Ancient Residence's Oil Lamp Guarding the Long Night, Rare Blood and Fists Battling the Demon Wind

That cold, gloomy discomfort really did seem to be dispelled somewhat by the Righteous Qi.

Chen Duan then took off the bundle from his back. Inside were dried Blood Food strips of meat he had prepared beforehand.

Immediately afterward, he actually began wolfing them down by himself.

"Would you two like some?"

"No need. Thank you for the offer."

Wu Sheng forced out a smile and declined, secretly clicking his tongue in astonishment.

Chen Duan's nerve was truly enormous. With Evil Spirits lurking all around, he still had the leisure to eat?

Daoist Yun, standing nearby, also frowned, somewhat displeased. Why had Chen Duan not eaten earlier or later, but chosen this exact moment?

Still, he did not stop him.

After all, Chen Duan was essentially their force of arms. If going hungry left him lacking in strength, it would ultimately be Daoist Yun's life that was endangered.

"Do you two usually fight with your fists and feet, or with weapons?"

"Fists."

"Same."

"Good. Hold out your hands."

Daoist Yun smeared his own blood across their hands. His body was drained a little further, and he became even more listless.

Wu Sheng looked at the blood on his hand. "Daoist Yun, didn't you say earlier that this blood couldn't injure Evil Spirits?"

"My blood isn't helping you fight the Evil Spirits. It's helping you resist their backlash. Its effect is limited and won't last long. Whether you can heavily injure that thing will mainly depend on your own strength."

Evil Spirits sounded terrifying, but once one understood their characteristics, they were nothing extraordinary.

Injuring them was not the problem. The difficult part was avoiding their backlash.

Daoist Yun himself could not even truss a chicken, and it was only because of this Rare Blood that he dared to gamble everything on the two of them.

He only hoped that these two fellows beside him had some True Skill.

Wuuu!

The cold wind outside the courtyard grew increasingly shrill, whipping heavy snow into a sky-wide dance.

Yet strangely, apart from the wind, the snow seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier whenever it neared the courtyard. Not a single snowflake could fall inside.

The sky had darkened completely.

The three of them sat around the stone table in the courtyard. The only source of light on the table was an antique Oil Lamp.

The Oil Lamp's glow barely dispelled the surrounding darkness, yet it made the shadows farther away seem even deeper, as if something were stirring restlessly within them.

The flame trembled weakly, stretching their shadows long.

Suddenly!

The flame shook violently and began flickering erratically.

"It's here!"

Daoist Yun shouted in a low voice, tightening his grip on the strand of hair in his hand.

"The hair is in my hand, so it'll attack me first. Use this chance to strike it!"

Wu Sheng and Chen Duan rose almost simultaneously, one on either side, protecting Daoist Yun between them like door gods.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several sounds rang out in succession as the doors of the side rooms were violently flung open at the same time.

"Due east!"

Daoist Yun roared.

Wu Sheng did not hesitate. He shifted his body slightly, shaped his palm like a blade, and slashed horizontally into that empty darkness.

The edge of his palm actually met the sensation of a solid object. A force rebounded against him. Though Wu Sheng had been prepared, the impact still made his feet slide slightly, shifting him a fraction.

At the same time, an "abnormality" tried to flow along his arm and invade his body.

However, some of the Rare Blood on his hand vanished, blocking the "abnormality" outside.

"Don't let your guard down. This is only the beginning. It hasn't even condensed a physical form yet." Daoist Yun hurriedly warned him.

"Southwest!"

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

He had long since gathered his strength. Twisting at the waist and hips, he slammed a domineering heavy punch toward the southwest corner.

The force of his punch roared through the air.

Yet wherever his fist passed, it was still utterly empty. There was no feedback of having struck anything solid.

Chen Duan's brows drew together slightly.

In that instant just now, he had clearly sensed a trace of Killing Intent. But the moment his fist was thrown, that feeling had strangely vanished.

"Northeast!"

"Southeast!"

"Due east!"

Daoist Yun's voice rang out repeatedly, growing increasingly urgent.

Wu Sheng struck again and again, sometimes with his palm and sometimes with his fist. Each time, he could feel the Evil Spirit's strength growing.

The layer of Rare Blood protecting his hand had unknowingly already been consumed by more than half.

Daoist Yun also sensed that something was wrong. Apart from the first attack, why had every subsequent attack by this Evil Spirit been aimed at Wu Sheng?

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

"Fine!"

Wu Sheng did not understand why, but the repeated defenses had left his breathing slightly disordered. Switching with Chen Duan would give him a chance to catch his breath.

However.

"Southwest!"

"Due west!"

"Northwest!"

The attacks continued to lock onto Wu Sheng.

"This..."

Daoist Yun was stunned as well.

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

"Absolutely not!" Wu Sheng answered at once, his tone utterly certain.

The Rare Blood on his hand was visibly about to run out, yet the Evil Spirit seemed to have singled him out and was relentlessly hounding him.

"Damn it, what is this supposed to be?"

Daoist Yun's eyes flickered as he looked toward Chen Duan, who had remained leisurely the entire time. A suspicion rose in his heart.

"Master Chen, take this!"

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

The strand of hair changed hands.

Another Yin Wind swept past.

This time, Chen Duan felt the Killing Intent head-on.

"Finally!"

Chen Duan was not startled but delighted. This time, he did not throw a punch. Instead, he spread his arms and embraced the direction from which the Yin Wind had attacked.

A muffled thud rang out.

With that embrace, Chen Duan directly caught a pitch-black human figure.

The figure had no facial features, only an outline, and radiated an ominous aura.

"It has taken physical form! Attack, quickly!" Daoist Yun shouted urgently.

Seeing this, Wu Sheng immediately forced his inner strength into action and moved forward to assist.

However, just as he moved—

Every tendon and bone in Chen Duan's body rang out in unison. As the Righteous Qi circulated, he exerted force with both arms.

The black figure let out a sharp, shrill howl. Black Qi churned around its body, and beneath Chen Duan's embrace, it instantly collapsed, turning into several wisps of smoke that vanished without a trace.

Huh? It was solved just like that?

Even Chen Duan himself was somewhat surprised. The Righteous Qi truly had such miraculous effects?

Wu Sheng and Daoist Yun were equally dumbfounded.

That was it?

Could Chen Duan also possess some sort of special constitution?

Daoist Yun could not help guessing.

Yet the question in his heart was soon replaced by an intense sense of unease.

Another violent gale sprang from nowhere, sweeping up the dust on the ground and blowing the Oil Lamp's flame until it nearly went out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The courtyard gate now sounded as if some heavy object were slamming into it, producing ear-splitting booms.

"Not good! It isn't dead. It wants to escape! Stop it, quickly!" Daoist Yun's expression changed dramatically.

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

Chen Duan reacted extremely quickly. The instant Daoist Yun finished speaking, he pushed off with both legs. The bricks cracked slightly, and his body shot toward the gate like an arrow.

He reached forward with both hands again and, sure enough, grabbed another invisible entity.

The Righteous Qi surged into action.

However, the Evil Spirit seemed to have learned its lesson. Before the Righteous Qi could erode it, it dispersed on its own.

But at that same moment—

Boom!

Chen Duan and the other two, who were rushing toward the gate, abruptly turned their heads. They saw that a huge hole had been blasted through the eastern wall.

The three of them walked out of the residence through the hole. Daoist Yun looked at the surrounding walls and saw that all the Rare Blood he had drawn there had been wiped away.

Snowflakes drifted down onto the two of them, and a brief silence fell.

It was not until Daoist Yun broke the silence.

"Damn it all! That bastard actually knows how to feint east while attacking west?"

Daoist Yun angrily slapped his thigh and cursed at the top of his lungs.