Run!

On the street in White Snake Prefecture, Snake Tail County.

It was already night, and the market had long since closed, so the streets were deserted except for Li Qi and Shen Shuibi on horseback, and the old man in brocade robes facing off not far away.

Li Qi raised his head, his expression arrogant. "You're blind, you deserve to be beaten."

He appeared very confident.

Because he knew that this was how he should act now.

The old man's eyes twitched, then he silently put away the jade box, forced a sinister smile, and looked at Li Qi, saying, "Young hero, traveling the world like this can easily lead to trouble on the road."

"I think there are probably very few people in the Great Deer Kingdom who could cause me any trouble," Li Qi said with a smile, showing no fear whatsoever.

"You're only a ninth-rank official, yet you dare to say such things?" The old man in the brocade robe opened the jade box, and suddenly, more than a dozen ghosts poured out of it!

They are all vengeful ghosts.

A horde of ghosts arrived, their ugliness beyond description.

Some had their faces ripped open, exposing bone, and bleeding profusely.

Some had long tongues, disheveled hair like baskets, and hair hanging down to cover their faces.

Some were charred corpses, crackling incessantly, with oil flowing freely from their bodies.

Some were over three zhang tall, dressed in blue robes and white trousers, with stiff, purple skin.

Some had blisters all over their bodies, with pus oozing out and making a hissing sound.

Some had broken bones and tendons, as if they had been beaten to death with wooden sticks, and could only crawl on the ground.

The ghosts appeared, and then they were seen as tiny, flickering lights, like fireflies, appearing in countless numbers in an instant.

A dozen ghosts surrounded Li Qi, flying back and forth around him, sometimes separating and sometimes reuniting, like a scene from purgatory.

Li Qi felt a chill run down his spine, as if his blood was about to freeze.

The scene was not only terrifying, but the pervasive Death Intent and Yin Qi made him feel as if he were suffocating.

Most of these vengeful ghosts were not of the highest rank, but among them, three were actually of the ninth rank!

They are respectively the water ghost, the burning ghost, and the caned ghost.

"Now, do you think I can make sure something happens to you?" The old man in the brocade robe smiled as he looked at Li Qi.

But Li Qi scoffed, "That's it? Not enough!"

After saying that, he activated the divine energy of Shen Tu Yu Lei within his body.

In the vast ocean, there is Mount Dushuo, upon which grows Great Peach Tree, its branches stretching for three thousand miles. To the northeast of its branches lies the Ghost Gate, the place where all ghosts enter and exit. There are two Shentu beings there, one named Yulei, who oversee and command all ghosts. The most wicked ghosts are bound with reed ropes and fed to tigers!

Therefore, in ancient times, Sacred King performed rituals to drive away evil spirits at the right time. They hung peach wood charms on their doors, painted with images of Shentu and Yulei, and hung reed ropes to ward off evil spirits, so that no ghosts could enter their doors!

Shen Tu Yu Lei are gods who devour ghosts!

The two gods' divine aura seemed like a fortress forged in golden light to the evil spirits. In an instant, all the vengeful ghosts swirling around them let out a wail and moved a full three zhang away, not daring to approach.

The old man in the brocade robe immediately turned pale.

But Li Qi dared not make any rash moves.

The two sides were locked in a strange standoff.

The old man in the brocade robe was wary of Li Qi's willow branches and Shen Tu Yu Lei's imposing manner, realizing that this 'young hero' was not someone to be trifled with.

Logically speaking, ninth-rank martial artists are quite afraid of ghosts, because they are not powerful enough to kill ghosts and gods with their Yang Energy or things like 'Fist Intent' or 'Sword Intent'. When faced with ghosts that are illusory and invisible, their ability to resist is not strong.

This is precisely why the old man in the brocade robe had the confidence to face Li Qi.

After all, a ninth-rank martial artist is unlikely to be able to resist three identical ninth-rank ghosts.

But he never expected that this 'young hero' would actually have the ability to subdue ghosts!

He's not a martial artist?

Or does he possess some kind of Law Treasure?

Is that seemingly ordinary willow branch able to fight ghosts because of the divine power of Shen Tu Yu Lei, or is it capable of fighting ghosts on its own?

Where did Shen Tu Yu Lei get their divine aura? Did they cultivate it themselves, or did they possess some kind of treasure?

We don't know anything about it, so we dare not act rashly.

Li Qi was no different. As a Shaman, he knew very well how powerful ghosts were. If one was not careful and let ghost energy pierce into one's body, one would be left with no soul and one's spirit wandering, and would surely die.

He may seem to Shen Tu Yu Lei, but the Shaman are not of any rank!

If he were a ninth-rank Shaman, he would have rushed up immediately and smashed the other person's head. But he was just an unranked Shaman, and he wasn't sure if he could really rely on the Shen Tu Yu Lei to stop these ghosts.

After all, there are three ninth-rank ghosts!

He was actually a little nervous when they all rushed at him.

Both sides hesitated, so they remained frozen in place for a moment.

Shen Shuibi, however, observed for a few seconds, then leaned close to Li Qi's face and whispered, "Ghost Shaman..."

Upon hearing this, Li Qi's spirits lifted!

Then, he raised his head and said loudly, "I have heard that shamans possess Yang Energy, therefore many people in yang lands are shamans. Furthermore, some shamans associate with Ghost Shaman Ghost Shaman. Ghost shamans are likened to nursery rhymes, therefore a truly discerning shaman can determine good or bad fortune. One who can determine good or bad fortune is a follower of good and bad fortune, therefore the demon of Shen Sheng appears among the shamans—"

After Li Qi finished speaking, the old man continued, "This is what shamans are like. Therefore, the words of shamans have no basis. Their pronouncements of good or bad fortune come from their mouths, just like a child's shackles. A child's rhyme is spoken by the mouth, and the meaning of a shaman's words comes from the mouth..."

The two of them were exchanging secret signals.

After exchanging greetings, the two seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and bowed to each other.

But then the old man in the brocade robe opened the jade box, and all the evil spirits were taken into it and put into the box.

Li Qi also withdrew the Shen Tu Yu Lei, returning to normal.

However, Li Qi still held the willow branch in his hand, and the old man did not put down the jade box.

The old man spoke first, asking Li Qi, "You know my background so well, may I ask where you studied, junior brother?"

Li Qi smiled and uttered three words.

"Witch, God, Mountain".

The old man trembled and almost knelt down.

However, he was a ninth-rank official, while Li Qi was not. This difference allowed him to barely keep his knees steady.

"Junior Brother... you're talking nonsense. You could die. Impersonating a disciple of Wushen Mountain will be discovered by the Grand Diviner, and you might be executed on the spot." The old man's tone softened considerably.

"Then, I have said these words for four breaths. Have you seen the Great Diviner become angry, Senior Brother?" Li Qi asked again.

The old man looked him up and down.

Then he bowed deeply, his attitude respectful. "I was unaware of the arrival of the disciples of Wushen Mountain. Please forgive my lack of hospitality, junior brother. Do you have some mission here, junior brother?"

"I was entrusted by Great Shaman to search for someone. I was just passing by and was about to leave when I discovered that you had set up an ambush with ghosts, which led to the conflict," Li Qi said.

"I dare not stop the Great Shaman Envoy. It was my rudeness. Please forgive me. When you come to Snake Tail County next time, I will certainly treat you with great hospitality!" The old man knelt down on both knees and bowed deeply to see him off.

It's not about worshipping Li Qi.

Instead, it was to acknowledge the identity of the Great Shaman's Messenger!

Li Qi said nothing more, kicked the horse's belly with his heel, and the Old Ma immediately took off and sped away.

The old man was left staring in astonishment at the galloping horses, exclaiming, "Dragon Steed!"

Then, he shook his head and muttered, "It's really... a close call."