At this moment, Xu Qing's face was grave. Although he managed to withstand a blow using the Corpse Division Technique, he completely realized the prowess of the Many Perils Ghost King.
This old neighbor indeed possesses certain abilities, and not just a few!
Merely abandoning Li Shunying as bait and employing the Divine Technique of the Yin Country shows that this old neighbor not only possesses the art of emperors but also a bizarre divine power to transform the Ghost Realm into a kingdom's authority.
Now fully aware of his neighbor's exact strength, Xu Qing no longer concealed his zombie identity. As the skeletal palm was about to fall, he withdrew the refined corpse hair from his body, using the celestial-grade Corpse Division Technique to manifest nine Golden Armored Corpse-level doppelgangers, dodging a long-planned strike from the Ghost King.
Aside from the subtle change in Xu Qing's mindset, it was the Many Perils Ghost King whose heart fluctuated even more intensely.
When he sensed the dense corpse aura erupting from Xu Qing and the deathly aura similar to his own, the Many Perils Ghost King was greatly shocked.
The counterpart was not a living person from beginning to end but a Corpse Monster!
Instantly, many things clicked in the Ghost King's mind.
No wonder Xu Qing was fearless of his Ghost Realm, no wonder entering the Yin Country made Xu Qing like a fish in water.
It all made sense because the counterpart was never a living person but an evil entity much like himself!
Upon this realization, the Ghost King was ablaze with fury. Previously, he thought Xu Qing came to "exorcise evil spirits," not expecting that the counterpart was also a demon!
Now, in the eyes of the Many Perils Ghost King, Xu Qing's previous statements were nothing but utterly absurd nonsense.
Ignoring the enraged Ghost King, Xu Qing took the initiative, first deploying eight doppelgangers, maneuvering them around the Ghost King's dharma form.
Simultaneously, Xu Qing's true body concealed within, planning to secretly accumulate power, waiting to deliver a heavy blow at the right moment.
The Many Perils Ghost King detected Xu Qing's intention. His eyes flared with ghost fire, the Eye Recognition technique activated, yet he could not pinpoint Xu Qing's true body.
"Body Division Technique, another Ruins Divine Technique?"
The Many Perils Ghost King's heart was filled with mixed emotions, pleased that the young man who claimed to be his neighbor seemed to have gained much divine inheritance, yet worried whether he could genuinely subjugate the opponent with all his might.
Xu Qing sensed the Ghost King's emotional oscillation, and his heart stirred. As the eight doppelgangers advanced, he grasped the Magic Sword, ready to strike at the Ghost King's core, with the Sutra of Salvation primed to be applied.
However, just as the plans proceeded systematically, nine giant cauldrons suddenly descended upon the ghostly realm.
The nine cauldrons fell from the sky, inscribed with the mountains and rivers of the Nine Provinces, managing in an instant to suppress the eight Golden Armored Corpses within their confines.
The nine cauldrons stabilizing the mountains and rivers, the Many Perils Ghost King had refined the sacrificial cauldrons, meant for burial, into weapons for combat within the Yin Country.
For the first time, Xu Qing felt the deep foundation of the millennium-old ghost's cultivation. If it were someone else, they couldn't compete, not just because of the gap in cultivation, but due to the sheer variety of combat techniques!
The eight doppelgangers, suppressed by the cauldrons, reverted back to corpse hair and returned to Xu Qing's body.
The Many Perils Ghost King suddenly turned around, only to see the young man behind him had already drawn the Magic Sword—had he hesitated a moment longer, the sword would have been upon him.
Seeing the golden opportunity lost, Xu Qing felt quite regretful.
If he weren't worried about the Celestial Axe damaging such a perfect corpse, he wouldn't be so restrained.
Clicking his tongue, he thought, truly troublesome!
"Old neighbor, let's bargain. Don't you want a grand ritual after you die? I'm a professional Funeral Master. Not to mention a funeral of noble specifications, I can definitely arrange one of imperial standards for you if you wish!"
"I can also make paper soldiers and horses for you, even craft three palaces, six courtyards, seventy-two concubines, or three thousand beauties, all crafted with authenticity guaranteed."
"Won't you consider it?"
The Many Perils Ghost King felt a movement in his heart, though it wasn't stirred by Xu Qing's condition.
"Your cultivation doesn't match mine; only your magical arts are potent. Now, aren't you just out of tricks and magical power, trying to stall for time to escape?"
Xu Qing was speechless, truly unwilling to damage such a nearly perfect millennial ghost corpse.
He had yet to transcend a skeleton with such perfect proportions...
However, Xu Qing's expression change confirmed the Many Perils Ghost King's suspicions.
Feeling much more secure, the Ghost King laughed instantly, "Rest assured, I will specially grant you a few more days to live, so that after obtaining all the secrets of the Ruins from you, I will give you a swift end."
Xu Qing glanced at the Many Perils Ghost King, impatience in his voice: "You're a dead man, I'm a dead corpse; neither of us counts as alive, so how would we have a few more days to live?"
"Enough, I'm done wasting words with you. If push comes to shove, I'll just take a defective product since it costs me nothing."
The Many Perils Ghost King's face darkened, the surrounding temperature dropped yet another degree: "Such a bastard!"
Bastard refers to a child born of a concubine; hearing the word bastard, Xu Qing immediately became displeased: "Bashful grandson, who are you calling names?"
Xu Qing wasn't one for losing verbally; after cursing the Ghost King, he swiftly switched from Water Corpse to Fur Corpse form.
The Many Perils Ghost King guessed correctly; his cultivation indeed wasn't on par with the Ghost King, and he indeed exhausted magical power in the previous battle, but he depleted the power of the Water Corpse.
The Water Corpse's power relies on Unstable Black Water, the Fire Corpse on Yin-Burning Fire, while the Fur Corpse belongs to the Wind Guide.
Now, with the switch to Fur Corpse form, Xu Qing's internal, latent power of the Mountain Forest System instantly filled all his apertures.
As the azure corpse hair proliferated across his body, Xu Qing eyed the Many Perils Ghost King. Almost simultaneously with the Ghost King's activation of the sacrificial cauldrons, Xu Qing invoked the Wind Guide and unleashed the carefully nurtured Separating Wind.