Chapter 210: There’s Someone Down Below

Holy shit!

A Ghost King—something that hadn’t appeared in over a thousand years—had actually manifested before their eyes!

“Chen’er!” The Tang family head, who’d been smugly showing off his son just moments ago, turned pale as paper. Without caring about appearances, he jumped to his feet, ready to rush straight into the examination grounds.

“Wait!” Yun Jiao’s hand shot out, grabbing his sleeve before he could move. “Trust your son.”

After all, this was the same young man who’d survived an encounter with an evil jiao.

“But, Master Yun—that’s a Ghost King!” Tang Yi’s voice cracked, on the verge of tears. “This isn’t about trusting my son—it’s about basic survival! None of us—none of the sect leaders—have ever fought a Ghost King before! Having one show up in the exam—it’s madness!”

“Then trust me,” Yun Jiao replied calmly. “If you go charging in, all three Tang disciples will be disqualified. Besides, the old man’s watching over them inside.”

That last line finally made Tang Yi freeze. His son might not be the most reliable, but Yun Jiao had never once let anyone down. Somehow, her quiet certainty grounded him. He slowly sat back down.

The other sect masters and elders, who had all been holding teleportation talismans ready to abort the test, also hesitated—then quietly lowered their hands. They’d been seconds away from stopping the exam, convinced it had spun out of control. But hearing Yun Jiao speak… inexplicably, they all felt reassured.

╮(╯▽╰)╭

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Inside the test field, the three Tang disciples had immediately recognized the colossal figure before them.

Tang Chen—having faced death before—was the first to recover. Snapping open a talisman, he shouted, “Junior brothers, activate the formation!”

The two outside the temple snapped out of their daze, quickly taking position. Their hands formed seals in unison, spiritual energy surging. Within seconds, a glowing formation flared to life under Tang Chen’s feet, covering the entire ruined temple in shimmering light.

It was a mid-level entrapment array—difficult for a single disciple, but manageable when cast jointly. The Ghost King was completely enveloped. Tang Chen hurled his talisman into the array, and a brilliant beam of light shot straight toward the specter.

The trio’s coordination was near perfect. Against an ordinary ghost or even a ghost general, this strike would have sealed or subdued the enemy instantly.

But this was a Ghost King.

Tang Chen’s talisman hit squarely—but the massive shadow only staggered back one step before steadying itself, unharmed. Instead of retreating, its killing intent flared to life.

It gathered a surge of black energy and slammed it into the array barrier. The formation trembled violently, light flickering—then shattered with a resounding boom.

The two disciples maintaining the formation were thrown back, blood surging chaotically from the backlash. The Ghost King’s roar followed, an ear-splitting shriek that shook the entire village.

The two young men clutched their heads, reeling—the sound seemed to claw at their souls, threatening to rip their very spirits from their bodies.

“Quick! Seal your five senses—don’t listen to its cry!” Tang Chen shouted as he retreated a few paces, forcing his spiritual energy into defense.

The two immediately obeyed, cutting off their hearing and sight to block the sonic attack—but it was already too late.

A streak of shadowy energy burst from the Ghost King’s hand like a living serpent, darting straight toward the disciple on the right.

The young man had just closed his senses—he didn’t even see it coming. The black energy lunged for his chest.

“Junior brother!” Tang Chen cried, but he was too far away to help.

The strike was unavoidable. The sect masters watching through the water mirror all jerked to their feet in alarm.

But just as the shadow was about to pierce the disciple’s chest, it twitched—as if something invisible had yanked it from behind. It veered off-course at the last second, grazing the boy’s robe instead of his heart.

The blow revealed a yellow talisman tucked inside his shirt, which suddenly flashed white—activating the emergency teleport spell and whisking him safely back to the Celestial Masters Hall.

Tang Yi: “…”

Sect masters: “…”

What just happened?

(￣△￣；)

Heh. One point.

The Ghost King raised its claw again, clearly pleased with itself, and turned its attention toward the remaining disciple on the left. Even the black mist swirling from its body seemed… gleeful.

“Dodge!” Tang Chen yelled. He hadn’t noticed the oddity in the earlier strike and was too focused on battle.

The remaining disciple reacted swiftly—though his senses were sealed, instinct saved him. He rolled aside just as another blast of yin energy tore through where he’d stood.

The two were forced into a desperate dance of retreat and defense, unable to land a single solid hit. The Ghost King’s power was overwhelming. Their talismans were spent, their magical artifacts depleted, and their spiritual reserves nearly dry.

“Senior Brother Tang,” gasped one of the Tang disciples, “I’ve used my last talisman! What do we do now?”

Tang Chen’s expression hardened. He could feel his own energy draining fast, the weight of despair pressing on him—but giving up now was unthinkable. They had fought so hard, come so far… he refused to stop here.

“Go,” he ordered quietly. “Use your escape talisman.”

Then, tightening his grip on his sword, he turned back toward the Ghost King.

The disciple hesitated, teeth gritted, torn between retreat and loyalty. Finally, with a surge of resolve, he prepared to stay and fight—

But it was already too late.

The moment he raised his talisman, the Ghost King abruptly changed targets. As if drawn to the light, it spun and attacked him instead—its tendrils of yin energy lashing out in a frenzy.

Dozens of black streaks struck the talisman at once.

A blinding flash of white erupted, and in the next instant, the disciple was gone—safely teleported back to the hall.

Tang Chen: “…”

Tang Yi: “…”

Sect masters: “…”

Ghost King: Heh heh heh… another point!

(ω)

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“Master Yun,” Hall Master Xu finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. “What in the heavens is going on? The lesser ghosts were one thing—but even the Ghost King is… cooperating? Since when did the underworld become this friendly?”

Yun Jiao turned her gaze toward him, then toward the others. After a brief pause, she gave an utterly straight-faced reply:

“Mm… let’s just say—the old man has people down below.”

Everyone: “…”

No kidding—who doesn’t have a few acquaintances in the underworld?

But which acquaintance could be so close that they’d send a Ghost King to help out?! That level of “networking” was downright terrifying.