Beast Tamer Ascension-Chapter 16Book 4: : Entering the Ghost City

Vol 4 Chapter 16: Entering the Ghost City

To better understand the Ghost Bride’s Dao and thus use her power more effectively, the Thunder Dragon Ancestor and Lin Jing went to the Ghost Bride’s stronghold—namely, the Buddhist City she had occupied.

As for the Buddhist sect, after learning the truth about the Ghost Bride’s condition, they gave up on fighting her.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

First, because the Ghost Bride had reached the Void Mystical stage, and trying to completely suppress and kill her would come at too great a cost.

Second, and more importantly, the Buddhist sect saw that the Ghost Bride’s state was unstable. In such an unstable condition, after some time, the Ghost Bride might collapse and perish on her own.

Since there was a chance to wait her out without lifting a sword, there was no need to pay a huge price to attack.

However, what the Buddhist sect couldn’t have imagined was that, by coincidence, the marriage certificate Lin Jing had brought from the Ancient Kingdom had stabilized the Ghost Bride’s form and turned her into a ghost with complete dominant awareness.

“Half a year remains, Your Highness. In this half year, as long as you grasp the basics of the Dao of Obsession, you’ll be able to better resonate with the Ghost Bride’s power. Coupled with your own advantages, no one will be able to compete with you in the Golden Light Gu trial.”

The Thunder Dragon Ancestor’s role wasn’t limited to providing blood for body-tempering—his cultivation experience along the way was enough to act as a teacher to both Lin Jing and the Ghost Bride.

Within the Ghost City.

Lin Jing looked toward the Ghost Bride walking absentmindedly ahead and asked, “Senior, have you remembered your name?”

“Tang Ling,” said the Ghost Bride.

“Senior, you’re thinking of your fiancée, right? Does she have a name? The more information we have, the easier it’ll be to find her traces.”

“Our Demon Court can help Senior search for her.”

The Ghost Bride shook her head. “I only remember she was a sword cultivator, with great talent. The rest… I can’t recall.”

“Sword cultivator…” Lin Jing and the Thunder Dragon Ancestor exchanged glances—this scope was far too broad.

The Ghost Bride must have lived fifty thousand years ago.

Fifty thousand years ago, even the Demon Court’s ruler and the First Ancient Emperor hadn’t been born yet. To find traces of a sword cultivator from such a chaotic era was just too difficult.

Still, if it existed and happened, then it could be found.

The Tianji Pavilion of the Ancient Kingdom was said to be able to deduce the future—if so, then tracing the past was certainly within the realm of possibility.

And beings with similar mastery of the Dao of Time weren’t exclusive to the Tianji Pavilion. Among beast clans, there were also such experts.

Lin Jing thought for a moment and said, “After we leave the Western Desert, I’ll seek out someone in the Demon Court who’s proficient in the Dao of Time to help you trace back through time and find her trail.”

“Thank you.” The Ghost Bride’s blood-red eyes looked at Lin Jing with a softer gaze, though to Lin Jing, she still looked rather terrifying.

“Next, I’ll help you comprehend the ‘Dao of Obsession.’ In my understanding, the Dao of Obsession means ‘a thought that cannot be shaken, even in death’—even if dead, you’d claw your way back as a ghost, just to accomplish something.”

She stopped, looking at the Thunder Dragon Ancestor and Lin Jing. After hearing the Thunder Dragon Ancestor’s explanation, she had gained a deeper understanding of the Dao of Obsession.

She now understood why the Thunder Dragon Ancestor had said that as long as her obsession remained, she would be hard to truly kill.

But after looking at the Thunder Dragon Ancestor and Lin Jing again, she shook her head.

“You don’t have any strong obsession,” the Ghost Bride first said, commenting on the Thunder Dragon Ancestor.

The Thunder Dragon Ancestor flicked his beard. True, the strongest obsession he’d ever had wasn’t even about seeing the demon race rise again—viewing the demon race’s revival as more important than his own Dao breakthrough was something that belonged to only a few weaker Demon Court members. And with the descent of the Transformation Pill, even that obsession had faded considerably.

“And he also doesn’t have any real obsession. In that state, it’s actually hard to comprehend your Dao. In half a year, I fear there won’t be much progress.”

The Ghost Bride also saw that Lin Jing was carefree by nature. Until now, he had never been consumed by any particular obsession.

With that kind of foundation, he wasn’t suited to learning the Dao of Obsession.

“No obsession?” The Thunder Dragon Ancestor turned to look at Lin Jing. What the h*ll—even if I don’t have one, how can a human, whose mind and emotions are more complex, not have any obsession?

The Thunder Dragon Ancestor asked, “Your Highness, is there really nothing you’re intent on pursuing?”

Lin Jing stood among the ruins of the Ghost City and shook his head. “Power, maybe? But if you mean true obsession, then no, I’ve never been overly attached. Back when I first entered Qingzhou, I was probably desperate to grow stronger for self-preservation, but once I had the Demon Court’s protection, my cultivation mindset relaxed a lot.”

“I’ve never had an overwhelming desire to become number one on the continent, or a burning need to ascend to the upper realm.”

“This is a tough one…” The Thunder Dragon Ancestor sighed. Lin Jing had the Hidden Dragon Arts, and the ancestor had originally thought that with the Ghost Bride’s cooperation, Lin Jing could at least begin to comprehend the Dao of Obsession in half a year.

But now, seeing Lin Jing’s state of mind, it was clear that it didn’t align with the Dao of Obsession at all. The difficulty might be much greater than expected.

However, in the next moment, the Ghost Bride found another potential starting point.

“Although he doesn’t have any obsession, there seem to be… other things inside his body. Those two things carry incredibly strong obsessions.”

“So strong they might reach the level of ‘if unfulfilled, they’ll die with eyes open and rise again as vengeful ghosts.’”

“Hm?” As the Ghost Bride spoke, both Lin Jing and the Thunder Dragon Ancestor were startled.

“Senior Tang Ling, are you referring to…” Lin Jing pulled out the Pine Leaf Mouse and the Ice Soul Gu.

“Eh!!”

“Huh?”

The Pine Leaf Mouse and the Ice Soul Gu, who had been hoarding supplies and digesting the Thunder Tribulation Gu’s power respectively, landed one to each of Lin Jing’s shoulders.

“Yes, those two,” the Ghost Bride confirmed.

“The intensity of their obsession… is terrifying.”

Lin Jing fell into thought, glancing left and right at the Pine Leaf Mouse and the Ice Soul Gu.

As for the Pine Leaf Mouse, he could basically guess—it was probably an obsession with hoarding, right?

Wanting to fill all its storage items, including the Monster Core Space, with supplies. After all, the mouse would even forget to cultivate just to hoard more.

This was a strong compulsion it had long before being contracted.

As for the Ice Soul Gu…

Lin Jing swept it with his Heavenly Demon Divine Sense, peering into the Ice Soul Gu’s mind. Normally he wouldn’t invade a pet’s privacy, but now that the Ghost Bride said the Ice Soul Gu’s obsession rivaled that of the Pine Leaf Mouse, he had to take a look.

Within the Ice Soul Gu’s mind, she appeared as a creature with a crystalline spider body and half a girl’s figure of ice and snow extending from her head.

Her countless legs pinned down the Pine Leaf Mouse and the Dragon Carp.

Within her crystal-like body, all nine of the Rare Gu—including the Thunder Tribulation Gu and the Golden Light Gu—were sealed in ice.

“So this is her obsession?” Lin Jing was speechless.

It seemed her obsession was to devour the other nine Rare Gu, attain absolute power, then defeat the Pine Leaf Mouse and the Dragon Carp—and maybe even transform into a demon race being as part of her pursuit of strength.