Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Six

Spirits imprisoned for countless years swarmed out, weaving through the black miasma, their eyes glowing red with greed for Shen Wang.

Shen Wang's fingertips burned with a talisman, casting a small pool of light in the darkness.

Some impatient spirits reached their pale, ghostly claws towards the light. As soon as they touched the edge of the illuminated circle, they screeched in pain, scorched by the light.

The spirit withdrew its hand reluctantly, gazing longingly at Shen Wang before retreating back into the darkness.

Devour him! Devour him! Devour him!

This thought echoed in their minds, yet none dared to move, merely lurking and watching intently from the shadows.

"Can you communicate with them?" Shen Wang asked Xiao Kong beside him.

Earlier, Shen Wang had used a spell to redirect the alcohol he drank to Xiao Kong, who now seemed unsteady in flight, tipsy from the drink.

Xiao Kong remained silent.

"I may not be human, but you, you're truly a dog."

"They are numerous and powerful, I'll be devoured," Xiao Kong lamented woefully.

Had he known he'd encounter such a situation, he would have preferred staying home for a few hundred years rather than being deceived by Shen Wang into coming out.

Being treated as a portable air conditioner was one thing, and being used as a wine jar was another, but now, as a solitary ghost, he was expected to face off against a horde of fierce little ghosts.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you. Nothing will happen," Shen Wang persisted, coaxing, "Once we get back, I'll treat you to something tasty."

Xiao Kong shook his head frantically: "I'm a ghost, I can't eat human food, but these infant ghosts, they can really devour me."

"If I go out there, I'll turn into a tasty treat."

Shen Wang glanced at the vengeful spirits, whose power seemed to double in their darkened state.

Then he looked at Xiao Kong, only the size of a palm, with pure and gentle Yin energy.

"It's tough to trick a child once they've grown up," Shen Wang continued, "That's because you're a spirit. Once you have a physical body, you can eat, go out during the day, touch computers, and play games!"

Xiao Kong, long curious about human electronic products, fell silent.

After a fierce internal struggle, Xiao Kong declared with a resolve to face death: "Then you must protect me well!"

Seeing his attitude soften, Shen Wang immediately patted his chest and promised: "Don't worry, don't you trust me? I'll ensure you're completely unharmed."

After much mental preparation, Xiao Kong shot out like an arrow from a bow. The moment he left the protective range of the light circle, the little ghosts hidden in the dark mist swooped in with a howl.

"Help! It's so terrifying! Wuu, so scary!"

Xiao Kong, frightened, turned to flee, but upon turning, he came face to face with a little ghost approaching from behind. He quickly braked and swerved to the other side!

The little ghosts moved incredibly fast, too quick for the naked eye to see clearly, but Xiao Kong was even faster. His palm-sized form flitted among them, appearing delicate and tiny.

He darted ahead at high speed, weaving and bobbing, now moving up, now down, with a pack of little ghosts trailing behind him like hyenas scenting meat, relentlessly following.

Tears nearly streaming out, Xiao Kong screamed while flying, "Shen Wang! You promised to protect me!"

"Shen Wang, you big jerk, I'll never trust you again!"

"Shen Wang, you actually deceive ghosts, big liar!!!"

"Ahhh, help, ahhh!"

While Xiao Kong was being chased around, Shen Wang glanced over and noticed that although Xiao Kong was screaming miserably with a swarm of ghosts behind him, there was still some distance between them.

Ignoring Xiao Kong's ghostly wails, Shen Wang looked around and flipped his palm, lighting up a fresh talisman. The previous one, drained of its spiritual energy, crumbled into ashes and fell to the ground.

"Come out, I know you can understand me," Shen Wang stepped forward and called out in one direction.

After a few seconds, a head emerged from the black mist. It was a little ghost, about six or seven years old, similar in age to Xiao Kong, with red mist faintly visible in its eyes, but the pupils were still discernible.

Unlike the well-behaved, fair, and cute Xiao Kong, this little ghost had sunken cheeks, a greenish face, and a head much larger than that of a normal child, with only a thin layer of skin stretched over its skull.

Its large, skull-like head was chilling to behold.

"What's your name?" Shen Wang pondered, clutching the burning talisman tightly in his palm, causing the circle of light around him to shrink considerably.

The large-headed little ghost tilted its head, the red mist in its eyes thickening. It stepped out of the black fog towards Shen Wang, drooling with a longing look.

Shen Wang: "..."

Biting his fingertip, a drop of blood seeped out. Without looking, he flicked it away. The large-headed ghost leaped like a dog catching a bone, snatching the blood mid-air.

After consuming the drop of blood, the red mist in the large-headed ghost's eyes churned, thickening and then thinning intermittently.

Greedy hunger and dangerous instinct left it indecisive.

"What's your name? How old are you? Do you remember your parents?" Seeing it motionless, Shen Wang stepped forward and gently asked.

Something in Shen Wang's words seemed to strike a chord in the large-headed ghost. The red mist in its eyes faded significantly, revealing the black of its pupils. While drooling at Shen Wang, it bit its finger and said, "My name is Lele... My parents, my parents promised to buy me candy... no more medicine..."

The ghost's voice was hoarse and unpleasant from disuse, stuttering and unclear.

"Good child," Shen Wang's brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed. He smiled and praised, "Do you remember anything else?"

The large-headed ghost tried hard to recall. The images of its parents in its memory had faded to a blur, only a vague human shape, faces indiscernible.

But it still remembered being held high overhead, looking down from above, and the sound of men and children laughing heartily.

It also remembered being tightly embraced in a soft hug, a faint fragrance lingering, though it couldn't recall the exact scent, only that it was pleasant.

Suddenly, a hand landed on the large-headed ghost's head. It froze, looking up blankly to hear the man, who smelled delicious, say, "Don't worry if you can't remember."

The large-headed ghost gazed blankly at Shen Wang, feeling a strange familiarity but unable to pinpoint what it was, eventually nudging its head upward.

For the first time, the cold spirit felt warmth, not the burning pain of the light circle, but a comforting sensation.

Shen Wang, as if understanding its desire, stroked its large head again, asking, "Do you remember what you usually have to do?"

The large-headed ghost answered blankly, "Stay in the darkness, fight, get eaten… fight, get eaten… half of my body was eaten..."

Shen Wang paused, then let out a soft sigh.

He turned to look at the swampy pond, his eyes sharpening.

At this moment, Shen Wang had roughly understood how Lin Yinyang managed to collect so many infant souls unnoticed.

Going back a decade or two, in such remote rural areas, gender preference was at its peak.

People would secretly check the gender of the fetus; if it was a male, they kept it, if a female, they'd abort.

Even if abortion was not an option, some still believed in folk remedies or magical methods, hoping to change the fetus's gender.

What Lin Yinyang did was abort female fetuses, and possibly even claim male fetuses as female to abort them as well, using these means to collect infant souls.

Besides infant souls, he could also switch the gender of fetuses, forcibly inserting male souls into female bodies.

But such infants, once born, were doomed to short lives; a few days at the least, a few years at most, before their bodies would gradually fail and succumb to death.

No hospital could diagnose the issue, and it would be assumed the child died of illness.

Once the child died, the tampered soul would return to Lin Yinyang, becoming his minions again.

Shen Wang slowly approached the swampy pond. The surrounding black mist dissipated before reaching him, neutralized by the white circle of light.

The lowest level of confinement array was nothing in Shen Wang's eyes. He walked unhindered to the swamp, his hand now holding several talismans.

"Burn for me!"

The talismans ignited without fire, floating in the air like a series of small lanterns. The faint light interweaved, nearly engulfed by the dark resentment, then burst into a brilliant glow.

The talismans formed a complex network, fiercely burning away all the impurities around them.

The yin energy and resentment dissipated entirely.

As the flames grew stronger, the bottom of the swamp revealed its true contents.

Piled together were countless delicate bones, not as thick as those of adults, resembling small animal bones – thin, fragile, forming a chilling white layer at the swamp's base.

"Suppressed with filth..." Shen Wang narrowed his eyes.

Infants are the most innocent and pure souls, lacking resentment or hatred, only possessing basic emotions of fear and joy. Even when forcibly confined after death, they rarely become powerful ghost kings.

Some countries in Southeast Asia use infants for secret rituals because infant ghosts, lacking the complex and dirty thoughts of adults, are easier to control.

Lin Yinyang, however, used the filthiest swamp to suppress these bodies, tainting and oppressing the originally pure souls daily, inciting their malice.

As the bones were exposed, the little ghosts chasing Xiao Kong gathered, weaving through the bones, searching for their own.

"Could easily disperse these little ghosts, but used so many talismans to help them find their remains." A cold voice commented, "Such a good person indeed."

The words 'good person' were said with a sarcastic tone, full of irony.

Startled, Shen Wang swiftly turned towards the source of the voice: "Who's there?"

"Shen Wang..." The figure didn't hide, casually emerging from the darkness, "Long time no see."

Shen Wang's gaze sharpened, smiling, "Well, my dear sir, judging by your outfit, you don't seem like a good person... Interesting, I'm not much of a good person either. May I know your name?"

The newcomer wore a strange black robe and a black cloak, his face hidden under the cloak, not a hint of skin visible.

Only his deep, magnetic voice betrayed the fact he was a young man.

"Seems like the esteemed forgets easily. It's been a while, and you don't recognize me?" the man in black chuckled softly.

Shen Wang looked puzzled.

The man in black lifted his head, revealing an evil spirit mask hidden beneath his cloak, his black, hollow eyes staring directly at Shen Wang, blending with the surrounding resentment, yin energy, and ghosts.

If it weren't known that Lin Yinyang was behind this, anyone seeing this figure's appearance and standing in this place would think he's the ultimate boss.

A flash of realization struck Shen Wang, and he suddenly remembered who this person was.

"My dagger, are you finding it comfortable to use?"

Shen Wang: "...Truly razor-sharp! What a divine weapon!"

Just as he was rolling up his sleeves to fight, another nemesis unexpectedly appeared.

Shen Wang chuckled awkwardly and wiped his face.

Question: What now?

Waiting online, it's quite urgent.

Last night, there was yet another earthquake while I was typing...

Saw a very infuriating news today, that's why I'm late.

There will be a second update later.