Chapter 162: Chapter 160: Brutal, Undercurrent, Patrolling Evil Soul
"You’re Zhang Yi?"
The burly man spun around. A well-dressed, steward-like man stood not far away, his face etched with unconcealed arrogance.
The man sized him up and down, a look of contempt flashing in his eyes.
"And who are you?"
The man subtly shielded the boy beside him, his tone cold.
"Heh..."
The steward-like man chuckled without answering, simply stating, "Our Young Master, Zhao Tianpeng, wants to see you."
The man’s eyes narrowed. "Zhao Tianpeng? The son of Chairman Zhao Jigang?"
"In all of Shenghai, is there anyone else who would dare call himself Zhao Tianpeng besides my Young Master?"
The steward-like man was growing impatient. "Since you know, come with me."
But the man didn’t move. He just frowned. "I don’t recall having any relationship with your Young Master.
Why is he looking for me?"
Seeing the stubbornness hidden beneath the man’s calm exterior, the steward’s eyes flickered. He suddenly dropped his previous attitude and slowly walked forward.
"I hear that in less than half a month since you arrived in Shenghai, you’ve kicked down the doors of every Martial Arts Hall on Training Ground Street... Impressive, truly impressive."
The steward patted the man’s shoulder and said with a smile, "Don’t worry. Since our Young Master is looking for you... it’s naturally for something wonderful."
After speaking, he stepped aside and made a "please" gesture to the man.
...
The rules of the Shenghai Martial Arts Association were simple, but there were just too many people who signed up.
The process was quite lengthy—one-on-one matches, with lots drawn for each round, and with bouts only held for six hours each day. Round after round, the entire tournament was set to last over ten days.
Furthermore, with the registration limited to those under thirty-five, the participating Martial Artists were bound to be not overly powerful. The first few rounds of eliminations were particularly uninteresting to watch.
Fu Juemin attended for one day and had no desire to return. He’d rather take care of his own business than watch a bunch of "noobs pecking at each other."
After the matter with the Water Demon Mother, Fu Juemin had the Ghost Camp cooperate with Gu Shouyu to quickly set up the next hunting target.
This progressed rather quickly; all the arrangements were made in just a few days.
Late at night, at Shenghai’s Sixteen Wharves Pier.
The cold moonlight filtered through a hole in the roof of an abandoned warehouse, spilling into the long-deserted Warehouse No. 5 and coating the ground like a thin layer of frost.
Fu Juemin stood in the center of the warehouse. Gu Shouyu, wrapped in a cotton-padded jacket, spoke to him while his breath misted in the air.
"...He was originally a Patrol Police officer in charge of this area. He was too upright, refused to take bribes, and later offended some Westerners. So, he was framed and met a tragic end right here in Warehouse No. 5."
"I heard that after he died, his body was nailed into a wooden crate and sunk into the river. Perhaps his resentment was too strong, because he turned into a ghost that comes out to wander on the night of his death anniversary each month. Anyone unlucky enough to run into him... almost never survives."
"Why did you have to pick a ghost?"
Fu Juemin sounded slightly displeased. Gu Shouyu muttered, "You were in a hurry. This was the fastest one I could arrange right now."
"CLANK—"
Just then, the sound of chains dragging suddenly echoed from the depths of the abandoned warehouse.
The Oil Paper Umbrella tucked under Gu Shouyu’s arm instantly tightened. As if given some sort of signal, he quickly dodged to the side.
"Be careful, this isn’t an ordinary ghost.
"Years ago, before this place was developed into wharves, it was an ancient battlefield. It seems to have absorbed the resentful spirits of those ancient soldiers..."
Fu Juemin’s brow furrowed slightly.
The clanking of chains from the warehouse’s depths grew louder. An inexplicable, chilling air began to spread, and a faint mist silently formed within the warehouse, mixing with the pale moonlight to create an unspeakably grim atmosphere.
The men from the Ghost Camp, who were already lying in ambush in every corner of the warehouse, stirred restlessly, ready to act at any moment.
But Fu Juemin gave Xu Hengjiang a hand signal and shook his head. The latter slowly settled back into his hidden position.
Fu Juemin had dealt with the Ghost Race a few times and knew that ordinary bullets were almost useless against them; only high-powered gunpowder would work.
Rather than cause a huge commotion and attract unnecessary trouble, it was better for him to handle it personally.
Within his Consciousness, his Perception of the ghost before him grew stronger.
The Demon Souls inside him stirred restlessly. Fu Juemin took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the corner of his mouth as the ghost emerged from the warehouse depths, finally revealing itself completely before his eyes.
—It was a towering figure, nearly two meters tall and powerfully built. Wisps of black smoke coiled around its face, obscuring its features.
Its attire was quite strange. The upper body was clad in something resembling the Rusted Armor of an ancient soldier, while the lower half wore the signature leg bindings of a Concession Patrol Police officer.
One hand held a Police Whistle Stick, and the other carried a massive Broken Blade, its pommel attached to a thick chain.
The moonlight pouring in from the roof and windows fell upon the tall ghost, but it was as if a ring of shadow was slowly spreading out from it.
According to Fu Juemin’s Perception, this patrol ghost was far stronger than the entire family of Fierce Ghosts he had encountered at the Lin Family Residence.
It was probably as Gu Shouyu had said; for some unknown reason, it had absorbed the remnant souls of the soldiers from the ancient battlefield here.
Fu Juemin placed the handkerchief he’d used to wipe his mouth back into his suit pocket. He then raised his head and, with a calm expression, began to walk slowly toward the ghost.
When he drew within a certain range, the Patrolling Evil Soul seemed to instantly lock onto his presence.
A pair of scarlet eyes suddenly flared on its smoke-shrouded face. Immediately after, without any warning, it brought its blade down on Fu Juemin’s head.
A ghastly wind swept through the vast warehouse, carrying a chill that seemed to seep into one’s very bones.
Fu Juemin neither dodged nor evaded. His posture relaxed slightly as the surging Qi Blood from his 35 points of [Attack] and near Blood Barrier Great Success erupted from him.
In that instant, he seemed to transform into a blazing furnace!
The Patrolling Evil Soul’s massive Broken Blade stopped just centimeters from his head, unable to descend any further, as if held fast by some invisible Force Field.
Fu Juemin formed a blade with his hand and, in a reverse motion, chopped horizontally at the Evil Soul’s neck.
His fair, slender hand-blade reflected the moonlight, shimmering with a cold, hazy, glazed brilliance.
"TSCHH—"
The edge of his palm swept across the Evil Soul’s neck. Its body trembled violently, and large clouds of strange black smoke billowed from the point of impact.
’Glazed Qi naturally possesses the power to purge evil and purify filth. Its suppressive effect on the Ghost Race is indeed much stronger than the Vitality of an ordinary Martial Artist...’
Fu Juemin’s eyes flashed. He struck twice more with "Purifying Filth and Light." More black smoke billowed out, and the Patrolling Evil Soul staggered backward, yet it refused to give up.
It raised both arms. The chain from the hilt of the Broken Blade in its right hand suddenly shot out like a living thing, coiling toward Fu Juemin’s waist, while the Police Whistle Stick in its other hand swung down fiercely at him.
Fu Juemin still did not evade. Without even looking at the attacks coming from above and his sides, he secretly circulated the Snake Phase Poison Seed within him, and his Black-Scaled Snake Demon Soul trembled faintly....
In an instant, the Five-Ring Black Moon rose from the base of his fingers, and he completely dissipated his Saber Momentum.
His originally pure and clear aura suddenly became demonic and chillingly evil.
Snake Form: Wuling’s Stone-Smashing Technique!
Fu Juemin struck out with his palm. The Formless Qi steaming from his body seemed to coalesce behind him into the massive, ferocious, intangible shadow of a snake, which lunged forward to bite.
"CRACK—"
His fleshy palm landed on the Rusted Armor on the Patrolling Evil Soul’s chest. This time, it made solid contact with a physical entity.
As if piercing through crisp paper, Fu Juemin’s right hand plunged deep inside with devastating force. Before he could even execute the second stage of the "Stone-Smashing" technique, the Patrolling Evil Soul before him froze completely.
Immediately after, like a rotten wooden frame collapsing with a great "CRASH," it completely fell apart and disintegrated.
Under the moonlight, a thick cloud of turbid black smoke suddenly billowed up, rapidly engulfing Fu Juemin’s figure.
But the black smoke, though it appeared fiercely, vanished even faster. In the blink of an eye, it was all gone.
Fu Juemin’s figure was revealed once more. The Patrolling Evil Soul was gone. All that remained was a floor covered in shattered bones, and among them, an unremarkable, rusty iron plate.
Fu Juemin didn’t look at the bone fragments, but instead, immediately opened his character panel.
Killing the Patrolling Evil Soul, as expected, yielded no new Talents, but it provided a great deal of Golden Energy.
Not only did it fill his already nearly-full Skill Energy Slot once over, but the excess energy was enough to fill almost half another slot.
On the Cultivation Technique section, the familiar golden "+" appeared once again.
’Should I save up 2 points to upgrade the Dragon Elephant Skill, or just add a point to the Five Beasts Skill now?’
Fu Juemin stared at the "+" on the panel, his eyes glinting as he weighed his options.
.....
Two-in-one Chapter, too lazy to split them up.
By the way, the conflict at the Martial Arts Association is a pretty important plot point. It will officially lead into the main storyline of the Shenghai Volume.
I still recommend everyone read the whole volume at once. I tend to write with a lot of detail, but I can’t write too much in a single day, sigh...
There will be another update later. orz
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