Chapter 83: The Little Pink Pig That Devours Ghosts

Thunderclap and his companions looked up. With the dispersal of the sea of mist, only a single Ghost King remained in the clearing.

He stood towering at thirty yards high, with a solitary horn protruding from his head, eyes like enormous bronze bells, two gleaming white fangs jutting beyond his lips. Each finger was a foot long, and his appearance was truly terrifying.

But what astonished Thunderclap and the others even more was that this Ghost King was currently using his lengthy fingers to comb through the dense black fur on his body. Each time he plucked out a tuft and blew it away, the black hair drifted into the air, transforming into a ghostly creature. These specters, varying in size, all charged aggressively toward the group.

So this was the immortal body!

While Thunderclap marveled at the one-horned Ghost King, he did not forget to direct the Thunder Hammer to destroy the attacking ghosts. Once again, the group was surrounded, though now, without the cover of the mist, the ghostly foes were far clearer to see. Suddenly, Thunderclap’s mind stirred, and he shouted loudly, “Capture the king first to subdue the bandits! Everyone, focus your attacks on the Ghost King!” His words jolted the others into action; Queen Azure’s long whip and Mighty Ocean’s iron fist struck out, and Elder Blazing Fire transformed into a fiery sphere, rolling straight toward the Ghost King.

The Ghost King was momentarily stunned, then with a shout, he spewed out pitch-black corpse gas, enveloping Elder Blazing Fire’s flaming orb, sealing it tightly. From within came angry curses and the flames surged ever higher. The Ghost King snorted coldly, ceased plucking his black fur, and instead reached out with two fingers, precisely pinching the tip of Queen Azure’s whip. Startled, Queen Azure gave a fierce tug, but the whip remained firmly clasped between his fingers, causing her to swing helplessly in the air as the Ghost King stood cold and unmoving, staring at her.

Mighty Ocean’s iron fists landed, but the Ghost King seemed unfazed. When the twentieth punch struck, the Ghost King, as if finally impatient, flicked his finger. With a loud snap, Mighty Ocean, stout as a wild boar, was sent flying like a tiny insect, tumbling more than a league away and failing to rise.

Queen Azure now found an opportunity to land. Her right hand shook the whip, which transformed into a ten-yard-long azure python. It coiled around the Ghost King’s arm and opened its gaping maw to bite his neck. The Ghost King let out a guttural cry, lowered his head, and pierced the snake’s vital spot with his two fangs, immobilizing the python.

Queen Azure, furious, produced several dry branches from nowhere, flinging them as arrows toward the Ghost King. He bared his fangs and sneered, paying no heed to these meager sticks. Yet as the branches flew before him, they suddenly split and twisted, locking onto his neck. Queen Azure pointed at the python, which remained trapped, but its tail suddenly lifted and thrust into the pile of branches. With a faint pop, a pea-sized spark ignited, sending wisps of azure smoke curling upward.

Dry wood and fierce fire!

The small branches at the Ghost King’s neck soon burned fiercely, raising the air temperature by dozens of degrees and filling it with the scent of scorching char.

“Ah…” the Ghost King screamed in agony. He had not expected Queen Azure to abandon her whip in favor of burning his head. Though engulfed in this calamity, he was still a Ghost King of countless years. Gathering his strength, he spat out a jet of blackened corpse gas, hoping to extinguish the flames. But once the dry branches were kindled, the fire would not die, continuing to sizzle and burn him.

Enraged, the Ghost King extended two foot-long claws, grabbing the burning branches. Oddly, his claws seemed impervious to the fire. With a powerful pull, he tore the branches apart, then crushed them, snuffing the flames and reducing the wood to powder.

Meanwhile, Queen Azure coughed, spraying a mouthful of old blood onto her veil. It turned out these inconspicuous branches were actually magical artifacts linked to her heart’s pulse, much like the treasured items cultivated by human Core Formation cultivators.

The Ghost King sneered, reaching out with his fireproof claws to seize Queen Azure. She saw her whip, now a dead snake, still dangling from his arm. She lunged to grab its tail and pulled it toward herself, but she was far too small before the Ghost King and was lifted off the ground.

As Queen Azure swung high toward the Ghost King’s chest, she shouted, “Die!” Her right hand whipped out, extracting a one-inch-long azure hairpin from the whip’s tail, driving it fiercely into the Ghost King’s heart.

A clang resounded; the hairpin seemed to strike metal. Looking closely, one of the Ghost King’s claws was covering his chest.

“This Ghost King possesses remarkable intelligence.”

Before Thunderclap could finish his thought, the Ghost King’s right claw, along with the discarded whip, swept toward Queen Azure in midair. She deployed a mushroom-shaped defensive artifact, barely holding off the attack. With Elder Blazing Fire and Queen Azure trapped, Mighty Ocean gravely wounded, and Little Jade Feet and Mu Pureheart barely able to protect themselves, Thunderclap sighed, feeling that if he didn’t act, they would all perish.

He recalled the Thunder Hammer, shook a certain spirit beast pouch, and a shower of pink light flashed forth. A tiny pink pig leapt into the air, its beady eyes rolling as it stared at the surrounding ghosts. Its fine fur bristled, and the three-pronged tail quivered, as if it were extremely excited.

Yet the hundreds of ghosts around reacted quite differently, retreating in terror as though confronted by a deadly nemesis. In an instant, there were no ghosts within ten yards of Thunderclap. The Ghost King spat another cloud of gray-black corpse gas, and the ghosts formed from his black hair surged forward, eyes glowing green, fearless and relentless.

Thunderclap, however, felt no concern, confident in his Gluttonous Pig. Indeed, the pig’s beady eyes narrowed, and it opened its crimson lips, revealing two rows of neat green teeth. The nearest ghosts were assaulted by an unbearable stench, like the foul odor of a sewer after rain, and they all collapsed. Gluttonous Pig lifted its head proudly, rubbed its green teeth together, and bounded forward.

Amidst the mass of gray-black ghostly shadows, flashes of red and green light appeared—the pig’s lips and teeth, opening and closing to devour. In less than the time it took to eat a meal, over a thousand ghosts had been consumed. Gluttonous Pig smacked its lips as if still hungry, its beady eyes fixed greedily on the Ghost King.

The one-horned Ghost King was taken aback, not expecting his invincible ghostly minions to be so easily annihilated. Enraged and humiliated, he abandoned Elder Blazing Fire and Queen Azure, striding toward Gluttonous Pig. The pig grunted twice, swaggering toward the Ghost King, one furious and the other leisurely, a striking contrast.

When they were three yards apart, the Ghost King raised his horn and spewed vast amounts of gray-black corpse gas, forming a dragon of vapor that attacked. Gluttonous Pig nonchalantly opened its mouth and inhaled the corpse gas dragon, then belched contentedly. But at that moment, the Ghost King’s claws seized the pig, lifting it up. The thirty-yard-tall monster held the one-foot-long pig, like an elephant holding a mouse.

But if a mouse can defeat an elephant dozens of times its size, what about Gluttonous Pig?

The Ghost King grinned wickedly, green light flickering in his hollow eyes. He squeezed his claws together, certain he would crush Gluttonous Pig into a meat patty. Suddenly, he realized the pig was gone. After a crunching sound, he felt his right arm was missing, and the tiny pig was now perched securely on his right shoulder, still munching. The Ghost King’s right shoulder vanished as well.

What manner of creature was this?

The Ghost King had no time to ponder. He needed to respond swiftly and decisively. Corpse gas was useless against the pig, and his unbreakable claws failed him. Suddenly, the Ghost King howled twice, straightened his back, and spat out a gray-black orb—a ghost pearl he had cultivated for years, akin to a Core Formation cultivator’s golden core. The pearl shot straight toward Gluttonous Pig on his right shoulder, emitting a dazzling gray-black light. The pig hesitated, unsure whether to confront it directly.

Thunderclap, watching from behind, would not let Gluttonous Pig suffer. He drew a black-and-red embroidered needle, swung it in the wind until it extended ten yards, and with a flick, struck the ghost pearl northeast, where a storage pouch awaited it.

Thunderclap pocketed the ghost pearl. The Ghost King let out a wretched scream, and his horn vanished, followed by his skull. His remaining left claw flailed unwillingly in the air, then faded. At last, the entire Ghost King disappeared, leaving only a mass of gray-black gas. Gluttonous Pig rejoiced, its beady eyes gleaming as it leapt forward and feasted without restraint.

With the Ghost King’s destruction, Elder Blazing Fire and Queen Azure felt the pressure ease. The corpse gas imprisoning them dissipated, and they regained their freedom. Thunderclap now saw clearly that Elder Blazing Fire was a middle-aged man with a red face, glaring at him with a ringed eye, his voice booming gruffly, “Kid, what kind of pet is that? If you had such a powerful pet, why didn’t you let it out sooner? Were you planning to let us die and then reap the benefits?”

True to his name, Elder Blazing Fire was a straightforward man. Thunderclap smiled lightly, showing his small tiger teeth. “Elder Blazing Fire, my pet was in deep slumber. I struggled greatly to wake it. Besides, if I wanted you all dead, I wouldn’t have bothered to help now.”

Elder Blazing Fire scratched his head, conceding Thunderclap’s point.

Queen Azure interceded, “Elder Blazing Fire, you’ve misunderstood him. But Thunderclap, your pet is truly formidable.”

Thunderclap detected a hint of wariness in her gaze and replied vaguely, “I don’t know its true name, so I called it Gluttonous Pig. It really only has one ability—to eat. It’s good against ghosts, but not much else.”

Queen Azure nodded, half-believing, and quickly changed the subject. “We’ve lost too much time in the sea of mist. Let’s hurry on.”

Mountains?

Facing the endless range before him, Thunderclap felt his understanding challenged. Were these truly mountains? Mountains should at least have a summit, but here, the peaks seemed boundless, soaring into the clouds with no visible end. How could they pass?

“This is the Endless Mountains. Beyond lies the Ghost Spirit Valley, where the Reed Aloe grows. But this place is sealed by a restriction; we can neither fly over nor climb across.” Queen Azure withdrew a half-foot-long green snake from her bosom and tossed it toward the mountain’s base. The snake vanished into the mountain.

About half an hour later, Queen Azure spoke, “Thunderclap, quickly take out the spirit rod. Follow the path of the green snake and insert it, then find a way to open a passage.”

End of text.