Chapter 142: Death Struggle (Double Chapter)

For the past few months, Yangzhou has not known peace, especially Hangdu, though thanks to the existence of the Underworld Canon, it has managed to weather the crises without major mishaps.

Due to the influx of a large number of refugees, the wasteland outside the city had been reclaimed, and soon these people, under the arrangement of the county government, established villages near Hangdu.

However, this peaceful life did not last long before the residents of Hangdu sensed a storm brewing in the air, making them inevitably nervous.

Originally, members of the Underworld Canon rarely revealed themselves to mortals. Even when they occasionally appeared, they wore black robes with their faces obscured by masks or bamboo hats, making them difficult to recognize.

Yet, starting a dozen days ago, dozens of black-robed immortals from the Underworld Canon inexplicably appeared on the main streets.

Although this made the city's security much more stable, it also inexplicably added a hint of panic.

The once bustling streets became much quieter, pedestrians lowered their voices when they spoke, and occasionally, figures in black could be seen carving incantations onto the brick walls at street corners with brushes, yet no one dared to step forward and ask.

Inside the county office of the Underworld Canon, Wen Meng wore a gloomy expression as he continuously tapped his fingers on the tabletop.

Daoist Hou, Xiao Wu, Wang Yuanfang, and Lin Chong were all gathered nearby. The atmosphere in the room was oppressively heavy. After a period of time, each of them had grown considerably, and the strange, otherworldly aura about them had converged inward.

"Damn it all, continuing like this is far too passive. We're letting these bastards ride roughshod over us."

Daoist Hou could not help but blurt out. He spat a mouthful of saliva onto the ground, and the floor instantly hissed, burning a hole the size of a fist.

Wang Yuanfang and Lin Chong instinctively distanced themselves from him. Ever since Daoist Hou stepped half a foot into the True Realm threshold, his entire body was riddled with corpse poison, and the mere toxic breath exhaled from his mouth was more than ordinary people could bear.

Compared to Daoist Hou's agitated state, Xiao Wu appeared somewhat hesitant. "We'd better wait for Lord Zhou to arrive before deciding. The situation here is far too complex right now, and breaking this deadlock depends entirely on him."

"That fellow is truly a lunatic." Wang Yuanfang sighed. After stepping onto the immortal path, he discovered that some cultivators were far more extreme than mortals, likely because their strange divine abilities amplified their emotions.

"Indeed, the Ghost Bottle is precisely that kind of person—ruthless and using any means necessary to achieve his goals. Who knows what kind of massive chaos will ensue next."

Wen Meng's vitality was much better than before, primarily thanks to the medicinal wine Zhou Bai had left behind. Consequently, his Daoist cultivation progressed in leaps and bounds, though it was certainly far inferior to that of Daoist Hou and the others.

"Let's wait a moment longer. Bai Wanming is about to return. We'll assess the specific situation then."

While they waited in silence, countless green vines extended inward through the open window. Unsurprised, they simply shifted their gaze toward the greenery.

The vines gathered together to form a tree-man, who was none other than Bai Wanming.

Because his true form had spiraled out of control irreversibly, he could only maintain a demonic guise. Although his combat prowess was far superior to his human state, it would be extremely difficult for his cultivation to advance any further from this point.

Bai Wanming nodded toward them in acknowledgement, then rasped in a hoarse voice, "There are thirty-five people in total across the entire Hangdu. The array will be fully set up soon, and when that happens, the caged beasts will be released."

Hearing this, Wen Meng pinched his temples with a headache. Having originally intended to retire, he had been forced to step out temporarily to take charge of the overall situation due to Zhou Bai's departure, and now, tangled in a mess of complications, he had no idea what to do.

This matter was far too tricky; even Wang Zhen might not necessarily be able to help, precisely because it was aimed squarely at Zhou Bai.

Originally, not many people fought for the position of Hangdu's garrison commander, likely just a few stray kittens, which Zhou Bai's strength was more than enough to handle.

The problem arose because Wang Zhen competed for the position of Hall Master under the identity of a Fourth-Rank Suppression Emissary of the Underworld, which was simply too high-profile.

Moreover, her performance during the Xuzhou disaster truly gave her the qualifications to become Hall Master, which led many within the Underworld Canon to harbor wariness toward her.

Wang Zhen's advantage lay in her terrifying talent; in less than a hundred years, she had already broken through to the True Domain, and by the time the competition for the Hall Master position arrived, her strength would certainly not stop there.

Yet her flaws were equally obvious: she had never liked building connections, always slaughtering demons and ghosts alone, and lacked any capable subordinates.

To truly become Hall Master, one had to pass at least three barriers and six prefectures. The three barriers could be overcome on her own, but the six prefectures required the efforts of subordinate garrison commanders.

To secure the qualification for Hall Master, she had to win at least three of the six prefectures, yet the only person she could currently field was Lin Dahnian.

Those who coveted the position of Hall Master had assumed Wang Zhen would never be able to pass the three barriers and six prefectures, never expecting that Hangdu would suddenly produce a Zhou Bai.

Strictly speaking, Zhou Bai kept a relatively low profile, but the events in Hangdu recently were far too eye-catching. Through word of mouth, many in the Underworld Canon had heard his name, even if they had never laid eyes on him.

Furthermore, after paying attention to Hangdu, those people discovered that a small faction centered around Zhou Bai had already formed there.

This time, while superficially a contest for the Hangdu garrison, its actual purpose was to nip this budding power in the bud, while Wang Zhen was tied down by an assigned mission to prevent her from returning to interfere.

Originally, what Zhou Bai was about to face were merely duels where opponents stopped at the point of mastery. Once he displayed his strength, the others would naturally take the offered out and show some courtesy.

However, that was no longer the case. A massive number of incantations were already being deployed throughout Hangdu to initiate a sweeping array designed to trigger a "Death Battle."

The so-called Death Battle was a rule formulated by King Song long ago, and its cruelty far exceeded what ordinary people could imagine.

The Ghost Bottle was the initiator of this Death Battle, which would last for five days. During this period, as long as a single person remained alive, it would be considered a success.

Yet the Ghost Bottle had to kill everyone within the array during those five days; if even a single person survived, he would die.

Currently, thirty-five people were participating in the Death Battle, and their shared objective was to kill Zhou Bai. Since the Death Battle had to be initiated by someone, the Ghost Bottle willingly took on the role of the sacrifice.

Because of this, no matter what happened, he seemed destined to die, which was why Wen Meng called him a madman.

The Death Battle used the entire city of Hangdu as its stage, and those incantations served to protect the mortals. Once the array activated, the entire city of Hangdu would become a ghost town.

Daoist Hou could no longer sit still. Just as he attempted to leave the room, Wen Meng stopped him.

"I have already informed Zhou Bai of the situation here. It was his choice. This is an open conspiracy; I warned him not to enter the game."

Xiao Wu nodded slightly. "If that is the case, Lord Zhou must have absolute confidence. Let us simply await the good news."

"This time Zhou Bai is going to show off his might, wiping out dozens of people in the same realm..." Daoist Hou said with a confident smile.

Just as he spoke, the entire city of Hangdu suddenly shook violently. Runes surfaced across every building, and a layer of yellow light enveloped the exterior.

All mortals still on the streets were affected by the runes, subsequently walking toward their homes as if stripped of their free will.

Before long, the entire city of Hangdu was completely devoid of people, shrouded in a thin mist.

"The Death Battle has begun," Wen Meng said in a deep voice.

Daoist Hou subconsciously approached the door and touched it with his hand, only to be immediately repelled by the incantations. He narrowed his eyes. "Zhou Bai has entered the game?"

"He has entered. Let's see how he breaks the deadlock."

Daoist Hou said with supreme confidence, "Five days? I bet he breaks the deadlock within three."

Bai Wanming shook his head. Having remained deep in slumber, he was somewhat unfamiliar with Zhou Bai's actual strength. "After all, the Ghost Bottle and the others came prepared."

Daoist Hou smiled. "Given Zhou Bai's talent, after all this time, is there really anyone in the True Realm who can do anything to him?"

"He will undoubtedly be the one who survives," Xiao Wu agreed.

Wang Yuanfang and Lin Chong had both had thoughts planted in them by Zhou Bai, giving them an inexplicable, blind trust in him.

Seeing them all so certain that Zhou Bai would break the deadlock, Wen Meng felt a weight lift from his heart.

The white fog grew increasingly dense as Zhou Bai stepped out of the coffin shop alone.

He had already changed into the attire of the Underworld Canon, and his slaughtering saber had been retrieved, strapped across his back.

He had learned of Hangdu's situation in advance. Wen Meng had advised him to give it up, warning that even if he won, he might stand out too much and court disaster.

Yet he believed that cultivation was fundamentally a path of no return, where one could not afford to take even half a step back.

The children he had brought along from the Humble Dog Gang were all staying outside the city, looked after by Butcher Zhang and Little Niu, guarded further by the scrawny horse Ah Huang, so nothing untoward was likely to happen.

Upon returning to the Underworld Canon, Zhou Bai had his official rank elevated in a single bound from a commoner to a probationary Asura of the Lower Fifth Rank. His cultivation was the only thing limiting a further promotion; otherwise, his contributions alone would have warranted an even higher rank.

When he returned to Hangdu this time, he deliberately leaked a sliver of his aura, instantly triggering the grand array that enveloped the town. What followed was the so-called Death Battle.

Zhou Bai did not rush off. Instead, he squatted down on the steps outside the coffin shop, taking sips of wine from a gourd.

The slaughtering saber vibrated incessantly, seeming to thirst for blood. Having spent some time tucked away in his storage pouch, this ferocious weapon had long been starved for a taste.

"Don't rush. Today, I'll let you drink your fill."

Zhou Bai stroked the blade, and the slaughtering saber immediately quieted down. However, the Jiaolong carved onto the hilt opened its eyes, brimming with murderous intent.

After waiting for a moment, down the distant street, two figures approached him side by side.

They seemed equally uncertain of the situation—confused as to why their intended prey was acting so lax—and for a moment, they did not dare to advance.

Seeing this, Zhou Bai burst into laughter that echoed through the air. He half-reclined on the ground, using the slaughtering saber as a headrest, and closed his eyes.

One of the men drew his blade with a hateful snarl, asking, "Do we kill him or not?"

The other drew his weapon as well. "Of course we kill! Only by taking his head can we report back for the mission. Splitting the reward among more people just dilutes the profits; the two of us brothers are enough."

Flanking him from left and right, the two charged toward Zhou Bai. As they moved, dark radiance emanated from both of their bodies, subsequently fusing together to form an exceptionally thick defensive barrier.

These two brothers enjoyed a modest reputation within the Underworld Canon. One was named Zi, and the other Yang. Their ghostly divine abilities stemmed from the same origin, naturally allowing them to merge into one entity, making their methods notoriously thorny to deal with.

When Zi and Yang reached a distance of about five meters from Zhou Bai, both men slashed their sabers simultaneously, unleashing a single, blindingly fast blade-beam.

Bang!

The blade-beam struck the ground, but Zhou Bai had already vanished from his spot.

Appalled, the pair instantly looked up, only to see their target standing on the eaves of the roof above, holding a wine gourd in his left hand while slowly drawing the slaughtering saber from his back with his right.

"That's no way to swing a saber."

Zhou Bai's voice carried a hint of drunkenness. With a stomp of his feet on the roof, the tiles large and small instantly shattered to pieces.

His figure suddenly blinked out of existence, and when he reappeared, he was right in front of the Zi-Yang brothers.

A wind rose, scattering the thick fog.

Zhou Bai took a single stride right through the space between the two men.

Zi froze in place, sweat pouring down his forehead. He drew in a sharp breath, realizing that his mortal eyes couldn't even capture his opponent's speed.

"Thankfully, the two of us..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a heavy thud sounded beside him, followed by a headless corpse collapsing onto its knees, a torrent of blood gushing from its severed neck.

"How could this be..."

Before Zi had time to grieve, he was struck dumb by the sight before him. Involuntarily glancing at Zhou Bai, he saw that the meter-long broadsword in the man's hand was now covered in scales.

What terrified him the most was that the tip of the blade had split open like a mouth, complete with a fist-sized eye above it, while the maw was filled with sharp teeth and a protruding tongue.

Zhou Bai reached out to stroke the blade, feeling a warmth beneath his fingertips as if it were truly a living creature.

"What kind of monster are you? You're simply... simply..."

In an instant, a gust of wind blew past his face. Zi's pupils shrank slightly as Zhou Bai appeared right beside him, casually patting his shoulder.

"The road to the Yellow Springs won't be lonely. After all, dozens more will be keeping you company soon."

Without looking back, Zhou Bai walked toward the end of the street. The slaughtering saber in his hand gradually returned to its original appearance, though the layer of scales upon it did not fade away.

This transformation of the slaughtering saber was naturally due to the Soul-Fusion divine ability of the Salted Fish's artifact path. After his demonic path advanced to the True Realm, the Soul-Fusion ability gained an additional layer of versatility, allowing him to temporarily imbue weapons with dragon characteristics using dragon pearls.

Zhou Bai had tested it earlier; the slaughtering saber had instantly transformed into a small dragon and almost wriggled out of his grip. Fortunately, both the Salted Fish and the slaughtering saber were linked to his aura, so nothing went amiss.

While in its dragonized state, the slaughtering saber benefited from the augmentation of dragon aura, raising its might by a massive margin, primarily because its sentience was now indistinguishable from that of a living creature.

By the time he had walked far away, several other figures arrived outside the coffin shop. Upon discovering the Zi-Yang brothers, they were utterly shocked.

The shock stemmed largely from how effortlessly the two had died—their bodies remained locked in a stiff posture, their heads resting at their feet with eyes wide open, filled with sheer disbelief.

"Go contact the Ghost Bottle. This is getting tricky. As expected of Wang Zhen's subordinate, killing people is mere child's play to him."