The Otherworldly God I Serve Is Actually a Demon - Chapter 14

The newcomer wore a bright yellow Daoist robe that fluttered without wind, a peachwood longsword hanging at her waist, her long hair tied up in a dark green crown. Her posture was upright, exuding an aura of righteousness, with eyebrows like distant mountains and eyes like stars.

The Starving Ghost stared at her with its crimson eyes for a long time before splitting its scarlet lips into a grin. “Who are you?”

As if waiting for this very question, the woman smiled faintly, straightened her back even more, and enunciated clearly:

“Listen well. Standing before you is: the face of Jiangcheng’s Special Management Case Division, the last descendant of the ancient Zhong clan, the newly appointed 21st-century leader of the Celestial Master Sect, the foremost figure of the Supernatural Revival Era-”

The woman drew the peachwood longsword from her waist, twirling it in a graceful flourish. “My name remains unchanged whether I stand or sit. I am Zhong Wanlan.”

What the ghost heard: &Celestial Master*#, I am Zhong Wanlan.

What is she babbling about? So noisy. I really want to go up and sew her mouth shut.

Ruan Jiao listened to this long string of titles, watching this flashy entrance, and suddenly a familiar name surfaced in her mind.

“Are you the one who posted on the forum as ‘The First’?” she accidentally blurted out.

Zhong Wanlan looked up and only then noticed a girl with a distinctly sneaky aura lying on the floor of the fifth story.

Immediately turning her profile to a perfect angle toward the other, she smiled slightly and said, “I didn’t expect to meet a fan here. We can discuss autographs later, I have important business to attend to now.”

Ruan Jiao fell silent. The only reason she could recognize “The First” instantly was thanks to the other’s infuriating way of speaking and the long-winded preamble.

Exactly the same as in the forum posts.

“So, you’re a Celestial Master,” the Starving Ghost dug at its ear, reluctantly giving her a proper glance. “Then do you know who I am?”

“I don’t care who you are. Have at you!”

Zhong Wanlan suddenly struck, her peachwood sword aimed directly at the Starving Ghost. That ordinary-looking wooden sword actually pierced straight through its shoulder.

The Starving Ghost immediately cursed in fury. “How shameless! You look decent enough, yet you resort to a sneak attack.”

“Your words are mistaken. I stabbed this sword into your shoulder right in front of you. How can that be called a sneak attack?”

“You really have no shame.”

The human and the ghost exchanged blows on the fourth floor, one line after another. Soon, the Starving Ghost gained the upper hand.

Zhong Wanlan was no match, retreating three steps in succession. A small wound appeared on her cool, ethereal face, which not only failed to mar her beauty but instead added a touch of captivating allure.

Most importantly, no matter how intense the fight, her posture, like that of a transcendent master, remained as steady as a clay sculpture, not faltering in the slightest.

“This sword… feels familiar,” the Starving Ghost seemed to recall something. “I’ve seen its previous owner. What’s your relationship with her?”

Zhong Wanlan replied coldly, “No comment.”

“Your words really piss ghosts off. Just wait, I’ll send you underground to meet your great-grandma soon,” the Starving Ghost grumbled, annoyed.

“Oh? Is that so?” Zhong Wanlan raised her eyes. “Then you’ll soon get to meet my great-grandma too.”

The Starving Ghost was infuriated. It couldn’t understand what this person was pretending to be. Clearly, she was no match for it in a fight, yet she always made it feel somehow inferior.

Everything she said and did was so cool, and that face, like some core equipment, why was she born so pretty when everyone has a mother?

Compared to her, it was like a foul rat crawling out of a dark sewer (which, to be fair, it was).

The ghostly face twisted: “I’ve had enough, you keep provoking me! Do you really think you can handle me?”

“Of course I can’t,” Zhong Wanlan tightened her grip on the sword, her expression serious.

The Starving Ghost snorted, ready to mock her, but unexpectedly, she suddenly struck a pose and shouted loudly:

“Three souls descend early, seven spirits draw near. The gates of heaven open, the gates of earth open. A thousand-mile child delivers the soul. By the decree of the Zhong family ancestors, as swiftly as the law commands.”

“Come forth, Great-Grandma!”

A chilling wind seeped from the peachwood sword, and an elderly woman with white hair, dressed in a purple Daoist robe, appeared beside Zhong Wanlan.

The expression on the ghostly face froze once more. It hadn’t expected that when she said she’d make it meet her great-grandma, she wasn’t just spouting empty words.

She had actually summoned her great-grandma.

The purple-robed old woman’s eyes held a hidden anger as she raised her hand and slapped Zhong Wanlan on the back of the head, scolding, “Damn it, how many times have I told you not to shout that last line? You’re lowering my dignity!”

Zhong Wanlan grimaced, clutching the back of her head in pain, her face twitching. She could no longer maintain the cool, aloof demeanor of a master.

From upstairs, Ruan Jiao watched this scene with wide eyes.

That peachwood sword could not only harm ghosts but had even summoned her great-grandma. What exactly was that sword? And what was the deal with her great-grandma being the first person?

Burning with questions, she remained still, lying on the floor, peering toward the fourth floor.

“This aura… Wanlan, you’ve actually encountered the Starving Ghost, one of the Nine Great Evil Spirits.” The purple-robed old woman clasped her hands behind her back, her expression grave. “This ghost is no ordinary foe. It hasn’t fully awakened yet, but given time, I fear even the entire Jiangcheng won’t be enough to satisfy its hunger.”

“Old hag, you’ve got a sharp eye,” the Starving Ghost said with an appreciative look. “I’ll eat you first in a moment.”

Finally, someone, no, some ghost, recognized it.

That’s right, it was one of the legendary Nine Great Evil Spirits, the Starving Ghost capable of devouring the entire mortal realm single-handedly.

Tremble, you ignorant humans. It had even gone live with its real name, and still no one recognized it. It would make these people pay for their underestimation.

Ignoring its taunts, the purple-robed old woman looked seriously at Zhong Wanlan. “Run, Wanlan. There’s still time to leave now. Otherwise, you might die here today.”

“Even you can’t drive it away, Great-Grandma?” Zhong Wanlan said calmly. “But there’s no need to tell me to run. I’ll never flee from a ghost.”

The old woman shook her head. “Silly child, I’m worried that if you die, the Zhong family line will end. If that happens, who will inherit the dozen or so ghosts at home?”

“That makes sense. In that case, I’ll take my leave now, Great-Grandma!”

Zhong Wanlan’s voice echoed from the third floor. With wind beneath her feet, she had already dashed down a whole floor while the old woman was speaking.

“…”

Everyone and every ghost present fell silent.

The Starving Ghost moved, leaping down from the fourth floor in pursuit of Zhong Wanlan. The purple-robed old woman flashed forward as well, chasing after the Starving Ghost.

One human, two ghosts, she fled, it chased, and it chased too.

Ruan Jiao quickly followed, but she was slow. By the time she reached the first floor, she saw Zhong Wanlan holding a peachwood sword, fighting the Starving Ghost, while the purple-robed old woman kept ambushing from the side.

“Got you now, old ghost! I pretended to run away to lure you to the open first floor so my sword wouldn’t be cramped for space.”

Zhong Wanlan laughed loudly, thrusting her sword into the Starving Ghost’s stomach. The old woman, with perfect timing, attacked from behind, tearing open the ghost’s back with a claw, revealing large patches of blackish-red flesh.

“You’re the old ghost! Your whole family is old ghosts!”

“Hahaha, you even know that? I underestimated you.”

“???”

The human and the two ghosts fought while trading insults.

Seeing this fighting style, Ruan Jiao could confirm that the purple-robed old woman was indeed a ghost. The first person was actually using a ghost transformed from her own relative to fight other ghosts. The peachwood sword in her hand was also extraordinary, capable of harming ghosts.

Her method of dealing with ghosts was something ordinary people couldn’t imitate. No wonder she wrote in her post that ordinary people could only wait to die when encountering ghosts.

The battle on the first floor grew increasingly intense, and it seemed the Starving Ghost was gaining the upper hand. The Starving Ghost, which often fed on living humans, was far more powerful than the old woman, a ghost who didn’t harm people.

In a flash, the Starving Ghost took advantage of the old woman’s distraction and bit off one of her fingers, swallowing it in a few bites.

Instantly, the wounds on the Starving Ghost’s body began to heal at a visible rate.

“Wanlan, this Starving Ghost devours everything it sees to increase its ghostly power. If we’re not careful, it’ll easily take a bite out of us. We must find its weakness, or it’ll keep healing, and we’ll be worn down to death.”

The purple-robed old woman’s tone was grave.

Zhong Wanlan clearly knew this too: “But I can’t see any weakness in it, Great-Grandma.”

The purple-robed old woman’s expression turned solemn: “Then I have no choice but to use all my strength to break open its ghost domain. You take the others and escape, then seal off the area within three kilometers. I’ll self-destruct to scatter its ghostly form.”

“That way, it won’t regain its power for at least ten years.”

Zhong Wanlan hurriedly stopped her: “If you self-destruct, Great-Grandma, your soul will scatter completely.”

“If this ghost escapes, the world will suffer a catastrophe. My death and destruction are nothing in comparison.” The purple-robed old woman’s gaze was resolute.

“No, Great-Grandma, what will I do if you die?” Zhong Wanlan stretched out her arms dramatically.

The scene was tragically solemn, and the Starving Ghost across from them twitched at the corner of its eye.

“Plotting right in front of me? You really don’t take me seriously.”

Ruan Jiao facepalmed, feeling that Zhong Wanlan had a bit of a chuunibyou streak. The commotion caused by this grandmother-granddaughter duo was so loud that a survivor even dared to come out and watch them.

Hearing the old woman say she would self-destruct, the person shouted recklessly, “Then why are you still talking? Hurry up and self-destruct to save us!”

Zhong Wanlan turned sharply toward the person, disbelief in her eyes: “You’re telling my great-grandma to hurry up and self-destruct? How can your 37-degree mouth utter such cold words?”

The person hid inside a shop on the first floor, shrinking their neck at the words, then shouted with false bravado, “Didn’t she say she’d self-destruct to scatter the ghost? Then hurry up and do it! What if the ghost catches and eats someone again?”

Zhong Wanlan trembled all over, pointing at the person, too angry to speak.

The old woman in purple narrowed her eyes and looked at the man, sneering, “I lost a finger to this ghost and suffered severe damage to my vitality. It just so happens that I can use a lowlife like you to replenish it. Sacrificing yourself to suppress an evil ghost, someone will award your family a medal later.”

The man never expected that just a few careless words would turn the ghost he had intended to save into his killer. Terrified, he tried to flee.

Unfortunately, within mere seconds, a sinister, gaunt figure appeared behind him.

It was the Starving Ghost. It reached out, pierced straight through the man, tore him in half, and swallowed him piece by piece. Its wounds healed completely.

“Burp.” The Starving Ghost let out a belch.

The more it ate, the denser its ghostly aura became, and its body even seemed to swell slightly.

“I can’t wait any longer. If it keeps eating people, I won’t be able to hold it back.” The old woman’s dark aura surged violently as she prepared to self-destruct.

“Wait!” A voice rang out from above.