Chapter 81

Roar!!

With a dragon's chant, an illusory-bodied Divine Dragon entirely composed of spirit particles roams freely between heaven and earth; Huang Mu stands with his hands behind his back on the dragon's head, gazing down at everything below with his peripheral vision, just like an emperor reigning over all, surveying his realm.

What happened?!!

What's going on? What is that dragon?

Damn it! Who let him in?

As the dragon's chant spread within the Ghost Way squad's barracks, squad members ran out one after another, looking up at the Divine Dragon in the sky and continually asking.

Binding Way Thirty-Three: Azure Fire Crash!!

At the same time, some members of the Ghost Way squad tried to use their powerful Ghost Way to knock down both Huang Mu in the sky and the dragon beneath his feet.

Unfortunately, Huang Mu was too high; that Azure Fire Crash hadn't even touched the tail of the dragon beneath his feet before it dissipated on its own between heaven and earth...

Binding Way Thirty-Two: Yellow Fire Flash!

Destroy yourself, black hound of Long Dani Ni! Under one glance, burn completely, cut your own throat!! — Destruction Way Nine Strike!

Someone also tried using Destruction Way and other longer-range Ghost Ways against the sky, but they couldn't even graze Huang Mu.

Damn it, even fully chanted Destruction Way or Binding Way can't reach that high!

Damn it! Who can bring that guy down from the sky?!!

Immediately, the Ghost Way members frowned worriedly as they watched Huang Mu causing chaos above their barracks; they truly had no way to deal with him at all.

What happened?!!

Amid the panic, an elderly man in a purple robe holding a staff, with short white-and-gray hair, accompanied by a tall man estimated at over two meters tall, with an eight-strand mustache and square glasses, arrived at the square where the Ghost Way squad was stationed.

Grand Ghost Way Chief, Vice Ghost Way Chief! Look up quickly!

As the two arrived, the Ghost Way members finally put their hearts at ease; obviously they had full confidence in their captain and vice-captain.

Huh?!!

The elderly man honored as the Grand Ghost Way Chief heard the sound, looked up, and upon seeing the Divine Dragon dancing in the sky, his pupils suddenly contracted……

Immediately after seeing the youth standing with hands behind his back on the dragon's head, and the white captain's haori symbolizing his identity that the youth wore, the old man's heart instantly ignited with anger.

Is that the captain's haori of the Guardian Thirteen Squads? Then that youth's dragon beneath his feet must be the Bankai of his Soul-Cutting Sword!

The old man obviously made the same mistake as the gatekeeping Ghost Way members did earlier.

Or rather, as Ghost Way members who deeply understand the Ghost Way, they subconsciously believe their Ghost Way is the strongest in the Spirit World, and that even the Ghost Ways they cannot perform are beyond the Shinigami of the Guardian Thirteen Squads!

Good! Good! The people of the Guardian Thirteen Squads are now bullying us Ghost Way members right on our heads! Excellent!

The old man burst into manic laughter while clenching his fists.

In fact, if we look at the time of establishment, the Guardian Thirteen Squads founded by Shan Ben Yuan Liu Zhai, with only a few hundred years of history, are the youngest of the three major organizations within the Tranquil Spirit Court!

But who made the commander-in-chief Shan Ben Yuan Liu Zhai strong enough, and the Guardian Thirteen Squads constantly produce talent?! Thus, within the Tranquil Spirit Court right now, it is actually this youngest organization founded by Shan Ben Yuan Liu Zhai that holds the greatest authority!

This naturally made some elders within the Tranquil Spirit Court feel dissatisfied, and the Grand Ghost Way Chief before us is one of those dissatisfied elders.

Wo Ling Tie Zhai, watch closely! Let me tell you, when we Ghost Way members encounter such an enemy flying in the sky, just how should we deal with it……

The old man said as a powerful spiritual pressure burst from his body, his spiritual pressure was clearly above the third tier; if he cultivated Ghost Way while also training in the Soul-Cutting Sword, he could easily become a captain in the Guardian Thirteen Squads.

Binding Way Eighty-Eight: Flying Dragon Strike, Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon!!

The old man said, directly using his strongest Ghost Way; only hearing muffled thunder rumbling in the sky, the next second accompanied by dazzling blue lightning, a massive bolt of electric light shot forth, bombarding Huang Mu in the sky.

Ah! It's the Number Eighty-Eight Binding Way!

Even the incantation for Binding Ways above number eighty can be omitted?! No wonder he's the Grand Ghost Way Chief!

Ordinary Ghost Way members watched the lightning soaring toward the horizon and cheered excitedly.

Huh?!!

Only the man called Wo Ling Tie Zhai, upon seeing his Grand Ghost Way Chief's all-day thunder cannon, his pupils slightly contracted; in terms of Ghost Way aptitude, his talent surpassed that of the Grand Ghost Way Chief, so he sensed something was off.

Boom!

At the moment Wo Ling Tie Zhai was lost in thought, the Grand Ghost Way Chief's Flying Dragon Strike, Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon had already boomed into the sky, colliding with Huang Mu and the dragon beneath his feet.

Immediately, a tremendous sound came from the sky, and the dragon suddenly plunged straight down from the heavens toward the crowd.

Good!

In the eyes of the Ghost Way members, this scene showed their Grand Ghost Way Chief successfully blasting the Ghost Way up to a kilometer-high altitude, then promptly shooting down the soaring Divine Dragon and the man standing on its head.

However, only the Grand Ghost Way Chief present and the Vice Ghost Way Chief Wo Ling Tie Zhai sensed something was off.

Run! Run fast!

At this moment, the Grand Ghost Way Chief had lost his earlier composure, continually shouting at the surrounding Ghost Way squad members, hoping everyone would quickly disperse.

Unfortunately, the people were still immersed in their joy, having no reaction to the impending danger in the sky.

Heaven's prodigy, iron-built walls, dragon's stride, lion's roar, tiger's howl, wolf's gallop—before the collapse, sever heaven and earth, Destruction Way Eighty-One: Break the Void!!

In contrast, Wo Ling Tie Zhai began his own chant the moment he saw the Divine Dragon descending from the sky.

As Wo Ling Tie Zhai's words fell, a transparent wall of light appeared in the sky, blocking between the Ghost Way squad's barracks and that Divine Dragon!

……Destruction Way Eighty-One: Break the Void!!

And the incumbent Grand Ghost Way Chief, the old man, also didn't waste time; he quickly finished his Destruction Way chant and released into the sky a wall even thicker and stronger than Wo Ling Tie Zhai's light.

Roar!!

Exactly as the two Ghost Way Chiefs finished releasing Break the Void, the Divine Dragon in the sky let out a roar from its mouth, and amidst the cheers of the Ghost Way members on the ground, it came crashing down from the heavens toward the crowd.

Rumble……

The two Ghost Way Chiefs' Break the Void, having nearly exhausted all their spiritual pressure, was as fragile as glass that shatters at a tap before the Divine Dragon; immediately, the dragon's head lunged straight at the crowd……

Boom!!

For a moment, the enormous explosion filled the entire Ghost Way squad's barracks.

The previously noisy Ghost Way members all shut their mouths, lay on the ground with eyes rolled back, completely unconscious; and the incumbent Grand Ghost Way Chief, the old man, bled from all seven orifices, knelt on one knee, and kept spitting blood nonstop!

"The dragon beneath your feet is not the Soul-Cutter Sword's Final Release! It is the legendary number ninety-nine Breaking Way: Five Dragons Turning Extinction!"

The Great Ghost Way Leader lightly stroked their chest, speaking unwillingly to the youth standing in the smoke and dust.

When the Great Ghost Way Leader saw their eighty-eight Ghost Way being neutralized by the youth in the sky using the "Anti-Ghost Mutual Killing" technique, they knew they had lost! As the "Divine Dragon" flying at a kilometer-high altitude descended from the heavens, the Great Ghost Way Leader, extremely sensitive to Ghost Way, finally realized that this "dragon" was not Huang Mu's Final Release, but, like his eighty-eight Breaking Way, belonged to the Breaking Way category of Ghost Way.

The only difference from his eighty-eight Breaking Way is that Huang Mu used the legendary number ninety-nine Breaking Way, a Breaking Way that has been lost for a very long time, with no one able to unleash it for ages……

At the moment this Ghost Way, which even the current Great Ghost Way Leader of the Ghost Way Sect had only seen in books, appeared, this Great Ghost Way Leader realized their initial mistake, mistaking this legendary Breaking Way for the Thirteen Squad's Final Release— to the Great Ghost Way Leader, this was practically a desecration of that Breaking Way!

Today I finally got to see it, but unfortunately the one who unleashed this move was not a member of the Ghost Way Sect, but the Death Gods of the Protection Court Thirteen Squad…… This utterly shattered the Great Ghost Way Leader's pride; even if they don't want to admit it, they know the truth and facts won't change because of their denial.

The fact is, from today onward, the Ghost Way Sect can no longer call themselves the organization most skilled in Ghost Way in the Pure Spirit Court; the truth is that the Great Ghost Way Leader must step down from today, and the new person to take over this Great Ghost Way Leader position is none other than the Protection Court Thirteen Squad member they despise most.

"Are you two the most skilled in Ghost Way within the Ghost Way Sect?!"

Huang Mu did not answer the Great Ghost Way Leader's question; he gazed at the white-haired elder before him and the tall, sturdy man beside the elder, then spoke up.

"Compared to your excellency, we cannot claim to be skilled in Ghost Way!"

Wo Ling Tie Zhai, after hearing Huang Mu's words, humbly replied.

"No need for modesty! Being able to block my Five Dragons Slaying Extinction is enough to prove your understanding of Ghost Way!"

Huang Mu shook his head, giving approval to Wo Ling Tie Zhai and the white-haired Great Ghost Way Leader beside him.

"Block? This can also be called blocking?!"

Upon hearing this, Wo Ling Tie Zhai looked around blankly at the Ghost Way Sect's quarters completely destroyed by Huang Mu's Black Dragon Turning Extinction, and at the many members of the Ghost Way Sect collapsed on the ground—this really cannot be called blocking, can it?

Just now, that was a Void Break wagering the entire Ghost Way Sect's spiritual pressure of both the Great and Vice Ghost Way Leaders! Yet they ended up in such a sorry state—truly embarrassing!

"Don't worry! They just fainted; I held back my power!"

Then Huang Mu's next words completely broke through the two Ghost Way Leaders' defenses.

"Was that terrifying power, which pierced two layers of Void Break and still seemed capable of leveling the entire Ghost Way Sect's quarters, merely the result of the youth before us holding back their strength?!"

Thinking this, the Great Ghost Way Leader felt a surge of repressed blood rush to their chest, then immediately spat out specks of bright red.

I came to find you this time to ask for your help……

Before the two Ghost Way Leaders could say more, Huang Mu's voice gradually echoed in everyone's ears.

"Ask us to help?!"

The Great Ghost Way Leader and Wo Ling Tie Zhai, who is the Vice Ghost Way Leader, exchanged a glance upon hearing this, their eyes flashing with a hint of strangeness.

"What help?! Actually, we two only know a little Ghost Way; we might not be able to help you at all!"

They truly didn't know what this youth before them, whose power is vast and unfathomable, could need from two people who only know Ghost Way for help! What's worse is that, considering their Ghost Way to be immensely powerful, in the face of this youth it can only be called utterly ordinary……

"All I need is someone who can use Ghost Way!"

"To be frank, I'm not really skilled in Ghost Way~"

Huang Mu looked at the two before him and spoke honestly, believing that sincerity is always a killing technique.

"You say you don't know Ghost Way?"

When Wo Ling Tie Zhai and the white-haired elder heard Huang Mu's words, they angrily rolled their eyes.

"You damn well used Ghost Way to instantly wipe out our Ghost Way Sect, who have studied Ghost Way nearly a lifetime, and now you tell me you're not skilled in Ghost Way? Want a fight? Even if I can't beat you, I'll die splattering you with blood!"

Even Wo Ling Tie Zhai, who is usually mild-tempered, became furious at this moment.

"No joke! If you don't even know Ghost Way, what are we, defeated by your Ghost Way, supposed to be?"

The elder covered their chest with one hand, enduring the heartache, and countered Huang Mu.

Immediately, the elder, without letting Huang Mu continue, said: "If you're here to toy with us, you may leave; we would rather die than accept your humiliation of us!"

"You've misunderstood me! I really haven't trained much in Ghost Way—after all, to me Ghost Way is as simple as breathing! Do you still remember how you learned to breathe? I don't, so I cannot comprehend how difficult it is for others when they use Ghost Way; that's why I came to find you……"

Huang Mu looked at the elder and Wo Ling Tie Zhai, then spoke calmly.

What Huang Mu said is true; with his max-level "Spirit Particle Trend" ability, using Ghost Way is indeed effortlessly easy……

"Not trained? As simple as breathing?! Want to feel the difficulty of mortals cultivating Ghost Way, I'll go……"

The Great Ghost Way Leader, already over a thousand years old with white hair, upon hearing Huang Mu's words, immediately flushed with anger, rolled their eyes in front of Huang Mu, and fainted.

"Master! Master, are you alright?!"

Wo Ling Tie Zhai, watching anxiously from the side, shouted at the elder.

"He's fine; he's just old and overly excited, so a bolt got stuck in there! I've already removed the bolt from his head; he should wake up soon."

Huang Mu softly said to Wo Ling Tie Zhai.

"……"

However, Wo Ling Tie Zhai did not believe Huang Mu's words until the elder opened their eyes; then Wo Ling Tie Zhai breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and thanked Huang Mu: "Thank you for your help!"

"It's fine."

Huang Mu waved a hand at Wo Ling Tie Zhai.

"Am I dead?!"

Meanwhile, the Great Ghost Way Leader lying flat on the ground still looked dazed.

"Master, you're fine; it was the captain of the Protection Court Thirteen Squad who saved you!"

Wo Ling Tie Zhai recounted the whole incident to the elder.

"……" The elder remained silent, glaring at Huang Mu resentfully and asking: "What exactly are you doing here?!"

The reason the Great Ghost Way Leader didn't thank Huang Mu is because they think that, if it weren't for Huang Mu, they wouldn't have lost their breath and gotten a bolt stuck in there!

I came to find you to help me research the true use of Ghost Way……

Huang Mu spoke frankly to the Great Ghost Way Leader.

"You……"

After hearing Huang Mu's words, the elder felt their heart start to ache again.

"Because I want to combine Ghost Way and White Strike to create a power system that can unite the two! I don't know if you two are interested in researching together with me?!"

Just as the old man was about to scold Araki, Araki told his idea to the old man and Wo Ling Tie Zhai; of course, Araki mainly shared the "Instant Coax" theory researched posthumously by Si Feng Yuan Ye Yi with the two people present.

This...

The old man and Wo Ling Tie Zhai heard this, their eyes flashing with sharp light; both were experts of the Ghost Path, so they naturally understood what Araki said. Although Araki's idea was wild, upon careful thought it actually seemed feasible.

Are you an expert in White Strike?

Seeing this, the old man asked Araki.

Yes and no!

Araki first nodded, then shook his head.

What do you mean?

The old man continued to ask.

White Strike is to me like drinking water...

Araki sighed helplessly.

Stop, stop, stop, I understand...

The old man couldn't stand it any longer; he considered Araki's words.

So where do you plan to go find a martial arts expert among mortals?

The old man asked Araki.

Speaking of White Strike, the strongest in Soul Society should be the Covert Mobilization, right?

Araki stood with his hands behind his back, seeming to ask the old man, but actually already gave the answer.

I'll lead the way!

Hearing this, the old man leapt up from the ground; this matter cannot let only the Ghost Path Followers lose face, as an organization under both the Pure Spirit Court and the Central Forty-Six Rooms, the Covert Mobilization must also lose face together with them.

Okay~

Araki glanced at the eager Grand Ghost Path Master before him, lightly nodding, while the corners of his mouth held a smile.

In fact, everything now is within his plan.

Wanting to win over the Ghost Path Followers and the Covert Mobilization, he couldn't reveal his purpose right away; instead, he approached the two organizations under other pretenses, and without their knowledge, he swallowed them both whole.

In the end, the Covert Mobilization and Ghost Path Followers will not only work for him; upon seeing him, they must sincerely smile and say to him: 'Captain Araki is both "high" and "hard"!'

Thanks to reader Thousand Brushes Traversing Clouds for the 500 reward~ Thanks to reader Sperm Whale for the 100 reward~ Thanks to reader Sixteenth Night Glutton for the 100 reward~ Thanks to reader 20230601225806695 for the 100 reward~ Thanks to reader Shallow Marsh 1 for the 100 reward~

(End of chapter)