Utterly dejected, extremely dejected.
The Golden Skeleton, with a face full of gloom, grumbled as it sifted through a mountain of bones, selecting suitable ones to reassemble its body.
Previously, its entire form was golden, dazzling, and drew attention wherever it went. Its bones were incredibly hard, allowing it to clash head-on with any opponent.
However, its most prized body had been broken piece by piece by a terrifying human male.
It had only managed to escape with its head and half a spine, thoroughly frightened.
"Damn it, I shouldn't have provoked that ferocious human. From now on, I'm staying home and not going anywhere. No matter what, I won't have any dealings with that guy."
The Golden Skeleton was still shaken, its courage completely shattered.
What truly terrified it was the overwhelming sense of powerlessness it felt when facing Ji Mo, a feeling it couldn't resist.
He was an unconquerable man, someone not to be provoked.
This was a lesson learned at the cost of half its life.
"That's unnecessary. Although that human is strong, he is not an immortal. Why should you fear him?"
A spectral, ethereal voice sounded; it had arrived.
"Immortal? Ordinary immortals can't dismantle my bones with their bare hands. I advise you, that guy is truly terrifying. It's best not to provoke him."
The Golden Skeleton snorted coldly. Seeing the approaching Ghost, it displayed a hint of apprehension.
It knew the Ghost well; this creature was extremely deceitful, and its appearance now likely meant it had ulterior motives.
However, this was its territory, so it didn't need to worry about its own safety.
Moreover, the Ghost had no reason to attack it.
"That only proves his physical body is strong, but he must have weaknesses. His soul surely isn't strong, and that is his greatest flaw."
The Ghost was dismissive, firmly believing Ji Mo's mental strength was lacking.
As long as the soul wasn't powerful enough, it would be a simple matter for the Ghost, which excelled at mental attacks, to deal with him.
The Golden Skeleton wanted to retort but wisely remained silent. Otherwise, the Ghost would simply dismiss its words as excuses and sour grapes, looking down on it for no reason.
"I will eliminate that human and avenge you, but I need to borrow something from you."
The Ghost revealed another sinister smile, greedily appraising the Golden Skeleton.
This creature's body was comparable to a low-grade immortal artifact. It was a pity only its head and half a spine remained.
But its soul fire was incredibly vigorous, a great tonic.
"Among the four of us, I am the poorest. I wonder if there's anything you'd fancy?"
The Golden Skeleton stared coldly at the Ghost, inexplicably feeling a sense of unease.
It was on high alert, ready to signal its subordinates to swarm and overwhelm the Ghost if it made any untoward moves.
"You truly have been scared witless by that human. Why are you so wary of me?"
The Ghost's smile became more intriguing. It produced the blood coffin and said, "You misunderstand me. I've actually come specifically to give you this blood coffin to heal your injuries."
The Golden Skeleton looked puzzled. This blood coffin belonged to Adman; that old vampire wouldn't lend it out.
The Ghost seized the opportunity to approach it and whispered, "You have no idea how much effort I put into obtaining this blood coffin."
The Golden Skeleton questioned, "From my understanding of Adman, that old fellow would never lend out the blood coffin. What exactly did you do to him?"
"Nothing much, just sucked him dry."
The Ghost grinned sinisterly and instantly opened the blood coffin, sucking the Golden Skeleton inside.
After devouring Adman, it had also gained control of this immortal artifact. It launched a surprise attack, capturing the Golden Skeleton within the blood coffin.
"Ghost, you have immense audacity to dare lay hands on us! The Ghost Fire will not let you go!"
From within the blood coffin came the Golden Skeleton's desperate roar.
"Heh, the next victim will be the Ghost Fire, and finally, the heart of the Female Supreme will also become a part of my body."
The Ghost directly declared its ambition.
"You? Delusional!"
The Golden Skeleton's disdainful voice echoed. It simply didn't believe the Ghost had such capabilities.
To covet the heart of the Female Supreme was undoubtedly suicidal.
Even the Ghost Fire could easily kill the Ghost.
"Do you really think I'm just a low-bloodline ghost from the Ghost Clan?"
The Ghost's aura suddenly changed, exuding an extremely evil pressure.
Then, hundreds of tentacles extended, burrowing into the blood coffin.
Instantly.
The Golden Skeleton let out a shrill scream, filled with terror, "Nether Clan!? You bastard, you've been hiding your true nature quite deeply. Ah... don't get cocky. I curse you to have no good end, and that you'll eventually be dismantled and drained dry by that man..."
"You, a giant of the Ghost Clan, actually revere a human. It's truly laughable. If that human surnamed Ji doesn't die by the hands of the Ghost Fire, I will personally deal with him."
The Ghost grinned sinisterly and began to devour the Golden Skeleton with all its might, its aura growing increasingly cold and terrifying.
Before long, the Golden Skeleton completely lost its life force.
...
The Ghost Fire, harboring the grand aspiration of becoming the overlord of the Three Realms, embarked on its journey to deal with Ji Mo.
This time, it intended to kill Ji Mo with the utmost dominance, then thoroughly sweep away the powerful figures in the Southern Domain, forging a formidable reputation.
While passing through a canyon, it was targeted; someone intended to ambush it.
Who else would have such audacity but Old Master Lu, Lu Wukai, who considered himself Ji Mo's good elder brother and claimed to be a man of integrity.
After obtaining over a dozen peace talismans from Ji Mo last time, Lu Wukai had gone on a rampage, causing bloodshed and killing countless ghosts, finally avenging the humiliation of being chased like a stray dog by the Ghost Clan.
Furthermore, the defeat of the Golden Skeleton and its skeletal legions had shifted the battle situation in the Eastern Domain, finally giving the human and demon races the courage to counterattack.
Relying on the power of the peace talismans in his possession, Lu Wukai had successfully reclaimed his territory and even expanded it dozens of times.
Consequently, he had become arrogant.
Upon learning of the Ghost Fire's whereabouts, he conceived a bold plan to assassinate this ghost realm titan and achieve fame overnight.
"Truly courting death. An ant dares to set its sights on me."
As soon as it entered the canyon, the Ghost Fire sensed the trace of killing intent emanating from Lu Wukai.
There was no other way; the disparity in strength between them was too vast.
The Ghost Fire's cultivation had reached the ceiling of the lower realm. If it wished, it could transcend the heavenly tribulation and ascend to immortality at any time.
Its current state could be described as semi-immortal, enough to look down upon the world and survey all directions.
But it preferred to be the head of a chicken rather than the tail of an ox.
Alas, it simply refused to ascend, preferring to remain in the lower realm.
In reality, as a strand of exotic fire, it was actually cowardly, fearing it would become a plaything for celestial immortals after ascending.
"As long as I kill this Ghost Fire, I, Old Lu, will become famous and renowned throughout the world."
Seeing that the Ghost Fire had entered its attack range, Lu Wukai was extremely excited. He took out a peace talisman.
Ji Mo had given him over a dozen last time, and he had used nearly ten in the intervening period. He currently had five remaining, giving him absolute confidence in eliminating any opponent.
"Halt, you little Ghost Fire, surrender your life!"
He let out a righteous roar, and the peace talisman in his hand transformed into a streak of light, blasting towards the Ghost Fire in the canyon.
Rumble...
A world-shattering explosion erupted.
Lu Wukai confidently turned and left.
A true man never looks back at an explosion.