Anhu City, in an unremarkable courtyard.
A pale-faced, petite woman was tying straw into a scarecrow like a peasant woman.
Her hands were very deft. In just a moment, a lifelike scarecrow appeared in the courtyard.
The scarecrow was roughly over seven feet tall, wearing a bamboo hat and draped in a black cloak. Fine, dense straw had been bound into a face, and the woman had even used red ink to draw its features—only those features gave off an extremely eerie feeling.
They were clearly smiling features, yet they made a chill crawl down one's spine.
After finishing the scarecrow, the woman did not stop. She took out a small black banner and a talisman, shaking the little banner while muttering under her breath.
"The nether road opens, the blood river parts; the City of Wrongful Deaths breaks, and lonely souls come! Scorched-soul straw stalks raise the spirit altar; seven apertures open wide to draw the soul-womb in!"
A thick mass of Ghost Qi gathered on the small banner. In an instant, she flung out the talisman in hand.
"Hah!"
Wrapped in Ghost Qi, the talisman landed on the scarecrow, then integrated into the scarecrow like a cloud of water vapor.
The next moment, the scarecrow that had originally been a dead object suddenly opened a pair of crimson eyes.
"Hehehe, soul threads bind, spirit threads pull; hundred joints and thousand bones obey my words!"
"Rebirth Copper Coin suppresses the heart meridians, Soul-Devouring Nails pierce through the seven souls and seal them shut!"
The woman once again flung out a copper coin and several black nails, driving them into the scarecrow.
The scarecrow let out a beastlike roar, and its ferocious face gradually calmed.
"Not bad, not bad. My Yin Soul Puppet Technique is finally complete! Haha~~"
The woman