Chapter 017 Ferocious Ghost Emerges

The bundle he’d been carrying suddenly transformed into a woman, startling Yang Zhen.

When he finally reacted to the change, he found himself at a loss for words. He had unintentionally grasped the young woman’s arm, filling him with embarrassment, and he quickly apologized.

Feeling an overwhelming wave of sword energy coming toward him, Yang Zhen quickly pulled back his hand and made a sidelong leap, dodging the sword aura. “Misunderstanding! Miss, this is a misunderstanding. If I had known it was you down there, I would have been gentler,” he called out.

“Shameless! Scoundrel! I’ll kill you!” she cried.

The two were face to face, but they couldn’t see each other’s faces clearly. In the endless mist, Yang Zhen wasn’t even sure which of the lady’s arms he had grabbed. Being pursued relentlessly, he felt somewhat wronged.

Her voice sounded lovely, unlike any Yang Zhen had heard before. Even her angry accusations somehow left him feeling delightfully refreshed.

“I must be sick—a serious case if I’m finding comfort in her voice,” Yang Zhen muttered under his breath. “If you continue to attack, I will fight back!”

With a huff, the woman shouted back, her long sword suddenly unleashing a terrifying surge of energy. Amid the intense light, a vermilion bird charged toward Yang Zhen.

“This is bad!” Yang Zhen exclaimed, startled. The bird’s charge was accompanied by a fierce wave of energy that caused the mist to whorl around it, obstructing his view.

Using the brief flash of light, both Yang Zhen and the woman finally got a clear look at each other’s faces. A look of astonishment flashed across both their faces. “It’s you?”

“You know me?” they both exclaimed in surprise. Yang Zhen paled, instinctively evading the charging bird.

A familiar fragrance wafted into Yang Zhen’s nostrils—fresh, orchid-like, an enchanting floral scent unique to a natural bouquet. It felt like being in an endless sea of flowers in spring. True to her reputation as a princess of extraordinary beauty, the scent surrounding her was unmatchable.

What surprised Yang Zhen was that, despite the bird’s terrifying appearance, it had a very lousy aim. He had simply sidestepped a little, and the bird completely missed him. It crashed into the ground, causing a mess of dusty debris. The destructive power was alarming enough to make Yang Zhen click his tongue.

In the pitch-black surroundings, he was unsure of their location. Yet even in such complete darkness, you’d think a princess at an advanced stage—Fifth Heaven of the Foundation Establishment stage—of cultivation would at least manage to land a hit, instead of flailing around aimlessly like a fly.

“You… you shameless jerk! Fight me fair and square if you dare. What type of man hides in the shadows?” she challenged.

Listening to the princess’s words left Yang Zhen utterly gobsmacked. This kind of language was hardly befitting a princess. Had his unexpected grasp caused her to lose her composure, or worse, pushed her over the edge?

No, something was not right…

Yang Zhen channeled his True Essence into his eyes and turned his gaze in the direction of the princess without uttering a word.

There, in the misty darkness, he noticed the usually elegant princess was pale, wildly waving her sword, and looking completely panicked.

“Come out, you rogue, bastard! Show yourself!” she shouted.

Yang Zhen stared, stunned. To his surprise, the princess seemed afraid of the dark.

Seeing no signs of Yang Zhen, the princess stopped, her breathing uneven. She fumbled for a match in her pocket and hurriedly lit it, revealing her surrounding area with a feeble light.

Despite the light from the matchstick, the darkness beyond its reach was still oppressive and unbroken.

The princess stood in the same spot for a long while, her face etched with one of worry and frustration.

Crack!

The matchstick flickered out. The princess gave a low scream and quickly lit another one. She crouched down on the ground and began to sob quietly.

Yang Zhen was at a loss for words. He walked over to the crouching princess and sit down next to her. “A grown-up, afraid of the dark?”

“None of your business!” the princess retorted haughtily, moving a little away.

“You’re stubborn as a mule,” Yang Zhen drawled. “If you’re not afraid, then I’ll leave.” With that, he stood up, ready to part ways.

The princess quickly stood up and followed Yang Zhen’s lead, her sure steps making Yang Zhen chuckle.

“I thought you weren’t afraid of the dark? Then why are you following me?”, Yang Zhen smirked. So she held him accountable for unintentionally grabbing her.

After they left, the princess’s expression returned to normal. She said in a deep voice, “You lead me out of here, and this is yours.”

An object enveloped in light flew toward Yang Zhen. Catching it, he was taken aback.

It was a chunk of ancient jade, smooth and warm as a goose egg in his hand. He could feel traces of thunderous energy within it—it was Thunderstruck Ancient Jade.

Yang Zhen casually tucked something into his pocket, turned around, and started walking. Princess Changyang hurriedly followed.

“Can you stop tailing me like this?”

“Where are we?” Princess Changyang blatantly ignored Yang Zhen’s warning.

“The location?” Yang Zhen shrugged, retorting, “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

After a dizzying spell, it was as if the entire Ghost City had been turned upside down. Who knew where they were? A never-ending fog covered the heavens and the earth, blocking any light from entering. They walked a long way, one step deep, one step shallow, without ever making it out of the fog.

As Yang Zhen walked, he marked their way. Every time he stopped, Princess Changyang would bump into him, not missing a beat.

“Why do you keep stopping and marking?” Princess Changyang sighed softly, pushed Yang Zhen away, and grumbled.

Yang Zhen’s face didn’t look too good. He pointed ahead, “What do you think?”

When Princess Changyang followed Yang Zhen’s point, her eyes widen instantly. Not far away, an identical mark was etched into a rock.

“Have we been here before?” Princess Changyang was not stupid. She almost instantly realised what had happened.

Yang Zhen nodded and was about to speak when suddenly, a light flashed before his eyes, “Wait, back up a bit.”

He said as his hands worked through a series of changes to his talisman. He then slammed his hands down where they were standing, and the ground immediately rumbled with a terrifying noise.

Hum!

The sky and the earth began to roar. It was as if Yang Zhen’s hands had shaken the entire world, turning everything upside down. Rays of light surged out from beneath Yang Zhen’s feet, dispersing in all directions. They formed an enormous hexagram, which enveloped both of them.

“What…What is this?” Princess Changyang stared at Yang Zhen with her lovely eyes full of incredulity, her face flushed with surprise.

Yang Zhen laughed heartily and said, “No wonder it’s so dark here, and we haven’t seen any living creatures around. It turns out we’ve been in the Dark Ghost Fog’s illusion technique all this time!”

The surrounding fog gradually lifted as daylight illuminated the two. Princess Changyang, resplendent in her royal regalia, looked peculiarly at Yang Zhen.

It wasn’t that Princess Changyang hadn’t paid attention to their surroundings, but that she hadn’t gained any insights. Yang Zhen merely made one circle with her before pressing his hands down and changing the territories’ fortunes?

“What you used just now… Is it a formation method?” Princess Changyang appeared to recall something before exclaiming in a low voice, “Earth Master Skill from Earth Sect?”

“Eh? Are you saying I’ve conned Earth Sect people?”

“No, Earth Master Skill doesn’t possess such a force. Just how much do you know?”

“I know too many things. Like an ocean vast, like stars in the sky, are you starting to become more interested in me?”

Yang Zhen winked at Princess Changyang, then turned around and jumped with surprise.

Behind them was an enormous valley filled with numerous practitioners, the majority of whom were glaring at Yang Zhen angrily.

Duan Langcai, Zhen Ping’er, Jie Gang, Lihuo…

There were also many others whose names Yang Zhen didn’t remember, but from whom he’d pilfered everything. They were all eyeing him beadily.

Princess Changyang was both embarrassed and indignant. She was about to reprimand Yang Zhen when she followed his gaze and her face took on a cool smile, “It looks like you have some trouble. Do you need my help?”

Yang Zhen laughed heartily and said, “I could certainly use your help!”

A hint of disappointment crossed Princess Changyang’s face before she resumed her unflappable guise, nodded, and was about to speak when Yang Zhen started walking towards the valley.

“When I’m getting ready to go on a killing spree here, all you need to do is yell ‘666’ for me!”

Princess Changyang shuddered. For some reason, as she watched Yang Zhen’s solitary figure, she was reminded of Nether Sun Country’s iron-blooded warriors.

Yang Zhen seemed a little regretful, muttering, “Such a shame, this place should have BGM.”

“Yo! Everyone’s here!”