Translator: CinderTL
Yuan Anping pointed at the fruit hanging from the tree. "Go and retrieve it for me!"
"Yes, sir."
A ghost general behind him soared upward, and everyone watched in silent anticipation.
Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes. If the fruit could truly be taken, a great battle would erupt immediately. Such a treasure would make anyone green with envy.
The ghost general was still four or five zhang away from the fruit when a sudden, agonizing scream pierced the air:
"Aaaah!"
Xu Sanyan's eyelid twitched. The ghost general began convulsing violently, as if enduring immense pain. Ghost energy surged from his body, and thick black mist billowed from his form, staining the sky with darkness.
No one understood what was happening. The general hadn't been attacked; merely approaching the fruit had triggered this calamity.
"Aaaah!!"
"Save me!"
The ghost general's desperate cries echoed in everyone's ears as his figure gradually faded until it vanished completely.
Xu Sanyan's expression turned grim. This fruit was clearly not so easily obtained.
"What... what happened to him?" Luo Qingwei asked her brother beside her.
Luo Changtian shook his head. "I don't know."
Yuan Anping pointed at a ghost soldier behind him. "You, climb up that branch."
"Yes, sir."
The ghost soldier showed no fear in its eyes as it strode toward the tree trunk in the deep pit. Before it could even reach the trunk, it began to dissolve, just like the ghost general had. Pitch-black ghost energy surged upward, dissipating into the air within moments.
The branch seemed to be enveloped by an invisible barrier, preventing anyone from approaching.
Yuan Anping's gaze shifted. If ghosts couldn't get through, perhaps cultivators could try. He pointed at the Zuoqiu Clan members.
"You, go try."
Xu Sanyan blinked, silently observing Zuoqiu Zhen's expression. He didn't know what had happened to her, but this might be a good opportunity to find out.
Huan Xi'er's heart tightened as he stared at Zuoqiu Zhen. He had recognized her the moment he saw her—she was the master of the third soul fragment within his body.
Yet Huan Xi'er didn't rush to reveal himself. He had noticed something astonishing: Zuoqiu Zhen was acting completely like a normal person!
But this was impossible. Zuoqiu Zhen was missing a soul.
Whether it was one of the three souls or seven spirits, such a loss would have a profound impact on the body, making it utterly impossible for her to function like a normal person.
Therefore, Zuoqiu Zhen harbored a secret!
Huan Xi'er sighed, his thoughts a tangled mess. In the past, he wouldn't have pondered such things. He would have simply thought, It's good to have a brain.
Xiang Tan finally noticed Zuoqiu Zhen. Her pupils constricted sharply as she pointed a trembling finger at her.
"Sh-she..."
Xu Sanyan transmitted telepathically, "Don't speak. Pretend you don't see her."
Xiang Tan lowered her head, concealing the panic on her face. Her heart pounded with shock. She's still alive?!
The woman she had seen beneath the stone platform was none other than this person!
Meanwhile, Zuoqiu Chen, enraged at being ordered to her death by a ghost, was about to speak when Zuoqiu Hui cut her off. "You are merely ghosts! How dare you command us cultivators?"
Her words served both to reject Yuan Anping's order and to unite Fang Qingge, Xu Sanyan, and the others on the same side.
Yuan Anping ignored her, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before settling briefly on Xu Sanyan. "So, you're the one who killed my ghost general?"
Among those present, Xu Sanyan possessed the highest cultivation level. His Initial Stage Soul Refining Realm cultivation might have deceived Fang Qingge and the others, but it couldn't fool Yuan Anping.
Fang Qingge glanced at Xu Sanyan, genuinely surprised. Could Xu Sanyan really kill a ghost general? Ghost generals were comparable to Soul Refining Realm cultivators. It seemed his strength had grown considerably.
The Luo Family siblings exchanged a grave look. The demonic sect had produced another heavenly pride—a development that boded ill for the Righteous Path Sects.
Xu Sanyan didn't deny the accusation. "That's right. I killed it."
Yuan Anping's tone dripped with condescension. "Since that's the case, you can harvest the fruit. Bring it to me, and I'll forgive your crime of killing my ghost general."
"Hahahaha..." Xu Sanyan threw back his head and laughed, shaking his head. "What if I refuse?"
"Then I'll kill you," Yuan Anping said coldly. He had never intended to let any of them live anyway.
He wanted both fruits hanging from the branch!
Fang Qingge said nothing, leaping forward to stand beside Xu Sanyan, his longsword emitting a soft, clear light.
"Amitabha..."
Jingyi stood beside Fang Qingge, his left hand raised in a Buddhist gesture, head bowed slightly.
The Luo Family siblings appeared on Xu Sanyan's other side, swords drawn, their figures radiating pride.
"Don't think I'm helping you," Luo Qingwei said haughtily. "I just can't stand seeing a mere ghost act so arrogant."
Next came the Zuoqiu Clan, Qi Liang, Tu Wanshan, Jiang Qinqin, the Jiang Family...
Huan Xi'er glanced at Mo Xianxian before flying behind Xu Sanyan.
Mo Xianxian looked at Yuan Anping, then at Xu Sanyan. Both men had shared intimate moments with her, but neither held her affection. Deep down, she harbored resentment toward both.
Yet compared to Xu Sanyan, she hated Yuan Anping even more—the man who had stolen her virginity.
So she joined Huan Xi'er behind Xu Sanyan, standing shoulder to shoulder.
By now, everyone had gathered behind Xu Sanyan. They all understood that if they allowed Yuan Anping to pick them off one by one, none would survive. Only by uniting could they stand a chance.
Forced by Yuan Anping's overwhelming threat, the distinction between the righteous path and the Demonic Path dissolved. For the first time, they fought together.
"Hmph, mere chickens and dogs," Yuan Anping sneered, making no move to stop their alliance.
Yuan Anping was a peak ghost general, equivalent to the Peak Stage of the Soul Refining Realm in cultivation level. He was just a step away from breaking through to become a ghost king and achieving void harmony.
However, due to the incomplete heavenly dao within this secret realm, he was unable to advance. This was why he was so eager to escape—first, to see the outside Martial World, and second, to break through to the ghost king realm.
Yuan Anping was confident that, despite not being a ghost king himself, his Peak Stage ghost general cultivation level would allow him to easily suppress the group before him.
In contrast, Xu Sanyan's group, aside from Xu Sanyan who had recently broken through to the Soul Refinement Realm, had members whose highest cultivation level was only the Peak Stage of the Dao Seeking Realm. The disparity in high-end combat power between the two sides was vast.
"Help me retrieve those two fruits, and I'll let you leave. What do you say?" Yuan Anping proposed calmly, believing his terms to be perfectly reasonable.
"Hmph, let us leave?" Luo Qingwei scoffed. "You're nothing but caged birds yourselves! How dare you presumptuously offer to let us go?"
Despite her delicate features, Luo Qingwei possessed a surprisingly fiery temper.
Her words seemed to strike a nerve with Yuan Anping. His expression darkened, and he fell silent for a long moment.
After a long pause, Yuan Anping conceded, "You're right. I'm just a caged bird myself, trapped in this confined space with no escape."
His tone remained calm as he continued, "But I also yearn to break free from this cage, to see the outside Martial World, and to savor true freedom. What's wrong with that?"
(End of the Chapter)
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