Chapter Twenty-Four: The Unlucky Fellow
In an instant.
A furious, tempestuous gale swept through. The rebellious strand of hair atop her head, connected to the mountain peak, was sliced in half.
The dazzling noonday sunlight bathed her snowy skin and ethereal features. A chill and sinister wind brushed against her neck.
“Damn it! Who nearly sliced my head clean off along with this mountain?!”
Qu Yiqiu reacted immediately, hastily activating her Windwalk technique to escape this perilous place.
Yet, no matter how swift she was, she could not outrun the eerie wind behind her—or rather, the ghostly woman in pursuit.
Yao Zhimei snatched her up in a flash, tucking her under her arm with a speed that defied all reason, exclaiming in surprise, “What are you doing here?”
Qu Yiqiu, buffeted by the howling wind at her ears, shouted, “I came to bring you some pills! What’s happening here?”
Before Yao Zhimei could respond, a sinister laughter echoed from behind.
“Heh, heh, heh… You’re gravely wounded—where do you think you can run? Submit and become my meal, and I’ll make your death swift!”
“Who did you provoke now?!” Qu Yiqiu was nearly beside herself.
Yao Zhimei was truly a restless spirit!
“I have no idea. He claims to be the Ghost King of this place, but from what I see, his cultivation is only at the late Condensation stage—not worthy of a Ghost King’s title!” Yao Zhimei replied as she ran.
Qu Yiqiu couldn’t help but think,
You’re barely at the early Condensation stage, and even if he’s not a Ghost King, he’s two realms above you! Yet you still dared to provoke this old ghost!
Yao Zhimei spread her ghostly senses and saw the Golden Ghost King relentlessly pursuing them. Her sword-like brows furrowed. “The pills you brought may be useless now.”
“When we reach Autumn Leaf Mountain ahead, I’ll throw you down the valley and draw the Golden Ghost King away. Whether you survive afterward depends on your fate!”
She added, “You always pick the worst times to come!”
How is this my fault?
Qu Yiqiu was utterly bewildered!
Her mind raced, and she quickly summoned the All-Realm Cultivation Mall.
Fortunately, anticipating Yao Zhimei’s unpredictability, she had saved 9,500 cultivation experience points.
With a flick of her mind, the interface scrolled rapidly. No one but her could see the existence of this mall.
[Fire Tin Shield: Requires Fire Spirit Root to use. Inject fire spiritual energy to release a pure fire-bowl shield. Spirits cannot escape and will be burned by fierce flames. Price: 3,500 cultivation experience points.]
This item was perfect for fighting ghost cultivators below the Infant Condensation stage.
They were both currently in spirit form, unable to take human shape or condense a nascent soul. The Fire Tin Shield completely countered them.
“Are you ready? I’m about to make a move!” Yao Zhimei’s voice came from above.
Qu Yiqiu gripped a cluster of red light and replied, “Ready!”
The moment Yao Zhimei threw her, she would deploy the Fire Tin Shield.
As they discussed their plan, neither noticed the narrow eyes of the Golden Ghost King gleaming with cunning.
Yao Zhimei gathered her dwindling yin energy into her right arm, seized Qu Yiqiu, and, like a chick, tossed her toward the right side of the mountain valley.
The instant she let go, Qu Yiqiu’s pupils widened.
The Golden Ghost King, without hesitation, reached out to seize her.
A phantom hand formed of black mist in the void was only three inches away from grasping her.
At that moment, Yao Zhimei threw back her head and laughed, swiftly fleeing.
“Hahaha, a useless cultivator with inferior five spirit roots—she’s all yours!”
What? Inferior five spirit roots?
The Golden Ghost King’s phantom hand paused, a flicker of malicious indecision crossing his eyes.
Useless!
Such beauty, wasted—of no use!
Qu Yiqiu caught his expression and saw her chance—if only she could get a little closer.
In the span of a single breath.
Yao Zhimei’s ghostly form returned.
Her spear swept down, snapping the phantom hand of black mist.
“If I must die, I won’t let you live alone!” The heroic lines of her face hardened with resolve.
Seeing the turbulent yin energy surging around her, brimming with lethal intent, Qu Yiqiu immediately understood—Yao Zhimei was about to self-destruct her golden core.
Qu Yiqiu hesitated slightly, hand tightened around the Fire Tin Shield.
If she rushed in now, she might be killed instantly by the Golden Ghost King.
A ninth-layer Qi cultivator was an ant in the eyes of a late Condensation cultivator.
Lacking speed and strength, she could only rely on Yao Zhimei to draw his attention.
But Yao Zhimei was already at the end of her strength, her will to resist faltering.
This made Qu Yiqiu uncertain—her odds of surviving were only thirty percent.
Yet if she did nothing, Yao Zhimei would surely perish.
After Yao Zhimei spoke, the Golden Ghost King’s reaction surprised them both.
“Heh, heh, heh… Fool! You’ve lurked in my paradise so long and still don’t know your golden core is sealed? My subordinates are no weaklings!”
His form grotesquely expanded, bones cracking audibly, his bloody maw gaped wide as he lunged at the suddenly pale Yao Zhimei.
His speed was astonishing—a blink of an eye.
When Yao Zhimei found her golden core unable to explode, she gripped her spear, struck out with her palm, and pushed Qu Yiqiu away.
“Run!”
Before her words finished, Qu Yiqiu, flung into the air, launched a fireball toward the Golden Ghost King.
He sneered, not taking her attack seriously.
His gaze locked greedily on Yao Zhimei.
An early Condensation cultivator—prime nourishment!
His maw was about to engulf Yao Zhimei when a small, weak flame struck his head.
Yao Zhimei, furious, thrust her spear at his throat.
The Golden Ghost King smiled eerily, and the spear of pure yin energy dissolved instantly. Yao Zhimei was stunned.
The flame abruptly surged, unstoppable, its soul-burning pain making him reel.
His smile froze.
Qu Yiqiu’s voice rang in Yao Zhimei’s ears.
“Get away from him! It’s the Fire Tin Shield—it’s made to counter ghost cultivators!”
Yao Zhimei lost all thought, a terror of fire rising within her, forcing her to retreat several yards until she collapsed.
Qu Yiqiu, seeing the Golden Ghost King trapped, sprinted to Yao Zhimei’s side with Windwalk, supporting her and feeding her a Soul Origin Pill.
The cold, chilling pill brought color back to Yao Zhimei’s ghostly pale face.
She sat cross-legged, casting a complex glance at Qu Yiqiu.
“Absorb the medicine quickly. I’ll guard you. The Golden Ghost King’s subordinates won’t be summoned, will they?”
Qu Yiqiu watched the wailing, miserable Golden Ghost King warily.
Yao Zhimei closed her eyes, her thin purple lips moving, “They’re too far. They won’t know.”
Her ability to flee so far despite her injuries was thanks to the Golden Ghost King’s overconfidence.
Qu Yiqiu breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. You’re badly hurt. If more ghost cultivators show up, I won’t be able to stop them!”
Though she still had hidden cards, she would never reveal them in front of Yao Zhimei.