The Taoist Priest 014

On the fifth floor, I was stunned once again.

Dozens of ferocious evil spirits were hidden here, different from the ones I usually encountered. These spirits had almost no capacity for thought—they were pure, radiating endless resentment.

"How many people must they have killed," the eldest senior sister said coldly before charging forward.

Master stood with his arms crossed, locking eyes with a man behind the horde of evil spirits. I could sense that this man was far more terrifying than anyone present.

We all rushed forward while Master simply watched us deal with the spirits.

It was exhausting. I had always believed I was ready to graduate as a full-fledged practitioner, but today I realized that the scattered spirits I’d faced before were nothing compared to these vicious creatures.

Thankfully, with the help of my senior sister and brothers, I only suffered minor injuries. This battle was life-or-death—unlike before, we fought with lethal intent. Dispelling the souls of spirits of this level shouldn’t count as harming our karma.

Just as I was catching my breath, the man in black chuckled and clapped his hands. From the office behind him emerged several more spirits, their aura so horrifying they could no longer be called mere evil spirits. Their presence carried a strange, unsettling edge.

In an instant, I knew we were doomed. These things were more terrifying than any spirit I’d ever seen, their bodies exuding an overwhelming aura of death.

"Devouring your own kind to ascend as Ghost Kings—how creative," Master remarked mockingly.

The man finally spoke: "Fang Zhiyi, right? Shan Shan mentioned you. You abandoned her."

My third senior brother and I immediately turned to look at Master. Who would’ve thought—Master was actually a scumbag.

Master, who had been calm and composed until now, suddenly tensed up. "Don’t you dare spout nonsense!"

The man sneered. "With a master like you, she was truly pitiful."

I sighed in relief, while my third senior brother let out a disappointed sigh.

I think he’s got a rebellious streak.

"Master, you had another disciple?" the second senior brother asked.

Master clapped his hands. "Kicked out of the sect long ago."

"Since you’ve come, you’ll die here. The flesh and blood of cultivators—I’ve craved it for so long," the man declared confidently, spreading his arms. His Ghost Kings lunged forward, yet Master still didn’t move, only curling his lips slightly.

"Ding ling ling."

A crisp ringing echoed throughout the entire floor.

"Ding ling ling."

A dark mist slowly spread.

The man’s expression changed. "Impossible! I’ve transcended the Five Elements! You—!"

I turned and saw that, at some point, a row of "people" had lined up behind Master. Some wore red wedding dresses, others had disheveled hair, some looked stern, while others grinned mischievously—even the headless ghost officer I’d seen that night was there.

The judge named Bai Jingtian spoke softly, "By the rules, you’re no longer under the underworld’s jurisdiction."

The man pointed at him. "The underworld’s laws are strict! How dare all five Yama Kings come in person! Aren’t you afraid of punishment?"

Bai Jingtian shook his head with a smile. "We’re not here in our official capacity, but rather as..." He glanced at Master, then added, "Private individuals settling a grudge."

The underworld’s divine enforcers surged forward, grinning as they grabbed the Ghost Kings and began beating them mercilessly. Their fighting style was eerily similar to Master’s.

The man erupted with an overwhelming aura, his human skin peeling away to reveal a towering, two-meter-tall skeleton of flesh and blood. "Even if you’ve brought reinforcements from the underworld, so what? I’ve lived for over a thousand years!"

The ghost general closest to him slapped him across the face. "Enough with the damn monologues!"

Another ghost, gripping a Ghost King in one hand and a mourning staff in the other, swung it down hard. "This feels great! It’s been too long since I’ve had a good fight!"

The Blood Fiend Tai Sui was furious—he probably never imagined he’d be slapped, let alone by a ghost.

Just as he was about to retaliate, a shrill scream rang out. "Yuze!"

I turned and saw that the eldest senior sister, who had disappeared at some point, was now gripping a woman by the hair. The woman struggled desperately, still crying for help.

"Master, found her. She’s already half-human, half-corpse," the senior sister reported calmly, as if she were holding a balloon rather than a person.

"You’re dead!" the Blood Fiend Tai Sui roared.

Master raised his hand. "Think carefully. If you move, I’ll crush her."

The Blood Fiend Tai Sui froze.

"Do as I say, or she dies," Master pressed, his fingers forming the Yin Sword Seal. He was serious.

The Blood Fiend Tai Sui seemed bewildered. Weren’t the righteous ones supposed to act like heroes? Why were they behaving more like villains?

Wasn’t taking hostages supposed to be his thing?

But seeing the woman he had fallen for, he had no choice.

"What kind of righteous sect are you?!" the Blood Fiend Tai Sui bellowed.

Master shrugged. "Go ask around. I was never part of the righteous sects to begin with."

He wasn’t wrong. I silently agreed.

"She was your disciple!" the Blood Fiend Tai Sui roared again.

"Kicked out of the sect," Master replied, even more indifferent.

The former senior sister in my senior sister’s grip finally noticed Master. Perhaps her half-corpse state left her mind muddled. "Fang Zhiyi! What are you doing?! Don’t you dare hurt Yuze!"

Master didn’t even glance at her, keeping his eyes on the Blood Fiend Tai Sui. "Choose. Either cripple your own cultivation, or I send her on her way. Remember, she has no soul left—death means no reincarnation."

The Blood Fiend Tai Sui’s face twisted in agony, his flesh writhing where his eyes and brows should have been.

By now, his Ghost Kings had been torn apart by the underworld’s rowdy enforcers, and he was surrounded.

Finally, he made his decision. "Shan Shan... I’m sorry."

The former senior sister’s face filled with disbelief. "Yuze! What are you saying?!"

"I can’t give up my thousand-year vengeance for you."

"You said you’d love me forever! I gave up everything for you—even my humanity!"

Master didn’t bother listening to their argument. He leaped forward, fingers still in the sword seal, and clashed with the Blood Fiend Tai Sui. This was the first time I’d seen a malevolent entity fight Master evenly.

If something like this existed in the mortal world, even the entire Xuanqing Division working together would be doomed.

The underworld’s enforcers merely surrounded the Blood Fiend Tai Sui, none of them intervening. I guessed they were bound by some underworld rule that forbade them from acting against him.

"Aah!" A scream startled me out of watching the fight. I turned to see the eldest senior sister slashing the former senior sister with a glowing copper coin sword.

The Blood Fiend Tai Sui shuddered, and Master seized the opening to carve a chunk of flesh from him.

Another scream.

Master struck again.

Now I understood why people thought we were evil cultivators.