Chapter 108: Fickle Tempers

The flickering candlelight danced gently, as if a sinister wind brushed past unseen, yet inexplicably brought with it a chilling sense of foreboding.

A hoarse, ambiguous voice echoed through the space, neither clearly male nor female:

“Trespassers shall be executed!”

“As for you, negligence in oversight shall be punished!”

The old ghost shuddered uneasily upon hearing this, his face contorted in distress as he replied, “I accept the command.”

“However, this incident arose from exceptional circumstances and is not my fault.”

“The intruder’s methods were too cunning, beyond my ability to counter.”

“If not for a sudden flash of insight at the critical moment, I would have perished at the hands of the thief.”

“I earnestly hope Your Excellency will see reason.”

The mysterious, unfathomable voice paused briefly, as if pondering. After a long silence, a sharp, cold tone finally resounded: “You have reached the realm of wandering astral projection. Among the human race, those of outstanding cultivation are exceedingly rare. Over the past centuries, only a handful have earned my regard.”

“If the intruder could so easily defeat you, does that not imply they have broken through the realm of spirit dominion, perhaps even ascended to a higher plane?”

“If the intruder were merely at the wandering astral stage, no matter how many they brought, I would not fear them. Though only a single realm apart, the difference is as vast as heaven and earth. But the realm of spirit dominion is another matter entirely.”

“She does not fear one-on-one combat; even if unable to overcome the foe, the enemy would be equally powerless against her. And if defeated, she possesses countless means to escape.”

Suddenly, she snapped open her eyes. Upon the towering ancient tree, a pair of sinister eyes appeared, stirring countless strands of dark energy that hovered before her gaze, gradually spreading. Under the shadowy wind, her eyes glowed with a profound depth.

After all, she was not alone. Should a great battle erupt within the ghost city, the entire city would inevitably be affected to varying degrees. A deadly struggle might even destroy the ghost city entirely.

If one thought this was due to her goodwill, a desire to spare the city’s inhabitants from suffering, they would be gravely mistaken. She was no saint, nor did she harbor grand ambitions to care for all living beings.

In this abnormal world, who does not fight merely to survive?

Some choose to eke out a meager existence in the cracks, while others rise to fight courageously, undaunted by hardship. Yet this path is the most arduous, fraught with thorns and dangers; one false step leads to grievous wounds or total annihilation.

Beyond these, there is a final type: those who stop at nothing to achieve their goals, embracing the creed, “Better I betray the world than the world betray me.” Though notorious and despised, they prevail relentlessly. Only those who laugh last are truly called heroes.

The process is but fleeting mist and blurred flowers; after years, only the outcome endures in memory.

She resolutely chose this third path—a road steeped in blood. Once taken, there is no turning back.

Countless brutal truths taught her to be ruthless and unscrupulous, forever altering her nature.

“Your Excellency, the intruder’s strength is quite ordinary, hardly worth mentioning.”

“Yet what I could never have anticipated was that the intruder understood how to wield the forces of heaven and earth.”

“Had I not responded swiftly, feigning compliance before escaping, I would no longer be able to serve you,” the old ghost lamented sorrowfully.

What he had revealed earlier were trivial matters at best. Moreover, he knew little to nothing about the ghost city’s secrets.

He was among the earliest ghosts to arrive, finding the tree demon already dwelling here, unchanged to this day. Of the tree demon’s origins, he remained utterly ignorant.

Any attempt to pry was tantamount to courting death.

Though outsiders might not understand, the ghost city’s elders knew well the tree demon’s ferocity—words could scarcely capture its terror. Should one incur its displeasure, endless darkness awaited.

This was no idle threat but a stark reality. The tree demon’s moods were mercurial and unfathomable; a moment’s carelessness meant falling into the abyss.

The old ghost sighed. It was nothing short of a miracle he was still alive.

Since realizing this, he resolved to “speak less and do more,” especially in the tree demon’s presence.

This principle had kept him safe, outliving one colleague after another.

In truth, knowledge of the tree demon’s existence was scarce even within the ghost city. Apart from the earliest ghosts, newcomers often did not even know who truly ruled the city.

On the surface, the city was governed by the city lord and a cadre of aides, including the old ghost himself, whose duty was to rigorously inspect entrants, preventing those with ill intent from infiltrating.

Though his authority was limited, his role was critical and could not be neglected.

Yet even so, his understanding of the ghost city’s affairs was fragmentary at best.

The ancient tree’s face twisted ever more grotesquely in the candlelight, its eerie gaze growing colder. It bellowed in a deep voice: “Foolish beyond measure, you have been played and remain oblivious!”

The old ghost trembled, bewildered. “Your Excellency, what do you mean?”

Almost simultaneously, the tree demon spoke in a hollow tone: “You yourself admitted the intruder might have slain you. In human eyes, you are no better than a demon. Why would they not eliminate such a threat once and for all?”

“Let us, for argument’s sake, assume they harbor goodwill. Now consider the second and most unlikely point.”

“It is well known that the forces of heaven and earth are profoundly mysterious. Even celestial immortals scarcely grasp their threshold, let alone wield their power.”

“For two lowly cultivators to comprehend these forces is nothing but a fantasy, a fool’s dream.”

“Based on these two points alone, I am seventy percent certain the intruder is bluffing.”

The old ghost’s face drained of color. The tree demon’s pointed critique left him powerless to reply.

Previously, he had been blinded by circumstance, especially as his life had been threatened by these forces. His composure shattered, all he could think of was survival.

—From the Miao Book House—