Chương 55: The Bead of Indulgence

"Go, my little darlings. Enjoy your feast to the fullest." A wicked, twisted smirk crawled across the Great Offering's face, his eyes glinting with a frigid, predatory light. With a violent, rhythmic shake of his pitch-black banner, a swarm of female vengeful spirits and wraiths shrieked as they surged out from the depths of the artifact. They became a howling tide of darkness, diving straight toward the terrified caravan.

"Help! Monsters!"

"Ghosts! Run for your lives! They're using demonic sorcery!"

"Mercy, Great Immortal! Mercy! We never intended to offend you!" Their pleas fell on deaf ears. No matter how they begged or scrambled, the moment a female ghost pounced upon them, their features contorted into masks of unbearable agony. They rolled upon the dusty ground, wailing in a pitch that suggested their very souls were being gnawed upon.

"Uncle Xuan Liao, we must act!" the youth from earlier cried out, his eyes burning with a righteous fire. He stepped forward, his voice trembling with urgency.

"This man is clearly a practitioner of the wicked paths. As members of the righteous sects, we cannot simply stand by and watch this slaughter!" Wang Zihan, standing nearby, watched the carnage with a chilling indifference. A thin, cold smile touched his lips as he spoke in a low, measured tone.

"We are here for one purpose and one purpose only: to execute that Little Witch. Watch your tongue, Nephew Zhang." The Wang Zihan standing there now was composed and calculating, showing none of the impulsive, hot-headed incompetence he had displayed the day before.

"Zihan speaks the truth," Elder Xuan Liao added, his expression frost-covered as he barked a sharp reprimand.

"None of you are to move a muscle. What are the lives of a few hundred mortals compared to the weight of our vengeance? Stay put. Once we have successfully eliminated the demoness, we can kill this man and 'avenge' these peasants. Remember, by killing that one witch, we save countless lives across the world. You must learn to distinguish the trivial from the essential!" Behind his stern facade, the elder's thoughts were far more cynical. Hmph, a pack of soft-hearted fools.

If I hadn't spent so much effort nurturing you lot, I wouldn't bother with you at all. Once the witch is dead, I'll pin the blame for this massacre on these people. I've raised you for years; it's time you served your purpose. He exchanged a dark, knowing glance with Wang Zihan before returning to his mask of stoic authority.

"Harvesting Yin to supplement Yang... a Ghost-Soul Banner... an evil cultivator!" Reyn's voice was a low, dangerous hiss. Each word was spat out with icy precision as a surge of violent killing intent began to churn within his chest. However, someone else was faster than him.

"To think a cultivator could be such a degenerate! Hand over your life!" Li Xiumei's face was flushed a deep crimson with rage. Her eyes flashed with lethal intent as she blurred into motion, appearing instantly at the head of the caravan. A brilliant spirit tool erupted from her hand, glowing with a fierce radiance as it streaked toward the Great Offering.

"A fellow cultivator!" The Great Offering gasped, his smugness replaced by a flash of panic. He hurriedly channeled his dark energy, manifesting a golden silk handkerchief-like treasure that shimmered with an eerie black light to shield his front. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. BOOM! A thunderous explosion rocked the clearing.

Li Xiumei's spirit tool was clearly of superior quality—from the sheer pressure it exerted, it was likely a top-grade spirit tool. The Great Offering's golden handkerchief was outmatched; it let out a pathetic wail as its spiritual light shattered, falling limply to the dirt. The Great Offering broke into a cold sweat. Had that strike carried even a fraction more power, he would have been cleaved in two. He retreated frantically, his robes fluttering in the wind.

"Who are you, Daoist? There is no enmity between us! Why strike with such lethal intent?"

"Hmph! Slaughtering mortals for your own selfish desires? Since I have witnessed such depravity, I cannot let it pass!" Li Xiumei's voice was like a blade. She tossed her spirit tool into the air once more. Amidst a burst of blinding light, the tool transformed, manifesting into a five-zhang-long horned dragon. Though it lacked legs, it possessed a majestic, terrifying presence as it lunged toward the Great Offering with a deafening roar. Transformation—a divine ability usually reserved for true magic treasures.

The fact that Li Xiumei's spirit tool could manifest such a form proved it was at the absolute pinnacle of its grade, possessing power comparable to low-level magic treasures. As Li Xiumei struck in her fury, her full cultivation was laid bare: she was at the Early Foundation Establishment stage. With such a weapon in hand, she could hold her own even against those one or two levels above her. Seeing the full weight of her power, the Great Offering felt his soul tremble with terror.

"Ghost-Soul Banner, Detonate!" In the face of certain death, the man proved to be as ruthless to himself as he was to others. He chose to self-destruct the very artifact he had spent years nourishing with his own spirit. The Ghost-Soul Banner was one of the most infamous treasures of the ghost paths. While its initial materials were common, it grew in power alongside its master, becoming more potent as it consumed more souls.

Legends spoke of a Great Demon from ten thousand years ago who had refined a Million-Soul Banner; with a single wave, a million wraiths would blot out the sun, leaving no survivors. Though the Great Offering's banner was far from that level, its self-detonation was still formidable. Screech! Screech! Screech! Scores of hideous ghost faces shattered in mid-air, turning into waves of pure, concentrated Yin energy that swept outward like a tidal wave.

Because his soul was linked to the artifact, the Great Offering coughed up a mouthful of blood as his Divine Sense took a heavy blow. However, the explosion successfully blunted Li Xiumei's killing blow.

"Daoist, let us speak reasonably! Why fight me to the death over a few mere mortals? If you let me go today, I promise a lavish reward!" The Great Offering's face was ghostly pale. He was only at the 7th level of Qi Condensation; even with a few stolen treasures, he knew he was no match for a Foundation Establishment cultivator in a prolonged fight. He began to plead desperately. Li Xiumei's face paled slightly as well, the shockwave from the banner's destruction making her chest feel tight.

"Enough talk! Today, your life ends here!" Frustrated that the villain had evaded her twice, Li Xiumei lost her patience. She poured several times more spiritual energy into her tool. With a low, guttural growl, the dragon expanded until it was over ten zhang long. It roared with sentient fury, opening its massive maw to swallow the Great Offering whole.

"If I must die, I'll make sure you pay a heavy price!" Driven into a corner, the Great Offering's eyes snapped with a manic, murderous light. He reached into his storage bag and produced a small, pink orb.

"Others might be fooled by your mask, but you can't hide your true nature from me! If you want me dead, I'll take you down with me!" With a look of pure venom, he hurled the orb forward, chanting a frantic incantation.

"Bead of Indulgence, BURST! BURST! BURST!" Snap! The pink orb shattered instantly, releasing a thick, rose-colored mist that carried a cloying, sickly-sweet aroma. The mist acted as if it had a mind of its own; the majority of it swirled aggressively toward Li Xiumei, while the remnants drifted toward the huddled crowd.

"The Bead of Indulgence!" Li Xiumei's expression shifted from anger to pure horror. She clearly knew exactly what the artifact was. She retreated at maximum speed, her hands blurring as she formed defensive mudras. An unremarkable jade pendant at her waist suddenly glowed, projecting an amber-colored barrier that wrapped her in a protective cocoon.