Three minutes later, Lady Simone gave a casual toss, sending four men in black and Shawn Shaw—five in total—crashing onto the deck like sacks of dead pigs. Lady Simone dusted off her hands, looking every bit the ordinary housewife who'd just finished cleaning. But make no mistake, the bizarre ordeal Shawn Shaw and his crew just endured? More than half of it was thanks to this wicked enchantress.
"I mean, I only asked you to memorize the script for the next public performance, but you really know how to put theory into practice, huh?" Jill Young teased, with a hint of genuine admiration.
Yep, if you replay the whole ghost story from a normal perspective, here's what really happened.
Jill, our illustrious director, recently wrote two new scripts—one shamelessly ripped off from A Chinese Ghost Story, the other from Silent Hill. They're for the next stage play, by the way. And when Shawn Shaw and his crew snuck into the cabin—or heck, even when they were just lurking around the dock, acting all suspicious—plenty of folks had already pegged them as bad news.
The Shadow Team reported in immediately, and within seconds, the two big bosses had figured out exactly who these intruders were and what they were up to. So when Shawn Shaw and his five-man squad swaggered into action, they had no clue they'd already been thoroughly analyzed.
But the two bosses were both busy with their own stuff and couldn't be bothered with these small fry, so they just handed the whole mess over to the security team.
The security team for the ensemble was made up of Howard Hopeless, Jimmy Chang, Junior, and Duke Simon Duan—who insisted he wouldn't leave until he'd mastered the Six Meridian Sword, so he tagged along. This oddball mix of middle-aged, youth, and kid was the Phoenix riverboat's security squad. Howard Hopeless and Duke Simon Duan were always at odds, constantly trying to outdo each other, but they somehow managed to push each other to improve. The Three Sages of Kunlun had just made another breakthrough and reached the half-step barrier. Plus, Duke Simon Duan had lost some of his inner power, which made Howard Hopeless the strongest fighter under the three top bosses. So, naturally, he became the head of security.
None of Shawn Shaw's group were pushovers—especially Shawn himself, a master at breaking through barriers. But Howard Hopeless was brimming with confidence, and with a plan in place, the security squad had the clear advantage. He vowed to protect all the ladies and swore he wouldn't let this pervy villain get his way!
But as luck would have it, Lady Simone, bored out of her mind, suddenly got interested like she'd found a new toy. With just a word from her, Captain Howard promptly ditched his duties, leaving Simone alone to play cat-and-mouse with the intruders. All those creepy, disjointed noises and twisted whispers? Yep, that was all Simone's handiwork. From the moment Shawn Shaw's group stepped into the cabin, from the instant they heard that otherworldly, hypnotic music, they were trapped in Simone's carefully crafted script.
Sure enough, Simone mashed together Jill's two scripts and kicked off another round of her mind-bending radio show.
But this radio show's effects were downright terrifying—she had those five guys dancing in the palm of her hand from start to finish. The four guys in black barely put up a fight before they were out for the count. Only Shawn Shaw took a bit more effort; it took several rounds to get him properly dazed and finally lull him into a half-hypnotized state.
And that infinite looping hallway, straight out of Silent Hill PT?
That was Grace Kwok's handiwork.
She'd had a bit of a shock in the Burial Martial Cavern and suddenly awakened a knack for formations. So when she helped remodel the riverboat, she treated it like practice, setting up some simple traps in the cabin. Nothing fancy—just about ten percent as tricky as the big maze in the Burial Cavern. As Howard Hopeless put it, "Only a bullheaded bald monk would fall for something this basic."
But with Lady Simone's masterful stage-control skills, even that simple maze managed to pull off a full-on haunted house experience.
So Shawn Shaw ended up scaring himself silly—the more he panicked, the more lost he got. Eventually, he just barreled ahead, which actually worked, and he smashed his way out of the maze. But then he nearly dropped dead from fright at the sight of a plaque reading 'Lanruo Temple'—which, for the record, was just a freshly painted prop for the next show, still smelling of paint.
Shawn Shaw was scared out of his wits, but his instincts kicked in and he used his best escape move: just smash his way out, no matter what. Walls? Smash 'em. People? Fight 'em. This kind of simple maze was never going to hold him. But talk about bad luck—if you check the riverboat's blueprint, you'll see that right above his head was the room housing the Divine Life Core. He put all his strength into a palm strike, and wouldn't you know it, he hit the exact spot right under the Divine Life Core's feet.
The Divine Life Core doesn't know Beiming Divine Skill, but honestly, it doesn't need to. Like a baby swallowing milk, it absorbs the world's energy by pure instinct. Jill Young has been playing all sorts of tricks with it lately, so it's been pretty hungry. Suddenly, a fresh burst of inner power comes its way—like free delivery from KFC! Chow time!
So Shawn Shaw got scared out of his soul all over again. What he saw and heard was a wild mashup of reality and illusion—like movie special effects, he couldn't tell what was real and what was fake anymore.
For example: the manor he saw was fake, but the window was real. When he poked through the paper window to look inside, the flowers and birds were legit—because the girls were rehearsing a new script. But as soon as Simone's special effects kicked in, the place turned into a full-on horror morgue.
And then...
"Countess Bloodshade?!" Yep, this is the spot! Under Simone's relentless mind games, our pal Shawn Shaw went and tempted fate again: "You old vampire hag who loves drinking human blood!"
Talking smack to Countess Bloodshade (especially when, let's be honest, it's mostly true)? That's some next-level guts! Maggie Monroe wasn't planning to bother with him, but after hearing that, even she couldn't hold back. She whipped around and shot him a death glare. Boom—her martial master's aura hit him like a freight train, and Shawn Shaw took a critical hit.
You can guess the rest: he got caught in Simone's radio show → struggled like mad → broke free → saw the Divine Life Core → Jill Young happened to be testing her 'remote possession' and he got pulled into the livestream → he tempted fate again → and then got totally wrecked.
This chapter isn't over yet~.~ Click 'Next Page' to keep reading the good stuff!
"Not bad! You really know how to work that Sound Skill—your powers have leveled up again." Jill Young patted Simone on the shoulder. This enchantress used to only run basic radio shows, but now she's gone full multimedia. If she'd had these tricks back when chasing Princess Embroidered Jade, she might've actually caught her. If she can mess with barrier-breakers like this, imagine what she could do with a spicy R-rated act—talk about immersive!
Heh, just for that, your future's looking bright. Our united front can't do without you!
"You could totally be the star of our ensemble from now on!"
"I don't deserve such praise, my lady." Simone's face was a mix of pride and humility. Winning today was honestly a bit of a fluke. "The guy's inner power isn't bad, but his mind is weak, full of cracks. I just slipped in and took advantage—easy as pie. Honestly, his mental game is way weaker than his martial arts. If it were any other innate-level master, my little tricks would've been like an ant trying to shake a tree—totally laughable."
"Don't sell yourself short. You've made real progress—you might be brushing up against King-level territory." Kings have super strong minds, and when they project their will, it creates a unique phenomenon. Simone's ability to trap Shawn Shaw in a full-sensory illusion with her Sound Skill is basically a baby version of that King-level phenomenon.
Talking about this, Simone couldn't help but get excited: "Yeah, I'm just half a step away from breaking through and reaching the Fourth Heaven."
There are nine heavens, and every three is a major hurdle. Teacher Yang's martial arts are on par with the Kings, and he's even overcome his inner demons to reach the Sage's state of perfect harmony. His mental strength is even greater than the legendary Feng Wushang. With all that foundation, he still couldn't jump straight to King-level, which shows how tough it is to go from King to Sacred Origin Realm. But once you make it, it's a whole new world.
Of course, this also shows just how terrifying those guys who break through to Sacred Origin Realm really are.
"Simone, over here." Maggie Monroe's voice cut through all the noise—yep, that's a real Sacred Origin-level powerhouse, and she's still fuming over one little comment: "You'd better explain what that 'old vampire hag' crack was all about!"
"Uh..." Simone was speechless. How was she supposed to know Shawn Shaw would blurt that out after losing his grip? Classic villain move—drag someone down with you, even on your way out. Respect.
Simone slunk away, while Jill Young gave the half-dead crooks a cold, hard look.
"Poison Ghost Shawn Shaw? Just the guy I was looking for, and you came right to me—talk about luck." She barked, "Hey, don't let these five jerks lounge around. String 'em all up for me!"
"Yes, boss!" The minions swarmed in, ropes at the ready. Little Peach came over, measuring the five guys' chests and waists with a rope, and asked, "Boss, should we hang them from the mast?"
Jill Young whacked Little Peach on the head with a karate chop and scolded her: "Way too sloppy! If you're gonna do a job, love the job! Remember, we're not 'No One Under Heaven' anymore—we're the 'Phoenix, Earth Mother, Down-to-Earth, Useless Men Dance Troupe,' aka the 'Celestial Arts Ensemble'! We're a bunch of delicate, helpless artists with a world-saving dream! So don't call me boss—call me 'Phoenix Troupe Leader!'"
"Yes, Troupe Leader!"
Grace Kwok hesitated: "Sister Yang... uh, Troupe Leader, isn't hanging them from the mast a little... you know, not really 'delicate' or 'helpless' looking?"
"Of course! As artists and soft girls, we can't be that rough, right? Besides, the mast is way too harsh for the infamous Poison Ghost! Guests are guests, and since they want an 'ecstasy cruise,' our ensemble can't forget our hospitality." Jill Young pointed to the bow of the ship, looking sly: "There—the special VIP seat reserved for the Pirate King. That's where they'll go."
The next day, a big ship sliced through the waves into the South Sea. Up at the bow, five men were tied up side by side, strapped tight to the very front of the hull (which, by the way, isn't pointy). Best steel goes on the blade, and this ship "cuts through waves"—the five guys were the cutting edge.
"Aaaah—!" Half their bodies were dunked in the sea, the other half roasted in the sun. Broken bones, pain everywhere—face, body, head. The ropes hurt, the rocking ship hurt, the waves hurt even more. Just as Shawn Shaw let out a blood-curdling scream, a huge wave slapped him in the face, and he gulped down a bellyful of salty, bitter seawater—almost drowned, too.
The ropes were constantly draining their inner power, leaving them weak and unable to break free. Shawn Shaw struggled to spit out the seawater, but before he could catch his breath, another even bigger wave smashed him in the face. In just half an hour, all five were ready to die just to end the misery.
But their 'ecstasy cruise' was only just getting started.