The Demon’s Oath and the Ghost General’s Cunning

The Underworld, a realm of ruin, was undergoing extensive reconstruction. Once, countless immortals and gods had resided within its bounds, earning the Underworld another name: the Netherworld.

“Buzz.” The Ghost Gate swung open, and Ghost General and Gong Nianxian stepped out.

The Ghost Gate itself was crowned with an enlightened beast, while a hundred spectral figures were pressed into its side frames. Eerie, shadowy patterns flowed across these frames, and the array carvings on the gateposts were exceedingly intricate.

Yet, in its current state, it stood in utter disrepair. A piece was missing from the left, a corner from the right, giving the impression it could crumble at any moment.

Circling the Ghost Gate, Gong Nianxian clicked his tongue in wonder.

“Your Underworld is far more desolate than the Demon Realm,” he remarked, not so much in mockery as in genuine emotion.

“First time seeing it?” Ghost General directed his subordinates, leading Gong Nianxian towards the heart of the realm.

“Of course.”

As they walked, ghosts and monsters became increasingly dense. Many giant ghosts, towering a hundred meters tall, carried massive stones, their footsteps creating a thunderous roar.

They worked together, constructing ghost mansions, towering buildings, and stone roads.

It was like building a ghost city, a scene of thriving prosperity.

“Oh? It seems you’ve made quite a haul recently. These ghost fellows even have money to build houses now?” Gong Nianxian didn’t notice the increasing crowd of ghosts.

“…” Ghost General didn’t reply, waiting for the opportune moment.

“Clack.” With a crisp sound, a massive black array suddenly materialized in the sky, shrouding more than half of the dim heavens.

Ten thousand ghosts wailed in unison.

In an instant, nine shackles appeared out of thin air, piercing violently into Gong Nianxian’s body.

The sliver of demonic energy he had just absorbed was instantly depleted, leaving him unable to struggle free. He was bound by the nine ghost shackles, pinned to the ground.

“Hoist him.” Ghost General commanded expressionlessly, waving a hand.

“Clank, clank…” A continuous stream of ghosts gathered, pulling the ends of the chains, exerting their combined strength towards the sky.

With a single pull, Gong Nianxian was hoisted into the air. Under a mysterious aura, any possibility of his departure was completely severed.

“You ghost fellow, what are you doing?!” Gong Nianxian exclaimed, his face filled with astonishment.

Mounting his ghost warhorse, Ghost General pulled the reins and chuckled:

“Old man, did you really think I’d trust a demon? Just stay put here.”

“You don’t believe me? I spoke from the bottom of my heart, a rare occurrence in a hundred years… I misjudged you!” Gong Nianxian seemed oblivious to the deep-seated stereotypes people held about demons.

‘A good demon’? Did he truly believe Ghost General would fall for such a tale from a storybook?

“Old man, you can try to deceive humans, but deceiving a ghost? That won’t do.” Ghost General turned to return to his estate.

Su Mo’s remnant soul still needed nurturing and analysis.

As for Gong Nianxian? A demon who presided over Ascension Rituals, there was truly no need to trust him.

Moreover, he bore a partial responsibility for Su Mo’s death.

“Don’t go! I can swear an oath! Heaven and Earth bear witness!” Gong Nianxian’s words made Ghost General pause.

Under an oath witnessed by Heaven and Earth, everyone was bound to comply.

Unless, of course, he possessed the power to shatter worlds, transcend the Three Realms, and exist beyond the Five Elements.

But if he had such power, would he have fallen to such a state?

He could simply crush the Demon Realm and declare:

“I’m not targeting you; I’m targeting everyone… All of you present are trash.”

“Oh?” Turning back, Ghost General had never seen someone so desperate.

What on earth could push a True Demon to such an extent?

“How about this? I can swear an oath right now, guaranteeing I won’t harm Su Mo in the slightest.” Gong Nianxian steeled his heart and declared with conviction.

After all, the lifespan of a True Demon was certainly longer than that of a cultivator.

With tens of thousands of years of life to spare, if Su Mo proved disappointing, he could just accompany her on her journey.

It would only be a few thousand years.

But if Su Mo proved promising and gained an exceptionally long life, a lifespan even a True Demon might struggle to outlive…

Then his own plan would also be complete.

After all, for a cultivator to reach such a lifespan meant their power had reached a terrifying level.

In any case, it was merely a matter of investing a little time and genuinely engaging with a single person.

With an air of calm wisdom, Ghost General mused:

“Not enough.”

“Still not enough? Do you think I would harm a ghost like you?” Gong Nianxian scoffed.

With a grin, Ghost General admitted:

“I tied you up here, and you have not a shred of resentment? I don’t believe it. How about when you swear your oath, you also put my mind at ease?”

“…” After a moment of silence, Gong Nianxian realized that this Ghost General was quite shameless.

But it was indeed effective, especially when dealing with demons.

Gritting his teeth, Gong Nianxian agreed.

“Rumble—!” The sky suddenly rolled with colorful flowing clouds, and a divine tortoise bearing a stele appeared faintly.

Its divine eyes cast down a gaze, silently awaiting the True Demon’s oath.

Swallowing hard, True Demon Gong Nianxian understood the immense karmic implications.

He would have to abide by it almost until Su Mo’s natural death.

His mind raced. He was willing to swear, but he couldn’t restrict himself too severely.

If, by some unforeseen error, he committed a wrong act, and Heaven and Earth deemed that he had harmed Su Mo and violated his oath…

Wouldn’t he die a meaningless death?

“Old man, deliberating for so long, are you harboring some wicked intentions?” Ghost General stepped halfway out, ready to leave.

If he wasn’t satisfied, he’d just leave him hanging for a few more years of ‘refinement,’ and maybe then it would be over.

Kill him? Such a True Demon wasn’t so easy to kill. Even if this body was destroyed, there might be another body in some dark corner.

Now that his divine sense, soul, and other aspects were locked, he wouldn’t be able to escape.

It was quite safe.

Clapping his hands, Ghost General mused, ‘As expected of me.’

“Boom, boom!!” The colorful clouds in the sky rolled once more. Above the divine tortoise, a faint silhouette of an immortal emerged from the clouds, leaning out to gaze down at the True Demon.

It was an immortal deity whose divine duty was to oversee contracts. If the person swearing the oath held a higher status, the deity would project a phantom image to bear witness.

It was no exaggeration to say that this immortal was also a big shot, the kind Ghost General would have to bow deeply to.

After bowing slightly to the sky and retracting his hand, Ghost General began to curse inwardly:

‘You shameless scoundrel! Bah! All day long, you make me do everything! Your temples are opened haphazardly everywhere, even if someone throws a divine statue into an outhouse, you make me go see… I’m sick of cleaning!’

“Heaven and Earth bear witness! I, True Demon Gong Nianxian, swear by my true spirit! …I will not harm Su Mo… I will not destroy the Underworld… I will act honestly and dutifully…”

He spoke a great deal, Gong Nianxian adding many clauses, making it truly watertight.

Ghost General listened from the side, a slight frown on his face. He understood that a True Demon swearing an oath would certainly leave a loophole, but this one didn’t leave much.

From this perspective, for a True Demon, it was brimming with sincerity.

‘To think this old man could invest so much in an uncertain future,’ Ghost General mused with a touch of emotion.

“Boom…” The celestial phenomena faded, the oath now complete.

“Hahahahahaha!!” Laughing wildly, Gong Nianxian looked down, his face full of smug pride.

‘Like this, the ghost fellow has nothing more to say, right…?’

“You ghost fellow! Untie me! Where are you going?!…” Despite his shouts, Ghost General kept his gaze focused, riding his warhorse away.

He left Gong Nianxian with a back view that invited endless speculation.

Upon reaching the gates of the Ghost General’s Estate, Ghost General casually dismissed his subordinates.

“Clang.” Stepping deep into the estate, where no other ghosts were present, he suddenly clutched the railing and covered his heart.

Though his heart no longer beat, his heart ached terribly.

“My years of accumulated incense offerings, gone!” He truly hated that old demon Gong and vowed to leave him hanging for several months.

After all, True Demons had long lifespans; a few months would pass in the blink of an eye.

However, a certain demon expressed considerable objection.

“Whoosh…” A fragrant breeze wafted by, refreshing the ghost’s spirit.

Ghost General looked up, and there was the petite and graceful Lian Huan, his lawfully wedded ghost wife.

“Husband, of our nine-child pact, we still lack eight children…” Lian Huan, dressed in light, cool attire, inadvertently revealed glimpses of her fair skin beneath her flowing sashes.

She had clearly come prepared, fully ‘equipped.’

His eyes lit up. What kind of ghost was Ghost General? He would surely be able to battle for three hundred rounds.

But first, he had to place Su Mo’s remnant soul into the ‘Soul-Nourishing Lamp.’

Upon being informed, Lian Huan’s willow-like brows furrowed slightly, and she leaned in to ask softly:

“Is Young Miss also going to become a ghost?”

“…No, I already have a plan in mind,” Ghost General stated solemnly.

As he spoke, he stepped closer, his broad arms scooping up his delicate wife in one swift motion.

“Ah~” Lian Huan’s face flushed crimson, her eyes filled with affectionate tenderness as they met his.

After being together for so long, she was now enchanting to the bone, truly a ghost wife.

Even perched on Ghost General’s shoulder, her delicate figure compared to his broad, burly frame gave the impression of beauty and the beast.

Yet, on the battlefield, Ghost General might not necessarily hold the upper hand.

Lian Huan, in the original text, bore the title of ‘Ghost Mother.’

****

“Buzz.” Su Mo’s remnant soul was absorbed into the ‘Soul-Nourishing Lamp,’ and Ghost General, upon observing it, was somewhat surprised.

The extent of the damage was less than he’d expected; someone had intervened to preserve the crucial parts.

‘It seems that old man truly values Su Mo,’ Ghost General thought, his opinion of Gong Nianxian greatly improving.

‘In that case, I’ll leave him hanging for a few fewer days.’