The power of the peace talisman was truly astonishing, its violent energy shockwaves leveling the entire canyon. Such terrifying might was enough to annihilate any cultivator at the ninth level of the Mortal Immortal Realm. Therefore, Lu Wukai believed Gui Huo was surely dead. He trembled with excitement, knowing that after this battle, his name, Old Master Lu, would shock the world.
"Alas, a titan of the ghost realm, killed by my single strike. Life truly is as lonely as snow," Lu Wukai sighed, adopting an expression of a master burdened by his own power. He believed this was the most glorious moment of his life, but it was a pity there was no audience.
"Killed by a single strike? You really know how to blow your own horn."
A furious voice boomed from behind him, waves of heat surging like a tide. Lu Wukai turned and his face changed drastically. Gui Huo was not dead; it was very much alive. However, it wasn't entirely unscathed, its fiery glow significantly dimmed. Gui Huo never expected to be injured by an ant it had dismissed, thinking that if it were still flesh and blood, it might have indeed been killed by a single blow.
Lu Wukai, having weathered many storms, quickly composed himself. "The titans of the ghost realm truly live up to their reputation. I am impressed. We shall battle again another day." With that, he attempted to leave with feigned composure.
"You attacked me and now you want to run? Today, I will turn you into ashes!" Gui Huo's words were chillingly cold. It would not let this bastard who dared to ambush it escape. It emitted a blinding radiance, like a miniature sun. The terrifying heat instantly melted the rocks on the ground into lava.
"It's better to resolve enmity than to foster it. We've had our encounter, let's just let it go. If we truly fight to the death, we're evenly matched. Why must we push for a mutual destruction?" Lu Wukai still had some confidence; he had four more peace talismans.
"Who are you calling 'we'? Evenly matched? You think you're worthy?" Gui Huo was enraged. An ant dared to claim it could fight him on equal footing? It was destined to become the overlord of the Three Realms, how could it tolerate being looked down upon by a mere human? It couldn't stand it. With murderous intent, it lunged at Lu Wukai.
Boom!
Another deafening roar. Lu Wukai decisively activated a peace talisman and hurled it at Gui Huo. Mud and stones flew, dust billowed, and a small mushroom cloud shot into the sky as a deep pit was blasted into the ground. Without even looking at the explosion behind him, he turned and fled.
"Ah... you bastard, go to hell!" Terrifying flames erupted, dyeing half the sky green. Gui Huo, battered, flew out from the pit and gave chase, determined to finish off Lu Wukai.
"Damn, how can this guy be so tough." Lu Wukai fled desperately. Seeing Gui Huo in hot pursuit, he cried out in terror, "Brother Ji Mo, save me!" He felt his life was in danger and ran towards Ji Mo's location at top speed. Only Ji Mo could save his life now.
Gui Huo had intended to kill Lu Wukai directly, but upon hearing his cry, it devised a plan. It didn't know Ji Mo's exact location, so it could let Lu Wukai lead the way to find Ji Mo. Thus, it deliberately slowed down, keeping pace with Lu Wukai.
Meanwhile.
Ji Mo was fiddling with an oil-paper umbrella. Beside him was only an old demon; Hei Meigui and the others had gone out to search for A Li and the others and had not yet returned. The old demon gazed at the oil-paper umbrella in Ji Mo's hand, its heart churning with shock.
"Isn't this the natal immortal artifact of the Ghost Realm's female supreme? How did it fall into Mr. Ji's hands? Could it be that Mr. Ji went out and annihilated the female supreme?" The old demon speculated wildly but felt something was amiss. When Ji Mo held the oil-paper umbrella, he was grinning foolishly, his expression somewhat… intoxicated. Could Mr. Ji have taken Lu Wukai's old advice and 'seduced' the female supreme? A daring thought crossed the old demon's mind.
Ji Mo was meticulously repairing the old oil-paper umbrella. He took some bones previously removed from a golden skeleton, extracted the immortal gold from them, and used it to reinforce the umbrella's frame. Then, he refurbished the umbrella canopy and began to paint on it. The oil-paper umbrella was too plain; he intended to modify and beautify it, painting a landscape. The scene of his encounter with the female supreme replayed in his mind. The sky was overcast, rain was falling, and the exquisite ghost girl covered her mouth and giggled, handing over the oil-paper umbrella. The scene was beautiful and warm. Ji Mo held his brush and began to meticulously paint this scene onto the canopy.
"There must be some unspeakable secret between Mr. Ji and the female supreme," the old demon's gossipy heart itched, desperately wanting to know the inside story.
Whoosh…
A wind rose from nowhere, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged, converging here. Ji Mo's painting skills had reached a divine level, and as he painted, runes intertwined, and the aura of the Great Dao permeated the air. He also infused the umbrella canopy with boundless spiritual energy from heaven and earth. The rain in the painting dripped, and the female supreme's smile was captivating, as lifelike as if she could step out of the painting at any moment, holding the oil-paper umbrella. Furthermore, as the painting was perfected, the oil-paper umbrella's grade continuously improved. Immortal spiritual artifacts were divided into seven grades: Mortal, Low, Mid, High, Exquisite, Supreme, and Ultimate. The oil-paper umbrella, originally just a Mid-grade immortal artifact, was now transforming in Ji Mo's hands, ascending to Ultimate-grade.
"Mr. Ji's craftsmanship is truly divine. If he continues like this, won't he create a divine artifact?" The old demon was dumbfounded, filled with boundless anticipation. Could it be that it was fortunate enough in three lifetimes to witness the birth of a divine artifact?
"Hmm, if I paint myself onto it, it will be complete." Ji Mo was very satisfied with his work and was about to add himself to the canopy. However, a cry for help echoed from afar.
"Brother Ji Mo, save me, hurry and save me." Lu Wukai yelled in terror, cold sweat beading on his forehead. When he left last time, he hadn't severed contact with Ji Mo's group, so he knew Ji Mo's location and had finally managed to escape.
Hearing the commotion, Ji Mo reluctantly put down his brush and the oil-paper umbrella, stood up, and looked into the distance. Lu Wukai, looking as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight, was pale with panic, shouting for help as he fled. Behind him, a ball of green ghost fire closely pursued him.
"Damn Lu Wukai, what are you yelling about? A divine artifact is about to appear." The old demon lamented, regretting the interruption. If not for this disturbance, Mr. Ji might have successfully upgraded the oil-paper umbrella to a divine artifact. It was such a shame it was interrupted.
"Brother Ji Mo, save me." Lu Wukai rapidly fled to Ji Mo's side, panting heavily. The look of terror on his face slowly faded, and he regained his composure. With Brother Ji Mo here, he feared nothing, not even the sky falling.
"Old Lu, you're becoming more pathetic by the day. Isn't that just a ball of ghost fire? What are you so afraid of?" Ji Mo didn't know that the pursuer was the most powerful among the Four Great Titans of the Ghost Realm, Gui Huo, and felt no fear. In his understanding, ghost fire was merely phosphorescence formed by the combustion of phosphine; it looked scary but had a low temperature and posed no danger. For Lu Wukai, a cultivator, to be frightened by a ball of ghost fire was truly embarrassing.
Lu Wukai's face flushed red at the accusation. He retorted, "This thing is quite strong."
"Strong? Then I'm even stronger. I could extinguish it with a single piss." Ji Mo said confidently and walked towards Gui Huo.