Call-Sound Ghost

It was the Call-Sound Ghost!

Zheng Que realized what was happening, and his brows knitted together. Last night, the Call-Sound Ghost had only been able to enter his room after he answered it.

Today, it no longer needed him to answer. It could barge right in!

He lowered his eyes to the empty space beside the bed. The shoes he had taken off when he climbed in were still lying there, one upright and one upside down.

Yet Zheng Que's expression did not relax in the slightest. He had just seen his remaining lifespan in the Life and Death Book: tonight, at the hour of the Pig!

If what was written in the Life and Death Book was true, then the moment the hour of the Pig arrived, he would die at the hands of this Call-Sound Ghost!

"Disciple, come out! Come out now!"

"Master remembers your scent. You can't escape!"

The familiar voice kept calling, drawing closer and closer. In the blink of an eye, it was right beside him.

Suddenly, Zheng Que felt the end of the bed sink. The setting sun flooded the room with an especially bright light. He stared wide-eyed, but couldn't see a thing. And yet, one bloody footprint after another was appearing on the bedding at the foot of the bed.

The footprints moved steadily, coming straight toward him with unmistakable purpose.

The Call-Sound Ghost had found him!

Zheng Que jolted in alarm, then reacted at once. He raised his hand and punched toward the bloody footprints.

Whoosh!

His fist struck something cold and soft, like a mass of fog. There was little resistance; his fist passed straight through it.

Zheng Que froze. He had no idea whether he had hit the ghost or missed. The next instant, a fierce wave of sinister chill swept over him, rushing straight at his face.

In that split second, Zheng Que was chilled to the bone. A murderous coldness crashed over him like a bucket of ice and snow, enveloping him completely.

He knew that deathly chill all too well. Without the slightest hesitation, he rolled away toward the head of the bed.

Swish...

Zheng Que immediately felt a chill on his left cheek. Warm blood trickled down his face.

His body's hairs stood on end a moment too late. If he had dodged even a little slower, he would be a headless corpse now!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

A sinister wind howled through the room. The bloody footprints on the bed suddenly sped up and lunged toward Zheng Que.

There was no time to think. He sprang to his feet and kicked at the spot where the bloody footprints had appeared.

Whoosh!

Just like before, Zheng Que felt his leg pass through a patch of cold, sinister fog. It struck nothing else.

His kick missed. He hurriedly jumped off the bed.

Thud!

As soon as Zheng Que landed, he saw the bloody footprints on the bed chasing after him.

But the moment they touched the floor, the footprints vanished.

At once, he felt a gust of sinister wind rush at him. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of him!

Zheng Que hurriedly dodged sideways, but a sharp pain burst in his chest. A foot-long gash had been torn across it. His tattered clothes revealed torn flesh, and blood gushed out.

At the same time, he punched toward the spot where he had just been.

His fist whistled through a cold, sinister gust and struck nothing solid.

Before Zheng Que could pull his hand back, a fierce, icy chill instantly wrapped around his arm.

Then came a piercing pain, as if something had clamped down hard on him. Spots of blood appeared out of nowhere.

Zheng Que's face went pale, and he urgently flung his arm to the side.

Just then, his injured arm seemed to strike something solid. With that force, whatever had been biting him was flung away.

Bang!

A dull thud rang out, as if some heavy object had hit the floor, but nothing was visible to the naked eye.

"Ah!!!"

A shrill scream suddenly rang through the air.

"Disciple, you hurt your master!"

"Disciple! You're dead!"

The low, hoarse voice echoed through the room.

The sinister energy inside surged sharply. As cold spread through the room, the temperature plummeted, and frost began to form across the floor.

Looking at the scene, Zheng Que immediately understood. Blood!

Ordinary punches and kicks passed straight through the Call-Sound Ghost's body.

Only a cultivator's blood could truly hurt it!

His thoughts racing, Zheng Que quickly rubbed blood from the wound on his chest onto his other hand.

Just then, he felt the sinister wind rush at him again. He immediately swung his blood-smeared fist.

Thump!

Unlike his previous attacks, this time Zheng Que clearly felt himself hit something!

"Ahhhhhhh!"

A piercing wail rang out. The Call-Sound Ghost seemed to have been badly hurt.

Seeing that his attacks worked, Zheng Que stopped playing defense. He threw another punch toward the direction of the voice.

Thump!

This time, the impact felt even more distinct, as if he had smashed something to pieces!

"Stop! Stop..."

"Don't hit me..."

The low, hoarse voice sounded again, but Zheng Que had no intention of listening. He pressed his advantage and unleashed a flurry of punches toward the voice.

Clang, bang, thud...

After more than a dozen punches, a bloodstained outline gradually appeared in the air before him.

It was a humanoid figure about as tall as an ordinary person. Its head was bald, with five crooked mouths growing across it. Each mouth was a long, ragged slit, as though they might split the head into five unequal pieces. Its scarlet lips moved and gaped, revealing rows of fine, sharp teeth.

In the gaps between the mouths grew seventeen ears, each larger than a human ear and facing a different direction.

It had no hair, eyes, eyebrows, or nose. In place of its arms were a pair of sharp claws. Only its feet still resembled a human's.

Bang!!!

Zheng Que punched again, landing squarely on the head of the bloodstained figure.

The next instant, the figure toppled stiffly to the ground. Its mouths wriggled rapidly a few times, as if it wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Soon, it fell completely still.

Was it over?

After that burst of effort, Zheng Que was exhausted, panting hard. He wiped more blood onto his wound, then prepared to go over and deliver another blow to the Call-Sound Ghost.

Just then, the ghost's outline suddenly melted away and vanished.

The blood smeared across its body, no longer clinging to anything, all fell to the floor.

The sinister energy lingering in the room dispersed without a trace.

Before Zheng Que could react, the scene before his eyes changed. The dilapidated Wide Hall appeared once more.

Once again, he sat in the Grandmaster Chair with its broken leg. The open Life and Death Book lay on the long table before him. Its first page had been completely blank except for his name, but now new, strange writing had appeared beneath it...