Chapter 271

Jiang Qu Lian stood in the void and looked around all of the ghost willow forest. Countless ghosts have been buried in this ferocious and messy battlefield. Although the ghost willow, which received a large amount of nutrients suddenly, had its branches damaged into pieces and countless broken vines crushed in the red fertile soil, its trunk became stronger and stronger, constantly growing new branches.

The ghost generals discovered that the ghost willow could keep regenerating, so they turned to attack its main trunk. Both sides suffered heavy damages.

Jiang Qu Lian gently closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, his pupils were scarlet and bright. His red hair danced without wind, like the burning karmic fire of hell. He looked up at the sky and let out a high-pitched howl at the blood moon hanging 450,000 kilometers high in the sky. That scream was sharp, shrilling, and sinister, as if it could lift one's scalp. It spread far and wide in Jiuyou, transmitting to the mountains, turbulent streams, dense forests, and remote wilderness.

The ghost king in red issued his final call.

More and more ghost citizens and generals gathered from the depths of Jiuyou to the Underworld. Not many ghosts were summoned even in the battle between the Supreme Demon and the Great Emperor Beiyin, because they were not manipulated by the Heavenly Secret Talisman and were not Underworld messengers in the Underworld, but they were impelled by the king of the ghost kings to fight for him to the death.

The tide of ghosts from all sides of Jiuyou made Xie Bi An cautious in his breathing. He looked down at the Shanhe Sheji Map in his hand, and then looked at Fan Wu She who was fighting alone. He knew that Fan Wu She was not only fighting against thousands of ghosts with his power, but also against the erosion of his mind by the Heavenly Secret Talisman. This battle was probably even crueler than the Fengdu great war a hundred years ago.

They are the last line of defense in the ghost and human realms. If they lose, the lunatic Jiang Qu Lian will do evil that will endanger the three realms. They must defeat Jiang Qu Lian!

Xie Bi An gasped. The scroll in his hand slowly unfolded. The topography of the Underworld slowly appeared on the blank plain silk, and his spiritual power poured into it in large quantities.

"Big brother." Fan Wu She shouted, "Don't forget what you promised me!"

Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She from a distance and nodded. He opened his red lips slightly and whispered: "First ancestor of heaven and earth, a painting opens the sky."

There was a loud rumbling sound, and the earth and mountains shook. The towering Mount Luofeng was also shaking slightly. Stone walls were pulled out from the earth, and a wall was erected around the Underworld! The city wall was made of thick earth and stones. It was more than 3.33m high and several kilometers wide. It was facing the vast land of Jiuyou, resisting the attacks from the massive ghost army.

This amazing scene shocked everyone present. They naturally knew what the ancient magical treasure could do yet underestimated what Xie Bi An could do. This action greatly changed the landscape within a few kilometers radius. How could a physical mortal body bear this kind of consumption of spiritual power?!

Xie Bi An felt the spiritual energy flowing out of his body like a flood and rushing towards the Shanhe Sheji Map. He could not endure it for long, but he would endure it to his limit.

Fan Wu She looked at Xie Bi An's instantly pale face and was incessantly anxious. He said in a deep voice, "Big brother, I will end this battle quickly."

Jiang Qu Lian laughed, "Aren't you afraid of wringing that precious golden core of yours dry? It's such a waste. Why not let me eat it?"

Xie Bi An looked at the army of ghost citizens that were temporarily blocked outside the city wall. He knew that the wall would not last long, so he must defeat the enemy by capturing their leader in order to end the battle quickly.

Fan Wu She manipulated the ghost willow to attack Jiang Qu Lian. Those hundreds of willow branches continued to elongate and thicken. Finally, they turned into spiritual dragons, attacking from all directions.

Jiang Qu Lian swiped with his two ghost claws in a crisscross, and dozens of willow branches broke into several pieces in front of his eyes, but there were more coming from behind him, closing in step by step and leaving no gaps. One of his feet was entangled by the willow branches, and his body was dragged to the ground.

Jiang Qu Lian cut off the willow branches on his feet, turned into a red mist and hid, but he immediately felt a sharp murderous aura behind him. He did not think too much and somersaulted in the air. Immediately, he felt extreme pain on his back, and his body fell straight to the ground.

A string of blood beads drifted on the Junlan sword. Xie Bi An, who had been waiting behind the ghost willow for the right time to strike, gave Jiang Qu Lian a heavy sword blow. If he had a soul weapon like his master's Qingfeng sword in his hand, this blow would probably make Jiang Qu Lian completely lose his ability to resist him.

Jiang Qu Lian tumbled to the ground. Fan Wu She manipulated the ghost willow to chase him, which frantically wrapped around his waist and limbs. He broke the end, but the other end climbed up his body. Finally, he was bound in circles by the willow branches. Red clothes and green leaves; there was an untimely poetic flavor.

Xie Bi An was panting for breath. The consumption of his spiritual energy was starting to make him feel tired. Looking into the distance, more and more ghost citizens were climbing over the walls that were built out of thin air by the Shanhe Sheji Map and are coming towards their ghost king.

It's not easy for Fan Wu She to control this ghost willow, but it was not inferior to controlling millions of troops. His pupils had been covered with black blood veins, and the black death aura surrounded him like a fog. He suppressed his inner demons with his willpower, but the more he fought, the greater the consumption, and the greater the consumption, the more dependent he was on the Heavenly Secret Talisman, and the closer it was for him to succumb to it. He was no longer Zong Zi Xiao who could go crazy wantonly. He wanted to reassure his big brother.

Jiang Qu Lian was hanged up high by the ghost willow. Xie Bi An didn't dare to delay for a moment. He took out Wuqiongbi and directly aimed at the top of Jiang Qu Lian’s head. He poured a lot of spiritual power into this attack. As long as he dealt a heavy blow on the ghost’s head, that ghost would be severely injured at least and be crippled after reincarnation. At worst, that ghost’s soul would be scattered.

Jiang Qu Lian struggled with all his might. When he let out a fierce cry, the willow branches that bounded him broke into thousands of pieces in an instant. He turned into a red fog and escaped the moment before the soul-suppressing stick fell.

Xie Bi An swayed slightly, feeling tired and weak. His spiritual energy has depleted too much and too fast. He might only have one more chance to strike hard.

He looked at Fan Wu She. Their gazes met in mid-air. There’s no need to talk, and there’s no need to give secret signals. The tacit understanding of two lifetimes allowed them to immediately read each other's thoughts and work together flawlessly.

Millions upon millions of willow vines trembled lightly together and made a continuous rustling sound. The Yin soldiers and ghost generals trapped in the dense forest could not escape and fought with the ghost willow desperately. Several fresh branches grew from the trunk of the ghost willow. All the vines on the branches grew towards the sky at the same time one after another, weaving a net in the sky, designed to hunt the erratic and cunning ghost king in red.

Jiang Qu Lian kept shuttling and fleeing among the ghost willows. Countless branches were cut off where the ghost claws could reach. He actually killed a way out for himself in the impenetrable attack.

But Xie Bi An was waiting ahead on this road.

The sword energy of the Junlan Sword came sweeping in and attacked Jiang Qu Lian's vitals. Jiang Qu Lian was as fast as lightning and flew through the ghost willows, taking advantage of Xie Bi An's sword energy to cut off countless willow vines. However, he did not escape without getting hurt and was hit twice by the sword. The blood was dripping on and blending with his red clothes. At first glance, it seemed that the severity of his injuries could not be seen, but his increasingly gloomy face and tardy body motion had already shown his deterioration.

Fan Wu She pursued and attacked relentlessly with Xie Bi An, vowing to end this battle quickly.

Jiang Qu Lian was chased by the ghost willow everywhere. His army of ghost citizens was blocked by the city wall and were unable to come help him. It was equivalent to meeting the two ancient divine treasures head-on at the same time. Even if he had several hundred years of cultivation, it was also difficult for him to escape defeat. With one careless step, his ankle was wrapped around by the ghost willow. With this delay, the ghost willow attacked him in an overwhelming manner and wrapped him up again in the blink of an eye. He had no strength to break free.

Xie Bi An was also an arrow at the end of its flight*. He gripped Wuqiongbi with his trembling hand. With a shout, he flew up to meet the red-clothed ghost king's fierce, hateful, and unwilling gaze, and smashed towards his head.

In the nick of time, there was a crisp "ding" sound. Wuqiongbi was blocked by a long sword shining with a cold silver light.

Xie Bi An’s vision was slightly blurred. For a moment, he couldn’t see the visitor clearly, but he recognized him by his clothes: "Brother Lan?!”

The person who blocked Wuqiongbi's fatal blow was none other than Lan Chui Han.

Jiang Qu Lian lifted his head in astonishment and was looking incredulously at Lan Chui Han's back.

Lan Chui Han had a large body and clear eyes. There was no other haggard appearance from when he was just rescued from hell. He was just like the number one Lord in the world during his prime. However, his eyes changed and became deep and cold.

Xie Bi An came back to his senses and said angrily, "Do you know what you are doing!?"

Despite he could feel the burning sight behind him, Lan Chui Han did not look back at Jiang Qu Lian. He said in a deep voice: "Bi An, let me deal with him."

"How are you going to deal with him?" Xie Bi An said in a cold voice, "He only has two endings. Number one, soul scattering, and number two, go to hell."

"I still have unfinished business with him."

"Whatever grudge you have against each other is not a reason for you to save him." Xie Bi An gritted his teeth and said, "He killed my master, killed countless people, and caused great chaos in the human and ghost realms. He must die."

Jiang Qu Lian started chuckling, "What the hell are you guys doing? Lan Chui Han, or should I call you Lan Jiang?"

Lan Chui Han's body paused, but still did not turn back.

"What, it's been 600 years. You and I have been reincarnated. You still don't want to look at me? Do you disdain it, don't want to, or don't dare to do it?”

"......" Lan Chui Han slowly turned around. He gazed at Jiang Qu Lian. The emotions in his eyes were very complicated.

"Hahahahaha......Does it look good? Do we look good like this?”

Lan Chui Han whispered, "Is it worth your trouble?"

"'Worth my trouble'? I also want to know whether it’s worth my trouble. Jiang Qu Lian stared firmly into Lan Chui Han's eyes, "What about you? You saved me today, what is it for? It's not just because you slept with me, right?"

Lan Chui Han sighed lightly: "I don’t want you to become this way. Stop repeating your mistakes.”

Jiang Qu Lian continued to laugh. He couldn't stop laughing. His laughter became gradually deranged, and tears fell from his eyes. The blood on his body couldn't stop seeping out of the layers of the bound ghost willow, dyeing the green willow branches and his eyes red. His face was gradually distorted, and his eyes were completely red. He suddenly roared and his Yin energy soared. The ghost willow that bound his body was shattered into fine powder this time. The moment he regained his freedom, he suddenly pounced on Lan Chui Han fiercely.

Lan Chui Han could dodge, but he stubbornly restrained his instinct to avoid danger. He stood in place just like that. He let Jiang Qu Lian push him down on the ground. Jiang Qu Lian opened his mouth, bit his neck, and tore off a piece of flesh ruthlessly!

The extreme pain quickly spread throughout his body, but it was no match for the pain in his heart. Lan Chui Han's eyes were sore and swollen. In his slightly blurred vision, he saw Jiang Qu Lian's scarlet eyes, hideously distorted face, and the most primitive hunger that erupted when a beast saw its prey.

The hungry ghost identity awakened inside Jiang Qu Lian, and he lost control. He frantically tore open Lan Chui Han's clothes, and his sharp teeth penetrated the white flesh, dripping crimson blood.

Xie Bi An used his remaining strength to attack Jiang Qu Lian.

Yet Lan Chui Han tightly hugged Jiang Qu Lian who was eating him. He flew up and retreated to the distance while enduring the pain.

Fan Wu She did not chase after him. He was not interested in Jiang Qu Lian's fate. At the same time, he could hardly look after himself. The Yin energy invaded his body wantonly, and his pupils were losing the last bit of white.

"Lan Chui Han, don’t you want to live anymore?!" Xie Bi An was furious and anxious, but he already had no more energy to fight. The topographical landscape on the Shanhe Sheji Map disappeared, but the city walls were left there forever. Many ghost citizens had climbed over the city wall and were approaching the Underworld, and Fan Wu She’s situation was not optimistic. They really didn’t have time anymore.

"Don't come here." Lan Chui Han's face was ghastly pale. The great pain eroded his sanity and caused him to have a brief trance, but he quickly composed himself. He raised his hand with much difficulty and stroked Jiang Qu Lian's long, thick black hair, and called out in a trembling voice, "Ah Yun."

This "Ah Yun" seemed to have some magical power, which stunned the hungry ghost that only had an instinctive desire. He still had half a piece of fresh meat in his mouth, yet he stopped tearing Lan Chui Han with his teeth.

"It's not that I didn't see you. It's not that I didn't want to see you. I also remembered your name." Lan Chui Han's voice was still trembling, "It's just that in my previous life, I cultivated an abstinent path and no longer had my seven emotions and six desires. I couldn’t respond to you."

Jiang Qu Lian’s scarlet eyes were full of struggle. His intellect was fighting against the instinct of the hungry ghost, like a battle between a clear stream and a turbid stream. Whether it washed away its dirt or tarnished its clarity, it was difficult to predict the outcome before the last minute.

In his hundreds of years of cultivation, only the ever-improving cultivation enabled him to stifle the hunger, but once he is really hungry and out of control, there is no possibility of sobriety until he is full. However, this “Ah Yun” firmly caught a trace of his consciousness in his disordered desire.

"Ah Yun, I have never wanted to see you like this. The real you is not like this. I am also guilty that you fell into the Hungry Ghost Path." Lan Chui Han looked at the stunned Jiang Qu Lian and reached out his hand, caressing his cheek, "That’s enough. Stop doing evil again."

Jiang Qu Lian miraculously calmed down. The craziness in his eyes was slowly fading. The corners of his mouth were still stained with Lan Chui Han’s blood and pieces of flesh. He seemed to be formed by the fusion of blood. The red was blazing and dazzling. That bewitching and demonic beauty made people frightened and fascinated. Half of his red came from his own blood. Although he was only a spiritual body, he was already heavily injured. After losing the support of desire, his body fell.

Lan Chui Han embraced him. His heart was full of pathos. He was a god in his previous life, but he still couldn't understand the Way of Heaven. Otherwise, he wouldn't think hard and still not understand, and searched for answers everywhere. Why did they have to experience such a fate?

"I don't believe you." Jiang Qu Lian coughed out a mouthful of blood and said with difficulty, "You despised me, you loathed me, you said before......that everything about me has nothing to do with you."

Lan Chui Han said gloomily, "I have never despised and loathed you." That only youth who stirred his heart's lake had already lived in the bottom of his heart.

"You......cough cough......" Jiang Qu Lian said with hatred, "I became like this. I became a hungry ghost. Do you know what a hungry ghost is? It's an animal that eats everything. Why, why should I become a hungry ghost?"

Lan Chui Han lowered his head deeply as if he could not face Jiang Qu Lian's interrogation.

"Then why don't you ask why he turned into a mortal?" Cui Jue came walking step by step. Looking at these two, he couldn't help sighing, "If it weren't for him, you would have been thrown into the Hell Path."

 

 ----

an arrow at the end of its flight* [强弩之末]--- a strong force that has been exhausted

 

Edited on 31 July 21 (Emzie)

 

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