SWNOVELS Borderless Heavenly Capital:
Shangguan Hen returned swiftly and landed at the entrance to the emperor’s study in the blink of an eye.
Guards readied themselves to intercept him. However, they backed away with a simple gesture from the skeleton Gu Hai, who emerged surrounded by his officials.
Bang!
Shangguan Hen dropped a horrified Lifespan Nangong from his grasp.
“Your Reverence, I’ve not failed your command!” Shangguan Hen announced with a smile.
Gu Hai acknowledged with a nod.
The Unborn Man quickly approached them.
After inspecting Lifespan Nangong, whose cultivation was now sealed, the Unborn Man said, “Yes, it’s indeed Lifespan Nangong. Prime Shangguan, you’ve done well.”
Shangguan Hen nodded and then turned to Gu Hai. “Your Reverence, with Lifespan Nangong captured, we just need Lifespan Beiming. The Mosquito Daoist probably has the intel. This subordinate will head there right away.”
“Shangguan Hen, exercise caution in the Heavenly Demon Holy Land,” Gu Hai warned solemnly.
“Rest assured, Your Reverence,” Shangguan Hen replied.
“Unborn Man, open a passageway to the nether realm!” the skeleton Gu Hai said.
“Yes!”
The Unborn Man was even more eager, quickly opening the passageway as instructed.
Without hesitation, Shangguan Hen stepped into the nether realm.
He was determined to repay the great debt of gratitude he owed Gu Hai. If capturing Lifespan Beiming meant the Unborn Man could open the entrance to the hungry ghost path of reincarnation, he did not want to waste a single moment if he could help.
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Xuanyuan City:
“Emperor Kong, are you stupid?! Why would Mister Cangjie need your guidance to capture Lifespan Nangong? Or even your help?” Fengbo demanded in a pique.
“I… I didn’t realize,” Emperor Kong replied dejectedly.
“Initially, we did not know Lifespan Nangong’s location, so it would have been even more impossible for Shangguan Hen to find him. Well, look at the situation now. You helped Shangguan Hen to find Lifespan Nangong. Hah…,” Fengbo sighed.
“But why do they want Lifespan Nangong?” Ao Ying said with a pensive frown.
“Typically, lifespan cultivators are of interest only to other lifespan cultivators. Perhaps the Unborn Man requested it. However, why would he want Lifespan Nangong when he already has Lifespan Dongfang and Lifespan Chunshen?” Fengbo said with a frown.
“Lifespan cultivator? Lifespan cultivator? I don’t know what the Unborn Man wants to do, but he definitely wants to capture lifespan cultivators. Collecting lifespan cultivators? Lifespan Dongfang, Lifespan Nangong, and Lifespan Chunshen? Lifespan Beiming, one of the eight lines of inheritance, is surely his next target. Alert the Heavenly Demon Holy Land and have them warn him!” Emperor Kong said.
Everyone immediately nodded.
Not everyone was aware of the secrets of the hungry ghost path of reincarnation. Once most had departed, Emperor Kong whispered to Fengbo, “Fengbo, should we inform His Holy Eminence about what happened?”
Fengbo responded gravely, “It won’t help. We’ll just do as you said, inform the Heavenly Demon Holy Land to protect Lifespan Beiming. I believe the Unborn Man’s aim in collecting lifespan cultivators is to open the hungry ghost path of reincarnation. His Holy Eminence won’t rest until Gu Hai is defeated. Everything will be pointless once Gu Hai dies.”
“Should we rescue Lifespan Nangong?” Emperor Kong asked anxiously.
“It’s too late. Borderless Heavenly Capital is a forbidden zone; it wouldn’t be easy to get in. We should wait for news from His Holy Eminence,” Fengbo said seriously.
“Alright.” Emperor Kong nodded.
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The hungry ghost path of reincarnation:
Black energy spread out in a humongous, city-like cavern, looking extremely sinister.
“There! Hurry!” The roar of a giant snake came from a distance.
Boom!
Soon, Ji Dihong, Cangjie, Bing Ji, and Ju Mang arrived above the cavern city.
Whoosh!
With a wave of their hands, the black energy enveloping the city vanished, revealing a desolate landscape.
“We’re too late again!” Cangjie lamented.
“One step too late again. This is already the tenth time in three months. This Gu Hai is very crafty!” Ji Dihong said with a sullen expression.
“There’s a hungry ghost there! Hurry! Capture it!” Ju Mang’s eyes lit up.
A cat-headed, snake-bodied hungry ghost wailed in fear, pinned beneath a pile of fallen rocks and unable to move.
“It has nothing to do with me! It has nothing to do with me!” the cat-headed, snake-bodied hungry ghost cried out in horror.
“Did you see a black dragon consuming the other hungry ghosts?” Ju Mang asked sternly.
“It has nothing to do with me!”
“Quick, speak!” Ju Mang glared. The ferocious light in his eyes shocked the cat-headed snake into shivering.
“Yes! Yes! A massive dragon gave off a black energy, which covered the entire city. All hungry ghosts felt a sudden, insatiable hunger and were drawn to the dragon. However, as soon as they approached, the dragon devoured them with loud crunching,” the cat-headed snake recalled with a shiver.
Ju Mang remarked gravely, “This stone city housed half a million hungry ghosts. Could the dragon consume them all without bursting?”
Wide-eyed with terror, the cat-headed snake continued, “His belly swelled for a moment and then deflated in the next instant. It was a bottomless pit. Bottomless!”
“How long was the black dragon?” inquired Ji Dihong.
“Two thousand seven hundred meters! Two thousand seven hundred meters long!” the cat-headed snake replied, still filled with fear.
“Two thousand seven hundred meters long? He is already two thousand seven hundred meters! I just knew we could not give him time. Look at how long has passed!” Cangjie said anxiously.
“How long has it been since the dragon left?” Ji Dihong asked.
“About two hours,” the cat-headed snake replied.
“Two hours? He must have gone far away already by now. We let him escape again!” Ji Dihong’s face appeared incredibly unsightly.
“Ji Dihong, what’s the story behind this monster? How many hungry ghosts has it consumed? It did not eat just the big ones but even the smallest ones. We have tried multiple times to catch it along with other hungry ghost kings, only for it to escape every single time. It’s too cunning, isn’t it?” Ju Mang asked anxiously.
“More than cunning. It’s unfortunate you can’t use zither puppets in this world. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be so slow in getting news,” Ji Dihong said.contemporary romance
“What should we do now?”
“All hungry ghost kings, send out your strongest subordinates and search everywhere. As long as he lives, he’ll consider you all potential prey,” Ji Dihong ordered.
Ju Mang frowned and nodded.
The entire hungry ghost path of reincarnation entered a heightened state of alert.
As Ji Dihong and his group departed, the cat-headed snake remained behind, still trembling with fear.
“They are all dead? I’m the only one left in this cavern city? Doesn’t that mean all the enchanted treasures are mine?” The cat-headed snake felt excited. However, when it turned its head, it suddenly saw a black-robed man standing nearby.
The black-robed man was none other than Gu Hai.
Whoosh!
Gu Hai opened his mouth and sucked, pulling in the cat-headed snake.
“You didn’t leave?” The snake’s last words of despair echoed briefly before Gu Hai swallowed it.
Standing in the center of the cavern city, Gu Hai looked in the direction Ji Dihong had left.
“The whole world is looking for us? Do they think we’ll always expose ourselves so obviously? For every day outside, it’s a year in here. It’s only been four months inside, not even half a day outside. We have all the time, Ji Dihong,” Gu Hai murmured with a smirk.
Whoosh!
Gu Hai’s figure flashed, and he vanished again.
Gu Hai had a strategy. It never stayed in one place for too long, never engaging in protracted fights. It would eat and flee. Soon enough, two years had passed.
Over these two years, the hungry ghost kings nearly caught Gu Hai several times. However, it always managed to slip away right under their noses.
Furthermore, every time Gu Hai appeared, it was stronger.
A city of a million?
No, in Gu Hai’s biggest raid, it devoured a city of fifty million hungry ghosts. That time, Ju Mang almost caught it. However, another hungry ghost king interfered, giving Gu Hai a chance to escape.
Ju Mang had severely wounded Gu Hai during that encounter, but after consuming a batch of hungry ghosts, it quickly recovered.
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Boundless Mountain:
Ji Dihong addressed Ju Mang and four other figures in black robes.
“Hungry ghost kings, you have seen it for yourselves. It has been over two years. That black dragon is growing increasingly stronger; it is now almost seven kilometers long. If you keep fighting like this, it will only get stronger,” Ji Dihong said gravely.
The five hungry ghost kings remained silent.
“I know you all want to get out. To prevent further infighting over Gu Hai, I promise to let you all out if you collaborate and eliminate Gu Hai. How about that?!” Ji Dihong said.
The hungry ghost kings’ eyes lit up.
“Ji Dihong, are you for real?”
“Ji Dihong, to think you are that determined to kill this Gu Hai?”
The hungry ghost kings showed joy on their faces.
“Indeed. However, searching like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Mister Cangjie has a plan. I hope you all will follow his instructions,” Ji Dihong said.
“Oh?” Everyone looked at Cangjie.
“While I’m unsure why he can resist the wills of the hungry ghosts, one thing’s certain. He needs to consume hungry ghosts to become powerful. Therefore, I suggest we gather all the hungry ghosts in one place. I’d like to see how Gu Hai will manage to eat them!” Cangjie said solemnly.
“Right, that way, we don’t have to scatter all over the place. Once he shows up, any of us can tear him apart!” Ju Mang nodded.
“But there are too many hungry ghosts in the world. Gathering them all will take too long,” another hungry ghost king objected.
“No, Gu Hai is now almost six thousand seven hundred meters long. Let’s select those hungry ghosts over six thousand seven hundred meters tall, spread them out, and set up hungry ghost bases everywhere. Gather all the world’s hungry ghosts at these bases. If Gu Hai wants to feed, he’ll have to come to these bases. As soon as Gu Hai shows up and fights with any hungry ghost over six thousand seven hundred meters tall, we can provide backup. Once he’s trapped, he’s as good as dead,” Cangjie countered.
“There are over thirty thousand hungry ghosts taller than six thousand seven hundred meters. So, you’re suggesting they scatter while we gather the smaller hungry ghosts and leave Gu Hai with nothing to consume?” Ju Mang asked in a heavy voice.
“It shouldn’t take much time this way,” Cangjie replied seriously.
“It’s a good plan. At most, a month. Unless Gu Hai, being six thousand seven hundred meters long, wants to feed on those tiny three-centimeter- or thirty-centimeter-tall hungry ghosts, he won’t have anywhere to hide.” Ju Mang’s eyes sparkled.
“This is urgent. We must act quickly,” Ji Dihong urged in a grave tone.
“Alright.”
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Naturally, Gu Hai saw the changes in the hungry ghost path of reincarnation.
It saw a fortress where all the hungry ghosts were commanded to head to. Six-thousand-seven-hundred-meter-tall hungry ghosts guarded the fortresses, making an attack difficult.
The subsequent places Gu Hai went to were all the same.
Gu Hai’s expression turned sullen.
“Such tight defenses, not a single leak. Humph! Alright, then. If that’s how you want to play, we don’t mind joining the game, Ji Dihong. We hope you can handle the thrill. Hah!” Gu Hai said with a smirk.