When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 541: Unforgivable!

Chapter 541: Unforgivable!

Meanwhile, the ghost world.

Thanks to Jin Jiuchi’s passionate spirit and unyielding effort, the once peaceful and sophisticated dancing platform erupted in pure chaos with hundreds of ghosts moving and flailing erratically. Amidst the deranged crowd, Jin Jiuchi was on a roll, every inch of his powerful and flexible body moving to the rhythm of the hellish tunes.

"Woo-hoo... this is so fun!!" He exclaimed with a wide, exhilarated smile on his face.

He had never realized that he could be so talented in dancing. He must show off his skills to Nian’er some other time. Who knows, his jade doll might fall in love with him all over again!

Jin Jiuchi’s energy was boundless and he could keep dancing until the end of the time, but the same couldn’t be said about the poor performing trees, who nearly shook their leaves bare. The branches drooped down listlessly, and even the color of the leaves seemed duller somehow, as though their vitality was sucked away bit by bit. However they had no choice but to keep shaking and playing the music because it was their one and only job for the night. Poor trees had no mouths and could not file a complaint, otherwise Jin Jiuchi would have heard them pleading for mercy, all the while howling, "Stop, stop— please! We can’t do this anymore!"

Fortunately, they were saved from the clutches of death – quite literally – by the forest elder.

"Enough, the competition is over. We will now announce the final winner." The aged and dignified voice contained a barely perceptible tremor, as if the entire tree hadn’t quite recovered from the culture shock brought by this brazen twenty-first century ghost.

This competition was an annual event that had been held for decades or even centuries. Under normal circumstances, it would have lasted all the way until the first crack of dawn appeared on the horizon, just in time for the Cycle to reach its end. The first stage was supposed to be a preliminary round where the contestants simply probed each other’s skills. Then entering the qualifiers, the knock-out round, and the quarterfinals. By then, only eight out of hundreds of ghosts would remain on stage. These eight talented ghosts would then vye for the grand prize amidst the increasingly heated atmosphere...

At least, that’s how the competition should have gone.

But this time, the preliminary round was barely halfway through when the forest elder directly declared they would crown the final champion!

A dreadful silence fell over the area, with the ghosts staring at each other in shock mixed with an inexplicable sense of relief. Even the trees immediately halted their performance and shook the lanterns off their branches in wordless outbursts of rage. Oh, if only they could pull their roots off the ground, they would have angrily stomped and crushed the lanterns to pieces!

Among them all, only Jin Jiuchi was left utterly dissatisfied. "That’s it?!" he exclaimed in shock. Boohoo, what kind of lousy event was this? He still had so many moves he hadn’t showcased yet!

It was fortunate that he decided to swallow his complaints back in the end, or else the forest elder might have shriveled up due to sheer outrage.

It’s okay, Jin Jiuchi, he took a deep breath to suppress the raging impulse. You’re the magnanimous person here! You will not seek trouble with a tree!

Besides, he could dance anywhere after this, but the main reward could only be found here! Jin Jiuchi patted himself on the back, feeling like he must be the most sensible ghost in the entire universe.

"Okay, fine," he huffed, shrugging his shoulders. "Let’s hear the winner, then. It’s me, right? Of course, who else could it be but my talented and innovative self?!" he narrowed his eyes sharply at the ancient tree, his tall body exuding an undeniable sense of danger and pressure as though silently threatening, ’It better be me, or else...’

The forest elder did not even bother to respond. From its mouth, aka the hole on its trunk, floated out a huge golden chest nearly as tall as an adult male, radiating a dazzling light that attracted greedy and yearning eyes from all directions. Alas, no matter how jealous the ghosts were, they could do nothing but watch as the treasure chest drifted wobbly toward Jin Jiuchi.

It was at this moment that the other players, who had been silently assessing the situation, sprung up one after another, with the leader hollering, "NOW—!"

With a resounding roar, dozens of players rushed toward the center of the stage, their expressions frenzied as they aimed at the treasure chest. The nearest player was only less than two meters away, even closer than Jin Jiuchi! The player made a desperate leap, his hand outstretched, the tips of his fingers almost grazing the trunk...

But how could Jin Jiuchi allow them to take away what was rightfully his?

He had done so much and wasted so many of his brain cells to obtain this, just to present the reward to his Nian’er with the sole purpose of receiving a breathtaking smile in return— and yet they wanted to steal it from him?!

HOW. DARE. THEY!!!

Jin Jiuchi’s eyes turned bloodshot in fury. Almost in an instant, his translucent, glowing body transformed into that of a beast cloaked in glossy fur as dark as the midnight abyss, puffed up in agitation. His heterochromatic eyes gleamed in a predatory light as they locked onto the target.

With a powerful kick of his hind legs, he launched himself into the air. His jaws parted wide – far wider than what was logically possible – and in one terrifying gulp, he devoured the treasure chest which was nearly twice his size, along with the arm of the nearest player!

With his target abruptly missing, the player crashed to the ground due to the momentum, his expression bewildered as he still hadn’t registered what was going on yet. Ghosts did not feel pain nor did they bleed, and it wasn’t until he caught sight of his missing arm that a horrified scream tore out of his throat,

"AAAHH—!!"

Following the heart-wrenching cry, a ripple of chaos spread through the air. The ghosts shrieked in terror and scattered in all directions as they scrambled to flee as quickly as possible. In stark contrast, the players stood still in a daze, their minds struggling to process the sudden turn of events.

W-What was going on? Did the eccentric bigshot just... swallow that huge treasure chest into his stomach?!

This kind of maneuver... was also possible?

The huge, fierce black wolf landed gracefully on the ground and threw his head back, releasing a long howl, "Awoooo—!" Even though he had gobbled up the treasure chest, his body remained as sleek and lithe as ever, his muscles taut in a display of explosive power. It was unknown where such a massive object had gone after it entered his stomach.

The echoing howl promptly snapped the players out of their stupor, their scalps turning numb when they were met with Jin Jiuchi’s aggressive, beastly eyes. The bigshot’s wrath had not been assuaged yet! Run— they had to run away before the beast tore them into shreds! Otherwise they would die for real!

The more agile ones had already turned tail and fled with the fastest speed they could muster, their expressions terror-stricken.

But how could Jin Jiuchi ever let them go? At this moment, his five senses were dominated with bloodshed and violence, the urge of destruction running rampant within his veins. These players dared to covet what was his despite the warning he had given. They dared to attempt stealing his thing right in front of his eyes.

Unforgivable... he had to devour every single one of them before he was satisfied!

Jin Jiuchi first set his eyes on the player who stumbled along while clutching his stumped arm. The player’s pupils constricted sharply when he sensed an oppressive shadow falling upon him from behind, followed by a ferocious growl that promised nothing but excruciating agony.

"H–Help..." he managed to choke out through chattering teeth, tears streaming down his face. He regretted it... he truly regretted it! He shouldn’t have followed the crowd and gone against this bigshot!

A wave of despair engulfed him as he squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for death to sweep him into its chilling embrace.

But one second passed, then two and three...

— Nothing happened.

Bracing himself, the player tremblingly opened his eyes and peeked over his shoulder, only to be stunned when he found the space empty. Looking around, the spacious platform was almost vacated, and there were no signs of the massive black wolf anywhere.

Huh? W-Where did that bigshot go?!