Smack, smack, smack...
"Human brat! Wake up!"
"Wake up!"
After an unknown amount of time, Zheng Que vaguely heard a voice and felt a dull ache in his face.
He opened his eyes groggily. Darkness filled his vision. Qing Li was leaning over him, and the moment she realized he was awake, she pulled back her pale hand.
Yin energy churned all around them, as if everything were veiled by black gauze. The temperature had plummeted, as though winter had arrived early. The Yin energy was denser than ever before.
Zheng Que snapped fully awake and shot upright.
"What time is it?" He quickly looked around and hurriedly asked.
He needed to know how long he had been unconscious.
How much time remained before his lifespan ran out at the hour of the Pig?
As he spoke, Zheng Que got out of bed and strode toward the door.
Qing Li immediately followed him, replying, "It's almost the hour of the Pig."
"A lot of ghosts have come outside. They must be here for you, human brat."
"You dying is a small matter, but getting your granny punished along with you would be a disaster!"
"Your granny already sensed them. There are the fewest ghosts to the southwest."
"In a bit, you can escape through there..."
Creak!
Zheng Que yanked open the temple door. A cold wind laden with dense Yin energy rushed at him, as if instantly draping layer upon layer of gauze over his vision.
The courtyard was empty, overgrown with wild grass, its old trees standing tall, just as always.
Night had fully fallen. Not a sound stirred in the darkness; the silence was deathly.
He immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly looked toward the courtyard wall. In the faint moonlight, all manner of bizarre ghosts crowded along its top, their countless eyes staring unblinkingly into the courtyard.
Yin energy swirled around them, gathering like black clouds. Most were at the fifth or sixth level of [Tongue-Pulling Hell], and a few were at the seventh.
Though they were numerous, all remained silently outside the courtyard, apparently wary of something and reluctant to enter.
Zheng Que knew the ghosts didn't dare come in because the ruined temple held the aura his master had left behind.
If he had been cultivating at home this time... then while he'd been unconscious, these ghosts would already have stormed in!
"Are these ghosts the calamity I have to face tonight?"
"No!"
"To kill every living person in the town at the same time, these ghosts alone wouldn't be enough!"
His thoughts raced. Without the slightest hesitation, Zheng Que formed a rapid string of complicated hand seals.
Behind him, Qing Li instantly turned into a streak of blood-red light and merged into his arm. Black-and-white markings appeared, and soon Qing Li's head grew from the side of his neck.
[Spirit Descent Technique]!
Feeling the power welling inside him, Zheng Que knew that when he'd used this technique at the first layer of Qi Refining, it had raised his strength to the level of the second or third layer. Now, his own cultivation had reached the second layer of Qi Refining, while Qing Li had reached the fifth level of [Tongue-Pulling Hell]!
Using the technique now, he could clearly feel that the power within him had reached a terrifying level.
But there was no time to savor it.
The instant the technique took effect, Zheng Que charged out the door.
Bang!
Zheng Que burst from the courtyard and sprinted toward the town's entrance.
"Roar!!!"
The many ghosts hunched over the courtyard wall, peering inside, saw Zheng Que leave the ruined temple and immediately let out a chorus of hoarse roars. Then they all chased after him.
Pale moonlight outlined the streets. The familiar houses were now crawling with all kinds of grotesque figures. Yin energy surged around them as they wandered and clambered everywhere like centipedes after a rain.
The entire town seemed to have sunk into a cloud of black fog. Dense, almost tangible Yin energy filled the streets and alleys, while ghostly silhouettes drifted through the mist like mayflies.
Sensing a living person, a ghost covered in stitched seams immediately blocked the middle of the street, cutting off Zheng Que's path.
Its body had been divided into eight pieces and haphazardly sewn together with black thread. Its head was where its arms should have been, its legs were made of five or six bloodied ribs, and its torso was a grotesque fusion of a buttocks and a head...
Its only claw reached out from its chest and swiped viciously at Zheng Que.
Tap, tap, tap...
Zheng Que didn't slow down at all. His left arm suddenly swelled, striking first despite moving second, and punched the ghost in the head.
Bang!
The ghost staggered from the blow. The instant it lost its balance, its claw missed Zheng Que and struck the empty ground beside him.
Zheng Que had no intention of getting tangled up with it. After landing his hit, he swiftly dashed past and kept running at full speed.
Just then, a half-human, half-beast ghost on a nearby rooftop let out a rasping croak, leaped down, and pounced on Zheng Que.
The ghost was bright red all over, without a scrap of skin. Its exposed muscles trembled, constantly oozing purplish-black blood. Its face twitched spasmodically as it muttered hoarsely, as if reliving the torment of its life every moment. In its hand, it carried a pale yellow sack—which, on closer inspection, was its own skin!
It was astonishingly fast. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Zheng Que. Its mouth gaped open, revealing sharp fangs, and it lunged to bite him.
Zheng Que's gaze sharpened. A thick hemp rope appeared out of nowhere and instantly cinched around the Skinning Ghost's neck.
The next moment, the Skinning Ghost was hoisted into the air.
Before Zheng Que could keep running, great clumps of hair suddenly appeared on the ground, thick strands swiftly wrapping around his legs.
His expression unchanged, Zheng Que immediately fixed his gaze on the hair at his feet.
In a flash, he used Qing Li's Yin Profession to disable one of the ghost's abilities.
At once, all the strands tangled around Zheng Que's legs went limp, no longer able to restrain him.
Zheng Que wrenched hard, snapping every strand. But he had barely run a few steps before the ghosts behind him caught up, surging toward him from all sides.
Zheng Que furrowed his brow and immediately sliced open his palm. Spirit blood brimming with Yang Energy welled up, like a spark flaring in the darkness. He swept his arm, scattering the blood through the air like a vast net that spread over the ghosts behind him.
Then he formed a hand seal. The spirit blood behind him turned to mist, rose into the air, and swept toward the nearby ghosts.
This was [Ghost Controlling Technique]!
Apparently sensing the threat of the spirit blood, the ghosts charging from behind scattered in every direction, avoiding the area shrouded by the blood mist.
Taking advantage of the opening, Zheng Que halted the technique and instantly stretched out both arms. In the blink of an eye, they swept across the street and grabbed the corner of a distant house's courtyard.
His legs exploded with force as he leaped into the air, while his outstretched arms rapidly contracted.
In an instant, Zheng Que shot away like a pellet launched from a slingshot...
All of this happened in just a few short breaths.
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