Chapter 1632: Evil Ghost

Chapter 1632: E'gui

"Good stuff?" Ye Chen looked up and saw Zhao Yun's eyes gleaming brightly, so he also flipped over and jumped up. "What good stuff?"

"See for yourself." Zhao Yun smiled, rubbing his hands together like he was about to enjoy a feast, full of excitement.

Ye Chen looked around and saw e'gui crawling out from the ground one by one.

Their numbers were extremely vast. Some had a single eye, others had three pupils; some were pitch-black all over, while others were covered in scales.

They came in all shapes and sizes, with hideous faces, licking their scarlet tongues and eyes filled with bloodshot veins. They harbored both malice and evil thoughts.

"What are those?" Ye Chen turned his head and asked Zhao Yun.

"Based on my guess, they should be the malignant spirits formed from people who were imprisoned in the eighteen layers of hell after death," Zhao Yun replied.

"Is this the good stuff you mentioned?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

"It has to be good stuff." Zhao Yun chuckled. "Don't underestimate them just because they're e'gui—they all carry soul power. Extracting it would be an absolute tonic for us."

"You seem to know a lot about this." Ye Chen glanced at Zhao Yun.

"I've swallowed quite a few. These e'gui come out to cause chaos every so often, and I've figured out the pattern."

"No wonder your soul power is so pure." Ye Chen sighed as he looked Zhao Yun over. "So, you're feasting every day!"

"That's because you haven't seen how miserably I was beaten back then." Zhao Yun coughed. "When I first arrived, the e'gui pinned me down and gnawed on me for days. Now, all my soul power has been gathered bit by bit. And those e'gui are vicious—some of them are terrifyingly strong."

"I can tell." Ye Chen summoned a killing sword, as the e'gui from all sides were already lunging at them, their eyes greedy.

"Target the weaker ones and escape if you encounter the strong ones."

"Got it." Ye Chen stepped forward, his sword strike incredibly dominant, instantly decapitating one e'gui.

Immediately, the e'gui dissipated, leaving only a cluster of soul light that flew out. Ye Chen grabbed it—it was about the size of a baby's fist.

"Good stuff." Ye Chen smiled and merged the soul light into his body, using it as nourishment for his soul form. It was indeed a great boost.

Another e'gui pounced, its fingernails extraordinarily long and its teeth glowing menacingly, its eyes bloodshot and filled with sinister rage.

Ye Chen stepped through the void and circled behind it, saying nothing as he raised his sword and split it in half on the spot.

Another cluster of soul power emerged, about the size of a cherry, and Ye Chen swallowed it into his body. His soul form instantly felt invigorated.

Tasting the benefits, he went wild, wielding his killing sword like a golden streak of light, darting around in all directions.

Wherever he went, an e'gui was slain, swift and decisive.

Wherever he went, a cluster of soul light was extracted, varying in color and size, all merged into his soul form.

On the other side, Zhao Yun wasn't idle either, specifically targeting the weaker ones. He wiped out groups of e'gui and devoured their soul power.

It was fortunate that both of them had pure soul power—if it were ordinary people, even one e'gui would be more than they could handle.

However, precisely because their soul power was pure, it attracted even stronger e'gui. They hadn't been rampaging for long before the two were taken down.

Ye Chen rolled and crawled, while Zhao Yun scrambled along, both in a sorry state as they fled chaotically through hell, afraid of being caught and killed.

The one chasing them was a three-headed, six-armed e'gui, each head with only one massive eye.

It was entirely jet-black, covered in scales, with a ferocious face. Its malice and evil thoughts were the thickest, and its roars carried a demonic power.

With Ye Chen and Zhao Yun's soul power, they nearly lost control of their minds—it was the absolute suppression of soul power, their greatest advantage.

"This thing must have been incredibly powerful in life." Ye Chen clicked his tongue, glancing back as he ran even faster.

"You can tell it's swallowed plenty of e'gui." Zhao Yun was just as quick on his feet. "It shows up every time, and I've been beaten by it more than once."

No sooner had Zhao Yun spoken than the three-headed, six-armed e'gui let out a massive roar, its sound waves forming a halo that spread infinitely in all directions.

The weaker e'gui were wiped out in waves.

The two were also affected, their souls buzzing and their steps halting.

The e'gui charged forward, its three bloody maws spewing lightning that struck the two, making their soul forms emit black smoke.

The creature was massive, over three zhang tall, with bare, enormous feet that shook the ground with every step.

Though an e'gui, it had a body like steel and iron, with strands of lightning tearing across its surface, dazzling just to look at.

What was most frightening were its three massive eyes, bulging and rolling around, covered in blood vessels, menacing and terrifying.

"Let's take it on!" Ye Chen rubbed his smoking arm. "With soul power this thick, this is the real prize."

"Take it on, we have to!" Zhao Yun was fired up, cracking his neck as a divine pattern appeared on his forehead.

"Two against one—who's afraid?" Ye Chen roared and leaped forward in a few big strides, his sword strike like a tempest, charging straight at the e'gui.

However, his sword was caught precisely in the e'gui's hand, and no matter how hard Ye Chen pushed, it wouldn't pierce through.

The e'gui growled and struck out with a palm, its soul power roaring like a river or crashing like a mountain, nearly shattering Ye Chen.

"My turn!" Zhao Yun shouted, descending from the sky, his killing sword ringing as he unleashed a sword strike like an immortal river.

But the e'gui's body was like reinforced steel; Zhao Yun's powerful strike only sparked against it.

In the next instant, Zhao Yun was sent flying, the e'gui's palm strike forceful enough that, just like Ye Chen, his soul form was on the verge of collapsing.

"Forcing me to go all out." Ye Chen muttered, a golden light flashing on his forehead as his nine divine afflictions merged into one, unleashing a supreme divine light.

The e'gui was hit, its body stiffening as it swayed in place.

"Good divine ability!" Zhao Yun laughed and charged at the e'gui, his sword strike dominant, piercing one of its heads.

The e'gui was enraged, howling fiercely, its sound waves and soul power erupting, sending Zhao Yun flying hundreds of zhang away.

At the same time, Ye Chen arrived, his killing sword ringing as he fused his ultimate kill technique, Wan Jian Gui Yi, with Fengshen Jue.

This strike was devastating, its piercing power overwhelming.

The e'gui's second head was pierced by his sword.

As soon as he finished, Ye Chen was sent flying by the e'gui's sound waves and soul power, his head buzzing as if it might explode.

"Soul power is too strong." Zhao Yun shook himself up, spitting blood wildly. It wasn't that they weren't strong enough—the e'gui was just too formidable.

"I love going after the strong ones." Ye Chen staggered but steadied himself, wiping the blood from his mouth, his eyes even more excited. "Swallowing this should feel pretty good."

With that, the two exchanged a smile and turned to run.

The three-headed, six-armed e'gui pursued, its two heads destroyed and its body drenched in blood, its single massive eye full of rage.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen and Zhao Yun ran incredibly fast, slaying e'gui one after another and devouring their soul power.

Their goal was clear: use the e'gui's soul power to replenish their own, then return for another fight once they were full.

The weaker e'gui suffered, being wiped out one by one.

The two recovered their scattered soul power and charged back.

This time, both had switched weapons; their killing swords were replaced with massive clubs, the kind meant for bashing heads.

Hell became lively, with booming sounds like thunder.

These two madmen were something else—one wielding a club recklessly, the other fearlessly, one yelling wildly, the other shouting nonstop, both fiercely aggressive.

They and the e'gui were quite alike, targeting nothing but the head, pounding away relentlessly.

The e'gui was powerful, not to be trifled with; its soul power suppressed the two, spitting lightning from its mouth and swinging its six arms like fans, booming strikes.

It sustained heavy damage, but Ye Chen and Zhao Yun paid a price too.

Yet, the two had grit, getting knocked down time and again only to charge back each time. For the e'gui's soul power, they were going all out.

It wasn't clear when the booming finally stopped, with blood mist drifting in the air.

Ye Chen and Zhao Yun were both bent over, gasping heavily, their faces pale and blood pouring from their mouths. Their soul forms were nearly collapsing, and the light of their soul power was almost extinguished.

Fortunately, the three-headed, six-armed e'gui had been blasted apart, its body turning to ash, though its soul power condensed into a cluster.

The two sat down on the ground, a cluster of soul power floating before them, about the size of a watermelon, exceptionally pure—far superior to that of ordinary e'gui, incomparable.

"There, one half each." Ye Chen waved his hand, splitting the soul power into two. War spoils had to be divided fairly.

"Is your half a bit bigger?" Zhao Yun glanced at it.

"Don't mess around—it's a fair split." Ye Chen scolded.

"Then I'll take the smaller one." Zhao Yun shook his head and casually merged the soul power into his body, feeling great.

"You're not losing out." Ye Chen smirked and pressed the soul power into his own body. As the pure soul power integrated, he felt immensely refreshed.

The soul power from the three-headed, six-armed e'gui was indeed incomparable to the smaller ones; just this half doubled the strength of his soul form.

What a pity the e'gui had dissipated—otherwise, they'd keep going.

Once his soul form turned into a yuan shen, and he reincarnated, that would be monstrous, possessing a yuan shen from birth, a heaven-defying existence.

Speaking of reincarnation, Ye Chen couldn't help but feel frustrated. Trapped in the eighteen layers of hell, who knew when he could get out.

If the underworld was determined not to let him reincarnate, what good was forming a yuan shen? He'd just be playing around with a bunch of e'gui all day.

The more Ye Chen thought about it, the more stifled he felt. A world-shaking figure who had slain two emperors in his life was still brought low in this absurd underworld.

"Your combat power, back in my world, would absolutely be unbeatable at the same level," Zhao Yun said, lying down with his hands behind his head, chewing on a toothpick as he gazed into the hazy void.

"You're the same; in my world, you'd be unmatched at your level too," Ye Chen replied with a smile, lying down as well. These words were sincere, without any flattery—just from the heart.

With that, both laughed. There was no need for an actual fight; they could sense it—this was the tacit understanding between experts.

Whether Ye Chen or Zhao Yun, both were peerless freaks unbeatable in their respective universes at the same level. If they really fought, it would likely end in mutual destruction.

The eighteen layers of hell were not peaceful, with flames erupting from the ground, lightning flashing in the sky, lava flowing everywhere, and fierce winds howling.

Both had fallen asleep, though in the eighteen layers of hell, smiles lingered on their lips, as if they were dreaming of home.

A gust of yinfeng swept by, and a black shadow manifested in the eighteen layers of hell, ethereal and indistinct, its true form unclear.

Accompanying it was a golden shadow, also indistinct and blurry.

"Able to disrupt the six paths of reincarnation, Di Huang, your sacred body lineage is indeed remarkable," the black shadow said in a flat, desolate tone.

"To receive praise from the Ming Emperor is a great honor," the golden shadow smiled. "He has surpassed all previous generations of the sacred body lineage."

"Self-possessed of reincarnation, clearly, he cannot reincarnate."

"Then let him follow the path I once walked."