Chapter 13: A Bountiful Harvest

After the death of the demon priest, Lu Sha collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath in great, ragged gulps. His whole body trembled, his face pale as death, cold sweat streaming down his skin—he was nearly at his limit. The agony of ghostfire scorching the body was not easily borne; only those who had endured it could truly understand. Fortunately, the demon priest had been burned himself at the outset, forcing him to hold back. Had he possessed the resolve to perish together, Lu Sha might not have survived. But such thoughts were useless now. In the end, Lu Sha lived; the demon priest died. This world allows no room for "what if." Especially at the threshold between life and death, once a wrong decision is made, there is no chance to regret.

After resting for a moment, Lu Sha recovered somewhat and turned his gaze to the corpse of the demon priest. The spoils of this battle were abundant. First, the cat ghost had been feeding on the demon priest’s vital essence until his death. Cultivators were indeed different; the essence of a single demon priest had enabled the cat ghost to grow its ninth tail. After three years, the creature had finally devoured its master and reached its full form.

Now stripped of its consciousness, the cat ghost floated in the air, vacant and unmoving, nothing but an empty shell. Lu Sha directed the Hundred-Eyed Ghost forward, preparing to devour the cat ghost. The Hundred-Eyed Ghost, smaller in stature, stretched its body wide, enveloping the nine-tailed cat ghost like a shroud of skin. Once it had wrapped the creature completely, the devouring began. Under the Hundred-Eyed Ghost’s voracious hunger, the cat ghost gradually melted away, becoming nourishment. When the process was complete, the Hundred-Eyed Ghost had grown to nearly double its former size. Most notably, the blood-red eye at its crown trembled and then split into two.

In Lu Sha’s mind-sea, the strange black lotus glimmered faintly, and the lone unfurled petal changed its inscription: [Hundred-Eyed Ghost: Incomplete, Ninth Grade—Intermediate, Two Eyes]. Nearly a month had passed since its creation, and at last, the Hundred-Eyed Ghost had advanced.

A flicker of joy stirred in Lu Sha’s heart as he turned his attention to the ghostfire. The demon priest had seemed somewhat impoverished, his cultivation shallow, and likely had little of value. What mattered most to Lu Sha was the ghostfire itself—the demon priest’s trump card. To true cultivators, raising and commanding ghosts was mere heresy, riddled with flaws. The recent battle had proven this; the demon priest’s method of nurturing ghosts was fundamentally different from Lu Sha’s own. They were simply worlds apart.

Lu Sha’s own monsters were like extensions of his body, obedient to his will, devoid of their own consciousness, utterly under his control. He could even merge them into himself, wielding their demonic power as his own—a feat those demon priests could scarcely imagine, and any attempt would lead to certain death. Ordinary heretical ghost cultivators had to be constantly wary of their ghosts turning on them. Even if the ghost did not devour its master, its presence inflicted constant harm to the master’s essence and vitality, slowly eroding the body. Lu Sha, however, could harness the demonic power to strengthen himself. Moreover, heretical cultivators spent enormous effort raising a single ghost, requiring countless preparations. The demon priest, for instance, had spent three years nurturing a mere low-ranking cat ghost—a daunting undertaking. Lu Sha, in contrast, could create monsters never seen before, relying solely on his own ingenuity. In sum, he was fundamentally different from those heretical cultivators in both method and ability. His only concern was that, if the disparity between his own power and that of his monsters grew too great, he would struggle to control them. He would need to improve his own strength whenever possible.

As he pondered, Lu Sha approached the corpse of the demon priest. Perhaps the ghostfire had been exhausted by the recent burning, for the pale green flame now hovered quietly above the corpse, its flickering gentle and subdued. Previously, claiming this masterless ghostfire would have been difficult. But now, with the Hundred-Eyed Ghost’s advancement, Lu Sha felt no pressure. Though it had only gained an additional blood-red eye, Lu Sha sensed its strength had increased nearly fivefold.

As he drew near, the Hundred-Eyed Ghost returned to his eye socket, perfectly merging once more with his face. Now, his left eye was a blood-colored double pupil, eerie and demonic. Lu Sha rubbed his face, feeling the numbness that had vanished after practicing the Turtle Essence Qi Cultivation Technique return once again. “Hmm… The strain on my body is even greater now. After this, I must quickly seek a new cultivation method to strengthen myself. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to control the Hundred-Eyed Ghost remotely, unable to wield its demonic power directly through my body.”

With these thoughts, Lu Sha’s left eye flared with crimson light, bathing the ghostfire. At the touch of the blood light, the ghostfire immediately began to struggle. It swelled several times in size, twisting and howling within the crimson rays, flashing with countless ghostly faces—savage and fierce. “This ghostfire is impressively powerful, no wonder it was the demon priest’s trump card. But now, it’s mine.”

Lu Sha used the power of the Hundred-Eyed Ghost to suppress the ghostfire, then reached out and pressed his hand above it. The black lotus in his mind-sea swayed gently, releasing a surge of power. Immediately, the ghostfire was subdued, its consciousness erased.

This technique was like rendering a living being brain dead—a sinister method, but highly effective. “Collect!” With a thought, the ghostfire vanished from his hand, transferred into the black lotus’s space. At the same time, a notification sounded in his mind:

[Collecting usable materials!]
[Corrosive Ghostfire: Ninth Grade—Intermediate]

Lu Sha’s guess had been correct. This ghostfire was indeed valuable, its grade equal to the newly advanced Hundred-Eyed Ghost. To simply devour it would be wasteful, and would not allow the Hundred-Eyed Ghost to advance again. Lu Sha intended to keep it, to forge his next monster.

With the ghostfire secured, Lu Sha began to search the corpse. The demon priest was no great master, but surely knew a few spells. Lu Sha was intrigued by such powers, so different from martial arts. After a brief search, he found several items: a few yellow talisman papers, a small gray jar, and a battered, incomplete manuscript.

The talisman papers were wrinkled but remarkably sturdy, their purpose unclear. The jar exuded a sinister aura; when opened, it contained some ashes, likely used for raising ghosts. But Lu Sha had no use for such rudimentary methods. The first two items seemed worthless for now. He glanced at them briefly and set them aside.

His main interest lay in the manuscript. Martial arts and cultivation were two separate paths, but both fascinated Lu Sha. The manuscript was ancient and badly weathered; he had to handle it with great care as he read. After spending nearly half an hour reviewing it, a trace of disappointment appeared in his eyes. The manuscript recorded several spells: Immobilization, Wall-Passing, Ghost Command, and others—but no cultivation methods. Spells without a foundation were futile. Without spiritual energy, how could he learn these arts? It seemed the manuscript would be of no use for now.

Upon review, the demon priest had possessed little of value—a truly impoverished wretch. Lu Sha had expected this, and was not disappointed. With the advancement of the Hundred-Eyed Ghost and acquisition of the ghostfire, he was already satisfied. Everything else was merely extra.