Chapter 1299: The Oriole Behind

“Hahaha... I will be waiting, if you dare to show your face!”

Ghost Taisui let out a mad laugh before waving his sleeve, causing a gap to appear in the sky.

The gap was long, narrow, and dark. It kept growing like the opening eye of a ghost god; as if it would split the sky into two.

The next moment, Taisui Ghost Flame surged and spread throughout the sky. Infinite pressure descended to the earth as the cosmos itself seemed to freeze like mice.

Bathump!

The next moment, everyone except Li Qingping, Bai Huaxian, Yuan Zhantian, and every other genius dropped to their knees, hearts thumping loudly with fear and trepidation.

Even the geniuses had dropped their expressions of calm and confidence. They were wary like they were facing down one of the most formidable foes of their lives.

Objectively speaking, everyone of them possessed the strength to challenge a Sage. However, that was only if the Sage in question was average. Ghost Taisui was not your average Sage even if he hadn’t returned to his prime, which he had.

“I’m feeling pretty good right now, so I’ll give you a chance. Get out of my sight!”

Yue Wanfa, Xuanyuan De and Haotian Chengxing exchanged ugly looks with each other.

Yue Wangfa tried, “Senior, the Earthly Sovereign Bell is the ultimate treasure of my Earthly Sovereign Hall. If you give me the Earthly Sovereign Bell, my Earthly Sovereign Hall promises to fulfill any wish you might have!”

“Hah...”

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Ghost Taisui’s response was to sneer at him. “I’ll repeat myself one more time: Get lost, or suffer the consequences.”

Yue Wanfa’s eyes grew bloodshot, and his face was as dark as it could be. In the end though, he did not say anything. He turned around and left the place.

Xuanyuan De and Haotian Chengxing were the same.

The Earthly Sovereign Bell was important, but a wise man or woman submits to circumstances. They could not have retrieved the Earthly Sovereign Bell even if they sacrificed their lives for it, so why stay?

The crowd had escaped even faster than them. The quicker the better.

“Heh! Earthly Sovereign Hall, Clear Sky Palace, Human Sovereign Mountain my ass! They’re wimps through and through!”

Yuan Zhantian spat disdainfully when he saw this.

“Oh? Do you disagree with their decision?” Ghost Taisui looked him up and down.

“Of course I do!”

Yuan Zhantian declared with candor and audacity, “They may be afraid of you, but I’m not!”

“So, you’re not going to leave?”

Ghost Taisui bowed his head slightly, and the massive gap that penetrated the sky descended as well. The power and pressure emanated by the gap felt even worse up close.

“The rest of you are of the same opinion?”

Ghost Taisui then turned to look at Li Qingping, Bai Huaxian and Mei Qihe, his voice cold and pitiless.

“This junior has heard of your name and desired to receive your teachings for a long time, senior. This junior hopes that you won’t be stingy!” Mei Qihe said with a salute.

“Please, give me your guidance,” Bai Huaxian echoed in agreement.

“Sa... Same here!” Li Qingping stammered, but his eyes were as firm as they could be.

“Good. Very good...”

Ghost Taisui was so angry that he was chuckling. “I have holed up in my mountain for too long after all. Even the children have forgotten about my infamy.”

As Ghost Taisui chuckled, the gap split open and overtook the sky completely, plummeting the world into darkness.

The vague silhouette of an ancient, mysterious deity peeked through the darkness. Then, it opened its eye.

The ghost god opened its eye, and heaven and earth fell utterly silent.

“In that case, I shall reignite their terror with your corpses!”

Ghost Taisui slowly spread his arms wide, and so did the ancient deity in the sky.

Right now, the ancient deity resembled a ball of wriggling flesh. Ghastly flames burned on the flesh ball, evil and cold.

At the center of the ball of flesh was a massive, long, narrow pupil. Humanity itself was reflected inside it.

The ancient deity was called the Taisui God. It was also Ghost Taisui’s yang god.

When Ghost Taisui leaned over, the Taisui God slowly descended toward the earth as well.

The world was big, but the Taisui God’s descent made it feel positively cramped and suffocating.

Buzz!

Just when Li Qingping, Yuan Zhantian, Mei Qihe and Bai Huaxian readied themselves for a do-or-die battle, nine suns suddenly rose into the air.

The infinite, absolute darkness was chased away just like that.

Bright light took the form of a saber, and the nine suns its blade.

Then, the saber swung down and cleaved the massive, terrifying Taisui God in half.

That wasn’t all. Pure, bright, veluriyam-colored flames abruptly engulfed the Taisui God, melting it rapidly like snow. The taint it was spreading was swept clean like mere dust as well.

“‘Nine Blades That Melt The Sun’, ‘Veluriyam Fire of Purification’?!”

Ghost Taisui wasn’t expecting this at all. He cried out in pain, shock, and anger, “Why are you here, Xiahou Zun, Longbrow?”

“Don’t forget about me!”

Ghost Taisui wasn’t even done reacting when a woman’s voice interrupted him. The next moment, a sword light descended toward his skull.

At first, the sword light was weak and puny like a snowflake. But every time it descended an inch, its sword qi would grow a little bigger. In the end, it was like the collapse of ten thousand mountains; a snow avalanche that spanned over hundreds of kilometers.

Ghost Taisui’s body was instantly engulfed by the sword intent.

“Wan Lingxiao!”

Ghost Taisui’s enraged screams deafened everyone’s ears for an instant before it was annihilated by the cascade of sword qi.

Wreathed in ghastly flames, a semi-transparent ball of flesh suddenly appeared behind Ghost Taisui’s back. It gave off an ancient, mysterious, yet terrifying presence.

At the same time, three figures stepped out of the sky.

One man boasted a tall, muscular body and wielded a long saber. He looked proud, grand, and unruly.

The other man had no hair and a pair of white eyebrows. He was carrying an alms bowl with one hand and wearing a merciful expression on his face.

Lastly, the woman was holding a wine gourd in one hand and carrying a sword on her waist. She looked handsome and heroic.

The three figures had appeared from different directions, surrounding Ghost Taisui.

They were none other than Xiahou Zun, Long-browed Divine Monk, and Wan Lingxiao.

“Why did you ambush me, Xiahou Zun, Longbrow, Wan Lingxiao?”

Ghost Taisui glared at them with clear hostility.

“Why are you asking the obvious?” Wan Lingxiao puckered her lips after enjoying a sip of wine.

“So, you are here for the Earthly Sovereign Bell!”

Ghost Taisui jeered at them. “I guess even the ‘righteous’ and ‘orthodox’ cannot resist the temptation that is the Earthly Sovereign Bell after all. I knew that you’re all a bunch of shameless, despicable hypocrites.”

“Heh! Pot calling kettle black much?” Xiahou Zun laughed out loud. “The Earthly Sovereign Bell is an ultimate treasure. Who wouldn’t want such a priceless artifact?”

“That said, we’re not as shameless as you. It is beneath us to abuse our power and bully the weak.”

“Therefore, we came today not for the Earthly Sovereign Bell, but for you.”

“For me?” Ghost Taisui was caught off guard by Xiahou Zun’s answer. “I have not antagonized any of you, have I?”

“You have not—but that may change very soon.” Xiahou Zun said in a meaningful tone, “It all depends on whether you’re going to be honest or not.”

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Ghost Taisui confessed his utter confusion at the situation.

“It’s very simple. Tell us where Xuanyuan Kun is, and we will let you live. Otherwise, you die,” Xiahou Zun explained bluntly.

“Xuanyuan Kun?” Ghost Taisui’s heart skipped a beat. A massive, heart-stopping beat. Just how did they figure out that Xuanyuan Kun was still alive? Or that he was colluding with him for that matter?

Ghost Taisui immediately pushed the stray thoughts away. This was one accusation he must deny at all costs or face dire consequences.

Unfortunately, Wan Lingxiao interrupted before he could give an answer, “It looks like you have colluded with Xuanyuan Kun.”

“I must admit that I am confused. Isn’t Xuanyuan Kun dead?” Ghost Taisui tried to feign ignorance.

“I thought so as well, but now that I’ve seen your new look and your reaction? I am now certain that Xuanyuan Kun is alive,” Xiahou Zun said coldly.

“It seems that there is no point in defending my innocence. You lot are going to condemn me no matter what I say,” Ghost Taisui said with dripping disdain.