Chapter Seventy-Four: The Headless Ghost

The various demon kings passed their days in carefree pleasure on Mount Flower and Fruit, drinking wine and feasting with Sun Wukong. The wounds of the Monkey King had also improved considerably. An impressive ceremony of sworn brotherhood was held upon the mountain, grand in appearance yet with relationships understood only by those involved.

One day, as Sun Wukong lay in a drunken stupor, two underworld envoys arrived, holding soul-binding chains, and drew out his spirit. This scene was witnessed by Yuan Wujie. The underworld was scarcely described in the Journey to the West of his previous life; a place governing the cycle of life and death in the world. Yuan Wujie doubted that Sun Wukong, with his current cultivation, could possibly wreak havoc in the underworld and tear up the Book of Life and Death.

Yuan Wujie likewise sent forth his own spirit, following closely behind the two envoys. Now, his spirit was at least at the level of a Grand Golden Immortal; past reckless devouring had caused a surge in his soul, and after breaking through to the realm of a Loose Immortal, his soul had settled at the strength of a Grand Golden Immortal.

Following the envoys with such a powerful soul, he naturally remained undetected.

“The soul-binding chain in their hands must be extraordinary,” Yuan Wujie thought to himself.

A chain capable of drawing out souls at the Grand Golden Immortal level was rare even in the underworld. That it appeared in the hands of two ordinary envoys suggested they had received instructions from above.

“Is that the Netherworld?” Upon a stone tablet were carved four characters: “Netherworld Palace.” Only two ghost soldiers stood guard nearby.

Yuan Wujie could not believe the dignified underworld would be so unceremonious, lacking any semblance of grandeur.

“Have you brought him?”

“He’s here.”

“Good, you may now claim your reward.”

The two ghost soldiers guarding the “Netherworld Palace” took hold of the bound Sun Wukong, retracting the soul-binding chain from his neck.

“Hmm? Where is this place?”

“Why bother asking? You’re in the Netherworld now—behave yourself!”

Awakened, Sun Wukong flew into a rage, pulled out the golden staff from his ear, and dispersed the ghost soldiers on either side.

“I’m going to settle accounts with King Yama!” With that, Sun Wukong strode inside.

Hidden nearby, Yuan Wujie could not help frowning. From his recent impressions of Sun Wukong, the monkey was not usually so reckless.

“It seems the soul-binding chain must have been tampered with.”

As Yuan Wujie deliberated whether to enter, the ghost soldiers who had been dispersed by Sun Wukong reformed themselves.

“Let’s go and inform King Yama.” The two ghost soldiers vanished before Yuan Wujie’s eyes at an inconceivable speed.

“A wise man does not court disaster—the Netherworld is not a place I can storm in my current state.”

Cold sweat beaded on Yuan Wujie's forehead; he could sense nothing of the ghost soldiers as they reformed, not a trace of their aura. Their silent reconstitution heightened his caution toward the underworld—it was not to be judged by appearances.

His soul, at the level of a Grand Golden Immortal, was formidable—an overlord in any world where the Supreme Immortal did not appear. But who could know how many Supreme Immortals dwelled in the Netherworld Palace?

Yuan Wujie’s path of cultivation was still long; now was not the time to act recklessly. He would visit the underworld one day, but not yet.

Following the route back, Yuan Wujie was surprised to find the path crowded with wandering spirits, quite unlike the emptiness before.

Returning to the human realm was now fraught with difficulty. Among the spirits were many at the Grand Golden Immortal level.

A mournful wail sounded.

As Yuan Wujie stepped forward, the unconscious wandering spirits surged toward him, intent on tearing apart this unfamiliar intruder.

“Get away from me!”

The might of his Grand Golden Immortal soul was fully unleashed; all spirits within three yards of him were obliterated.

But Yuan Wujie had underestimated their numbers—virtually endless. No matter how many he destroyed, more filled their places.

He tried to devour the wandering spirits, only to find these unconscious souls were mere mindless energy, useless to him. Excessive devouring would only increase his karmic burden and fill his body with ghostly energy upon his return.

To avoid detection by the underworld envoys, Yuan Wujie had left his physical body with King Yu Rong and sent his soul forth.

“Why are there so many?”

If this continued, even a Grand Golden Immortal soul would be exhausted.

Force would not suffice; cunning must prevail. The spirits attacked Yuan Wujie because his unfamiliar aura provoked them; to avoid attack, he must become one of them.

“Got it.”

He withdrew the pressure of his immortal soul, seized a powerful ghost, devoured it, and replaced his aura with that of the spirit.

With Yuan Wujie’s aura suddenly vanished, the wandering spirits became confused and aimless once more.

Protected by the ghostly aura, Yuan Wujie moved freely among them, eventually reaching a special domain.

Here was the territory of the headless ghost—a spirit whose head had been severed in life, whose unresolved resentment transformed him into a vengeful ghost, killing other souls bound for reincarnation.

Yuan Wujie, cultivating the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir, was especially sensitive to the seven emotions and six desires. To others, the headless ghost might be a formidable foe, but to Yuan Wujie, it was a rare tonic.

The headless ghost, fierce and wrathful, did not realize he was sheep before a tiger—his resentment drove him to attack the intruder.

“In that case, I won’t be polite.”

Activating the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir, Yuan Wujie saw the headless ghost simply as nourishment. If you dare approach, I shall not spare you.

The headless ghost, who once devoured other souls, never imagined he would fall so easily—no chance to escape.

“Agh—!”

The headless ghost embodied the emotion of hatred. After devouring him, Yuan Wujie could clearly sense a strengthening within his Myriad Demon Golden Elixir.

Though his cultivation did not increase, the transformation granted by the elixir was no less than an elevation of realm.

Such a vast domain surely contained more than one headless ghost, and other spirits besides. The headless ghost belonged to the vengeful kind, pure hatred; devouring one was equal to consuming the hatred of thousands of mortals. Of course, this depended on the ghost’s age—the one Yuan Wujie devoured had been around for quite some time.

The longer a headless ghost survived, the stronger its hatred; Yuan Wujie absorbed a substantial amount.

“There’s a gluttonous ghost over there.”

Yuan Wujie had not wandered the domain long before he encountered a gluttonous ghost. This type belonged to the ‘mouth ghost’ among the six desires; devouring it would strengthen his appetite within the six desires.

Such a vast domain must contain many powerful ghosts—perhaps an excellent opportunity to enhance the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir. For others, it might be a place of certain death, best escaped as soon as possible. But for Yuan Wujie, it was a rare sanctuary for cultivation.