Chapter 1688: Chapter 975: Ghost Coffin (2)
"Ku Daoist, you are a smart person. After going out, don’t reveal anything about the merit points, to avoid causing dissatisfaction among others. After all..." Yang Xiao pointed to himself, then to the Ku Daoist, "Among these people, I have always thought the most highly of you. You are a reliable person. You and I... hmm... you get what this relationship means, right?"
"I understand. The Netherworld Emperor values me, and I, Ku Daoist, am naturally willing to serve you." Ku Daoist, being a seasoned figure in the martial arts world, immediately understood Yang Xiao’s hint.
But to say trust, Ku Daoist did not believe a single punctuation mark. These were all dregs of the workplace, underhanded means for leaders to win people over. Ku Daoist believed Yang Xiao used the same words facing the next two people.
Then Yang Xiao indeed did not disappoint Ku Daoist. Facing the next Trickster, Yang Xiao used the same routine. The difference was that the Trickster only received two merit points since his contribution was relatively limited.
"Trickster, have you mastered that magic artifact?" Yang Xiao asked casually.
"Thanks to the cultivation of the Netherworld Emperor Captain, I have mastered it," the Trickster spoke very politely. Among the Envoys, strength was respected, and Yang Xiao’s prowess was evident.
Hearing that the Trickster had mastered the magic artifact, Yang Xiao felt curious and asked him to demonstrate its ability, allowing him to attack himself.
Upon hearing this, the Trickster did not hesitate. He took out the broken rough porcelain bowl but made a move before using the magic artifact to attack Yang Xiao, which greatly satisfied Yang Xiao. He took out the piece of magic cloth from his bosom and threw it five or six meters away to hang on a dead tree.
The Trickster’s intention was very clear; he would only use the new magic artifact to demonstrate to Yang Xiao, with no plan to take this opportunity to attack him.
As the Trickster picked up the rough porcelain bowl and flipped it upside down towards Yang Xiao from a distance, the next second, Yang Xiao’s view fell into complete darkness—so dark that you couldn’t see your hand in front of you, like an invisible giant bowl had covered him inside.
"A space-type magical artifact?" Yang Xiao was not panicked, only curious.
"Netherworld Emperor, this is the capability of this magic artifact. It can trap a person in this dark world, while as its master, I can see you." The Trickster’s slightly sharp voice echoed in the surrounding darkness, with no discernible position, just a persistent buzzing sound from all directions.
Yang Xiao has never relaxed his vigilance against these guys. He has already used the human bone staff to lock the rough location of the Trickster. He did not act rashly as he was probing if the other side harbored any ill intent towards him.
Yang Xiao deliberately exposed his back to the Trickster, creating a huge flaw. If the other side was tempted and attacked him, Yang Xiao would not hesitate to kill him to prevent future troubles.
Even if the Trickster only entertained the thought, Yang Xiao would sense it and kill him all the same.
With the human bone staff in hand, Yang Xiao could clearly detect the spiritual power fluctuations from the Trickster. If they suddenly intensified, it would indicate the intention to attack.
But unfortunately, Yang Xiao waited a full twenty seconds, and the Trickster still showed no intention of taking action. It seemed he truly had no such plans.
Perhaps earlier, during the battle, Yang Xiao’s overpowering display with his trump cards had indeed deterred these guys.
"Netherworld Emperor, can I withdraw the ability now?" The Trickster’s voice of inquiry echoed again in the darkness.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao let out a cold laugh, turned around in the dark, facing the Trickster’s hiding spot. His icy gaze seemed to penetrate the darkness, catching the Trickster off guard.
"Is this all? I really overestimated you all."
After Yang Xiao’s comment, a chill raced from the Trickster’s feet to his head. He had never expected Yang Xiao to locate his hiding place in the blink of an eye.
One must know that at that moment, Yang Xiao had already been trapped in the artifact’s power.
Immediately after, Yang Xiao summoned the Ghost Lantern. With a flash of green light, the Trickster instinctively closed his eyes. When he reopened them, the power of the rough porcelain ghost bowl was nullified, and the surrounding darkness vanished, replaced by Yang Xiao standing before him.
Yang Xiao appeared calm and composed as always, hands folded behind his back, with a faint, elusive smile at the corners of his mouth.
However, to the still-shocked Trickster, this image was no different from the most terrifying fierce ghost. His knees went weak, and he nearly knelt down instinctively, but at the last moment, Yang Xiao pulled him up.
"Ne... Netherworld Emperor Captain, I... I mean no other intention. Please don’t misunderstand." Even though the Trickster was a well-known Evil Cultivator from a prestigious family, he was very timid. He rarely fought battles unless bullying weaker opponents and barely bore any grudges with expert of similar standing.
In a broader sense, this was called being cautious. So when Wu Qingcang found him, he knelt immediately with no resistance, sparing himself a bruise.
Wu Qingcang initially looked down on such soft-boned people. But right when he was about to act, the Trickster, trembling on his knees, fainted from fear.
Wu Qingcang believed it was beneath him to kill someone who fainted. Given that their newly formed special task force was short on manpower, the Trickster’s life was spared.
Upon learning this, Yang Xiao did not further embarrass him. He smiled, patted the Trickster’s shoulder, and told him to work hard, promising to promote him in the future.
After sending off the Trickster, Yang Xiao’s expression turned grave. He had a rough idea of who Wu Qingcang’s informant might be in the group—it was very likely this guy.
This individual was inherently timid and extremely afraid of death, making him very susceptible to coercion or control. Yang Xiao planned to pay special attention to this person in the future.
Moreover, although his combat strength was average, his survival ability was exceptionally outstanding. The magic cloth could achieve an instant teleportation ability similar to the Soul-Capturing Mirror, making it quite difficult for any Envoy of the same level to kill him.
After sending off the Trickster, next came Chen Nang. As he and Chen Nang entered the Mirror World, Yang Xiao’s demeanor softened considerably.
Yang Xiao was quite generous with his ’direct lineage’ that he personally brought into the fold. He straightforwardly gave Chen Nang three merit points and inquired about his mastery of the artifact from Butterfly Lady.
This was an artifact capable of brief flight, with very special abilities. Once mastered, combined with Chen Nang’s invisibility, swordsmanship, especially his exceptionally vicious sorcery, his overall combat strength would be greatly enhanced.
However, mentioning that artifact, Chen Nang helplessly shook his head. He then took the artifact out from his robe and returned it to Yang Xiao, "Unfortunately, I cannot control it. It conflicts with another artifact on me. If I forcefully drive it, I will suffer backlash."
"Is it that... Curse Device?" Yang Xiao asked instinctively.
"Yes," Chen Nang nodded.
There was no other way—it was indeed a pity, but it was normal. After all, nothing can be entirely perfect. Many artifacts are incompatible, and anomalies like Yang Xiao with the Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes are much too rare.
Dean Sheng had once thoroughly explained to him the marvels of the Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes, saying its ability to significantly increase the number of artifacts on the user was just the beginning. Its greater advantage lay in allowing many otherwise incompatible artifacts to be somewhat safely gathered on one person.
Dean Sheng also cited examples of the artifacts Yang Xiao carried, such as the human bone staff, which was incompatible with the Ghost Lantern, with a strong conflict between them.
The Ghost Bamboo Stick’s predecessor, the Ghost Duster, was also incompatible with the ring-headed saber crafted by Sword Lord. It could be said that if anyone other than Yang Xiao attempted to forcibly harness these two artifacts, even someone as powerful as Elder Sheng, they would suffer backlash and face a disastrous end—a testament to the might of the Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes.
But according to ancient records, the Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes could also summon a Big Red Ghost Coffin, with Hundred Demons possessing the person alongside the Ghost Coffin. This scene was one Yang Xiao had only seen used by his good elder sister in a Ghost Dream, and he had yet to comprehend it himself.
