Chapter 131: Chapter 131: Blood Incense Attracts the Branch of Immortality_1
At the banquet, Wang Linchi blended into the crowd of ghosts with an expressionless face. He had changed his aura and vibrations to resemble a wandering ghost. The Wanderers, on the other hand, managed to fully transform themselves into ghosts using Ghost Patterns, becoming indistinguishable from real ghosts, except that their core was still human. Chen Wen transformed into a Food Law Ghost and was indistinguishable in both appearance and aura. If Wang Linchi hadn’t personally witnessed the transformation, he would have mistaken Chen Wen for a real Food Law Ghost.
The Longevity Banquet was in chaos, with countless human body parts being brought in by ghosts as food. Even the so-called Ghost Kings were behaving this way. However, some ghosts did not participate. While these ghosts didn’t necessarily eat humans, they consumed other things from them, such as their Essence, Qi, and Spirit, making them indifferent to the banquet. After all, what was served was already dead, and any such vital essences had long since dissipated.
Wang Linchi scanned the group of ghosts, trying to select one suitable for a Ghost Pattern. Unfortunately, he found none of the Thunder Ghosts or Detaining Soul Ghosts he desired. Even a weaker Godlike Ghost, not necessarily a Ghost King, would have been acceptable to him. However, there were some he found interesting.
For example, there was the Fox Ghost. Although this Secret Realm had no Fox Demons, it manifested this Fox Ghost species. A Fox Ghost could assume a human shape but couldn’t form a human face, still retaining its fur and tail, which it concealed with clothing. It often wandered in the dark mist at night, revealing only its form, not its face. When humans let their guard down, the Fox Ghost would harm and devour them. Consequently, this particular Fox Ghost was partaking in the feast, indifferent to its clothes being stained red with human blood.
What interested Wang Linchi was the Fox Ghost’s dual nature. While one aspect of it harmed and ate humans, another aspect allowed some Fox Ghosts to transform into Earth Immortals residing in human homes, protecting their peace—becoming Home-keeping Immortals. In every house inhabited by such a Fox Ghost, a spirit tablet would be erected, inscribed ’Ancestors of the Hu Clan,’ even if the family’s actual surname was not Hu. Wang Linchi intended to capture this Fox Ghost, beat it into submission, and make it his Home-keeping Immortal. If it refused, he would continue beating it until it was senseless.
Besides the Fox Ghost, Wang Linchi also set his sights on the Debt Ghost, the Evil Spirit, and the Joyful Ghost.
A Debt Ghost is the spirit of someone who died owing others gratitude or material wealth and, as a result, constantly seeks to repay these obligations. This wasn’t a destitute spirit; it was actively trying to repay its debts, making it a potentially reliable helper. This particular Debt Ghost was not eating but sat off to one side.
If Wang Linchi chose the Debt Ghost, it would be for its unique abilities, such as dream intrusion and transformation. In contrast, choosing the Evil Spirit would be purely for control.
The Evil Spirit, also known as a Corpse Ghost, is more accurately described as a returning soul. On the fourteenth day after a person’s death, the soul returns home and transforms into an Evil Spirit. Sometimes the Evil Spirit takes the form of a massive bird, other times a black cat, hence the saying, "Avoid the Evil Spirit." The Evil Spirit would re-enter its former body and cause mischief. By using this in conjunction with his mental monkey, Wang Linchi might be able to control a person.
The final option, the Joyful Ghost, was chosen purely for its Attack Power. A Joyful Ghost, formed by a person of ill fortune who dies suddenly during a funeral, typically appears alone at the service, wearing red clothes, smiling jovially, and occasionally spouting incomprehensible words. Although they appear cheerful, anyone who sees them is supposedly doomed to die. The phrase "doomed to die" might be an exaggeration, as those with sufficient strength might not be affected. However, their Attack Power is undeniably high; merely seeing one triggers an immediate attack, similar to an aura or a verbal spell effect.
Wang Linchi hadn’t yet decided which of the four ghosts to choose. His plan was to capture all four first and then pick one after the Longevity Banquet concluded. This, of course, was contingent on him surviving until the banquet’s end. Wang Linchi refused to believe that, having chosen four, not a single one would make it through.
He had roughly gauged the power of the Ghost Kings. Their strength might barely reach the Secret Silver Level, likely due to the limited size of the Secret Realm they inhabited. Their physical strength certainly didn’t match that level; they seemed to meet the criteria only in terms of abilities, not physical robustness. Most ghosts were similar to Awakeners in their early stages, focusing on developing spiritual power and abilities rather than physical strength. So, while they could inflict significant damage, their Defense and Health were substandard. Awakeners, on the other hand, began to enhance their Physique after reaching the Mountain Copper Level, gradually eliminating their weaknesses. Ghosts, however, did not; their focus on abilities meant that other components of their power remained at the Mountain Copper Level. Therefore, killing them despite their higher rank wasn’t particularly difficult.
As for the other Wanderers, their strength, after full ghostification, didn’t reach the Secret Silver Level but did attain the peak of the Mountain Copper Level. If they ganged up on a Ghost King, they still had a 70% chance of winning.
Still, these Wanderers really have incredible endurance, Wang Linchi thought, watching them chat and laugh with the ghosts. He couldn’t tell if the Wanderers were truly stoic or simply didn’t care about the people being devoured. If this were a typical protagonist’s team, they would probably have lost their composure and launched a furious assault the moment the first corpse was brought up, ultimately achieving a narrow victory. Unfortunately, this was not that kind of team. These Wanderers, bearing their Ghost Patterns, had long grown accustomed to such horrors. Most of them had hearts like still water, rarely showing any fervor. Unless one possessed overwhelming strength, passionate Wanderers usually ended up dead at the hands of ghosts.
As time passed, human bones were strewn everywhere, and blood pooled on the ground. The gruesome meal was finally over. Seeing this, some ghosts departed, including the Evil Spirit Wang Linchi had his eye on; it had only come for a free meal and had no intention of vying for the Longevity Fruit. In contrast, the Fox Ghost, Debt Ghost, and Joyful Ghost remained, finding places to sit and await the arrival of the Longevity Tree Branches. The several Ghost Kings who witnessed this didn’t drive them away, confident in their own power.
This wasn’t their first time hosting a Longevity Banquet. They had faced many challengers before, and each time, they had emerged victorious. They not only consumed the Longevity Fruit but also devoured numerous ghosts who had attempted to snatch it, thereby gaining even greater power.
Then, several massive, pillar-like incense sticks composed of flesh and bone were brought out, causing the assembled ghosts to stir with excitement. Chen Wen and the others also showed a slight change in expression, though it wasn’t very noticeable in their ghostly forms. This was the Longevity Catalyst Blood Incense, crafted from the people of an entire city. Ghost Incense wasn’t actually as terrifying as Blood Incense. It was merely a plain, unremarkable piece of tree heart that didn’t particularly stimulate ghosts. Blood Incense, however, with its stronger visual and gustatory impact, was far more exciting to them, even if its quality was inferior to Ghost Incense.
"It is time. Use the incense to draw forth the Tree of Immortality," the leading Unicorn Ghost King declared. In this Longevity Banquet, the strongest ghost was arguably this Unicorn Ghost King, whose power was said to rival that of the Powerful Ghost King. The single horn on his head was an unmistakable mark.
All the Blood Incense was lit. The nauseating smell caused the ghosts no discomfort; instead, they all began greedily inhaling the smoke. Even the normally composed Debt Ghost was drawn in. Wang Linchi and the others remained still, unnoticed by the other ghosts. As the Blood Incense burned, the entire Longevity Banquet venue became shrouded in a hazy smoke. A massive Longevity Tree Branch flickered in and out of existence, seemingly piercing through space itself to arrive.
The Tree of Immortality? Wang Linchi, using the multiple perspectives afforded by his Soul Vision, sensed something profound. He realized this was real, not an illusion or projection. The Longevity Tree Branch was indeed piercing through space, drawn by the Blood Incense. With the arrival of the Branch, all the Blood Incense smoke was instantly sucked towards it, driving the onlooking ghosts into a frenzy. However, their madness was suppressed. The Longevity Tree Branch seemed to claim the entire aroma of the burning Blood Incense for itself, permitting no other ghost to partake.
Wang Linchi began collecting data on this so-called Tree of Immortality. Superficially, it resembled a tree, but closer inspection revealed it to be a continuously branching, pale white skeleton. What appeared to be leaves were not true leaves but rather tangled meridians or sinews, knotted together and covered with a thin layer of flesh and blood. He also saw the Longevity Fruit: roughly human-head sized with blackish skin, though he couldn’t discern its contents clearly. This was mainly because the Longevity Tree Branch emitted some kind of force field, blocking his more in-depth observation.
As the Longevity Tree Branch consumed it, the Blood Incense rapidly diminished before their eyes. Once it was fully burned away, the Ghost Kings made their move.