Chapter 127: Chapter 127: In the Storm, Male and Female Dao Labor Ghost_1
Chen Wen looked somewhat disoriented at the pitch-black ruins before him.
He had finally confirmed through various channels that the Longevity Catalyst needed for this Longevity Banquet was in Xian Village. However, after arriving, there wasn’t even a single blade of grass, let alone a ghost.
"Do you know something?" Chen Wen turned to Wang Linchi. He hadn’t understood why Wang Linchi had previously asked what they would do if there was no Longevity Catalyst, but now he understood.
"I just happened to see the village burning when I arrived. I didn’t realize this was Xian Village," Wang Linchi said with a hint of embarrassment.
His words were false, but the embarrassment was real.
He suspected the Longevity Catalyst had fallen into his hands. However, it wasn’t mature; it was immature and broken in two.
Yes, the heart of the Ghost Banyan Tree. That was the Longevity Catalyst. It was just three days short of maturity, so it was ruined.
Wang Linchi had secretly experimented. When burned as incense, its efficiency was nearly five times greater than direct ingestion.
Using it as incense was its true purpose, not just biting into it.
This left Wang Linchi somewhat speechless. It seemed not all Natural Treasures were meant to be eaten.
He could only say he was ignorant, but that was normal. He wasn’t like those scions from Great Families who received all sorts of education from a young age.
"This isn’t good. We have to hurry to Fan City. If we’re late, they’ll massacre the city to produce Blood Incense!" Chen Wen’s expression changed dramatically.
There are two types of Longevity Catalyst: Ghost Incense and Blood Incense.
Ghost Incense requires a long fermentation period, like the Ghost Banyan Tree, nurtured for ten years and boasting extremely high quality.
Its exceptional nature resulted in the peculiar growth of the Ghost Banyan Tree in Xian Village.
Blood Incense, however, was much cruder. Humans, without undergoing the intermediate conversion process, yielded limited quality. The advantage was the sheer number of people available; quantity could compensate for lack of quality.
As they spoke, Chen Wen decided to take Wang Linchi to Fan City.
Wang Linchi had no idea where Fan City was, but he followed Chen Wen anyway.
However, just as the two reached the village entrance, before they could leave, a strong wind began to blow.
This made Chen Wen stop. Following the wind, heavy rain began to fall.
"Dao Labor Ghost!" he uttered.
"How did you know?" Wang Linchi asked, looking at an odd figure approaching in the wind and rain.
The figure was still quite far away. Only someone with Wang Linchi’s exceptional eyesight could discern it; Chen Wen certainly lacked this ability. He must have deduced it from the strong wind and heavy rain.
"This ghost usually only appears during fierce storms. Its cry is like a howl, and they come as a male-female pair, adept at shooting poison," Chen Wen said, his expression grave as he drew his Ring Head Knife.
"You hide well later. Don’t let them hit you."
Chen Wen also remembered to warn Wang Linchi.
Upon hearing this, Wang Linchi became increasingly alert. He had only seen one Dao Labor Ghost.
He then scanned the surroundings. Since they were said to be a male-female pair, there had to be another one.
"If it can summon wind and rain, why would it use such a common method to kill us?" Wang Linchi asked.
Summoning wind and rain was a Divine Skill. If a Dao Labor Ghost could master such an ability, would it need to get close to kill them?
"The Dao Labor Ghost doesn’t have the ability to summon wind and rain. This wind and rain were already here," Chen Wen said in a solemn tone, then caught sight of the Dao Labor Ghost’s figure.
The next moment, he quickly pulled Wang Linchi aside. As he blocked with his Ring Head Knife, a metallic clang rang out.
"Seriously? With this much power, do they even need poison?" Wang Linchi grumbled.
Chen Wen did block the poisoned arrow spat by the Dao Labor Ghost, but its force was so great that it pushed both him and Wang Linchi back several steps.
However, Chen Wen didn’t reply. Instead, with a sweep of his Ring Head Knife, he deflected another poisoned arrow.
Another Dao Labor Ghost emerged from the distance. It was likely attempting a sneak attack, but Chen Wen possessed the ability to discern positions by sound.
After a quick assessment, he headed towards the smaller Dao Labor Ghost.
Wang Linchi wasn’t sure if it was the male or female ghost. Usually, in nature, the larger one is female. But then again, these ghosts originated from humans. What if the smaller one was female?
Luckily, Wang Linchi didn’t dwell on it for long. He simply reached out and snatched a poisoned arrow flying towards him.
Wang Linchi judged from the impact. Very strong. It’s almost at the Mountain Copper Level.
Upon closer inspection, the poisoned arrow was actually a section of white ghost bone, hollow and sharpened at the tip. If it pierced a human body, it wouldn’t just poison; it would also cause significant blood loss.
Of course, catching it was one thing. Wang Linchi then feigned being hit, collapsed, and suppressed his aura.
This maneuver completely fooled the larger Dao Labor Ghost, which immediately turned towards Chen Wen.
But it was already too late. By the time the larger Dao Labor Ghost chose to target Wang Linchi, Chen Wen had already bisected the smaller one with his Ring Head Knife—not horizontally, but vertically.
He then lunged at the remaining Dao Labor Ghost. In terms of strength, the larger physique indeed seemed stronger.
Wang Linchi squinted. He noticed that Chen Wen’s strength had surprisingly increased.
No matter how strong he had been before, his strength was only around the White Porcelain level. Yet, when facing the Dao Labor Ghost, he had somehow elevated himself to the Black Iron Level.
And now, he was rapidly approaching the Mountain Copper Level.
It felt like a sudden power-up, but not quite. It was more like he grew stronger when facing a stronger foe.
Is he gradually drawing upon some kind of power? Wang Linchi couldn’t help but wonder.
As for why he wasn’t using it all at once, he had no idea.
The outcome was clear. The Dao Labor Ghost was no match for Chen Wen. Once in close combat, his Ring Head Knife easily lopped off its head.
Seeing this, Wang Linchi got up again.
Chen Wen was taken aback. "Are you okay? Weren’t you hit?"
"No, the wind was too strong, so it missed. I just pretended to be hit to avoid burdening you," Wang Linchi improvised.
"You’re really lucky." Chen Wen indeed hadn’t noticed. After all, it was a life-or-death situation, and the wind and rain were intense.
He might have made the kill look easy, but it was far from it. If he had been hit by an arrow, even if it wasn’t fatal, treating the Dao Labor Ghost’s poison would have been very troublesome.
"Let’s go. This isn’t the place to talk," Chen Wen said immediately, then led Wang Linchi away.
They had not gone a mile from Xian Village when the wind and rain stopped.
The storm, which had only covered Xian Village, was likely intended to deal with the aftermath of the Longevity Catalyst.
After they had walked almost three kilometers, Chen Wen finally slowed down.
"You’ve seen the danger today. If you regret this, I can take you back first," Chen Wen said.
"Aren’t you going to Fan City?" Wang Linchi asked, confused. Just moments ago, he was planning to save people. Why the change of heart?
"Even if we went now, it would just be suicide." Chen Wen inferred from this glimpse that the ghost capable of stationing Dao Labor Ghosts in Xian Village must have gone to Fan City. This entity was powerful. At his current pace, by the time he reached Fan City, the entire city would likely be empty.
So, there was no point in going; it would be walking into a trap.
He wasn’t afraid of death, but not now.
If he were to die, his death had to be meaningful.
Chen Wen had seen much and understood his objective.
"So I’ll take you back..."
"Meaning, the enemy has finished making the Blood Incense, and the Longevity Banquet is about to start!" Wang Linchi interrupted.
"There’s still half a month," Chen Wen replied. He wasn’t annoyed by the interruption; in fact, it indirectly confirmed Wang Linchi’s intention to stay.
"What’s your plan?" Wang Linchi asked.
"I couldn’t get the Longevity Catalyst, so I’ll have to find another way," Chen Wen said, not specifying the method.
"Such as?" Wang Linchi pressed. I don’t need to investigate how you’re getting stronger; that’s your private affair. But since this involves my mission, I have to ask.
"Charge in," Chen Wen stated very calmly, saying something quite extraordinary.
At first glance, it sounded fine, but the problem was huge.
"Wait, you can’t even beat the ghost that massacred the city. How do you plan to fight a whole legion of Ghost Kings at the Longevity Banquet? What are you thinking?" Wang Linchi retorted.
"I can’t do it alone, but a group of us can."
"For humans, the Longevity Fruit might not grant a hundred years of yin lifespan like it does for ghosts, but it can still add ten years of yang lifespan. How many people do you think would be tempted by that?" Chen Wen glanced at Wang Linchi.
"Huh? If it’s such a good thing, how did it end up in the hands of Ghost Kings? Hasn’t anyone tried to claim it for themselves?" Wang Linchi asked curiously.
He knew how greedy humans could be.
"What makes you think humans have the ability to claim it for themselves?" Chen Wen shook his head, seemingly not understanding Wang Linchi.
"Perhaps not in the past, but they do now." Wang Linchi thought of something. The Secret Realm Natives were indeed suppressed by ghosts—no, ’suppressed’ was putting it mildly. More accurately, they were farmed by the Ghost Kings as raw materials for the Longevity Banquet.
The Longevity Banquet wasn’t exclusive to this area; such banquets were held throughout the Secret Realm. It was just that the one in this region was relatively low-tier.
After all, this type of Longevity Catalyst was made using only a village. Truly powerful Ghost Kings, on the other hand, used an entire city to produce one.
Therefore, the number of humans was crucial.
However, there was no need for excessive worry. Ghost Kings didn’t prepare their Longevity Catalysts all at once. The maturation time and quality of the Longevity Catalysts varied depending on the techniques and methods used. Plus, given the human reproduction rate, as long as there was no over-harvesting, the supply wasn’t really an issue.
Chen Wen frowned. Wang Linchi was being too optimistic. It was true that various places enjoyed peace and prosperity, but that was only when a Longevity Banquet wasn’t being held.