This girl seemed to have said something that would make her suffer for it.
Lin Tianlu wore a strange expression, but seeing the girl brimming with fighting spirit, he found it inappropriate to interrupt her.
"Hee hee hee~"
A sinister laugh suddenly rang out, echoing through the chilly cellar.
Lin Tianlu's expression turned slightly grim as he shifted his gaze toward the distant female ghost.
Cheng Xinyin was swaying as she rose to her feet again. The wounds on her body were quietly healing as gray energy coiled around her. Even her clothes had been restored to their original state, and her figure was as graceful as that of an elegant young lady—dignified and refined.
"I never expected him to die in such a pathetic manner."
She lifted the scattered strands of her dark hair. Her pretty face was radiant, but her red lips curled into a mocking, icy smile.
"I even divided up most of my yin energy to aid the Ghost Practitioner. Yet with such a foundation in hand, he was actually knocked down by a scholar in just a few blows. Truly, what a useless old bag of bones."
Though she had a beautiful face resembling Cheng Yishi's, her temperament was completely different.
Hua Shuya's expression turned solemn at those words, and she said in a deep voice, "He is still your father, in the end."
"Hah! Father?"
Cheng Xinyin covered her lips and let out two mocking laughs. Her scarlet eyes seemed filled with a bone-piercing chill.
"What qualifications does such an incompetent fool have to be my father?"
She flicked her sleeve, and a large amount of gray energy suddenly rose from Cheng Yanghua's body as he lay in a pool of blood. It gathered into a wind and was sucked into her sleeve in the blink of an eye.
Is this... yin energy and the soul of the dead?
Lin Tianlu was faintly astonished.
"Ah! Yin energy this abundant—what bliss after so long."
Cheng Xinyin threw back her head and sighed. She spread her arms, and the yin energy around her grew increasingly vigorous, as if condensing into a bone-chilling gale that howled through the cellar.
Unnoticed, her figure gradually became indistinct.
Then Cheng Xinyin revealed an enchanting smile at the two of them. "Why don't I send you down to accompany him in death?"
The moment her voice fell, the dark hair fluttering behind her suddenly lengthened at high speed, transforming into countless ribbons that swept toward them!
"Senior, be careful!"
Hua Shuya's eyes narrowed sharply. She hurriedly stepped in front of Lin Tianlu and immediately unleashed one sword technique after another.
Sharp sword-light flashed in waves, severing strand after strand of hair that came hurtling at them.
Cheng Xinyin's figure gradually faded into the shadows and soon vanished completely from the cellar. Yet that bewitching laughter did not cease in the slightest.
Swish—!
Large amounts of silk swirled and intertwined throughout the cellar, linking and stitching themselves together with countless strands of black hair.
In the blink of an eye, the dim cellar seemed to have transformed into a cavern of coiling silk. Pale ribbons covered every inch, while the strands of hair wound around one another layer upon layer, leaving nowhere to slip through.
A faint sheen of sweat appeared on Hua Shuya's brow. Although her swordsmanship had not stopped for even a moment, the strange silk was multiplying far faster than she could cut it down. It came attacking from every direction, seemingly endless!
"Hah!"
She twisted her waist and dodged several sections of silk. Catching a fleeting glimpse of flowing yin energy, she suddenly cried out and thrust her sword.
The keen sword-light instantly sliced through the silk above with ease, and its momentum did not diminish as it cleaved an opening in the top of the cellar.
Only—
"What superb swordsmanship~"
A languid laugh, enchanting to the bone, echoed through the room as a large amount of silk rapidly filled the opening once more.
"It's just a pity that although this swordsmanship is powerful, if you can't hit me, you're merely wasting your strength for nothing."
"Damn it!"
Hua Shuya clenched her silver teeth and swept an unwilling gaze around her.
Although her swordsmanship had forcibly cleared out a patch of safe ground where they could stand, under these circumstances...
She could not find where the enemy was hiding. Even if she kept hacking until tomorrow, it would probably be useless.
Lin Tianlu abruptly reached out and seized a length of silk attacking Hua Shuya from the side, casually tearing it apart.
Hua Shuya's heart trembled at the sight, and she hurriedly forced herself to stay focused.
"Hey—"
But at that moment, Lin Tianlu quickly raised his head and called out loudly, "Are you truly determined to keep resisting?"
"Hmph! You scholar... Don't tell me you think I'll be as easily slain by you as that foolish evil spirit?"
A slightly cold voice echoed through the room. "Even if you possess righteous energy protecting your body and yin energy can hardly invade you, then I'll engage you in a proper battle of attrition and see which side has greater stamina. Even if you possess peerless techniques, don't dream of taking so much as a single step out of this cellar!"
She wants to fight a war of attrition?
Lin Tianlu swept his hand casually, faintly hearing the subtle sound of several strands of hair snapping.
These strands of hair were not illusory phantoms. They were real objects formed from twisted yin energy.
If they rashly charged around, they might be ambushed without realizing it. Moreover, these ribbons and silks were woven and layered over one another, almost completely covering the entire cellar. They could not find any route of retreat at all. This place had already become a demon's lair, and escape was difficult.
As if yin energy were gradually entering her body, Hua Shuya's breathing grew increasingly pronounced, and her complexion gradually paled.
Soon, Cheng Xinyin's mocking voice rang out at the same time.
"How boring. I thought you could resist a little longer."
"Shut up!"
Hua Shuya suddenly swung her sword, severing the silk that attacked her once again.
But yin energy swirled and echoed all around her. Even when she forced herself to concentrate, she still could not distinguish her opponent's position.
"Look at you—you're truly anxious. Could it be that you don't want the handsome scholar beside you to get hurt?"
Cheng Xinyin's voice seemed to seep into her heart, thread by thread, carrying a wicked allure, as if deliberately provoking Hua Shuya's agitation and unease.
"Can you really keep holding out forever? Can you truly... get him out of here?"
The more Hua Shuya listened, the more anxious and self-reproachful she became.
But at that moment, Lin Tianlu quickly patted her shoulder.
"Miss Hua, don't let the voice of an evil creature disturb your mind. When controlling a sword against an enemy, the greatest taboo is throwing yourself into disarray."
"Senior..."
"Silly scholar! What marvelous method do you think you have to contend with me? I observed you carefully just now. You do indeed possess unexpected skill, but what of it?" Cheng Xinyin laughed loudly. "This place is my nest. Every strand of hair and every strip of silk is my body. Don't even think about finding my true form!"
"I'm simply baffled. The Cheng Family has always lived without worry, and even in Changling County, it possesses considerable fame and status. Why would you commit such a cruel and inhuman act?" Lin Tianlu asked calmly. "And you—why did you become such a vicious ghost and bring calamity upon the mortal world?"
"You're asking why—"
Cheng Xinyin's mocking laughter drifted leisurely through the air. "Because it is only right and proper, of course!"
"..."
Lin Tianlu fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "It seems there's no need to continue this exchange."
As soon as his voice fell, he ignored the female ghost's playful taunts and mocking words. Instead, he calmed his mind and swept a cold gaze across his surroundings.
Countless strands of hair and ribbons entered his vision one after another, forming a gray, hazy mist. Yet within that mist, one especially dense mass of fog stood out. It was drifting leisurely beyond the rest.
It's nothing more than a boring game of hide-and-seek.
"Submit to your punishment."
Lin Tianlu's expression was indifferent as he raised his hand and clenched it from afar.
In the next moment, the earth beneath their feet suddenly erupted with mighty Spiritual Energy. It gathered into countless sword-shaped glimmers that instantly chopped apart and shattered every ribbon and strand of hair coiled around them!
A fierce wind rose, suddenly sweeping past Cheng Xinyin's rigid body.
"Ugh—"
Countless fragments of silk exploded into a sky full of scraps, drifting down eerily.
Cheng Xinyin's true form appeared. Her face still held a trace of bewilderment and disbelief, as if she had not realized what had happened.
Only when she lowered her head slightly did she discover in horror that her body... had already been torn into pieces!
"No, impossible—!"
She was instantly terrified beyond measure.
An indescribable fear devoured her entire body, leaving her without the slightest trace of laughter or mockery. She immediately twisted around and tried to flee.
This scholar... He's even more terrifying than I imagined!
But at that moment, a graceful figure slowly appeared in the deep, shadowy corridor.
When Cheng Xinyin saw her from afar, her expression immediately brightened. "Sister!"
The figure slowly emerging from the tunnel was none other than Cheng Yishi, who had been unable to move because of her twisted ankle.
Yet she was carrying a heavy iron axe, dragging it awkwardly along the ground with some difficulty.
"Sister! Save my life! That mad scholar is trying to kill me. Hurry and help me beg for mercy!"
Cheng Xinyin hurriedly rushed forward—
Pfft!
As a cold gleam descended, the female ghost was cleaved in two on the spot by a single swing of the axe.
A trace of bewilderment still remained on her split face, as if she had never expected—
that she would die like this.
Hua Shuya, who had been about to pursue her at full speed, immediately stopped, her expression filled with shock.
Sister attacked her younger sister?
And yin energy is now coiling around this woman's body... Could she be the true mastermind behind everything?!
Even Lin Tianlu wore an astonished expression at that moment. He could only feel the originally sparse yin energy around Cheng Yishi rapidly expanding. That gloomy aura was nearly indistinguishable from that of a fierce ghost!
One step, then two—
Cheng Yishi silently walked over to the two of them and glanced at Cheng Yanghua, who had already bled to death nearby.
Lin Tianlu's eyes narrowed, and his expression turned solemn. "Miss Cheng, are you planning to avenge your father?"
But what happened next left both Lin Tianlu and Hua Shuya stunned.
Clang—!
She casually tossed the heavy giant axe to the ground, her gaze calm.
"—Mister Lin."
Cheng Yishi parted her vermilion lips, then suddenly knelt, lowering her brows as she spoke in a quiet voice.
"Please grant me death."
"..."
Before you continue