Chapter 187: Let Your Master Test You

Chapter 187: Let Your Master Test You

“Phew... Finally got that big shot out of here.”

Huang Gubei let out a long breath, slumping hard against the couch—only to shiver as he realized his clothes were drenched in cold sweat.

The pressure was unbearable, like being strangled by a massive python.

His office had hosted two General-rank Demon Slayers before, both with fiery tempers who exploded at the slightest provocation. But even those two combined didn’t put him under as much pressure as a single hair from Governor Chen.

Just what the hell had this guy gone through in that ruin?

Before he entered, he was like a razor-sharp blade.

But after coming out... he was like a bloodstained sword pulled from a pile of battlefield corpses.

“Miss Lin, do you think Governor Chen was telling the truth? That there really is some ancient monster behind the Bone Porcelain Girls?”

“It’s possible,” Lin Chen mused, recalling the demonic claw she had seen reaching out from the void. Maybe that claw belonged to the monster Chen Huai’an mentioned. But if that were the case, why had the claw killed the Bone Porcelain Girl instead of protecting her?

Then again, there was no real rule among sinister entities that said they wouldn’t kill their own.

She glanced at Huang Gubei and said indifferently, “Maybe the sinister entity we encountered at the Ghost Market was the one Chen Huai’an mentioned... Either way, we’ll know after midnight tonight. Whether he’s bluffing or telling the truth, he has to show results. So be prepared.”

“You’re right... After all, this Governor Chen... he’s ridiculously strong...”

...

Deep underground in the stone cavern beneath Jinde Ancient Town, a towering white porcelain statue of a Bodhisattva loomed.

Ordinarily, a Bodhisattva should have a kind and compassionate face—but this one was anything but.

Her expression was sinister, her head adorned with a draping crown, her robes stained blood-red. Her sleeves were embroidered with wandering ghosts, and instead of standing on a lotus pedestal, she stood atop a pile of bones forged from white porcelain.

Suddenly, blood seeped from the statue’s eyes, her face twisting into a ghastly grimace as a shrill voice echoed through the cavern:

“It’s only been ten years since the revival of Spiritual Qi... and cultivators are already this strong?! This isn’t how it should be... Something is definitely wrong here...”

The Bone Porcelain Mother recalled that lunatic’s deranged expression—

That lunatic... had been cultivating demonic arts?

If it wasn’t the method of Di Jiang, then was there a new Dao lineage emerging?

Why didn’t she know about it?!

And if he was a demonic cultivator, shouldn’t they be on the same side?

Wasn’t there a rule set by those ancient beings that demonic cultivators and sinister entities weren’t to fight each other during the early stages of Spiritual Qi’s revival?

Did that lunatic not fear the consequences of breaking those rules?

She pondered for a long time but couldn’t make sense of it. This situation was unlike anything she had ever encountered. But no matter what, since she was here, she had to focus on recovering her strength as soon as possible.

“I’ll recover first. The cultivators of this era know so few techniques—they won’t be able to find my hiding place...”

Despite her confidence, she wasted no time.

Closing her eyes, she formed a series of hand seals.

To recover quickly, she had to switch from her ghostly form to her stone form, which would allow her to better absorb sinister energy.

However, the stone form was more fragile and required protection.

A crimson glow filled the cavern as the sound of countless porcelain shards rustled in the shadows.

Dense ranks of Bone Porcelain Girls stepped forward, each carrying a blood-colored porcelain jar.

Raising the jars high, they poured the dark liquid onto the pile of bones beneath the Bone Porcelain Mother’s feet. Then, one by one, they shattered into porcelain fragments, merging into the bone pedestal.

As the ritual continued, the Bone Porcelain Mother’s aura surged at an alarming rate.

During the Mingde era, a county magistrate, desperate to save his critically ill son, performed a blood sacrifice of young girls to forge Blood Bone Porcelain. He then presented it to the Earth Fiend Ghost Mother.

For three years, countless lives were sacrificed.

The Earth Fiend Ghost Mother used the Blood Bone Porcelain to construct her ghostly Buddha body.

But in the end, she didn’t save the magistrate’s son.

Instead, she created a blood porcelain jar and disguised it as his child.

After all, she was a ghost cultivator...

She knew how to kill, not how to save.

...

“Governor Chen... Is there really an even stronger sinister entity behind the Bone Porcelain Girls?”

Inside the SUV, Xiang Xiaoyuan, who had turned back to glance at him four or five times, finally asked outright.

“Yeah. They don’t believe me... and you guys don’t believe me either?” Chen Huai’an rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone.

“But, Governor... the drones didn’t detect any sinister energy.”

“That detection system of yours is obsolete,” Chen Huai’an scoffed.

He had been in there fighting and wreaking havoc for so long, and they were telling him there was no sinister presence detected?

Then what the hell had he been killing?

Air?

“Governor, if there really is such a powerful sinister entity, maybe we shouldn’t go at midnight. That’s when Yin energy is at its peak. Wouldn’t it be safer to go at noon instead?”

Zhao Ying, who was driving, frowned slightly and turned her head a bit.

She trusted Chen Huai’an’s words.

After all, his eyes were clear yet utterly foolish—like a college kid incapable of lying.

“It’s fine. Midnight is exactly when I want to go.”

Chen Huai’an opened his Virtual Girlfriend game.

There was no way to explain the real reason to Xiang Xiaoyuan and Zhao Ying.

The whole point was to strike when the Yin energy was strongest.

For one, it would help him pinpoint the target’s location.

For another... he was worried about killing the damn thing again.

This time, he needed to capture it alive.

Anyone who had played Pokémon or Seer Hero knew—if you didn’t have a skill that left an enemy at one HP, the best bet was to fight something with high defense and a thick health bar.

To him, this wasn’t just about cultivation materials...

It was about money!

“Governor...”

Zhao Ying and Xiang Xiaoyuan still wanted to persuade him, but Chen Huai’an was already done listening.

He impatiently put on his headphones, pulled up the partition between the front and back seats, curled up in his chair, and said, “Alright, do whatever you want. I’m playing my game.”

Switching the backseat to silent mode, he blocked out their voices.

His eyes fell on Li Qingran, who was lying sideways on a bamboo bed inside the game, sound asleep.

A memory surfaced in his mind—Li Qingran demonstrating the meridian flow of the

Chongxu Spirit Sight

technique for him.

Licking his lips, he grinned wickedly.

She was asleep...

That meant her reflexes would be dull, right?

He reached out and poked Li Qingran’s slender, soft waist.

“Qingran, wake up... Let your master test you~”

Feeling the soft flesh sink slightly under his fingertip, Chen Huai’an could already imagine how springy it must be.

“Too bad this is all just theory... If only I could actually touch...”

Just then, a notification popped up.

[Congratulations! Your affinity with your Virtual Girlfriend has reached ♥30! You have been awarded a ‘True Immersion’ experience!]

[Keep increasing your affinity to unlock more features!]

[Reward: A one-time-use ‘True Immersion’ glove has been delivered!]

...What the hell?!

Chen Huai’an froze.

Before he could even process the meaning of the notification...

A pair of pink gloves materialized on the seat next to him.

“True Immersion?”

Picking up the gloves, he stared at them blankly.

Muttering to himself, he asked...

“What... does ‘True Immersion’ mean?”

...

...