Chapter 153: Chapter 152: Gu Zhao: The Soul-Stabilizing Seal, Is This It?

Taoist Yi Hong, Taoist Yan Song, and Taoist Ming Yu joined forces, immediately putting the two centuries-old Corpse Ghosts on the back foot.

Of course, Gu Zhao and Yunyang weren’t just standing by, either.

Stone King Cave was ranked among the four great powers of Changping Prefecture alongside the Golden Wind Sect, Three Extremes Mountain, and Bian Palace. Naturally, this wasn’t because it was just some ragtag group, but because it had a considerable number of underlings.

While the Golden Wind Sect was comprised of Ghost Gods and both Three Extremes Mountain and Bian Palace were home to Demons, Stone King Cave primarily consisted of Ghosts, with a few Demons mixed in.

Or rather, they were Demons that resembled Ghosts.

Yunyang’s longsword danced, creating a dozen blossoms of steel as he ran a man in gray straight through the heart. The man reverted to his true form: an ugly, gray-furred monkey with a partially rotted body, reeking of a mixture of Demon Power and Corpse Qi.

Disgusted, Yunyang flicked his longsword, using his True Qi to cleanse the blade of all filth. Only then did he nod in satisfaction.

"What was that thing?" Gu Zhao asked.

Yunyang thought for a moment before saying uncertainly, "A demon-corpse? Or a corpse-demon?"

Gu Zhao nodded. "Very descriptive."

The words had barely left his lips when a flash of pink flickered before Gu Zhao’s eyes, and a sweet fragrance filled the air.

"Sir~"

A voice—pure yet seductive, aloof yet bewitching, ethereal yet filled with desire—whispered in his ear. Gu Zhao turned to see a woman approaching with light, dance-like steps, drawing near one moment and pulling away the next. As her body swayed, her light gauze dress became semi-transparent, offering tantalizing glimpses of the curves beneath.

’Holy hell!’

Startled, Gu Zhao reflexively flung a Celestial Thunder Curse at her.

BOOM!

The pink mist scattered. A scorched smell, the scent of some fragrant powder being incinerated, cut through the sweetness in the air.

Yet the woman’s appearance remained unchanged. Although the burnt, sweet air could no longer mask the faint stench of Corpse Qi, she still looked just as delicate and beautiful.

But no matter how beautiful she was, in Gu Zhao’s eyes, she was no different from a skeleton. The dense Evil Qi radiating from her was a dead giveaway that this was a malevolent Corpse Ghost.

’Do you really think I’m that naive?’ Gu Zhao paced out the Gang Dou steps and began circulating his Qi. His left hand formed the Capital Supervisor Technique seal while his right made a sword point. A thread of fire shot from his fingertip, expanding mid-flight into a fiery net.

’I’ve seen my share of Sakura Paste films and scrolled through plenty of e-girls on social media. From the real deal to photoshopped thirst traps, I’ve seen more than you could possibly know. And you think *you* can seduce me?’

Gu Zhao thrust his right hand down, and the Fire Shield Technique descended upon the woman. "Demon! Reveal your true form!"

"Aaaah!" The woman shrieked. Her gauze dress was in tatters and her tender, pale skin had turned a grayish black, but her face remained beautiful and her figure was as curvaceous and bewitching as ever.

"Huh?" Gu Zhao stared, stunned. He hadn’t expected this to be her true body.

"You’re a Corpse Ghost, yet your true form is this beautiful?" Gu Zhao asked, his curiosity piqued.

Seeing that Gu Zhao was completely unmoved by her charms and had attacked without mercy, the woman trembled in terror. When she glanced over and saw that both Stone King and Rong Wen were losing their battles, her spirit broke. She turned to flee.

SWOOSH!

A flash of Sword Light cut her off as Yunyang appeared in her path. He looked her up and down. "The Sect Leader asked you a question. Why haven’t you answered?"

The woman answered instinctively, "I... I am an Enchanting Corpse. This is my true form. My skin feels just like a living person’s—in fact, it’s even smoother and firmer."

*Hiss...*

Sensing their apparent interest, the woman’s eyes lit up. She hurriedly turned back to plead, "Sirs, spare me! I am willing to become your slave, your handmaiden, for you to toy with as you wish."

*Hiss...*

"You can do anything you want with me!" the woman cooed, lightly lifting the hem of her skirt to reveal a tantalizing flash of pale skin. "I can even perform many... acts... that a living person cannot..."

SHINK!

The tip of a sword jutted out from her chest. The Pure Yang True Qi coursing through the blade shredded the Corpse Qi in her body, annihilating her Divine Soul along with it. The seductive glimmer in the woman’s eyes turned to terror, then faded into nothingness as all life left her.

But even in death, her corpse remained just as supple and beautiful.

"All those acts that living people can’t do... Doesn’t that just creep you out?" Gu Zhao shook his head with a sigh.

"Absolutely terrifying. Better to kill her and get it over with," Yunyang said, still shaken.

The words were barely out of his mouth when Yunyang withdrew his sword and swung it at a short figure that had just scurried out of the cave, trying to escape. This Demon’s Dao Practice was clearly lacking; its Transformation was incomplete, leaving it with a small human body topped by a rat’s head.

But halfway through his swing, Yunyang’s sword came to an abrupt halt.

’No Evil Qi? Is this a good Demon?’

Curious, Yunyang scrutinized the rat demon, which trembled, its eyes wide with terror.

Yunyang looked the creature up and down a few more times, staring until the rat demon looked ready to wet itself. Only then did he step aside and point toward the exit. "Do no evil and take no human lives. The path of cultivation is difficult; do not bring ruin upon yourself."

"Yes, yes! Thank you, Mage, for sparing my life! This Little Demon has never harmed anyone!" The rat demon nodded frantically, then shrank back into its original form and scurried away along the wall in a flash.

"Was that a..."

"Mole?"

Gu Zhao clicked his tongue and turned to another man in gray, who was flashing a fawning, sycophantic smile. "This Little Demon has never harmed anyone either."

Gu Zhao nodded, then casually unleashed a Celestial Thunder Curse, a Divine Thunder Curse, and a Community Thunder Curse. A perfect three-hit combo that took the demon out instantly.

"With Evil Qi that thick, you dare claim you’ve never harmed anyone?" Gu Zhao sneered.

The Demons and Ghosts who had sensed the fighting in the main hall and were about to rush out to help saw how formidable the intruders were. They let out a collective shout and immediately turned to flee.

Not knowing if there was a back exit, Gu Zhao waved his hand, scattering several Great Dragon-locking Talismans. A Dragon-locking Light Curtain materialized in an instant, sealing off all the cave’s entrances.

’I can’t do anything about the ones who haven’t come out, but those who are here aren’t going anywhere.’

...

Elsewhere, Taoist Yan Song used the Taiyi Wind and Fire to sweep the entire cave clean of its Yin Evil and frigid Qi. The flames burned the stone walls red-hot, destroying the trap Arrays embedded within them that stored the corrupting energy.

With his Guan Saber in hand, Taoist Yi Hong relentlessly assaulted the Stone King, hacking and slashing with wild abandon. Empowered by his True Qi, his strikes overwhelmed the Stone King’s protective Corpse Qi. The monster’s iron-hard body began to give way, his clothes were shredded, and deep gashes were carved into his flesh. Taoist True Qi clung to these wounds, searing his corpse-like body and causing him unbearable pain. He frantically circulated his own Corpse Qi to expel the invasive energy, dark smoke puffing from his wounds.

Taoist Ming Yu had summoned eight Celestial Warriors to act as his vanguard. With their Qi Mechanisms linked, they shared any damage taken, and being constructs rather than living beings, they were immune to poison. They surrounded Rong Wen while Taoist Ming Yu took cover behind them, casting spells from the Thunder Concealment Book. As one Thunderbolt after another crashed down, the protective layer of Corpse Qi and toxic gas around Rong Wen grew thinner and thinner, nearly depleted.

Having annihilated the rest of the Demons and Ghosts in the cave, Gu Zhao and Yunyang turned their attention to the main battles.

The Stone King parried another blow from Taoist Yi Hong’s saber and roared in fury, "If I had my Ten Thousand Ghosts Banner and my Soul-Stabilizing Seal, I’d never allow you to be so brazen!"

Gu Zhao blinked, then reached into his robes and pulled out a seal. "The Soul-Stabilizing Seal... you mean this?"