Crack, crack, crack.
As Madam Yin dragged it along, Grandmaster Taiyi's corpse became even more mangled beyond recognition.
Yang He's Yang Fire weakened, liable to go out at any moment. He kept throwing Great Replenishing Pills into his mouth to bolster his Yang energy, while blood streamed from his facial features.
He did not care about any side effects. Living as long as he could was all that mattered.
"Ahhh!"
The numerous corpses hanging from the branches were stimulated by Yin energy and began turning into ghosts. At the same time, they opened their mouths, their Upper and Lower Jaws stretching to an absurd extent.
Yang He looked around. The once-lush mountain forest had already been covered in black hair.
Bang, bang, bang.
Madam Yin walked toward Yang He, her venomous resentment almost tangible. She casually tossed Grandmaster Taiyi's corpse into the dense black hair, where it was swallowed clean.
"Master..."
Yang He called out tentatively, but a corpse could not possibly respond.
"Grandmaster Taiyi was a disciple of the Venerable Lord of Primordial Beginning, after all. How could he be so worthless? Could he really be some cheap fake?"
Yang He retreated again and again as Spiritual Vision warned him of the danger he was in.
Spiritual Vision: 8.3 points
The Ghost Eye made a strained sound. It was only an ordinary Weak Ghost, after all. Against Madam Yin, an Evil Ghost—no, at least a Fierce Ghost—the Ghost Eye would have its soul scattered the moment it faced her.
As for the black cat, it did not even qualify as a Weak Ghost. Its limbs had already begun to stiffen.
"If I die, I die. Getting the Ghost Nurturing Method means this trip was not in vain."
Yang He withdrew the Pupil Ghost to keep it from being damaged by Madam Yin's Yin energy, then stared at the towering woman who had come within a hundred meters of him.
"Something's wrong. Why does it feel like Madam Yin's malice isn't directed at me?"
Although Yang He was being crushed so badly that he could barely breathe, that was mainly due to the erosion of Yin energy.
Logically speaking, with Madam Yin's cultivation, how could he have had a chance to catch his breath? The instant he saw her, he should have died and vanished.
Wait.
Could it be that I was merely being caught in the crossfire, and Madam Yin had someone else as her target?
Only then did Yang He turn his head and look toward the old postman.
The old postman stood half a meter away, his eyes wide as he said nothing. When he noticed Yang He studying him, he let out an eerie laugh.
"Heh heh heh."
Goosebumps rose all over Yang He's body. The old postman's laughter sounded exactly like Grandmaster Taiyi's.
"M-Master, so you weren't dead after all."
The old postman's mouth stretched all the way to his ears. He stared intently at Madam Yin, and faint Yin energy began leaking from him as a mole grew at the corner of his mouth.
Yang He realized that a ghost was being born inside the old postman's body!
"Old priest, give me back my child!!!"
Madam Yin spread her hands, and black hair surged like ocean waves before spreading into the sky, blotting out the heavens and the earth.
"Disciple, I didn't expect you to still recognize your master."
The old postman's voice completely became Grandmaster Taiyi's.
He did not move at all. Only the extra sixth finger on his right hand trembled slightly. Veins bulged along his blood vessels, spreading bit by bit throughout his body.
Compared to the other five fingers, the sixth was nothing but skin and bones, its nail black as ink.
Crack.
The sixth finger detached from his palm and actually wriggled through the old postman's flesh.
Yang He's scalp went numb as he watched the sixth finger reach the old postman's chest, followed by bursts of bone growth.
"Heh heh heh."
In just a few breaths, the sixth finger had grown into a new arm.
It was still skin and bones, still covered in livor mortis.
The old postman had become... an alien!
"Please excuse your master's appearance, disciple. I left Qianyuan Mountain in too much of a hurry and only brought one arm. Next time, I'll bring all three heads and six arms."
The old postman twisted his neck exaggeratedly, and his facial features transformed into Grandmaster Taiyi's.
Yang He's eyes widened.
"Possession?"
"Th-This is the great divine ability gained after the Ghostly Path of Power's aliens became immortals?!!"
"Grandmaster Taiyi could use his limbs to possess others so easily!!!"
According to Grandmaster Taiyi, he needed to use all three heads and six arms to unleash his full strength. No wonder the pressure he had exerted on the Pupil Ghost had not been particularly strong.
Yang He felt that Grandmaster Taiyi was more like a... ghost than Madam Yin was.
"Disciple, continue on your way. She won't attack you. Madam Yin does not kill children."
"Go wait for your master in Cailian Town."
Grandmaster Taiyi swept his sleeve, and dense fog rushed at Yang He in an instant.
Yang He could not see Grandmaster Taiyi's movements clearly. He could only feel the Yin energy growing denser as waves of air swept the thick fog across the entire mountain range.
Spiritual Vision: 8.9 points
He gritted his teeth and used Spiritual Vision to vaguely determine the direction.
Then Yang He plunged headfirst into the boundless black hair. The Ghost Eye stared wide, desperately protecting his already incredibly faint Yang Fire.
Fortunately, Madam Yin truly bore him no ill will. Instead, she used her black hair to send him out of the forest.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Only a tiny flame remained of Yang He's Yang energy. After his body endured Yin energy for a long time without dying, an inexplicable change faintly emerged within him. He did not know whether it was good or bad.
When the second Yin Meridian had formed by one-third, his view finally opened up.
"Whew..."
Yang He crawled and rolled out of the black hair. In the distance lay an official road running straight up the mountain. As expected, Cailian Town would be beyond the mountaintop.
"I thought forty Great Replenishing Pills were excessive before. Now, it seems they aren't nearly enough."
Yang He swallowed all his remaining Great Replenishing Pills in one gulp. His Yang Fire was fueled, and his body temperature returned to normal.
He hurried away from the mountain forest and staggered back onto the official road.
Meow~~
Yang He noticed that the black cat had woken up. He reached out to stroke its head, but the moment he touched it, his expression turned exceptionally grim.
"Damn it!"
At the end of his right palm, a tiny sixth finger had appeared at some point!
Force Ghost (Weak Ghost)
A newly born Force Ghost would usually disguise itself as a finger and parasitize a living person.
After Yang He calmed down, he immediately weighed the pros and cons. He suddenly felt that becoming Grandmaster Taiyi's possession vessel might not be such a bad thing.
Grandmaster Taiyi had most likely done this as a precaution.
The Daoist child's value still lay in being Nezha's spare body.
Instead, the sixth finger gave Yang He an opportunity—an opportunity to covet the Three-Headed, Six-Armed Dharma Body!
Yang He's Ghost Nurturing Method for the Pupil Ghost only reached the Hungry Ghost stage. He had no idea how to cultivate beyond that, but the Force Ghost was different. It could be said to point directly toward immortality and enlightenment.
"However, accommodating a second ghost is also troublesome. If I ask Grandmaster Taiyi, I probably won't get an answer. The bond between master and disciple is far too thin."
As he pondered, Cailian Town had unknowingly appeared at the end of the official road.
A steady drizzle descended over the mountains.
Yang He gazed at Cailian Town from afar. After not seeing it for so long, it was no longer ruled by the living. To Spiritual Vision, it was simply filled with eerie Yin energy.
Blood flowed uncontrollably from his nose, and his mind grew dizzy.
The Daoist child's constitution was becoming increasingly frail. Without Great Replenishing Pills, even though Yin energy was no longer eroding him, his Yang Fire continued to dim.
"There is no choice. Even if I stay overnight in the wilderness, the Daoist child won't survive the night."
Yang He quickened his pace, trying to reach the Yamen before nightfall.
But dark clouds filled the sky. The moment he stepped into Cailian Town's bounds, it became so dark he could not see his hand in front of his face.
Tap.
Yang He's eyelids twitched violently. The Daoist child's Yang Fire was on the verge of going out.
"To ghosts, someone whose Yang Fire has gone out is no longer human, but a lamb awaiting slaughter—the most delicious food."
Yang He rubbed his chin and sighed inwardly. Either he could hope Grandmaster Taiyi would come to the rescue.
Or he could simply... recoup his losses?
"Hmm, it seems recouping my losses and relying on a powerful backer don't conflict, do they?"
Before you continue