The Ghost Market was perpetually shrouded in night, never seeing daylight. As the auction was approaching, the Star - Picking Tower was bustling with activity. The laughter of men and women spread wantonly with the evening breeze.
On both sides of the street, shops stood in great numbers. The pale moonlight gently spread over the red bricks, green tiles, or the brightly - colored eaves of the pavilions, presenting a scene of prosperity.
Yu Nian walked down the steps. With a flick of her wrist, she lit a fire talisman and walked forward with ease. The cave was extremely quiet, forming a sharp contrast with the hustle and bustle outside.
There were several grooves on the stone wall, in which a few weak candles flickered as if they were about to go out at any moment.
With a flash of her slender figure, Yu Nian reached the wooden door. This time, she didn't hesitate and directly pushed it open.
After a soft "creak", a huge cave appeared before Yu Nian.
Just as Yu Nian had expected, the Ghost King had seized the opportunity of this auction and hatched from the meatball, regaining her human form.
The Ghost King was tall and coiled in the middle of the room like a snake. Countless strands of long hair fluttered in the air like tiny waterweeds without any support.
The black hair wound down along her pale skin. She had absorbed the essence of many Taoists here and had almost recovered.
Her body was bloated and strange, as if it had been soaked in water. She had been seriously injured by the Demon King. The tattered flesh on her body was out of shape, and something was constantly wriggling in her eye sockets, with stinking pus and blood flowing out continuously. She looked extremely terrifying.
Hearing the footsteps of the visitor, the Ghost King opened her empty eyes. The moment she lifted her huge head, there was a clicking sound of bones colliding.
"Who are you?"
The Ghost King stared at Yu Nian with her blood - red eyes without blinking. Her voice was as hoarse as sandpaper, as if there was a mouthful of phlegm stuck in her throat: "A Taoist?"
Yu Nian said without any hesitation: "Yes." She imitated Qi Rongsheng's gesture, folded her arms and looked around, then sighed with admiration: "I didn't expect that the once - powerful Ghost King would end up in such a situation. She even has to steal the essence of cultivators to maintain her magic power. Now the entire Ghost Market is under Feng Lian's jurisdiction. Aren't you afraid of being discovered by him when you hide under the Star - Picking Tower?"
After her words fell, the Ghost King let out two shrill sneers: "You're talking nonsense! This Ghost Market was originally my territory. Everything Feng Lian has now was snatched from me! That Feng Lian is too bullying. He enjoys the admiration of the people in the ghost world. The Star - Picking Pavilion was also mine originally! I've been biding my time just for the day of revenge! I will definitely cut off Feng Lian's head and use it as a chamber pot!! I will take back everything that belongs to me!"
"Oh?" Yu Nian paced slowly and said, "It's a pity that you're seriously injured now. You may not be a match for the Demon King."
"Ridiculous! That wolf cub thinks he has completely mastered the Ghost Market, but he doesn't know that most of the ghosts around him are still my confidants. When I recover from my injury, I will rally my forces and take the Ghost Market back from his hands!"
After a pause, the Ghost King stared at Yu Nian warily. Seeing that she came alone and there was no trace of spiritual power around her, she sneered: "What? Are you here to subdue me or to avenge your fellow Taoists? It's really a pity. With your strength, you can't kill me. You will only become my meal!"
The long hair as lush as waterweeds fell like countless raindrops, sharp as needles, as if it was going to nail Yu Nian to the ground alive!
Yu Nian smiled slightly and didn't dodge.
But invisibly, there was a barrier in front of her, repelling all the hair.
Yu Nian smiled slightly: "It's not me who wants to subdue you." Then Yu Nian stepped aside slightly and whispered behind her: "Your Highness, the Demon King, have you heard all this?"
The Ghost King was immediately shocked.
A dark figure slowly emerged from the thick night.
The figure in a dark - feathered robe stepped forward slowly. He released his coercion, his eyes were cold and gloomy, and a fleeting look of killing intent flashed in the bottom of his eyes.
The Demon King sneered and said: "I was wondering why I couldn't sleep well these days. It turns out that there's a stinky and shady rat hiding underground. It seems that I showed mercy last time and didn't beat you to ashes."
The Ghost King was stunned for a long time and said in a low voice: "What, do you want to join hands with this Taoist to deal with me?"
As long as Feng Lian had a bit of sense, he could see that this Taoist clearly wanted them to fight like the snipe and the clam, and then reap the rewards of their strife. When they were exhausted, she would take them all at once.
Thinking of this, the Ghost King's hatred in her eyes when looking at Yu Nian became stronger: "I advise you to think clearly. It's better to join hands with me to get rid of her first. Don't let this cunning Taoist take advantage!"
But unexpectedly, after hearing this, Feng Lian just sneered twice and had no intention of attacking Yu Nian at all.
Yu Nian smiled, and a bit of ghostly aura emanated from her body.
She smiled sweetly at the Ghost King: "You believed me when I said I was a Taoist? I was just bluffing you."
The demon and the ghost fought fiercely. Under Feng Lian's heavy blows, the Ghost King was on the verge of death, leaning against the stone wall. The red threads she used to absorb the essence of cultivators were all cut off.
Although Feng Lian had the upper hand, he wasn't in a good condition either. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered at the Ghost King: "You will always be my loser!"
He turned to Yu Nian and shouted: "Take me out quickly!"
Yu Nian smiled slightly and no longer concealed the aura around her.
Seeing the spiritual energy overflowing from her body, both Feng Lian and the Ghost King were as shocked as if they had been struck by lightning: "Who on earth are you??"
Yu Nian waved her hand, and the ghost bride immediately jumped off her body. The ghostly aura on Yu Nian just now came from the ghost bride.
Yu Nian laughed: "Yu Nian from the Pure Heart Temple."
Feng Lian was stunned. He never expected that Yu Nian was actually a super double - agent who played the role of an undercover.
The Ghost King was dumbfounded. She had painstakingly killed so many Taoists and absorbed their essence, just for the day when she could fight her way out. She didn't expect that she had fallen into Yu Nian's trap!
The demon and the ghost looked at each other and unexpectedly united at this moment.
The Ghost King looked at Yu Nian maliciously and sneered: "Do you think you can walk out of here alive?"
The moment her words fell, the blood - qi around her body became extremely strong. The thick resentment surrounded Yu Nian in an instant, and she quickly cast various poisonous spells on Yu Nian.
Yu Nian didn't dodge either. She was wearing a talisman robe, and this kind of resentment couldn't get close to her at all. So she flew forward. Even though the Ghost King hit her shoulder and abdomen, she didn't show any reaction at all.
Yu Nian quickly subdued the Ghost King and the Demon King. She calculated the time and knew that Zhou Qian and the others should have returned to normal, so she took the Ghost King and the Demon King out.
Qi Rongsheng was ready for battle. He led the cultivators and rushed into the basement with a murderous look. But they saw the place in a mess, and there was no trace of any monster at all. Yu Nian was sitting on the stone steps with her arms folded leisurely.
On the ground beside her feet, there was a large pile of things. It was a large mass of hair wrapped around half of a torso, constantly wriggling and making a "hissing" sound.
The scene in front of him was so shocking that Qi Rongsheng couldn't take his eyes off Yu Nian.
He was stunned for a while before he found his voice: "You—"
Hearing the sound, Yu Nian looked up and suddenly smiled thoughtfully: "Me?"
The word "me" stopped abruptly. Yu Nian smiled again and didn't say anything more.