Chapter 974: Drastic Occurrences

Secrets. Everyone has secrets. Whether a person is a brother, sister, friend, lover, or even a parent… everyone has secrets that they wish to keep from others.

Secrets are one thing, but when those secrets turn deadly, they can cause even two people with the closest of relationships to drift apart.

That was what had occurred between Du Lingfei and Bai Xiaochun.

He had his secrets regarding the Spirit Stream Sect, the baby girl, and the world treasure of the north…. All of them were things that he definitely couldn’t talk about.

Du Lingfei could see that there were things he wanted to keep to himself, and she didn’t press him. And thus, they proceeded along silently for a while. Eventually, Du Lingfei said something seemingly completely out of the blue.

“In the past, I used to tell my father everything. But after the Spirit Stream Sect, I stopped doing that. When it comes to observations or speculations, I tell him some things, and keep other things to myself.”

Bai Xiaochun suddenly looked over at her. The meaning behind her words was clear; she wouldn’t tell the Celestial all of the details about matters between the two of them.

After another protracted silence, Du Lingfei lowered her voice again and said, “My father… has changed in recent years.”

Bai Xiaochun’s mood had sunk deeply. The closeness he had felt with Du Lingfei earlier was now changing, and it was in complete silence that they continued on their way through the ice plains.

He wasn’t sure exactly where they were headed, and didn’t know if Du Lingfei even had a destination in mind.

At a certain point, the wind picked up, and it started snowing. It began to grow dark, and eventually, the entire sky was filled with snow.

It fell on his clothing and hair, and also into the footsteps he left behind him as he walked, until they were covered, making it seem as if he hadn’t even passed by….

The snowfall grew heavier, and the wind louder, until it seemed like the shrieking of countless evil ghosts. It was starting to get unsettling.

After some hesitation, Bai Xiaochun turned to Du Lingfei, and when he saw the snow that had built up on her hair and shoulders, said, “Why don’t we find a place to--”

However, before he could finish speaking, his expression flickered as a profound sensation of deadly crisis rose up in him, causing his hair to stand on end. Without a moment of hesitation, he grabbed Du Lingfei in his arms and pulled her backward.

Du Lingfei gasped, allowing Bai Xiaochun to fly backward with her, and simultaneously performing a double-handed incantation gesture. Then she reached up with her right index finger and touched her forehead.

In that moment, a shadowy figure appeared within the snow in the spot she had just occupied. It was almost as if the thing had teleported into place, and along with it came an explosively deadly aura.

As soon as the shadowy figure appeared, it shot forward in a blast of wind toward Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei.

Of course, all of this takes some time to describe, but happened as quickly as light bouncing off of a mirror. As the shadowy figure pounced, Du Lingfei’s finger touched her forehead, and a golden blast of light shot out to envelop both her and Bai Xiaochun. Then they vanished, to reappear a moment later, 300 meters away.

Seemingly furious, the shadowy figure let out a piercing cry as it spun and shot toward them again. By now, Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei were able to see clearly what they were facing, despite all of the snow blowing in the air!

The shadowy figure… was a ball of black smoke, in the middle of which was a face that appeared to be laughing, but not, crying, but not. It possessed a shocking ghost qi as it shrieked and again tried to pounce on the two of them!

As soon as Bai Xiaochun saw that face, his mind spun, and he cried, “Y-you…. It’s you!!”

This ghost face… had once been part of the Three Ghost Flags on Ghostmother’s bone galleon. He had intentionally allowed himself to be grabbed by the Celestial so that he would be separated from the ghost galleon and remain in the Heavenspan Realm!

The Celestial had chased after him, but the laughing-crying ghost face had used an unknown divine ability to vanish into thin air.

And now, here he was, radiating a murderous aura as he tried to kill Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei!

“What is he doing here!?” Bai Xiaochun thought. There was no time for thinking or planning. The laughing-crying ghost face closed in, staining the snow black with its ghost qi, and transforming it into countless blades that shot forth in attack.

Letting out a shout, Bai Xiaochun unleashed the fifth of the Cloud Lightning Forefather Transformations, bolstered by the Living Mountain Incantation. Moonlight spilled out of his left eye as his left hand utilized the Waterswamp Kingdom, and his right hand punched out with an Undying Emperor’s Fist.

He was leading… with his strongest state, and two of his biggest trump cards!!

He felt a huge amount of pressure from this ghost face, which surpassed the Deva Realm by far. In fact, he wasn’t even sure exactly how strong the ghost face was!

As Bai Xiaochun made his move, Du Lingfei took a breath and performed a double-handed incantation gesture, causing more golden light to erupt out from her, which took the form of a golden phoenix. Golden flames erupted off of the phoenix as it soared over the ice plain to meet the ghost face.

Upon seeing Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei joining forces to fight it, the ghost face cackled as though all of this were some hilarious joke. Then, he suddenly twisted and distorted, transforming into a clawed hand!

It was pitch black, with razor-sharp claws that sliced the air open as it slashed forward!

The clawed hand hit the Waterswamp Kingdom first, causing a deafening boom to fill the air. As for the clawed hand summoned by the Waterswamp Kingdom, it was instantly destroyed!

A defiant howl echoed out, and Bai Xiaochun shuddered violently, coughing up a mouthful of blood. That was when Du Lingfei’s golden phoenix hit the ghost claw.

The fiery, golden phoenix was also destroyed almost effortlessly, and emitted a miserable shriek as it faded away from existence. Du Lingfei also coughed up blood, and three gaping wounds appeared on her shoulder that cut all the way down to the bone!

That was when Bai Xiaochun’s right hand, powered by the Forefather Transformation and the Living Mountain Incantation, landed an Undying Emperor’s Fist!

Heaven and earth shook violently as Bai Xiaochun’s Forefather Transformation vanished, and his Living Mountain Incantation form was destroyed. Blood sprayed out of his mouth as his Undying Emperor’s Fist was summarily vanquished!

He and Du Lingfei acting in unison could unleash incredible power, and yet that ghost hand destroyed all of their divine abilities, and barely paused in the process.

However, that slight pause was all the time Du Lingfei needed to perform another incantation gesture. Golden light swept out, covering both her and the bleeding Bai Xiaochun, and then whisking them away.

This time, they appeared 3,000 meters away. However, Du Lingfei didn’t hesitate to unleash yet another divine ability, causing flickering light to spread out which took them 30,000 meters away. And then, more light glittered as they vanished again.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. A moment later, the clawed ghost hand once again transformed into a laughing-crying ghost face, his eyes shining with both scorn and avarice.

“You can’t escape….” the ghost face said, his voice like a combination of countless other voices. Smiling crookedly, he began to speed through the air, following the auras of Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei, which he could sense as surely as a torch on a dark night.

Off in the distance, Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei were wrapped up by golden light as Du Lingfei used her secret magic over and over again to teleport away.

“What is that thing doing here!?!?” Wracked with anxiety and unease, Bai Xiaochun took out some medicinal pills for both himself and Du Lingfei. As for him, his Undying Blood was already at work, ensuring that his fleshly body power was already almost completely back to normal.

Even still, it was clear that he was absolutely no match for that ghost face, who was clearly far beyond the level of a deva!!

After all, he and Du Lingfei working together would be virtually invincible to anything under the level of a demigod!

“I think I might know why he’s here,” Du Lingfei said. “I'm guessing… that my father is coming.” A cold gleam passed through her eyes, and yet, when she said the word ‘father’, she shivered as though in pain.