Volume 3, Chapter 168 – The Nine Nether Demon Cats (Part 3)

In the cultivation world, the strength of ghosts is divided into only three tiers, ranked from weakest to strongest:

Wraiths ¹ 冤魂, Yuānhún – The lowest tier. The character for “wraith ² 魂 ” contains the radical for “cloud ³ 云 “, symbolizing their inability to withstand sunlight—they can only lurk in shadows.

Malignant Ghosts ⁴ 恶鬼, Èguǐ – The middle tier. The character for “ghost ⁵ 鬼 ” lacks the “cloud” radical, meaning they can walk freely under the sun.

Fiendish Specters ⁶ 邪魔, Xiémó – The highest tier. These entities dominate entire territories, their power reaching domain-level strength.

In this world, everything requires time to grow—except for ghosts. Their strength depends solely on resentment. The greater the hatred, the faster they absorb yin energy. Some ghosts transform into city-destroying fiends within a single day of death.

And Yao Yao was now such a case.

Her resentment was boundless, the grudge within her condensing into tangible form. Her Life Soul  mutated, drawing in all the yin energy within dozens of miles of the Yuxiao Sect—starting with the sect’s dungeon.

The Yuxiao Sect’s dungeon had long been used to imprison demons and spirits, its yin energy denser than even most extreme yin sites. Yet, in mere breaths, Yao Yao’s Life Soul devoured every last wisp.

The trapped wraiths and ghosts, sensing the sudden absence of yin energy, began writhing in agitation.

“M-Master… i-it…!”

The disciple holding the torch was the first to spot Yao Yao. He stumbled back in terror.

“What?”

Elder An glared at his disciple impatiently, only to freeze when he followed the man’s gaze.

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Yao Yao’s soul hovered midair, wreathed in seething crimson resentment—like a black hole, voraciously swallowing all surrounding yin energy. Her spirit body grew increasingly solid, visible to the naked eye, on the verge of materialization.

“Oh ho! So you’ve become a wraith after death?”

Elder An, still oblivious to the danger, smirked with callous amusement.

“Good! I’ll just kill you again—and make that little beast cry harder!”

With that, he carelessly tossed Mi Mi aside and swung his palm forward, unleashing a blast of scorching fire qi toward Yao Yao.

But then—

The flames, though fierce and roaring, snuffed out abruptly the moment they neared Yao Yao, dissolved by ink-black yin energy.

“Huh?!”

Elder An’s confidence wavered. He retreated several steps, his expression darkening.

Meanwhile, Yao Yao’s spirit grew even more corporeal, shedding its ethereal form as if resurrected. Her slitted pupils, now tainted blood-red by resentment, blazed like twin infernos in the darkness.

Materialization—the hallmark of a Malignant Ghost.

Yet the yin energy continued pouring into her, unrelenting.

“I refuse to believe this!”

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Elder An, humiliated and furious, channeled 90% of his divine sense into a gigantic blade and slashed at Yao Yao’s spirit.

Yao Yao didn’t even spare him a glance, her eyes filled with contempt.

The blade sliced through her effortlessly—as if cutting tofu.

“I thought you’d be stronger than this,” Elder An sneered.

But his smirk vanished when he realized—Yao Yao was unharmed.

A chill crawled down his spine. He tried to withdraw his divine sense, only to find it stuck fast.

Then—

A vicious pull yanked his consciousness toward Yao Yao.

“ARGH—!”

Elder An clutched his head, screaming in agony, his body convulsing on the ground.

Yao Yao showed no mercy, dragging his divine sense out inch by inch.

“HELP! SOMEONE—!”

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His skull felt ready to split. Soon, he could only writhe helplessly as Yao Yao ripped his Life Soul free—and devoured it whole.

With his soul gone, Elder An collapsed lifelessly, his body an empty husk.

The disciple fled in terror, his shrieks alerting the sect.

Meanwhile, Yao Yao continued evolving.

Her body expanded, morphing into a humanoid form—curvaceous, with slender limbs and smooth, porcelain skin. Her fur receded, forming a sleek black dress, while her hair lengthened into silken tresses.

Her feline face reshaped into that of a delicate human girl—pale, with cherry-red lips, sharp little fangs, and eyes like smoldering coals.

Only her fluffy cat ears and swaying tail remained as proof of her origins.

“Attacking a Nine Nether Demon Cat with divine sense… You’re the first fool to try.”

Yao Yao glanced disdainfully at Elder An’s corpse, then turned to Mi Mi.

Though barely conscious, Mi Mi recognized her sister’s aura and purred weakly, her pain momentarily forgotten.

“Don’t worry, sister. I’ll take you away now.”

Yao Yao gently stroked Mi Mi’s battered body, her voice soft yet laced with venom.

“The Yuxiao Sect… will pay for what they’ve done.”

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With each step, her power swelled, the yin energy around her condensing into a maelstrom. By the time she reached the dungeon exit, she had ascended to Fiendish Specter rank—equivalent to a cultivator’s Divine Ability Realm.

The imprisoned wraiths and ghosts thrashed in terror, but the talismans binding them held fast—

Until Yao Yao walked past.

Every warding seal spontaneously combusted. The walls decayed instantly, crumbling to dust as if centuries had passed in seconds.

Her hair lashed out like living tendrils, ensnaring every spirit in the dungeon—and draining them dry.

“HALT, DEMON! YOU DARE ESCAPE?!”

Some foolish guards charged at her, only to disintegrate the moment they entered her yin energy field, their souls devoured instantly.

“Heavens! Why is all the yin energy converging on the dungeon?!”

Outside, Sect Leader Liu Lei paled, barking orders to mobilize the elders.

But then—

A clear, girlish voice echoed across the sect, laced with chilling finality:

“After today… the Yuxiao Sect shall cease to exist.”