All eyes came to focus on the misty Ghost King Orchid that rose up above the basin. As for Bai Xiaochun, he eyed his surroundings, glanced at the flower, and then prepared to cautiously slip away. However, it was in that very moment that a white light suddenly began to shine up from him.

It was impossible to cover up this light; it poured through his clothing and made him completely conspicuous within the darkness cast by the overcast sky.

Bai Xiaochun’s jaw dropped; he had no idea what was going on. As for everyone else, although some of them were inclined to try to kill Bai Xiaochun, most had just been planning to head toward the Ghost King Orchid. There were some who viewed it as beneath them to fight with someone like him. Only a few of them had actually intended to attack him right away.

But before anyone could even move, Bai Xiaochun started glowing with bright light, which instantly attracted a lot of attention. More than a hundred gazes instantly locked onto him, causing his scalp to tingle with fear.

All of these people were Nascent Soul cultivators, and the weakest among them was in the early Nascent Soul stage. Blinking in astonishment, he loudly said, “Calm down, everybody... um... On the behalf of the Giant Ghost King, I forfeit all right to the ghost king fruit! Don’t worry everybody, I’m not going to try to fight you for it!”

He tried to make himself sound especially sincere as he spoke.

Everyone in the crowd was surprised, and many strange expressions appeared on their faces. However, before anyone could say anything in response, the light shining off of Bai Xiaochun grew even more intense, making him completely eye-catching.

“What are you doing, Bai Hao?!”

Bai Xiaochun wanted to cry, but no tears would come. He anxiously began to inspect himself to try to figure out what was happening, and soon, found the source of the light. It was none other than... the restrictive spell from the Giant Ghost King!!

Bai Xiaochun’s heart began to pound with a very ill premonition. As of this moment, the white light hardly seemed connected to him at all, and in fact, was leaving him, heading at top speed toward the basin!

This sudden development caused numerous faces to fall. With blinding speed, the light shot toward the basin, causing rumbling sounds to echo out as it came to settle on top of the Ghost King Orchid!

Before long, a white shield of light had covered the entire flower. Then, moments later, a huge vortex appeared inside, the gravitational force of which caused the flower to begin to bloom more rapidly!

One could well imagine that with that shield of light, and that gravitational force, the Ghost King Orchid would soon bloom, and the fruit would appear. When that happened, the vortex would surely take the fruit away....

Everyone watching was completely taken aback, and Bai Xiaochun was dumbstruck. He began to tremble, and his pulse raced as he realized why the Giant Ghost King had been so confident in sending him here....

“Giant Ghost King, you fudge-licking prick!!! You didn’t arrange for anybody to help me, did you!? Y-y-you....” Bai Xiaochun’s face drained of blood as he realized that he had been completely screwed over by the Giant Ghost King. All the Giant Ghost King needed was for him to get into the Necromancer Kettle, and all issues would be resolved thanks to the way the restrictive spell worked....

That restrictive spell... was the Giant Ghost King’s true trump card. It was his way to get the ghost king fruit no matter what happened!

Bai Xiaochun moaned inwardly as he realized that the white light shining out from him was also causing his cultivation base to drop. In the briefest moment, he was half-drained! Backing up, his scalp tingling explosively, he suddenly felt a sensation of intense, deadly crisis. As of this moment, it was obvious... that he was in big trouble!!

“Damn that Giant Ghost King!!” Bai Xiaochun was so flustered and exasperated that he was sure he was going to start crying at any moment. Just as he considered how to flee, all of the people around him gasped and then began to cry out in anger and alarm.

“That’s a void spell created by someone with a nascent divinity.... As long as the host of the restrictive spell doesn’t die, not even a demigod could blast it open!!”

Not even the top chosen like Gongsun Yi or Zhou Hong could keep their faces calm. Although none of them could specifically state the name of this particular restrictive spell, they could see that it was obviously too powerful for Nascent Soul cultivators to break open. The only way to get through it... would be to kill the host of the spell. And the host... was obviously Bai Hao!

That was even more obvious given that Bai Xiaochun was still shining with white light that flowed forth to connect him to the restrictive spell. The killing intent in the eyes of the gathered chosen grew more intense.

“Feeling suicidal, Bai Hao?!”

“Dammit, you just said you forfeited! And now this!? You’re dead!!”

“Kill him! That’s the only way to get rid of that restrictive spell. Otherwise, we’re all defeated for sure!!”

As countless angry shouts filled the air, it was like a huge target came to fall on Bai Xiaochun. Then, people began to draw on the powers of their cultivation base to shoot in his direction.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“You’ve got it all wrong!” he shouted angrily. “Wait, let me expl--” Before he could finish speaking, a burly man suddenly appeared in front of him, who was none other than Zhao Dongshan.

“Hear me out, Fellow Daoist--” Bai Xiaochun shouted.

However, that was when Zhao Dongshan let out a vicious bellow: “Die!”

Three more people were right behind Zhao Dongshan, all of whom unleashed powerful magical techniques against him.

“Giant Ghost King, you bastard!” Bai Xiaochun shouted, preparing to back up. However, that was when he noticed eight people behind him, killing intent raging with such intensity that he gasped. He knew that he couldn’t hesitate here; if he did, he would give these people a chance to surround him. Therefore, he didn’t hesitate to use the Mountain Shaking Bash.

It was with explosive speed that he accelerated toward Zhao Dongshan, who wore a vicious grin as he raised his wolf tooth club up to deliver a killing blow.

Rumbling sounds echoed out in all directions that caused shocked expressions to fill the faces of all the surrounding Wildlander chosen. That was especially true of those who were closer to him; their eyes went completely wide.

Zhao Dongshan, within whose veins ran the blood of savage giants, was sent tumbling backward like a kite with its string cut, blood spraying out of his mouth. As for Bai Xiaochun, who everyone had expected would be rebuffed by Zhao Dongshan’s burly frame, he was now fleeing at top speed.

“How is this possible?!?!”

“Nobody among us has stronger fleshly body power than Zhao Dongshan, except for that termagant Xu Shan! I can’t believe he got sent flying by that blow!!” [1]

“This Bai Hao... his fleshly body power has reached an absurd level!”

Despite being shocked, there were still numerous individuals who were chasing after Bai Xiaochun, who was so jittery that tears could be seen welling up in his eyes.

“This is beyond outrageous, Giant Ghost King! All I did was slap you across the side of the head a few times and use you like a shield. I’m the one who saved you! I can’t believe you’re screwing me over! Things aren’t going to turn out good for you if I die!!!” Feeling incredibly wronged, he checked the restrictive spell inside of him and confirmed that it was still there. Unfortunately, because of how things had changed, Bai Xiaochun could tell that if he died, the Giant Ghost King wouldn’t die; he would only receive some serious injuries.

Clearly, the Giant Ghost King was forcing his hand, but at the same time, he was also gambling.... He was gambling that Bai Xiaochun would be able to hold out until the flower bloomed. Then Bai Xiaochun thought about the medicinal pills he had been given, and the spear, and the pieces clicked together.

“Those medicinal pills can only be consumed nine times in one’s life, and he gave me nine of them.... As for that spear, it’s probably the most powerful magical item he possesses that I could use....”

**

In Bai Xiaochun’s moment of crisis, the Giant Ghost King stood in a building in his royal palace in Giant Ghost City, various expressions flashing across his face. He was currently looking in the direction of the Necromancer Kettle, his heart pounding with anxiety.

The ghost king fruit was of critical importance to him, and it was just as Bai Xiaochun had just been thinking; he had given him nine precious medicinal pills, and a spear with a sixteenfold spirit enhancement, which was the best possible magical item he could have given him. The truth was that everything which had happened so far was part of the plan he had begun to devise once the variable of Bai Xiaochun had been added to the picture, and the Giant Ghost King got his cultivation base back.

He was gambling... on Bai Xiaochun’s ability to flee for his life. That was something that the Giant Ghost King was actually very confident in. When he thought back to how Bai Xiaochun had fled with him from three devas and countless Nascent Soul experts, he felt much more confident.

“I’ve never met anyone as good at running away as this Bai Hao....” he murmured. “I just hope he can last for long enough.... Bai Hao, as long as you get that ghost king fruit for me, then I’ll treat you like my own son! From then on, I’ll never let anything or anyone hurt you!”

1. Hey everyone, I know that termagant is a very uncommon word, but it’s the perfect term to use here. It means "a violent, turbulent, or brawling woman." I don’t think there could be a better word, and it’s exactly what the Chinese term means.