Ancient House Oil Lamp Guards the Long Night, Rare Blood Palm Fist Battles Yao Wind

That bone-chilling discomfort seemed to be dispelled somewhat by the Vast Qi.

Then, Chen Duan took off the pack from his back, which contained the blood food and dried meat he had prepared.

He then proceeded to help himself to a large portion.

"Gentlemen, would you care to join me?"

"No, thank you for the offer."

Wu Sheng offered a strained smile as he politely declined, though he marveled inwardly.

Chen Duan was truly fearless, still having the leisure to eat with such malevolent spirits lurking around?

Yun Ruzhou, standing beside him, also frowned, somewhat displeased. Why would Chen Duan choose to eat now, of all times?

However, he didn't voice his objection.

After all, Chen Duan was the main combatant. If he were to weaken due to hunger, it would ultimately endanger Yun Ruzhou's life.

"You two, do you prefer fists or weapons?"

"Fists."

"Same here."

"Good, extend your hands."

Yun Ruzhou smeared some of his blood onto both their hands. His body weakened further, becoming even more listless.

Wu Sheng looked at the blood on his hand. "Daoist Yun, didn't you say earlier that this blood could hardly harm malevolent spirits?"

"My blood isn't meant to harm the malevolent spirits for you, but to help you resist their counterattacks. However, its effect is limited and won't last long. Whether you can heavily injure that thing primarily depends on your strength."

Malevolent spirits might sound terrifying, but once you understand their characteristics, they're not so bad.

Hurting them isn't the problem; the difficulty lies in avoiding their counterattacks.

Yun Ruzhou himself was powerless, and it was only thanks to his Rare Blood that he dared to gamble with these two.

He could only hope these two fellows had some real skills.

Whuuush!

The cold wind outside the courtyard grew more piercing, whipping vast amounts of snow into the air.

Yet, strangely, as the snow approached the courtyard, it seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier, and not a single snowflake landed within.

The sky completely darkened.

The three men sat around a stone table in the courtyard. The only light source on the table was an ancient oil lamp.

The lamp's light barely dispelled the surrounding darkness, making the shadows further away seem deeper, as if something were stirring.

The flame flickered weakly, casting long shadows.

Suddenly!

The lamp flame shook violently, flickering erratically.

"They're here!"

Yun Ruzhou grunted, clutching the lock of hair in his hand.

"The hair is with me, so it will prioritize attacking me. You two, use this opportunity to attack it!"

Wu Sheng and Chen Duan rose almost simultaneously, flanking Yun Ruzhou like guardian deities.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of loud bangs echoed as the doors of the side rooms were simultaneously slammed open.

"Eastward!"

Yun Ruzhou roared.

Without hesitation, Wu Sheng shifted his stance, his palm slicing like a blade towards the empty darkness.

His palm actually met resistance, and a force repelled him. Even though Wu Sheng was prepared, his feet slipped slightly, shifting his position.

At the same time, an "abnormality" attempted to invade his body through his arm.

However, a portion of the "Rare Blood" on his hand vanished, blocking this "abnormality" from entering.

"Don't let your guard down, this is just the beginning. It hasn't even condensed a physical form yet," Yun Ruzhou quickly warned.

"Southwest!"

This time, it was Chen Duan's turn to act.

He had been poised for action, twisting his waist and unleashing a powerful punch towards the southwest corner.

The punch stirred the air.

However, as his fist passed through, the area remained empty, with no feedback of hitting a solid object.

Chen Duan frowned slightly.

In that brief moment, he had distinctly sensed a killing intent, but after his fist was thrown, the feeling inexplicably vanished.

"Northeast!"

"Southeast!"

"Due East!"

Yun Ruzhou's voice rang out repeatedly, his tone growing more urgent.

Wu Sheng attacked frequently, sometimes with palms, sometimes with fists. Each strike made him feel the malevolent spirit's power growing.

The "Rare Blood" protection on his hands had unknowingly been consumed by more than half.

At this moment, Yun Ruzhou also sensed something was wrong. Aside from the first attack, why were all subsequent attacks targeting Wu Sheng?

"You two, switch positions immediately!" he commanded decisively.

"Alright!"

Although Wu Sheng didn't understand why, the continuous defense had already disrupted his breathing. Switching with Chen Duan would give him a chance to catch his breath.

However.

"Southwest!"

"Due West!"

"Northwest!"

The attacks still locked onto Wu Sheng.

"This..."

Yun Ruzhou was also stunned.

"Wu Sheng! Did you pick up something too?"

"Absolutely not!" Wu Sheng replied immediately, his tone incredibly certain.

The "Rare Blood" on his hands was about to be completely consumed, yet the malevolent spirit seemed to have fixated on him, relentlessly pursuing him.

"Damn it, what is going on?"

Yun Ruzhou's gaze flickered towards Chen Duan, who had been relatively idle, and a guess began to form in his mind.

"Master Chen, take this!"

He handed the lock of hair in his hand to Chen Duan.

The lock of hair changed hands.

Another gust of cold wind blew.

This time, Chen Duan felt a direct killing intent.

"It's finally here!"

Instead of fear, Chen Duan was delighted. This time, he didn't throw a punch. Instead, he spread his arms and embraced the direction from which the cold wind was attacking.

A dull thud.

Chen Duan's embrace directly revealed a dark, shadowy figure.

The figure had no facial features, only a silhouette, exuding an ominous aura.

"It's taken physical form, hurry and attack!" Yun Ruzhou shouted urgently.

Seeing this, Wu Sheng immediately channeled his internal energy, preparing to assist.

However, just as he moved.

Chen Duan's bones and muscles chimed all over. He circulated his "Vast Qi" and put force into his arms.

The black figure let out a sharp howl, black energy surging around it. Under Chen Duan's embrace, it instantly dissipated, turning into wisps of smoke that vanished without a trace.

Huh? It's resolved just like that?

Chen Duan himself was somewhat surprised. Did this Vast Qi really have such a miraculous effect?

Wu Sheng and Yun Ruzhou's faces were also filled with bewilderment.

That's it?

Could this Chen Duan also possess some kind of special physique?

Yun Ruzhou couldn't help but wonder.

However, the doubt in his heart was quickly replaced by a strong sense of unease.

Another violent gust of wind arose from nowhere, kicking up dust from the ground and nearly extinguishing the lamp.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The courtyard gate was struck by something heavy at this moment, emitting a deafening sound.

"No, it's not dead! It's trying to escape, stop it quickly!" Yun Ruzhou's face changed drastically.

He could vaguely sense the Rare Blood he had drawn on the courtyard wall being rapidly consumed.

Chen Duan reacted with lightning speed. As soon as Yun Ruzhou finished speaking, he pushed off with his legs, causing the bricks to crack slightly, and shot towards the main gate like an arrow.

He reached out with both hands again, and sure enough, he grabbed another intangible entity.

Vast Qi was then activated.

However, the Malevolent Spirit seemed to have learned its lesson. Before the Vast Qi could erode it, it actively dispersed.

But at the same moment.

BOOM!

Chen Duan and the two who were rushing towards the gate turned their heads sharply. They saw that the eastern wall had been broken open, creating a large hole.

The three of them walked out of the courtyard through the hole. Yun Ruzhou looked at the surrounding walls; the Rare Blood he had drawn on them had all been erased.

Snowflakes fell on the two of them, and a brief silence ensued.

Until Yun Ruzhou broke the silence.

"Damn it! That bastard actually used a diversion tactic?"

Yun Ruzhou slapped his thigh in anger and cursed loudly.