Chapter 419 The Merit Monster

The enormous palm passed directly through Chen Fei’s body—but caused no harm.

Chen Fei slowly turned around and saw a stern-looking middle-aged man. With a single hand, the man blocked the attack of the monstrous figure emerging from the statue.

“A mere evil creature dares act so arrogantly? Courting death!”

the man shouted coldly. A surge of mighty energy burst from his fingertip, instantly shattering the monster’s physical form.

The creature let out a furious roar, its eyes filled with vicious hatred as it glared at the man.

But the middle-aged man simply snorted and raised his hand, drawing a complex sigil in the air.

The rune flashed, sending a blast of energy directly into the monster’s forehead.

The creature screamed in agony.

Its body began to tremble violently, unable to contain its own power—and then exploded.

“That was a Merit Monster,”

the middle-aged man said coldly.

Chen Fei stared at him in shock.

Was he… talking to him?

Yes—he was.

Seeing that Chen Fei didn’t respond, the man turned toward him.

His face was plain, so ordinary that one would forget it instantly.

“For you to make it here… that’s quite surprising.”

He looked deep into Chen Fei’s eyes.

“You may call me… Ghost King.”

Ghost King?!

Chen Fei’s heart jolted.

What the hell—was the legend real?

Had he actually met the remnant soul of the Ghost King?

“No need to be so shocked. I’ve been dead for years—I can’t harm you,”

the Ghost King said calmly.

Two crystal-clear soul bones floated out from within Chen Fei’s body.

“I didn’t expect them to acknowledge you,”

the Ghost King murmured, staring at the bones.

Chen Fei picked up on the subtle tone—was the Ghost King saying he wasn’t impressed by him?

But the Ghost King didn’t seem to care what Chen Fei thought and continued speaking.

“What you saw earlier—that creature’s body was strong and full of evil energy.

But that form wasn’t its only one.”

“As for its origin, even I wasn’t able to fully investigate it before I fell.

But I can only speculate it’s related to the Upper Realm,”

the Ghost King said, frowning deeply.

Despite feeling a little annoyed, Chen Fei wasn’t about to waste this rare opportunity to learn something.

“Senior Ghost King,”

Chen Fei asked quickly,

“What exactly is the Upper Realm? As far as I know, you were at the Immortal level. How powerful are those in the Upper Realm compared to you?”

The Ghost King turned and gave Chen Fei a long look.

“Even among Immortals, there are levels of closeness and distance.

After all, the Xuanhuang Continent is only where I began.

Once you reach the Ascension Realm, you’ll understand.”

“As for the details of the Upper Realm… you don’t need to know them yet.

But since my remnant soul has awakened, it means the cataclysm is coming again.

If we can’t find the one behind all of this, the Xuanhuang Continent may never rise again.”

There was a deep sadness in the Ghost King’s eyes.

Chen Fei was stunned by this.

But what the Ghost King said matched what he knew.

During the first cataclysm, nearly all Ascension Realm cultivators died.

Only an ancestor from the Ji clan broke through after the catastrophe—and then disappeared.

The Ji clan rarely showed themselves and always kept a low profile.

After the second cataclysm, even Void Realm experts were wiped out.

Which meant the upcoming third one would likely target Saint Realm cultivators.

If it couldn’t be stopped, then the most powerful cultivators left would be in the Origin Realm.

If that happened, the Xuanhuang Continent would essentially be crippled.

“Does senior have any way to stop it?”

Chen Fei asked.

The Ghost King gave him a long look, then chuckled.

“You’re probably wondering—if the first cataclysm wiped out the Ascension Realm, why didn’t it just destroy every other cultivator as well?”

Chen Fei nodded.

That was exactly what puzzled him.

“If it’s a targeted calamity, then it’s aimed at the strongest realm,”

the Ghost King explained in a slightly awkward tone.

“Let me give you an example.”

As he spoke, he waved his hand.

The destroyed statue from earlier reappeared, again shattering open—but this time, what crawled out was a tubular worm-like creature.

The moment Chen Fei saw it, he remembered what he had encountered in the Blood Cliff Tomb Palace.

His gaze subconsciously drifted toward the creature’s rear end…

The Ghost King didn’t seem to notice Chen Fei’s odd expression.

He simply looked at the monster and, with a single finger, blocked its attack—then shattered it instantly.

“Based on my analysis, these creatures are formed from negative merit—corrupted and turned into evil.

That is their origin,”

the Ghost King explained as he waved his hand and cleared away the remains.

Chen Fei nodded slightly, still trying to digest it all.

“That’s why the third cataclysm will be different from the previous two,”

the Ghost King said.

“I don’t know who’s behind all of this, but they’ve taken things too far.

Even so, they’re still bound by the laws of Heaven.”

“Heaven may be heartless, but Heaven also has compassion.

It always leaves behind a sliver of hope.”

His gaze sharpened.

“This time, based on my calculations, the strongest the monsters will reach is the peak of the Human-Saint Realm.

And cultivators at that level don’t require much merit to advance.”

“If you can seize the opportunity and use what resources you have,

you can withstand the assault of these monsters.”

He looked straight at Chen Fei.

“If you hold out, Heaven will punish the true mastermind behind all of this.

That… is the opportunity I’m offering you.”

The Ghost King’s eyes were sharp and full of depth.

“Remember—this is your one and only chance.

If the Merit Monsters win again, the Xuanhuang Continent will have no future left.”

Chen Fei’s expression turned solemn.

A figure of the Ghost King’s level wouldn’t make such dire claims lightly.

And Chen Fei himself knew how grave the situation was.

After a moment of silence, he asked:

“If we survive this catastrophe… will the Upper Realm interfere again?”

“You don’t need to worry about that,”

the Ghost King replied coldly.

“When that time comes, just return to the Ghost King Hall.”

He flicked his finger.

A beam of white light entered Chen Fei’s body.

Chen Fei immediately felt a link form between his soul and the Ghost King Hall—

he could now return to it at will with just a thought.

But instead of being excited, he stared at the Ghost King and said seriously:

“Senior Ghost King… didn’t you say earlier that you had already fallen?”

The Ghost King’s face froze for a moment.

Then he forced out a laugh.

“Aha… ha… you must have misheard!

Yeah, definitely misheard!

This starry barrier echoes with strange voices all the time—don’t mind it! Ha ha ha!”

Chen Fei looked at the Ghost King’s awkward expression.

Clearly, there was something he wasn’t saying.

Which raised another question—

Did those Ascension Realm experts back then… really all die during the cataclysm?

Chen Fei wasn’t so sure anymore.

At the very least, from the Ghost King’s reaction, he had sensed something…

deeply suspicious.