72: Chapter 72 The Shameless King

"Do you want to turn the tables? I'll bet one more round with you."

"Bet... bet what?" All of Black-Eyed Ghost's attention was focused on the black eyeball in Wu Xi's hand.

That was his life-bound treasure, and also the source of all his power.

"Bet your life." Wu Xi straightened up.

"If you win, this eyeball is yours again. If you lose, your life is mine."

"Fine! I'll bet with you!"

Black-Eyed Ghost roared without a second thought, his voice laced with cracked madness. He had been burned by desire to the point of losing his reason, and only one thought remained in his mind—to take back the eyeball and restore his power.

As for the risk of betting his life, he didn't care at all, as if he had been inversely affected by his greed.

The gamblers around them instantly fell silent; everyone held their breath, eyes fixed on the center of the scene without blinking.

"The rules are simple." Wu Xi looked into Black-Eyed Ghost's eyes and said, word for word, "Whoever gets this eyeball first wins."

Just as the words fell. "Awooo—!"

Black-Eyed Ghost let out a roar that did not sound human, and his whole body lunged out like an arrow released from a bowstring.

His speed was extreme, and the yin wind he stirred up made it impossible for those around him to open their eyes, while the dust on the ground was swept into a vortex.

Three meters, two meters, one meter.

His hand was already stretched out, his fingertips less than an inch away from the black eyeball.

He could even feel the familiar cold touch coming from the eyeball, and a ferocious smile appeared on his face.

Won! He had won!

Just at this moment.

That eyeball, which had originally been dim and lusterless, suddenly erupted with dazzling black light without any warning.

The light stung everyone's eyes, forcing them to close them, and even Wu Xi slightly narrowed his eyes.

A force of greed, ten times, a hundred times stronger than before, surged out from the eyeball like a volcanic eruption, instantly forming a black vortex that swallowed Black-Eyed Ghost whole.

"Ah—!!!" A heart-wrenching scream pierced the silence of the gambling den.

The smile on Black-Eyed Ghost's face instantly froze, replaced by extreme pain and fear.

He felt as if his body had been thrown into a meat grinder, every inch of his flesh being crazily torn and devoured.

He looked down and saw his right hand shriveling at a rate visible to the naked eye, the skin clinging tightly to the bones, turning into a layer of wrinkled black hide.

Then followed his arm, shoulder, chest...

"No! Impossible! This is impossible!"

He struggled crazily, wanting to retreat, but that suction force was like an invisible giant hand, gripping him tightly and leaving him unable to move.

The flesh, vitality, and even the yin Soul he had spent hundreds of years to Cultivate were all being crazily absorbed by that eyeball.

His hair instantly turned gray, his face became covered in wrinkles, and his originally tall body shriveled at an alarming speed.

In a matter of seconds, he went from a fierce and malevolent ghost to an old man on the verge of death.

"Save me... save me..."

The madness and arrogance from just a moment ago had vanished completely, leaving only an instinctive fear of death.

Wu Xi stood there quietly, watching him, without a shred of pity in his eyes; this was the path he had chosen himself.

From the moment he started using gambling games to siphon away the Soul of the first gambler, he should have known this day would come.

"No... I am not reconciled... I am not reconciled..."

Black-Eyed Ghost let out one last shrill wail, and then his entire being completely turned into a wisp of black smoke and was sucked into the black eyeball.

All that remained on the ground was a pool of black stain still emitting wisps of black Qi, and the eyeball lying quietly, its light having receded and become dim once again.

"Detected remnant Soul of Black-Eyed Ghost... already absorbed by the Profound Pearl of Greed..."

A cold, mechanical prompt sounded in Wu Xi's mind, devoid of any emotion.

The entire gambling den was deathly silent.

Everyone was so scared that they were trembling all over, teeth chattering, and not even daring to take a deep breath.

The great blade in Shusha Ghost's hand dropped to the ground with a "clang." His face was ashen, his legs went weak, and he fell to his knees with a "thud."

The Kouqia Ghost beside him reacted even faster, kneeling almost simultaneously, his head knocking against the bluestone floor with a "thump-thump" sound.

"My Lord, spare us! My Lord, spare us!"

"The two of us just put on a show to scare the guests; we have never harmed anyone!"

"It was all Black-Eyed Ghost forcing us! If we didn't listen to him, he would have siphoned away our Souls!" The two kept kowtowing while crying and begging for mercy.

Niu Fei took a step forward and said in a muffled voice, "Really never harmed anyone?"

"Really! It's the absolute truth!" Shusha Ghost hurriedly raised his head, his face full of terror. "The two of us, one is responsible for carrying the blade, the other for keeping accounts; we have never killed anyone with our own hands! Those gamblers all lost their own bets and had their Souls siphoned away by Black-Eyed Ghost! We didn't even touch them!"

"Yes, yes!" Kouqia Ghost also hurriedly chimed in, his head bobbing like a chicken pecking at rice. "We are very timid; we don't even dare to kill a chicken, how could we dare to harm anyone! Please, My Lord, spare our dog lives! We will never dare to do it again! We are willing to work like cattle and horses for you to repay your grace in not killing us!"

Wu Xi slowly raised his right hand.

Shusha Ghost and Kouqia Ghost were terrified to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, thinking he was going to kill them, so they quickly closed their eyes, constantly shouting "Spare me" in their mouths.

However, the expected attack did not come. A faint, indescribable black mist swirled out from Wu Xi's fingertips.

"Hum—"

A low, whispering sound that seemed to come from the ancient primordial era suddenly resounded in the minds of Shusha Ghost and Kouqia Ghost.

This sound was indistinct, impossible to understand any words, as if countless people were speaking at the same time, or like an echo from the depths of the Universe.

Yet it carried an irresistible majesty and power, like a brand, directly carved into the depths of their Soul.

The two bodies shook violently, as if they had been struck by lightning.

Their eyes instantly became hollow, the terror and pleading on their faces vanished without a trace, and their whole bodies stiffened there, motionless.

A few seconds later.

They raised their heads again.

Their eyes had regained clarity, but the gaze they directed at Wu Xi was filled with absolute awe and obedience, as if they were looking at their own creator.

This was Wu Xi's skill—Whispers of the Ancient God.

It could act directly on the Soul, controlling any creature with an unsteady mind.

The surrounding gamblers, seeing this scene, were even more terrified to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. "Thump!" "Thump!" "Thump!"

One gambler after another knelt down, and the entire gambling den was filled with kneeling people. They kowtowed incessantly, their foreheads knocking against the bluestone floor, making sounds that rose and fell.

"My Lord, spare us!" "We will never dare to gamble again!" "Please, My Lord, let us go!"

"We will definitely turn over a new leaf and be better people in the future!" The cries and pleas for mercy intertwined, resounding throughout the gambling den.

Wu Xi swept his gaze over them and lightly spat out one word: "Scram."

One word, yet it was like an imperial decree.

The gamblers, as if granted amnesty, scrambled to their feet, rushing toward the entrance of the gambling den in a panic.

Some ran too fast and tripped over the threshold, but they didn't even care about the pain; they climbed up and kept running. In the blink of an eye, all the gamblers in the gambling den had run away completely, leaving not even a single shadow.

The gambling den became quiet again.

Ling Muxue clapped her hands, making a crisp sound. "Brilliant! That was truly brilliant!"

She walked over to Wu Xi and looked him up and down. "Wu Xi, you have this ability too? We're just redundant following you! Haha."

Qiu Chuanxing also breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed the long blade at his waist.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sighed with emotion, "Just now, when he lunged toward the eyeball, I thought he was going to succeed."

Jiang Jiye walked quickly to Wu Xi's side and looked him up and down, her face full of worry. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt just now? When he lunged over just now, his speed was so fast."

Jiang Yuehong also raised her head, stole a glance at Wu Xi, then quickly lowered her head again, twisting the corner of her clothes with her fingers, and said in a low voice, "It's... it's good that you're okay."

Niu Fei scratched his head and chuckled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Big Brother is truly amazing! You wiped out that Black-Eyed Ghost in one go! I was worried he would hurt Big Brother just now, but I didn't expect Big Brother to solve it so easily."

Wu Xi bent down and picked up the Profound Pearl of Greed. It felt ice-cold in his hand and still carried a faint scent of blood.

He could feel that after absorbing the remnant Soul of Black-Eyed Ghost, the power of this Profound Pearl of Greed had increased quite a bit.

He tucked the eyeball into his bosom, then turned around and looked at Shusha Ghost and Kouqia Ghost, who were kneeling on the ground.

"Where is the next stage?"

Shusha Ghost respectfully replied, "The next stage is Gualian Cave on Shameless Mountain, and the guardian is King Xianlian."

"King Xianlian?" Ling Muxue raised an eyebrow, a look of interest appearing on her face. "That name is quite interesting. What abilities does he have?"

Kouqia Ghost hurriedly chimed in, "Reporting to Miss Ling, this King Xianlian is very formidable. His face is as thick as a city wall, completely immune to sword slashes and blade cuts. He is shameless and thick-skinned, and can be said to be quite infamous."

"Thick-skinned?" Qiu Chuanxing frowned, a look of confusion appearing on his face.