Chapter 1242: Leading the Way

The two men behind him thought about it and both smiled. "Exactly!"

Back then, Wang Xuanlu's head was cut off by his own subordinates. Regardless of whether he wanted to flee or fight, his men had given up. They had lost all confidence and simply wanted to exchange his head for their own safety and glory.

Wang Xuanlu must have felt incredibly aggrieved, so it was no wonder he transformed into a malevolent ghost after his death.

Before long, Fu Liushan officially declared himself lost.

"You really can't blame me for this," he said. "Back then, I was being chased by corpse puppets and didn't have time to leave any marks. Besides, the plants in this forest grow so quickly that even if I had left marks, they might not be visible now."

Fortunately, he always had a backup plan.

Dong Rui glared, but before he could utter a word of complaint, Fu Liushan took out a bellows and shook it. "Don't worry," he said. "We'll find someone who can show us the way."

He inverted the bellows and shook it a few times toward the ground, as if shaking out cinders. However, what emerged was a malevolent ghost.

He Lingchuan immediately recognized it as one of the black-robed ghosts that had gone to Jishi Village to collect souls a few days prior. They typically held whips and supervised lesser imps at work.

This black-robed ghost now had no whip; it was bound all over with chains. Its form was faint, and its face was as white as a ghost's—well, it was a ghost, but it looked somewhat listless.

Dong Rui's face had looked much the same when he returned after spending four or five days indulging himself at the Red Pavilion.

"Lead us to Ghost King Xuanlu," Dong Rui told the black-robed ghost. "Then I'll set you free."

The black-robed ghost's gaze swept over the bushes, and it immediately recognized the Howling Forest. It then stared at the three men and cackled shrilly, "You've willingly walked into the gates of hell! My King will surely drag your three living souls out and roast them over real fire for a hundred days and a hundred nights!"

Fu Liushan smiled back at it and raised his hand, lashing out twice with a whip.

The whip was coated with ghost venom paste, which not only allowed it to strike the ghost but also inflicted double the pain as a critical hit.

The black-robed ghost was chained and couldn't drift far; it couldn't evade the strikes and shrieked continuously. Its eyes, as it looked at Fu Liushan, were filled with venomous hatred.

Ah, this fellow had been confined inside the bellows and had no idea what was happening outside, nor that its master's power had already dwindled in just a few days. Dong Rui coughed. "What's with your foul mouth? Just lead us to the Ghost King so it can finish us off quickly; won't that be the end of it?"

The black-robed ghost considered this and realized he had a point.

Fu Liushan delivered another well-timed lash, and the black-robed ghost immediately cried out, "Don't hit me! I'll lead you there!"

Indeed, these people were eager to find their deaths, which suited the ghost perfectly. Why would it stop them?

It had taken a few lashes for nothing.

It floated ahead, with Fu Liushan lengthening the chain and following behind, pointing a finger to his temple.

The other two understood his meaning:

This ghost is a bit foolish.

With a ghost familiar with the path leading the way, the trio's speed more than doubled.

The ghost often floated down from high ridges and steep peaks, but the three men traversed mountains and ridges as if walking on flat ground, as they did not typically follow conventional paths anyway.

After walking for another half hour, suddenly, "caw-caw" sounds echoed overhead as crows flapped their wings and flew past, their calls harsh and unpleasant.

The black-robed ghost suddenly paused, its form appearing somewhat faint.

Fu Liushan asked it, "Why did you stop?"

"Nothing," the black-robed ghost muttered, then continued forward as if nothing had happened.

After walking for another few tens of meters, Dong Rui suddenly said to He Lingchuan, "This is already deep within the Howling Forest, and it's almost dark. Baleful energy is overflowing. Why would crows fly nearby?"

Crows are intelligent creatures; why would they choose to approach a dangerous place at a time like this?

He Lingchuan looked at the guide in front of them. "If something's out of the ordinary, there's a trick involved."

Fu Liushan, without a word, raised his hand and lashed out again with the whip.

He Lingchuan noticed that he was actually quite ruthless toward ghosts and monsters.

The black-robed ghost trembled all over from the lashing and cried out, "Why are you hitting me? Why are you hitting me again!"

"You've led us the wrong way," Fu Liushan sneered. "Was that intentional or accidental?"

"I didn't..."

"To be frank with you," Fu Liushan said, "Ghost King Xuanlu was utterly defeated at Mian Village and fled back here, barely clinging to life. It can neither save nor help you." He grabbed its chain and yanked it hard. "If you don't lead us properly, I'll strangle you until your soul scatters!"

"What?" The black-robed ghost was startled. "The King was defeated?"

"Otherwise, why would it use crows to send you a message, telling you to lead us on a detour and keep us away from its residence?"

The black-robed ghost subconsciously denied, "No, there's no such thing!"

He Lingchuan suddenly said, "It usually bullies you and acts tyrannically, doesn't it? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don't you want to get your revenge?"

The black-robed ghost shook its head. "What nonsense are you spouting... lies! My King treats us with the utmost... utmost generosity."

Dong Rui laughed. "You're choking yourself just trying to squeeze out those words, aren't you?"

The black-robed ghost shook its head like a rattle drum. "There's no such thing!"

Fu Liushan saw its eyes darting around and knew it was worried that Ghost King Xuanlu might hear its words and question its loyalty. After all, this was the Howling Forest, where even the trees were said to be the Ghost King's eyes and ears.

"How did you die?"

The black-robed ghost mumbled.

"Don't tell me it has nothing to do with Ghost King Xuanlu," Fu Liushan chuckled. "Killing people and collecting their souls to turn them into ghosts for their own use is a common tactic among ghost kings and generals. You were killed by it in life, and after death, you still have to serve it. How tragic and lamentable! Do you truly harbor no resentment?"

The black-robed ghost's form wavered like ripples stirred by a pebble. "No, no, you're talking nonsense! My King is wise and mighty; I have absolutely no disloyalty, only reverence."

"Then you're useless," Fu Liushan said, taking out a candle. This time it was blood-red, not the Heart-Covering Candle. "Come, let's see how stubborn you truly are."

If gentle persuasion didn't work, then force would.

Two breaths later, the black-robed ghost's pained screams echoed over the forest floor.

Dong Rui and the two monkeys covered their ears:

This was too ear-piercing.

"Torture is useless, I can't speak!" the black-robed ghost cried out, unable to bear it any longer. "My soul lamp is with the King; if it blows it out, I'm gone!"

The malevolent ghosts of the Howling Forest all had their very existence controlled by Ghost King Xuanlu and could not betray him.

Especially within this forest.

Dong Rui whispered, "It seems Ghost King Xuanlu has finally mastered a method to ensure his subordinates will never dare to betray him again."

"Then you're useless," Fu Liushan sighed. "I will seal you within the flame of this candle and let you suffer ten days of burning before you die."

A hundred days and a hundred nights weren't necessary; he was a merciful man.

Seeing that he was about to act, the black-robed ghost cried out, "Wait, wait!"

It felt life was worse than death after just a dozen breaths of burning; if it were roasted for ten days... it couldn't imagine the agony.

Fu Liushan stopped. "Confess truthfully."

"I, I..." The black-robed ghost pointed towards the southwest and was about to speak when it suddenly shrieked again.

This scream was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on—sharp, short, and filled with despair:

"Ah, ah, my soul lamp has gone out!"

Ghost King Xuanlu didn't want it to confess, so he had acted against it!

"Quick, tell us!" He Lingchuan shouted. "We'll avenge you!"