Chapter 48: The Deranged Cultists of the Ghost-Worshiping Sect

"Still, those lunatics from the Ghost Worshipping Cult rarely show up," Chen Meng said. "After all, it's a cult that encourages suicide; unless someone has a screw loose, very few are willing to listen to them. Even the powerful ghost kings refuse to take them in. Since they aren't ghosts themselves, they're of little use to ghost kings."

"So this cult basically has the personality of a bootlicker?" Chu Tian asked with surprise.

"What do you mean, bootlicker? You're the bootlicker, your whole family is full of bootlickers!" the young woman retorted angrily. In just a short while, her mental defenses had been shattered by Chu Tian several times over.

How could a person be so shameless? Not only did he beat her up, but he also insulted her and kept twisting the knife right into her heart. It was utterly shameless.

"Isn't that the truth, though?" Chu Tian squatted down, looking at the woman wriggling on the ground, and said, "Look at this: you worship ghosts, which makes the human race reject you; the demon race dislikes you; and the ghost race looks down on you. Yet you're still out here having the time of your lives? If that isn't being a bootlicker, what is?"

"You don't know a damn thing!" the young woman snapped. "Life is bitter and short—birth, old age, sickness, death, resentment, hatred, the pain of parting from loved ones, and the agony of unrequited desires. When you boil it all down, isn't it all just the suffering of this physical shell? Since life is merely a journey and we'll all board the next train sooner or later, why not prepare in advance? By successfully becoming a ghost after death, you escape the weakness of flesh and blood, bypass the erosion of time, and no longer have to fear the harm of ghosts and monsters. What is wrong with that?"

"So basically, if you can't beat them, you just join them?" Chu Tian said speechlessly.

"Don't bother reasoning with them," Chen Meng told Chu Tian. "Anyone who joins the Ghost Worshipping Cult has something wrong with their head. Speaking of which, how did you manage to get targeted by them?"

"I'm puzzled myself. She kept babbling something about a Ghost Execution Order," Chu Tian said.

A moment later, Chen Meng put down her phone, a look of solemnity crossing her face as she stared at Chu Tian. "This time, you might have really gotten yourself into trouble."

"Is a Ghost Execution Order that troublesome?" Chu Tian asked.

"Mm-hm," Chen Meng nodded. "The righteous Dao Alliance has Demon-Hunting Orders and Ghost-Hunting Orders specifically used to place bounties on spirits and monsters, and the Ghost Worshipping Cult has its corresponding Ghost Execution Order, used to deal with rising geniuses who have just started making a name for themselves. Anyone targeted by a Ghost Execution Order becomes the target of relentless assassinations by the cult."

"I've got a bounty on my head, so why do you look completely unbothered?" Seeing Chen Meng's relaxed demeanor, Chu Tian felt a bit aggrieved.

This old woman didn't care about her own man at all.

"What is there to worry about?" Chen Meng looked at the girl still lying on the floor, then back at Chu Tian. "Worried that you might beat them to death?"

"Do you even know who you've captured?" Chen Meng said, pulling up a photo of the woman on her phone. "One of the Seventy-Two Envoys of the Ghost Worshipping Cult."

"The Ghost Worshipping Cult has Seventy-Two Envoys, Eighteen Rogue Adepts, Four Heavenly Kings, and Two Vice Leaders. With the lineup we've got at home, sending the Eighteen Rogue Adepts is just throwing away lives, and the Four Heavenly Kings would have to kneel if they came. Do you really think they'd send two Vice Leaders to fight you?" Chen Meng said. "What if you accidentally knocked out both of their Vice Leaders? Wouldn't the Ghost Worshipping Cult just cease to exist?"

"Hold on... listening to how complete and organized their roster sounds, are they really this weak?" Chu Tian asked.

"A small temple breeds fierce winds, and shallow waters spawn too many turtles. Besides, have you ever considered that it's just your strength that's too overwhelming?" Chen Meng said. Ever since Chu Tian's status as a ghost runner was upgraded to Underworld General, his strength had become comparable to that of an average ghost king. Even Chu Meng'er, currently an intermediate-level ghost king, was no match for Chu Tian due to the innate suppression of his ghost runner identity. "The strength the Ghost Worshipping Cult currently displays to the outside world doesn't qualify them as a top-tier organization. Their Four Heavenly Kings possess strength equivalent to ghost kings, and the two Vice Leaders are stronger than the Four Heavenly Kings, but they haven't reached the level of ghost emperors. Organizations backed by ghost emperor-level powerhouses are already considered Tier-2 factions, and the Ghost Worshipping Cult wouldn't still be hiding in the shadows."

"If my strength is so great, why do they keep sending people over to commit suicide?" Chu Tian asked, looking at the girl.

"That's why I said the people in the Ghost Worshipping Cult all have defective brains," Chen Meng replied.

"What? You have the strength of the Four Heavenly Kings?!" At that moment, the girl finally understood. Her eyes widened as she stared at Chu Tian. "Why didn't I know such crucial intelligence? What on earth is the intelligence department doing?!"

If I had known you possessed the strength of the Four Heavenly Kings, would I have bloody rushed over to throw my life away?

At that instant, the young woman's mental state utterly collapsed.

Meanwhile, Chu Tian and Chen Meng exchanged glances, confirming that the members of the Ghost Worshipping Cult probably did indeed suffer from some serious mental affliction.

"So what do we do with her now?" Chu Tian asked. "Does the righteous Dao Alliance handle things like this?"

"Just contact Wang Dali," Chen Meng said. "The Ghost Worshipping Cult is a destabilizing factor no matter how you look at it. Leaving this kind of matter to Wang Dali is always the right call."

"Alright." Chu Tian nodded and dialed Wang Dali's number.

Before long, Wang Dali drove up in his compact car.

The moment he stepped through the door, he spotted the woman lying on the floor.

"Whoa, brother, the Ghost Worshipping Cult actually came after you?" Wang Dali said with some surprise. "Looks like the tall tree catches the wind; you've been standing out a bit too much in Shangshi lately, brother."

"I was just exorcising a few ghosts, who did I offend?" Chu Tian said with a hint of depression.

"Don't be too bummed out, brother. Put it this way: being targeted by the Ghost Worshipping Cult is, in a way, a recognition of your personal strength," Wang Dali said. "Since you've already been targeted by them, brother, are you interested in joining our righteous Dao Alliance?"

"Will joining the righteous Dao Alliance help me sort this mess out?" Chu Tian asked.

It wasn't that he was afraid of the Ghost Worshipping Cult; he just found the prospect of being targeted by such people rather troublesome.

After all, following Chen Meng's breakdown earlier, the Ghost Worshipping Cult didn't seem like much of a threat to Chu Tian anyway—whether they wanted to fight in the open or play dirty, he was ready.

If they wanted to face him in the open, Chu Tian had nothing to fear. If they wanted to play dirty—for instance, going after people close to Chu Tian...

Well, would the Ghost Worshipping Cult dare to go after Chu Meng'er, who was a ghost king herself, or Chen Meng, who was currently the external representative of the demon clan?

That dilemma was akin to a pirate telling Luffy, "I can't beat you, but I'm going to go beat up your grandpa, punch your dad, and deal with your brother—tell me if you're scared."

"Not directly," Wang Dali admitted. "However, joining the righteous Dao Alliance means you're officially part of the organization. You'll gain access to our internal network to exchange supplies and information—much like the demon clan's internal network that Chen Meng has access to, which only demons can enter. Leaving aside everything else, our alliance's internal network is absolute number one nationwide when it comes to intelligence. At the very least, if the Ghost Worshipping Cult sets foot in Shangshi, we're guaranteed to get firsthand information."

"Sounds decent enough. In that case, old Wang, what kind of assessment do I need to pass to join the righteous Dao Alliance?" Chu Tian asked.

"Now you're just being too polite. I'm the head of operations in Shangshi!" Wang Dali beamed with joy upon hearing Chu Tian's words. He grabbed the young Ghost Worshipping Cult girl and said, "I'll take her off your hands. Today I'll head back, write up the paperwork, and get you onboarded. You don't even have to show up in person—I'll deliver your credentials to you tomorrow."

As if afraid that Chu Tian might change his mind, Wang Dali hurried away, dragging the young cultist with him without a moment's delay.