54: Chapter 54 Operation Clean Mountain

A bald, burly man strode in with large, swift steps.

"Young Master."

Third Young Master looked at him, a faint smile appearing on his face, and nodded. "Old Yue, this time, I owe it to you for sending word in advance."

The bald man gave a wry grin and shook his head. "Young Master, it is this subordinate's dereliction of duty."

"Half a month ago, I sensed that the Cave Master was acting strange. He kept using the excuse of training newcomers to send me away, secretly transferring the guards of the Yin Sui Cave, and even altered the Formation within the cave.

I didn't think much of it at the time, until three days ago, when I caught him burying eighteen Soul Locking Formations around the perimeter. I sent a message to you, Young Master, that very night."

He slammed a fist onto his thigh, the veins on his forehead bulging. "I really didn't expect it! That dog dared to be so audacious! To commit such treachery right here in the Luo Prince Mansion's territory, right under your nose, Young Master!"

Third Young Master waved his hand, not pursuing the matter further. He turned to look at Wu Xi, who was standing to the side, and smiled. "Wu Xi, let me introduce you. This is my guard, Yue Zhenshan. You two should be considered old acquaintances."

Wu Xi looked at Yue Zhenshan and nodded slightly. "Indeed, we are old acquaintances."

Yue Zhenshan laughed heartily, his voice booming. He strode over, his palm, as large as a cattail fan, carrying a fierce gust of wind as it headed straight for Wu Xi's shoulder.

Yet Wu Xi stood where he was, his feet as if rooted to the ground, not even swaying in the slightest, nor did his robes move by even a fraction.

Yue Zhenshan retracted his hand, scratched his smooth, bald head, and grinned even wider, acting boorishly. "Back in the Yin Sui Cave, I offended you; please don't take it to heart, brother! I, Old Yue, am just a rough man who only respects those with hard fists. You were able to kill the Cave Master, that dog, single-handedly—I, Old Yue, am impressed! I admire you from the bottom of my heart!"

Wu Xi curled the corner of his mouth slightly but didn't say anything more.

Third Young Master looked at Yue Zhenshan, the smile on his face vanishing, his tone instantly turning serious. "Old Yue, I intend to have Wu Xi join this Mountain Cleansing Operation. The main force remains unchanged, and the original plan remains unchanged. Let him follow the team, get familiar with the rules of the Evil Suppression Bureau, and integrate with the team members."

Yue Zhenshan immediately bowed, his back straight, and replied in a deep, booming voice: "Yes! Rest assured, Young Master! This subordinate will definitely guide him well and guarantee the mission is completed!"

"Hmm." Third Young Master nodded and further instructed, "Take him and his brother to the Evil Suppression Bureau first to register, collect the standard equipment for Ghost Catchers, and then meet with the action team to fully grasp the plan for this Mountain Cleansing Operation."

"Yes!"

Yue Zhenshan acknowledged, turned to Wu Xi, raised a hand, and made a gesture of invitation. Wu Xi nodded slightly to Third Young Master, and with Niu Fei behind him, followed Yue Zhenshan, turning and striding out of the estate.

The hall doors slammed shut with a clang.

The hall, which had just been bustling with noise, instantly fell into a deathly silence, leaving only Third Young Master and Mr. Xiangli.

Once they had left, the playboy arrogance on Third Young Master's face vanished completely.

Mr. Xiangli stood where he was, watching his back, and remained silent for a full half-stick of incense before finally speaking.

His voice carried unprecedented gravity and caution. "Third Young Master, has the situation... really become this severe?"

Third Young Master's voice held a trace of undisguisable exhaustion. "Fifty years ago, the passage between the Upper Realm and this realm was completely severed."

"From that day on, the Human Race's great protectors of the realm—some passed away, some suffered from Cultivation Technique backlash and fell into Qi Deviation, and others were directly mutated by Yin Qi, becoming things that were neither human nor ghost. The spatial rifts from the Monster Realm and the Ghost Realm are increasing and widening with each passing day; they cannot be stopped."

He finally turned around to look at Mr. Xiangli.

"Do you think that's why ghosts have been running rampant in Qi Prefecture these past few years? Why even in the core territory of the Luo Prince Mansion, ghosts dare to reach in? Why my father and all the other vassal kings have remained behind closed doors these past few years, not even showing their faces?"

Mr. Xiangli's lips moved, but he couldn't say a single word, his face turning pale bit by bit.

Third Young Master looked at him, enunciating each word: "Because we can no longer hold them back."

As these four words fell, Mr. Xiangli trembled all over, his face turning deathly pale. His body swayed, and he nearly lost his footing.

"The great experts risked half their lives to find the entrance to the Meishan Secret Realm. That is the ancestral land of the ancient Wu Clan, which is said to hold the only path of survival for the Human Race." Third Young Master's tone carried a hint of powerlessness. "The original plan was to open the Secret Realm in ten years, once all preparations were complete. But now, we cannot wait."

"But Young Master!" Mr. Xiangli suddenly snapped out of it, his voice changing pitch. "Back then, the Upper Realm personally issued a decree declaring the Wu Clan as traitors and banning all Wu Clan Legacy! If we disturb the ancestral land of the Wu Clan now, it is equivalent to completely tearing off the mask with the Upper Realm! Once the passage reopens in the future, our entire clan will be purged!"

"The Upper Realm?" Third Young Master suddenly sneered, his laughter filled with coldness and self-mockery.

"Can we still worry about the Upper Realm now? The erosion from the Ghost Realm has almost reached the gates of Qi Prefecture! In five years at most, the Ghost Realm's army will trample over the outer defenses. By then, the entire Human Race will become ghost food. What is there to fear from an Upper Realm purge?"

He took a step forward, his tone carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing determination, along with a shocking secret that had been hidden for many years: "Furthermore, for so many years, the talismans sent back by the Seniors who achieved Ascension have been extremely abnormal."

As soon as these words were spoken, Mr. Xiangli stiffened, as if struck by a bolt of divine lightning, and stood there, unable to say a single word.

...

Meanwhile, in the deepest part of the Domain of Wrongful Death.

In the boundless darkness stood a palace built entirely from piles of white bones.

The floor was paved with human skin peeled from living people, tanned until it was as smooth as satin and soft to step on. The walls were studded with dense rows of human skulls, and in the eye socket of each skull burned a lamp made of human oil. The eerie green flames flickered constantly, illuminating the entire hall in a way that was both bizarre and luxurious, with Yin Qi so thick it could not be dissipated.

On both sides of the hall, over a dozen barefoot female ghosts, dressed in thin gauze, danced eerie dances, the Yin Qi on their bodies almost condensing into substance.

The long tables were filled with golden goblets and jade cups, but they were not filled with wine; they contained fresh human blood that was still steaming. The smell of blood mixed with the stench of decay, making one dizzy.

Yet the entire hall was terrifyingly silent. All the ghosts did not dare to breathe, having even forgotten how to breathe.

Because on the bone throne in the deepest part of the hall sat a figure.

It was a giant, three zhang tall, covered in long, pitch-black hair. His knotted muscles were like small mountains, hard enough to withstand the bombardment of Magic Treasure. He did not have two eyes; instead, right in the center of his forehead grew a single, enormous vertical eye, currently half-open. It was filled with blood-colored veins, and even a single glance from it would cause a thousand-year-old fierce ghost to suffer Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering on the spot.

He was the master of the Domain of Wrongful Death, King Zhengmu.

At this moment, he was leaning against the bone throne, toying with a wine cup made from a human skull. The human blood inside sloshed around, and a few drops splashed onto the ground, hissing as black smoke rose. Two female ghosts knelt at his feet, carefully massaging his legs, their bodies trembling like chaff, not daring to even lift their heads.

He was languid, not even bothering to lift his eyelids, as if everything in the entire hall was beneath his notice.

Suddenly. His half-open giant eye snapped wide open!

Blood-red light surged within it, and the temperature in the entire hall instantly dropped to freezing. All the dancing female ghosts froze in place, then flopped down to their knees, their faces pressed tightly against the floor, not even daring to tremble.

King Zhengmu moved. Without warning, his cattail-fan-sized hand thrust forward, directly piercing into the Void Realm before him.

The Void Realm was like a piece of torn cloth, and he ripped open a pitch-black gash. From within, a heart-rending scream and frantic pleas for mercy instantly erupted.

He reached into the Void Realm and grabbed; when he withdrew his hand, he was clutching a soul curled into a ball.

The soul was covered in wounds, its transparent body filled with cracks, trembling frantically. It was none other than the Cave Master who had just died in the Yin Sui Cave.

When the Cave Master's soul saw that it was King Zhengmu holding him, his face instantly turned ashen. He screamed for mercy, his voice cracking: "Great King! Great King, spare me! Please, Great King, give me one more chance! That brat Wu Xi is extremely bizarre! Please, Great King, spare me!"

King Zhengmu looked at the soul in his hand, his giant eye devoid of any emotion. Suddenly, he laughed heartily, his laughter filled with cruelty and coldness, and his fingers applied slight pressure.

"Sizzle—" The Cave Master's soul instantly began to emit thick black smoke, letting out a heart-rending shriek as the entire soul began to twist and melt.

"A chance? Have I, this Great King, not given you enough chances? You couldn't even handle such a small task; what use are you to me?"

The Cave Master's soul had almost completely melted away, unable to even let out a scream.

But just then, King Zhengmu suddenly loosened his fingers, his tone shifting: "However, you are not entirely useless. After ten years, the resentment and obsession within your soul are excellent Materials for becoming a Demon."

As he finished speaking, he raised his hand casually. A pitch-black ghost slave nearby immediately approached, holding a jet-black precious bottle, and knelt on the ground, holding the bottle high above his head.

The bottle was covered in dense, intricate ghost script. The moment it was brought out, the wailing of the wronged souls in the entire hall increased tenfold. Countless twisted ghost shadows floated out from the bottle's mouth, only to be forcibly sucked back in, emitting desperate screams.

King Zhengmu tossed it casually. The Cave Master's soul was thrown directly into the precious bottle.

The bottle instantly emitted a piercing shriek. The Cave Master's soul struggled and screamed frantically inside, but after just a few breaths, the sound completely disappeared, consumed clean by the boundless Yin Qi inside the bottle, leaving not a single trace behind.

King Zhengmu waved his hand, and the ghost slave immediately held the bottle and retreated, bowing.

"Take this bottle back to the Ghost Realm and give it to the Ghost King. Tell the Ghost King that in six months at most, I will be able to tear open a spatial rift and let the Ghost Realm's army step into the territory of Qi Prefecture." King Zhengmu's voice was languid but carried an unquestionable command.

He paused, and that giant eye pierced through countless voids, looking toward the direction of Qi Prefecture City. A flash of blood-red light appeared, and a cruel smile curled on his lips. "By then, I will turn the entire Qi Prefecture into a second Domain of Wrongful Death."

All the ghosts in the hall prostrated themselves on the ground, chanting like a landslide or tidal wave: "The Great King is wise! The Great King's Divine Might is peerless!"

King Zhengmu leaned back against the bone throne and closed his eyes again. He whispered two words, his tone containing a hint of amusement and a touch of disdain: "Wu Xi?"

He suddenly laughed heartily, his laughter echoing far and wide in the boundless darkness, filled with endless cruelty and murderous intent. "Interesting. I, this Great King, would like to see what kind of waves you brat can stir up on my turf."