WBICDPH Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Sevenfold Killing—Ghost Nether

Miss Hua charged alone into the crowd to “plant flowers.” Seeing she was fine, Lin Jin lifted his gaze to Xiao Yunkong, who stood beside him with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Senior Brother, take care.”

Xiao Yunkong gave a slight nod. “You too.”

Lin Jin nodded, then realized Xiao Yunkong could no longer see, so he answered softly instead.

Turning back, he saw Zhu Eryao still standing behind him, lost in thought. Unsure whether she could keep up, he looped a strand of puppet thread around her wrist and slapped a wind talisman onto himself.

As he sped through the flower fields like the wind, white petals were swept up into the air in his wake.

Amid the strange fragrance filling the sky, Lin Jin glanced back almost instinctively.

He saw enormous Seven-Emotion Flowers blooming among the crowd, saw Hua Nanzhi weaving between their “buds,” and—

And someone stepping slowly out from the village.

It was none other than “Zhao Kang,” the village chief who had first provided them with information.

From the beginning, Lin Jin had noticed that Zhao Kang was different from everyone else here. His face lacked that ashen hue the others had, and his emotions weren’t as extreme.

There was something else—his courtyard was piled high with Seven-Emotion Flower seeds.

That morning, Zhou’s mother had rushed out early to pick flowers, which puzzled Lin Jin.

Why did she have to make a special trip? Didn’t she have prepared seeds at home? Why go back and forth repeatedly, making things troublesome and increasing the risk of being discovered?

After thinking it over, only one possibility remained—

The seeds had to be used fresh, immediately after picking.

Looking back now, the sheer quantity of seeds in Zhao Kang’s yard was clearly abnormal. The top layer Lin Jin had seen was fresh—but what about what lay beneath? Only Zhao Kang himself knew.

Why didn’t he need to eat the seeds?

If he didn’t rely on them for sustenance, how had he survived like a normal person?

Unless… he wasn’t a normal person at all.

Lost in thought, Lin Jin suddenly noticed that Zhao Kang in the distance seemed to sense something and looked over.

Even across the vast distance, their eyes met—and Lin Jin felt a crushing pressure in that gaze.

Startled, he instinctively sped up, heading toward the Mountain God Temple.

…

“Zhao Kang” watched the figure in green vanish through the sea of flowers, a faint smile curling his lips.

Just as the Lord had said.

This kid… is interesting.

A moment later, Zhao Kang’s form began to shift. His body grew taller, broader, more imposing. Black mist coiled around him, replacing the image of a simple farmer with dark robes adorned with silver ornaments like stars.

“So… you figured it out?”

Shi Lei murmured to himself, raising a hand and making a grasping motion in the air.

But nothing happened.

His eyes widened slightly in disbelief as he tried again.

Why?

The puppet threads he had condensed from his demonic bloodline—indestructible, unending—had completely lost all connection to him after falling into that boy’s hands.

What method had he used?

For the first time in centuries, Shi Lei had encountered someone who could counter his puppet threads.

Curiosity stirred within him. He took a step to give chase, but then paused, glancing back at the other two figures in the flower fields.

A sword-wielding boy. A saber-wielding girl.

It wouldn’t take long to deal with them first—but that furnace-vessel boy had too many tricks. The Lord had specifically warned him to be cautious. What if the boy’s goal was to stall him?

Or… what if it was a feint to lure him away?

…Forget it.

Shi Lei withdrew his gaze and chased after Lin Jin.

They were just pawns. Even if he didn’t act, they would die soon enough.

Once Lin Jin’s green robes blended into the forest, he was nearly impossible to see—but Shi Lei knew exactly where he was headed.

He rushed toward the Mountain God Temple at full speed.

When he arrived, the red-clad ghost girl was floating above the altar, while Lin Jin sat cross-legged before her, hands forming seals.

At the sight of Shi Lei, Lin Jin’s eyes widened slightly, his body tensing in apparent shock.

“Oh?” Shi Lei relaxed.

Seeing his reaction, he felt reassured. Instead of rushing, he clasped his hands behind his back and walked in calmly.

“Surprised to see me? But you already guessed I was here, didn’t you?”

A flicker of subtle emotion crossed Lin Jin’s face, but he quickly forced a faint, self-deprecating smile.

“I just didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly.”

Shi Lei sized him up.

This man was merely a furnace vessel raised by Piaomiao Pavilion—limited abilities, only good at drawing talismans and setting formations. No matter how refined those skills were, they meant nothing under overwhelming power.

In Jinlin City, his clash with Shi Jing had proven that. If not for timely reinforcements from Yanyu Mountain, this boy would already be a wandering ghost.

Yet before coming, Han Xiao had warned him to be wary—this boy might seem frail, but he was cunning and treacherous. Underestimating him could easily lead to being trapped.

Shi Lei had no interest in ordinary people, but he loved matching wits with clever ones. He had wanted to test Lin Jin while he was traveling—yet fate had delivered the boy straight into his favorite creation: the Flower Field.

He had expected an entertaining encounter, but so far, aside from the puppet threads, the boy had been underwhelming.

Shi Lei relaxed slightly.

His Sevenfold Killing Ghost Nether Formation was a masterpiece decades in the making—silent, lethal, claiming countless lives. No one had ever broken it.

This boy had glimpsed part of its truth, but his reasoning had gone astray. Now, even if he realized his mistake, it was too late.

His companions were already trapped, blinded by the formation. The only pieces he had left were a useless crying ghost girl—and Xiao Lanqi, who had been reduced to a docile puppet.

No matter how clever he was, there was no way he could break the formation’s core.

“Your formation is interesting,” Lin Jin suddenly said, meeting his gaze.

“Oh?” Shi Lei raised a brow, pleased. “Then tell me—what did you figure out?”

“Your formation is highly deceptive. At first, I was misled by appearances and thought it was built on ‘humans.’ That led me to conclude the core must be ‘ghosts.’ If I had chosen to destroy the ghosts back then, I could’ve weakened the formation and escaped—but I would’ve lost the chance to uncover its true nature.”

Shi Lei nodded. “So you spared the ghost and followed her memories? You found the truth—but in doing so, you lost your chance to live.”

“So it’s called the Sevenfold Killing Ghost Nether Formation…”

Lin Jin murmured, then continued:

“On the surface, it’s built on ‘humans,’ but in truth, it’s built on Seven-Emotion Flower buds disguised as living people by your puppet threads. The fragrance of the seeds is bait—once someone steps in and smells it, they’re already prey, like an insect caught in a web.”

Shi Lei’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

“Good. Then what about the core?”

“It’s you.”

Lin Jin’s voice was firm.

“A skilled formation master hides the most vulnerable point—the core—in the least noticeable place. That’s your most brilliant design. You connect all the flower buds with your threads and create the ghost as a source of energy. By entering the formation yourself and controlling everything, you become the core.”

Shi Lei burst into laughter.

“Good! Since you’ve figured that out—do you think you can break it?”

Lin Jin’s expression dimmed.

“Normally, the core would be the weakest point. But you cheated. You made yourself the core—and as a high-ranking demon, you’re far beyond my ability to defeat. So no—I can’t.”

“Then what are you trying to do?”

Shi Lei glanced at the ghost girl, then at Lin Jin’s hand seals.

“Trying to purify her? Foolish. Even if you succeed, it won’t matter. I can kill you in an instant. You’re not escaping.”

“And what if I don’t escape?”

A strange glint flickered in Lin Jin’s eyes.

“You’ve focused entirely on me—but you’ve overlooked one thing. Do you know who the senior brother of mine is?”

Shi Lei froze.

“Xiao Yunkong—the one known as ‘Washing Ice, Cleansing Snow.’ Have you heard of him? I’ve bound a master-servant contract with this ghost. If I order her to sacrifice herself and transfer her cultivation to him—even if it’s insignificant compared to your formation—it only needs to break your suppression for a moment. In that instant, do you think his sword won’t pierce your heart?”

Shi Lei’s expression tightened.

Xiao Yunkong…?!

Even the Lord avoided him. Why would he be here?

Before he could think further, he noticed Lin Jin’s hand seals had changed.

Not good!

He moved instantly to strike—

But in that moment, he saw the faint smile on Lin Jin’s lips.

Wrong!

If the boy truly had such a trump card, why lure him here? Why waste time talking?

He had been fooled!

Shi Lei tried to stop—but it was too late.

In the instant his guard dropped, countless cold, flexible threads wrapped around him, binding him in place.

Looking closely, Lin Jin hadn’t been forming seals at all—he had been hiding puppet threads between his fingers.

The threads snapped tight.

The tension vanished from Lin Jin’s face, replaced by a sly smile.

“All that talking… was just to wait for this moment.”

He grinned.

“You think you’re the only one who can cheat? Big guy—gotcha.”