Chapter 175: Taking It All

The three lunging Water Ghosts were caught completely off guard, slamming headfirst into the dark vortex. After a brief struggle, they transformed into three beams of Soul Light and were devoured by the Ancient Mirror!

Now that his Cultivation had reached the Innate Realm and his Blood Qi was more refined, the Ancient Mirror’s power to devour Ghost Souls and other evil entities had also grown tremendously.

The three Water Ghosts were all at the Great Ghost Level.

Before, Lu Bai would have had to go through the trouble of injuring them first to make them easier to devour.

Now, with the power of the Ancient Mirror alone, three Great Ghosts couldn’t even put up a fight.

’If my Blood Qi continues to increase in the future, this dark vortex will keep expanding. Perhaps then, no Ghost Soul or evil spirit anywhere near me will be able to escape!’

For now, however, it still had quite a few limitations.

The dark vortex could only devour Water Ghosts that charged at him head-on.

Several other Water Ghosts were clinging to Lu Bai’s back, emitting Ghost Fire that constantly seared his Blood Qi.

Lu Bai twisted his body. Wherever the eerie light from the mirror passed, the seaweed entwining his limbs instantly disintegrated.

His limbs free, Lu Bai thrust his sword behind him in a backhanded strike!

The Cyan Cloud Sword erupted with flashes of crimson-gold light!

"Aargh!"

The two Water Ghosts behind him shrieked. The raincoats they wore shattered completely, and their Soul Bodies flickered, looking as if they could dissipate at any moment.

Lu Bai spun around, and the dark vortex seized the opportunity to devour the two Water Ghosts.

Two more beams of Soul Light were added to the Ancient Mirror!

Lu Bai turned to face the Black Dog. The eerie light from the mirror’s surface pierced through the heavy water and fell upon the creature.

The seaweed that had been wrapped around the Black Dog disintegrated as well.

Freed from its bonds, the Black Dog kicked its four legs powerfully, diving toward the Fierce Ghost below.

That Fierce Ghost was in its element, moving through the water as naturally as a fish. Its speed was incredible, its movements erratic and unpredictable.

As Lu Bai dove deeper, the surrounding water pressure grew increasingly intense.

The river currents, under the Fierce Ghost’s control, shifted constantly, buffeting Lu Bai and the Black Dog.

The water was truly the Water Ghosts’ domain.

In a river, a Water Ghost’s combat strength was on a whole other level!

And that was only because Lu Bai possessed the Eye of Illusion, which allowed him to see through any Illusion Realm, neutralizing the Water Ghosts’ greatest weapon.

Anyone else trapped in these waters would have been subjected to layer upon layer of illusions. Countless whispers would have echoed in their mind, bewitching their Heart and Spirit, and they would have broken long ago.

The remaining Water Ghosts stayed just outside the reach of the Ancient Mirror’s eerie light, lying in wait for an opportunity to strike.

Lu Bai couldn’t even catch up to the other Water Ghosts, let alone the Fierce Ghost at the bottom of the river.

Practicing the Turtle Breath Technique allowed him to hold his breath underwater for longer.

His movement speed in the water, however, was another matter entirely. He was no match for these Water Ghosts.

The ability to hold his breath was not the same as being a strong swimmer.

All this struggle had consumed a great deal of the air in his lungs.

While using the Turtle Breath Technique, he could hold his breath for an entire hour if he remained motionless.

But for someone like Lu Bai, chasing and fighting a horde of Water Ghosts underwater, that time was drastically reduced.

’This stalemate isn’t getting me anywhere.’

An idea came to Lu Bai. He signaled to the Black Dog and began swimming frantically toward the surface, as if he couldn’t hold his breath any longer and needed to get some air.

Seeing this, the Water Ghosts that had been evading Lu Bai immediately gave chase.

The water beneath Lu Bai stirred ominously.

More seaweed surged forth, thick and dense like countless water snakes, lashing out to entangle Lu Bai and the Black Dog.

In the blink of an eye, the seaweed wove itself into two giant, cocoon-like cages, trapping Lu Bai and the Black Dog inside and completely blocking their vision.

The Eye of Illusion could see through falsehoods, but it couldn’t penetrate solid objects.

Now, Lu Bai couldn’t see the whereabouts of the surrounding Water Ghosts at all.

The seaweed cocoon dragged him down, plummeting toward the riverbed!

Lu Bai’s expression was grim, but he still didn’t make a move.

He was waiting for an opportunity.

He continued his descent, sinking deeper and deeper into the river.

The surrounding water grew colder. Peeking through the gaps in the seaweed, he could vaguely sense the light around him dimming.

The Fierce Ghost was very patient; it still hadn’t shown itself.

Lu Bai frowned to himself.

’If this drags on any longer,’ he thought, ’I’m worried for the Black Dog’s safety.’

’I’ve already collected five beams of Soul Light today, which is a decent haul. I’ll have something to show for my efforts when I get back to shore.’

’If I want to wipe out this entire group of Water Ghosts, I’ll probably have to find another way.’

With that thought, Lu Bai activated the Ancient Mirror again. An eerie light burst forth, instantly blasting a huge hole in the seaweed cocoon!

Along with the shriek of a Water Ghost, another beam of Soul Light was absorbed into the Ancient Mirror.

The instant Lu Bai unleashed the Ancient Mirror’s power, the seaweed behind him stirred, and a figure wearing a Bamboo Hat and Raincoat materialized.

They were extremely close!

A chill shot up Lu Bai’s spine. Before he could even turn, the Fierce Ghost had latched onto him, its two ghastly green hands gripping his wrists in a death lock!

By manifesting a physical body, the Fierce Ghost became even more powerful in the water!

"Hmph?"

Lu Bai surged his Blood Qi, trying to break free from the Fierce Ghost’s grip.

But the Fierce Ghost was immensely powerful underwater. Icy streams of yin energy flooded into his body, suppressing his Blood Qi.

As its power grew and his waned, Lu Bai found himself unable to break free.

Moreover, the Fierce Ghost stayed glued to his back; no matter how Lu Bai twisted and turned, he couldn’t get the Ancient Mirror to face it!

The next moment, the seaweed surged forward again, tightly binding Lu Bai’s limbs and torso.

Countless strands of seaweed crept up to his neck and began to tighten!

GLUG.

Lu Bai felt himself suffocating. His mouth fell slightly open, and a stream of bubbles escaped.

Lu Bai hurriedly clamped his mouth shut.

The air in his lungs was almost gone. ’If this keeps up,’ he thought, ’I’m dead for sure!’

The seaweed spread, quickly crawling over Lu Bai’s entire body, even covering his face and eyes.

In an instant, Lu Bai was encased in the emerald-green seaweed like a human chrysalis!

The chilling yin energy from the Fierce Ghost continued to seep into him.

The circulation of his Blood Qi grew increasingly sluggish.

Seeing their chance, the other Water Ghosts swarmed in.

For a moment, the riverbed was a chaos of dark currents!

A flash of inspiration struck Lu Bai. He poured his Blood Qi into the Ancient Mirror and silently chanted in his mind, ’Nether Candle!’

In the swirling water before Lu Bai, half a stick of a nearly transparent candle materialized. An eerie, blue flame suddenly flickered to life on its wick.

The flame was completely unaffected by the water, continuing to burn silently.

The candlelight flickered, its glow enveloping all the surrounding Water Ghosts!

"Aaaargh!"

The surrounding Water Ghosts let out bloodcurdling screams!

The seaweed wrapped around Lu Bai’s body also began to burn silently, quickly turning to ash.

Lu Bai focused his gaze.

Bathed in the candlelight, the Water Ghosts were in extreme agony. Their Soul Bodies contorted violently, and the Ghost Fire covering them was replaced by an eerie blue flame!

’It’s this powerful!’

Lu Bai was inwardly stunned.

He had just been pushed to the brink and had decided to try every trump card he had.

’I never imagined the Nether Candle would be this powerful!’

Lu Bai quickly activated the Ancient Mirror again, shining its light toward them.

The Water Ghosts transformed into beams of Soul Light that sank into his chest.

In the blink of an eye, all the surrounding Water Ghosts had been devoured by the Ancient Mirror!

The seaweed binding the Black Dog also turned to ash under the candlelight.

Just then, Lu Bai found he could move again.

The Fierce Ghost that had been clinging to his back had let go and was now fleeing into the distance!

Its Bamboo Hat and Raincoat were also burning with the same eerie blue flame.

If not for those items, the Fierce Ghost would have been no better off than the other Water Ghosts.

Lu Bai’s spirits soared. He and the Black Dog immediately gave chase, closing in on the Fierce Ghost!

The half-stick of the Nether Candle remained floating before him, as if held aloft by an invisible candlestick in the void.