Hai Hour Has Arrived.

Next, Zheng Que experienced one familiar yet strange scene after another.

Every time he was on the verge of losing himself, that exceptionally keen perception of death would appear just in time, pulling him back from the edge of the cliff.

In contrast, by the time Qing Li reached the third scene, she had already sunk into it, unable to distinguish who she truly was.

After passing through an unknown number of scenes, Zheng Que found himself kneeling in a dilapidated temple. A low, indifferent voice sounded before him: "Disciple, today, Master shall impart to you a method for preserving your life."

Hearing this, Zheng Que snapped back to his senses and immediately bowed to the grey-robed figure not far away, saying respectfully, "Thank you, Master, for bestowing this technique!"

The voice of Daoist Qu came again: "This technique is called the Spirit Descent Technique. Once cultivated, it allows your shadow to possess your body..."

"Drink this bowl of poisoned wine, and you shall master this art."

As he spoke, an earthenware bowl filled with wine was placed in front of Zheng Que.

Zheng Que picked up the bowl and was about to drain it in one gulp when that sensation of falling into an ice cellar, that terrifying feeling of death looming over him, swept over him once more!

He jolted awake and hurriedly let go.

Clatter!

The earthenware bowl hit the ground and shattered into pieces.

Zheng Que looked up at Daoist Qu, only to see the grey-robed old man's appearance gradually becoming clear. The other party had no body, no flesh and blood, and no legs; there was only a pale, skeletal seven-fingered hand floating silently in mid-air.

Changfu Town, at the town entrance.

Black and white patterns crisscrossed Zheng Que's entire body. The two heads on his neck were both tilted back, staring at the sky, their four gazes equally hollow.

The shadow at his feet shifted rapidly. The originally two-headed figure suddenly split, separating into two shadows that appeared to the left and right of Zheng Que.

The shadow on the left elongated rapidly, and after a series of writhing movements, it transformed into the likeness of Zhao the Second; the shadow on the right began to shrink, its silhouette becoming slender, revealing itself to be Sun Cui'er.

But soon, the shadow on Zheng Que's left flickered again, turning into the appearance of Cui Fugui; the shadow on the right, after violent contractions and expansions, revealed the figure of Cui Ni'er.

Next, the shadows on Zheng Que's left and right sides changed incessantly. The black thread connecting to his shadow grew tighter and tighter, like a bowstring being drawn. In the end, it was pulled into a taut, straight line, radiating an extremely sharp sensation, as if it might snap at any moment.

Just at this moment, the shadow at Zheng Que's feet changed once again.

The shadows on the left and right sides fused together in an instant, transforming into the reflection of a seven-fingered bone hand spread across the ground.

No sooner had this shadow appeared than the thread connecting to Zheng Que's shadow suddenly snapped.

Snap!

Just as the crisp, faint sound rose, Zheng Que's unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened.

Qing Li, resting against the side of his neck, also shook off her dazed expression and regained her senses.

As soon as Zheng Que regained consciousness, he looked at the shadow beneath his feet—long, two-headed, and perfectly normal.

His shadow had not disappeared!

Moreover, the thread connecting his shadow had already been severed!

At that moment, Qing Li's urgent voice rang in his ear: "Human brat, don't just stand there! Run!"

Before Qing Li had even finished speaking, Zheng Que had already lifted his feet, preparing to dash toward the edge of the town once more. However, the next instant...

The bone hand above the town suddenly moved again!

The seven finger bones flicked through the void as if playing an invisible instrument, tapping rapidly. The second finger from the left suddenly extended and pressed down toward Zheng Que.

The Yin Energy lingering throughout the town surged violently in response to the movement of the bone hand, as if a pitch-black, monstrous wave had been whipped up in mid-air. It brought with it a howling wind, dragging a hysterical roar through the streets and alleys of the town.

Amidst the flying sand and stones, Zheng Que's pupils dilated sharply; it felt as if the sky over the entire town were collapsing!

A bone-deep chill rose from his tailbone, and the shriek of death seemed to echo through the ethereal void.

This was the aura of death!

He could feel that if this finger truly pressed down, the entire town would be reduced to dust!

No matter how fast he was, there was no way to escape!

Even if his cultivation were several levels higher, even if he had ten Ghost Servants like Qing Li... under this finger, it would all be meaningless!

This was a desperate, inescapable situation!

A flicker of despair flashed in Zheng Que's eyes, but it quickly transformed into a calm as still as death.

He still had one final trump card he hadn't had the chance to use.

He could immediately perform a second Imperial Edict on Qing Li!

He could try to see if he could make Qing Li's Yin Energy more solidified...

No!

Even if a second Imperial Edict were possible, and even if he could bestow upon Qing Li an official Yin rank higher than Yin Messenger, the massive gap in cultivation meant it would do nothing to change the current situation!

Then, he could try to bestow an Imperial Edict upon himself to see if he could enhance his own strength...

No...

His current cultivation was only at the second level of Qi Refining. Even if the Imperial Edict could be used on a living person, it would be utterly meaningless!

In the blink of an eye, the pale, sinister, and chilling bone finger hanging in mid-air crashed down.

Before the bone finger even touched Zheng Que, its terrifying pressure felt like a severed celestial river pouring down. It pressed upon him so heavily that he could not stand; the ground beneath his feet seemed to turn into brittle pastry, the sound of cracking echoing incessantly as sand and stones surged like a tide.

Rumble...

The earth trembled violently. The entire town seemed to be suffering from a seismic upheaval. Intact buildings, neat streets, and massive trees... at this moment, they were like miniature models, unable to withstand the immense, invisible pressure, collapsing into powder that swirled and churned.

Amidst the deafening roar, a multitude of bizarre ghosts ignored their own conflicts and fled frantically toward the outskirts of the town.

These ghosts were all wreathed in Yin Energy, many of them already reaching the eighth or even ninth level of Tongue-Pulling Hell!

Yet, before this colossal bone hand, every ghost in the town was as small and weak as an ant.

Crack, crack, crack...

The stone tablet not far away emitted a teeth-grinding groan. Several massive cracks appeared on its surface, and the final few incomplete runes flickered out. Amidst the spray of flying stone shards, Zheng Que was pressed to the ground by the terrifying pressure, vomiting blood and unable to stand.

The death trap was set!

Hai Hour had arrived!

However, just as he reached this desperate impasse, Zheng Que suddenly let out a cold laugh. Exerting every ounce of his strength, he reached out and pressed his hand against the Imperial Edict on his forehead.

The next moment, he channeled the last of his spiritual energy, drew out the Imperial Edict, and without a word, pointed it directly at the descending bone hand!

The Imperial Edict, radiating an aura of ancient vicissitudes, transformed into a beam of dim light the moment it appeared, sinking into the bone hand.

Just like when Qing Li stood there in a daze while receiving the enfeoffment, the moment the bone hand received the Imperial Edict, its downward motion froze instantly!

At the same time, the world-destroying pressure emanating from the bone hand vanished into thin air.

This bone hand was currently undergoing enfeoffment!

During the enfeoffment process, its actions had been forcibly interrupted!

"Go!"

Zheng Que roared in a hoarse voice, and immediately after, his vision went black as his consciousness plunged into darkness.

The moment Zheng Que lost consciousness, Qing Li immediately took over control of his body. Without a second of hesitation, she rushed toward the outskirts of the town at top speed!

Meanwhile, the town was in total chaos. From the houses that hadn't yet collapsed and the dust-filled ruins, ghosts thick with Yin Energy continued to emerge. Ignoring everything else, all the ghosts took advantage of the bone hand's stillness to sprint toward the town's edge with all their might.

The bone hand seemed unaware and unfeeling, suspended in mid-air. The descending bone finger remained frozen a few yards above the town, with thousands of threads still hanging down like a waterfall, resembling a painting.