Chapter 30: West Flower Valley (Revised)

"Accountability?"

"Accountability to whom?"

Yang Xuan reached out, pinched Yaoji's chin, and gave her a frantic once-over before letting go. "Yaoji, has your brain short-circuited? Your organization owes me two million merit points, and you were sent here as collateral."

"If we’re talking about accountability, that'll have to wait until the organization pays me the full two million. As for the interest, I'll waive it."

Yang Xuan spoke with immense pride. Waiving the interest was the ultimate display of loyalty to the organization. Of course, the Soul-Suppressing Talisman had already collected the two hundred thousand merit points in interest for him.

With that, Yang Xuan paced around the Yellow Spring Ghost King’s room, swirling his glass of red wine. He kept his eyes peeled, searching for anything of value. After a long circuit, however, he came up empty-handed. It was frustrating; he had expected some unexpected gains, but it turned out the Yellow Spring Ghost King was a total pauper. No wonder it lived in a place like this.

He had been here for half a day, and the Yellow Spring Ghost King hadn't stopped talking for a single second, showering Yang Xuan with endless flattery. Even Yaoji, standing to the side, couldn't take it anymore.

"Yang Xuan, don't you get annoyed listening to it drone on like that?"

Yang Xuan nodded at Yaoji and immediately turned to snap at the Yellow Spring Ghost King: "Change your tune!"

...

As midnight approached, a figure appeared outside the village. The Xihua Ghost King was creeping along the wall, flanked by a group of ghost general underlings.

"You lot, keep watch outside!"

"I’m only going in for thirty minutes. If I haven't returned by then, head back to Xihua Valley and deliver the news of my death to the master deep within the valley!"

"Don't worry, Lord Ghost King! We will deliver the message right on time!"

...

Hearing this, the Xihua Ghost King felt a pang of bitterness. Had it raised a pack of ingrates? It had even left behind many rare treasures to help them cultivate when it departed the valley. Now, not only were they ungrateful, but they had absolutely no faith in it—were they so certain it was going to die?

The more it thought about it, the angrier it became. It wanted to slap every one of those ghost generals right then and there. However, since it was currently on the Yellow Spring Ghost King's turf, it held back.

It had no way out now; it had to take down the Yellow Spring Ghost King to reclaim its dignity. Otherwise, it wouldn't even be able to return to Xihua Valley. Those beasts in the valley had grown incredibly powerful after absorbing the treasures. To be blocked from its own home by its own creations? It was truly pathetic.

Leaving its underlings at the village entrance, the Xihua Ghost King headed inside. But the moment it reached the door, it sensed something wrong. The Yellow Spring Ghost King hadn't noticed it?

"What's going on? Even if that idiot is a fool, there's no way it hasn't detected me by now!"

Before the Xihua Ghost King could figure it out, the voice of the Yellow Spring Ghost King drifted from behind it.

"Old friend, I'm here. Surprised? Shocked?"

"Ah!"

Humans being scared to death by humans is one thing, but when ghosts scare ghosts, it's unbearable!

"You bastard!"

The Xihua Ghost King threw a punch backward, imbued with malevolent energy. But the moment the energy was released, it simply vanished, as if absorbed by something in the darkness.

"Strange!"

"Save your breath! I'll tell you the truth: the boss is here. Any attack you unleash will only be absorbed by him! Even if you explode yourself, it's useless!"

The Xihua Ghost King widened its eyes, peering into the shadows. There sat Yang Xuan on the sofa, looking relaxed, waving a small flag. At the sight of that flag, the Xihua Ghost King felt a deep, instinctive dread. It couldn't quite see the true nature of the banner, though—Yang Xuan had disguised the appearance of the Soul Realm Flag before arriving. If a human were seen waving a Soul Realm flag openly in front of the Soul Race, it would immediately become a scorching hot potato.

"Yellow Spring Ghost King, you’ve gone too far!"

"I could tolerate you pulling out my front teeth, but I cannot forgive you for auctioning them off!"

As the Xihua Ghost King finished speaking, a massive wave of malevolent energy erupted from its body, instantly shrouding the residence and blotting out the sky.

"Oh no, it’s going all out!" Yaoji cried out, panicked, and grabbed at Yang Xuan.

Yang Xuan naturally noticed the Xihua Ghost King’s transformation. The Soul Realm Flag could indeed intimidate it, but he didn't want to reveal that he possessed it just for the sake of one Xihua Ghost King. It seemed another battle was inevitable.

The malevolent energy spread, and the Xihua Ghost King's form surged and shifted, eventually transforming into a two-meter-tall ox-headed monster. Its fur stood on end like iron needles.

"Roar!"

The Xihua Ghost King let out a furious bellow and charged at the Yellow Spring Ghost King. With a single collision, the Yellow Spring Ghost King was overwhelmed, its brute force slamming it into the wall. Having lost its magical artifact, the Yellow Spring Ghost King had no way to fight back.

"Is this... a true form manifestation?" Yaoji muttered to herself, unsure even with her experience.

"What does the organization say?" Yang Xuan asked, turning to Yaoji.

"The boss said to just keep the scene under control and make sure news of the fight doesn't leak out!"

"I'm not asking about that. I'm asking how much the organization will pay if I slaughter the Xihua Ghost King?"

...

Yang Xuan’s question silenced Yaoji. The Xihua Ghost King had already manifested its true form; even the boss wouldn't dare claim he could kill it so easily, yet Yang Xuan was...

"Slaughter it?" Yaoji asked again, doubting her own ears.

"That's right!"

Once she was certain of Yang Xuan's intentions, Yaoji felt uneasy and immediately called the organization.

"Hello? Hello? Why can't I hear anything?"

"What kind of terrible signal do you have over there?"

"Alright, alright, I can hear you now. Boss! Yang Xuan wants to slaughter the Xihua Ghost King!"

As soon as her words reached the other end, the organization's leader could no longer sit still and sprang from his seat.

"What did you say? Slaughter the Xihua Ghost King?"

The leader was stunned. He had already received word that the Xihua Ghost King had manifested its true form. Moving against it at such a critical moment could lead to a leak of information, and then things would get very difficult!

"Yaoji, keep a close eye on him! I'm coming over now!"

"Right, boss. I don't think I can hold him off for long, hurry!"

After hanging up, Yaoji looked around, but Yang Xuan, who had been sitting on the sofa, had vanished. Where was he?

Before Yaoji could react, a small, thin figure appeared before her. Looking closely, the facial features were indeed Yang Xuan’s. But why had he become so small and stunted?