Chapter 1740: Chapter 1771: The Ghost Fetus Escapes
Li Xiaobai held his breath and focused on the fetus.
A pitch-black little arm emerged first; though it was dark as night, the skin was nearly transparent, resembling jelly.
"It’s coming out, don’t miss a thing."
Li Xiaobai gripped the longsword tightly, breathing deeply. The ghost fetus moved slowly yet smoothly, following the emergence of the small hand, its head also gradually came out.
The face of the ghost fetus was exactly like the one that had previously appeared on the woman’s belly, resembling a devil’s smile, hideous and terrifying.
The tiny hand of the ghost fetus grabbed the woman’s thigh, forcefully pulling its body outward, while a pair of purple eyes stared at Li Xiaobai, devoid of emotion.
"You dare show your head to me? I’ll chop you down!"
Li Xiaobai seized the moment, raised his sword, and unleashed a furious strike with his Demon Sealing Sword Evocation, transforming into a flash of lightning aimed at the target.
"Eeee yaaa!"
The ghost fetus’s small hand pushed forcefully, the half-exposed body retracted at lightning speed, a flash of sword light, and a little black hand was flung into the sky, blood splattered on the scene.
"It can retract?"
Li Xiaobai was flabbergasted; it was nearly out, yet it suddenly retreated on its own, and he only managed to slash off a part of its arm.
"Stay focused, don’t fall for its trick!"
"What just happened was a blinding technique, it’s trying to survive by losing an arm, don’t reveal a flaw!"
Baihe seemed to have realized something and shouted.
Li Xiaobai’s thoughts were pulled back to reality, but unfortunately, it was too late. As he raised his sword again to strike, a black flash sprung out with extreme speed, swiftly passing through the Netherworld Ghost Gate, vanishing beyond it.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye; not only did Li Xiaobai fail to react, but even the King of Underworld and the others looked shocked — a newborn baby possessed such power.
"The ghost fetus... ran away?"
"Does this mean we succeeded?"
The King of Underworld looked towards the direction of the Ghost Gate, murmuring to himself. The power of the ghost fetus even astonished him; despite half of its Ghost Qi being scattered by Baihe, it could still maintain such terrifying speed. If it were to recover and grow, it would become a formidable force.
"Prince, this is quite different from what we anticipated. How could it grow to this stage within the womb with artifacts suppressing the Ghost Qi?"
The Five Emperor Lord of the Underworld was also full of shock. In their expectations, the ghost fetus would possess a powerful bloodline upon birth, yet they needed to guide and channel it before the abilities could be progressively awakened, which would gradually turn the ghost fetus into a devoted servant for the Netherworld.
But now, it was completely different. Although the ghost fetus escaped in the blink of an eye, it clearly demonstrated extremely high intelligence.
"Could it be that multiple bloodlines intertwined and produced such a monstrous creature?"
"The Gu raising theory is correct, but the creature born isn’t something we can control."
The King of Underworld’s eyes sparkled with a different light, pondering over something.
With the ghost fetus gone, both sides had no reason to continue fighting.
The Netherworld Messengers lined up and pulled back, leaving Li Xiaobai and Baihe Boy staring at each other.
"Uh..."
"Great one, you can’t blame me for this; who knew it would suddenly retract. But luckily, we got some spoils."
Li Xiaobai sheathed his longsword, picked up the small arm on the ground, feeling a chill in his heart. The grudge had been formed, and this baby would surely seek revenge; it possessed intelligence equivalent to an adult even at birth.
Moreover, its caution was frightening; with such speed, it could have fought him head-on, but preferred to break free unharmed even if it meant sacrificing an arm. Being targeted by such a creature meant no peaceful days ahead.
"This thing... is terrifying."
Baihe put down the Liu family’s daughter-in-law, used the Cultivation Technique to heal her injuries.
"Sins of one’s own doing incur no mercy; concerning the Ghost Gate, I shall report the events to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."
"The Liu family’s daughter-in-law shall be entrusted to you for care, any trouble, and I will not spare her."
"Rest assured, I am here, I will not evade, today’s events shall be reported as well, act wisely!"
The King of Underworld said, hands behind his back, with a sinister tone.
For some reason, Li Xiaobai felt that the King of Underworld had suddenly become much calmer; completely unlike the previous chaos.
Baihe turned and left without delay.
Li Xiaobai quickly followed, casually wiping at the Liu family’s daughter-in-law’s mouth, but found it empty — the key was missing; no need to guess, Baihe had taken it.
The two vanished into the night one after the other.
"Sir, just letting them go like this?"
"It’s not yet dawn, the Ghost Gate is our domain; if truly determined, these two could be kept here."
The red-faced brute spoke to the King of Underworld, watching his enemies leave after losing a brother made him unwilling.
"Keep them?"
"Who to keep?"
"You go? Or should I?"
"You all saw the death of the blue-faced one, who has the ability to suppress Baihe? Besides, we bear no grudge against him; the ghost fetus fled safely, why keep them?"
The King of Underworld waved his hand dismissively, showing indifference.
"This..."
"But the ghost fetus escaped due to Baihe, and he killed old Four..."
The red-faced brute hesitated to speak.
"No matter, today the Ghost Gate has gained a lot; the ghost fetus escaping matters little. Its power is evident, proving our method of using artifacts to raise Gu is fully viable, and in merely one or two years, presenting this gift means not only no fault but merit for me!"
"The higher-ups want results. The ghost fetus survives and is powerful — that’s the result. We will continue cultivating and even mass-produce; our Netherworld’s strength will be close at hand!"
"As for your old Four, dead is dead. Dying to provoke Baihe into action and gain insight, it was worth it."
The King of Underworld felt great; if not for a recently deceased Lord of the Underworld, needing to care for subordinates, he would laugh aloud.
Baihe did not comprehend his intent; it’s merely a ghost fetus, lost or not, as long as its value is evident, he, the King of Underworld, remains distinguished, potentially rising further.
Such courage and vision are beyond that of the Asura King who watches from afar.
"Enough, clean the battlefield, issue a gag order, and return!"
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Li Xiaobai quickly followed Baihe Boy, exiting the gate, but the direction wasn’t the Ghost Gate’s exit, instead deeper into the Netherworld.
"Great one, you’ve been silent along the way; I reckon you don’t need a burden like me, so why not part ways here? Until next time on green hills and flowing water."
Li Xiaobai cupped his hands, smiling brightly.
He had no interest in the intrigues of the Netherworld or in the King of Underworld’s cultivation of the ghost fetus; he simply wished to leave and find his second senior sister.
"You can’t leave; you have something I want."
"I also possess something you desire; traveling together is your best choice."