Chapter 83: The Baleful Ghost Tower

“My junior sister, what are you doing? This Tower of Nether Malice keeps powerful fiends within it. If you force its power recklessly, be careful that the fiend does not turn upon you!”

Seeing Meng Shiniang chanting and commanding the tower, Yin Shan’s expression changed drastically.

The Tower of Nether Malice had been passed down through generations of the lords of the Nether Malice lineage, and within it were suppressed fierce devils of immense strength. Even though Meng Shiniang had already attained the realm of walking in daylight, the spirits inside were at least at the level of manifesting gloom, perhaps even stronger. If one did not fully master the tower, one would inevitably be bitten back by the fiends within.

“Hmph. Rest assured. The tower is in my hands now, and I only need to release one evil spirit. That is more than enough to control things.”

Meng Shiniang gave a cold smile and lightly touched the tower with a finger. A piercing shriek rang out, shrill and earsplitting. The first level of the pagoda flared with a strange red light, and a plume of black mist burst forth from within. At once, bitter, sinister winds swept through the Cavern of Ghost Malice. A pale ghostly hand reached out from the fog, its five fingers closing as it seized Yin Shan by the throat and lifted her straight up. A ferocious ghostly face grinned at her with a ghastly smile.

As her vital essence drained away without cease, Yin Shan felt her body go weak all over, unable even to move, unable to cast even the simplest spells. This evil spirit was far too powerful; she had no strength to resist, and could only watch helplessly as her essence bled away drop by drop.

At last she lost consciousness completely. Meng Shiniang recalled the evil spirit and left the Cavern of Ghost Malice. Yet every so often, when Yin Shan woke again, Meng Shiniang would once more command the Tower of Nether Malice to summon the evil spirit and let it drink Yin Shan’s vital essence. After several such rounds, Yin Shan’s once-lustrous skin turned dull and gray, and her face became wrinkled and withered, like that of an old crone.

“Senior Sister Yin Shan, in this state of yours, I wonder what expression Senior Brother Qingxu would make if he saw you?”

Meng Shiniang put away the Tower of Nether Malice and looked at Yin Shan with a smile, radiant and bright.

“No... no. I can’t let Senior Brother Qingxu see me like this. Junior Sister, please, spare me.”

Yin Shan covered her face and let out low, choking sobs, her whole body trembling.

“If you agree to leave this place, of course I’ll spare you. That old man is dead anyway, so there’s no need for you to remain here. I am now the lord of the Nether Malice lineage, and on top of that I will hand the great treasure, the Tower of Nether Malice, over to you. As long as you never set foot in the Heavenly Dao Sect again, that will be enough.”

Meng Shiniang walked up to Yin Shan, placed the exquisite pagoda on the ground, and then, without expression, stepped out of the Cavern of Ghost Malice. As she left, she dismantled the formation at the cave entrance.

Still half in disbelief, Yin Shan picked up the Tower of Nether Malice and stood. Though a bad premonition stirred in her heart, leaving now would at least save her life. Once she had recovered, she could meet Senior Brother Qingxu again. But now Meng Shiniang had usurped power and even taken control of the Flowing Glow Mirror; given her nature, she would never tolerate Yin Shan staying here.

Too much of her vital essence had been lost, and even her appearance had suffered terribly. Holding the Tower of Nether Malice, she made for the mountain gate, only for the disciples of the Nether Malice lineage to chase after her.

“Yin Shan has stolen this lineage’s great treasure, the Tower of Nether Malice, and fled the Cavern of Ghost Malice. All disciples of the lineage, kill her at once!”

These were Meng Shiniang’s orders. No one in the Nether Malice lineage remained to shield Yin Shan. More than a year ago, the fellow disciples who supported Yin Shan had either been bought off by Meng Shiniang or, if they refused to submit, were driven out of the Nether Malice lineage by her schemes. Most importantly, their master was already dead.

Yin Shan’s face went deathly pale. Only then did she understand why Meng Shiniang had been so willing to hand over the Tower of Nether Malice: it was merely to find a lawful pretext for hunting her down. At that moment, her heart could no longer remain calm. Hatred began to breed within her. Once again she drew on her origin power and escaped several rounds of pursuit. Though she possessed the Tower of Nether Malice, a treasure comparable to the Flowing Glow Mirror, if she invoked it now, the fiends within would immediately turn on her. The reason Meng Shiniang had dared to give her the tower so boldly was that she knew Yin Shan would not dare to use it.

In the end, Yin Shan found a secluded place, buried the Tower of Nether Malice, and began her life as a fugitive. Eventually she reached this train and began using the Little Ghost of the Underworld to devour yin energy, feeding it back into herself so that she might recover little by little. Thus, her hatred for Meng Shiniang was irreconcilable. After so many years, she had never expected that Senior Brother Qingxu would also die at Meng Shiniang’s hands.

...

By the time her recollections reached this point, Granny Yin Shan’s face had gone bloodless. She bent down, picked up the small Underworld Ghost Cauldron from the floor, and said nothing.

“I never would have imagined that Senior would have such a relationship with my master. Only, Senior, on this train, using a little ghost to siphon the passengers’ yin energy... isn’t that a little...”

Zhang Shouzheng scratched his nose and spoke in a weak voice. This Granny Yin Shan was a figure from his master’s generation, and was originally the appointed lord of the Nether Malice lineage; her talent could well be imagined. Though she had fallen to such a state, she was still not to be underestimated. Standing before Granny Yin Shan, the three of them could still feel a powerful pressure bearing down on them.

“A little like evil sorcery? Rest assured, although I raised this Underworld Ghost Child to feed on yin energy, I never truly drained those passengers of their essence. Alas, I never expected that here, I would actually meet a descendant of Senior Brother Qingxu. Do the three of you know the whereabouts of Meng Shiniang?”

Mentioning Meng Shiniang, the look in Granny Yin Shan’s eyes sharpened with viciousness, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly as she revealed a trace of cruel smile.

“No. We encountered a very dangerous enemy, which is why we hurried to Dragon Capital. Granny, are you planning to stay on this train from now on?”

A strange light flickered in Zhang Shouzheng’s eyes as he looked at Granny Yin Shan with a smile.

“An enemy? Who would dare move against you? Of course I won’t remain on this train. The only reason I am still alive is to take revenge. Since you are also searching for Meng Shiniang’s whereabouts, I shall go with you. You won’t despise this old woman, will you?”

Granny Yin Shan gave a strange smile and said coldly.

“Of course not. With Granny’s powerful aid, we junior latecomers will have someone to rely on. The man is called Li Tagu. He is formidable in strength and skilled in refining corpse servants. These corpse servants are indistinguishable from ordinary people, and Li Tagu is also well versed in the secret arts of the Daoist sect. On top of that, these corpse servants have all been empowered by a light-warding spell, allowing them to walk in daylight. They are extremely troublesome.”

Jiang Litian’s gaze remained calm, and he showed no concern whatsoever for the injury on his chest.

“Li Tagu? Could he be from the Li family? Impossible. The Li family was wiped out long ago. But the corpse servant you speak of is something only the people of the Li family could have refined. How did you end up provoking such a formidable foe? If this Li Tagu truly is a descendant of the Li family, then even I can do nothing about it.”

After some thought, Granny Yin Shan’s expression changed slightly, and she spoke with some alarm.

“Granny, what exactly is the origin of this Li family? I have crossed paths with Li Tagu several times. His Daoist arts are exceedingly powerful, and it seems he is faintly surpassing the secret techniques of our Azure Dragon lineage. His strength is likely on par with the elders, perhaps even the sect master, of the Heavenly Dao Sect. It is unfathomable. Since Granny appears to know something, please enlighten your junior.”

With his own life at stake, Jiang Litian became exceptionally humble. Whatever could make Granny Yin Shan react with such shock, Li Tagu’s abilities had already far surpassed anything he had imagined.