Volume Twelve: Invitation to Hell - Chapter Forty-Eight: Ghost Cultivator Thousand-Hands

Walking back from the duel arena, Yaoguang found that everyone she passed looked at her as if she were a walking printing press. Some gazes held envy, others awe, some jealousy, and a few pure adoration.

The duel had already spread throughout the cultivation world. The fact that the Phoenix Honored God had personally descended to the mortal realm and was walking among humans had stirred up a thousand waves.

Some people even came to pay their respects by name, but unfortunately, Three-Eyes turned them all away. This was the task assigned to Yaoguang; apart from Old Man Bai, anyone else who came was strictly denied an audience.

Having accepted payment, Three-Eyes naturally performed his duties conscientiously. Even the two factions running the Ghost Market had dispatched men to guard this floor, warning anyone who dared to step out of line that they would face severe consequences.

A Honored God! Moreover, a Honored God who had entered the ancient divine realm—who could afford to offend such a figure? Legend had it that even those ancient Honored Gods had to show the Phoenix Honored God a fraction of respect; these people certainly dared not cause trouble in her presence.

This year's Dark River Ghost Market had become the only Ghost Market in history to be graced by the presence of a Honored God. This explosive piece of news was enough to keep people talking for a long time. Righteous cultivators were naturally thrilled, believing that since the Phoenix Honored God had manifested in the mortal world, opportunities would surely arise.

However, the ghost cultivators among the hidden factions were far less enthusiastic. Legend had it that the Phoenix Honored God never showed the slightest mercy to evil forces that fell into her hands.

After this battle, the name Phoenix once again resounded across the four seas. People discussed it at length until they realized that this Phoenix was the very same cultivator who had shaken the world with a single battle many years ago. Back then, the Phoenix was merely a cultivator. Who could have predicted that the cold-hearted ninth-rank cultivator of the past would now be a Honored God? She was likely the only one who had ever cultivated to such a realm. Most unbelievable of all was that she still retained her physical body; the predecessors who had ascended had all seen their physical bodies turn to dust. This Phoenix was simply too extraordinary and far too dangerous to provoke.

The cultivator who had been sternly rebuked by Yaoguang on the duel arena actually came humbly bearing a calling card, solely to beg for forgiveness. Seeing the card in Three-Eyes's hands, Yaoguang nearly split her sides laughing. She merely said, "Go do whatever you were going to do; I don't eat people."

Having received this message, the cultivator heaved a massive sigh of relief and fled as if on wings. Three-Eyes watched his retreating figure and shook his head speechlessly. "That's the price of a loose tongue."

Because he was clearly favored by Yaoguang, Three-Eyes's status in the Ghost Market rose steadily. By now, no one dared to look down on him anymore; everyone he met respectfully addressed him as "Lord," leaving Three-Eyes beaming with delight.

Inside the room, Yaoguang lay on the bed, looking at Huangquan and Die Wuying sitting opposite her. She chuckled, "You two really became friends after a clash."

Huangquan was quite relaxed, while Die Wuying appeared somewhat reserved, though she felt much better after being comforted by Yaoguang.

"When I return to the mortal world, what kind of punishment will I face?" Die Wuying asked.

"The death penalty. There's no help for it; you've killed too many people. Even though those individuals were heinous criminals, before the law, everyone is equal," Yaoguang said, sucking on a carton of yogurt.

"I understand. What about my soul?" Die Wuying asked.

"Sent back to the Demon Realm. You belong to the Demon Realm, so you don't need to go to the Underworld," Yaoguang replied.

"And Qinghuang?" When she mentioned this name, a trace of unease flickered in Die Wuying's eyes.

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed," Yaoguang said.

Die Wuying did not press further, simply nodding.

"Are you really the Phoenix Honored God? The legendary Phoenix Honored God who retained her physical body and entered the ancient divine realm?" Die Wuying asked, her face filled with curiosity.

"Half right, half wrong," Yaoguang replied.

"Huh?" Die Wuying looked puzzled.

"The correct half is that I am indeed the genuine Phoenix Honored God. The wrong half is that the legends are all true," Yaoguang laughed.

"Can I touch you?" Die Wuying's curiosity got the better of her.

"Go ahead," Yaoguang smiled.

Die Wuying stepped forward, cautiously took Yaoguang's hand, inspected it repeatedly, and then gently stroked Yaoguang's cheek. She gasped in astonishment, "It really is a physical body! How miraculous. How did you pull that off?"

"Haha, you're too cute," Yaoguang avoided a direct answer.

"I was just curious," Die Wuying pouted.

"I'll tell you if there's a chance later. Go play, I'm going to sleep. Little Die, you're far too good at fighting," Yaoguang yawned and lay down.

"Huh?!" Die Wuying was left completely bewildered...

Yaoguang closed her eyes with a smile. This Die Wuying was simply an overgrown child who had never seen the ways of the world; otherwise, she wouldn't have been foolish enough to be hoodwinked by Zhu Qinghuang.

As for the final day of the Ghost Market, no one had any interest in attending; they hadn't come here for trade in the first place. Now that Die Wuying and Huangquan had both been found, the only one left was Shang Liyue. Who exactly had given Die Wuying those fire-poison insects and taught her the Yin-Yang Harmony Grand Technique back then? Actually, she could have asked Die Wuying, but judging by her demeanor, this princess was merely an overgrown child. It was better to save her energy for recording her deposition later. Yaoguang always felt there was some hidden backstory to this matter. Huangquan had said that Shang Liyue had achieved a great awakening; would he still help Die Wuying commit such acts? These lingering questions could only be answered once Shang Liyue himself was found.

The Dark Night Ghost Market was essentially a pocket dimension—truly a headache. Without a stroke of destiny, even as a Honored God, it would be quite a challenge. Letting her thoughts wander, Yaoguang drifted off to sleep.

This day was the most leisurely day spent in the Ghost Market—nothing much happened. Yet leisurely time always passed in a flash, and before long, it was the afternoon of the next day. The appointed time for her duel with Thousand-Hands had arrived.

According to the rules, both Yaoguang and Thousand-Hands had to sign an application form akin to a life-and-death waiver.

Yaoguang merely glanced at it casually before dashing off her signature with a flourish and pressing her thumbprint. She was brimming with confidence and paid no mind to such trivial details.

After Yaoguang signed and pressed her print, Thousand-Hands followed suit. However, Yaoguang distinctly noticed that while Thousand-Hands appeared calm on the surface, his hand was actually trembling slightly as he pressed his fingerprint. Next came the business of the two factions; they only needed to wait for the duel to commence.

An hour later, all preparations were essentially complete, and the duel officially began.

The so-called duel arena was the same open clearing as before, but the crowd of onlookers was even larger than last time. After all, it was the final day of the Ghost Market; many people had already completed or abandoned what they set out to do, and since the rules dictated they had to wait until the market closed to leave, they were more than happy to watch the spectacle.

Yaoguang thought to herself whether the two factions should give her a cut of the profits. If not for her, they certainly wouldn't have raked in such an unexpected windfall.

The clearing designated as the duel arena was quite vast. Thousand-Hands stood some seventy or eighty meters away from Yaoguang, still draped in his black robe with his hands clasped behind his back, putting on the airs of an expert. Even after a man in black announced the start of the duel, he still did not make the first move.

After all, he had no bottom line in his heart. No matter how powerful a ghost cultivator was, he was still just a mortal man—how could he possibly duel a Honored God?

Yaoguang maintained her relaxed posture, as if telling him to bring whatever he had.

"How do you want to fight?" Thousand-Hands asked gloomily.

"As you please. I'll take whatever you throw at me," Yaoguang replied indifferently. Having already revealed her identity as a Honored God, if she didn't carry a bit of poise, she would only make a laughingstock of herself.

Yaoguang glanced at Thousand-Hands's situation. He had already made his move. To an ordinary person, it would look as though he had simply scratched his thumb, extended his hand, and stood there with a painful expression. But to Yaoguang, what was actually happening was entirely different!

Twisting around Thousand-Hands's left hand was clearly an evil demon, bearing a ferocious expression, dragging a long tail, entirely pitch-black, and emanating a chilly ghostly aura. That demon was devouring Thousand-Hands's soul power and vital blood!

Thousand-Hands was truly sinister and venomous. Whichever cultivator chose to duel him with this move would never come out ahead. He was indeed cunning and deceitful; by deploying such a demon, he intended to fight to the death.

What was an evil demon? It was something righteous cultivators would absolutely never nurture, because the backlash was astonishing and the cost of usage was extremely high. It either needed to devour soul power, consume vital essence, or even devour life force, while constantly being nourished by blood energy.

The varieties of demons were bizarre and their origins diverse. The most common scenario was gathering various residual spiritual bodies filled with negative emotions and letting them devour one another until one formed.

Pure demons were exceedingly rare; many demons were merely concentrations of a single negative emotion, saturated with the foulest yin energy. One could only imagine how profound an impact such an entity could have on a human mind.

This sort of thing was the ultimate tool for harming people, plotting against them, and even silently killing them. Only true minor ghosts could surpass it! And even then, they had to be minor ghost fiends with pitch-black pupils.

However, a true black-pupil minor ghost fiend demanded too high a price. Even someone with Thousand-Hands's level of cultivation could not guarantee success, making them extremely scarce. If Thousand-Hands had not released a demon today, but rather a black-pupil minor ghost fiend, he would have had to sacrifice a portion of his lifespan.

Yaoguang merely glanced at it and closed her eyes, a countermeasure already forming in her mind. After all, the summoning rituals for demons required some time. Yaoguang judged that Thousand-Hands's demon was not overwhelmingly powerful, but rather the persistent, clinging kind that would fight to the bitter end once it latched on.

A truly formidable demon could instantly flood one's mind and brain with negative emotions, plunging them into madness, and on top of that, it would seize the opportunity to devour soul power, life force, and the like.

That would be a top-tier demon, but Thousand-Hands's demon was likely derived from an animal spirit, falling far short of the highest grade.

While Thousand-Hands was still feeding the demon with his own body, Yaoguang traced a soul-breaking talisman in the air and sealed it against her chest. A demon was, after all, merely a collection of evil energies; using a soul-breaking talisman would naturally prove effective.

Yet, when Thousand-Hands saw Yaoguang's action, a sneer hung on his lips, as if thinking that using a soul-breaking talisman to protect herself against a demon was a complete joke. Little did he know that Yaoguang was simply buying time. Yaoguang intended to project her soul, communicate with the heavenly realm, and investigate Thousand-Hands's crimes.

The next instant, Yaoguang ignored all of Thousand-Hands's actions, closed her eyes, and floated cross-legged into mid-air, plunging into deep meditation. Everything went exceptionally smoothly, and Yaoguang quickly established a communication channel with the heavenly realm. Within the world of meditation, absolute silence reigned.

However, right at her ears, Yaoguang could distinctly hear a deafening uproar and wave of jeers rising from the crowd below. She could not spare the attention to listen to what they were shouting, but she could feel the surrounding air suddenly turn bone-chillingly cold. At the same time, a bizarre "coo-coo-coo" sound began to echo across the arena.

Needless to say, that sound was undoubtedly emitted by the demon. Maintaining her state without disturbance, Yaoguang poured her heart and soul into sustaining the connection with the heavenly realm. The very next moment, amid deafening gasps of shock, a chilling and dark aura violently slammed into her body.

In a single instant, Yaoguang felt as though her body had plummeted into an icy cellar; waves of restlessness, hatred, and unnamable negative emotions threatened to explode within her heart. Yet, at that exact moment, she successfully opened the passageway leading to the heavenly realm.

The soul-breaking talisman Yaoguang had placed over her chest began to exert its effect as the demon harassed her. She felt a persistent, cooling aura radiating from her chest, protecting her consciousness so that her mind remained entirely unshakable.

After all, things like demons were entities that ghosts and deities alike avoided.

"Entangle her! Entangle her until she surrenders!" Finally, Thousand-Hands's arrogant voice reached Yaoguang's ears, for at that moment, the soul-breaking talisman had finally exhausted its power, and Yaoguang felt the cooling, protective aura around her body shatter.

What manner of person was Thousand-Hands? Naturally, he sensed this breakthrough through the demon bound to his very life, prompting him to roar out that arrogant command. He wanted to remind Yaoguang to concede defeat; furthermore, since a demon was a gathering of negative emotion auras, it would thoroughly drive Yaoguang's consciousness to madness until she collapsed.

In that fraction of a second, Yaoguang felt the demon slithering up from the soles of her feet, wrapping around her body all the way to her chest. Its pair of eyes, radiating an intensely evil intent, stared straight at Yaoguang. Yet Yaoguang maintained an attitude of complete indifference.

At that moment, a solemn and harmonious voice echoed in Yaoguang's mind. "Phoenix Honored God, what are your instructions?" It was the Siling Official of the heavenly realm.

Yaoguang said lightly, "Check this person." Thousand-Hands's appearance materialized before the Siling Official's eyes. The official began pinching his fingers in calculation. After a moment, he spoke: "A ghost cultivator who slays practitioners to elevate his spiritual energy. Currently one hundred and thirteen years old, with over a hundred practitioners having met their end at his hands. After killing them, he agitates the souls of the deceased, utilizing their souls and resentment to forge demons and minor ghosts. Unfortunately, his attempts to forge minor ghosts failed, resulting in the deaths of thirty-one children. His hands are soaked in blood; his crimes are heinous."

"Very well, I understand. Report this to the heavens; this deity invokes the punishment of heavenly retribution upon this individual. Use the thunder-penalty art to purge this man of his sins," Yaoguang said.

"Respected God, please wait a moment." The Siling Official turned away, returning a moment later with a scroll in hand. "Respected God, the Heavenly Emperor has issued an imperial decree: granted."

"Thank you." With that, Yaoguang closed the channel.

"Humph!" A soft sound escaped Yaoguang as she opened her eyes.

A burst of golden light erupted from Yaoguang's body, forcefully repelling the demon.

Yaoguang projected her aura outward, driving away the demon that had nearly condensed into a physical entity.

The crowd in the arena fell silent, and Thousand-Hands's expression shifted drastically. He had no inkling of what Yaoguang had just done. How could Yaoguang possibly explain it to him? She merely remarked, "What manner of wicked wretch must one be in this world to feed a demon, such a pure and filthy abomination? It seems I have no choice today but to eliminate the demon and uphold the Dao."

As those words fell, everyone present grew even more baffled. What was Yaoguang trying to do? Was she going to kill Thousand-Hands? Meanwhile, Thousand-Hands bellowed directly, "Phoenix, what kind of trickery are you playing? Are you just putting up a bluff?"

As he spoke, he formed a hand incantation, and the demon that had been repelled by Yaoguang's aura shrieked as it lunged at her once more.

Watching the demon fly toward her, Yaoguang knew that demons were among the hardest entities to eradicate. If Thousand-Hands managed to entangle her with the demon and then unleash some ultimate fatal technique to kill her, it was entirely within the realm of possibility. Thousand-Hands had severely underestimated her. Facing the charging demon, Yaoguang's Youlan Sword materialized in her hand. In the next instant, she grasped the sword in one hand while forming a sword-finger seal with the other, rapidly chanting a few incantations. Just as the demon was about to leap upon her, Yaoguang shouted, "Slash!" The Youlan Sword swept forward with an unstoppable momentum toward the demon.

An astonishing scene unfolded. The demon, renowned as the most persistent and difficult entity to destroy, was completely obliterated in a single slash. Thousand-Hands, whose mind was deeply linked to the demon, spat out a mouthful of blood with a sharp cry.

It was like a farcical play; people had anticipated a fierce battle between dragons and tigers, yet it ended with such ruthless simplicity—a single slash had annihilated the demon and wounded Thousand-Hands.

Indeed, when experts fought, victory or defeat was decided in a split second.

Yaoguang's cultivation, paired with the sword qi of the Youlan Sword, had effortlessly delivered that strike.

"Thousand-Hands, do you know your crimes?" Following Thousand-Hands's cough of blood, Yaoguang's cold voice rang out.

"Humph." Thousand-Hands once again formed hand seals and chanted incantations. Another humanoid demon materialized.

Yaoguang let out a cold snort. Her body began to slowly rise into the air. In mid-air, a golden scroll appeared in her hand. Unfurling it, she waved her hand, and the words inscribed upon the scroll manifested in the sky.

A primordial voice echoed from the heavens: "The criminal Thousand-Hands has slaughtered nearly a hundred practitioners, murdered thirty-one infants, forged extremely evil entities, and wreaked havoc in the mortal realm. The Phoenix Honored God has petitioned the divine realm to invoke the heavenly realm's thunder-penalty art to purge this evil."

The moment the voice vanished, massive billows of dark clouds began to gather across the sky, within which lightning churned furiously.

"Thousand-Hands, the heavenly thunder penalty has arrived. May you fare well," Yaoguang's ethereal voice resonated from directly above Thousand-Hands's head.

Boom! A bolt of heavenly lightning struck straight down, landing squarely on Thousand-Hands's body.

"Ah..." Thousand-Hands let out a blood-curdling scream.

Boom! Another bolt of heavenly lightning crashed down.

The crowd below had erupted into chaos. The thunder-penalty art was a punishment belonging to the heavenly realm, never invoked unless dealing with monstrously evil individuals. Once sentenced to the thunder penalty, the lightning would not cease until all sins were completely scoured away.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...

Yaoguang simply watched coldly as lightning strike after lightning strike descended. Thousand-Hands was already rolling on the ground, covered in blood, while the demon had dissolved into nothingness the moment the very first bolt of thunder struck.

"Thousand-Hands, your cup of iniquity is full; reap what you've sown slowly." Yaoguang descended back to the ground.

Everyone witnessing the scene felt a wave of oppressive might that made it difficult for anyone present to breathe.

Not a single soul spoke below, everyone struck dumb by the unfolding spectacle. Even old man Bai was too astonished to utter a word.

The thunder-penalty art was something merely heard of in legends within the cultivation world. The spectators were struggling not with how vast Yaoguang's spiritual energy must be to summon such a punishment, but rather discussing how many heinous deeds Thousand-Hands must have committed to warrant wave after wave of heavenly retribution.

The lightning continued to strike relentlessly until thirty-six bolts had fallen before finally stopping. It was a testament to Thousand-Hands's resilience; while some cultivators couldn't withstand even a single bolt of heavenly lightning, Thousand-Hands had somehow endured thirty-six.

Yaoguang walked over, looking down at the dying Thousand-Hands without a word.

Lying on the ground, Thousand-Hands suddenly burst into a wild laugh, then forced out an ugly, sneering grin as he shouted with great difficulty toward Yaoguang, "Phoenix, I underestimated you. When you take that quota, you'd better consider whether it's too hot to handle."

This was a blatant threat against Yaoguang. Ignoring him, Yaoguang simply stared quietly at the weakened Thousand-Hands and said, "You underestimate this deity, yet this deity overestimated you. You are utterly unworthy of duelling me. Had I not needed to invoke the thunder penalty to formally convict you of your crimes, do you really think I would deign to bother with an ant like you? As for wanting to wriggle out of the quota—don't even dream of it!"

The moment Yaoguang's voice died away, a chorus of jeers erupted from the onlookers, clearly directed at Thousand-Hands. His shamelessness truly knew no bounds.

Thousand-Hands snorted and said to Yaoguang, "Fine, I warned you. Since you insist on taking that quota, then take it. But don't say I didn't warn you—watch your own neck from now on."

"That requires no concern of yours," Yaoguang replied indifferently. With a flick of her hand, the invitation card hidden within Thousand-Hands's robes flew into her grasp. "Thousand-Hands, you have one hour left. The judges of the underworld will be coming for you shortly. Prepare yourself."

"Phoenix wins," old man Bai shouted loudly from below.

It had been a strange duel—far from the thrilling spectacle people had imagined. Many hadn't even registered what had happened before Yaoguang inexplicably destroyed the demon and subdued Thousand-Hands.

Yet there were many seasoned experts within the cultivation world who deduced that Yaoguang had employed the thunder-penalty art. Such an advanced technique, demanding near-impossible levels of spiritual perception, approached the realm of the absurd; even a ninth-rank cultivator could never achieve it.

Old Man Bai was one of them. On the night following the conclusion of that day's duel, Old Man Bai actually sought out Yaoguang's quarters.

The very first words he said to her face were: "Phoenix, you must be extremely cautious regarding that Dark Night Ghost Market. Every single step there is fraught with mortal peril."