The strange shadow's enraged, startled shriek pierced the eardrums like a peal of thunder.
Several ghosts inside the inn who were closer to the strange shadow seemed to have been struck by an invisible force. Their ghostly faces were covered in expressions of pain and despair.
Fan Wu watched helplessly as those unlucky ghosts were directly shaken until their souls scattered by an invisible force!
Of course, Fan Wu was not worried about those unlucky ghosts.
The only thing he cared about now was the three words spoken by the strange shadow—Great Venerable!!!
How could this possibly be connected?
Fan Wu's entire body went numb!
The strange shadow before him was actually connected to that so-called "Great Venerable."
Could that mean...
It was in league with Xuan Shizi?
The strange shadow had recognized him. Didn't that mean the Great Venerable had set its sights on him?
Could it be that all those people who worshiped the Great Venerable had received some kind of kill order?
And the primary target on that kill order... couldn't possibly be him, Fan Wu?
Damn!!!
"Blaspheme the Great Venerable... die!!!"
"Leave the item..."
"Leave the person too!!"
The strange shadow's shrieks sent all the ghosts and monsters in the inn into a frenzy.
Horrifying, savage grins spread across their ghostly faces.
The corners of their mouths had literally split all the way to their ears, revealing rows of fangs.
All of their boundless hostility and malice were now focused on him alone.
Even with his sensitive skin, Fan Wu could tell that if he did not slaughter everything here tonight...
he probably would not be able to leave.
Who could have imagined that the strange incident he had stumbled into halfway along the road, and the strange object he had encountered there, would actually be connected to the Great Venerable?
What rotten luck!!
As for Xie Jiuyi behind Fan Wu, he was completely unable to figure out what was happening. He only knew that a casual remark from Fellow Daoist Fan had enraged the other side beyond measure.
Xie Jiuyi, an Imperial Astronomy Bureau Lieutenant, also knew nothing about the "Great Venerable" mentioned by the strange shadow.
However, Xie Jiuyi knew that Fellow Daoist Fan was now on the same side as him.
"Fellow Daoist Fan, you and I..."
"Hm?"
Xie Jiuyi had only just begun speaking when the rest of his sentence was choked off in his throat.
He had suddenly realized that the aura around Fan Wu had completely transformed at this moment.
A terrifying aura, like that of a ferocious beast, spread outward from Fan Wu.
Xie Jiuyi, standing closest to Fan Wu...
nearly stopped breathing!
Xie Jiuyi's eyes widened as he stared at Fan Wu's broad, towering back.
Only then did he realize...
This Fellow Daoist Fan from an unknown monastery was even stronger than he had imagined!
Although that aura was not directed at Xie Jiuyi,
he still felt a chill run through his heart!
Fan Wu did not care what Xie Jiuyi thought.
Under the reflection of the dim green candlelight, the Demon-Slaying Sword in his hand radiated a bleak, chilling gleam that would make both humans and ghosts tremble with fear!
Fan Wu had already stripped off the cumbersome Daoist robe draped over him.
Only a slightly thin yet well-fitting undergarment remained.
That undergarment outlined each bulging muscle on his body with perfect clarity.
His calm eyes stared straight at the dozens of ghosts and monsters ahead.
There was not the slightest trace of fear in his heart.
His surging blood energy blazed like fire, while his vigorous yang energy—far greater than an ordinary person's—burned like the blazing sun. Even the terrifying, savage grins of the agitated evil ghosts stiffened on their ghostly faces.
They actually revealed traces of fear!!
"Blaspheme the Great Venerable... die!!!"
The strange shadow continued repeating those words, but its voice now layered over itself like a twisted, distorted recording.
An indescribable power descended upon every evil ghost inside the inn.
The traces of fear that had just appeared on the evil ghosts' faces instantly collapsed.
In their place emerged a madness that seemed to have robbed them of reason!
The dozens of evil ghosts acted as though they could not see the Demon-Slaying Sword's chilling gleam, as though they could not see the surging blood energy around Fan Wu.
One after another...
they all lunged forward like mad!
They wanted to tear Fan Wu to pieces!!!
[The Wrongfully Dead Hanged Ghost—Life: 110—Strength: 3.2—Skill: Life-Seizing Rope]
This was the evil ghost closest to Fan Wu, and it charged toward him at the very front.
Under the illumination of the ghostly green candlelight, the scene appeared even more sinister!
And even more terrifying!
The next second—
Sword light flashed!
Before the hanged ghost rushing at Fan Wu could even step within one pace of him, the Demon-Slaying Sword cleaved it in two from a vicious angle.
The hanged ghost's [Life] attribute was emptied in the blink of an eye.
It did not even have time to let out a single wail before it transformed into specks of ghostly light and scattered into the world.
Its soul had been utterly destroyed!
[You successfully killed "The Wrongfully Dead Hanged Ghost." Congratulations, you have obtained Free Attribute Points: 0.2 points!]
Fan Wu felt that this sword strike had taken very little effort, and his sword had moved far faster than before.
This definitely was not because he had added points.
The four attribute points he had obtained from killing Xuan Shizi were still sitting untouched in the panel.
The reason he wielded his sword more smoothly than ever...
was because he had previously obtained a skill called Star Constellation Sword Art from Xuan Shizi.
It had granted him peerless swordsmanship!
Fan Wu took strange, distinctive steps and charged to meet the wave of evil ghosts!
In his eyes, these evil ghosts were all attribute points!
Since this trouble could not be avoided this time...
Fan Wu decided to cut his way through them!
His bulging, muscular arms gripped the absurdly long Demon-Slaying Sword, making him seem to transform into a harvesting machine. In the blink of an eye, several more evil ghosts were cleaved in two!
All of this happened within two breaths. Four or five relatively weak evil ghosts had already fallen beneath Fan Wu's sword.
Such overwhelming strength left Xie Jiuyi behind him clicking his tongue in amazement!
He discovered that he had still underestimated Fan Wu...
With only a few quick strikes, Fan Wu could annihilate several evil ghosts without suffering the slightest injury!
What kind of profound cultivation was this?!!
Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery? How had he never heard of a monastery capable of producing a Daoist this powerful?
Could it be some hidden monastery?
Countless thoughts flashed through Xie Jiuyi's mind, but he was not simply standing at the back watching the show.
At some point, he had drawn out two talismans with yellow backgrounds and red characters. He held one talisman in each hand, then brought both hands together and formed a seal. Following the movements of his fingers, the two talismans were clenched into a ball.
Xie Jiuyi's cultivation was clearly not shallow. Unlike Yang Yizi, he did not need to chant a long spell to mobilize the magical power within his body.
He merely uttered in a low voice, "Grand Supreme Elder Lord, teach me to slay ghosts!"
The next instant—
The two talismans clenched in his hand burst into dazzling golden light. A beam of golden light shot out like an arrow loosed from a bowstring and pierced through two evil ghosts in the blink of an eye!
The two evil ghosts let out shrill cries together and were nailed firmly to the inn wall by that beam of golden light.
They could only struggle symbolically for a moment.
Then they turned into green smoke.
And vanished without a trace.
Xie Jiuyi's ability to slay ghosts was not to be underestimated.
After all, he was an Imperial Astronomy Bureau Lieutenant. As a Lieutenant, he already counted as a grassroots official within the Imperial Astronomy Bureau.
As for why this Lieutenant had not brought the people under his command along on the journey...
Perhaps it was because the item the Imperial Astronomy Bureau had to transport was special.
It required concealing their identities.
They needed to keep a low profile.
Unfortunately...
That seemed to have been useless.
This time, Xie Jiuyi had still run into highway robbers. And the ones robbing him were not humans, but ghosts!
Moreover, the number of ghosts...
was enough to make his scalp go numb!
"There are too many..." Xie Jiuyi exhaled. He had already gone all out and destroyed several formidable evil ghosts in a short time, but his efficiency was still too low.
Furthermore, as he continuously expended the magical power within his body, the cold sweat beading on his forehead grew heavier and heavier.
His stamina was also rapidly draining.
"I wonder how Fellow Daoist Fan is doing... Hiss!!" Xie Jiuyi had just condensed his magical power and struck away an evil ghost that lunged at him when he stole a glance at Fan Wu's side.
The moment he looked over...
he sucked in a breath of cold air!
His eyes went wide!
"He... is he really human?"
Xie Jiuyi was so stunned that he stood there dumbfounded, his mind nearly crashing.
Before you continue