Chapter 125: Fall! Fall! Fall!

Not long after.

A massive figure loomed in the main hall, its crown nearly brushing the rafters, clad in a bridal gown as crimson as blood.

The vast fabric seemed stitched together from several wide curtains…

She stood three zhang tall, roughly the same height as the long ghost at the table, yet her bloated frame was utterly incomparable to the slender, bamboo-stick-like long ghost.

From afar, she looked like a moving pile of corpses.

A reeking stench of decay surged outward; with every step, the fat folds on her body surged like tidal waves, rolling in Cengceng layers.

Her eyes were squeezed into thin slits; only by peering closely could one barely discern the pupils amid the writhing mass of flesh.

Song Rupu stood beside Miss Yue, like a waterlogged, featherless chick, as if a single misstep would see him crushed underfoot.

The moment she appeared, the clamor of the ghosts fell momentarily silent.

Even the large-headed ghost serving as master of ceremonies shuddered involuntarily; as he trembled, holding the scroll to continue the ceremony…

But before he could utter two sentences, Miss Yue impatiently waved him off.

“Stop spouting useless nonsense—I just want you to mimic the form. Do you really think you’re human? Quickly read out the gift list for me!”

Miss Yue’s voice boomed like a bell:

“Today, to satisfy your band of wandering spirits, though we first served ‘literary feasting,’ the household has bled heavily indeed!

If the offerings later are meager and stingy, none of you will leave—stay here as my appetizers!”

Upon hearing this, the ghosts instantly turned pale and erupted into chaos.

“Miss Yue… you didn’t say this when you invited us!”

In the main hall, a burly red-browed demon, after hesitating, finally smashed his lacquered tray to the ground, wiped his mouth, and growled coldly:

“Miss Yue, I’ve tolerated you out of respect for your father, Lord Shanhu, and your mother, Flying Petal Granny. But today’s conduct is going too far!”

“How is it going too far?”

Miss Yue didn’t care.

“When you invited us, you said the gates were wide open, free to come and go, eat and drink as you pleased! You never mentioned any damn offering! That’s why we all came to support you!”

The red-browed demon’s expression turned hostile:

“So now you’re forcing us to buy and sell?”

“Hehe! Do you dare meddle in the affairs of celestial maidens? Even if I am forcing you, what will you do?!”

Miss Yue chuckled, her plump belly contracting and expanding, then spewing a thick, foul black smoke that surged forth like a sharp arrow.

Puff!

A flash of black light shot across nearly ten zhang, piercing straight toward the red-browed demon’s skull—there was no time to evade.

The red-browed demon’s heart froze; he forced his qi outward, formed a seal with his ten fingers, and summoned a ghost art—multiple grim, icy skull shields blocking his face.

Boom!!

A series of explosive crashes rang out.

Though the black smoke from Miss Yue’s mouth was sharp, it pierced through three skull shields before losing momentum and failing against the fourth.

It wavered, then dissipated slowly like wisps of smoke, vanishing entirely.

Only then did the red-browed demon relax.

His expression twisted strangely; after a moment of stunned silence, he burst into loud, rolling laughter, doubling over.

“Damn you, dead witch! I nearly fell for your trick! You want to follow your old man, Lord Shanhu, and build your fortune? Lure guests in, then lock the door and pick them clean?

Too bad—your pitiful cultivation is nowhere near his. Don’t come out and make a fool of yourself!”

He sneered:

“I was terrified of Lord Shanhu, so I gave you extra respect. With this level of power, how dare you feast on blood?”

Seeing the red-browed demon so bold,

The ghosts’ morale surged; they began shouting and cheering.

Even the gao huang ghost and the long ghost at the table danced wildly, overjoyed.

These ghosts were all destitute; they’d gathered here solely because Miss Yue had vaguely promised free meals.

Now, reneging on her word was tantamount to sentencing them to death.

Seeing the ghosts rally behind him, the red-browed demon grew even more smug, itching to strike.

This chilling scene of wailing ghosts and howling winds left Ziying momentarily stunned, her face grim.

“Miss, shouldn’t we just give up? Two fists can’t fight four hands…”

She inwardly cursed Miss Yue’s greed and sudden change of heart.

Yet she feigned obedience, gently advising:

“Has Lord Shanhu sent servants already? Why haven’t I received any word?”

“I’m neither loved by my father nor my mother—why would any servant come to congratulate me?”

Miss Yue chuckled darkly, her plump cheeks quivering like tofu:

“Why use two fists against these fickle, filthy vermin? One hand is enough—I’ll crush the ringleader into submission, and the rest will obey naturally!”

Seeing Ziying still meant to speak, she waved her hand impatiently, coldly snapping:

“My appetite has grown again—I’m due for a breakthrough. The remaining blood offerings must be reserved for breeding. I won’t waste them!

If we don’t find ways to increase income and cut expenses, how will we feed nearly a hundred mouths in this household? Will you cut off your own flesh to feed them? Stop talking nonsense!”

Her voice turned icy; she turned away, her belly contracting and expanding again, spewing several more streams of black smoke that hissed through the air, striking straight at the smug red-browed demon.

The red-browed demon, already prepared, was unafraid.

He plucked out one eyeball, bloodied, clutched it in his palm, muttered a few incantations, then hurled it forward—a crimson firebird.

The firebird moved like lightning, flashing several times to block every black smoke stream; with a single peck, each stream dissolved instantly, losing all lethal power.

Seeing this, Miss Yue’s face darkened; she roared and spat violently.

Instantly, a hurricane erupted from the ground, hurling the ghosts sideways, sending cups and plates flying.

Simultaneously, a tremendous suction force emerged from her mouth, attempting to swallow the firebird born from the demon’s eyeball.

But the firebird was too swift—it flapped its wings once and soared high into the sky, evading the trap.

The red-browed demon chuckled, brushed off the dust, and rose from the ground:

“Miss Yue, out of tricks now? I still have another eyeball!”

He grinned triumphantly:

“You can’t even defeat me alone—how dare you imitate Lord Shanhu and force trade?!”

Boom!

At that moment—

Suddenly!

Miss Yue raised both hands!

The red-browed demon caught only a glimpse of this motion before a dark-purple light slashed toward him.

His body first exploded in agony, then lost all sensation; his vision plunged into utter darkness.

The ghosts were instantly terrified.

Following the dark-purple light, they saw a nine-chi-long magic rope effortlessly shatter the red-browed demon’s form, then float gently back into Miss Yue’s hand.

“Is that… a hundred-refined Yin Dou Rope? So ferocious!”

The gao huang ghost beside him shrank his head in panic, silenced his foul language, and muttered softly.

As the ghosts reeled from the red-browed demon’s death,

Another red-browed demon suddenly overturned the table, howled in tears, and charged forward to fight Miss Yue to the death.

Yet he lasted no more than three exchanges before the Yin Dou Rope shattered him too, dying miserably.

“That was the second of the Red-Browed Trio. Good—only the eldest remains. The whole family is complete now…”

The gao huang ghost added softly.

No sooner had he spoken than the eldest of the Red-Browed Trio charged out.

But this time, he did not charge.

He fled in panic, knocking over several ghosts who couldn’t dodge, utterly disheveled.

Miss Yue didn’t chase him; she merely laughed, flicked the Yin Dou Rope, and in an instant, it shot through the air.

A light touch—and the last surviving eldest of the Red-Browed Trio shattered into pieces, never even screaming before dying.

Thus—

In mere breaths, the Red-Browed Trio, once famed throughout the region, were all dead.

The ghosts trembled in fear; as Miss Yue’s gaze swept over them, they shrank back in disarray, many falling and being trampled underfoot.

“Do you submit? You beggars—if you’re willing, hand over your possessions!”

Miss Yue clutched the Yin Dou Rope, sneering:

“You’ve eaten plenty of my stores. If you can’t pay, stay here and work until you’ve repaid your debt—then you may leave!”

“Of course, if you don’t want to labor…”

She extended her long tongue, licking her lips with a seductive smile:

“Gentlemen, if any of you are handsome, you may join me to discuss the art of the bedchamber. If I’m satisfied, this entire estate might even bear your surname!”

The ghosts erupted in wailing cries, lasting long and loud—but fearing the Yin Dou Rope, none dared act more violently.

Even so, during this forced confiscation, Miss Yue still killed several ghosts who pretended obedience, chewing them alive before the others to crush all resistance.

Amid the joyful chanting of clerks holding brushes and paper,

The only contrast was the utterly gloomy, lifeless expressions of the ghosts, their eyes hollow, their hearts dead.

Chen Hang watched this scene with cold eyes, tracing the “Fuyu Shen Pearl” hidden beneath his sleeve, thinking to himself:

“The wedding feast has already reached this point, yet not a single Shanhu Gong has come to offer congratulations—clearly, this Miss Yue is not favored.”

“With Shanhu Gong out of the picture, I can act with ease.”

Earlier, watching Miss Yue and those so-called Red-Browed Three Ghosts duel, he judged their cultivation to be no higher than Foundation Establishment, nowhere near the Purple Mansion realm.

The only concern was the Yin Dou Rope in her hand—truly extraordinary; a mere brush would wound, a light touch would kill.

Yet he possessed the Tai Su Jade Body at the fifth level of the Xuan Realm, so he had no need to overly worry.

When Rong Guotong had been at the third level of the Xuan Realm, his flesh had already been harder than metal and iron; even the Rong clan’s Foundation Establishment ancestor, on the verge of death, had hesitated, unable to decide whether to eliminate him.

The Tai Su Jade Body at the sixth level of the Xuan Realm could reign supreme among ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators!

The Tai Su Jade Body at the ninth level of the Xuan Realm was so formidable that even within the Purple Mansion realm, few could find a match!

As for the Tai Su Jade Body at the third level of the Yuan Realm, it was equally unmatched within the Dongxuan realm…

His own Tai Su Jade Body was still only at the fifth level of the Xuan Realm.

But because he cultivated the “Tai Shi Yuan Zhen,” his embryonic breath could rival the true qi of an ordinary Foundation Establishment second-layer cultivator.

The Tai Su Jade Body and his qi cultivation…

Combined, they gave him a firm advantage even against spirits like Miss Yue.

And with the aid of the “Fuyu Shen Pearl,” a magic talisman, he had an eighty percent chance of slaughtering every ghost and demonic spirit in this mansion.

Eighty percent.

More than enough to risk it once…

Chen Hang’s gaze flickered slightly; he smiled inwardly.

From the moment he took his seat, he had secretly activated the “Fuyu Shen Pearl,” obtained from Yan Jia, conjuring a damp, misty haze that merged into the air.

A few spirits, like Gao Huang and others, had faintly sensed something amiss, but paid it no mind.

Then, when Miss Yue suddenly struck, ruthlessly killing the Red-Browed Three Ghosts, the ghosts, shaken to their core, paid even less attention to this minor dampness.

Now, the phantom mist had quietly settled within each ghost’s body.

All it needed was a thought from Chen Hang to drag them into an endless illusion, their consciousness sinking into oblivion.

As he weighed his options, several ceremonial attendants danced over to his neighboring table, aggressively demanding payment for survival from the ghosts there.

Gao Huang and Chang Gui were panicked, helpless, trembling.

After several uncertain glances, they suddenly roared and turned their eyes in unison toward Chen Hang.

“Brother, you’re Jing Xiu, right?”

Gao Huang sneered, leaning his head close.

“Jing Xiu who doesn’t feed on blood?”

Chang Gui grunted in response.

“That’s right,” Chen Hang smiled.

“Jing Xiu differs from us Zhao Xiu—we carry no foul, stinking miasma; you’re perfect as a snack! Not as good as human flesh, but ideal for pairing with wine!”

Gao Huang licked his lips:

“Old brother here is so poor I’ve sold my ass—I’ve got no money. Brother, give me your two legs; I’ll present them to Miss Yue.”

“I want your two arms, and some tender flesh from your waist and belly.”

Chang Gui rushed to speak, adding:

“Brother, don’t blame me—blame Miss Yue. I don’t want to kill you either; it’s out of sheer necessity!”

The two ghosts’ conversation was not concealed.

Suddenly, countless ghosts turned their gaze toward him, malice unmistakable!

“It’s not even enough,” Chen Hang said.

Under the piercing stare of countless pale, bony eyes, he clapped his hands once and said calmly:

“Let me offer you both my tribute.”

Not only did Gao Huang and Chang Gui gasp in shock—the other ghosts paled.

Even Miss Yue turned her head, glancing at him; one look at his brow and she froze, her eyes instantly blazing with heat.

“Are you telling the truth, brother?”

Gao Huang bounced up and down, ecstatic.

“Of course not a lie…”

Chen Hang spoke softly:

“When both creditor and debtor are dead, isn’t the debt naturally settled?”

Before Gao Huang and Chang Gui could grasp his meaning,

he rose gracefully, sleeves sweeping like snow, a white crane about to take flight over a lotus pond, gently rippling the water’s surface with quiet elegance and poise.

Amid the circling ghosts, he smiled faintly, lowered his eyes, and raised both hands to clap three times.

“Fall! Fall! Fall!”

Chen Hang said.

“What does that mean—”

Gao Huang didn’t understand.

The next instant, his eyes rolled back and he toppled straight off the table.

Thud!

Thud!!

All the ghosts collapsed in unison, silent as harvested rice stalks, falling in neat, bound rows.

“You…”

Miss Yue gasped in horror: “You’re a cultivator of orthodox immortal Dao?!”

She cried out sharply, gripping the Yin Dou Rope tightly.

Yet at the same time, her footing wobbled, and her vision blurred slightly.

Thank you to Dian Dian’s tip, to Xin Wuguang’s tip, to Mu Zhe and Xi Hua’s 1000-point tip, to the reader’s 100-point tip, to Guo Yan Yunyan jnb’s 100-point tip.