“General Mo Tuo, I have a thousand-year-old ancestor to support above, and eighteen concubines to support below... I have to split every spirit stone into eight pieces just to get by...”
A garlic-nosed cultivator tried to mimic Lu Ming’s behavior, hoping to bluff his way through.
“Beat it! If you can't afford to support them, then give them away!” Ghost General Mo Tuo roared impatiently.
The garlic-nosed cultivator looked shocked and shouted indignantly, “What? Why? My nose has been huge since I was a kid, and I look peculiar. Why don’t I get any pity?!”
Ghost General Mo Tuo snatched the garlic-nosed cultivator’s storage bag and kicked him flying.
“Do you fucking think I’m stupid? You’re trying to play me! That guy was actually pitiful, but you’re just faking it...”
The Tianqi Ancestor and the others watched Ghost General Mo Tuo with speechless expressions.
Talk about a double standard!
After all, they had just witnessed Lu Ming’s incredibly over-the-top acting.
The Tianqi Ancestor’s eyes flickered as he looked at Lu Ming and sent a transmission: “Little friend, help me hide a storage bag! I’ll make it worth your while!”
Lu Ming’s eyes lit up, and he immediately replied: “Sure!”
Hearing Lu Ming agree so readily, the Tianqi Ancestor suddenly felt suspicious.
Would this guy refuse to give it back later?
No, he couldn't let Lu Ming help him hide it.
Just then, someone who couldn't bear to part with their life’s savings tried to bolt, their figure blurring as they fled.
Where there was one, there was another; a second person followed suit and tried to escape.
Crack! Crack!
Ghost General Mo Tuo grinned, and the whip in his hand lashed out instantly.
Thud...
At that moment, a black, round object landed right in front of Lu Ming.
Lu Ming subconsciously reached out and caught it, even squeezing it twice out of habit.
Hmm... it was fuzzy, and it had a nose and eyes.
“Holy shit...”
It was a severed head—the head of the person who had just tried to run away.
Lu Ming cried out in alarm and reached down to close the person’s eyes, which were still staring wide in death.
“Amitabha, Infinite Heaven... Mercy, mercy...”
Muttering to himself, Lu Ming tossed the head away.
In that short span of time, both escapees had not only been killed but had their storage bags confiscated by Ghost General Mo Tuo as well!
Taking advantage of the chaos, Wang Defa handed his real storage bag to Lu Ming.
Then, he pulled out an ordinary storage bag to hand over.
Inside were only three measly spirit stone fragments!
Ghost General Mo Tuo glared fiercely. “Old man, what’s your deal?”
“Great General, I... I’m a sect disciple he’s supporting!”
Wang Defa pointed at Lu Ming and explained.
As he spoke, he even pulled out his identity token from the Ten Thousand Souls Sect.
Lu Ming quickly produced his own identity token from the Ten Thousand Souls Sect as well.
When Mo Tuo saw them, he cursed with an air of disappointment, “Can’t you put in a bit more effort? Look at the kind of life this old man is living with you! He’s already an elder!”
Lu Ming: “...”
Was that even a logical sentence? If an old man wasn't an elder, what would he be?
Nevertheless, Lu Ming nodded repeatedly. “You’re right, Ghost General. I’ll work harder!”
Ghost General Mo Tuo nodded in satisfaction.
However, he didn't return Wang Defa’s storage bag this time.
As Ghost General Mo Tuo was collecting the bags...
Lu Ming was shocked to see that the Tianqi Ancestor had actually stuffed his real storage bag into his crotch and handed over two ordinary ones instead.
Holy shit! Even a Mahayana powerhouse hides his storage bag in his crotch!
However, he didn't report him.
Afterward, the group followed Ghost General Mo Tuo as he continued to round up both people and ghosts.
Along the way, they encountered a few more cultivators and quite a few ghosts.
All of them were pressed into service as laborers by Ghost General Mo Tuo.
Lu Ming and Wang Defa made their way over to Bao Duoduo and the others.
“How did you guys get caught?”
Bao Duoduo said helplessly, “When we came in, we landed right in front of them. We even squashed two ghost soldiers to death!”
Lu Ming’s mouth twitched. “Your luck is truly something else!”
Bao Duoduo could only manage a bitter smile.
No kidding!
“I’m going to go see if I can dig up some info,” Lu Ming said, looking at Ghost General Mo Tuo leading the way.
“Great Sect Master, let me go instead!” Bao Duoduo offered quickly.
Wang Defa, who had been about to speak, kept his mouth shut when he heard Bao Duoduo volunteer.
It was a joke—with so many of them around, how could they let the Sect Master do everything? What would be the point of them being here?
It wasn't easy for the Great Sect Master to support four sect forces!
Bao Duoduo then ran to the front with a cheerful expression.
“Great General Mo Tuo, where exactly are we?”
“Are you stupid? You don’t even know where you are?”
“Oh... I’m just from a small place, I haven't seen much of the world...”
“Listen well. This is the Xuanming Great World, the territory under the jurisdiction of Ghost King Hei Dun...”
...
A moment later, Bao Duoduo returned and briefed Lu Ming.
“This place is the Xuanming Great World!”
“Is there any connection between the Xuanming Great World and the Xuantian Continent? After all, they both belong to the 'Xuan' family?”
Bao Duoduo was stunned by Lu Ming’s question. He really hadn't expected someone to ask something like that.
“Ahem... Great Sect Master, I didn't ask about that.”
“Carry on.”
“The Xuanming Great World is massive. Exactly how big, no ghost knows!”
Lu Ming nodded.
“The Xuanming Great World has five veteran factions, plus a newly risen one, making six in total.”
“The heads of the five veteran factions are Ghost King Hei Dun, Ghost King Bai Dun, Ghost King Huang Dun, Ghost King Hong Dun, and Ghost King Qing Dun.”
“The newly risen power is called Yama.”
“The veteran factions reside in Heibei City, Baixi City, Huangzhong City, Hongnan City, and Qingdong City respectively.”
“The newly risen power is in Fengdu City.”
“The locations of the cities correspond to their names, situated in their respective cardinal directions.”
“Only this new Fengdu City is different.”
“It’s to the east of the old cities, situated on a desolate, high mountain!”
Lu Ming couldn't help but frown as he listened to Bao Duoduo’s description.
This Yama and Fengdu City sounded so familiar!
Was it a coincidence or something else?
He turned to ask Bao Duoduo, “What’s the deal with this Yama?”
Bao Duoduo shook his head.
“Even Ghost General Mo Tuo doesn't know much about Yama. He only knows that the guy rose to power recently and that he’s incredibly skilled with a black banner that specifically counters souls...”
Lu Ming’s eyes lit up, and he exchanged a look with Bao Duoduo and the others.
“Doesn't that sound a bit like Old Third?”
Bao Duoduo and Wang Defa nodded.
“We need to find a chance to check it out,” Lu Ming said.
Just then, Ghost General Mo Tuo, who was walking ahead, spoke up.
“Alright, that’s enough catching for today! I’m sending you all to the mines now!”
He waved his hand, and a massive board that looked like a bamboo raft, billowing with thick black energy, appeared before everyone.
While Lu Ming and the others were wondering what the hell it was, Ghost General Mo Tuo flew up and stood at the front of the board.
“Hurry up and get on the spirit boat! Once I deliver you to the mines, I can finally clock out!”
When Lu Ming and the others heard this, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
This was a spirit boat?
Even if you didn't decorate it with pavilions and towers, you could at least provide somewhere to sit!
Lu Ming couldn't help but sigh. This was even more primitive than the spirit boat he had taken when he first joined his sect!
Just as everyone had boarded the flatbed spirit boat...
A green-glowing talisman appeared in front of Ghost General Mo Tuo.
“Mo Tuo! Send the laborers you caught to the Artifact Forging Pavilion! They’re in desperate need of people over there...”
A raspy voice rang out.
Rate on N.U.
