Chapter 74: The Green Ghost Appears; The Origins of Wan Ci's Tongue Extraction

  The long-tongued ghost's arm paused for a moment, but then stopped and turned his head to look back, laughing "Oh, it's the green ghost! How come you're done so early?"

  "That's right, today that little brat under me just happened to complete 10,000 tongue-pulls, isn't this exactly the time for him to apply for the Tongue-Pull City residency qualification!" A green-faced guy walked up and said, with a proud look on his face.

  "Tsk, tsk, you're really lucky to have met someone who can withstand being tongue-pulled a million times. When you get back, I reckon the City Lord will exempt you from labor for a whole year. It's truly enviable." The Long-Tongued Ghost's eyes rolled with envy, saying "I wonder when I'll ever encounter such good fortune. These ghosts are really incompetent, don't they know that everything is fleeting after failing to withstand being tongue-pulled a million times?"

  "They have no idea, seeing those guys desperately training in their free time makes me want to laugh! They don't even know that if they can't pass the thousand tongue-pulling trials, they'll faint and all their previous cultivation will be for nothing. Pitiful, they're still working hard nonstop!" The Green Ghost shook his head and sneered.

  "Ten thousand times of tongue-pulling without a single faint, it's easy to say but hard to do! I reckon even with excellent qualifications, a soul wouldn't be able to achieve this in just a few billion years of effort. Who knows when they'd get caught by those guys who specialize in catching yin souls? So, wanting to enter Tongue-Pulling City through this method is simply impossible!" The Long-Tongued Ghost shook its massive head and said, "Nowadays I don't even dream of finding a spirit like that anymore. As long as I can get enough tongues before the Yin Tide starts, I'll be content."

  "Haha, don't be discouraged. Those guys who can't even show their faces all day won't dare to come out openly either. After all, this Tongue-Pulling City is still dominated by our Practicing Ghost Tribe. Brother, I'll take my leave first. Let's meet again in a year!" Green Ghost laughed and left with a swagger.

  "Off you go! Good luck, fellow!" The Long-Tongued Ghost waved his hand in a gesture of farewell.

  "What does 'thousand times tongue-pulling' mean?" Sun Yuan couldn't help but ask when the long-tongued ghost turned around.

  "Hmph, what's with the question? Don't think you can withstand being tongue-pulled a million times? Don't dream on, now you're only worth one tongue. Don't waste my time, hurry up and stick out your tongue." The Long-Tongued Ghost seemed to be stimulated by the Green Ghost, his expression showing some impatience.

  "Maybe I'm an exception? You won't know if you don't try!" Sun Yuan, however, did not cooperate and instead raised his head to stare straight at the ghost guard holding the iron tongs, "If you miss your chance later on, don't regret it!"

  The ghost's face stiffened, his expression slightly moved, but it was the first time he had seen such a calm person. However, after carefully observing her for half a day, he felt somewhat disappointed. Just then, the long-tongued ghost hummed and said, "Although you have some guts, you're really too much. This little body of yours probably can't even withstand one tongue-pulling, let alone ten thousand times!"

  "Whatever! If that green ghost can find someone who can withstand a million hits, maybe I can too. Let me tell you a story!" The oni put down the pincers in his hand, seemingly having been greatly shocked by what happened to that green ghost.

  "All the ghosts who enter the Tongue-Pulling Hell, only after undergoing ten thousand tongue-pullings without fainting, can gain the qualification to enter the Tongue-Pulling City, become an official member of the city, and obtain the Ten Thousand Tongues Law Disk. As long as you accumulate enough tongues required on the law disk, you can transcend this hell, which is the only way out for the ghosts who entered."

  The ghost paused for a moment, then continued, "Only by successfully enduring the torture of having one's tongue pulled out ten thousand times can one gain recognition from the Temple of Ten Thousand Tongues and obtain its seal. Only then can your cultivation be preserved; otherwise, in the Hell of Tongue-Pulling, once you lose consciousness, your cultivation will also disperse with the wind. When you wake up later, it will be as if nothing had happened."

  "What's in it for you?" Sun Yuan asked curiously, "I mean, are you guys volunteering here? Is there no benefit to be gained?"

  "The benefits are certainly great, otherwise who would be willing to do this troublesome thing, these things you don't even know. The long-tongued ghost's tongue turned around in a circle at his waist, and said faintly: 'If one can withstand being pulled out of their tongue ten thousand times without fainting, then that person's mental strength will become exceptionally resilient. This kind of person, once they start cultivating, their speed is unusually fast, and there are no bottlenecks to speak of. And this is a great help for our Practicing Ghost Tribe, the best candidate to counter those Soul Clan.'"

  "What's the use of this for us? If we can recommend such a person, won't we gain benefits?" The ghost officer rolled his eyes and showed a seemingly smiling expression.

  "What kind of people are those Soul Clan?" Sun Yuan furrowed his brow and continued to ask.

  "Haha, you little girl still have a lot of questions, no wonder you'll end up in the Tongue-Pulling Hell after death. Anyway, I'll tell you today that this Soul Clan is also an enforcement clan in the Tongue-Pulling Hell, they're just responsible for clearing out those lingering spirits who've lost their main consciousness after going through countless tongue-pullings."

  However, in recent years, these Soul Clans seem to want to take over and manage all the affairs of my Tongue-Pulling Hell, so they have been at odds with our Ghost Clan. But it seems that the Soul Clan has some backing from King Yanluo, so the Lord of Tongue-Pulling City doesn't dare to act rashly. That's why these guys who can withstand being tongue-pulled thousands of times without fainting are even more precious."

  "Now you understand?" The long-tongued demon licked his lips, stood up with a satisfied look, seemingly recovered from the blow given by the green ghost earlier. "Since you understand now, prove your worth to me then. I hope I'm not wasting my effort."

  "Just as Sun Yuan was about to say something, her mouth was suddenly pried open by a long-tongued ghost with lightning speed. A sharp iron clip reached in and clamped onto the tip of her tongue, slowly pulling it out."

  Sun Yuan found it hard to describe what he was feeling, and in comparison, the pain he had endured before seemed like child's play. He watched as his tongue was slowly pulled out, one inch, two inches, three inches, until it reached half a meter. Sun Yuan could hardly believe that his tongue could be stretched so long.

  Seeing that it had reached this point, Sun Yuan was not yet unconscious. The long-tongued ghost licked its lips and revealed a hint of unexpected color. Immediately afterwards, with a fierce pull, Sun Yuan's brain suddenly rang loudly, and a severe pain came from his mouth. His spirit was stunned for a moment, and then shook violently, but soon calmed down again.

  "Hmm, indeed not bad, quite some strength!" The Long-Tongued Ghost put the pulled-out tongue into a cloth bag beside him and looked at Sun Yuan with great interest, saying "You rest here for now, an hour later your tongue will grow back again. I hope you can continue to be like this, it'll also save me a lot of trouble."