Chapter 7: Ghosts and Spirits

  He first took off the clothes on his upper body, took out a kind of ointment from his backpack, and applied it evenly to his body. This ointment, made mainly with hardening agent and hematite, can make the body produce an effective resistance to the penetrating ghost energy. Doing so is not to prevent the invasion of ghosts, but to slow down their speed.

  When the oni invade, they will first launch a direct attack on the human body's vital point - the heart. If it is breached, there won't be any oni swordsmen left, only a corpse. The so-called oni swordsmen refer to those humans who can at least defend against this kind of attack.

  However, this invasion will also make the distribution of ghost energy in the body extremely disordered. In order to allow the ghost energy to be more evenly distributed on the left arm, Midei must use ointment to slow down its speed from the beginning, thereby achieving the effect of evenly accommodating the ghost energy on the left arm.

  Then, Meddy took out a bottle of light golden liquid and sipped a small mouthful, without swallowing.

  This is a soul-calling agent formed by dissolving the Soul Crystal into Mandrake liquid and then diluting it. It's a hallucinogen for humans, and drinking too much of it can be fatal. However, when used, it can stimulate the potential in one's consciousness, allowing the weak human soul to surpass even powerful oni.

  Only in this way can it better integrate itself with ghosts and gods, and form a master-slave relationship that is sufficient to grasp the ghosts and gods.

  Having confirmed that everything was ready and the ointment had been absorbed into his skin, Mi Di put on the last two materials - Shadow Line Grass and Incense Rain Flower, and strode towards the small island in the center of the lake.

  The lake water was very shallow, but also very cold. Mi Di seemed to feel nothing and walked directly past it. With each step forward, he could feel the surrounding ghost energy becoming stronger, finally like a tangible substance, like fine and sharp steel wires hanging on his body, making his skin feel an unstoppable chill.

  One step at a time.

  Midi's feet finally left the lake water and stepped onto the pure white gravel.

  He took a deep breath, and then his left hand grasped the broken sword in front of him without hesitation!

  Intense pain spread throughout Mide's entire body in an instant, as if a half-melted steel sword was stabbing from his left arm towards the position of his heart!

  The pre-prepared ointment indeed took effect, but this also magnified the pain dozens of times - due to the greatly slowed speed of the evil spirits invading the flesh, what was originally a fleeting pain from a single slash now became like being hacked at repeatedly with a dull knife, stabbing at Mide's nerves and even his soul.

  Although it was winter, Mide's forehead still dripped with big beads of sweat, and his whole body couldn't stop trembling. However, looking at the eerie cold aura spreading like vines along his left arm towards his heart, he didn't make a sound, but instead pursed his lips on the soul-calling medicine, waiting for the best moment.

  Suddenly, all the pain disappeared, and the eerie atmosphere seemed to have subsided, as if it had stopped moving altogether.

  But Midei didn't just catch his breath, instead he instantly concentrated his spirit to the limit - a destructive blow was about to be unleashed!

  An ordinary swordsman might be completely unaware of this situation, but for Midei who had been reborn, this was the most critical moment. He held his breath and waited quietly. The next moment, suddenly, the sensation in his left arm disappeared completely, as if his arm had been cut off at the root, it was the ghost's full-strength strike!

  Midi swallowed the soul-calling potion in an instant, his soul and consciousness expanding at this moment, and his eyes shot out sharp lights like a knife.

  This torrential spiritual power collided head-on with the ghost's attack, and the two fought a desperate battle in Midy's physical body, silently struggling to the death.

  Time passed minute by minute, and the effect of the soul-calling medicine was also disappearing bit by bit. The body felt as if it had been torn apart, with intense pain. However, Midei did not give up, still gritting his teeth to tame the ghost energy in his body.

  It's indeed very painful, so painful that my whole body is numb, and my soul can't move. However, compared to the despair of losing family, friends, and loved ones over the past twenty years, this little bit of pain doesn't amount to much.

  Respond to my summons! Midei shouted in his heart.

  Finally, that eerie aura suddenly contracted, like frozen ice, solidified on Middy's left arm.

  A small protrusion the size of a bean appeared on the surface of his arm, and then it retracted. After a while, it came out again, and this process repeated itself non-stop, as if there was a tiny heart inside the ghost hand. Such hearts gradually increased in number, four, eight, sixteen, until the entire back of the hand was densely covered with protrusions. One would retract, another would come out, and the frequency of the pulsation became faster and faster, to the point where Midy felt his left arm was about to explode.

  However, the frequency of the jump eventually slowed down, and Middy found that the sudden jump was gradually synchronized with his own heartbeat. Finally, a hot energy flowed through his wrist into his body, and Middy found that he had regained some feeling in his body: his left arm could move again! As flexible as before, as free as before!

  "The Devil's Hand" has been formed!

  Unlike the general Ghost Swordsmen, who exude an eerie aura and may even undergo physical transformations, making them appear terrifying, Midei's left arm is almost indistinguishable from that of a normal person. The only difference lies in the surface of his arm, which appears to be etched with countless deep purple flower-like patterns resembling vines. These patterns extend all the way up to his shoulder before gradually fading away, with no visible signs of external energy emanating from him.

  If he wore clothes and armor, not only could he not see the difference in appearance, but even the ghostly aura was imperceptible. However, inside his left arm, Midei could clearly feel a powerful force lurking.

  The lines on the surface of the ghost hand flickered constantly, and the magic around it began to gather towards Midy's location.

  This was the first time Kishin had performed a magical pull, and after this pull was over, Miti would change from an ordinary swordsman to a Kijin who could sense magic. The degree of this first magical pull determined Miti's growth potential as a Kijin, so his eyes immediately showed concern.

  In the previous life, although the fusion was interrupted halfway through, in the subsequent ritual process, Midei's ghost god still raised him a whole level, and all physical qualities were significantly improved, showing its strong power.

  Now, Midei has made all kinds of preparations and the entire fusion process is perfect, I wonder what level can be achieved?

  In Mide's expectant gaze, the surrounding magical powers surged in like a tide.

  Like a whirlwind that suddenly rose, the magical power in the air instantly became dense. The originally formless magic now seemed to have substance, bringing up strong gusts of wind, stirring up Midy's pant legs and making a rustling sound. Midy's eyes showed a shocked and surprised expression, the grandeur of the magic vortex made him feel tiny like an ant. The entire lake surface was filled with dense magical power, the scene was majestic to the extreme.

  At the same time, Meddy could also clearly feel that his physical quality was improving at an unprecedented rate!

  The power has become increasingly formidable, and with a casual strike, it can create a swirling vortex in the air that leaves behind a residual shadow.

  Physical strength becomes more and more abundant, heartbeat gradually slows down, breathing becomes extremely long.

  The perception of the surrounding magical powers continued to increase, whether it was the properties of magic or the amount of magic, all clearly reflected in the mind.

  And the mind becomes clearer than ever before, the speed of thinking and reaction are as if they have been upgraded to a new level.

  In an instant, Mi Di found himself already beyond the peak of 16th rank and had stepped into the threshold of 17th rank. This was a record from his previous life, but now Mi Di could clearly feel that this was still far from being his limit!

  In an instant, level 18 was also broken through.

  In the cave, a cold wind made a mournful sound, and a massive amount of magical power was being absorbed, then converted into Midy's and Kishin's powers.

  Grade 19!

  Midi was so excited that his whole body trembled, and he could hardly believe it. From level 16 to level 19, the fusion with the ghost god had actually allowed him to directly upgrade by three levels. Moreover, the change in his physical quality far exceeded the upgrade in his level. According to Midi's estimate, although he was only at level 19 now, in terms of absolute strength and endurance, he absolutely surpassed ordinary ghost swordsmen, and could even be compared with those who had undergone a job transfer.

  The speed of power growth has finally begun to slow down, the surging magic in the cave has stopped gathering and is gradually dissipating; on the lake surface, the howling gale has finally calmed down and is gradually coming to a stop.

  Midi's ghost hand has changed its appearance again, the texture on its surface is no longer scattered like vines, but rather a precise circuit made with a ruler, in a spiral shape, densely distributed on the skin's surface, faintly emitting a pale purple glow. Like a mysterious and profound magic array as deep as an abyss.

  The fusion of demons and gods is finally nearing completion.

  There is only one last step left, which is sealing.

  Although Midori has tamed the oni with his own will at this moment, as long as he is not careful or enters a state of sleep, it is easy to become a captive of the oni again. The struggle between Kikyo and the invading oni will continue from the moment of his birth until his death, a long process that spans his entire life.

  So at this time, it is necessary to use the seal lock.

  On the edge of the broken sword, there is a lock chain, which must have been left by the previous owner of the broken sword and the ghost god.

  In the previous life, this chain made of unknown material had always accompanied Midie, binding ghosts and gods, and played the role of a shield at critical moments, blocking countless fatal attacks with its hard texture.

  Midi picked up the heavy chain with some nostalgia, but it wasn't thick and heavy, instead it looked like a bracelet, light and thin, only when placed in his hand could he feel its unusual weight.

  However, the young man did not immediately proceed with the sealing, but instead lit up the Shadow Grass and Incense Rain Flower that he had specially brought along.

  In the rising wisps of smoke, pieces of pale purple mist gradually emerged.

  This is the ghostly aura that has drifted out of the broken sword's ghost god over the years, and it can be said to be a part of this ghost god, only because it has been too long since it left control.

  Reborn Midei, now hoping to do everything perfectly, naturally wouldn't miss this last bit of icing on the cake. With the help of the smoke's manifestation, he stretched out his ghostly hand and absorbed all the mist into his body, confirming that there was no omission.

  I'm a 19-year-old Kishin, and I possess physical abilities that surpass those of ordinary Transmigrators. Add to that the experience I've gained from fighting for my life all these years, and even Feena would probably be taken aback.

  Midi thought so and finally revealed a relieved smile.

  He was just about to wade back to the shore and return to the valley by the same route when the originally calm lake surface suddenly rippled.

  Then a monster with a body like a giant python floated up from the water and let out a sharp whistle.

  "Level 40 monster! This guy...!" At the moment he saw the true nature of that creature, Midy's pupils constricted in an instant.