The skeleton remained completely still.

It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Suddenly, Hua Che chuckled, "Is it hard to believe? The cultivation world most abhors judging by appearance. My appearance may not necessarily reflect the truth."

The ghost cultivator was stunned, trembling for a long time before hastily writing with its skeletal hand, "Spirit possession?”

Hua Che's smile deepened, "You're catching on."

The ghost cultivator suddenly realized.

Yes, it must be so!

How could a mere sixteen-year-old possess such insight? Facing the ghost cultivator fearlessly, chatting with ease and jesting, he was definitely not ordinary.

Indeed, it was the appearance of a youth with the soul of an adult.

The ghost cultivator's heart brightened.

In this world, medical cultivators were most precious, and ghost cultivators were most scarce. They were heavy with yin energy, mysterious, ruthless, and sinister, shunned by all realms. In the ghost realm, a world without justice, they lived in perpetual darkness, constantly fighting amongst themselves. But once they escaped outside, fellow ghost cultivators could be counted on one hand.

Thus, the skeleton almost burst into tears of joy. This feeling of seeing an old friend was almost too much to bear.

The skeleton wished it could sit down with Hua Che and have a heart-to-heart chat, pouring out its grievances, talking for three days and three nights.

"I won't hide it. I was a disciple of the Shangqing Immortal Sect in my past life." Hua Che gazed out the window, lost in thought, and chuckled bitterly, "From being envied by everyone as a Shangqing immortal disciple to becoming an unwanted ghost cultivator in all six realms."

The skeleton was stunned, hanging its head.

Hua Che seemed to not want to dwell on his own sad past anymore. He looked at the skeleton and said, "And you? What did you do before? Only cultivators can become ghost cultivators. Which immortal sect did you belong to?"

The skeleton clenched its fists.

"Just now, that Daoist with the long nose said he would take you to the Shangqing Immortal Sect for a public execution, and you seemed especially afraid." Hua Che's voice was soft, as light as snowfall, "Did you kill Zuo Qi in that manner because you hate him? Or is it..."

The skeleton quickly wrote, "Shangqing Immortal Sect, I hate the Shangqing Immortal Sect!"

"How did the Shangqing Immortal Sect treat you?" Hua Che spoke softly, feigning confusion, "Actually, you don't need to be so resistant. After all, it's the top immortal sect. If you have grievances, go ahead and file a complaint! Even if your enemy is a highly respected elder, at least the sect leader can handle them!"

Skeleton wrote: Can't control it, absolutely can't control it.

"No, the Shangqing Immortal Sect is not an unlawful place."

The Skeleton gritted its teeth.

Hua Che's gaze darkened slightly. "How did you die exactly?"

The Skeleton didn't answer; instead, it asked, "You said you're a disciple of the Shangqing Immortal Sect. Whose disciple are you?"

Hua Che's tone turned cold. "The sect leader, Lu Mingfeng."

The Skeleton shivered all over.

Hua Che looked deeply at it, a cold smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "I've stumbled upon his secret."

Even though spoken in a veiled manner, the Skeleton understood. It sat up, shifting forward slightly. "Did he kill you?"

Hua Che neither confirmed nor denied, just looked down at the Skeleton from above.

The Skeleton understood in its heart. The other party had disclosed enough, while it had revealed nothing. This wasn't fair.

It raised its finger and wrote black letters in the air: An Yu.

Hua Che paused, remembering the name from the internal disciple records of the Shangqing Hall.

Lu Mingfeng's second disciple.

Hua Che hesitated for a moment, then asked seriously, "Since coming out of the ghost realm, have you killed anyone else?"

The Skeleton shook its head. "Apart from Zuo Qi, no one else."

"Find a place to stay and don't roam around aimlessly. If you want to cultivate, go to the battlefield to absorb malevolent energy. Don't kill anymore. At least in your previous life, you were a prestigious disciple of a reputable sect." Hua Che said this with a self-deprecating smile.

What right did he, a ruthless and cruel Demon Lord, have to educate others?

"Alright." Hua Che stood up, leaning on his knees, and took out paper and pen with a relaxed expression. "Let me list the crimes you've committed. An Yu, having a grudge against the Shangqing Immortal Sect, harbouring deep hatred towards the Shangqing sect leader. Did I get these four words right?"

The Skeleton froze, a terrifying thought emerging in its mind. Trembling, it wrote with its hand: "You, are you really..."

"What?" Hua Che's ink-jade eyes turned lightly, a harmless smile curling his lips. "Ghost cultivator? Taking over bodies? Big brother, do you really believe that?"

The Skeleton: "..."

Fuck your uncle!!!

Ignoring the threat of the Dragon Bone Whip, the Skeleton struggled and leaped towards Hua Che, intending to die with him.

At the same time, outside, Chu Binghuan heard the commotion, drew his sword, and rushed in. Seeing Hua Che unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The Skeleton shivered violently, its black hollow eyes staring daggers at Hua Che, wishing to tear him to pieces: Liar, liar!

"What's going on?" Mu Rongsan and Lin Yan stared wide-eyed.

"Sorry, I deceived your emotions, but..." Hua Che apologized emotionlessly, then looked at the emotionally charged An Yu. "You harbour resentment against the Shangqing Immortal Sect for personal reasons. You can settle scores with your enemies, but why kill someone like Zuo Qi, who is completely innocent? Isn't that unjust?"

Bringing up this matter made Hua Che feel uneasy.

Suddenly, he remembered his past life, with Lu Yao walking through blood, carrying bodies, and shouting heartrendingly.

Hua Che's head hurt, so he ignored An Yu for the time being, pushed open the door of the woodshed, and walked outside.

"What's going on?" Mu Rongsan rushed to ask.

Rubbing his forehead, Hua Che said, "To get information from him, I pretended to be a ghost cultivator."

"Ah?" Wen Yuan was surprised.

Hua Che continued matter-of-factly, "This corpse is the one I took over. Originally, I was a high disciple of the Shangqing Immortal Sect."

Long Nose looked disdainful. "Really good at making up stories."

Hua Che shrugged and sighed. "Too bad, that guy wouldn't budge. I didn't even get his name."

"You wait a moment!" Long Nose stopped his nonsensical chatter, and asked seriously, "First, why did you pretend to be a disciple of the Shangqing Immortal Sect? Couldn't you use another sect? Why did you have to use the Shangqing Immortal Sect to get information? Second, it's fine if you interrogate him alone, but why set up a barrier outside? What secrets are you two hiding?"

Long Nose looked at Chu Binghuan, When he discovered the barrier and wanted to break in, he had found himself blocked from entering by Chu Binghuan.

Hua Che looked at Long Nose as if he were an idiot. "First, he killed Zuo Qi, isn't that having a grudge against the Shangqing Immortal Sect? Second, since I pretended to be a ghost cultivator, it's like being in the same boat as him. Setting up a barrier means 'we're in this together, but feel free to speak.' Don't you understand this principle? How did you pass the Shangqing disciple assessment back then?"

Long Nose was speechless.

Hua Che hesitated and looked at Chu Binghuan, suddenly finding it difficult to speak.

"Little Ice Cube, come with me for a moment." Hua Che pulled Chu Binghuan away, waited until there was no one around, and whispered, "I know this is a bit much, but... can you trust me and retract the Soul Scorcher and let that ghost cultivator go?"

Given Chu Binghuan's temperament, Hua Che felt that once he said this, he would immediately be labeled as a "fellow of the demonic path" and marked for death.

From another perspective, if someone asked him to retract a spiritual artifact and let a ghost cultivator go, he would find it hard to accept as well.

Therefore, Hua Che regretted it a bit.

Instead of asking Chu Binghuan, he might as well find a way to release the Soul Scorcher himself.

It's not like he hasn't been tied up by it before! He had experience!

Chu Binghuan: "Okay."

Fine, either scold him angrily or directly attack him. Anyway, he wouldn't... What the hell???

Hua Che looked at Chu Binghuan in shock, "You, you agreed?"

Chu Binghuan said gently, "You have your reasons for what you did."

Hua Che was stunned, "You trust me?"

Chu Binghuan almost didn't think about it: "Yes."

Hua Che felt like he didn't know him anymore.

The townspeople were awakened one after another, with lights lit in various homes. They gathered in groups, holding torches to see what was happening.

Suddenly, a cry came from the crowd, "Fire!"

Several thatched houses in the distance were burning fiercely, and the flames were soaring into the sky! Several neighbouring houses were also affected, and the townspeople panicked, rushing to fetch buckets to put out the fire.

Wen Yuan and Lu Yao quickly cast spells to extinguish the fire, but found that it was no ordinary fire, and ordinary water couldn't put it out.

"My child, my child is still inside!"

"My elderly mother is sleeping too!"

"Daddy, I want daddy, waaah..."

The greedy tongues of flames devoured everything, and Wen Yuan and others rushed into the houses to rescue people.

Chu Binghuan retracted the Soul Scorcher and quickly cast three water descent symbols, but to no avail. Despite the rain pouring down, the fire showed no signs of weakening.

Watching from afar, Hua Che was certain that this was Soulfire, fueled by the souls of cultivators. The stronger the soul, the fiercer the fire. This couldn't be extinguished just by using true essence.

Dodging the flames, Hua Che relaxed when he saw An Yu escaping amidst the chaos.

The sudden fire indicated that the fire raiser must be nearby. What was their target? The townspeople? Or An Yu?

Hua Che took out the Purple Bamboo Flute, infused it with soul power, and blew gently, producing a beautiful and elegant melody.

At times soothing, at times melancholic, the music shook the hearts of all who heard it, stirring a whirlwind of emotions within them, making them momentarily lose track of time and place.

If the prowess of sword cultivators lay in their extraordinary swordsmanship, then the terrifying aspect of music cultivators was their ability to kill invisibly, to kill without shedding blood, to exterminate souls and minds, driving people into madness with great sorrow and joy.

A skilled music cultivator could inspire armies, bring spring to the grass and trees, and revive all things.

But if they were malicious, they could drive armies insane, cause chaos and bloodshed, turning the land into a sea of blood.

Hua Che's goal was not to extinguish the fire but to repay evil with evil.

The fire raiser set fire to the town, so he would crush their heart and devour their soul.

Chu Binghuan used soul power to extinguish a significant portion of the rampant fire.

Through the rolling black smoke, Hua Che saw, with the faintest trace of breath, the arsonist standing atop a solitary mountain peak a hundred yards away.

Hua Che propelled himself forward with a burst of energy, landing on the rooftop, but abruptly halted his steps.

A dense aura of death emanated from the person, like venomous snakes and fierce beasts, like a collapsing Mount Tai.

It wasn't fear that gripped Hua Che's heart but the instinctual response of animals in the jungle, like a rabbit's legs turning to jelly upon seeing a tiger, like a sheep forgetting to flee upon encountering a wolf. The Demon Lord, accustomed to facing gods and slaughtering immortals, didn't feel fear in his heart; it was merely the instinctual fear of this low cultivation level body.

Suddenly, he saw the person glowing all over. Due to the distance, Hua Che couldn't discern their actions. He only saw the light getting closer and closer, transforming into hundreds and thousands of arrows! When they got closer, Hua Che saw clearly - countless arrow feathers!

Covering the sky and earth!

Hua Che knew that even with his current cultivation, it would be difficult to block the arrow rain even with a barrier. He shouted loudly, "Mu Zhaoyao, Lightning Avoidance Talisman!"

Mu Rongsan's sleeves were full of treasures, and producing a lightning avoidance talisman was effortless for him.

Unfortunately, the arrow feathers were too fast. Despite Mu Rongsan timely deploying the lightning avoidance talisman to protect the entire town, a small portion of the arrow feathers still found their mark.

With the raging fire ahead, everyone had to first block the arrows raining down from the sky.

A little girl fell to the ground, tears mixing with blood as she cried in pain, "Mom..."

Three strands of true elemental light arrows shot forth, startling Hua Che. He quickly stepped forward, using the Purple Bamboo Flute to shatter two of the arrows while simultaneously shielding the child beneath him.

A chill ran down his back.

It felt as if something had pierced through his chest, leaving it hollow.

Hua Che didn't have time to pay attention to it. He picked up the child and handed her over to her mother, who was tearful and grateful, kneeling down to thank him, "Thank you, Immortal, thank you for saving us!"

Hua Che didn't even catch his breath before he chased after the person responsible for the arson in the distance.

"Darling, why are you bleeding so much? Where are you hurt?" The mother, tears streaming down her face, inspected her daughter's body but found no injuries.

She paused, subconsciously glancing in the direction Hua Che had left. A trail of crimson blood marked his entire path.

 

Translator : DarNan