“This… what’s going on?”

The sudden appearance of the Rain Ghost army and the white banner bearing two large, crooked characters left all the prodigies in Falling Rain Valley bewildered. They stood frozen, at a complete loss. Even Wan Xiaobei, though surrounded by thousands of foes, wore a strange expression.

“Pavilion Master, what should we do now?” someone beside her whispered.

Wan Xiaobei glanced at him but remained silent, her eyes conveying a clear message: You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?

“These Rain Ghosts are ultimately puppets. Prepare to fight our way out!”

It was Qi Keping, fresh from murdering his fiancée, who issued the command with a furrowed brow. The people around him hesitated but ultimately drew their weapons.

However, just as steel cleared leather, two more Rain Ghosts clad in white robes sprinted over. Their banners bore the same crude, dog-scratch handwriting:

“You are surrounded!”

“Hand over your treasures for safety!”

Immediately after, the mass of Rain Ghosts behind them stepped forward in unison. The thunderous stomp of thousands of feet snapped everyone out of their daze. Throats went dry, and hearts trembled in fear.

Along their journey, they had occasionally encountered lone Rain Ghosts. But even those solitary skirmishes had taught them a harsh lesson: these creatures were terrifying.

Formed from Yin Rain Wood, their bodies were harder than steel. Ordinary weapons couldn’t even scratch them. They possessed immense strength, felt no pain, and knew no fear.

An ordinary cultivator might handle one. Three would be a nightmare. But now, facing a dense ocean of puppets, the odds were one against dozens. Even the most powerful prodigy would be drowned in this tide of death.

Fire spells and talismans were effective, yes, but only against a few. Here, there were simply too many. You would exhaust your spiritual energy long before you made a dent in their ranks.

“Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, heed my command!” Wan Xiaobei suddenly shouted. “Hand over your treasures!”

What?

Everyone froze. Qi Keping and his group stared in disbelief. But before they could react, Wan Xiaobei led her people straight toward the Rain Ghost army.

The Rain Ghosts didn’t attack, standing motionless as statues. Only one, carrying a large bamboo basket on its back, turned around and patted the basket with an awkward, stiff motion, as if saying: Hurry up, put it in here!

Wan Xiaobei didn’t hesitate. She pulled a piece of precious jade from her Storage Ring and tossed it in.

Instantly, the seemingly endless wall of Rain Ghosts parted, revealing a clear path through their ranks.

Passage allowed!

Wan Xiaobei’s eyes lit up. She stepped forward, and true to their word, the Rain Ghosts didn’t attack. However, when her subordinates tried to follow without paying, they were immediately blocked.

Clearly, the toll was mandatory.

Wan Xiaobei wasted no time ordering her people to pay up. She even tossed a few extra items into the basket for good measure.

This prompted an even more bizarre reaction. A Rain Ghost carrying a white banner walked out from the ranks. It read:

“Esteemed Guest, Please Follow.”

Wan Xiaobei’s eyes sparkled. She pulled out an entire Storage Ring and dumped its contents—a mountain of treasures—into the basket. One basket wasn’t enough; it took over ten to hold it all.

This time, the Rain Ghosts were decisive. A thousand-strong honor guard formed around her. The leading Rain Ghost hoisted a new banner:

“Esteemed Guest, Go Wherever You Wish!”

Qi Keping and his group watched, jaws on the floor.

What the hell?

You’re Rain Ghosts! Mindless puppets! It’s one thing to gather like an army and rob us, but you can be bribed too? Is that even allowed?

No matter how absurd it seemed, they could only watch helplessly as Wan Xiaobei marched away under the protection of the Rain Ghost army. Qi Keping even saw her handing out more treasures along the way, greasing palms like a corrupt official.

Is she aiming to become the Rain Ghost Queen?

“Young Master, what should we do?” someone asked nervously.

Qi Keping gritted his teeth. “Hand over treasures!”

What choice did they have? A wise man knows when to bow!

But the Qi clan wasn’t exactly wealthy. At Qi Keping’s signal, a disciple tossed a single low-grade Spirit Stone into the basket, hoping to scrape by.

The result was immediate. Several Rain Ghosts surrounded the cheapskate and slapped him into a swollen, unrecognizable pulp. Finally, a Rain Ghost emerged with a new banner:

“Paupers, No Passage!”

Seeing his clansman beaten half to death, Qi Keping’s eye twitched violently. “Don’t hold back! Saving our lives is crucial!”

He had seen Wan Xiaobei enter the tall tower under the Rain Ghosts’ protection. She clearly intended to use them to seize the legacy. He couldn’t let her get ahead!

…

While Wan Xiaobei spent her way to safety, other areas of the valley were far less peaceful.

“Kill! Kill them all!”

“Useless trash, fight!”

“Damn it, why are there so many? What happened to the valley?”

“Use fire talismans! Burn them!”

Not everyone was as pragmatic as Wan Xiaobei. Many prodigies, prideful and confident in their strength, refused to be robbed by mindless puppets. They chose to fight.

But…

“My talismans are gone!”

“They don’t die! Kill one, five more take its place! We’re going to be exhausted to death!”

“Ah! Help me! Help—”

“Don’t kill me! I surrender!”

The confident prodigies soon learned a harsh truth: these Rain Ghosts were here to rob, not to play. Their strength was formidable, and their numbers were endless. No one could withstand the tide.

In moments, the prodigies were submerged. Screams of the dying echoed through the valley.

Strangely, while the Rain Ghosts merely pressured other sects, they were merciless toward the Azure Mystic disciples.

Two Azure Mystic disciples used their jade slips, unleashing devastating attacks that annihilated swathes of puppets. But even that wasn’t enough. They fell under the sheer weight of numbers, dying with eyes wide open in disbelief.

Killing ten, a hundred, even a thousand made no difference.

“I’ll pay! I have Spirit Stones! Don’t kill me!”

“I surrender! Stop fighting!”

Whether they paid immediately like Wan Xiaobei or struggled first, the result was the same: everyone had to pay. And those who fought were charged a steeper price, nearly stripped bare.

However, there was one exception.

“Damn it, I gave you my entire Storage Ring! Why isn’t it enough?”

“I have nothing left! Don’t push us too far!”

“I am a disciple of the Sacred Land! Our Sect Master is a Mahayana Supreme! If you don’t let us pass, he will wipe you all out!”

The Azure Mystic disciples faced a nightmare. While others were allowed to pass after paying, the Rain Ghosts refused to let the Azure Mystic disciples go, even after stripping them of everything. It was as if they wanted to squeeze the marrow from their bones.

Naturally, the disciples were furious. This was blatant discrimination!

But their anger soon turned to terror. Once they had been extorted clean, the Rain Ghosts stopped robbing and bared their fangs.

They didn’t kill the disciples immediately. Instead, they herded the scattered Azure Mystic survivors together like livestock.

After stumbling for a full day, the six surviving Azure Mystic disciples were corralled into a single clearing.

“Senior Brother Bian, save us!”

“I am a Sacred Land prodigy! You can’t treat us like this!”

“What are these monsters?”

“What do we do now?”

Panic set in. They had come to enslave others and seize opportunities, never expecting to become the slaves themselves. Now, surrounded by countless Rain Ghosts, they huddled together in fear.

Then, a Rain Ghost stepped forward holding a white banner. The handwriting was crude, but the message sent a chill down their spines.

“Only one of you six can live.”

Eight simple words.

Instantly, the six survivors of the Azure Mystic Sacred Land looked at each other, fear and suspicion replacing their camaraderie.

These Rain Ghosts… they wanted them to kill each other!