp, triumphant laugh echoed as a dome-like gray net descended upon Han Chong, faintly accompanied by the wails of ten thousand ghosts, chilling the soul.

Han Chong’s expression changed in alarm; he tried to flee to the ground, but found another gray net manifesting below him. Truly, there was no escape!

“Heh heh heh, brat, I was ready for this trick of yours!”

Two figures dropped from the sky, hovering on a patch of gray mist and looking down at the shrinking gray net.

One was the lacquer-faced judge, who now stood half a step behind another—a figure clad in a silver-gray cloak, horned felt hat, and bearing the head of a gray dog.

“Lord Evil Spirit, your Soul-Refining Immortal Net is truly extraordinary. Once caught in this net, even celestial immortals must surrender. Innocence is in awe.”

“Hmph! Naturally. This Immortal Net was woven from the vengeful souls of one hundred thousand human, demon, and ghost beings. Since its creation, no one has ever escaped.”

Han Chong stared intently—the dog-headed figure’s fur was gray, wrapped in wisps of evil energy, indistinct and unclear.

He could just make out the features: a long snout and round head, with the cunning of a fox and the ferocity of a wolf, but broad and thick—a gray dog without doubt.

Only the eyebrows and beard resembled those of a seventy-year-old man, and he wore a self-satisfied, wicked smile.

The Soul-Refining Immortal Net, as he called it, was extraordinarily tough, contracting and twisting like a giant stomach.

The Clear Sword slashed at it, but was bounced back—unable to pierce it at all!

“A fine beast fighting to the death! Even at the end, you resist fearlessly. I enjoy watching your kind struggle in agony—the quality of vengeful souls improves.

If you were a coward who fainted in terror, you’d sully my Immortal Net.”

The dog-headed figure flicked his white whiskers in delight, scanning Han Chong’s body as if searching for which piece of flesh to preserve.

Han Chong had exhausted every means—flames, sword energy, hacking with his blade—each could only momentarily slow the huge gray net. The cries of vengeful souls invaded his mind, filling him with anger and dread.

Was this truly where he would perish? Distracted and anxious, none of the remaining Earth Fiend secret arts in his system could determine how to break free.

As the giant net shrank to within three feet of Han Chong, bursts of golden light suddenly erupted from his body, like a radiant sun.

A vast, pure force surged skyward; within the gray net, countless vengeful souls wailed, buzzing like a swarm of bees.

“How is this possible!” the dog-headed figure cried out, slapping his claws to inject streams of gray evil mist into the net, urging the vengeful souls on.

The net twisted even more fiercely, kneaded like dough, but it was futile. At this moment, Han Chong seemed like a god descending from the heavens, unmoved as a reef in the sea, golden light shining from his eyes.

The dog-headed figure, straining harder, began to bleed yellow from the corners of his mouth, his form wavering!

“Lord Evil Spirit, this child is strange—please pause your spell!” the lacquer-faced judge pleaded, anxious.

The other had been waiting for such an earnest plea; otherwise, he would have found it hard to retreat gracefully. He spread his hands, retracting the net to a three-yard radius, still enveloping Han Chong, leaving no escape.

Han Chong had meant to rush out in one go, but as the net relaxed, the golden light within him gradually faded. He frowned slightly, feigning calm as he glanced at the two outside the net.

“You wicked ghosts, sowing chaos and suffering—lay down your weapons and surrender at once.”

The dog-headed figure’s mouth twitched, doubt and suspicion in his heart.

“Lord Evil Spirit, what is the golden light he released? How does it withstand the Soul-Refining Immortal Net?”

“Golden light may be Buddhist radiance, fortune, or merit. This boy’s body must be protected by a vast force of merit, which restrains vengeful souls most effectively!”

“Damn you, brat! Don’t be smug. I will find a way to deal with you and turn you into a soul slave!”