Chapter 2: Four Living Evil Ghosts (Fishing Village Four)
The fishing village was eerily silent. The few dozen thatched huts were dark, with not a single lamp lit. The only sounds were the crashing of waves and the occasional creak of a wooden door swaying in the sea breeze.
Su Xiao stood at the entrance of the village, his gaze sweeping over the scene before him. The village was too quiet, unnaturally so. According to the information provided by the Reincarnation Paradise, this fishing village should have had over a hundred residents, but now it felt like a dead village.
"Boss, this place feels wrong."
Baha landed on Su Xiao's shoulder, its voice low. As a demonic hawk, its perception was far sharper than an ordinary person's. It could already sense the faint, unsettling aura emanating from the village.
"Yeah."
Su Xiao nodded slightly, his right hand resting on the hilt of the Dragon-Slaying Flash at his waist. He slowly stepped into the village. The moment he crossed the village entrance, a chill surged from the ground, as if countless pairs of eyes were watching him from the darkness.
Creak—
A wooden door not far away slowly opened, and a gaunt, middle-aged man emerged. His eyes were hollow, his movements stiff, like a puppet on strings.
"Stranger... leave... this place isn't safe..."
The middle-aged man's voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. His eyes flickered with a strange light, a mix of fear and madness.
"I'm looking for someone."
Su Xiao's tone was calm, his gaze fixed on the middle-aged man. He could sense that the other party's soul was in an abnormal state, as if something had invaded it.
"Looking for someone? Hahaha..."
The middle-aged man suddenly let out a strange laugh, his laughter shrill and piercing in the silent night. His body began to twist, his joints making cracking sounds, as if something was trying to break free from within him.
"Looking for those four evil ghosts? They're already dead! All dead! But... they've come back! They've all come back!"
The middle-aged man's voice grew more and more frantic, and his body twisted to an impossible angle. Black smoke began to seep from his seven orifices, swirling in the air, forming a hideous face.
"Tsk."
Su Xiao's figure flickered, and the Dragon-Slashing Flash was already drawn. A streak of cold light cut through the night, directly severing the black smoke. The middle-aged man collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing a few times before going still.
"Boss, that black smoke is Abyss energy."
Baha flapped its wings, a hint of caution in its tone. As a creature of the Abyss, it was all too familiar with this energy.
"I know."
Su Xiao sheathed his sword, his brow slightly furrowed. The Abyss energy here was far denser than he had anticipated. It seemed the situation in this fishing village was more complicated than he had imagined.
Suddenly, a strange sound came from the depths of the village, like the wailing of a ghost or the weeping of a demon. The sound grew closer and closer, and the surrounding temperature plummeted, frost forming on the ground.
"Here they come."
Su Xiao's gaze sharpened. He saw four figures slowly emerging from the darkness. Their bodies were shrouded in black mist, their faces pale as death, their eyes glowing with a sinister red light.
These four were the so-called "Four Living Evil Ghosts" of the fishing village. According to the information, they were originally four fishermen from the village who, after a shipwreck, were contaminated by Abyss energy and transformed into monsters. They returned to the village at night, slaughtering all the residents.
"You... shouldn't have come..."
The leading evil ghost spoke, its voice overlapping, as if multiple people were speaking at once. Its body began to swell, black tentacles extending from beneath its skin, writhing in the air.
"Hand over the Origin Stone fragment, and I'll leave you with a whole corpse."
Su Xiao's tone was indifferent, as if he were stating an irrefutable fact. The Origin Stone fragment was his main objective this time, hidden somewhere in this fishing village.
"Origin Stone fragment? Hahaha..."
The four evil ghosts laughed in unison, their laughter filled with madness and malice. Their bodies twisted and merged, forming a massive, grotesque creature covered in eyes and mouths, each one chanting curses.
"Die! All of you, die!"
The giant creature lunged at Su Xiao, its massive body blotting out the sky. Black tentacles lashed out like whips, tearing through the air with sharp whistling sounds.
"Blade Path: Azure Demon."
Su Xiao's figure flickered, and the Dragon-Slashing Flash in his hand transformed into a streak of blue light. The blade aura howled, directly severing the incoming tentacles. His body moved like a phantom, weaving through the gaps between the tentacles, closing in on the giant creature.
"Roar!"
The giant creature let out an enraged roar, and countless mouths on its body opened simultaneously, spewing black liquid. The liquid corroded the ground upon contact, emitting a pungent stench.
Su Xiao's expression remained unchanged. Azure Steel Shadow energy surged within him, forming a translucent barrier around his body. The black liquid splashed onto the barrier, instantly evaporating.
"Blade Path: Extreme."
Su Xiao's figure suddenly halted, and the Dragon-Slashing Flash in his hand slashed horizontally. A dazzling blade light burst forth, like a crescent moon cutting through the night sky, directly cleaving the giant creature in two.
"Ahhh!"
The giant creature let out a piercing scream, its body splitting apart, black blood splattering everywhere. The four evil ghosts' figures reappeared, their bodies covered in cracks, as if they could shatter at any moment.
"You... can't kill us... we are immortal..."
The leading evil ghost's voice was weak, but still filled with malice. Its body began to dissolve, turning into black smoke that dissipated into the air.
"Is that so?"
Su Xiao's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly stomped his foot. A surge of Azure Steel Shadow energy erupted from beneath him, forming a massive formation that enveloped the four evil ghosts.
"Law-Destroying Teleportation Array."
As Su Xiao's voice fell, the formation burst into brilliant light, directly tearing the four evil ghosts' souls apart and sending them into the void.
"No—"
The evil ghosts' unwilling roars echoed through the night, then faded away. The fishing village fell silent once more, as if nothing had happened.
"Boss, the Origin Stone fragment is in the well at the back of the village."
Baha flapped its wings and flew toward the back of the village. Su Xiao followed, arriving at an old well. The well was covered in moss, the water surface calm, reflecting the moonlight.
Su Xiao reached out and pressed against the well's edge, Azure Steel Shadow energy surging into the well. Soon, a blue light emerged from the water, and a crystal fragment slowly rose, landing in Su Xiao's palm.
"Origin Stone fragment, acquired."
Su Xiao examined the fragment in his hand, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. This trip had been smooth, but he knew this was just the beginning. There were still many secrets hidden in this world, waiting for him to uncover.