C10 I Am the Expert

Outside Death City.

Two figures emerged from the dense fog, one tall and the other short, having just descended from Mao Mountain.

They were on their way to Death City to capture vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts!

"Senior Brother, why do I have a feeling that something's off today?"

The speaker was Lee Qingyuan, the youngest disciple on Mao Mountain and also the brightest. He had opened his Heaven's Eye at the tender age of eleven or twelve.

He could see through illusions and identify ghosts.

His skill in capturing ghosts and subduing demons was second to none.

"What could possibly be off? Death City has always been like this, shrouded in heavy Yin Qi. When has it ever been right?"

His senior brother, Wang Cheng, had been on Mao Mountain for twelve years. His cultivation was mediocre, and he was known for his laziness and lack of ambition, hardly a match for Lee Qingyuan.

They were as different as heaven and earth.

"I still have a bad feeling."

Lee Qingyuan grumbled, fully aware of his senior brother's unreliability.

"Besides us from Mao Mountain, who else would dare come to Death City?"

Ugh!

No sooner had he spoken than a spine-chilling ghostly wail pierced the air, causing Wang Cheng to tremble with fear.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the Yin Qi swirling in the sky began to retreat, and the thick fog noticeably thinned.

"We should hurry and check it out."

Lee Qingyuan's expression turned serious as he dashed toward the source of the sound.

"Junior Brother, maybe we shouldn't."

Wang Cheng wore a look of dread, extremely reluctant to proceed. He vividly remembered the last anomaly in Death City when a Ghost General emerged.

It was freakishly powerful and aggressive!

It had slain numerous Mao Mountain disciples, and it was only by the intervention of several great elders that the Ghost General was finally subdued.

Now,

the eerie wail brought the Ghost General to mind.

It was well-known that a Ghost General was on par with a cultivator at the Blood Soldier Level, far beyond what they could handle.

In just a short time,

Lee Qingyuan had moved ahead, leaving Wang Cheng with no choice but to follow.

"This..."

Approaching the scene, Lee Qingyuan was stunned by what he saw. A vast expanse of Yin Qi had already shrouded the desolate space before him.

In the dim light, numerous tormented souls could be seen struggling.

"Could it really be the emergence of the Ghost General?"

Wang Cheng's face was pale, the heavy Yin Qi consuming the vengeful spirits, easily leading one to think of the Ghost General's birth.

"We need to rush back and inform our master."

"No, we can't!"

"If the Ghost General has indeed emerged, we must strike it down while it's still weak."

Lee Qingyuan opposed the idea without a moment's hesitation, his face set with resolve, starkly contrasting Wang Cheng's panic and unease.

"But... we're no match for it."

The Qi and blood emanating from the Yin Qi grew increasingly formidable, quickly reaching the ninth level of a Blood Refining Apprentice, just shy of breaking through to the Blood Soldier Level.

It had become a Ghost General!

"Even if we're outmatched, we cannot retreat!"

Lee Qingyuan declared.

Suddenly, the pervasive Yin Qi in the sky drew back, condensing into a large cocoon that rhythmically trembled as though breathing.

Yet, what truly captured Lee Qingyuan and Wang Cheng's attention was the figure standing beside the cocoon. Cloaked in black with disheveled hair, his face was obscured, yet he exuded an awe-inspiring presence.

This sensation.

Lee Qingyuan had only ever felt it from his own master.

No, that wasn't quite right.

The aura of his master paled in comparison to this individual's. Realizing this, Lee Qingyuan's face darkened.

"Who is this person? Could he be a reclusive senior from the mountains?"

Wang Cheng's voice shook, his spirit nearly leaving him.

To manipulate the Yin Qi so effortlessly, this person must be a ghost evolved from relentless combat. The man in black's power was undoubtedly formidable, surely at the Blood Soldier Level.

Boom!

In the sight of Lee Qingyuan and Wang Cheng, Yang Xiu lifted his hand, then brought it down with force once more.

"What is he trying to do?"

Wang Cheng was perplexed. Had he been closer, he might have picked up on some subtleties. Yang Xiu's palm shone with Star Power, like a celestial shuttle in motion.

It effortlessly penetrated numerous barriers to reach the deep underground.

The Yin Meridian!

To Yang Xiu, the Yin Meridian felt like a long snake in hibernation, slumbering beneath the earth's surface.

This was a newly formed, minor Yin Meridian!

People are ranked in society, and Yin Meridians are no different. They are categorized into four levels: A, B, C, and D, each with three subgrades. The Yin Meridian Yang Xiu encountered could just barely qualify as a low-grade D-level.

"Sever it!"

With a focused thought, Yang Xiu didn't hesitate and brought his blade down in a swift cut.

Puchi!

The tail was severed, and the Yin Meridian snake abruptly awoke, roaring and lunging at Yang Xiu, who was well-prepared and vanished into thin air.

"Is this... the Yin Meridian?"

"He's stealing our Yin Meridian!"

Suddenly, a black gas the length of a finger wafted up and settled into Yang Xiu's hand.

Lee Qingyuan's eyes widened at the sight. He was quite familiar with Yin Meridians, as his master had explained them to him.

When he advanced to the Blood Soldier Level,

his master would personally obtain a strand of Death City Yin Meridian to nurture a formidable Demonic Ghost.

But now,

this stranger in black had stolen a significant portion of the Yin Meridian—roughly a hundred strands—sending Lee Qingyuan into a fury.

That was supposed to be my Yin Meridian!

And so, under Lee Qingyuan's intense gaze, the Yin Meridian was absorbed into the large cocoon.

Gurgling sounds filled the air as the surrounding Yin Qi bubbled up like boiling water, spilling out from the cocoon, which trembled violently. After a few moments, it burst open.

An entity emerged.

Its body was tall and blade-like, with limbs elongated and wrapped in blue ribbons, skin stretched over bones without an ounce of flesh.

An ancient script was etched on its brow.

It was the Demonic Ghost!

Newly born, the Demonic Ghost appeared somewhat unstable but quickly steadied itself.

It hovered next to Yang Xiu like a shadow.

"He's a Ghost Controlling Master as well."

Wang Cheng stood in awe. On Mao Mountain, those who could command spirits were known as Ghost Controlling Masters.

"Where did you come from, and why did you steal our family's ghost?" Lee Qingyuan demanded, his youthful voice heavy with anger. Despite his indignation, he couldn't help but covet Yang Xiu's Demonic Ghost—a formidable creature at the ninth level of Blood Refining, a prize any Ghost Controlling Master would desire.

"It wasn't stolen; I raised this Demonic Ghost myself," Yang Xiu replied, his patience evident as he addressed the boy, who was merely eleven or twelve years old.

"But you must have stolen the Yin Meridian from our family, right?" Lee Qingyuan persisted, not ready to back down.

"Yes, you could say it was stolen," Yang Xiu conceded openly.

"You..." Lee Qingyuan was at a loss for words, taken aback by Yang Xiu's straightforward admission.

"As compensation, I'm willing to teach you a Ghost Controlling Technique," Yang Xiu offered sincerely, recognizing the rarity of the Yin Meridian and its decade-long recovery period.

"Humph! Who needs your teaching? When it comes to Ghost Controlling, we of Mao Mountain are the true masters."