159. Ox-Head and Horse-Face (Part One)

Shortly after, a greater surge of ghostly miasma began to pour in. However, the divine dragon seemed to have a particular fondness for these sinister and dark energies, opening its maw wide and devouring the ghostly vapor within the passage like a colossal whale swallowing the sea.

"Let's move on. Your divine dragon is like a bulldozer; with it clearing the way ahead of us, we can stroll along and chat," Chen Fengyun remarked with a sigh, genuinely impressed by the rapid growth in power of Ma Dingdang's divine dragon.

The passage was winding and had suffered multiple collapses along the way. Yet, with the Divine-Dragon-brand bulldozer leading the charge, the two of them could afford to take their time, relaxing and conversing as they walked.

"Fengyun, the deeper we go, the more eerie it feels. This isn't actually going to lead straight to the netherworld, is it?" Ma Dingdang asked with a smile. There were numerous stories and legends surrounding the Ghost City of Fengdu in China, with myths claiming it served as a direct portal to the underworld.

"It is quite possible. After all, even though the netherworld is a legend, if there weren't some tangible place related to it, people wouldn't pass down such vivid and detailed accounts, would they?"

Chen Fengyun felt that the lore surrounding the netherworld—figures like Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence, judges and lesser imps, and the Ten Kings of Hell—felt almost like another realm entirely. Perhaps they were merely members of some ghostly cultivation sect.

"Does that mean we might actually run into the legendary Ox-Head, Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence, and even the King of Hell?" Ma Dingdang asked excitedly.

"What? Are you hoping to get their autographs? Don't forget, if you happen to cross paths with Meng Po and she hands you a bowl of the Soul-Steeping Broth, you won't remember a single thing," Chen Fengyun teased.

"You're here with me, aren't you? No matter how formidable Meng Po is, she's just a ghost cultivator. She might give ordinary mortals a hard time, but with you around, how could she possibly act so arrogantly?" Ma Dingdang unexpectedly began to flatter Chen Fengyun.

"Boom..."

Right at that moment, a deafening explosion echoed from up ahead, followed by a roar from the divine dragon. A powerful wave of ghostly energy surged forward, as if something had clashed with the divine dragon in a fierce battle.

"The divine dragon has found its match," Ma Dingdang immediately noted. Although the divine dragon's strength wasn't overwhelmingly high, it was still on par with a Martial Grandmaster, meaning whatever it had encountered was likely at the level of minor imps.

Chen Fengyun pulled Ma Dingdang close as a surge of earth-vein energy erupted beneath his feet, carrying them forward in an instant. In the blink of an eye, they materialized in a spacious cavern, where a phantom of the divine dragon was locked in combat with a cyan-skinned monster sporting the head of an ox. The creature's roars thundered like rolling stock, and it was trading blows with the divine dragon evenly.

"Ox-Head and Horse-Face," Ma Dingdang gasped in surprise. Aside from the divine dragon and the ox-headed monster currently brawling, another creature with the face of a horse was standing near a tunnel opening on the opposite side.

"Indeed. However, they aren't normal living beings, but rather creatures of the ghost race. Their physical forms, much like the divine dragon's, exist somewhere between corporeal and ethereal. Still, these legendary Ox-Head and Horse-Face creatures are merely minor imps, occupying the lowest tier within the ghost race," Chen Fengyun said with a nod. He had previously extracted a wealth of information from the Eight-Headed Serpent.

"If minor imps in the ghost race are already equivalent to Martial Grandmasters, won't there be some truly terrifying heavyweights?" Ma Dingdang asked with a hint of concern.

"Within the ghost race, Black and White Impermanence are equivalent to ordinary Greater Martial Grandmasters, the judges correspond to ordinary Innate Martial Saints, and even the Ten Kings of Hell only match up to peak Martial Saints.

In particular, the branch of the ghost race remaining here on Earth seems to be nothing more than a minor tribe. They fought a massive war against human cultivators hundreds of years ago, and very few of the ghost race survived to this day."

Since Chen Fengyun dared to venture into the territory of the ghost race, he naturally had a firm grasp of their situation. Moreover, rumor had it that the most formidable King of Hell had once suffered severe injuries and remained in deep slumber to this day. With his own cultivation at the peak Foundation Establishment stage, he had nothing to fear.

"Boom..."

The ox-headed monster possessed strength comparable to the divine dragon. It unleashed wave after wave of chilling, razor-sharp spiritual arts, forming clawing, howling ghostly phantoms that lunged at the dragon.

"Roar..."

However, to the divine dragon, these ghostly phantoms posed no threat whatsoever; instead, they served as a ready meal. Though the energy they provided was scarce, even a mosquito's leg was meat.

"Boom..."

The ox-headed monster's body was humanoid, save for its head. Mid-battle, thick cyan smoke billowed from its nostrils, carrying a pungent, sulfur-like odor that proved utterly useless against the divine dragon.

"Boom..."

The divine dragon grew fiercer the longer it fought. Realizing that none of its tactics had any effect on its opponent, the ox-headed monster began to panic. Had it faced any other adversary, such as a human cultivator, it would never have been pushed into such a passive position.

"Boom..."

As the two chatted, the divine dragon had already gained the upper hand over the ox-headed monster. Because the divine dragon possessed a sacred attribute that naturally suppressed the ghost race, the ox-headed monster found itself restrained at every turn despite its formidable strength, gradually sinking into a losing battle.

"Neigh..."

At that moment, the horse-faced monster standing nearby noticed the arrival of two humans, let out a sharp cry, and lunged forward to assist its companion. With a flick of Chen Fengyun's finger, a flying sword swept through the air, transforming into a flash of sword light that coiled around the horse-faced monster and dragged it over.

"Neigh..."

The horse-faced monster struggled violently, roaring while spitting out a plume of cyan smoke that materialized into ghostly phantoms charging at Chen Fengyun. A sweeping glance of Chen Fengyun's divine sense instantly obliterated the phantoms. Sensing the overwhelming might of Chen Fengyun's spiritual consciousness, the horse-faced monster began to tremble with fear.

Chen Fengyun grabbed the horse-faced monster by the neck, only to find that the cultivation system showed zero reaction, failing to extract any usable energy from it. With a shrug, he tossed the creature to Ma Dingdang for disposal.

"Feed it to the divine dragon!" Ma Dingdang said with delight, immediately summoning another divine dragon phantom that lunged straight forward, wrapping around the horse-faced monster and beginning to devour it, drawing shrieks of agonizing pain from the beast.

Seeing its comrade in mortal peril, the ox-headed monster—already losing the battle—panicked and attempted to turn and flee. Seizing the opportunity, the divine dragon lunged forward, coiled its serpentine body tightly around the creature, pinned it to the ground, and began to devour it as well.

"Howl..."
"Neigh..."

At last, the ox-headed and horse-faced monsters shrieked in unison before dissolving into plumes of cyan smoke that were consumed entirely by the divine dragon phantoms, leaving behind only two stones formed from their ghost cores, which the divine dragons could not digest.

"What are these? Crystals from the bodies of the ghost race?" Ma Dingdang picked them up and asked.

"These are crystalline stones formed from the ghost cores of the ghost race, comparable to a human's heart, though they represent the solidified essence of a ghost entity. They are prime materials for refining magical treasures. Weapons forged from these can suppress the ghost race and are capable of capturing wandering resentment spirits formed after human deaths," Chen Fengyun explained like a seasoned expert. The cultivation system had automatically transmitted this knowledge to him the moment the ghost cores materialized.

"Materials for artifact crafting? Then you take them; I have no use for them anyway. Just refine a magic tool for me whenever it's convenient for you later," Ma Dingdang said, tossing the ghost cores directly to Chen Fengyun.

Having dealt with the pair of ox-headed and horse-faced monsters, the two continued onward. Since ghost entities had already appeared here, it meant their destination—the main stronghold of the ghost race—was not far ahead. Both of them tightened their guard accordingly.