extra chapter thanks to Christi!
The dragon slayer eventually becomes the evil dragon
Ever since that day, this phrase has echoed in Wu Rong’s mind.
Right now, he sat in the study, the floor was wiped clean by the Anshan Ghost General, shining so brightly it seemed brand new. Amorous ghost Xiao Mei entered with a tray, a beautiful bone china cup containing freshly brewed coffee, heavily sweetened with milk and sugar.
Placing the coffee cup in front of Wu Rong, Xiao Mei didn’t leave as usual. Instead, she hesitated for a moment, daring to ask, “Does the King have something on his mind?”
Wu Rong didn’t answer and his fingertips toyed with the golden ring in his hand. It indeed contained pure gold, and after carrying it with him for the past few days, the Zhong Gu’s status had been adjusted to its optimal state. As long as Wu Rong extracted the pure substance from within it, it could immediately enter its cocoon state. However, cocooning would undoubtedly affect Wu Rong’s own condition, and the Gu’s cocooning to its metamorphosis would require some time. The federal police assessment was close and this was why Wu Rong hadn’t immediately extracted the pure substance.
“What turned you into a ghost?” Faced with Xiao Mei’s spontaneous question, Wu Rong didn’t reproach her. Hearing his impromptu question, Xiao Mei respectfully bowed her head, pondered for a moment, then replied, “Answering the King, it was obsession that turned me into a ghost.”
Obsession.
“Hatred?”
“There is hatred.” Facing Wu Rong, Xiao Mei first nodded, and then shook her head, somewhat embarrassed, saying softly, “But I am more worried about Hui Zi.”
Worried about what had happened to him, why he hadn’t come to her as agreed, whether the mine collapse incident she had inquired about earlier had affected her lover, and where he was exactly.
Hatred is a very intense emotion, but it’s also very empty. As time passed, the gangsters from that day turned into piles of bones, and with the carriers of her hatred gone, only obsession could keep her soul from dispersing, lingering in the world until an opportunity came with the sudden increase in spiritual energy during the supernatural revival, turning her into a resentful ghost.
“To be honest.” Xiao Mei smiled. Her charming qualities made every move and expression of hers a sight to behold, but this kind of pure smile without any seduction, coming from the heart, was even more moving to onlookers. “When I saw Hui Zi, I almost dissipated on the spot.”
With her wish fulfilled and her obsession achieved, even a resentful ghost could let go of everything and turn into smoke. The reason why she didn’t straight-up dissipate was probably because after Xiao Mei met the Anshan Ghost General, she developed a new obsession.
“King, I’ve heard a saying.”
Seeing Wu Rong lost in thought, Xiao Mei tidied up quietly and said one last thing before leaving the study: “Ghosts have obsessions, humans have beliefs, and sometimes spiritual strength is more tenacious than brute strength.”
“Did you hear that from the Bloodstained Garment King?” Wu Rong asked casually.
Xiao Mei was taken aback, a smile appearing in her beautiful eyes, as if there were little hooks in them that captivated the soul, and she said coquettishly, “Yes.”
Obsession, belief.
As Xiao Mei left, Wu Rong didn’t touch the coffee on the table. His gaze fell on the golden ring, sweeping over the fleeting brilliant golden halo.
The dragon slayer eventually becomes the evil dragon. Among the ghost keepers, there’s a more fitting variant of this phrase.
Ghost keepers eventually become evil ghosts.
Under the long-term influence of ghosts, a person’s will is gradually eroded, and many people will eventually be devoured by the ghosts they raise, becoming new resentful ghosts.
Wu Rong didn’t know what had happened to the Nine Heroes back then, but the recent frequent sightings of the heroes’ relics and the heroes’ descendants gave him a subtle feeling. It seemed like he would see them soon.
After so many years, if they were seen again, they would definitely be ghosts, not humans.
Except for one person.
Most of Fu Qingnan’s soul had reincarnated, and the remnant soul was with Wu Rong. No matter how he changed, he couldn’t become worse than this.
Thinking of this, Wu Rong’s mouth curled up slightly, then his expression returned to its usual calmness. After pondering for a moment, he summoned the Ghost Dog King and gave out a few commands. Soon, the ferocious Ghost Dog leapt out from Wu Rong’s shadow, went through the door, and came back in an instant, dragging A-Bao who was kicking wildly and struggling in panic. Following closely was Master Ling Yun, with a stiff smile and a face that looked utterly disheartened.
Master Ling Yun felt like he had been summoned more times in the past few days than in his entire previous life! Heaven knows that throughout his entire previous life, he had only seen the Ghost King Wu Rong’s face once. Why can he see it every day in this life???
Moreover, the questions Wu Rong asked were becoming trickier than the last, all treading on the edge of danger. If answered too little, it seemed like nonsense; too much, and one might receive a lightning strike delivery package. The perfect balance had to be gauged by Master Ling Yun himself. Now, seeing Wu Rong made his scalp tingle, and he was even more nervous than when he had first signed the spiritual contract in his past life.
Look, what kind of question will he ask this time?
“Master Ling Yun, please enjoy.”
Wu Rong, very politely, pushed his untouched, still steaming coffee towards him: “As a widely recognized and knowledgeable master, you must have already made all the necessary preparations for the Lantern Ghost King’s upcoming attack. So, what kind of ghost is the strongest Ghost King you have ever seen?”
“I am quite curious.”
My goodness, he actually praised me!
“Knowledgeable, yes, that’s me!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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What did Wu Rong just ask?
The strongest Ghost King?
This, this this—
Master Ling Yun cautiously, suspiciously exchanged glances with Wu Rong, reading the calm and tranquil look in his eyes as a confirmation of his own guess.
His breathing hitched, and Master Ling Yun’s hand trembled slightly, he was almost tempted to throw the coffee in his hand onto Wu Rong’s face.
Damn it, Wu Rong wants him to talk about the Ghost King Wu Rong from his past life!
What strongest Ghost King, is there any Ghost King stronger than the future Wu Rong?
How should he talk about this? If he really starts, wouldn’t he have to play house with the heavenly thunder?
Isn’t the life of a Heavenly Master also a life? He doesn’t want to do this anymore!
“I have seen many Ghost Kings, but the strongest one rarely left the Ghost Country, hardly ever appearing before the public, almost like a legend.”
The coffee cup was warm, but Ling Yun’s heart was cold.
It was quite normal for Wu Rong to be interested in his past self, but it was sad that he had to rack his brains again to just get it right. If he accidentally talked too much and made Wu Rong faint, he, Ling Yun, might just end up as the main dish on today’s dinner table.
“This Ghost King is unlike any other, a rare one who can command other Ghost Kings.”
The King of Kings who sits on the Throne of Bones.
Caught up in his memories, Ling Yun’s gaze grew distant, muttering to himself: “When countless ghosts pay him homage, he is the undisputed King.”
“People become ghosts due to their obsessions.”
Wu Rong said nonchalantly, “This Ghost King must also have obsessions, right?”
“Obsessions?”
Suddenly being asked about this, Master Ling Yun’s thoughts scrambled, and following Wu Rong’s words, he then furrowed his brow deeply.
“Ghosts are born from obsessions, and even when one becomes a Ghost King, the obsession only deepens, not lessens.”
So in his previous life, when he went down the mountain, he thought of infiltrating the Ghost Country to find Ghost King Wu Rong’s obsession. His plan was to help the Ghost King resolve his obsession and then reform the Ghost King.
Yet ghosts below the level of a resentful ghost have obsessions that tend to be quite pure.
Most are driven by desires for revenge or retribution, and occasionally, there are extraordinary evil spirits obsessed with slaughter. However, because they are steeped in too much bloody resentment, they cannot regain their senses and advance to become ghost generals. They remain stuck at the level of a resentful ghost and ultimately either get devoured by other ghosts or are dispersed by Celestial Masters.
As for ghost generals and above, although they remain ghosts, their thinking and rationality are restored, making them more akin to living humans in some respects. Their obsessions are no longer singular but become more complex, covering various aspects. These complex obsessions stabilize their existence. Despite the variety and mixture of their obsessions, their core obsession remains singular, akin to an ideal they must fulfill in their ghostly existence. For generations, humans with abilities have tirelessly studied these obsessions, even establishing various academic fields to delve into them. For lower-level ghosts, their obsessions transform into a core relic. As long as they can find it and destroy it, the ghost will be fully vanquished.
For higher-level ghosts, their core obsession influences their personality, attack methods, and even their movements. Understanding these obsessions helps humans research, defend against them, and even exterminate these ghosts. For instance, the obsession of the Anshan Ghost General was to spend a lifetime with Xiao Mei, which strengthened him after their encounter. The Lantern Ghost King, known to appear around the world during the early stages of the supernatural revival, is thought by researchers in the American Federation to have been a backpacker who died in an accident. His obsession with travelling around the world makes him a rare nomadic Ghost King.
However, other researchers proposed he was a perverse artist in life, obsessed with creating wax figures from living people, so every time he passes through an area, he makes all human beings into wax figures, killing them.
Debates abound, and the study of Ghost Kings has become a hot academic field, partly because humans and Ghost Kings rarely engage in large-scale battles. Upon a ghost’s death, their Yin Qi and resentment are released. Ordinary ghosts’ resentments can be absorbed by ghost keepers, enhancing their powers. However, the resentment released by a Ghost King upon death can cover a whole country, birthing numerous lower-tier resentful ghosts.
The biggest threat to ordinary humans always comes from the endlessly spawning low-tier ghosts. By allowing a Ghost King to remain within its Ghost Territory, they act like large Yin Qi absorbers.
Thus, humans rarely mobilize to fight Ghost Kings to the death. Occasionally, when a particularly malevolent Ghost King is captured, it is not killed immediately but sealed and thrown into the Abyss Great Tiankeng—an abyss that releases vast amounts of Yin Qi and resentment, acting like a colossal garbage disposal that consumes everything thrown into it, a fact well known even to children.
Yet, some Ghost Kings defy conventional wisdom, like Wu Rong. Before descending the mountain, Master Ling Yun prepared by using the authority of Longhu Mountain to scour databases, understanding how Wu Rong was once captured and thrown into the Abyss Great Tiankeng, only to then emerge and become the supreme Ghost King.
Just as he had made many guesses, he finally found out——
“That Ghost King…”
Master Ling Yun took a deep breath, recalling the incredible and complex feelings he experienced in his past life upon realizing:
“He had no obsessions.”
Wu Rong had pondered this issue for a long time, wondering why so many people, including Master Ling Yun and General Lu, who knew of the reincarnators, were so certain they would become Ghost Kings after death.
Despite his strong Yin Qi, Wu Rong didn’t see any particular obsession in himself that could support him into becoming a Ghost King. His nature was such that he seldom cared deeply about things. What might infuriate others barely affected him and his emotions had always been relatively stable.
Sometimes, Wu Rong even wondered if his lack of intense emotion was why he had such an intertwined fate with Fu Qing.
Though many things had definitely changed now, and the past lives he shared with Master Ling Yun and others were completely different. Maybe an event that could profoundly affect him and possibly create an obsession would never occur.
Given this, why then, had the authorities specifically sent General Lu and even arranged for Master Ling Yun to be his personal bodyguard?
This question also deeply troubled General Lu.
“Master Kuchan,”
After a meeting at the Ministry of Public Security, General Lu hurried a few steps to catch up with Master Kuchan, hinting:
“Shouldn’t these major meetings call back Master Ling Yun?”
“Amitabha.”
Master Kuchan looked significantly older, but his kind and gentle demeanor instantly comforted anyone who met him. An old man and a young man walked through the heavily guarded corridor. The smell of the impending war spread to the entire Safe Zone after the outbreak of mutated insects. After the hasty arrival of Master Kuchan the day before yesterday, the Yangjiaping Safe Zone and the surrounding Ghost Territory were completely sealed off, prohibiting personnel from entering or leaving
This time, as the Lantern Ghost King passed through, Master Kuchan, Grandmaster Ling Yun, and others were present to oversee it, supported by Major General Lu’s army, Vice Director Zheng of the Yungui Public Security Bureau, Director Zhou of the Yangjiaping Public Security Department, and specially invited federal special police officers. Now, the Yangjiaping Safe Zone was filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers, capable of matching even a five-star Ghost King.
Blocking the Ghost King outside the Safe Zone, or even killing it, had a very high chance of success. The arrival of these supreme masters gradually calmed the residents who couldn’t leave the Safe Zone, significantly reducing the daily desperate attempts to breach the security lines and escape.
However, while everyone was relatively optimistic, the top few masters who repeatedly convened meetings at the Public Security Department, now serving as the wartime command center within the Safe Zone, were far from relaxed. On the contrary, the dignitaries who emerged from the meeting room all wore somber expressions and were visibly tense.
Their concern was no longer the Lantern Ghost King but the terrifying entity that had been chasing it, forcing it to flee in panic ever since the seal on the Youpotan Great Tiankeng was broken. Even a five-star Ghost King was trivial compared to the horrors that emerged from the Great Tiankeng.
Naturally, such a crucial secret meeting required everyone’s presence, except for one person with special privileges.
That was Master Ling Yun, who was tasked with ‘protecting’ Wu Rong.
“I didn’t feel a hint of Ghost Qi or twisted obsession from him.”
After Master Kuchan and Major General Lu found a deserted rest room and went in, Major General Lu whispered his troubles to Master Kuchan: “That person is different from what I imagined.”
People easily become ghosts after death, driven by Yin Qi and resentment. But to become a high-grade ghost immediately upon death, one must either be born under unusual circumstances, have suffered a life of misery, or experienced profound despair. In any case, they are all predestined to become ghosts, and any skilled person could see the signs beforehand while they’re alive, allowing for redemption or ending their obsessions to prevent posthumous transformation.
Major General Lu, a ‘Ghost Envoy,’ was highly sensitive to the presence of ghosts. Evil ghosts in human skin cannot escape from his sharp eyes, as their bodies are full of sinister resentment. He can also detect in advance whether something will happen to a person after they die, as his unique method of recognizing people did not rely on seeing their faces but sensing their energy.
But when he first met Wu Rong, Major General Lu had reviewed their entire interaction and ultimately realized that he had initially not recognized Wu Rong’s true nature, mistaking him merely for a federal special police officer because he sensed no Yin Qi or resentment in him.
As they continued their interactions, Major General Lu still couldn’t sense any potential in him to become a Ghost King.
He’s just a decent young man.
“After investigation and analysis, it was thought that Wu Rong’s transformation into a ghost was triggered when the Lantern Ghost King passed through, causing chaos in the Safe Zone and prompting the people to flee, during which Xun An killed him and out of love, he became obsessed with hatred,”
Speaking of love and hatred, Major General Lu paused and couldn’t help but think of Wu Rong’s current marriage partner, Fu Qing.
“To judge a pig, look at its pen,” as the saying goes. Xun An’s father himself was a man who bullied the weak but feared the strong, beat his wife, and was addicted to gambling and alcohol. Even if his son appeared fine on the outside, he likely harbored many defects. However, considering Fu Qing came from the Fu family of Longhu Mountain, known for their strict and loyal nature, his genetics couldn’t be poor. The only possible issues affecting their relationship could be Wu Rong being consumed by the Ghost King he nurtured or Fu Qing’s changed personality upon the return of his fragmented soul.
Still, when he shared his thoughts with Master Kuchan, the master simply smiled and shook his head.
“Haiwen.”
Master Kuchan’s gentle voice interrupted Major General Lu’s words. “Have you considered it?”
“Do ghosts need to have obsessions to exist?”
What else could it be?
Major General Lu almost blurted out. Obsession is the primary element in the formation of a ghost, this is knowledge everyone has learned since childhood.
“Some people are naturally destined to be Ghost Kings.”
Are you kidding me?
If it weren’t for the fact that the one saying this was the respected Master Kuchan, Major General Lu would have exploded. Even so, his brows furrowed tightly, and his expression of disagreement was about to burst out. “Such a statement is too absurd, illogical—”
“Yes, it lacks logic.”
Master Kuchan leisurely continued, “You don’t need to worry about Master Ling Yun’s arrangements. He knows what he’s doing.”
“Are you overseeing tonight’s assessment?”
Seeing Major General Lu nod, Master Kuchan smiled, with deep implication, “Then you can see for yourself and think carefully.”
“A born king, even if he is still asleep and has not awakened.”
“All ghosts are just servants before him.”
Born king?
Master Kuchan’s viewpoint failed to convince the stubborn Major General Lu, but his advice was still taken to heart by the Major General. The assessment actually started in the morning, but the focus of both the morning and the afternoon assessments was mainly on the basics, focusing on the physical and mental state of the ghost keepers. The real highlight was the evening when Major General Lu and another powerhouse personally supervised at night.
To face a Five-Star Ghost King, a thoroughly comprehensive preparation is necessary. Especially since they intended to deploy most of their top combatants against the terrifying presence behind the Lantern Ghost King, the main force to stop the Lantern Ghost King would be these specially recruited federal agents. In light of this, today’s assessment added an item that involved confronting the intimidating aura of a high-level Ghost King.
When Wu Rong had just died, his strength probably hadn’t reached the level of a Ghost King.
This was summarized from the information provided by Xun An and the other reincarnators, and most of those who knew this, such as Major Genera Lu, thought the same. Becoming a Ghost King immediately after death is truly abnormal. A villain who starts at full level is more terrifying than one who leveled up.
So, how would Wu Rong react to the items in the assessment? After all, that is the item that is closest to, and can even be said to surpass, the pressure of a Five-Star Ghost King. Even Wu Rong couldn’t possibly remain indifferent.
That’s what Major General Lu was thinking before the evening assessment began.
Wu Rong passed the morning and afternoon assessments absentmindedly, as Fu Qing did not return as expected, causing his mood to fluctuate. He tried to sense Fu Qing’s situation using the Yin-Yang Contract, but only perceived that the Big Ghost was currently in good condition.
Wu Rong: ………
Wu Rong had long noticed the strange connection between the Big Ghost and Fu Qing, but not being able to contact Fu Qing still stirred his emotions.
“Wu Rong!”
In this indescribable state of mind, Wu Rong was utterly indifferent to everything around him. Whether it was the federal special police he had just met, who he would soon be fighting alongside, or the person who was now seeking him out for a conversation, Wu Rong ignored them all.
“Ha, you really are a man of few words.”
Despite Wu Rong’s disregard, the man wasn’t angry but rather familiarly approached him, talking non-stop:
“I heard your ghost is disabled? Yet, you still became a federal special police, imagine how strong it’ll be if it’s cured! Seriously man, disabled ghosts are like stocks with potential. Don’t mind it, my ghost used to be disabled too, and now it can beat them all senseless.”
The young man provocatively scanned the others around them, some indifferent and some showing suppressed anger at his gaze. Seeing this, the disdain on the young man’s face grew deeper. When he turned back to Wu Rong, his demeanor switched seamlessly to one of enthusiastic camaraderie: “Honestly man, I say those of us raising disabled ghosts are the real ghost ‘keepers’. They, at best, are just ghost ‘hosts’.”
“Look at them, they hardly seem human.”
Indeed, among the fifteen federal special police present, only Wu Rong and the young man looked like normal humans. Those capable of contending with a Ghost King had their bodies and temperaments bizarrely altered by ghosts. Some had necks three meters long, others were puffed up like balloons, and some were skinny, cloaked in long coats, revealing nothing but bones underneath their clothes.
They say they were raising ghosts, but they were indeed similar to the ‘ghost hosts’ the young man jokingly referred to.
Seeing the young man’s demeanor, as if he was the best in the world, and the others trying to cozy up to him, it was clear he had extraordinary abilities.
But it was unknown why this person was fixated on the obscure Wu Rong, warmly approaching the cold and indifferent man, buzzing around him like a fly. The combat ability of his chattering could match Bai Gu, Huang Mao plus Su Xiaomi.
“Honestly, man, the moment I saw you, I felt a connection. That kind of spark, you know, like seeing my dad. Could it be that we were father and son in a past life……….”
The young man’s endless chatter was completely blocked out by Wu Rong, who stood expressionless, waiting for the report results while distractedly thinking about Fu Qing and the upcoming special assessment.
Out of the corner of his eye, Wu Rong glanced towards the window.
Huh?
Wu Rong furrowed his brow.
He seemed to see something like a bandage climbing outside the window, moving in a caterpillar-like motion, alternating between arcing and flattening.
Then, obsequiously, it gestured with a heart towards him.
Author’s note:
Bandage Little Man: Ha, up next is my Coffin Old Man show! Yun Zhongke, get lost!
Old-fashioned Bandage Little Man (mumbling): Tie your bandage to mine, string together a lucky clover, string a little heart (づ￣ 3￣)づ
“the Coffin Old Man is a pet, give him a pillow and he’ll sleep at Wu Rong’s feet” this… this seems to be accurate 😅😅
Bandage man!!!!! That last paragraph is hilarious especially with wu rong’s Pov, confusion at what the heck is that. A bandage ghost moving like a caterpillar climbing the building and showing affection at him. (*σ>∀<)σ
lmaooo, I love coffin old man so much he’s just honestly such a mood xD I can now use the friend template on them, Coffin Old Man is the “too much energy” friend, Master Ling Yun is the “not enough energy” friend, “Dawn” or Knight (idk what’s his game again?) is the Calm friend who don’t give 2 sh!t and Hongshu is the other Calm friend who’s secretly super hyper xD