Chapter 110: The Ghost Rider Without a Motorcycle

Zhou Bai’s skull head burned with ghostly flames in his eye sockets, deep as an abyss, his jaws agape in a way that gave the impression he was laughing.

"Anyone who dares to sell their soul possesses the power to change the world—a Spirit of Vengeance, fighting fire with fire."

The Tengu stared at this entity that seemed even more demonic than itself. Its hind legs tensed, leaving claw marks in the bluestone tiles, ready to strike its prey at any moment.

"Ever seen Ghost Rider?"

Zhou Bai chuckled self-deprecatingly, reciting a reference only he in this world could understand; it was a pity, however, that he lacked a motorcycle.

The Tengu let out an impatient roar and lunged at him, turning into a blur so fast that only the faint sound of wind could be heard.

Zhou Bai was prepared. He pushed his Yin-Yang Eyes to their limit; as long as the speed did not exceed that of a malicious ghost, his eyes could track it.

At the very moment the Tengu collided with him, he grabbed its body and, using its own momentum, flung the creature out toward the city gate.

The Tengu adjusted its posture with feline agility in mid-air to land steadily. For it, the town was the ideal place for a skirmish. Unlike spectral entities that could absorb Yin energy, it relied on consuming human life to draw power and rapidly heal, keeping itself in an invincible position. Thus, it intended to return to the city for the fight.

But Zhou Bai would not let the Tengu have its way. He stomped his feet, unleashing a concentrated burst of power that caused spiderweb-like cracks to spread instantly across the ground.

He unleashed his "Curse-Kill" divine ability with everything he had, his figure vanishing from where he stood.

Unlike the normal state of the Curse-Kill ability, under his True Form of the White Bone Avatar, the light radiating from Zhou Bai’s body was a grayish-white.

He had become a bolt of white lightning.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Muffled sonic booms echoed. Along the distance from his original position to the city gate, the porcelain in the houses began to shatter inexplicably, paper windows tore, and aged furniture split apart.

The white light appeared instantly before the Tengu. Zhou Bai materialized, his right fist raised, gathering force.

The Tengu opened its mouth and shot its tongue out, striking toward Zhou Bai like a flash of lightning.

But before the tongue could touch him, his right fist descended in an instant, causing ripples in the air as if it were water.

The next moment, a dull thud echoed. The Tengu was sent flying, smashing through half the city gate and landing in a shallow crater outside the city walls.

The white light pursued the Tengu. Zhou Bai was as fast as lightning, covering several meters with every blink. He reached the Tengu and unleashed a flurry of punches like raindrops.

Before Zhou Bai, bolstered by his Curse-Kill ability, the Tengu had no chance to retaliate, forced to take the damage clumsily as its body became riddled with indented fist marks.

In its desperation, it whipped its tail like a lash. Zhou Bai did not even turn his head, as if possessing prescience, ducking his head to dodge by a hair’s breadth.

He then turned his fist into a claw, grabbed the Tengu’s flesh, and ripped its skin right off, exposing the bloody muscle beneath.

Zhou Bai did not choose to use his butcher knife; he seemed to have reservations, choosing only to suppress the Tengu with his fists.

The Tengu tried to counterattack several times, but each attempt was neutralized, met only by a storm of attacks.

Soon, even though Zhou Bai’s punches were not inherently lethal, the constant pounding began to take its toll. The Tengu’s wounds were mounting, and its healing speed could no longer keep pace with the destruction.

Its internal flesh was exposed to Zhou Bai. Unlike spectral monsters, the Tengu’s organs looked remarkably vivid, and a great deal of blood flowed through its body.

Zhou Bai focused his attacks on the Tengu’s softer abdomen. Once he tore through the skin, the stomach was revealed.

The stomach wall was covered in countless distorted human face impressions, as if the people the Tengu had swallowed were imprisoned within.

Upon discovering this anomaly, Zhou Bai felt a chill, and he slammed his fist hard into the stomach.

Pain surged through the Tengu, and unable to bear it, it spat out a mouthful of black blood. The blood seemed to possess a life of its own, squirming on the ground, trying to burrow into the earth.

"I’ve been waiting for you."

Zhou Bai muttered to himself, then used the last of his remaining Curse-Kill energy to leap upward, stopping after rising only half a meter.

Then, his body fell involuntarily. As Zhou Bai slammed into the ground, he struck with his butcher knife, causing countless fine cracks to spread across the earth within a radius of thirty or forty meters.

The massive form of the Ghost Tree appeared behind him. Though its branches were somewhat incomplete, it was of no consequence.

Once summoned, its countless roots plunged directly into the ground, extending outward as a massive surge of Yin energy poured into the root system.

The entire ground turned a ghastly white—the light emerging from the cracks. Though not blinding, it chilled one to the bone.

Ghostly flames erupted from the cracks and spread directly onto the black blood; a sizzling sound arose, and it was instantly consumed.

The ghostly flames also affected the Tengu. It tried to flee, but the roots of the Ghost Tree had already entangled its body, holding it fast.

Since their encounter at the horse ranch, Zhou Bai had been thinking about how to deal with such an incredibly troublesome creature. When facing an enemy that could not be killed, conventional methods were insufficient.

He had to finish it once and for all; after all, the Tengu’s true form was the shadow-like black water, capable of slipping into the intangible at any time.

Zhou Bai had later considered using the ghostly flames. This pure Yin fire contained a trace of pure Yang, which was devastating to ghost-realm creatures.

The Ghost Tree continued to struggle, the cracks in the ground spreading, and the reach of the ghostly flames widening.

Under the scorching heat of these flames, the Tengu’s body began to shrink, gradually diminishing from seven or eight meters down to less than five.

Zhou Bai stopped his attack and watched from a short distance, wary of a desperate final counterattack.

At this moment, the Tengu’s body began to tremble. Its heart shattered into pieces, and a black bead fell out—the source of its power.

The black bead cracked, and a faint wisp of black mist passed through the flesh, drifting toward the sky.

Stimulated by this inconspicuous black mist, the cataclysm of the entire city of Hangdu began.

The gloomy rain triggered by the volcanic eruption fell upon the town, and that rainwater seeped deep into the earth.

Now, as if sensing something, it surged up from the ground in unison.

After triggering this power, the Tengu leaped, dragging its shattered body.

Zhou Bai started to follow, but then realized this might be the one chance to end it for good.

Until now, his True Form of the White Bone Avatar had still been suppressing its power. Facing such a formidable enemy, it was time to hold nothing back.

Countless wisps of black mist surged from the earth, like swarms of insects, burrowing into the Tengu’s body.