Boom!
Xie Bi’an didn’t hesitate. He charged at Leopard Tail, fierce as a demon.
He swung his fist.
His fist technique was cunning. Leopard Tail’s pupils constricted as he instinctively shifted half a step to the left, body twisting ninety degrees. Then he straightened his back, dodging the blow.
The instant he dodged, he, too, swung his fist.
There was nowhere to hide.
“Hmph.”
Xie Bi’an didn’t even consider dodging. His other hand clenched into a fist and met Leopard Tail’s attack head-on.
Bang!
Their fists collided. A wave of spiritual energy instantly exploded outward.
The surrounding trees cracked under the force of the mighty wave of spiritual energy and rocks and sand were lifted into the air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The powerful blow pushed Xie Bi’an a full seven steps back before he finally managed to stop himself. Meanwhile, Leopard Tail’s eyes filled with mockery; he hadn’t budged an inch.
“This…..”
Seeing this, Xie Bi’an’s eyelids twitched violently. Was Leopard Tail really stronger than him now?
Black Impermanence, who’d at the same time, now clenched his chest and fell by Xie Bi’an’s side. He looked next to Leopard Tail…...
Fish Gills had thrown him a straight punch and was now smiling smugly.
“Ol’ Fan.” Xie Bi’an frowned.
Black Impermanence waved off his concern and said: “they’re troublesome opponents.”
Of course they were troublesome opponents! Leopard Tail and the others were now stronger than them. In the past, they could rely on Xie Bi’an’s might to threaten them but now even that final trump card had turned to ash.
But you ought to know, just half a year ago…..
Xie Bi’an could have defeated all four of them singlehandedly!
What on earth happened in the past half-year to make them so strong?
“Xie Bi’an, Fan Wujiu, did you think yourselves the strongest of the Ghost Marshalls? Truly ludicrous! I’ll repeat myself once more; you’d best hurry up and surrender. Who knows? We might still spare your lives.” Leopard Tail laughed.
Xie Bi’an frowned back at him. “Earlier, when all those souls went missing from the Underworld…. That was your doing, wasn’t it?”
“It was.”
By now, there was no need to cover it up any longer. Given how rapidly their strength had soared, almost anyone in the Underworld would’ve made the connection to the missing evil spirits and assumed they were responsible.
“Swallowing up evil souls is against the will of the heavens. Don’t you fear divine retribution?” roared Xie Bi’an, expression dark.
Leopard Tail simply narrowed his eyes and laughed, “Divine retribution? Really? You’re talking divine retribution with me? I’ll tell you the truth, it’s better not to overly revere the heavens. If you do, you’ll be grievously disappointed when you learn the truth. Alternatively, if I told you the heavens wanted us to cooperate with the demons… would you believe me?”
“Do you really think I’d believe that?” snorted Xie Bi’an.”
“I suppose I didn’t,” said Leopard Tail with a calm smile. Then his smile darkened as he said, “surrender. You’ve oppressed the four of us all these years but in the name of our former friendship, we won’t kill you. Honestly, don’t resist, you can’t turn this around. Do you know why those Ghost Emperors made their move? Why even the guardian deities of the Heavenly Places took action? Haven’t you thought it through? Is it really as simple as them consorting with demons? Do you really think that’s possible?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“It’s not just the Underworld. The Heavenly Court and Immortal Region aren’t faring any better. To send such ripples throughout all three realms simultaneously… Do you think the demons alone are capable of such a thing? What kind of ability is required to make people of all three realms submit? Think about it…. But then, our mission is to take you out. Don’t make trouble for us. Just surrender.”
When Xie Bi’an heard this, he was visibly astonished.
At the same time, though, Ox-head strode forth. He patted Xie Bi’an’s shoulder, startling him to his senses, then, eyes wide, snorted, “now you’ve told us everything. We don’t want to get into it now, but you seem to think victory is inevitable. That actually isn’t the case.”
“Old Bull, you’d best change that stubborn temperament of yours,” snorted Leopard Tail angrily.
“I can’t charge it. This temperament of mine was built up over tens of thousands of years, do you really think I can just change at the drop of a hat?” Ox-head snorted softly. “I could tell you the same thing. Give up and come quietly. In the name of our former friendship, we’ll spare your lives.”
“Spare my life?” Leopard Tail’s face brimmed over with unspoken mockery. He even put his hands behind his ears and leaned forward, then asked inquisitively, “what did you just say? I couldn’t quite hear you. Would you mind repeating it for me?”
The situation was already settled.
Both their subordinate ghost soldiers and the four Ghost Martials themselves were at an absolute advantage against their current opponents.
Spare their lives?
That was truly the most ridiculous thing he’d heard in his life!
“I’ll be curious to see just how you go about ‘sparing our lives!’” With that, Leopard Tail’s expression darkened. Countless evil spirits manifested around him, circling him and wailing piteously.
“Then I’ll just have to show you.”
Facing Leopard Tail’s terrifying fury, Ox-tail simply smiled confidently, his hands rapidly forming seals. Before long, the sky shattered as thirty-six enormous coffins, each fully a thousand feet tall, cut their way the air.
When Leopard Tail saw this, he was struck dumb. A hint of fear flickered through his eyes.
“Ox-head, you actually…..”
Xie Bi’an was visibly shaken as he watched the thirty-six enormous coffins. He soon found himself thinking about the early days of the Underworld. Back then, who had been the undisputed number one Ghost Martial?
Ox-head.
He wasn’t number one because his personal strength was overwhelmingly powerful. Rather, it was because of the thirty-six Ghost Kings following him.
But hadn’t those Ghost Kings perished ten thousand years ago?
“My old brothers, I’ll have to trouble you again.”
Ox-head faced the coffins and bowed deeply. Then, with a wave of his right hand, the coffins opened.
The Ghost Kings walked the earth once more!
“You’re saying someone from the God Realm is supporting you from the shadows?” Black Dragon looked into Gu Li’s eyes and frowned. Gu Li had just told him everything, leaving nothing out.
“That’s right! If I had no help from above, do you really think a small person like myself could have commanded major powers from all three realms? That just doesn't make sense, no matter how you think about it,” sighed Gu Li.
“I tried to lead them with my own efforts, but that was nothing but a fantasy. I might seem grand from the outside, but in truth, I’m just an errand boy. I can’t even begin to compete with you, Your Excellency.”
To think they had help from above!
Black Dragon couldn’t help but frown. If someone from a higher realm was supporting them, anything was possible. It was just, he might have no way of getting his revenge.
Attacking Gu Li meant challenging his backer.
Although he was currently a supreme as well, who knew just how strong Gu Li’s backer was?
“Your Excellency Black Dragon, I know you hate me. Anyone would hate someone who stole their homeland. But what would you think if I told you that person instigated all of this?”
When he heard this, Black Dragon could no longer maintain his composure.
“What!?” he asked solemnly.