Chapter 361 – Allen Confronts a Vengeful Spirit Head-On
Allen, Kevin, the Ghost Bride, and thirteen Celestial True Gods sat together, discussing plans to attack the Ghost Metropolis.
"Don't be crazy! There are vengeful spirits in that city—truly terrifying ones. Just a flick of their finger and they can crush evil spirits."
The Ghost Bride clutched her head in despair, gazing at Allen in sheer terror. Her eyes were filled with pleading, silently begging him to show mercy and let her go.
"Scared of what?"
The Quantum Mechanics Celestial Venerable pulled out a bottle of liquor and scoffed, "I'll beat them into submission with a quantum superposition chicken."
Shrinking back, the Ghost Bride avoided eye contact entirely—there was no reasoning with a bunch of thugs.
"Sis, you know I can't control my entrepreneurial brothers. Heaven's Court is in expansion mode. We have to claim territory—either we make friends or we make enemies."
Allen paused for a moment, then added menacingly, "And enemies… don't get to live."
Under this blatant threat, the Ghost Bride had no choice but to reluctantly agree to act as their guide.
They found a sightseeing bus in the ghost community to head toward the Ghost Metropolis.
Frustrated, the Ghost Bride took the wheel. In the spirit domain, vehicles like this required resentment to operate.
Living humans—or beings like Allen and the True Gods—couldn't generate the resentment needed to power such machinery.
Of course, the main reason was that crossing into the Ghost Metropolis required a toll, and the only currency accepted was resentment.
Kevin clung tightly to Allen's arm in complete silence, terrified of being snatched away by evil spirits again.
"Don't flatter yourself, woman. A free spirit like me doesn't tie himself down to any one girl."
Allen lifted his chin proudly, looking for all the world like a scumbag who forgets a girl the moment his pants are back on.
Kevin couldn't help but roll her big eyes.
Honestly, if she weren't so scared, she'd never be holding onto him in the first place.
And she had a pretty good sense of what Allen was like.
Ignore him, and he clings like flypaper. Pay him a little attention, and he acts like some untouchable king.
"Once we leave the spirit realm, you're free to chase whoever you want," Kevin replied blandly.
"Now your true colors show."
Allen looked serious. "I knew it. You're a cold, heartless woman. You're only after my body."
"…"
Kevin gave him a once-over, then said nothing—just smirked in silence.
"What's with that look?"
Now he couldn't stay calm.
Her undisguised disdain stabbed at his fragile ego like a dagger, as if her eyes were saying: you wish.
Sometimes a single glance speaks louder than a thousand words.
Suddenly, the bus came to a halt.
There was only one elevated bridge leading to the Ghost Metropolis—designed to siphon resentment from the evil spirits that crossed it.
"I'm dying…"
In the next moment, the Ghost Bride's expression turned lifeless. The aura of gloom around her dimmed significantly.
Clearly, her resentment had been drained, weakening her dramatically.
Other than her, no one else on the bus felt a thing.
The entry toll was only applied to the dead. Human souls who accidentally wandered into the spirit domain couldn't even get close to the Ghost Metropolis and survive.
For evil spirits, just entering or leaving the city took a major toll. Recovery required a long rest period, which was why so few ever left. Those that entered usually stayed for extended periods.
As the bus slowly rolled into the city…
Through the windows, they could see a rippling black river—like crude oil flowing endlessly from some subterranean source.
In just a few minutes, they were inside the city proper.
Skyscrapers loomed high; the air was thick with death.
The spirits wandering the streets looked like zombies—arms limp, heads drooped, drained of all vitality.
"Spirits live way too recklessly. Look at them—exhausted from overindulgence."
Allen pressed his face against the glass, his eyes darting curiously.
"Spirits living in the city have to offer resentment to the evil spirits…"
Thanks to the Ghost Bride's explanation, the brutal reality of the Ghost Metropolis became clear.
Lower-tier spirits were forced to continuously supply their own resentment, like walking ATMs.
As a result, they were perpetually drained and too weak to afford the toll to leave the city. If they tried to escape by force, their souls would be instantly destroyed.
All the evil spirit factions spread across the city had to pay tribute to the vengeful spirits above them, maintaining a rigid pyramid of power.
"Stop right there!"
Several figures suddenly appeared in a flash, blocking the path of the bus.
The lead evil spirit looked at the Ghost Bride and asked, "You country folk—got anything to sell?"
In the spirit domain, spirits were considered living beings. Evil spirits frequently captured them outside the city to sell inside.
It was common for factions to fight over these spirits to harvest their resentment, all hoping to one day become powerful enough to ascend into a vengeful spirit.
Becoming a vengeful spirit was the ultimate goal—true success.
The Ghost Bride glanced awkwardly at Allen.
She didn't think this busload of lunatics resembled merchandise at all. Instead, it was the spirits outside acting like they had a death wish.
Pffft…
The bus doors opened.
Complete with a deflating hiss for dramatic effect.
The dozen or so evil spirits waiting outside had no idea death was fast approaching. Arms folded, they stood there, ready to haggle.
"Take them out."
"Flank them—don't let a single one escape."
"Let them experience the power of knowledge!"
"…"
The bus exploded into action as over a dozen identical-looking individuals stormed out—all wielding different weapons.
Wham!
Before the evil spirits could react, the leader took a bottle to the face.
It was like a tiger unleashed—thirteen Celestial True Gods charged in, faces pressed to their victims, unleashing a merciless beatdown.
In mere seconds, the entire evil spirit gang was obliterated.
Spirits loitering on the streets turned to look, but their dead eyes quickly drifted away. Without reacting, they went back to aimless wandering.
"They've been deprived of resentment for so long, their rationality has decayed."
The Ghost Bride sighed. "Even if they realize they're free, they won't resist. They'll just wait for the next group of evil spirits to enslave them."
Violent clashes between spirit gangs were common—fighting to steal spirits as resources.
She had lived in the Ghost Metropolis before. Knowing how dangerous it was, she seized the chance to escape.
Most evil spirits who lived in the ghost community outside the city had once failed to survive in the metropolis, escaping to avoid enemies. Few stayed out of sympathy or moral conviction.
"Sis, is there a way to gather evil spirits quickly?"
The Ghost Metropolis was massive—wandering around aimlessly would waste too much time. Allen wasn't about to play hide-and-seek with every gang.
"Only a vengeful spirit can summon other evil spirits in their territory."
Suddenly, the Ghost Bride's expression shifted in horror. "You're not thinking of going after a vengeful spirit, are you?"
"Exactly. Let's go have a little heart-to-heart."
"…"
Finding a vengeful spirit was actually easy. They always occupied prominent landmarks, using them as palaces to organize their subordinate spirit gangs.
The bus drove straight into the underground parking of a large building.
Just as they were about to take the elevator up, they noticed something odd—the elevator was descending.
Ding!
With a crisp chime, the elevator doors opened.
Inside, a full cabin of evil spirits turned to face them—eyes brimming with malice.