Chapter 44: The Pursuit of the Cat Demon Specter

"You and I are both avatars of the same origin, so how could I possibly deceive you?"

The old ghost spoke with the enthusiasm of a seasoned salesman, actively trying to persuade the young ghost. "Just form a contract with this human, and he will give you a hundred taels of Underworld Gold. A hundred taels! In all these years, when have we ever seen such a fortune?"

The young ghost glared at him with pure resentment. "Fool! Can't you even tell that he is plotting against our true origin?"

"Impossible, you're overthinking it."

Although the old ghost was well aware of Xia Tianqiong's true intentions, he lied effortlessly to his own kind.

Just as the young ghost was about to hurl insults, his expression suddenly shifted, and he stared blankly at the old ghost.

Communication by thought was possible between humans and contracted specters, just as avatars of the cat demon specter could communicate with each other mentally.

At that moment, the old ghost suddenly transmitted its thoughts to the young ghost. "Listen here, silly boy. This human possesses a wealth of Underworld Gold. Let's first enter an equal contract with him and get our hands on the gold. Once our true origin kills him, the contract will naturally dissolve. We'll make a hundred taels of Underworld Gold for free. Why wouldn't we take such a deal?"

The young ghost replied mentally, "Causing the contractor's death will trigger the backlash of the contract and get us obliterated!"

"We won't have to lift a finger. As long as the game continues, our true origin will inevitably kill him. When that happens, we will only suffer the backlash of the contractor's death, not total annihilation. With so much Underworld Gold in hand, we can easily recover to our peak condition by using just twenty or thirty taels."

These words from the old ghost finally swayed the young ghost.

No specter could ever resist the temptation of Underworld Gold.

Ultimately, the young ghost agreed to sign an equal contract with Xia Tianqiong. Xia Tianqiong had no idea why its attitude had changed so abruptly, but he did not press the matter.

As long as he could contract the avatars, it was enough. If he contracted enough of them, even if not all, he might eventually subjugate the true origin of the cat demon specter.

The subsequent operations proceeded with abnormal smoothness.

Throughout the entire ghost domain, all the cat-people and cat demon avatars were searching for Xia Tianqiong.

Yet, relying on his shadow teleportation, he moved like a phantom.

Every time he appeared, he snatched a single avatar away and vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

Whenever an avatar was dragged into the mirror space, both the old ghost and the young ghost would join forces to persuade the newcomer. Every single conversion went smoothly—so smoothly that even Xia Tianqiong found it surprising.

Later on, he didn't even need to do the talking himself.

As soon as a newly captured avatar entered the mirror space and saw several of its companions already there, a brief round of persuasion would follow, and it would gladly join their ranks.

At this rate, sooner or later, he would manage to contract every single avatar. Once all the avatars merged, it would be equivalent to contracting the true origin of the cat demon specter itself.

Overjoyed, Xia Tianqiong intended to continue this method of contracting. If his Underworld Gold ran low, he would simply eliminate a couple of the inn attendants.

Having just finished contracting an avatar, he prepared to leave the mirror space to capture another.

Suddenly, he noticed that the other avatars scattered across the ghost domain were gathering together, merging in pairs until they finally recombined into the true origin of the cat demon specter.

"Damn it, what do I do now? The true origin is at the fierce ghost tier!"

Hiding not far away and witnessing this scene with his own eyes, Xia Tianqiong felt somewhat at a loss.

The old ghost had mentioned that the cat demon specter's true origin possessed an unyielding and fierce personality, refusing to bow or break, making it impossible to contract. Furthermore, Xia Tianqiong lacked the strength to defeat it.

While his mind raced with chaotic thoughts, the cat demon specter completed its fusion. The very instant the transformation finished, its cold, piercing gaze locked onto Xia Tianqiong.

In the next moment, its body transformed into an orange-red streak of lightning, spanning dozens of meters and instantly charging toward him.

Without a shred of hesitation, Xia Tianqiong immediately activated his shadow teleportation, fleeing into the distance.

The ghost domain was vast, and its structures were numerous. Although the cat demon specter was terrifyingly fast and powerful, it still couldn't close the distance to catch Xia Tianqiong.

Thus began a desperate game of cat and mouse, with neither side able to do anything to the other.

"Listen up, everyone, think of something! Can't you help me persuade your true origin?"

While fleeing for his life, Xia Tianqiong communicated mentally with his contracted avatars.

Upon learning that he was being hunted down by their true origin, the old ghost almost failed to hold back its laughter.

"Young man, I warned you long ago that it is impossible for the true origin to contract with you. It is far too proud and arrogant, aiming to ascend to the rank of ghost general or ghost king. How could it ever lower itself to contract with a mere human!"

"You've all seen my financial resources. I can provide plenty of Underworld Gold to help the true origin advance. Can't you put in a good word for me? There's no need for us to fight to the death. Contracting with me is beneficial for all of us."

Xia Tianqiong hoped these avatars could act as intermediaries; perhaps their words would carry some weight.

After all, he currently had no other options.

"You're daydreaming, just wait to die!"

"The true origin would never contract with a fool like you!"

"We are all part of the true origin. We would never help an outsider against it."

The numerous cat demon avatars chattered discordantly, no longer bothering to conceal their true thoughts.

This was one of the drawbacks of the equal contract. Although a contractual bond was established, it could not compel them to act against their will, nor could it restrict their inner thoughts.

"Hmph, I've known your little schemes all along; I simply couldn't be bothered to argue with you. If you are willing to help me now, I'll let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, even with the contract's restrictions, I have ways to destroy you."

The equal contract bound both human and specter alike, preventing either side from intentionally harming the other, but Xia Tianqiong knew loopholes that allowed him to bypass the rules and eliminate contracted specters.

If these fellows, who had harbored ulterior motives from the very beginning, refused to assist him now, he would definitely wipe them out afterward.

Of course, that assumed he could survive and leave the ghost domain.

The old ghost scoffed dismissively at Xia Tianqiong's threat. "Empty boasts. You can't even defeat the true origin; don't even dream of leaving alive."

His threats having failed, Xia Tianqiong sighed inwardly. These avatars truly could not be trusted to obey.

It seemed he would have to rely entirely on himself.

The top priority right now was to shake off the cat demon specter's pursuit, find a secluded spot, and hide within the mirror space.

The mirror space could block tracking. As long as the bronze mirror remained undiscovered, he would be safe.

Maintaining the ghost domain also consumed nether energy, and he refused to believe the cat demon specter could sustain its activation indefinitely.

If he hid inside the mirror space and refused to come out, he might just outlast the duration of the ghost domain, at which point he could naturally escape to freedom.

This was the only viable strategy he could think of at the moment.

Yet, how was he supposed to shake off the cat demon specter's tracking?

Within this ghost domain, the cat demon specter seemed omniscient, capable of sensing his location no matter where he teleported.

It was as if it could see him directly from above.

Right—that pair of gigantic cat eyes in the sky, constantly scanning the ground, watching every single move.

Perhaps those eyes possessed the ability to track and pinpoint his location!

How could he blind them? Or prevent them from seeing him!

As Xia Tianqiong teleported continuously, his mind raced, desperately searching for a solution.

Suddenly, an item flashed into his mind—the bride's red veil.

The bride specter had claimed that wearing this item on one's head could sever the connection to heaven and earth.

Could it also sever the prying gaze of the cat eyes?

Without hesitation, Xia Tianqiong retrieved the red veil from the mirror space and draped it directly over his head.

With no other cards left to play, he treated this desperate move as a last resort.

The red veil was made of silk. Viewed from the outside, it was entirely opaque, yet once placed over his head, it surprisingly became transparent.

He could clearly see the scenery outside through the veil, with his vision completely unimpaired.

However, the entire world was dyed in a sea of blood; everything appeared crimson.

An inexplicable, hair-raising sensation crept over him, as if he had stepped straight into a bloody purgatory.

Feeling that the red veil was somewhat bizarre, Xia Tianqiong forcefully suppressed the sudden surge of panic in his heart and instinctively raised the bronze mirror in his hand to see how he looked wearing the veil.

Yet, the moment his gaze fell upon the mirror's surface, his heart seized violently, and he nearly missed a beat in sheer terror.

Reflected in the mirror was a figure draped in a red veil—but the clothing was no longer his own. Instead, he wore an elaborate, exquisite red bridal gown.

Not only that, but his shoulders had rounded, his chest had swelled, and the reflection clearly showed a woman's physique!

What the mirror reflected was no longer Xia Tianqiong.

It was the bride specter!