Chapter 153: No Need for Me to Act

A running figure, bathed in moonlight, appeared entirely dark red. From a distance, Zhou Qing could not discern the finer details, but with a single glance he could tell that the figure was by no means human. Not only was its entire form tinged with that ominous hue, but it also stood much taller than any ordinary person.

“That must be a Ground Fiend,” Zhou Qing thought, his eyes following the crimson silhouette as it sprinted toward the farmland. He quickly surmised what it was, and so made no move to intervene.

An ordinary ghoul, suddenly appearing among the piles of corpses atop these fields—its purpose here was obvious.

The Ground Fiend reached the mounds of corpses amid the fields, uttering a series of strange cries, then seized a cadaver and began stuffing it into its mouth.

As the ghoul feasted with gleeful abandon, Zhou Qing noticed that from the same direction another two dark red figures emerged, running toward the fields. One was large, comparable in size to the first, while the other was noticeably smaller.

In no time, the three Ground Fiends crouched together among the heaps of bodies, each grabbing a corpse and devouring it with unrestrained delight.

While the trio gorged themselves, Zhou Qing saw a wisp of green mist drifting up from the pile of corpses behind them. The moment he saw that green haze, he reached for the treasure pouch at his waist and drew out the Illusory Twin, gripping it in his hand—yet he still did not descend from the tree.

He knew well that the green mist, born of accumulated resentment, was about to give form to a Savage Spirit. Zhou Qing wanted to see for himself which would prove stronger: the ghoul known as the Ground Fiend, or the newly born Savage Spirit.

Years ago, when he had been reborn in the pit of corpses beside Li Family Village, a Ground Fiend had been by his side, though at that time he lacked the strength he possessed now. Thus, tonight was the first time he truly saw one with his own eyes.

The green mist coalesced with astonishing speed, swiftly solidifying into a tiny, emerald-green ghost.

No sooner had the Savage Spirit appeared than its diminutive form blurred, launching itself at the smaller of the ghouls crouched over the corpse pile.

A shrill scream tore from the little Ground Fiend. The other two, seeing this, reacted instantly—one fled rapidly in the direction from which they had come, while the other thrust out a hand to seize the Savage Spirit clinging to the little one’s back.

The Savage Spirit was so small that, once it latched onto the small ghoul, Zhou Qing lost sight of it. But as the larger Ground Fiend struck at it, the Savage Spirit suddenly emerged from the little one’s abdomen—its body now visibly larger than before.

The large Ground Fiend let out a furious roar, grabbed the Savage Spirit, and slammed it to the ground, raising a foot to stomp on it.

At that moment, another swirl of green mist appeared in the pile of corpses, and from it another Savage Spirit was born, which immediately hurled itself at the large ghoul’s leg.

The great Ground Fiend’s foot came down, but instead of crushing the ghost, it was itself pierced by the preternaturally hard body of the Savage Spirit, leaving a gaping hole. With a howl of agony, the Ground Fiend was beset by both spirits; they tore into its flesh, and before the time it would take to sip a cup of tea, its towering frame was devoured and swallowed up.

Of the three original ghouls in the fields, only the most alert managed to escape. The other two, both large and small, perished miserably in the jaws of the Savage Spirits.

Thus it became clear: though ghouls dwarfed newborn Savage Spirits in size, they were utterly helpless before them.

After the two Savage Spirits devoured the large ghoul, Zhou Qing witnessed something strange—the spirits began to bite and tear at each other.

This mutual slaughter was bizarre to behold, the two Savage Spirits resembling wild beasts as they fought and ripped at each other amid the fields. Meanwhile, more green mist rose from the corpse piles.

Soon, yet another Savage Spirit emerged. Shaking its head, it pounced on one of the two battling spirits.

As the savage ghosts howled and tore at each other, more and more green mists appeared. By Zhou Qing’s count, over twenty Savage Spirits were born from these heaps of corpses.

Through round after round of fratricidal struggle, the number of spirits dwindled until only two remained.

These final two had grown to nearly the size of the large Ground Fiend—over ten feet tall. The pair, their bodies now firm and nearly impervious, tore at each other as they trampled the rotting bodies beneath their feet, filling the night air with a stench carried on the breeze to Zhou Qing’s nose.

Though the stench was foul, Zhou Qing was in no hurry to descend. He intended to wait until the stronger of the two Savage Spirits prevailed, then come down and rid the field of these evil creatures once and for all.

The two monsters bit and clawed, their thunderous roars echoing across the fields. Gradually, the smaller spirit fell into a disadvantage, and before long, the larger seized it by the neck in its jaws and ripped off its head.

The victorious Savage Spirit flung its foe’s corpse aside and threw back its head in a triumphant, long howl toward the sky.

Just then, as Zhou Qing prepared to leap down from the tree, he saw a figure racing toward the monster at incredible speed. He paused, suppressing his urge to intervene, and remained hidden among the branches to watch what would unfold.

He could not see the newcomer’s face from this distance, but noted that the person wielded a sword.

The Savage Spirit howled at its approaching foe, then charged at him. The ghost towered nearly twice the height of the swordsman, yet the man showed no fear. As the monster lunged, the swordsman’s pace quickened.

Man and spirit clashed. After a single exchange, the Savage Spirit howled in pain, forced back, while the swordsman pressed on with another thrust.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing knew his own intervention was unnecessary tonight. The swordsman was not exceptionally powerful, but he was more than capable of vanquishing the ghost.

Zhou Qing lingered in the tree a while longer, watching as the swordsman drove his blade into the Savage Spirit’s heart. When the monster collapsed, he promptly severed its head.

With the Savage Spirit slain, Zhou Qing saw two more figures approach the swordsman from the edge of the field—a man and a woman, by their silhouettes.

The three paused together a moment, then departed as one, while Zhou Qing never once revealed himself.

Only after their forms faded into the distance did Zhou Qing descend, hands clasped behind his back. He glanced over the trampled fields, then turned and left that haunted place.