Chapter 145: The Return of Wei Qi

Everything has two sides. Before the Fengchi Divine Weapon merged with the Luoshui Ring, it carried a heavy murderous aura; any malevolent person or greedy ghost that touched it would spontaneously combust. Now, having merged with the Luoshui Ring, it was like someone who had found their true love—it reined in its murderous aura and gained a surge of explosive power. Thus, Old Zhao holding my Fengchi Divine Weapon suffered no harm whatsoever.

"Wang Dachuan, you are truly naive. How could I possibly know the whereabouts of Wang Ying and Wei Qi? I actually intended to take you away with me." As Old Zhao spoke, he slipped the Luoshui Ring onto his finger, brandished my Fengchi Divine Weapon, and lunged straight at me.

Damn it! Tricked again. I really shouldn't have trusted this brute. With a fierce sweep of my single palm, gathering full strength in my hand, I was just about to meet Old Zhao head-on when the front door was slammed open with a loud crash.

A figure was standing abruptly in the doorway. A man, somewhat plump yet robust, holding a cloud-traveling pestle in his hand.

Seeing him, my heart trembled violently. He had actually appeared here.

Wei Qi! It was none other than Wei Qi. I could never have imagined seeing him at this moment. He was no different than before, only slightly thinner, still holding that cloud-traveling pestle in his grasp. Upon seeing Wei Qi, I even forgot to execute my move.

"Uncle Qi, is that really you?" I cried out in pleasant surprise.

"Dachuan, it's me. We can reminisce later; let me first beat Old Zhao back into his original form." Wei Qi glanced at me, smiled faintly, and walked toward Old Zhao, swinging the cloud-traveling pestle in his hand.

"Uncle Qi, stop!" I hurriedly tried to stop Wei Qi. Old Zhao was already quite formidable, and now he had my newly-merged Fengchi Divine Weapon and the Luoshui Ring. Wei Qi was simply no match for him.

"Dachuan, your Uncle Qi is no longer what he used to be. Even two or three of the likes of Old Zhao are no match for me now." As Wei Qi spoke, he had already reached Old Zhao's side.

"Uncle Qi, don't." I still didn't want him to exchange blows with Old Zhao. Even if Wei Qi could defeat Old Zhao, Old Zhao was currently possessing Mayor Cao's body, and it would be bad if he ended up killing Mayor Cao.

"You brat, when did you become so hesitant? Don't speak, just wait on the side." Wei Qi smiled at me, leaped into the air, suspended himself in mid-flight with a swift bound, and brought the cloud-traveling pestle crashing down with a heavy thud.

Seeing this, Old Zhao executed a move of holding up the heavens, parrying with the Fengchi Divine Weapon in his hand.

Clang!

The sound of silk tearing echoed across our eardrums, ripping apart the night. A beam of seven-colored light formed a massive halo that rippled outward, forcing everyone present to step back several steps.

"Bro, is this the Wei Qi you've been chattering about all day? So powerful!" Fat Young Master stood aside, supporting my shoulder and saying.

"More powerful than you, right?" I glanced at Fat Young Master. This guy was considerably fatter than Wei Qi.

"Powerful. Truly more powerful than me," Fat Young Master sighed in amazement.

Right in the middle of our conversation, Wei Qi and Old Zhao had already exchanged dozens of blows. I finally figured it out: Old Zhao was only holding his ground because he had my Fengchi Divine Weapon; otherwise, he would have been defeated long ago. I found it rather strange—it was true that Wei Qi was stronger than me, but how had he become this powerful now? His current cultivation level had increased manifold compared to before. Yet, upon reflection, there was nothing to marvel at; I had improved immensely in a short period of time, let alone him.

Crash! Old Zhao was struck down to the ground by Wei Qi, unable to get back up. I hurriedly stopped Wei Qi, telling him not to harm Mayor Cao under any circumstances.

"Hand over the divine weapon and the Luoshui Ring. How dare you covet my nephew's belongings?" Wei Qi said, extending his hand. I never could have imagined that this guy had become so capable.

Realizing the general trend was lost, Old Zhao had no choice but to hand over the Fengchi Divine Weapon and the Luoshui Ring. "Let me go, or else I will beat Mayor Cao to death!"

Wei Qi looked at me, and I looked at Wei Qi. At this moment, I lacked the certainty to separate the human and the ghost. If I failed to separate them, Mayor Cao would likely die, so I dared not act rashly.

"We will let you go, and you will release Mayor Cao. You've already tested your strength just now; otherwise, we will never spare you." I shook the Fengchi Divine Weapon in my hand, ultimately deciding against using force, preferring to let Old Zhao leave Mayor Cao's body first. We could not harm Mayor Cao simply to eliminate Old Zhao.

"Hmph, that depends on whether I'm in a good mood or not!" Old Zhao started acting arrogant again.

"Get lost, leave this place immediately, and once you go back, get out of Mayor Cao's body. The same goes for Duan Sandao who is possessing the old lady. If you don't leave, don't blame us for being unceremonious and scattering you into nothingness in an instant," I said to Old Zhao.

Old Zhao sneered, cast a sideways glance at me, and vanished into the night with a flash.

"Elder Brother Wang, you must save my dad and grandma!" Cao Xuan walked over, her eyes red with tears.

"Rest assured. If they don't leave your uncle and grandma's bodies by tomorrow, we'll scatter them into pieces." Seeing Wei Qi's return, my mood improved greatly.

The situation instantly turned around, and everyone's spirits lifted. This guy Wei Qi even gave me a hug. Having not seen each other for over two months, he had become much sturdier than before, and the excess fat on his body had diminished.

"Uncle Qi, where have you been all these days? You know, you worried me to death." Sitting in Ye Zi's home, I asked while sipping tea.

"It's a long story. After that house collapsed that day, everything went black before my eyes, and I knew nothing more. When I fully regained consciousness, I found myself in an unfamiliar world. This world has no color; everything is shrouded in gray haze."

"The Netherworld?" I couldn't help blurting out.

Wei Qi shook his head. "At first, I thought it was the Netherworld, but later I realized it wasn't. Although it is very similar to the Netherworld, it isn't the Netherworld, but the Spirit Realm."

"The Spirit Realm?"

"Yes, the Spirit Realm. In the Spirit Realm, I met the Spirit King, and he taught me cultivation techniques... I stayed there for two months, and my cultivation method turned into what you see now." Wei Qi recounted vividly.

"The Spirit King—isn't he a great demon lord? Didn't that great demon lord want to unify the Seven Realms?" I couldn't remember who had said those words, but I remembered hearing them.

"Don't talk nonsense. The Spirit King is a good person. Not only did he teach me cultivation techniques, but he also told me a heaven-shaking secret," Wei Qi said, frowning.

"A heaven-shaking secret?" I had no idea what this so-called heaven-shaking secret of Wei Qi's could be.

"Dachuan, come here, let me tell you a story." Wei Qi pulled my hand and walked out to the steps outside the courtyard. Looking at Wei Qi's serious expression, I truly had no idea what kind of secret he was about to tell me.

"Uncle Qi, is this secret that big? Does it have anything to do with me? You look so serious!"

Wei Qi pulled me down to sit beside him, then said, "Dachuan, no matter what I tell you, you must remain calm. You must stay calm. This is a story about your background."

Background? What background could I possibly have? My mother gave birth to me, my father left, and my uncle and mother raised me. A peasant, a walker of the nether paths—that was all. Had my background really become a huge secret?

"Uncle Qi, stop dragging it out. If you have something to say, spit it out." I was growing somewhat impatient.

"Dachuan, you need to sit tight. The Spirit King is your father."

"Ah! What did you say?" My mind buzzed with a loud hum. I still remembered what my father looked like when I was a child—unremarkable, with nothing particularly extraordinary about him. "How could the Spirit King be my father?"

"Dachuan, don't get excited. The Spirit King is your father. You didn't believe at first that your second uncle was the King of the Netherworld, did you? Listen to me finish. After your father married your mother, your mother and your second uncle remained in an illicit affair. When you were five years old, your father caught your second uncle and your mother in bed together, and out of sheer rage, your father left."

"Stop talking." The sudden news left me flustered and upset. In my childhood memories, my father was loving, my second uncle cherished me, and my mother was gentle. Yet I could never have imagined that so many unspeakable deeds had transpired between them.

"Dachuan, whether you want to hear it or not, I have to tell you. To possess your mother, your second uncle actually slipped mute-inducing poison into your father's rice bowl, causing your father to lose the ability to speak later on. He could only transmit messages through thousands-of-miles thought transmission, and these were all told to me by him through thought transmission. Fearing he would die an unjust death without knowing why, your father left home in bitterness, entered the Spirit Realm, and became the Spirit King," Wei Qi continued.

"Stop talking, stop talking, I don't want to hear it." Feeling as though my ears were about to explode, I hurriedly plugged them with my hands.

"Dachuan, facts are facts. There is one more small piece of news I need to tell you: Xingyun is your second uncle's subordinate, and your second uncle arranged for him to do all this. Besides, Wang Ying is in the Netherworld. Don't you want to rescue her?" Ignoring my dissuasion, Wei Qi spoke on.