Chapter 359: The Four Celestial Venerables Officially Appear
"Come out and fight me one-on-one."
The Neurotic Heavenly Emperor raised a streetlamp pole, swinging it horizontally and vertically, violently tearing a haunted house apart until it was in ruins.
Allen and the Ghost Bride stood rooted to the spot like they'd been petrified.
In truth, Allen had no idea that a fully manifested true god could wield such terrifying power.
As for the Ghost Bride, she was internally despairing—one lunatic was already more than enough, and now there was an even scarier lunatic on the scene.
In reality, true gods were spiritual beings. In the material world, they naturally couldn't display this level of power.
But the Spirit Realm enabled spiritual entities to become corporeal.
After all, the true gods of the Divine Hall were divine beings shaped by Allen's will—beings that ordinary evil spirits could never hope to contend with.
"Gotta save my waifu first."
Allen snapped out of his daze and remembered that Kevin was still trapped inside the old ghost's house.
"Why is the door closed?"
He noticed that the door, which had been wide open before, was now shut tight.
Each haunted house could only be inhabited by one evil spirit, so it couldn't have been taken over that quickly.
"It's the rules of the ghost community. If a haunted house is unoccupied, it gets sealed. You have to wait for a new evil spirit to move in."
As she spoke, the Ghost Bride's voice carried a hint of sorrow. "My home was taken by an outsider spirit, which is why I've been wandering the streets ever since."
"What kind of messed-up world is this?"
Allen was stunned. "Even the afterlife has house grabbers? I thought that was just an American specialty."
Seriously, America was ridiculous—people squatting in homes, and the owners couldn't even cut off the water or electricity. Otherwise, the house would legally become the squatter's.
The Spirit Realm was even worse. They didn't bother with laws—just barged in and took whatever they wanted.
Bang!
Allen lifted his foot and kicked the sealed door wide open.
He marched in with long strides, immediately starting to search for his target.
Inside, the house was decorated with a slew of feminine items—makeup, vintage dresses. An outsider might think it belonged to an elderly heiress, but in truth, it was the home of an old eunuch.
Allen swept the second floor—nothing.
"All these haunted houses have basements," the Ghost Bride reminded him.
"Now that's fancy."
A standalone Western-style home with a basement—textbook rich person setup.
Sure enough, a strong stench of decay wafted up from below.
In the Spirit Realm, once spiritual bodies became physical, they began to rot like normal matter.
What came into view was a chilling scene: dozens of dead women, all appearing to be in their early twenties. Each one sat motionless with her eyes closed, dressed in princess-style doll gowns.
"That old pervert killed so many people…"
The Ghost Bride frowned, a wave of nausea rising within her.
Her revenge had been fulfilled, so her resentment wasn't as intense as the other evil spirits in the ghost community. If given a chance to return to the human world, she wouldn't go on a killing spree—she mostly targeted scumbag men. And if a couple proved to be deeply in love, she'd often test the man's loyalty. If he showed unwavering devotion, she might even spare them.
Most evil spirits, however, were driven by endless, unfulfilled desires and committed senseless slaughter.
"Found her."
Allen spotted Kevin—eyes tightly shut, looking like a doll—but still breathing.
"Wake up. Time to get up."
He tried shaking her awake, but it was no use—she was like a sensory-deprived coma patient.
He even tried prying her eyelids open, but it was like they were glued shut.
"That won't work," the Ghost Bride warned after observing carefully. "She's clearly been tainted by resentment. If we don't purge it in time, she'll end up like the others."
"Shame Beam of Justice!"
Allen suddenly struck an Ultraman-style pose as if about to unleash a finishing move.
The Ghost Bride tilted her head in total confusion. She had no idea what he was trying to do.
"What the heck? My light didn't explode—Ultraman energy's not working?"
"Fallback Beam of Shame!"
Allen switched to another dramatic pose, but the result was the same—his priest skills wouldn't activate.
Clearly, the Spirit Realm lacked light-element energy, rendering such abilities useless.
Or perhaps, in his current spirit state, any power relying on spiritual force was similarly ineffective.
The Ghost Bride reminded him again, "If she doesn't wake up, she won't be able to return to her body."
Exactly. Even if blinded, a soul could still sense the location of its body—like a lighthouse guiding through darkness.
But if her consciousness was lost, she had no ability to act. How could she find her way back?
Even if Allen aligned her soul with the body manually, it would be futile.
"I'll carry her for now—see if I can figure something out."
Allen hoisted Kevin onto his back and strode toward the haunted house's exit.
Trailing behind him, the Ghost Bride wore a conflicted expression.
Yes, she was jealous.
Jealous, envious, resentful.
A man willing to brave danger alone to save her—it was the kind of radiance that outshined any flaw.
What a shame—Allen was a man she could never have.
She couldn't help but fantasize: if only someone would treat her like that, she wouldn't even care that he was mentally unstable.
"You really don't play by the rules, huh!"
Just as they stepped outside, they saw the Neurotic Heavenly Emperor squaring off against a mob of evil spirits.
These spirits had originally been content to sit at home and watch the show—until they saw the Neurotic Heavenly Emperor brutally beat a murderous ghost until its soul shattered. Suddenly, they realized—they might be next.
Faced with the threat of death, the evil spirits immediately banded together to eliminate the threat.
They knew the Neurotic Heavenly Emperor could fight—but they never imagined he was this formidable.
While Allen was off rescuing Kevin, the Neurotic Heavenly Emperor had taken down over a dozen evil spirits in one go.
Now gasping for air, he still stood tall and bellowed, "Who the hell wants to die next? I once soloed all the heavenly Buddhas of Mount Ling for three days and nights without blinking. I beat the Tathāgata so bad he cried into a limp sponge. And you little punks think you can bully me?"
"Go, General God!" Allen cheered from the side. If he weren't busy protecting Kevin, he'd be charging in with a brick himself.
"Little Cass!"
The Neurotic Heavenly Emperor flashed a confident look, exuding the vibe of a one-man army.
At that moment, the four remaining divine stars above the Divine Hall descended into the palace.
The Four Celestial Venerables had been born.
"General God, I got you four backup fighters."
With that, Allen secretly activated the Divine Summoning Ritual.
Four divine lights shone down, calling the Four Celestial Venerables into battle.
Naturally, they all looked exactly like Allen.
But each had their own distinct aura—one roguish, one menacing, one flashy and wild, and one cold and sinister.
"Boss!"
The Four Celestial Venerables greeted him in perfect unison.
"Appreciate it, comrades."
Allen nodded at them, though he couldn't shake the weird feeling—like saying hello to four mirrors.
"You're the one working hard, Boss!"
"Let's go, boys. Time to back up General God!"
At Allen's command, the Four Celestial Venerables pulled weapons from their pants.
Bricks, iron chains, steel rods, and glass bottles—classic street-fighting gear.
Tyrant Venerable raised a wine bottle and roared, "If anyone lays a finger on my boss, I'll pluck every hair from their body!"
Despicable Venerable: "Touch the Heaven Realm's boss? I, Despicable, absolutely won't allow it!"
Shameless Venerable: "Much thanks! I'm fired up—just finished Young and Dangerous parts 1 through 5, and now I'm itching to randomly beat up a stranger!"
Cunning Venerable: "Is there no law anymore? No justice? Who's next!?"