Ed leaned in, sensing the ghost spirit below the cellar. The aura felt like it was breathing, rising and falling steadily.

"The ghost spirit is still absorbed in absorbing the spiritual treasure, huh? Since that's the case, let me spice things up for you." Ed whispered, and without hesitation, he took the small explosion potion in his hand.

He walked over to the edge of the cellar and tossed it down without a second thought.

The ghost spirit, completely unaware, continued greedily absorbing the power of the spiritual treasure. But just a few seconds later...

Boom!

A deafening explosion sounded, and flames erupted from the cellar below!

This was the first time Ed observed the power of the potion. It seemed as though the entire cellar was engulfed in the blast, its power far exceeding that of a high-explosive grenade.

"That was just a small explosion potion? What would the large explosion potion be like?" Ed thought to himself.

In an instant, the ghost spirit's absorption was violently interrupted!

Immediately, its aura became filled with rage. A terrifying killing intent surged from the cellar, spreading out in all directions for a hundred meters!

At the same time, an enraged roar, one that pierced the soul, came from below the cellar:

"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!!!"

Ed quickly retreated, leaving Brian lying by the cellar alone.

Whoosh!

A cold, eerie wind blew, and the ghost spirit rose from the cellar, its form materializing in the air.

Compared to its state before it fell asleep, the spirit had become much more substantial. This clearly meant its strength had indeed increased through the absorption process.

However, several parts of its body—such as its hands and feet—were noticeably faded, and black ghostly blood was dripping down from them!

"Is this the effect of the small explosion potion?!" Ed immediately realized what had happened.

At the same time, standing over ten meters away, he noticed that the ghost spirit was holding a wooden chest containing the high-level spiritual treasure.

Now, this spiritual treasure seemed to be permanently bound to the ghost spirit. No matter where it went, the ghost spirit had to carry it with it.

The process of absorbing the treasure's power must have been incredibly pleasurable before the sudden explosion interrupted it!

At this point, the ghost spirit was undoubtedly enraged beyond measure!

And as soon as it emerged, the first thing it saw was Brian, lying by the cellar.

The ghost spirit's already horrifying face twisted further with anger. Its voice was hoarse and filled with hatred:

"YOU AGAIN!!"

"You're trying to take my spiritual treasure again!!"

Since Brian had repeatedly provoked the ghost spirit earlier, its face had been imprinted in its memory.

Now, seeing Brian again, the ghost spirit's anger doubled instantly. It was willing to stop absorbing the spiritual treasure just to tear this foolish human apart, swallowing him whole!

At that moment, Brian, lying on the ground, widened his eyes in shock and hatred toward Ed. His mind was a whirlwind of panic, feeling like an ant on a hot pan, helpless and desperate!

It wasn't his fault!

He only hated that, due to his severe injuries, he couldn't even speak! Of course, even if he could speak, he'd have to wonder whether the ghost spirit could understand him.

"Die!!"

The ghost spirit struck. Its claws, shrouded in black mist, descended like daggers, aimed directly at Brian's head!

Just as Brian seemed certain he was about to meet his end, a mysterious force suddenly pulled him back, making him stumble several steps backward.

"Come back!" Ed had earlier tied a rope to Brian's body.

Now, with a quick tug, Brian was pulled back toward Ed. The ghost spirit immediately followed, and the distance from the cellar kept increasing, making the scene look almost like fishing!

Ed pulled Brian all the way to his feet, stepping on him as he did. Brian, overwhelmed with shame and anger, no longer wanted to live.

It would have been better if he had just died earlier! This torment was unbearable!

"Alright, you've done your part. Now leave the rest to me!" Ed said, swiftly drawing his silver sword.

It was finally time to face the ghost spirit!

A powerful B-rank ghost spirit, strengthened further by the high-level spiritual treasure.

Ed stood face to face with the ghost spirit, his posture serious. He knew this ghost spirit was incredibly strong.

It was probably the toughest opponent he had faced so far.

Lying on the ground nearby, Brian widened his eyes and watched in desperate hope, wishing with all his heart that he would witness the ghost spirit kill Ed!

A B-rank ghost spirit would require at least a top-tier Black Iron Hunter to be a match for it!

To be certain of the kill, only a low-tier Silver Hunter could succeed.

Considering the presence of the spiritual treasure, Brian felt confident.

This was the kind of ghost spirit his master, the One-Eyed, would need to deal with! Ed was walking straight into his doom by facing it!

"Roar!!"

The ghost spirit turned its gaze to Ed, standing before it.

Filled with rage and resentment, it didn't care who it was about to kill. It had made up its mind—it would slaughter everyone inside the barrier!

It was determined to ensure that no one would disturb its absorption of the spiritual treasure before it had fully merged with it!

"Roar, roar, roar! How dare you anger me!!"

The ghost spirit erupted with intense killing intent. Waves of black energy surged from its body, engulfing the entire barrier with its overwhelming aura.

It was as if a demon from the darkness had emerged, looking incredibly intimidating!

This was also the strategy of the ghost spirit. The ghost spirit was very adept at dealing with humans, often using various deceptive illusions before battle, always employing terrifying tactics.

As long as the human was scared out of their wits, they would lose their ability to fight back or act, only to be left at the mercy of the ghost spirit. Both Brown and Brian had been frightened out of their wits several times before.

Even now, from a distance of several dozen meters, Brian, who was lying behind, still felt as if he were trapped in an icy cavern, his body trembling with fear from the terrifying ghostly energy.

"It seems that the ghost spirit's frightening effect isn't just psychological; there's a physiological element too. But once you see through it, it's not scary anymore." Ed muttered quietly.

He stood there calmly, unshaken and unfazed!

The ghost spirit's pale, lifeless eyes widened in shock. It noticed that Ed wasn't afraid and was somewhat surprised. This human seemed to be different from the others.

But that didn't matter. The ghost spirit quickly shifted into combat mode. Even if the intimidation didn't work, it would just take a little more time!

"You weak human... dare to provoke me!!"

The ghost spirit hissed in a raspy, incoherent voice, filled with disdain for Ed.

As it spoke, its form surged forward, closing the distance between them. It swung its massive black claws, aiming a vicious strike at Ed!

Ed blocked with his silver sword, and the air was filled with the sound of a loud collision!

Crack!

Ed's silver sword was pushed down low, even slightly bending. The immense strength of the ghost spirit was clearly evident.

"This strength... It's even greater than the sword strike Brian made with the sword oil!" Ed thought to himself, exerting all his strength with both arms.

After the first strike from the ghost spirit was blocked, it immediately lifted its claw again, gathering force in the air, then brought it down with another powerful strike!

Boom!

This time, sparks flew from the silver sword, the terrifying force making Ed's eyes ache with pain, and his palms went numb, as if his wrists were being pierced by thousands of needles!

"Such strength! I can't take it head-on!"

Ed possessed incredibly strong swordsmanship, but that was only effective when the disparity in strength between the two fighters wasn't too vast!

When facing Brown or Brian, it was purely one-sided, but now, the B-rank ghost spirit's power was clearly much stronger than his!

With no other choice, Ed abandoned the direct confrontation and began to fight while retreating!

Ultimately, after many more attacks from the ghost spirit, he had been forced to retreat several dozen steps. Each time he blocked, it seemed increasingly strained!

Although Ed was fighting with some difficulty, the ghost spirit's internal thoughts were filled with surprise.

In the ghost spirit's eyes, a weak human should have been easy to deal with. At most, when it struck the second time earlier, it should have already destroyed him!

But now, there was actually some back-and-forth!

Brian, who was barely holding on and watching the battle, felt deep confusion in his heart. "How is it possible that Ed hasn't been instantly killed by the ghost spirit?!"

"But he also looks like he's about to fall. Soon, he'll become just another soul claimed by the ghost spirit!"

After being pushed back repeatedly, Ed had nearly reached the edge of the village. He couldn't help but mutter:

"As expected from a B-rank ghost spirit. With my current cultivation level, it seems impossible to defeat it head-on."

"Then, I'll have to resort to other methods!"

Ed silently thanked himself for the preparations he had made before the battle started.

The next moment, just as the ghost spirit launched another attack, Ed, who still dared not take it head-on, continued to retreat in a desperate manner. But as the ghost spirit paused for a moment, Ed suddenly pulled two bottles from his body.

Then, he poured the contents directly onto the ghost spirit's face!

Blood from the tip of the tongue!

This substance, originating from Alex and Lucas, had little effect on monsters or other creatures, but it was highly suppressive against ghost spirits!

Some of the blood landed directly in the ghost spirit's eyes, most of it splattering across its face, with a small amount dripping onto its body.

Hissssss!!

In an instant, a sizzling sound like oil frying echoed through the air. Within seconds, the parts of the ghost spirit's body that had been touched by the blood began to rot, with the skin peeling off and flesh disintegrating!

Arghhh!!

The ghost spirit, in agony, covered its face, its attacks halted. Ed immediately seized the opportunity, quickly applying the sword oil he had taken from Brian onto his silver sword.

Once the oil was evenly spread, Ed raised his sword, shouting as he charged toward the ghost spirit.

"Take this!"

The sword pierced through the ghost spirit's waist, emerging from the other side. In an instant, countless streams of black ghostly blood gushed out from the wound where the sword had passed!

The ghost spirit's ethereal form immediately became much more transparent, and it let out an even more agonized wail.

"Good!" Ed thought, his heart lifting. The sword strike had landed solidly, and the effect of the sword oil was indeed significant.

Even when Brian had used it, it had greatly enhanced his strength. For Ed, it was like being empowered by a divine force, a boost that was nothing short of miraculous!

However, just when Ed thought the battle was nearing its end, the ghost spirit suddenly reached out and, without warning, grasped his throat tightly!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.