Chapter 26: Subjugating the Ghost King
Yaji Mountain is not far from Wenming Mountain, and it's the highest peak near Wang Long's home. However, it's often shrouded in mist, and you can only see its full appearance for no more than thirty days a year. Few people dare to climb this mountain because none of those who went up returned alive, so this mountain has become a terrifying legend about evil spirits and ghosts in Wang Long's hometown.
At over 11 o'clock at night, Wang Long arrived at this Yaji Mountain which has been passed down for generations with a very terrifying legend. From the foot of the mountain to dozens of meters up, he entered a dark and eerie fog, mixed with a chill of ghostly energy. The so-called wailing ghosts and howling wolves were probably no more than this.
Wang Longyun activated the Five Elements Divine Key, and the thick fog on the mountain couldn't block his line of sight at all. The entire situation on Liaoji Mountain entered his eyes clearly: the strange rocks and trees on the mountain were entwined together, the waist-high green grass stood upright like a knife, making a "whirring" sound in the wind, like a child crying at night. Occasionally, some black strange birds would fly towards the sky with a "whooshing" sound, accompanied by an unpleasant "cackling" cry, which sounded particularly clear on this quiet night.
Wang Long arrived at the halfway point of Yaji Mountain half an hour early. At exactly 12 o'clock, it seemed as if the mountain was suddenly split open by a knife, and amidst the rolling mud, a large black gate appeared on a protruding slope. The gate was neither gold nor iron. As it opened, a burst of black smoke rushed out, and when the smoke dissipated, a figure resembling an iron tower, nearly 2 meters tall, emerged. It couldn't be called human; it should be called a ghost instead. Upon closer inspection, Wang Long's breath caught in his throat: its eyes were like bronze bells, its eyebrows like brooms, its nose like a trumpet, and its mouth like a washbasin. Holding an enormous iron rod, at first glance, it seemed as if the Black Emissary of Hell had suddenly appeared before him. The Black Emissary suddenly let out a loud, raspy voice: "Is the one who came forward Wang Long? Did you bring the Five-Colored Luminous Lamp?" Wang Long took out the lamp from his storage ring and flashed it in front of the ghost's eyes before putting it back. The Black Emissary's eyes sparkled as he licked his lips, shouting: "Follow me! My master is waiting for you; I am his senior disciple, Hei Shan Lao Gui."
Wang Long followed Hei Shan Lao Gui into the cave, carefully examining his surroundings: it was like a man-made cave, with the entire wall composed of huge boulders, and water droplets seeping out from the stones, emitting a gloomy atmosphere. As they walked further in, the space inside became more expansive, and after turning a corner, the scenery changed instantly. This was a massive hall with an area of over a thousand square meters, with walls made entirely of dark green stone. On either side of the wall were embedded several white pearls, but the white light emitted by the pearls was shrouded by the black smoke that filled the entire cave, making them appear dull and dim. In the center of the hall was a large stone table, behind which stood a three-meter-long stone bed. Several stone stools were arranged in order beside the table. On the table stood several large ceramic wine jars, similar to those used for storing water at home. Several plates as big as basins were scattered about, containing some black and shiny substance that Wang Long couldn't identify.
Behind the stone table, on the bed sat a ghost eight feet tall, with a face as black as coal, eyebrows like steel needles, and hands as big as buckets. On either side of the stone bench also sat several very ugly ghosts, each one grinning from ear to ear. The coal-black ghost on the bed called out: "Wang Long, come, let me introduce myself, I am the Ghost King of the Underworld, now ruling over the entire Yang realm's ghost world. Don't know if you've brought what I asked you to bring?"
Wang Long didn't say a word, quickly took out the five-colored crystal lamp from his storage ring. The ghost king's eyes glowed red and said: "Hand it over to me quickly." Wang Long shook his head, put the crystal lamp back into his storage ring, and asked: "Ghost King, how did you know I had the five-colored crystal lamp?"
The Ghost King of Youming burst into loud laughter: "Young one, the last time you took out this treasure on Wutong Mountain, it was discovered by one of my subordinates. However, I was in seclusion at that time and only now have come to find you. As long as you hand over the Luliu Lamp obediently, I guarantee your grandmother will be fine." Wang Long curiously asked: "Why do you want this Five-Colored Luliu Lamp of mine so much?" The Ghost King of Youming smacked his lips and said: "My ghost calamity is approaching soon. If I can obtain your divine artifact, then my chances of passing the calamity will be 100%. But if there's nothing to assist me, it's possible that I'll vanish into thin air. Hand it over quickly, as long as you hand it over, I'll help rescue your grandmother." Wang Long laughed loudly: "Ghost King of Youming, don't be too naive. I also know that if I kill you, the ghost curse on my grandmother will naturally dissipate. If I kill you today, then you won't need to face that ghost calamity anymore."
The Ghost King of Youming did not get angry, but instead smiled: "Little boy, don't be arrogant in front of your ghost king grandfather. Don't mention whether you can beat me or not for now. The fierce ghosts standing next to me are very famous throughout the Yang realm. If we join forces, today will become your unlucky day next year. However, Grandfather sees that you have some skills and doesn't want to make things difficult for you. Just hand over the divine artifact obediently." It turned out that the Ghost King of Youming also knew about Wang Long's ferocity and had secretly ordered his most powerful subordinates from all over the world to come and wait in ambush, just in case.
Wang Long continued to shake his head, looking calm and composed, standing still. The Ghost King of the Underworld was furious, shouting: "You little ones, go up and kill him!" The twelve ghostly creatures sitting on the stone bench quickly disappeared from sight, only to see Wang Long's body radiating a brilliant five-colored divine light. The Ghost King's twelve subordinates immediately revealed their true forms, flying backwards towards the stone walls. A shining pearl on the wall was knocked out, rolling around on the ground. The twelve black ghosts immediately became cautious, hastily setting up the "Hundred Ghosts Great Array". The cave was instantly filled with a thick black aura, accompanied by sharp and piercing ghostly cries. Wang Long's figure was quickly enveloped by the "Hundred Ghosts Great Array", and the Ghost King let out a sinister laugh. This array was the most powerful one he had found in the "Underworld Great Law", formed by twelve fierce ghosts. Once this array was set up, even a ghostly immortal would find it hard to resist. The Ghost King seemed to have already seen Wang Long's tragic fate of being destroyed within the array, and picked up a jar of wine from the table, pouring it into his bloody mouth.
Wang Long also felt a great deal of pressure within the formation. Since his last battle against Mo Wang, this was only the second time he had felt so strained. Wang Long stood quietly in the formation, thinking about how to break through it. Suddenly, the entire formation changed in an instant, and the pressure increased by hundreds of times. Wang Long quickly took out the Five-Colored Luminous Lamp and placed it around himself. After the combined strongest attack from the twelve fierce ghosts, Wang Long quickly judged that the black ghost in the southeast was the weakest. With a single hand, he released 80% of his divine yuan energy, and the black ghost in the southeast was instantly knocked flying, turning into a cloud of black smoke that disappeared into the cave. Under Wang Long's 80% divine yuan energy, this black ghost had already been destroyed, never to be reborn again. The large formation lost one person, and Wang Long immediately felt a great reduction in pressure. The twelve-person formation was missing one person, but it wasn't as simple as one plus one equals two. If the twelve people could exert ten layers of force, then an eleven-person formation would only be able to exert six layers of the large formation's power. Wang Long quickly killed two more black ghosts with relatively small strength. At this time, the formation's power was less than a third of the complete large formation. Wang Long fluttered about in the great hall like a butterfly among flowers. After a moment, only five heavily injured and unconscious black ghosts were left lying on the ground.
The Ghost King of the Netherworld was shocked after drinking a whole jar of wine, his eyes wide with wonder, his bloody mouth agape, and he was at a loss for what to do. Wang Long saw the Ghost King's ugly appearance and shouted loudly: "Ghost King, I think you were a powerful hero in your lifetime, how did you become like this now?" The Ghost King only reacted after hearing Wang Long's loud shout, and he thought to himself: there is still an insurmountable distance between himself and the ghost immortals, if he were to fight with Wang Long, he would really be beaten until his soul flew away and he would never be reborn again.
The Ghost King of the Netherworld, who had been mixed up for nearly two thousand years, suddenly realized the gap between himself and Wang Long. He hastily rolled off the bed and crawled to Wang Long's presence, his body shrinking, his knees hitting the ground, as he kowtowed to Wang Long, saying: "Immortal Master, I know I was wrong, please forgive my ignorance, I am willing to serve you as my master from now on." The entire cave shook with his kowtowing. Wang Long smiled and said: "How do I know if you're truly surrendering? What if you harm my family again in the future?" The Ghost King of the Netherworld spoke in a low, gloomy tone: "I am willing to offer up my life-bound ghost dan, let the Immortal Master establish a master-servant contract." As he finished speaking, a green ghost dan the size of a chicken egg flew out of his mouth.
Wang Long thought that he had to subdue the Ghost King of Yin and Yang first, so he could ensure that he would go to rescue his own grandmother obediently. Without hesitation, he released a strand of divine yuan force onto the green ghost pill of the Ghost King of Yin and Yang. The Ghost King of Yin and Yang saw that the master-servant contract had been successfully signed, and under Wang Long's nod, he retrieved his ghost pill and stood up.
The King of Ghosts immediately spoke to Wang Long, saying: "Master, from now on, the little ghost will only follow the master's orders and do as he says. If the master has any instructions, just let me go and do it." He took out a jade tube from his bosom and continued, "Master, inside this is the Great Method of Summoning Ten Thousand Ghosts. As long as the master recites this incantation in his heart, all the ghosts within a thousand miles around him will immediately sense it and rush to the master's side to serve him." Wang Long took the jade tube and quickly memorized its contents with his divine consciousness.
Wang Long said with satisfaction to the King of Ghosts: "Very well, when your ghostly calamity arrives, I will help you block it and ensure that you can pass through it smoothly." The King of Ghosts was instantly grateful and prostrated himself on the ground, his heart filled with joy. With such a powerful master protecting him, cultivating as a ghost immortal would be much easier from now on. His previous dissatisfaction also quickly disappeared without a trace.
