Chapter 666: Bring Me The Rebels!
The giant ghost king’s cultivation base was back, and of the three devas who opposed him, he had killed one, and apparently captured two. It happened so quickly that there was no way for the three great clans to know what had happened, much less the six heavenly marquises back in Giant Ghost City.
Right now, the rebels in Giant Ghost City felt very alarmed as they sat and waited to find out what would happen. If the giant ghost king had simply died, then there would have been much less to worry about. But he had been rescued by Bai Hao, a fact which hung over the heads of the rebels like a sharp blade. They could only hope that the three deva patriarchs would manage to find the giant ghost king and kill him in time.
As for those who had not openly rebelled, they also trembled in fear. After all, despite not having participating in the insurrection, they had tacitly approved by not opposing it, a fact they could not deny.
Every group in the city was feeling a lot of pressure. The streets were virtually empty, with all of the soul cultivators remaining in their own residences, waiting to see what would happen in the end.
As for the armies of the six heavenly marquises, their hearts trembled with apprehension, and yet, they continued to search the city high and low. After all, no one could say for sure whether or not the giant ghost king who had escaped was another clone. Although it was unlikely that his true self was still hiding in the city, they couldn’t take any chances.
As for the six heavenly marquises, they all wore very grim expressions as they gathered for a meeting in a grand hall somewhere in the city. However, not much was said as they all sat there. Most of them were just looking off into the sky, waiting for news from the three devas.
“The giant ghost king is very weak, and although that Bai Hao is very crafty and vicious, his cultivation base is just too low. This time... he’ll definitely lose!”
“The giant ghost king only has so much soul-blood to use!!”
No matter how they tried to console themselves, though, their hearts were all pounding in fear.
Meanwhile, not too far away from the city, there were two mountain peaks, upon each of which sat an old man.
One of them was Duke Netherworld, and the other was Duke Deathcrier. Both had fears of their own, and waited anxiously to see what would happen. Both knew that their fates no longer rested in their own hands. As for which would live and which would die, it would be determined by what happened between the three devas and the giant ghost king.
If the devas of the three great clans prevailed, then Duke Deathcrier would have no choice but to submit to them. On the other hand... Duke Netherworld would face much more severe consequences if he came out on bottom. The two heavenly dukes had ceased fighting, and would only occasionally eye each other. The only purpose the two of them served right now in the larger conflict was to prevent the other from being part of the action.
The city was filled with intense pressure, and everyone was very nervous. Time ticked by. Soon it was evening, and the sky burned with red light, almost as if the clouds were on fire. As it did, the pressure weighing down on the hearts of everyone present seemed to grow stronger.
It was in that moment... that the red clouds in the sky began to seethe. In the blink of an eye, intense rumbling like thunder filled the area, seemingly descended from the highest heavens.
RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!
The lands began to quake physically, and within the city, everyone looked up in shock. The six heavenly marquises exchanged glances but didn't say anything to each other, and instead just kept looking up into the sky.
Off in the distance, Duke Deathcrier and Duke Netherworld also looked up, their expressions mixtures of nervousness and anticipation.
Then, Duke Netherworld’s face fell, and a look of unprecedented disbelief appeared in his eyes. As for Duke Deathcrier, his eyes lit up with joy, and he threw his head back and laughed uproariously.
One reacted with shock, the other with delight. As they did, a peal of thunder erupted in the sky above.
CRACK!
It seemed louder than all other sounds in the world, and as it rang out, the people in the city felt their minds reeling. Looking up, they saw a massive rift being torn open in the sky!
It was fully 3,000 meters from one end to the other. It was as if a huge, invisible blade had sliced the air open, after which a black wind erupted out from inside. Then... two people emerged!
The first one wore a royal crown, and had a violet robe with a serpentine dragon on it. As soon as he appeared, everything began to tremble violently, and countless peals of thunder filled the air. Clearly, this person was so powerful he could crush everything in the world.
His eyes seemed to contain the ability to suck in all the light in the world, making everything around him dark and colorless.
A new pressure began to weigh down on the city, a pressure which vastly surpassed the pressure from moments ago. All of the soul cultivators in the city began to tremble, and at some point, people began to cry out loud.
“The giant... the giant ghost king!!”
“King Giant Ghost is back!”
“We offer respectful greetings, King Giant Ghost!!!”
Instantly, the six rebellious heavenly marquises in the grand hall realized what had happened, and their faces drained of blood. Blank expressions could be seen on their faces, along with bleak despair....
They had been beaten.... Utterly and thoroughly beaten!!
Considering the level of their cultivation bases, it only took a single glance to confirm that the giant ghost king... was completely recovered. They could well imagine the fate of the three deva patriarchs from the great clans, and had no doubts about how miserable their ends had been.
Gasps could be heard throughout the city as countless eyes peered out at the dazzling figure hovering in the air nearby. However, in addition to the glorious giant ghost king, there was also... Bai Xiaochun!
Overwhelmed with excitement, he did his best to keep his breathing under control as he looked down at the city. Not too long ago, he had been running like a rat through the city as people tried to kill him. Now, he returned at the peak of glory, leaving him feeling extremely smug and proud.
All of a sudden, he stepped forward so that he was in front the giant ghost king. Looking down at the city, he shouted, “Listen up, everyone. The three leaders of the clans that dared to offend their superiors have been removed from power! His highness the king is back. When exactly do you plan to step forward and offer formal greetings!?!?”
In response to his words, everyone trembled, and within moments, countless individuals nervously flew up into the air, where they began to kowtow to the giant ghost king.
“We offer respectful greetings, King Giant Ghost!!”
“We offer respectful greetings, King Giant Ghost!!!”
In the blink of an eye, countless soul cultivators appeared, all of them offering greetings, their voices combining into a cacophonous roar that rose to the highest heavens.
As for the six heavenly marquises, their faces were as ashen as death, and their eyes filled with despair. They knew that they had no hope of escaping, nor any ability to fight back, so therefore they simply dropped to their knees to kowtow.
As for the four heavenly marquises who had done nothing during the insurrection, they tremblingly appeared to offer greetings, flustered and fearful. At the same time, two beams of light shot toward the city from off in the distance.
They were Duke Deathcrier and Duke Netherworld. As for Duke Deathcrier, he excitedly clasped hands and gave a deep bow.
“Greetings, Your Highness!” he said.
In contrast, Duke Netherworld seemed extremely worried. However, he didn’t rashly try to flee; he knew that such action was pointless, and would lead only to death. The only slight chance he had at living came with not fleeing. Face ashen, he dropped down to kowtow.
Complete tumult filled the city as countless respectful cries of greeting rose up.
The giant ghost king looked out with an expressionless face, not saying even a word as he surveyed the city with icy eyes. The truth was that he didn’t need to say anything. His mere presence would crush any remnants of the rebellion.
Bai Xiaochun’s excitement grew at the sight of what was happening, but he didn’t forget about how the giant ghost king needed to maintain his dignity. After casting a surreptitious glance at him, Bai Xiaochun made his decision about what to do next. Clasping his hands behind his back, he looked down at the crowds in the city and loudly declared, “Bring me the rebels!”
He was immediately pleased with how incisive and threatening his words were. In response, the four heavenly marquises who had not participated in the rebellion rushed over to seal the cultivation bases of the six guilty marquises.
The six guilty marquises did nothing to fight back. Within the blink of an eye, they were on their knees and incapable of moving. As for Duke Deathcrier, he waved his finger, sealing the cultivation base of Duke Netherworld, who merely looked on bitterly as it happened.
The subordinates of the six heavenly marquises could not escape, and were soon captured and rounded up by the forces of the other four.
The giant ghost king watched all of this happen with cold eyes, but nothing more. Inside, he was actually quite pleased with how Bai Xiaochun was handling things. Stepping forward, he appeared in the location where the giant ghost statue had existed, where he waved his hand. Ripples flowed out, and time seemed to move in reverse. Crumbled stones flowed back up into the air, and in the blink of an eye, the statue had reformed!
The royal palace and its grand hall were back in place, and all damage to the statue was healed. Within moments... the giant ghost statue and the royal palace were back in place as if they had never been destroyed!
“I’m back!” the giant ghost king said, his first words since returning.
“King Giant Ghost has returned!”
“King Giant Ghost!!”
“King Giant Ghost!!!”
In response, countless voices joined together in a mighty cheer. As for Bai Xiaochun, his voice could also be heard in the cheering, as if he were the one leading it all....