Chapter 33

In the quiet night.

Under the whipping of a cluster of willow branches, a fleeting blood-red gleam could be vaguely seen.

Bang!

In the void, a blurry figure staggered back, emitting a pained cry.

This figure floated like an illusion, shrouded in dense Yin energy—it was a ghost!

"Just a single strike and you cry out in pain. Truly disappointing," Su Yi sighed, shaking his head after witnessing the scene. The anticipation in his eyes faded significantly.

Rustle~ Rustle~

The old locust tree in the courtyard violently shook, countless branches danced wildly, stirring up an eerie wind that howled like ghosts and wolves, sweeping up fallen leaves. Together with the ghost, it charged towards Su Yi once again.

Su Yi held the willow branch, as if wielding a divine whip, he didn't retreat but moved forward, striking ahead.

Crack!

A thunderous crack resonated, and blood-red light flashed.

A bundle of willow branches burst open, shooting out like countless whip ends.

The ghost didn't have time to dodge and was struck, causing its entire body to emit a hissing sound of Yin energy. It spewed out wisps of black smoke, and its figure staggered back in intense pain, screaming miserably.

A hint of disappointment surfaced in Su Yi's deep gaze.

The willow branch he held at the moment had only been soaked in rooster's blood. Although it had a restraining effect on ghostly creatures, its power was not particularly strong.

But who would have thought that this ghost would be so weak...

Crack!

While Su Yi pondered, another strike was unleashed.

This time, the ghost seemed unable to endure it. The Yin energy enveloping its body burst open with a bang, leaving behind only a petite figure falling from the void.

It turned out to be a female ghost!

Dressed in a blood-red robe, she appeared like a young girl, with snow-white translucent skin. She curled up on the ground, her small body trembling violently, and her large eyes filled with pain.

"Immortal, spare me! I have never harmed anyone's life!" pleaded the red-robed female ghost, panting rapidly as she lay prostrate on the ground.

Her appearance was remarkable, with picturesque eyebrows, a shallow dimple, and slightly chubby cheeks, truly a beauty in the making.

However, her figure was ethereal, not solid, giving off a somewhat elusive aura.

Su Yi, holding the willow branch, looked down at her and sighed lightly, "So, you're just a low-level Yin spirit..."

Among ghostly creatures in the world, they can be classified into four types: Yin spirits, specters, monsters, and spirits.

Among them, Yin spirits are the weakest and lowest-ranked, but also the most common.

Many ghost stories passed down in the mortal world are mostly related to the haunting of Yin spirits.

In Su Yi's eyes, remnants, vengeful spirits, and evil spirits that exist in the mortal world all fall under the category of "Yin spirits."

After all, what can these ghostly creatures achieve when they only dare to mingle in the mortal world?

Truly formidable ghostly creatures are the ones who dare to rule in the cultivation world!

"For these years, you have been attached to this old locust tree?" Su Yi asked, as he immediately noticed that the red-robed girl's Yin spirit lacked a fierce and bloodthirsty aura, instead appearing quite pure.

This meant that she hadn't harmed anyone.

"Reporting to Immortal, that's correct," the red-robed female ghost timidly replied. Her fair and pale face was filled with meekness and fear

"No, you're lying," Su Yi's eyebrows furrowed.

Nine years ago, who was responsible for killing that physician and two apprentices?

Before the red-robed female ghost could answer, a sudden change occurred--

Whoosh!

A streak of black light shot out like a chilling cold ray, exuding a ferocious and malevolent aura, heading straight towards Su Yi.

"As expected, there's a problem," a cold and disdainful curve formed at the corner of Su Yi's lips as he casually made a move with his hand.

A cluster of willow branches pierced out, straight as a sword.

Boom!

In an instant, with precise accuracy, it struck the black light.

The black light trembled violently, falling to the ground and struggling for a moment before becoming motionless.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a small black insect the size of a baby's fist, with six legs, sharp teeth densely covering its mouthparts, and a ferocious and wicked appearance, emitting waves of putrid and suffocating stench.

"So, it's a Ghost Corpse Worm. Such a small thing," Su Yi realized something and looked towards the red-robed female ghost, "Who crafted and controlled these Ghost Corpse Worms?"

Ghost Corpse Worms, venomous insects refined from the corpses of ghostly creatures, filled with corpse poison and malevolent energy.

An ordinary person would die on the spot after being bitten, not even lasting a moment. Even for a Blood Shifting Realm warrior, they could withstand it for at most an hour.

For Su Yi, he wasn't afraid of Ghost Corpse Worms. What truly concerned him was who crafted and controlled these Ghost Corpse Worms!

"Well..." The red-robed female ghost hesitated, her face filled with fear and trepidation, seemingly reluctant to speak.

At this moment--

On one side of the ancient well cover next to the old locust tree, rusty chains shook violently, causing the well cover to shift and reveal a crack.

Immediately after, a group of black lights swept out like a dark cloud, overwhelming and approaching Su Yi.

They were a swarm of Ghost Corpse Worms!

There were at least hundreds of them, their ferocious and sharp mouthparts emitting piercing and eerie screams, resembling the cries of a hundred ghosts. The aura of malevolence swept through the entire courtyard.

This scene filled the red-robed female ghost with fear and despair. She buried her head in the ground, unable to look.

After all, it was a horde of hundreds of Ghost Corpse Worms. Even for any Blood Shifting Realm individual, they would be terrified and filled with despair.

Su Yi merely furrowed his brows, his expression remaining calm as ever.

He suddenly took a deep breath, circulating his energy throughout his body. The cluster of willow branches in his hand rose up like a sword.

With his sleeves billowing and taking big steps forward, Su Yi, using the willow branches as a sword, swiftly turned in mid-air.

In an instant, the cluster of willow branches swept through like a river of stars, possessing a majestic and sweeping power that cleansed the mortal world.

I possess a sword to gather the starry river, Sweeping the heavens and overturning the earth!

Boom!

The countless black silhouettes of insects shattered within the sword's strike.

The sound of their dense destruction seemed to echo simultaneously, giving the sensation of a thunderous roar, followed by the settling of dust!

This was the first time Su Yi had truly unsheathed his sword since his rebirth.

Although his cultivation was only at the Blood Shifting Realm, when this sword appeared, it was like a transcendent dance, and once his sword momentum was unleashed, all directions fell into silence.

Every single one of the hundreds of Ghost Corpse Worms was annihilated, completely cleansed!

Looking at Su Yi standing in the courtyard, his slender and tall figure resembled a unsheathed sharp sword, piercing through the darkness. It was a stark contrast to his usual calm and ethereal temperament.

When still, the sharpness remained hidden, but when in motion, the brilliance of the sword emerged.

Boom!

In Su Yi's hand, the cluster of willow branches shattered inch by inch, turning into scattered wood chips, dissipating into nothingness.

After all, they were just ordinary willow branches that couldn't withstand the force of Su Yi's strike.

The red-robed young girl, who had been crouched on the ground, finally dared to lift her head at this moment. When she saw this scene, her fear and unease grew stronger.

For her, to eliminate hundreds of Ghost Corpse Worms with a single strike was a terrifying method!

At this moment, the old locust tree in the courtyard fell into stillness, no longer shaking, and the ancient well on the side remained silent without any movement.

The night's serene darkness enveloped the tranquil courtyard, and everything seemed to have returned to its original state.

Su Yi folded his body and sat back in the bamboo chair in front of the stone steps. He placed the peach wood sword horizontally in front of him, and his aura gradually became serene and calm.

He looked at the cowering red-robed young girl and said, "I'll give you a chance. Tell me about your origins and everything you know. If I'm satisfied, I will show you a way out."

His words seemed casual, but they sent a shiver down the young girl's spine.

In her eyes, Su Yi at this moment was undoubtedly terrifying.

She steadied her mind and spoke with a soft and weak voice, trembling, "Master, I... I only remember my name is Qing Wan. When I became conscious, I was captured by a Taoist named Wu Ruoqiu. He used secret techniques to imprison me in the locust tree in this courtyard and said that as long as I obeyed him, he would eventually release me."

Su Yi asked, "Wu Ruoqiu? Why would he imprison a useless ghost like you here?"

Qing Wan lowered her head, her tone bitter, "He wanted me to scare people. He said that as soon as a living person appeared in this abandoned courtyard, he would send me to frighten them. Then, the Ghost Corpse Worms he raised would emerge from the depths of the well and devour the scared person's essence."

At this point, Su Yi finally understood.

This courtyard was the "insect breeding pool" set up by the itinerant Taoist "Wu Ruoqiu"!

Feeding on the essence of living people to nourish the Ghost Corpse Worms and promote their transformation.

And the female ghost Qing Wan was responsible for scaring people...

From this perspective, Wu Ruoqiu probably knew that a ghost like Qing Wan was utterly useless.

"In the past nine years, this place has been deserted, uninhabited for a long time. Isn't Wu Ruoqiu worried that those Ghost Corpse Worms will starve to death?" Su Yi asked.

Qing Wan shook her head and said, "No, he comes every three days. Each time, he captures several living people and feeds them to the Ghost Corpse Worms in the well."

Su Yi pondered for a moment. "When was the last time he came?"

"The day before yesterday."

As Qing Wan said this, she suddenly reacted, seeming extremely frightened. She stammered, "Master, Wu Ruoqiu will come tonight at the Hour of the Pig!"

"It is currently the third quarter of the Hour of the Rat. If we calculate the time, that fellow will indeed arrive soon."

Su Yi lightly caressed the peach wood sword before him, contemplating, "Do you happen to know his cultivation level?"

Qing Wan said, "I remember he once said that he had reached the 'Qi Gathering' stage of the Martial Path and that within a year, he would attempt to 'Open Meridians'."

The Martial Path consists of four stages: Blood Refinement, Qi Gathering, Furnace Nurturing, and Leakless.

The Qi Gathering stage is the second stage of the Martial Path and is divided into three levels: Opening Aperture, Opening Meridians, and Transforming Astral Qi. They correspond to the early, middle, and late stages of the Qi Gathering stage.

In Guangling City, having cultivation at the Qi Gathering stage is considered top-tier existence.

Figures like City Lord Fu Shan, the patriarchs of the three major clans in Guangling, Nie Beihu, the commander of the City Lord's Mansion Guards, and some renowned elders in the city are all at this level of cultivation.

"A character who is only at the Qi Gathering stage, specifically at the Opening Aperture level, should be relatively easy to deal with."

Su Yi became even more composed.

After thinking for a moment, he instructed, "Return to the locust tree and pretend as if you know nothing. Once I've dealt with Wu Ruoqiu, I'll decide your fate."

"Thank you, Master, for sparing my life!"

Qing Wan gratefully kowtowed and gathered her courage to stand up. With her blood-red robe fluttering, she disappeared into the old locust tree in the blink of an eye.

Su Yi, on the other hand, fell into contemplation.

With his Blood Refinement stage at the peak of the "Skin Tempering" phase, under normal circumstances, he would need to go all out to kill someone at the Qi Gathering stage.

But this time was different. His opponent was a sinister cultivator skilled in some malicious ghost path secret techniques.

As a precaution, it would be better to be cautious.

"It seems like I'll have to reveal a bit of my trump card this time..."

Reclining in the bamboo chair, Su Yi waited patiently.