Chapter 27: The Headless Ghost Pledges Loyalty

A burst of black smoke, and Niu Meng's figure took solid form.

Standing at 1.9 meters tall, he looked far more imposing than this band of wild ghosts!

Wrapped in iron chains with the body of a man and the head of an ox, Niu Meng had a token hanging from his waist, inscribed with the characters "Fengdu." Seeing this, the long-tongued ghost and his comrades felt their hairs stand on end.

Could the flayed ghost have been telling the truth? Were they really from Fengdu?

How was that possible?

The long-tongued ghost didn't want to believe it, yet he couldn't help but fear.

 Fengdu was infamous, a place of terror in the underworld, the unmentionable. For any ghost clinging to existence and avoiding reincarnation, they were either enforcers from Fengdu or wild, rogue spirits. In the presence of Fengdu, these ghosts were mere outcasts, barbarians, destined to be purged.

But now, all pretenses were gone; there was no point in reasoning.

Among the ghosts, the long-tongued ghost held more sway than the flayed one. He shouted, "Don't be afraid! There's no way Fengdu would send such weak enforcers! That ox-head must be a fraud! Let's kill the kid with the ashes first, then we'll eat the girl!"

"Let's go!"

The long-tongued ghost screeched, kicking the mourning ghost forward.

The mourning ghost hadn't even processed what was happening before he found himself thrown out. He had barely started to wail when a heavy ox hoof struck him right in the face.

It was the Flying Soul Kick!

Niu Meng's signature move.

Currently, Niu Meng was furious. Normally quiet and unassuming, often mistaken for a dull-witted soul, he was actually fiercely competitive and loathed anyone calling him weak!

The Ox-Head Clan in the underworld were born enforcers, fierce spirits who crossed between the realms. How dare these petty mountain ghosts label him as weak?

The mourning ghost cried out, his wails loud and piercing. With his cries, a group of paper men appeared, flying in from above, beating drums and clashing cymbals. Pointing at Niu Meng, the mourning ghost commanded, "Destroy him!"

The mourning ghost was crying, and so were the paper men, surrounding Niu Meng as their ghostly wails filled the air, disorienting everyone.

Nie Chuxia took a deep breath, using her Daoist skills to seal her ears. A puff of blue smoke escaped her mouth, transforming through her oil lamp into a fireball that shot towards the long-tongued ghost.

She was angry too. A ghost threatening her like this—how could any girl tolerate such disrespect?

Since childhood, she'd been admired, even revered as a goddess. Despite her casual jibes with Lin Feng, deep down, she cherished elegance and despised vulgarity.

This ghost had dared to taunt her like that; it was beyond unbearable!

A stream of fiery energy surrounded the long-tongued ghost and his gang. The flames surged forward, and suddenly, a ghoul opened its wide, bloody mouth and spewed forth a reeking gust of decay. The fireball merged with the stench, burning even fiercer. However, the ghoul's breath didn't relent, and the massive fireball rebounded towards Nie Chuxia.

"Watch out!"

Lin Feng pulled Nie Chuxia back just in time. Behind her, a coffin was instantly reduced to ash. Outside the mourning hall, an underworld guard screamed, "My bones!"

The ghoul, having finished spewing its stench, filled the room with a foul odor. It licked its lips and eyed Nie Chuxia with hunger. "It's been so long since I've tasted human flesh!"

Nie Chuxia's eyebrows shot up as she held a gray candle, shouting, "You think you can devour me, you lowly spirit? Dream on!"

Lin Feng sighed to himself. "Look at these ghosts—they've driven even a goddess to act like a warrior. No sense of refinement!"

Placing the candle in the oil lamp, Nie Chuxia revealed a needle inside—this lamp was a special candle holder!

"Great General Huang Ji, come forth!"

With her call, the candle burned faster than the incense offerings the ghosts had devoured. The flames turned into a thick smoke, from which a burly figure clad in yellow robes with pure white eyes emerged.

"Huang... Ji!"

With a mighty roar, the man lunged at the ghoul, paying no heed to the ghoul's foul breath. His footsteps shook the hall, echoing as he advanced.

Lin Feng, watching Nie Chuxia summon her powerful spirit, muttered, "If she's bringing out the big guns, I can't fall behind!"

But Nie Chuxia overheard him and, with a sharp kick, shoved him forward. "Enough of your nonsense! Take care of those two!"

With that, Lin Feng staggered, steadying himself as he faced the long-tongued ghost and the headless ghost.

Fine, leave it to me! Steeling himself, Lin Feng spread his fingers wide.

"The Great Blazing Spirit-Binding Hands!"

A green ghost flame sprang from Lin Feng's hands, pressing onto the headless ghost. The flame spread instantly across the ghost's body.

But the headless ghost didn't freeze.

Did it fail?!!

Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat.

The long-tongued ghost cackled, "The headless one was buried alive and decapitated. His ghost energy contains earth-elemental Yin spirits! Your icy flames will only make him tougher. Ever heard of iron-hard earth spirits?"

Lin Feng hesitated. The headless ghost, instead of being subdued by the flame, only grew more solid and determined.

The headless ghost, immensely strong, grabbed Lin Feng's head and yanked hard. Lin Feng felt an empty sensation in his neck as though his head had been pulled off, gasping in shock.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a desolate town.

His body was that of the headless ghost, and the surrounding vision showed a town ravaged by soldiers, burned earth, the very sight the headless ghost had seen before his death.

"You refuse to serve me? Then prepare to die. Any last words?"

Buried underground, Lin Feng looked up to see a blurry face looming over him, a foot pressing down, and, beside his neck, a massive pair of scissors.

"Damn…"

So the Headless Ghost was decapitated by this thing back in the day?! That's insane!

Lin Feng struggled to pull his hands free. Right now, his only chance was to activate his Third Eye and break through the phantom realm; otherwise, he'd have to relive the Headless Ghost's death all over again. If his consciousness collapsed in the process, he'd really be done for! But his body was packed tightly in the earth, and he couldn't budge.

"Since you have no last words, it's time to go."

Clang—

Lin Feng was still struggling when his head felt like it was hit with a shovel. The pain was so intense, it was like his brain was about to spill out, leaving him dizzy. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth as he urged himself, Don't faint now!

The giant scissors snapped shut with a crunch, and Lin Feng felt a pain ten times worse than before as his neck was sliced through, bones shattered, and blood spurted up as his head was severed.

His head flew into the air, and he saw the leering faces of people around, saw the tragedy of the Headless Ghost's wife and child's fate, saw the hellscape of their town.

As his head hit the ground, he noticed someone raising a massive hammer, seemingly intent on smashing it to pieces.

Just then, a dog's bark echoed.

"Woof!"

The bark was fierce, with an urgent tone. Lin Feng's vision was fading, the pain gnawing away at his consciousness, as the black dog darted over. It took two arrows, but it didn't stop, grabbing his head and dashing away.

The dog kept running, and soon the scene faded. Lin Feng's vision returned to the mortuary, where he saw the dog run in with his head. The Headless Ghost was holding his head up in its hands.

"Woof!"

As Lin Feng's consciousness teetered on the brink of collapse, the dog set his head back on his neck, jolting him back to life.

"That was too close! You nearly killed me!"

His head reattached, Lin Feng grabbed the Headless Ghost's shoulder in retaliation.

"Think you're the only one who can trap people in illusions? Try my Phantom Spirit Curse!"

Buzz—

The world spun as space twisted.

The Headless Ghost, who hadn't seen the world around him for a long time, found himself in a steel fortress, strapped to an iron furnace. The furnace was moving, slowly tilting. To his horror, he realized it was angling to decapitate him!

The Headless Ghost was gripped by fear, trying to scream, but no sound came out. Long years of silence had given him a speech impediment; he'd forgotten how to speak.

"Yelling won't help," Lin Feng appeared, perched on a crane nearby.

"Enjoying the surroundings? When I was 19, I got ambushed and trapped in an abandoned factory. I barely made it out. This time, though, no one's letting you go."

Lin Feng tapped the ghost's face, relishing the look of fear in its eyes.

"Enjoy terrifying people, do you? Then why don't you have a taste of fear yourself. When this furnace reaches just the right angle, not only will your head get squashed, but your body will be shredded, too. You've died once before; I'm sure losing your head a second time won't make you lose consciousness. Ha ha ha…"

Lin Feng crossed his legs, sitting back on the crane, watching the ghost's expression.

The Phantom Wall technique was brutal, especially with life-and-death mental assaults—it couldn't get more satisfying.

Whoever broke first would die. An eye for an eye, right?

"Mmm…mmm…" The Headless Ghost tried to scream, but couldn't make a sound. He felt the horror welling up, realizing that the youth in front of him was terrifyingly powerful. This level of mental attack was too much! If he died here, his ghostly form would take such damage that he'd likely be wiped out completely!

"Who do you think you're trying to scare with this little Phantom Wall trick?!" Lin Feng swung a punch at the ghost's face. The Headless Ghost grimaced, but the pain was nothing compared to his terror of dying.

The illusion was too real. If his consciousness dissolved here, he'd be as good as dead back in the mortuary.

"Spare… me! I… don't want… to lose… my head!"

The Headless Ghost, desperate, finally managed to speak. Lin Feng raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Your willpower is strong! You can even speak now?"

Lin Feng chuckled, pausing before saying, "Well… that's all the more reason I can't let you go! If you trap me in a Phantom Wall again, it could be me who dies next time."

Lin Feng still felt a chill around his neck, and his head still ached. Mental attacks—truly terrifying.

"I… I swear… I won't!"

Lin Feng suddenly noticed the Headless Ghost was trembling intensely. A system notification appeared.

"Warning: The target of the Phantom Spirit Curse is about to evolve into a Vengeful Spirit. Please dispel the illusion immediately, or you risk mental injury!"

What the hell?! Evolve… into a Vengeful Spirit?!

"I can… pledge… loyalty… to you!"

The Headless Ghost suddenly spoke.

"Ding! The Headless Ghost is offering you his allegiance. Accept?"

What?

Just as Lin Feng was at a loss, the system message sounded like music to his ears.

Who'd turn down a powerful ghost servant? Only a fool!

Lin Feng immediately selected "Accept."

"Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've acquired your first loyal ghost, and are rewarded with a deluxe meal voucher! You can redeem it anytime at the Ghost Marketplace."