Immortal of the Nine Realms

Wang Chongsong moved like a streak of lightning, swift, sharp, and desperate. But before his feet could truly leave the ground, two tiny pale hands suddenly appeared and looped around the back of his neck.

”Hehehehe...”

A childish giggle echoed right by his ear.

Every hair on Wang Chongsong’s body stood on end.

”Do something! My lifespan’s dropping again!” he roared.

From Fang Chen’s perspective, a plump, white-skinned infant in a red bellyband had suddenly materialized, snatched at Wang Chongsong’s neck, and vanished again in the blink of an eye.

Even Fang Chen hadn’t been able to sense how the being had appeared or disappeared. He wasn’t even sure it was still nearby.

”Is it gone?” asked Wang Chongson, realizing the thing had vanished as abruptly as it came.

He rubbed his neck uneasily. His skin tingled cold.

The level of this Yin Demon might be far beyond what he’d imagined.

”Don’t act rashly,” Fang Chen said calmly, scanning the surroundings with steady eyes. ”It may appear again. Tell me, how much did that cost you?”

”At least 500 years of lifespan. A few more times like that and I’m finished,” Wang Chongsong answered, face darkening. ”I’ve seen powerful Yin Demons before, but none that drain lifespan this fast.”

”Just two grabs and 500 years gone?” Fang Chen was surprised. ”Why didn’t it attack me then?”

”Could it actually recognize you as Monarch Yan?”

Wang Chongsong eyed Fang Chen up and down, irritation flickering in his gaze.

He had lost five centuries of life, yet Fang Chen hadn’t been touched. So now even high-level Yin Demon knew how to bully the easier target? And yet his own cultivation was clearly the higher of the two!

”No... ordinary Yin Demons have no intelligence left. How could it tell that I carry Monarch Yan’s aura?”

As the thought crossed his mind, Fang Chen’s eyes shifted slightly.

Cold sweat broke out on Wang Chongsong’s forehead. His voice went stiff. ”It’s... on me?”

Fang Chen nodded slowly. ”On your head.”

”Enough!” Wang Chongsong snarled, qi surging wildly as he struck upward.

The childish laughter came again.

”Hehehehe...”

Wang Chongsong felt sudden warmth at the top of his skull.

He reached up. His hand came back wet.

”This is...”

His face darkened.

Urine.

The thing had peed on him.

The grim look on his face trembled on the edge of explosive fury.

”Calm down,” Fang Chen said quickly. ”It doesn’t seem malicious, just mischievous. Let me try to communicate with it.”

”Calm down? If it happened to you, could you remain calm?” Wang Chongsong forced a smile. ”First it pees on my head, next time it’ll...”

Plop.

Something landed squarely on his hair.

Wang Chongsong froze.

”Stay calm. If it were me, I’d stay calm too. I promise,” Fang Chen said unconvincingly.

Wang Chongsong slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were bloodshot. ”Damn it, how could I possibly endure this!?”

Immortal essence surged out, flaring like wildfire. Then, instead of striking, he abruptly bolted for the exit, hoping to catch the creature off guard.

In a flash, he nearly cleared the ruined city, but before his foot could touch the threshold, an immense force struck from behind. He was snatched up and slammed back down before Fang Chen.

”Hehehehe... Hehehehe...”

The giggling circled his ears again.

”Enough,” Wang Chongsong screamed, exhaling sharply. ”You deal with it. I’m done.”

He dropped cross-legged to the ground, eyes closed, as if the laughter no longer existed to him.

After a while, seeing he didn’t move, the ghost infant appeared once more, but this time it didn’t come close. It squatted a few paces away, sucking on its fingers and tilting its head, studying Wang Chongsong curiously as if wondering why he’d stopped moving.

”Come here, little one,” Fang Chen said gently, beckoning.

The ghost infant turned its gaze toward him, its eyes flickering with confusion and hesitation.

”So it has awareness. It’s not mindless like the other Yin Demons,” Fang Chen murmured.

Could this ghost child be connected to the Ghost Mother of Self Transformation?

Otherwise, how could a baby spirit survive this long, let alone grow this strong? With such cultivation, it had to have devoured countless lifespans. It should have lost all reason long ago, become something like the millipede fiend he once fought. Yet here it was, retaining both intelligence and restraint. The link to the Ghost Mother seemed almost certain.

After a moment’s hesitation, the ghost infant toddled toward him. It stopped before him, staring up with round, dark eyes, then grabbed his pant leg and nimbly climbed up onto his shoulder. It laughed gleefully, fingers tangled in his hair as if playing with something fascinating.

Fang Chen smiled faintly and conjured a small wooden rocking horse. ”Here.”

The infant’s eyes lit up. It leapt from his shoulder onto the toy and began examining it with curious fascination. Within seconds, it figured out how to ride it, rocking back and forth, laughing joyfully all the while.

Wang Chongsong cracked open one eye, stunned at the sight.

Fang Chen tried inching closer. The ghost infant barely glanced at him and showed no hostility. Even when Fang Chen picked it up, it didn’t resist. It only let out two indignant cries and pointed insistently at the wooden horse.

”Why bother holding it? Let it play,” Wang Chongsong whispered through a sound transmission.

But the infant apparently heard him, its attention instantly shifting toward him again.

Wang Chongsong hurriedly shut his eyes tight.

Fang Chen exhaled softly, gathering his energy. He conjured a few more toys that babies might like to divert the spirit’s attention. Soon, he even built, from memory, a complete playground right there in the ghost city.

It was the first time the ghost child had ever seen such things. Its gloomy, ink-black eyes lit up like twin stars.

Because its irises were nearly black from edge to edge, the sparkle within them gave off an eerie yet oddly innocent gleam.

”You really have a knack for this,” Wang Chongsong commented, openly standing beside Fang Chen now.

He watched the little ghost tumble through the sea of colored balls, astonished. ”How did you even think of all this?”

Fang Chen smiled. ”I used to play with things like these when I was a kid.”

”Oh... Well, are we leaving, then?” Wang Chongsong asked.

”You return to the living world first,” Fang Chen said. ”I’ll stay and observe a while longer.”

Wang Chongsong nodded. ”Fine. The little one’s strong, be careful. If it suddenly turns hostile, you won’t stand a chance.”

He backed away step by step. The ghost infant looked up at him once, and he forced a smile. It lost interest immediately and went back to playing.

Only when Wang Chongsong had finally left the ghost city did he exhale in relief, then turned and ran for his life.