I Killed the Scroll Fairy With My Own Hands

Chen Wan'er was filled with despair, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably as she instinctively turned her head to look.

She saw the row of paper figures beneath the stage instantly explode, paper scraps flying everywhere.

Under the moonlight, a black-robed figure leaped onto the stage, clothes fluttering, a faint golden light shimmering in his eyes.

Chen Wan'er's pupils dilated instantly, the sound of the wind whistling in her ears.

She stared blankly as the man lunged forward, his hand clamping onto the Dan Actor's throat in one swift motion.

The Dan Actor's body stiffened, his face, painted with heavy makeup, twisting in extreme agony.

Lu Yuan's pupils flickered with golden light; he saw at a glance that spiritual power was circulating within the Dan Actor, shooting from his fingertips like threads to manipulate the paper figures.

Not a demon or ghost, but a human!

Veins bulged on the Dan Actor's forehead as he squeezed out a hoarse voice: "Who are you?"

"Where is the night watchman who was watching the play?" Lu Yuan's tone was devoid of any emotion.

"Everyone who has watched my play is dead; do you want their corpses?"

A crystal glow flickered in Lu Yuan's palm. "No wonder you could never become a star."

A three-foot Crystal Spike shot out, instantly piercing from the back of the head through the center of the brow.

The Dan Actor's body stiffened violently, his pupils losing focus, his eyes still frozen in shock and unwillingness.

As he died, the threads of spiritual power snapped one after another, and the paper figures below the stage collapsed in unison, turning into a pile of debris.

Lu Yuan shook the blood from his body and turned to look at Chen Wan'er, who was huddled in the corner of the stage.

It's her?

The girl from the Chen Family in Chixia County, the one targeted by the Blood Demon.

A strange look flashed in Chen Wan'er's eyes as she asked, "I have no way to repay you for saving my life; may I ask your name, sir?"

Lu Yuan did not reveal his identity, only urging her in a low voice: "No need for repayment. It's not safe here; leave quickly."

Chen Wan'er froze for a moment, as if wanting to say more, but Lu Yuan had already turned away, no longer looking at her.

She bit her lip, turned, and ran toward the inn in the county town.

Listening to the sound of footsteps fading into the distance, Lu Yuan looked into the distance; under the night sky, several figures were rushing over at high speed from another direction.

They spread out, surrounding the stage, and the middle-aged man leading them had a sinister face, holding a paper lantern in his hand.

He stepped onto the stage, glanced at the Dan Actor's corpse, then looked at Lu Yuan, his eyes filled with cold malice.

"I don't care who you are; leave this place immediately, and I might still give you a chance to live."

"This stage is a long-term plan of my Longevity Cult, and it serves more than just performing plays. If you don't retreat now, you are making an enemy of the Longevity Cult."

Lu Yuan listened to the man's words, his murderous intent pausing slightly.

Longevity Cult?

A long-term plan?

He had thought it was a demon running wild, but it turned out the Longevity Cult was pulling the strings in the dark!

Lu Yuan raised a hand, and several Crystal Spikes shot out, reflecting the moonlight.

Light trails streaked across the air, the heads of the men beside the stage exploded, and their headless corpses fell straight to the ground.

The sinister look on the middle-aged man's face instantly turned to horror.

"Spiritual power manifesting as crystal! Are you the Blood-Clad Yama Lu Yuan?!!"

His response was a barrage of Crystal Spikes.

Accompanied by the sound of tearing air, the man's limbs were pinned to the stage pillars, and he let out a shrill scream.

Lu Yuan raised his hand and struck; with a bang, the screaming stopped abruptly, and half of the man's face became a bloody mess.

Lu Yuan pointed at the Dan Actor's corpse and spoke coldly:

"What is your Longevity Cult planning? Don't talk nonsense, or your end will be the same as his."

The man's face was twisted in pain, but a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

"It doesn't matter if I tell you. This stage was set up by our Longevity Cult to perform Ghost Opera and harvest the living, all to accumulate willpower for the Scroll Fairy."

"Once the Fairy breaks the seal, everyone who died on this stage will become ghostly willpower, and the Fairy's divinity will be restored."

"By then, all of you in the Demon Suppression Bureau will have to tuck your tails and behave!"

Lu Yuan's eyes shifted slightly. "Scroll Fairy?"

The man thought Lu Yuan was afraid, and a fierce grin appeared in his smile.

"So what if you kill me? Once the Fairy breaks the seal, she will resurrect me. As for you, for killing members of the Longevity Cult, you will pay in blood."

"Then you are going to be disappointed." Lu Yuan shook his head. "The Scroll Fairy is already dead, and I killed her with my own hands."

"Impossible, you're lying to me, the Fairy she—"

The middle-aged man instinctively wanted to retort, but Lu Yuan's right hand had already been raised.

Spiritual power surged forth, enveloping his entire body like an invisible scroll.

The man looked down at his own torso, his pupils constricting violently.

He saw his limbs, his trunk, and his head being covered by a layer of grayish-white ink, as if someone were sketching him with a brush.

Terror filled the man's eyes as he let out a strangled cry.

In the blink of an eye, a living, breathing person had been transformed into an ink wash painting.

"This is the handiwork of the Scroll Fairy; you shouldn't be unfamiliar with it, should you?"

The man in the painting held a rigid posture, his expression one of panic, yet he looked incredibly lifelike.

Lu Yuan took hold of the scroll and tore it with both hands, the sound like silk being ripped apart.

The man was torn in two along with the scroll, and bright red blood dripped from the jagged edges, soaking the stage.

Lu Yuan shook his Ink-Black Thunder-Patterned Brocade Robe to flick off the bloodstains, then turned to look at the three-foot-tall black ceramic jar beneath the stage pillar.

Golden light flickered in the depths of his eyes; he could see the runes on the surface of the jar trembling, as if something inside were desperately trying to squeeze its way out.

His gaze sharpened as he instantly deduced the nature of the object.

A Soul-Detention Jar.

The Longevity Cult had set up the Paper Effigy Troupe, using paper dolls to hook souls and Dan Actors to perform Ghost Opera, dragging every living person who passed by late at night onto the stage.

Those who stepped onto the stage would have their souls extracted and imprisoned within the jar, assimilated by willpower day after day, waiting for the Scroll Fairy to break her seal.

Rumors of the Ghost Opera had been circulating for days, and the Soul-Detention Jar was sealed with cinnabar paste, topped with a yellowed talisman.

Yet, the yin energy was so thick it could not be dispersed; the aura radiating from the jar was almost thick enough to condense into a mist.

It was hard to imagine just how many wandering souls were imprisoned within!

If anything were to happen to this jar, the souls inside would likely pour out like a burst dam, and all of Linchuan County would suffer.

A fierce look flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes.

Linchuan County was under his jurisdiction!

For the Longevity Cult to cause such a massive disturbance right under his nose without a sound—they clearly didn't hold him in any regard at all!

Looking at the large jar, he flicked his hand, and a Crystal Spike flew out.

"Your yin energy is soaring to the heavens; letting you out would only bring disaster. Rather than going out to harm others, I'll send you on your way."

The Crystal Spike shattered the mouth of the jar, the cinnabar seal crumbled, and the runes on the jar's body were destroyed along with it.

The next instant, the Soul-Detention Jar exploded.

At the same time.

In the Shen Family Sword Hall of Linchuan County.

Over a dozen figures crisscrossed under the moonlight, blades flashing and killing intent lurking everywhere.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, Lu Xuan dodged a blade, backhanded a palm onto his opponent's sword edge, and sent the man stumbling back half a step with the force of the blow.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his red protector's robe snapping in the night wind, a mocking smirk hanging on his face.

"Lone Cloud Sword Xu Zhi, is that all a dignified Demon Suppression Captain is capable of? No wonder your woman defected to my Longevity Cult."

Among the three figures opposite him, Xu Zhi, dressed in an Ink-Black Thunder-Patterned Brocade Robe, held his sword horizontally, his face livid.

He had heard two days ago that Linchuan County's Shen Family was suffering from a demonic infestation, and that even the veteran Demon Suppression Captain Zhao Heng had been forced to return to Qing Province to seek reinforcements, so he had taken on the assignment.

He just hadn't expected that the moment he arrived at the Shen Family, he would run into the Longevity Cult protector Lu Xuan leading a group of cultists intent on entering the Sword Hall.

One side was the law, the other was a gang of thieves; they were naturally at odds, and the battle had ignited instantly.

He hadn't expected that Lu Xuan would live up to his title as a protector; his Black Bat Art was actually enough to fight him to a standstill.

"Lu Xuan, you have committed countless evils in the Longevity Cult. Do you really think I can't deal with you?" Xu Zhi gritted his teeth.

"Countless evils? What is good, and what is evil? Does only what your Demon Suppression Bureau deems as such count as good or evil?"

Lu Xuan paused, the mockery in his eyes turning into cold intent.

"Forget it, why am I wasting my breath on you? Since you've fallen into my hands, the three of you will definitely—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a thick surge of yin energy erupted into the sky from the northwest of the county.

Lu Xuan's expression shifted violently, and he turned his head in horror.

The Soul-Detention Jar had been broken?!

Impossible!

"Who exactly is it?!!"