Chapter 12: Consumed by Ghostfire, The Sorcerer's Demise

Even Lu Sha was not entirely sure about this himself.

But he vaguely sensed it had something to do with the Turtle Essence Qi Cultivation Technique.

After being struck by the Binding Spell, the flow of his blood and energy followed the path prescribed by the cultivation technique, quickly dissipating the foreign power within him.

Thus, the evil priest’s Binding Spell had almost no effect on him.

Yet the methods of the evil priest made Lu Sha wary; he was determined to end the fight swiftly.

By now, the Hundred-Eyed Demon and the Cat Demon had both expended their strength—what came next would depend on him alone.

Lu Sha’s handsome face was twisted with ferocity as he raised his blade and chased after the evil priest.

In his previous life, when he first started out, the market was chaotic, law and disorder intermingled. Lacking any connections, Lu Sha could only rely on his own ruthlessness, and he’d wielded a blade more than once.

Even after he put on a suit, he never lost himself in luxury and vice. Instead, he systematically trained in combat arts, swordsmanship, and more.

Now, wielding a knife once again, he felt as if he’d returned to those old, struggling days.

That fire of relentless ambition blazed anew in his chest.

If you dare block my path, I will cut you down!

…

Though the gaunt evil priest was difficult to kill, his physical body was no better than an ordinary man’s.

He ran in circles around the cell, dodging Lu Sha’s attacks while frantically forming arcane gestures, trying to cast another spell.

But Lu Sha pursued relentlessly, his blade flashing, carving several wounds into the priest’s back.

Blood streamed freely, and his spellcasting was repeatedly interrupted.

If not for his quick footwork, he would have already been hacked to death!

“You little wretch, you’ve forced my hand! Go to hell!” the evil priest finally snapped.

He realized that if he kept fleeing, he might die here without even understanding how.

Though this ace up his sleeve was somewhat unstable, he had no choice but to use it.

“Rise!”

With a fierce shout, a mass of ghastly green ghostfire erupted from his mouth.

This was another sinister tool he’d cultivated—a ghostfire that could scorch the soul and kill invisibly.

It was his most powerful weapon.

But precisely because of its power, the priest struggled to fully control it, and rarely used it.

Now, pushed to desperation by Lu Sha, he had no other option.

…

The ghostfire burst forth, swelling dozens of times in an instant.

From the size of a fist, it expanded into a writhing, howling cloud of flame, roaring as it hurtled toward Lu Sha!

His face was illuminated an eerie green, chilling him to the bone even as an inexplicable heat welled up within.

He knew he couldn’t take the attack head-on and immediately dodged aside.

But the ghostfire seemed locked onto him, pursuing relentlessly.

It was so fast that, despite Lu Sha’s quick evasions, he could not shake it off. In moments, it was about to engulf him!

At the critical moment, his eyes flashed with a steely glint, and a savage determination crossed his face.

Suddenly, he stopped retreating and instead charged straight toward the ghostfire!

“What is he doing?” The priest sensed something was terribly wrong.

Sure enough, Lu Sha dove directly into the ghostfire.

Then, wrapped in the searing green flames, he spread his arms and charged wildly at the priest!

“You bastard!!!!” The evil priest’s pupils contracted in terror.

Is this wretch trying to drag me down with him?!

…

The priest tried to flee.

But the agony of the ghostfire unleashed something fierce within Lu Sha.

He lunged forward, seized the priest in a crushing embrace, and the two crashed to the ground, rolling together, both engulfed in ravenous flame.

“Ah!!!” The pain of the ghostfire searing their bodies was unimaginable.

…

The priest’s endurance was nothing like Lu Sha’s. He let out a piercing scream.

Unable to fully control the ghostfire, he couldn’t shield himself from its damage.

Now, he faced two choices: withdraw the ghostfire and be hacked to death by Lu Sha, or let the flames burn, fighting to the death to see who would fall first.

But the priest was already grievously wounded, with the Cat Demon still draining his essence.

How could he outlast a young man like Lu Sha, whose blood and energy surged with vitality?

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that a simple inspection of the Cat Demon would lead him into such a deadly dilemma.

This young man was among the most dangerous foes he’d ever encountered!

…

A strange sizzling filled the air.

Both Lu Sha and the priest were wreathed in ghostly green fire, yet their clothing remained untouched.

For the flames did not burn flesh, but devoured their essence and souls!

Still, since he was being burned himself, the priest had no choice but to withdraw most of the ghostfire’s power.

Even so, he remained wracked with pain, his face twisted, his body convulsing, barely resisting the urge to writhe on the ground.

But Lu Sha gritted his teeth and, after a moment, managed to sit up, trembling as he straddled the priest, raising his blade with shaking hands.

The priest was horrified.

How could this be? The agony of the ghostfire should have paralyzed him, yet he could still move?

The pain of the ghostfire burrowed deep into the soul—words could not describe it!

The priest trembled uncontrollably, helpless, on the verge of losing all control.

But Lu Sha was still flesh and blood.

His hands shook so violently that he couldn’t hold onto his blade.

As he tried to drive it down, the knife slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor.

Seeing this, the priest exhaled in relief.

But in the next instant, a ruthless light flashed in Lu Sha’s eyes. Slowly, he formed a fist.

If he couldn’t hold a blade, he’d use his fists.

If his fists failed him, he’d use his palms.

No matter what, today you must die first!

…

With a dull thud, Lu Sha punched the priest squarely in the nose.

The first blow was weak—he was in too much pain.

But soon came a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth... Blow after blow rained down, like a torrential storm.

Gradually, Lu Sha found he could endure the agony.

Despite the ghostfire’s torment, his punches grew heavier, faster.

He beat the priest’s face into a ruin, blood streaming, features unrecognizable.

“Stop! Stop!” After a few moments, the priest could take no more and pleaded, “If we keep this up, we’ll both be destroyed. Let’s call a truce—let bygones be bygones! What do you say?”

Lu Sha didn’t even bother to answer, his trembling fists rising and falling relentlessly.

All this for the sake of raising a Cat Demon, the priest had slaughtered Ma Tiezhuzhu’s entire family, who had only shown Lu Sha hospitality.

Such a ruthless, inhuman creature—how could his words be trusted?

Strike while he’s down, finish him!

Lu Sha clenched his teeth against the pain, pummeling on.

Even if the priest had spiritual protection and stubborn vitality, Lu Sha refused to believe he could survive with his head smashed in!

…

Who is this man, to be so utterly ruthless?

Seeing that Lu Sha showed no sign of stopping, the priest desperately shielded his head, hatred and fear rising within him.

He could feel the breath of death drawing near.

He had to act, or he was truly finished.

…

Frantically, the priest devised a plan.

He would unleash all the ghostfire at once, drowning Lu Sha in unbearable agony so he could not keep punching.

Then, in a flash, he would withdraw it all.

The sudden shift would leave Lu Sha momentarily stunned.

The priest would be ready, and use the opportunity to cast a spell; if not to subdue Lu Sha, then at least to escape this predicament.

…

All these thoughts passed in an instant.

No sooner had he conceived the plan than he unleashed all the ghostfire, shrouding both himself and Lu Sha in a sea of ghastly green.

The pain intensified tenfold, and Lu Sha’s body froze, his mind blurring with agony.

But in a moment, the ghostfire receded sharply, withdrawn into the priest’s body.

The shock of pain jolted Lu Sha’s senses as if doused with ice water, instantly bringing him back to clarity.

He realized the priest must be preparing to cast a spell—he couldn’t allow him the chance!

“Be suppressed!”

Lu Sha reached out with trembling hand, grabbing the tail end of the ghostfire, and unleashed the Black Lotus from his spiritual sea to subdue it.

The ghostfire was formidable; had it all been unleashed, he could not have suppressed it.

But now, with most withdrawn, he had his chance.

With a fierce cry, the priest was stunned to find the ghostfire outside his body had become uncontrollable.

“What have you done?! What did you do?!”

Enraged and terrified, the priest realized that this ghostfire, his trump card, had been severed.

But that wasn’t the worst of it.

The ghostfire was a singular entity; having a portion cut off disrupted its already unstable balance.

Sure enough, after being suppressed, the connection between ghostfire and priest weakened, shattering the tenuous equilibrium.

With a strange hiss, the ghostfire that had just been drawn back into the priest’s body suddenly erupted!

Like the Cat Demon before it, the ghostfire turned upon its master.

Sizzling, hissing!

Ribbons of ghostly green flame burst from the priest’s seven apertures, enveloping his entire form.

Lu Sha’s senses screamed in alarm; he leapt back, putting distance between himself and the priest.

…

“Ahhh!!!” The priest howled, writhing in agony, his mind clouded with pain.

He’d never fully controlled the ghostfire. Now, with a portion suppressed by Lu Sha, he lost all balance.

The evil spirit rampaged within his body.

Lu Sha darted around, evading the priest’s thrashing, careful not to draw the flames to himself.

Once the ghostfire lost control, its fury dwarfed anything from before.

In less than half a minute, the priest’s life was snuffed out. He collapsed, motionless.

If this had been a more ordinary death, Lu Sha might have suspected a feigned demise.

But now, as the ghostfire faded, it condensed into a fist-sized sphere hovering above the corpse.

His essence and soul had been completely consumed—there was no chance of trickery.

This priest had spent a lifetime consorting with monsters, creating evil spirits he believed himself able to control.

But to true cultivators, these were mere heterodox tricks, rife with fatal flaws.

Sure enough, in the end, the priest died at the hands of the very ghostfire he had treasured as his ace.

He who hunts birds all his life is finally pecked by one.

A fitting end, indeed.

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