Chapter 27 027 The Command to Deliver All Ghosts
The rest of the story is pretty much a foregone conclusion. After Liang Yue was beheaded, his resentment lingered, and he transformed into a vengeful ghost to take revenge on the people of Huaicheng. Except for the children who couldn't speak and the deaf-mute, he took the lives of everyone who had participated in spreading rumors.
Even after these people died, Liang Yue's hatred could not be appeased. Their souls were imprisoned on the island, subjected to his control and torment, and could not be reincarnated for a hundred years.
After recounting his entire experience, Liang Yue laughed self-deprecatingly: "You two are supposed to be exorcists and defenders of the righteous path. I'm afraid you would only look down on a vicious ghost like me. It was just some rumors; why would you want to kill me?"
Unexpectedly, Zhiwei said, "Although the means of revenge are extreme, they are understandable."
Liang Yue looked astonished, unable to believe that such words came from the mouth of a god.
After careful consideration, Yun Tianjiao nodded in agreement: "Indeed, there is a reason for it."
Liang Yue was used to people who stood on the moral high ground to insult and criticize him. This was the first time he had encountered someone speaking up for him. Having been a vengeful ghost for many years, his mind was already twisted and his personality was perverse. Instead of being grateful, he became angry.
“Excusable circumstances?” Liang Yue sneered. “Fine, then tell me, how am I excusable?”
Yun Tianjiao said, "People spread rumors without any scruples. Firstly, they don't think it will cause serious consequences, and secondly, they believe that the law will not punish the masses, and they just follow the crowd. The rumors in Huaicheng led to the death of Lady Wan, and your return to take revenge is the consequence of spreading rumors. Your indiscriminate killing and massacre of the city also resulted in your execution. It was a tragedy for both you and Huaicheng. If we can learn from this and make people more cautious and know that there is evidence to support what they say, and not believe without proof, then it is understandable."
He had thought this aloof noblewoman would just give him a perfunctory reply, but to his surprise, she actually offered some insightful reasoning. Liang Yue lowered his eyes and fell silent once again.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, he sighed softly, "This is the first time in a hundred years that I've heard such pleasing words. Alas, it's such a pity, such a pity..."
Yun Tianjiao was still wondering what this guy was regretting, when he saw that the light in the brightly lit opera house suddenly began to dim little by little.
The paint on the carved beams and painted rafters was peeling off the pillars, and the brightly colored silk curtains were decaying and rotting at a visible rate.
The entire theater is gradually returning to its real state from its illusory heyday.
Liang Yue slowly stood up, a strange smile on his lips. His originally clear black and white pupils gradually turned completely black, the whites of his eyes being completely invaded by the black pupils.
"What a pity. It doesn't matter if you want to kill me, since I have no attachment to this world anymore. But you absolutely cannot help these souls finding peace..."
He stretched out his arms, and his body vanished into thin air, transforming into a large red theatrical costume that floated away.
Yun Tianjiao realized he was in trouble; Liang Yue's obsession was too strong and could not be resolved. He immediately drew his True Word and slashed at the costume.
With a tearing sound, the costume was cut in two.
Liang Yue's voice still echoed, lingering in the air: "...I want those people to be imprisoned here for all eternity, never to be reborn, never to be reincarnated, never to be freed, until their souls are scattered and they completely disappear from this world. I want them to remember forever the price of their quick tongues..."
The theater, which had been completely dark, became eerie and terrifying again, with ghostly figures all around. The various ghosts and spirits seen the night before reappeared, lurking in the shadows, watching the two and waiting for their chance to strike.
The sound of a woman singing opera rose again from inside the theater, mournful and plaintive, like weeping and lamenting.
"...The general dies in a hundred battles, from now on, to whom shall I adorn myself with rouge and powder? Love and longing, day and night I yearn, I will not abandon you until I see your bones, until death do us part. The marriage certificate remains, but my beloved has not returned, I have nowhere to express my sorrow..."
Yun Tianjiao stood back-to-back with Zhiwei and whispered, "Let's just kill them directly. It seems there's no way to save them."
"Your Highness no longer wishes to seek relief for the people of Huaicheng?"
Yun Tianjiao felt like punching someone. "Do I look like a living bodhisattva? At a time like this, of course, saving my life is the most important thing!"
Surrounded by ghosts and hanging by a thread, Zhiwei was still able to laugh out loud.
Yun Tianjiao couldn't figure out what he was laughing at, and she was too lazy to pay attention to his madness. At that moment, a hungry ghost pounced on her. She swung her knife and slashed horizontally, severing the hungry ghost's neck. The hungry ghost's head rolled to the ground, its mouth still wide open, opening and closing as if it wanted to swallow something.
A pair of tiny feet appeared beside the hungry ghost's head; it was the same ghost child Yun Tianjiao had seen the night before, the one holding the tiger-headed doll.
The ghost child was completely oblivious to the battle around him. Even when Zhiwei set a ghost spirit a meter away from him on fire, he didn't react at all. He just played around with the head of the hungry ghost on the ground like an innocent and mischievous child.
The hungry ghost's head seemed to be annoyed, and when the ghost child reached out his little hand again, it snapped it in one bite.
The ghost child screamed and tried to fling the hungry ghost's head away, but the ghost's head, like an enraged dog, clung tightly to the ghost child's hand even as it was flung into the air. The ghost child stomped its feet and shook its hand, then began to wail loudly.
This ghost child had a round head and a small stature, but possessed astonishing energy. When it cried out loud, it sounded like a hundred suonas playing in unison, making one's eardrums ache. Combined with Liang Yue's mournful opera singing and the wailing of the ghosts in the theater, it was simply unbearable to watch.
Yun Tianjiao was so overwhelmed by the sounds that she felt dizzy, nauseous, and her hand holding the mantra began to tremble. She used all her strength to clear away the ghostly spirits surrounding her, then looked at the ghost child who was still stomping his feet and crying, wanting to rush over and kill him.
Unexpectedly, after taking only a few steps, his legs went weak and he collapsed backward.
Zhiwei arrived just in time and pulled her into her arms.
Yun Tianjiao's vision was already blurry, and her head was throbbing. She managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Zhiwei, quick, quick, find a way to shut that brat up..."
After saying that, she fainted.
Zhiwei held the unconscious Yun Tianjiao in one arm, carefully letting her rest her head on his shoulder. His expression showed no panic; he merely glanced casually in the direction of the ghost child, a cool smile on his face: "Still crying? If you cry again, I'll make your soul disappear."
The voice was not loud, even gentle, but the ghost child seemed to be frightened by something, and immediately stopped talking. With the hungry ghost's head still hanging in his hand, he scurried away on his short legs and hid behind the pillar furthest from Zhiwei before daring to peek out with his big head.
Compared to Zhiwei's composure, Liang Yue, who had already stopped singing, stood on a crossbeam, looking down at the ghost child's actions with a hesitant expression, muttering, "Strange, when did this little brat become so powerful..."
His outburst of crying just now had even affected his mind, which was extremely unusual. Because on this island in the middle of the lake, he was the lord, and all the spirits on the island were under his control; they could absolutely not have any influence over him…
A sense of foreboding suddenly arose in Liang Yue's heart. His intuition, being a person of great misfortune, told him that he could not delay any longer and had to finish the battle quickly.
"All spirits, heed my command!"
He unfurled his wide-sleeved theatrical robe and swooped down from mid-air, preparing to launch a full-force attack on Zhiwei.
However, even after he landed, the ghosts that should have surrounded and attacked Zhiwei did not move at all. Even those ghosts who had dared to rush up and fight just now obediently retreated to the surroundings and remained quiet.
Liang Yue frowned slightly, then looked at Zhiwei. He saw that the stunningly beautiful goddess had one arm around the woman she was with, and the other hand was outstretched. Suddenly, a cluster of flames in her palm changed from crimson to dark blue.
Under the eerie glow of the fire, even the god's originally holy face seemed to have become somewhat gloomy and sinister.
Liang Yue's heart suddenly pounded twice, as if he sensed a powerful pressure that almost made him prostrate himself on the ground.
Zhiwei gently curled the corners of her lips and imitated her, saying, "All ghosts, heed my command."
The entire ruins of the opera house seemed to tremble slightly at those words.
The ghosts lurking in every corner were trembling and their teeth were chattering, yet they seemed to be drawn by some irresistible force, and they appeared one by one, gradually surrounding Liang Yue.
"You are...you are..."
Liang Yue's legs went weak uncontrollably, and he staggered and knelt down.
Zhiwei held Yun Tianjiao's Demon-Slaying Blade Mantra in her hand, her lips moved slightly as if she were to say something, but no sound came out.
Liang Yue's eyes suddenly widened, and his dark pupils returned to their original clear black and white. His expression shifted from astonishment and doubt to ecstasy.
His bright red theatrical costume and facial makeup faded away, and the eerie ghostly aura around him disappeared. He was only wearing a snow-white undergarment, bare-handed and barefoot, and looked no different from an ordinary mortal man.
Zhiwei's blade was still pointed at him, but he showed no hostility. Instead, he knelt down devoutly, like a dutiful prisoner awaiting sentencing.
Zhiwei remained calm and recited the simplest incantation to help the deceased find peace.
Yun Tianjiao opened his eyes groggily and saw Liang Yue's ghost spirit turn into golden dust in front of him and rise into the sky.
Following closely behind, the countless ghosts trapped on this isolated island also turned into golden dust and scattered.
Yun Tianjiao was stunned by this scene, even thinking he was dreaming, and blinked: "Is this... a complete annihilation of the soul?"
"No." Zhiwei handed the mantra back to Yun Tianjiao, her peach blossom eyes smiling. "It has been delivered to the afterlife."
The tone of his voice suggested a desire for praise.
"A ritual to deliver the deceased? How was that done?"
Yun Tianjiao was puzzled. She seemed to have been stunned by the ghost child's cries. After estimating for a moment, she felt that she shouldn't have been unconscious for too long. How come Liang Yue, that stubborn bastard, obediently accepted the exorcism?
Could Zhiwei really possess such supernatural abilities?
Yun Tianjiao was puzzled when he suddenly felt Zhiwei lean close to his ear, cover her lips with her hand, and whisper, "I just told Liang Yue that someone is waiting for him in the Ghost Realm."
Yun Tianjiao was surprised and turned her head to meet Zhiwei's gaze. The other woman winked at her mysteriously and reminded her, "The opera house."
She realized it in an instant.
Wan Cai'er is the shrewish theater owner from the ghost realm, the fairy maiden.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com