Yan Shouyi never imagined, even in his wildest calculations, that a Ghost King would be hidden within the Zhou family's ancestral tomb!
However, it wasn't entirely Yan Shouyi's fault. Zhou Yuhu had long harbored ill intentions towards the Yu family and secretly cultivated a Ghost King, a certainty. Yet, this matter was of utmost importance, concerning the very survival of the Zhou family, and thus Zhou Yuhu had been exceedingly cautious. Even Zhou Rong was unaware of this secret!
Therefore, even if Yan Shouyi had inquired with Liu Ying, Liu Ying could only shake her head and claim ignorance.
But if Yan Shouyi had possessed a deeper understanding of Zhou Yuhu, he would have figured it out.
Why did Zhou Yuhu attend the banquet tonight? Why did he dare to confront the Yu family head-on? It was precisely because he had a Ghost King under his command!
Before everyone could recover, the house before them was suddenly smashed open, and a Ghost King, over four meters tall, burst forth with menacing aura!
"Who are you all, to dare trespass into my Zhou family's ancestral dwelling!"
This Ghost King was bare-chested, bound with chains, and wielded a massive spiked club. It was clear he was not to be trifled with!
Just moments ago, Xu Qian had carelessly taken a blow from that Ghost King's spiked club. If not for the bronze gong blocking it, he might have met his end right then and there.
Seeing the Ghost King appear, Yan Shouyi's brow furrowed. He made a decisive command:
"I'll handle the Ghost King. The rest of you, leave this place!"
At this juncture, Yan Shouyi had no choice but to personally engage, to stall the Ghost King and create an opportunity for everyone else to escape!
But the Ghost King would not permit it. It let out a mocking laugh and lunged towards the exit!
"Where do you think you're going!"
"Thunder rumbles, divine lightning booms. Dragon lightning surges, water lightning churns. The earth commands thunder and fire, lightning strikes crisscross. Divine power unleashed, evil spirits annihilated. The Lord commands, haste to obey!"
The Five Thunder True Method!
Five streaks of lightning, each a different color, descended from the heavens, forming a cage around the Ghost King and blocking its path.
"Quickly, everyone go!"
Yan Shouyi shouted, then, instead of retreating, he charged forward to meet the Ghost King!
"Five Thunder True Method? Are you from Longhu Mountain?" The Ghost King, startled, forced its way through the lightning: "But this Five Thunder True Method won't stop me!"
This Ghost King was so tough, even Yan Shouyi couldn't help but marvel. While his Five Thunder True Method wasn't as monstrous as the Old Celestial Master's, it certainly shouldn't be something a Ghost King could disregard so casually.
Recalling his previous battle with the Ghost King Bai Muyu, Yan Shouyi felt no fear facing the Zhou family's Ghost King this time.
Ghost Kings were not invincible. Moreover, this one was only four meters tall. Based on Yan Shouyi's estimation, this Zhou family Ghost King had only recently ascended, and was only slightly more powerful than Bai Shixi had been!
Yan Shouyi might not have been able to defeat Bai Shixi back then, but times had changed. His strength had grown immensely, and he might just stand a chance!
"Boy, meet your end!!"
The Zhou family's Ghost King lunged at Yan Shouyi, but Yan Shouyi instantly invoked the Golden Light Divine Incantation, enveloping himself in golden light, like a giant golden eggshell.
The moment the Zhou family's Ghost King touched the golden light, it recoiled as if electrocuted. Yet, it gritted its teeth and endured the golden light, managing to grab Yan Shouyi's arm!
"This guy… does he feel no pain?" Yan Shouyi exclaimed in shock.
The Zhou family's Ghost King grinned wickedly and, pulling Yan Shouyi's arm, slammed him forcefully onto the ground!
Yan Shouyi suffered a severe blow, feeling a wrenching pain as if his internal organs had shifted. Fortunately, being a Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppet, such injuries were not fatal to him.
Before the Zhou family's Ghost King could press its attack, Yan Shouyi forcibly dislocated his own wrist, freeing himself from the Ghost King's grip, and then twisted it back, instantly resetting the dislocation.
"Boy, how are you as slippery as an eel? I want to see how many times you can twist your body until it breaks!" The Zhou family's Ghost King roared in annoyance.
Learning from his mistakes, and having realized the Zhou family's Ghost King's tough hide, Yan Shouyi would not repeat the same error.
He created distance from the Zhou family's Ghost King and drew the Zanpakutō from his back.
"I am the Grand Unity Lord of the grotto, wearing seven stars and treading the four spirits. My dragon blade stands tall, traversing Xun and Li, all the way to Kun.
Wandering through Dui and Qian, I gaze towards the Heavenly Gate to pay respects to the Emperor. Passing over Kǎnzi's Hengshan peak, I descend directly to Gen Palace to seal the ghost gate.
Any who defy my path, be scattered by my sword into dust. Haste, as the imperial decree!
!!!"
The Li Fire Enchanted Blade Incantation!
The blade of the Zanpakutō ignited with blazing flames. The firelight illuminated Yan Shouyi's face, revealing the killing intent in his eyes.
The Zhou family's Ghost King, foolishly, tried to grab Yan Shouyi bare-handed again. But Yan Shouyi swiftly brought his blade down, severing the Ghost King's arm clean off!!
The Zhou family's Ghost King could never have imagined that this slippery youth suddenly possessed such power, not only breaking through its defenses but also cleaving off its arm with a single stroke!
"This is impossible!!!" the Zhou family's Ghost King bellowed.
Had it been the Yan Shouyi of a month ago, even with the Li Fire Enchanted Blade Incantation, he might not have been able to sever the Zhou family's Ghost King's arm in one go.
But at the Grand Luo Heavenly Ceremony, Yan Shouyi had inadvertently acquired Wang Qihè's sixty years of sword intent, which he had painstakingly cultivated for a lifetime!
He integrated this sword intent into his blade, naturally resulting in immense power and astonishing improvement, allowing him to slice off the Zhou family's Ghost King's arm with a single strike!
"Damn you! Damn you!! You brat! I'll kill you! Die, die, die, die, die!"
Severely wounded, the Zhou family's Ghost King, enraged, used its remaining right hand to wildly swing its spiked club!
Yan Shouyi dodged repeatedly, darting through the Zhou family's ancestral dwelling.
The Zhou family's Ghost King pursued from behind, smashing whatever it encountered along the way, completely losing its reason, like an emotionless bulldozer.
Within a few breaths, the Zhou family's ancestral dwelling was reduced to rubble, while Yan Shouyi remained completely unharmed!
Seeing this, the Zhou family's Ghost King, realizing it couldn't overcome Yan Shouyi without employing special tactics, stopped and bared its teeth: "Brat, you trespassed into my home and severed my arm. This is an unforgivable feud. You must die here today!"
Yan Shouyi had already scrambled onto a rooftop. He surveyed the surroundings, noticing that everyone had retreated sufficiently. Thus, he also decided not to continue engaging this Zhou family's Ghost King.
As long as he could escape from here, today's plan would be considered successful. As for what happened next, there would be ways to deal with it later.
It was just unfortunate that the Zhou family's Ghost King had no intention of letting Yan Shouyi off so easily!
The Zhou family's Ghost King discarded its spiked club, leaned forward, and landed on its "three" limbs, tilting its head to stare at Yan Shouyi.
Its current appearance was akin to a three-legged toad.
Although its posture was ugly and bizarre, Yan Shouyi had a premonition that this Zhou family's Ghost King was about to unleash its ultimate move.