Lu Zheng’s eyes narrowed.
The Netherworld was filled with nether energy, suppressing his senses to the minimum, so he hadn’t noticed someone, no, a ghost, quietly approaching.
Glancing around, though the surroundings were still shrouded in misty fog, the path they came from and the way forward had vanished into the haze.
Liu Qingyan shrank back, timidly hiding behind Lu Zheng, gently releasing the hand that had been holding his.
Hu Zhou drew his Xiuchun blade in a swift motion, his aura shifting abruptly, blood qi surging around him, accompanied by a fierce, tyrannical demonic force radiating from his body.
Lu Zheng stood still, his eyes scanning the surroundings before fixing on a strange tree ahead, remaining silent.
“Hee hee, not bad, you actually noticed this palace’s presence.” The voice was seductive, yet it carried a chilling, rigid tone.
The strange tree shuddered, disintegrating instantly, transforming into a glamorous woman draped in a green, gold-threaded, water-patterned gauze skirt.
Lu Zheng furrowed his brows, observing her. The woman had long black hair cascading to her waist, skin pale as snow, dark brows, inky pupils, and lips red as blood.
Beneath her nearly transparent gauze skirt, her pale skin was faintly visible, occasionally glimmering with streaks of white light.
“Ghost corpse?” Liu Qingyan whispered in alarm.
“Glamorous Corpse Bai Yuqing?” Lu Zheng asked, enunciating each word.
This was a name Xin Zhanting had mentioned to Lu Zheng during their recent banquet, one of the three leaders of the Chaos Corpse Pool.
Giant Corpse Du He!
Water Corpse Mo Xuanyi!
Glamorous Corpse Bai Yuqing!
Each possessed strength comparable to the former Night King.
This ghost could evade his senses and even set up a maze array to block connections in the area, definitely not an ordinary century-old ghost.
“Oh? You know me? Did Old Ghost Xin tell you?” Bai Yuqing blinked, her pitch-black pupils exuding an eerie vibe.
“Yes, he just mentioned it.”
Lu Zheng nodded. “May I ask why you block our path? My disciple here has less than a decade of cultivation. Even if you drained him dry, it probably wouldn’t benefit you much, would it?”
Hu Zhou shuddered at this, casting a resentful glance at Lu Zheng.
“Hee hee, that’s because you lack discernment. The tiger demon power in this boy’s body isn’t from an ordinary demon. Its origin is pure, its demonic force profound. If I could drink his blood and merge it into my heart, it would surely elevate me further,” Bai Yuqing said with a giggle. “Just a pair of martial artist master and disciple, yet Old Ghost Xin dares to let you roam the Netherworld. His courage is impressive, thinking this short path is entirely under the Yin Division’s control?”
“Is that so?” A smirk curled on Lu Zheng’s lips. He casually brushed over Hu Zhou’s hand holding the blade, smoothly taking the Xiuchun knife.
“Roar!”
With a flick of his wrist, tiger roars echoed, blood qi enveloping him as a fierce tiger phantom roared forth.
Bai Yuqing moved lightly, stepping forward a few paces, gently raising her hand. Her ten crimson nails suddenly extended, thin and straight, three feet long, like sharp swords.
“Clang!”
“Slash!”
One hand entangled Lu Zheng’s blade, while the other, with fingers like swords, stabbed toward his chest.
“Hee hee, won’t you drop theავ
System: the knife?” Bai Yuqing giggled, her tone mocking yet cold. “Though you’re just an ordinary martial artist, as long as your heart’s blood is hot enough, this palace won’t mind.”
“Master!” Hu Zhou’s eyes widened in fury, about to rush forward.
A surge of demonic power flowed through Liu Qingyan, who reached out to hold Hu Zhou back.
Bai Yuqing glanced at Liu Qingyan, surprised to find another demon.
But just as Bai Yuqing’s fingers were about to pierce Lu Zheng’s chest, he released the knife, forming a hand seal.
“Supreme Primordial, Three Pure Ones’ decree, freeze!”
Bai Yuqing’s movements instantly stiffened.
Lu Zheng grinned fiercely, grabbing the knife handle again, swiftly drawing the blade from the gaps between her nails. With a surge of blood qi, he slashed across her neck.
“Crack! Sizzle—”
“Hm?” Lu Zheng’s eyes narrowed, about to add more force.
But Bai Yuqing broke free from the binding spell, retreating swiftly, clutching her neck, nearly severed in half.
“Binding spell!” she exclaimed. “You’re a Taoist!”
A miscalculation. Her slender neck was as tough as steel!
Lu Zheng lunged forward, pursuing her, swinging his blade while casting a spell with his left hand.
“Supreme Purity decree, flying cloud to break evil, strike!”
“Dual cultivation of martial and Taoist arts! You’re well-hidden!” Bai Yuqing retreated rapidly, her left hand trembling slightly, the red nail on her pinky detaching like a three-foot blood-red rapier, thrusting at Lu Zheng.
“Clang!”
Lu Zheng parried with his blade, but the rapier circled in midair, shooting toward him again.
“Flying sword?”
Lu Zheng’s expression grew serious, diverting a third of his focus to the nail, though his feet kept moving, charging straight at Bai Yuqing.
Bai Yuqing’s eyes narrowed, her form spinning, transforming back into a strange tree.
Lu Zheng’s gaze sharpened, his blade shifting, bypassing the tree to strike heavily at another spot.
“Roar!”
“Clang!”
Bai Yuqing blocked his knife but didn’t close in, instead retreating further to widen the distance.
Illusions were useless against Lu Zheng!
He was an expert too!
“Young master, I didn’t expect you to be so formidable. I was rude earlier,” Bai Yuqing said with a smile, her red lips curling as she brushed her shoulder lightly.
Her gauze skirt fell naturally, revealing a translucent, form-fitting undergarment, her skin smooth and pale, with a faint hint of rosy peaks.
“Young master, I know I was wrong and am willing to atone with my body. If you desire, I will surely satisfy you.”
From a distance, Liu Qingyan’s eyes sharpened, covering Hu Zhou’s eyes. “Don’t look, it’ll give you needle eyes!”
The gauze skirt floated through the air toward Lu Zheng, then…
As it neared him, several golden threads detached from the skirt, swiftly wrapping toward Lu Zheng.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
These threads, seemingly weightless, were sharp as knives. Dozens swarmed, slicing over Lu Zheng’s body in an instant.
The next moment, Lu Zheng was cut into hundreds of fragments, blood splattering.
Bai Yuqing sighed in relief, but her expression shifted immediately.
Something was wrong!
Why didn’t that woman show any shock?
An illusion!
Bai Yuqing focused her energy in her eyes, seeing the fragmented Lu Zheng vanish, while another Lu Zheng appeared before her.
To spare Liu Qingyan fear, Lu Zheng’s illusion hadn’t affected her or Hu Zhou.
It was just a moment’s distraction, and even if Bai Yuqing noticed, it was likely too late.
“Ah!!!”
Bai Yuqing shrieked, two more nails detaching, stabbing at Lu Zheng.
“Cling! Cling!”
With two light clinks, Lu Zheng knocked the nails aside with his blade, then slammed a palm between the peaks of Bai Yuqing’s chest.
“Supreme decree, gather qi to summon clouds, strike!”
“Ah—”
Bai Yuqing wailed, black qi spewing from her mouth as her body flew backward.
