Chapter 540: Blood

Gritting his teeth, Xue Wei urged the Qi within his body to run. He was continually guiding it in specific patterns through his body, and executing one attack after another, without taking even a second to breathe.

Every move was depending on his instincts, and his eyes were glowing with a cold and fierce light.

Xue Wei was half a beast, and he would usually get infected by bloodlust in such a thrilling battle. He would become intoxicated and excited, reveling in the feeling of slaughter and fighting. Still, this time his body was taut, and there was not even the slightest feeling of exhilaration.

It was not only Xue Wei who had to focus all his senses on the battle, and often depend on his instincts to make decisions; Lan was equally challenged.

He had always been in situations where his strength was higher than that of his opponents, and while he had sometimes experienced a tough battle, it had never been like now where he and a companion had teamed up, but were unable to deal with their target.

In fact, both Lan and Xue Wei were aware that defeating this ghost was impossible. Their aim was not to defeat, but to delay. They knew that while this ghost was much stronger than the two of them, he was not able to hold a candle next to the branch leader.

The Ghost Realm was different from their world. Not only was it much crueler, but it was also a place where no one would die from old age.

Those who were strong and stood at the apex of the world would never die from aging. They were also at a point where they would continuously improve their strength, as no one posed a threat to them.

These experts had banded together. Not because they were good friends, but because they were bored.

They had nothing to do and no one to challenge them, so their only aim was to sometimes spar against one another. In fact, their relationship was not very good. They had tried to kill one another time and time again, but they had never succeeded.

Xue Wei and Lan were new to this realm, but they still held a basic understanding of the branch leaders' position in this realm. The only ones who could threaten them were the Ox-headed and Horse-headed experts.

They were the guardians of the realm, and they did not belong to the ghost race. They were the watchmen who would overlook the realm's situation, but they would only interfere if someone was trying to destroy the realm.

Devouring Fist!

Xue Wei had primarily been using the Wood and Lightning Elemental Qi that he had stored in his body, combined with the sword he had created from the skill named Inner Might.

This time he made a faint with a slash of the sword, and then used a lot of strength to punch the ghost in his chest.

The young-looking ghost had just narrowly escaped an attack from Lan, but the moment he had twisted his body to avoid the pearl-like Qi, he felt his intestines hurt as the fist of Xue Wei connected with his body.

These ghosts did not bleed, but Xue Wei and Lan did. The ghost has been full of anger previously due to the fact that he had been injured by someone he had considered an ant, but after fighting for some time, his rationality returned.

His eyes narrowed as he noticed that Xue Wei and Lan's bodies actually held wounds, and that blood was slowly streaming out of these gashes.

He instantly knew that things were different from what he had initially thought, but as to what exactly was happening, he did not know.

Ghosts did not have any memories of their lives in the world of the living; they only knew of their life in the Ghost Realm, which made it so that he did not know what blood was.

The ghost bodies would not have injuries when they got hit or cut, as they were made out of energy, but the bodies of Xue Wei and Lan were made from flesh and blood.

Frowning, the attacks of the young-looking ghost slowed down, and he did not rush as he did before. Instead, he slowly began to observe. He was puzzled, but his mind was no longer confused, and he knew that it had been too long since he arrived, so he hurried to throw a final glance at Xue Wei and Lan before he unwillingly left the courtyard.

Xue Wei and Lan had expected him to continue the battle until the branch leader arrived, but it seemed that he was much smarter than they had expected.

He knew that he would die if he stayed, but he also felt reluctant. He was even more intrigued by this person's secrets, and the greed within his eyes was growing more and more intense.

He had initially thought that Xue Wei was merely a ghost who could invent a unique mechanical creature, but seeing the blood that had seeped through his clothes, and the wounds on his body, he understood that his initial expectations were far from the truth.

Even so, he did not linger and rushed out of the courtyard. He understood that since he failed this time, he would have a much harder time capturing the two next time, but he was not giving up. Such treasures could only belong to him.

Xue Wei and Lan frowned. They dared not relax their vigilance. Although the ghost had run away, they did not know whether or not he would return if they dared to relax, so they stayed on high alert until they met the branch leader himself.