Chen Zhou had been utterly suppressed by the white pollution before.
His Ghost Domain had been compressed to a mere three feet, his bone spikes would turn into new white beasts at the slightest touch, and his Hatred Fire could burn them for ages without killing a single one.
He had never spoken of that suffocating frustration, but he had kept it in his heart.
Now, that was no longer the case.
He finally no longer had to avoid those pale white things.
The clearing fell exceptionally quiet.
Jian Huaishuang turned his gaze toward the white tide slowly receding in the distance and said in a deep voice, “There is still Lou-Metal Dog.”
Before his voice could fade, a figure slowly stood up from among the debris.
Lou-Metal Dog was covered in white fur, his canine ears standing straight up, his crimson pupils staring dead at Chen Zhou through the layers of floodwater.
Having witnessed the entire process of Shen Shui Yuan being dissolved by the River of the Underworld, a look akin to wariness appeared on his distinctly canine face for the first time.
He did not charge forward immediately as he had done before. Instead, he stood in the middle of the floodwater, crouching slightly with his tail tucked between his legs, hesitating to pounce.
Taotie rubbed his hands at his side and turned to Chen Zhou. “Young Palace Master, that stupid dog hasn't run yet. Do you need me to take action?”
As he spoke, he ran his thick tongue over his lips, trailing a string of thick saliva, looking absolutely impatient.
Chen Zhou glanced at him and said calmly, “No need.”
The excitement on Taotie's face visibly collapsed. His shoulders slumped, his mouth puckered, and he muttered a dejected, “Oh.”
Chen Zhou walked straight forward.
As he walked, he raised his hand, a stream of gray-white death qi surging from his fingertips.
The death qi condensed in the air, stretching and hardening into bone spikes as thick as arms that hovered by his side.
Sensing danger, Lou-Metal Dog let out a low growl from his throat. He pushed off with all four legs, retreating backward.
But he stopped after only three steps. Countless tiny bone spikes had emerged from the depths of the floodwater behind him like thorns, forcing him back.
Chen Zhou came to a halt and made a grasping motion with his hand.
Dozens of bone spikes shot through the air simultaneously, stabbing toward Lou-Metal Dog from various angles.
Lou-Metal Dog reacted with lightning speed. He ducked to barely avoid three, then twisted his body to dodge two more.
But there were too many bone spikes, and each of their trajectories was slightly offset, sealing off all possible paths of escape.
The first bone spike pierced his left shoulder, pinning him in place.
The second pierced his right hip, the third drove beneath his ribs, and the fourth pinned the tip of his tail.
Lou-Metal Dog growled ferociously as white slime constantly spurted from his wounds, trying to crawl along the bone spikes toward Chen Zhou.
But unlike before, the slime could not instantly infect Chen Zhou's bone spikes.
The white slime wriggled a few times on the bone's surface, leaving a faint white trace, but was unable to penetrate any deeper.
As the gray-white death qi slowly circulated on the surface of the bone spikes, the weight in Chen Zhou's heart finally lifted.
Half a day ago, if Lou-Metal Dog so much as touched his bone spikes, they would have instantly turned white and turned on him.
But now, it was different.
The outer godhead of the Lord of the River of the Underworld throbbed quietly in his sea of consciousness, and the death qi flowing through his meridians carried a very faint ghostly light.
If Lou-Metal Dog's white pollution wanted to corrode his death qi, it first had to face the suppression of the River of the Underworld's status.
Unless he could pollute the entire River of the Underworld at once, this sporadic slime could not even scratch the surface of a single bone spike.
Chen Zhou withdrew his gaze and clenched his fist once more.
He activated [Hate Prison], an ability he had not used in a long time.
More bone spikes shot up from the ground, crisscrossing around Lou-Metal Dog. Stacking one upon another, they quickly formed a dense bone cage around him.
The spacing between the bone spikes was extremely tight; the widest gap was no larger than a fist, and the narrowest was too small for even a finger to pass through.
Trapped in the center of the cage, Lou-Metal Dog was pinned by his limbs, unable to move.
He let out low growls as his crimson pupils flashed through the gaps of the cage, like a mad beast locked inside.
Chen Zhou withdrew his hand, staring at the bone cage for a few moments before nodding in satisfaction.
Taotie flatteringly approached again, swallowing his saliva as he brandished his giant hammer. “Young Palace Master is mighty!” he shouted eagerly.
“Lou-Metal Dog is trapped now. Do you need to do him in, Young Palace Master? I can handle it for you!”
Chen Zhou shook his head slightly. “Keep him alive.”
“Until we find and destroy his true body, Lou-Metal Dog will not die.”
“He is too much of a nuisance. If we head to the Myriad Ghost Array, we can't afford to have him constantly tracking us.”
“Imprisoning him here for now is our best option.”
Plague Rat had already scurried over, clicking his tongue as he flattered, “My Lord, that was incredible!”
He turned and winked at Jian Huaishuang, his expression clearly saying that their Lord always had a way.
Jian Huaishuang did not join in the flattery. He took a few steps closer, his gaze falling on the bone spikes at the bottom of the cage that were slowly turning white, his brow furrowing slightly.
“My Lord,” he said.
“Although the pollution is spreading much slower than before, Lou-Metal Dog is still releasing white slime, and it is steadily eroding your bones.”
“At this rate, the cage will be completely polluted in three days at most.”
“Imprisonment is not a long-term solution.”
Chen Zhou nodded. “I know.”
He turned to look at Lian, who was sleeping on the ground. Curled up beneath layers of white paper, her breathing was steady, and though her face was still pale, she looked much better than before.
“Once I leave, I won't be able to keep him locked up indefinitely.”
“He will slowly pollute the entire prison, and his escape will only be a matter of time.”
“So I need someone to stay behind to channel death qi into the prison on my behalf to maintain the cage.”
“We also need someone to look after Lian. She hasn't woken up yet, and we can't just leave her here.”
Having said his piece, Chen Zhou swept his gaze over the group.
Plague Rat pointed at Wu Gou and shouted, “Is there even a choice!”
“Bald ass, you stay behind. You need to rest that battered body of yours.”
“Look at you, you're practically falling apart. You've never been to the Myriad Ghost Array, so you don't know how dangerous it is. You'll only get in the way!”
Wu Gou sat on his lotus platform, smoothing the hem of his monk robe. He looked up at Chen Zhou with a faint smile. “You don't need this monk to go with you?”
Chen Zhou waved his hand. “Plague Rat is right. You should take a break. You've been pushed to your limits over the past few days as well.”
“Besides, we have Wing-Fire Snake, Jiao Mu Jiao, Dou Mu Xie, and Nü Tu Fu now. With four Ghost Servants, our combat strength is more than sufficient.”
“I'll also take Fatty and Skinny with me. We have the upper hand in numbers, so there's no need to worry.”
Hearing this, Taotie immediately puffed out his chest. Grabbing the dazed Shen Liang beside him, he dragged him behind Chen Zhou and whispered, “The Young Palace Master has spoken. Skinny, let's go!”
Shen Liang stumbled from the yank, meekly following behind Taotie with a distracted look on his face.
His gaze kept drifting toward the white tide that had completely receded in the distance.
Was he going to have to face that white-furred monster again?
Shen Liang lowered his eyes as that indescribable irritation welled up in his heart once more. It felt like a needle pricking the depths of his divine soul—not particularly painful, but deeply unsettling.
Wu Gou sighed softly. “I wanted to let you rest, but who knew you were such a freak? You actually recovered in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.”
“Very well, then this monk will stay behind to guard this place.”
“It works out. I can take this opportunity to recruit a couple more fighters to our side.”
Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow.
Wu Gou rolled the Buddhist beads on his chest, smiling. “In the Xuandu Ghost Mansion, there are still Five Evils that haven't been transcended. You are going to break into the Myriad Ghost Array next, and there will likely be several tough battles ahead. It is always better to be prepared.”
Chen Zhou pondered for a moment before nodding. “If you can transcend them, it would be a good thing for them as well.”
Shen Liang had been listening closely. Hearing this, his eyes darted around as a flattering smile squeezed onto his gaunt face. He took a step forward.
“If Master wishes to transcend our other brothers, this subordinate has a recommendation.”
Wu Gou turned to look at him. “Oh? Who is it?”
After all, the Seven Evils had known each other for a hundred thousand years and were intimately familiar with one another. Wu Gou was open to hearing his suggestion.
Shen Liang rubbed his hands, weighing his words. “Hong Xiu.”
“Do not be fooled by her usual charming and frivolous appearance, as if she does nothing proper and has no filter on her mouth.”
“She is actually the most ruthless of us all.”
“She practices the Path of Extreme Emotions, which excels at mind control. She is a great asset in group battles, capable of interfering with the enemy's mind and disrupting their coordination. Since the opponent's Seven Mansions cooperate so seamlessly, her methods should be highly effective.”
Shen Liang spoke quickly and logically, much faster than usual, for fear that Wu Gou would reject his idea.
“And although she has a loose tongue, she never hesitates when executing orders,” he added. “If Master successfully transcends her, she will surely be completely loyal.”
Wu Gou listened quietly, a half-smile playing on his lips as his gaze fell on Shen Liang's pale face.
Rolling the Buddhist beads hanging around his neck, he spoke slowly. “Shen Liang.”
“This subordinate is here.”
“You aren't telling the whole truth, are you?”
The smile on Shen Liang's face froze.
He realized too late—how could he have forgotten that his Master possessed the Wenchang destiny?
With the Wenchang destiny, one possessed a wise heart that distinguished right from wrong and a keen eye that observed people's hearts, easily discerning the truth of any words spoken.
Every single word he had just spoken was the truth.
Hong Xiu was indeed suitable for group battles, she was indeed ruthless, and she indeed never hesitated to execute orders.
She was indeed the best candidate.
But there was still something else weighing on his mind—something he had kept hidden, something he could not bring himself to say.
Why was he the only one affected by that white-furred monster?
Why was Fatty completely unaffected?
Hadn't he already been transcended?
Hadn't the resentment, unwillingness, and hostility accumulated in his body for a hundred thousand years been cleansed by his Master's Buddhist light long ago?
Why did his hands and feet swell, and why did hatred seep from his bones the moment he smelled that dusty scent?
Shen Liang lowered his head, staring at his toes as he clenched his teeth.
He did not want to admit it, but he was terrified.
He was afraid of seeing that white-furred monster again, afraid of losing control, and afraid of turning into a mindless, savage ghost that wanted to tear everything to pieces.
What terrified him even more was that he had no idea why he reacted that way.
Was it really because this was the land of Southern Tang, his homeland from when he was alive, and returning here had triggered old memories?
That was merely an excuse he had made up for himself.
That was why he recommended Hong Xiu—because she, too, had been born in Southern Tang.
Shen Liang desperately wanted to know if Hong Xiu, as a fellow former subject of Southern Tang, would be affected by that smell as well, and if she would also lose control and remember things from her past.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, Shen Liang felt incredibly despicable.
But he had already spoken, and there was no taking it back.
In his panic, Shen Liang immediately dropped to his knees and began to kowtow.
The Xuandu Ghost Mansion was notorious for its strict adherence to rules, and the Xuandu Ghost Emperor himself was incredibly rigid. In the past, such insubordination and concealment of the truth would have resulted in severe punishment.
It was something even a malevolent ghost like him feared.
Wu Gou looked at Shen Liang's increasingly pale face and shifting eyes, but he did not press him.
He merely sighed softly and pressed his warm palm against Shen Liang's forehead, stopping him from kowtow-ing further and gently pulling him up.
“Why are you acting like this? I haven't even said anything.”
Shen Liang froze, looking up at Wu Gou apprehensively.
Chen Zhou crossed his arms. “Alright, don't scare him too much.”
“Skinny is quite useful to me, and he needs to come with me shortly.”
From Wu Gou's expression, Chen Zhou could tell that whatever Shen Liang was hiding was not a major concern.
The art of leadership was not about relentless harshness; it required a balance of leniency and discipline.
The playful look remained on Wu Gou's face as he looked down at Shen Liang's bloodshot eyes and spoke softly.
“What you said about Hong Xiu makes sense.”
“Given how well the Seven Evils have known each other over the past hundred thousand years, your recommendation is likely sound.”
“As for other matters...”
Wu Gou paused, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
“You can be more open with me in the future.”
“Speak your mind. There is no need to be so reserved.”
Shen Liang knelt dazed in the mud, staring at Wu Gou's youthful yet deeply compassionate face, unable to say a word for a long time.
Wu Gou looked up at the sky, then at the faint black mist looming over the distant ruins, and clapped his hands. “Alright, there's no time to lose.”
“I will head to the Xuandu Ghost Mansion now. I will be back within three days to channel death qi into the cage.”
He carefully picked up the sleeping Lian, wrapping the white paper more securely around her so she could sleep peacefully.
After taking a couple of steps, Wu Gou suddenly looked back at Shen Liang. “Shen Liang, was everything you just said true?”
Shen Liang shuddered and nodded hastily. “Every single word!”
Wu Gou smiled. “Good.”
He waved his hand and vanished into the shadows beyond the moonlight.
Chen Zhou and the others did not delay any longer, heading back in the direction they had come.
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