txolops Chapter 7: Overwhelm
Chapter 7: Overwhelm
Fang Chen caught a glimpse of a dark shadow swirling in the wind, moving with terrifying speed, and it arrived in the courtyard in the blink of an eye.
The newcomer was dressed in a black robe and wore a crown. His face was terribly gloomy, his soul was solid and heavy, and his Yin energy was pure and powerful... He was actually a Yin official who had subdued the Seven Souls Demon, and his strength was far superior to Xie Qi from before!
If a ghost official of this rank can collect three souls from this broken world, he can be promoted to the head of the underworld officials.
Going further, by condensing and unifying the three souls and seven spirits, one can achieve the body of a Yin God, and even manifest a realm of ghosts. At that point, one would be considered a figure of some importance in this lower city area. In terms of underworld rank, this would be equivalent to a local "Black Impermanence"!
However, Fang Chen's hand gestures did not stop at all; he simply extended them from afar.
The pale green flames in mid-air suddenly surged, their tongues raging, instantly turning Xie Qi's last remaining soul into wisps of green smoke, completely scattering his soul and making it impossible for him to reassemble!
At this moment, Fan Ba, the Black Impermanence who came later, had already landed in the courtyard.
Seeing this, its face darkened. Instead of immediately taking action, it quickly pulled out a dusty gray soul talisman from its pocket and rapidly made hand seals, preemptively absorbing the remaining yin energy and soul power in the courtyard.
Fang Chen also made his move almost simultaneously, collecting the scattered essences in the air.
The soul power left behind by these ghost officials after their deaths, if tempered a little, would be excellent resources for cultivation. How could it be wasted?
Revenge can wait a while, but it would be a huge loss to let these things dissipate and merge into the filthy evil energy.
Until the last wisp of relatively pure Yin energy was completely absorbed, Fan Ba glanced at the shimmering light on the soul talisman, a hint of satisfaction flashing across his face, but he quickly returned to his cold and indifferent state.
Then, its stiff, corpse-like face stared intently at Fang Chen, and it shouted sternly:
"Hey! You little Taoist boy, how dare you murder the tax collector of the Underworld! Aren't you afraid that your entire family will have their souls extracted and refined, their skin peeled off and their skulls made into ghost lamps, forever imprisoned in the Avici Hell, suffering the torment of being burned by karmic fire and devoured by ten thousand ghosts?!"
For a moment, it was awe-inspiring and menacing.
"So it's Lord Fan Ba." Fang Chen's expression was calm, seemingly unfazed. He casually twirled the white bone longsword. "Does Lord Fan perhaps also wish to go down and keep that fool company? Black and White Impermanence, the road to the Yellow Springs won't be so lonely."
This blatant threat caused Fan Ba's face to turn ashen.
It represents the laws of the underworld. It's one thing for the real masters in the city to look down on it, but this mere Taoist boy dares to be so arrogant. He's practically courting death!
"You think you can do anything to me just because you managed to sneak up on that idiot Xie Qi?" Fan Ba's body surged with dark, yin energy, and he sneered.
"Your magic is profound, and I am naturally no match for you." Fang Chen raised his eyelids slightly, his tone somewhat subtle. "But with the help of the formation here, even at the cost of my life, I can inflict a few soul wounds on you... It shouldn't be too difficult."
His tone was calm, yet it was incredibly scathing:
"My lord, please don't forget, this is a world of five turbidities and evils. Within the Dao City, blood taxes are as high as mountains. If one's soul is damaged, one needs to seek treatment from alchemists, physicians, and shamans. How much incense money will that cost?"
"Sir, you only earn a few coins a month, why risk your life? When your spiritual funds run out, you'll be haunted by tax ghosts, kicked out of the underworld's temple, and left to wander the streets... Heh, I hope you can think this through, sir. Work is work, but your life is your own!"
Upon hearing this, Fan Bayi's expression changed drastically.
The other party's words were meant to attack the heart, but every word they said was true.
Despite being a clerk in the underworld, the blood tax he has to pay is actually heavier than that of ordinary cultivators.
The little bit of money he usually gets from extortion and blackmail is barely enough to keep him sane and slightly improve his spiritual level after paying taxes.
But once the soul is damaged, there is nowhere to find spiritual medicine in this degenerate age, and one can only beg those shamans who charge extremely high prices.
Even if they could afford it, they would definitely have to exhaust all their savings.
Once the spiritual resources are depleted, and the exploitative system of blood tax deems them redundant and exhausted, the layers of exploitation will tighten like chains.
At that time, let alone cultivation, he might not even be able to keep his official position in the underworld. He would be driven out of the temple, end up on the streets, and eventually be sucked dry by tax ghosts!
Tax collectors from the underworld? In the eyes of the truly powerful figures in the city, they were nothing more than henchmen who could be replaced at any time.
The underworld of Dao City has no shortage of ghosts who yearn to "get a legitimate job"!
Once you fall into the blood tax killing line of Dao City, no matter what kind of mage, high-level master, Dao Foundation cultivator, or even Yin God True Person you are, you will be exploited to death. No one is exempt!
'That little beast is so vicious! Those old Taoist priests are so pedantic and cowardly, they can be easily manipulated, how did they raise such a troublesome brat...' Fan Ba thought to himself with resentment, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.
Seeing that it couldn't gain any advantage and fearing that the other party would really fight to the death, it immediately snorted coldly and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute."
Fan Ba paused for a moment.
A cold smile appeared on Fang Chen's lips:
"You think you can just leave like this, sir? Xie Qi's soul was my spoils, and I could let it go if you insisted on taking a share. But to trespass on someone else's execution ground and disturb their peaceful cultivation...aren't you going to offer any compensation?"
"You dare!" Fan Ba's head snapped 180 degrees, the ghostly fire in his pupils flickering wildly. "Do you really think I'm easy to bully?!"
Fang Chen remained silent, simply gripping the white bone sword, taking one step after another, steadily moving forward.
He walked steadily, his face showing no emotion whatsoever.
Fan Ba's pupils contracted sharply, and he subconsciously took half a step back. He then realized that he had lost his composure and straightened up in anger and embarrassment.
But looking into the other's eyes, which were calm to the point of being almost lifeless, a chill rose from the depths of its soul... This person is truly willing to risk his life!
"No... I went through so much hardship to get this position, how can I risk my life against these desperados?"
The moment the thought arose, regret immediately welled up in my heart.
As the saying goes, the ruthless fear the stubborn, and the stubborn fear the reckless.
It was, after all, a righteous official of the underworld with a bright future, and it was absolutely not going to fight to the death with such a mere mortal. As a result, it was killed by the blood tax system of Dao City!
"That's enough!" Fan Ba waved his hand dismissively, his voice hoarse. "This soul talisman has already absorbed three-tenths of the soul power, plus this bag of magic money, consider it an apology!"
It threw down a soul talisman and a small cloth bag, and with a gust of cold wind, it tried to escape immediately.
"Lord Fan," Fang Chen's voice came calmly from behind, "I hope you can resolve today's matter cleanly. If anyone in my [Zhengyang Dao] is ever to suffer an inexplicable fate in the future... before I die, I will use my secret curse to invite you... to join me in the underworld!"
Fan Ba's figure visibly stiffened for a moment, but in the end he did not turn around. He turned into a wisp of black smoke and hurriedly fled.
"What a despicable person! He fears power but doesn't appreciate kindness!" Fang Chen sneered as he watched its disappearing figure.
Only then did the junior disciples who were too scared to move dare to gather around, their faces filled with fear and lingering dread. Several of the younger female disciples even had a look of admiration in their eyes.
This senior brother Fang is usually taciturn, but I never expected him to show such courage in a critical moment. It's truly admirable.
Fang Chen met everyone's gazes, nodded slightly, and asked:
"Where are Master, your fellow uncles, and the other senior brothers and sisters?"
An older disciple quickly replied:
"The Dao Master and two elders, along with several senior brothers and sisters, have been out of the city for a long time and haven't returned. Two other senior brothers and sisters apparently had business at the Dao Manor outside the city; they went out early this morning and haven't been heard from since. Senior Brother Mingyang is still in seclusion..."
"I see." Fang Chen's heart sank. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I need to go into seclusion for a while. You all guard the dojo. If there is any abnormality, immediately light the alarm talisman."
"Yes, I will obey my senior brother's orders."
Fang Chen turned and walked towards the back hall.
Deep within the back hall of this temple, there are arrays set up by the sect and guarded by ghostly soldiers, as well as hidden protective arrays, making it difficult for ordinary evil spirits to infiltrate.
It was precisely because of this support that the elders of the sect dared to leave the city to go out on business. Just now, Fan Ba only dared to threaten them verbally, but did not dare to actually force his way in.
He entered a small, secret room. The floor was paved with lightning-struck wood chips from the old era, forming an octagonal pattern. Four copper bells hung from the four corners, and a dark, heavy coffin sat in the center of the room.
Although the furnishings here are simple, they are considered excellent meditation rooms in Dao City. They can not only resist ordinary external demonic interference, but also help maintain a clear mind.
Fang Chen slowly sat down on the futon in front of the coffin, calming his mind and preparing to begin his cultivation.
In general, there are only five paths to cultivation in this world.
That is--
Heaven, Earth, Man, Gods, Ghosts!