Ch54 – Wuyou Sheng

Translator: Abo Dammen

Unexpectedly, the surrounding black mist surged violently, identical to the same mist that had trapped them earlier. This black mist resonated with Jing Liansheng’s malevolent energy. At this moment, his mind was in utter chaos, and Bai Qing was no longer there to calm him. 

A surge of malice erupted from Jing Liansheng like a long-suppressed volcano finally breaking free. It carried boundless anger, grief, and despair, bursting forth from his body and transforming into a storming force that shot straight into the heavens.

Lin Zhao’s face turned pale in shock. Several elders quickly drew their talismans. “Not good! This ghost servant has broken free from the Celestial Master’s control and is going mad!”

Before they could respond, a shadow emerged from the forest. it was a Great Fierce Ghost who had been hiding in the back mountain for ages.

Before Lin Zhao and his group could even lament, “Us? Fight two of them?”, they were caught off guard by another horrifying revelation. 

The shadow drew closer, and a familiar face emerged.

Lin Zhao was dumbfounded. The three elders also stared in disbelief. Their voices trembled as they almost simultaneously shouted the shock that surged in their hearts, “…Shifu!”

The fierce ghost before them was none other than the former head of the Xuanmen Sect—Wuyou Sheng.

They could hardly believe it, but those features, that figure… There was no mistake. 

It was unmistakably Wuyou Sheng of old.

But now, his long hair whipped wildly, his eyes were blood-red, and his face a terrifying green with protruding fangs. He had transformed into a vengeful, malevolent spirit. Though he was only a century-old malevolent spirit, not yet at the level to control the world’s elements like Jing Liansheng’s millennial vengeful spirit, the chilling aura he exuded was enough to make every living person present shudder.

He sneered, spreading his arms to absorb the malice constantly spilling from Jing Liansheng.

The malevolent energy of the millennial vengeful spirit surged into his body like a tide, massively amplifying his power in that moment. 

Lin Zhao’s group instantly realized Wuyou Sheng’s plan. Ever since entering the back mountain, all his designs had been aimed at Jing Liansheng!

He deliberately provoked the Great Fierce Ghost’s malice, letting it spiral out of control, then seized the opportunity to absorb that energy for himself!

Wuyou Sheng, reveling in the nourishment of malice, said to Lin Zhao, “Zhao’er, your cultivation has been commendable these years. You have not tarnished my name. Good… As long as you leave now, your[n content=Shizu]师祖 is usually the founder of the sect, or at least the original master of the current lineage[/n] can spare your life.”

Lin Zhao could hardly believe it. The once upright and kind Shifu had truly become this monstrous being! 

The three elders also could not accept it. Their lifelong master, who had once ignored them, now continued to show disdain. “Then… what about us?!”

Wuyou Sheng seemed to notice them for the first time. “You… who are you?”

The three elders wept openly. He didn’t even recognize them. Yet still, this was the Shifu they knew.

Wuyou Sheng closed his eyes, immersed in a strange pleasure. The malice from Jing Liansheng flowed into his body like black smoke, thickening the cold aura around him. Meanwhile, Jing Liansheng seemed trapped by some invisible force. Within the black mist, his hair was disheveled and his blood-red eyes were glaring. He moved like a puppet unable to act. 

Lin Zhao shouted at Wuyou Sheng, “Shifu! This isn’t you! You are the great master of the orthodox Xuanmen Sect! Stop this! Don’t continue down this wrong path!”

Yet Wuyou Sheng appeared deaf to his cries, lost in the ecstasy of absorbing malice.

The three elders exchanged a glance and unleashed their swords. “One Sword, Thin Release!”

The sword energy, amassed for two hundred years, shot out like three streaks of lightning, slicing across the sky with piercing force, aimed directly at Wuyou Sheng. 

“One Sword Thin Release?” Wuyou Sheng sneered. “Only trash would use such a weak trick! Only fools would believe a hundred ants can shake a tree.”

With that, he flicked his long sleeve. A black vortex erupted like a colossal dragon, snapping and thrashing toward the three elders’ swords.

Crack! Crack! Crack! The three swords shattered simultaneously.

Two centuries of sword energy were destroyed in an instant, dissipating into specks of starlight. The three elders fell to the ground, dumbfounded. They had never imagined that their lifelong cultivation could be so easily defeated by Wuyou Sheng. At this moment, it was impossible to say whether the physical damage or the blow to their pride hurt more. 

They stared in disbelief. Could it be that Shifu is right…? That we are all worthless?

Lin Zhao gripped his copper coin sword, staring at Wuyou Sheng.

Wuyou Sheng’s gaze softened as he looked at Lin Zhao. “Put away your sword. Leave this place. As I said before, I can spare your life, Zhao’er.”

The three elders: So we are doomed, then? 

Favoritism! Wicked old man! Waaah, waaah!

Lin Zhao’s heart trembled, but he gripped his copper coin sword even tighter. “Shifu, precisely because I respect and love you, I cannot leave.”

Hearing this, the kindness in Wuyou Sheng’s eyes instantly turned cold. “Stubborn and unyielding!”

He swept his sleeve. A thick wave of black energy erupted like a demonic dragon from the sea, hurtling toward Lin Zhao. At the same moment, Bai Qing’s consciousness returned. His body was still in the swamp, struggling to free himself. Just at this critical moment, a familiar vibration came from his waist. Something was calling him. 

Bai Qing’s eyes snapped open. Ah! The peach wood sword is still on me! It has been too long since I was Ci Ying, I almost forgot about it.

Bai Qing muttered a spell under his breath, urging his sword into action.

The peach wood sword responded to its master’s call. Its blade trembled and, with a sharp zheng sound, leapt from its scabbard. Light blazed along its edge like a rainbow, slicing through the thick black mud, soaring like a dragon into the sky.

The swamp was torn apart by the sword’s momentum, mud splattering everywhere. The peach wood sword ascended, trailing a streak of cutting energy that scattered the surrounding muck. 

Everyone watched in astonishment, their eyes drawn to the enormous chasm opening in the swamp. Wuyou Sheng raised a brow, a flicker of doubt crossing his eyes, but he quickly returned to his usual arrogant demeanor.

His gaze settled on the floating peach wood sword. A faint, almost amused smile curved his lips as he murmured, “A thousand-year-old peach wood sword… truly a fine weapon. Pity I am no longer a Celestial Master. Otherwise, I would have certainly claimed it for myself.”

At that moment, a rustling sound came from the chasm. Everyone turned to see Bai Qing, covered in mud, crawling out of the hole in a pitiful state. His clothes were soaked, hair plastered to his forehead, presenting a comical yet determined sight.

Wuyou Sheng regarded this bedraggled “living corpse” with a hint of regret. “Such a fine sword, yet it has chosen this worthless creature as its master…” 

“Martial Uncle, you’re alright!” Lin Zhao exclaimed, relief flooding his face.

The Second Elder’s eyes shone with hope. “Alright is good! Quickly awaken your ghost servant!”

Bai Qing froze, turning to look at Jing Liansheng.

His heart sank. Jing Liansheng was clearly out of his mind, his eyes blood-red, trapped within the formation Wuyou Sheng had set. Strands of black energy were being drawn from behind him, flowing greedily into Wuyou Sheng’s body. 

Bai Qing’s eyes widened in fury. “What have you done to my ghost servant?!”

Wuyou Sheng looked at Bai Qing as if examining an ant. “Your ghost servant? Such nonsense! Fooling my naive apprentice decades ago might have worked, but you cannot deceive me. You are not a Celestial Master. You have no master-servant bond with him. He was never your ghost servant. You merely got lucky and found a convenient companion.”

Bai Qing was stunned.

Lin Zhao and the three elders were equally shocked. “What? Fake? He’s not your ghost servant?” 

“Impossible!” Lin Zhao shook his head vehemently, unable to accept it, as if a long-researched thesis had collapsed overnight. “If he’s not your ghost servant, why does he obey you so much?”

Wuyou Sheng, seeing his apprentice’s innocent ignorance, laughed coldly. “Though there is no master-servant bond, they do have a marital bond. So, this Great Fierce Ghost is probably a henpecked husband.” His lips curved with icy amusement. “Afraid of his wife even as a ghost? What a true weakling. All this malice in his body is wasted on him. It’s better given to me.”

“I won’t let you speak of my husband that way!” Bai Qing’s fury surged as he lifted the peach wood sword, ready to chop him into pieces… no, not just pieces, but minced enough to season a whole chicken! That would be satisfying enough.

The Third Elder’s face changed drastically. He stepped forward, hands outstretched to stop him. “Bai Qing, don’t be reckless! You are no match for him!” 

The Second Elder’s brows furrowed, worry etched across his face. “Bai Qing, though you are a living corpse, malice resides in you. If you act rashly, he will drain your essence and only grow stronger!”

The Fourth Elder put it bluntly, “Old Bai, are you trying to feed him malice on a silver platter?!”

Lin Zhao, equally concerned, said, “Martial Uncle! You’re not even a Celestial Master. Don’t get involved, just leave!”

Bai Qing shoved Lin Zhao aside. “Zhao’er, today your Martial Uncle will show you what a true master is!” 

Lin Zhao dared not meet his eyes. “…Martial Uncle, must you show off like this?”

The three elders, realizing they couldn’t stop Bai Qing, prepared to chant prayers for his passing, fearing the worst.

Seeing Bai Qing raise his sword, Wuyou Sheng’s eyes brimmed with disdain, a mocking smile curling his lips. “A mere incompetent, thinking that waving a sword in front of me can impress me?”

Bai Qing paid him no mind. He raised the peach wood sword, its tip slicing through the air with a faint whistle, aimed directly at the roiling malice. The malice, wisps of black smoke, continued to flow from Jing Liansheng, greedily absorbed by Wuyou Sheng. Bai Qing’s strike sought to sever the connection of malice, preventing Wuyou Sheng from siphoning Jing Liansheng’s power. 

Yet the malevolent energy surged with unusual ferocity, as if sentient, not easily controlled by ordinary means.

“Martial Uncle, don’t—” Lin Zhao urged anxiously.

Wuyou Sheng stood with hands behind his back, allowing Bai Qing to strike, a look of contempt on his face. This living corpse had neither cultivation nor wits. One strike, without his intervention, and Bai Qing would be destroyed by the very malice he sought to cut!

Yet Bai Qing’s hand remained steady, his gaze calm, as if the danger held no sway over him, focused solely on executing his move. 

Wuyou Sheng remained, indifferent, a cold smile on his face as he watched what he considered an inevitable farce unfold.