Double Kill

On a small path not far from Ren Family Town, under the cover of a thick, gloomy cloud, two men and two ghosts stood in a standoff, locked in a deadly struggle.

At this moment, the battle on Qiusheng's side had essentially been decided; he and the White-Robed Ghost were, for all intents and purposes, mutually exhausted.

Qiusheng's legs and arms were weak, and he didn't have a shred of strength left in his entire body.

As for that White-Robed Ghost, arcs of lightning still crackled across its body from time to time. It was clear that it would take some time for it to completely extinguish these lightning bolts using the yin energy within its own body.

And so, this man and ghost entered a stalemate, both putting their all into recovering their strength.

Between the two sides, whoever could recover first would spell the end for the other.

As for Uncle Nine, he had already used his Taoist talismans to drive the White-Robed Ghost he was facing into a dead end.

After all, while the White-Robed Twin Ghosts might have been able to go toe-to-toe with Uncle Nine if they joined forces, once they were separated like this, how could they possibly be his match?

"Shangqing Dongxuan, gather the mysterious spirits, obey the command with haste, slay the ghost!"

After Uncle Nine used a talisman drawn in the air to force back the White-Robed Ghost once more, he directly unleashed a ghost-slaying technique recorded in the Shangqing Dongxuan Record using the Copper Coin Sword in his hand. Instantly, a yellow radiance flashed through the heavens and earth.

"BOOM!"

Amidst the thunderous roar, the Copper Coin Sword in Uncle Nine's hand transformed into a yellow streak of light, plunging into the body of the fierce White-Robed Ghost with nowhere to hide, where it exploded violently.

The blast shattered the yin energy on the fierce ghost's body and dealt it a heavy, crippling blow.

Seeing this, Qiusheng forced down the discomfort in his own body, pulled out his Peach Wood Sword, and gritted his teeth as he charged toward the White-Robed Ghost that had been blasted by his master and landed right beside him with only a breath of life left.

The opponent's spirit body was incredibly faint, appearing as if it would dissipate into nothingness with the slightest touch.

With such a prime kill available, how could Qiusheng, a man who loved to snatch the final blow, pass up the chance?

Seeing Qiusheng's intent, Uncle Nine immediately ceased the spell he was preparing to finish the job and turned to strike down the other White-Robed Ghost.

Just as Qiusheng reached the side of the White-Robed Ghost that Uncle Nine had blasted to the brink of death, he didn't hesitate for a second, plunging his sword down and causing the ghost to dissipate into nothingness.

Ding, congratulations to the host for slaying a century-old White-Robed Ghost. Obtained 300 Exorcism Points.

As the system notification rang in his ears, Qiusheng didn't even have time to celebrate before he charged toward the other fierce White-Robed Ghost, which his master had also blasted to the verge of collapse.

Even now, the power of lightning was still crackling within that ghost's body, which showed just how terrifying Qiusheng's previous Heaven and Earth Longevity had been.

Once Qiusheng reached the side of this White-Robed Ghost, he didn't waste any words, thrusting his Peach Wood Sword again, aiming once more for the ghost's heart.

However, unlike before, this strike felt as if it had hit a hard object.

Qiusheng didn't care about that at all. Seeing that he couldn't pierce the heart, he immediately shifted his hand and thrust toward the White-Robed Ghost's head.

Finally, with that strike, the White-Robed Ghost before him also dissipated into nothingness.

Ding, congratulations to the host for slaying a century-old White-Robed Ghost. Obtained 500 Exorcism Points!

"Hmm?"

Hearing the system notification, Qiusheng frowned.

He had clearly killed both of these White-Robed Ghosts, so why was the amount of Exorcism Points he received different in the end?

After a brief moment of hesitation, a realization dawned on him.

There was no doubt that both White-Robed Ghosts had been finished off by his final blow. However, one had been beaten to the point of death by Uncle Nine before he delivered the killing blow, while the other had been broken by his own solo efforts before he finished it off. The difference lay in his contribution to the damage dealt to each of these fierce White-Robed Ghosts.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother, are you alright?"

Just as Qiusheng and Uncle Nine finished off the two fierce White-Robed Ghosts, Four Eyes and Wencai arrived fashionably late.

Uncle Nine went to greet them, while Qiusheng simply collapsed onto the ground.

His entire body was numb and aching; after all, he had been struck by lightning, a thing that could kill a man if one wasn't careful. He truly had no strength left to stand.

But the moment he lay down, he felt something extremely hard and cold beneath him.

Following that sensation, he reached under his body and fished out an iron plaque.

The plaque was constantly emitting a chilling aura. With just one look, Qiusheng knew this was no ordinary item, so he tucked it into his robes without a second thought.

By the time he finished, Wencai had already reached his side.

Looking at Qiusheng, whose hair was frizzed from the lightning strike and whose body was still twitching uncontrollably from time to time, Wencai couldn't help but mutter.

"Good heavens, Qiusheng, Qiusheng, are you okay?"

Wencai grabbed Qiusheng's arm and shook him violently, causing Qiusheng—who had been struggling to maintain his focus—to pass out completely.

"Master, it's bad, Qiusheng has fainted."

"No kidding. He was already injured; how could he not faint after being shaken by you like that?"

Uncle Nine looked at Wencai with a mix of exasperation and amusement before continuing after a pause.

"Wencai, take your Senior Brother back to the Public Mortuary. Remember, once you get there, go straight to the quiet room where I usually meditate. You are not to leave his side for even half a step until he wakes up and recovers."

"Oh, I understand. But Master, aren't you and Uncle-Master coming back with us?"

"Stop blathering. Your Martial Uncle and I are heading to Master Ren's estate, so you get back home first."

Uncle Nine looked at the still-chattering Wencai, his expression turning uncharacteristically stern as he spoke.

This time, he was truly furious.

Since when had he, Lin Jiu, ever been ambushed by two malevolent ghosts like this, and to have his eldest disciple injured right under his own nose?

All of this combined to ignite his rage.

It also shifted his mindset regarding matters he had previously chosen to ignore, simply because he suspected this ambush might not have been a random occurrence.

However, until everything came to light, his suspicions remained just that—suspicions.

Therefore, what he needed to do now was head to the Ren estate to get to the bottom of things.

Seeing the grim look on Uncle Nine's face, Wencai panicked and dared not utter another word; he hoisted Qiusheng onto his back and scurried away.

Watching the retreating figures of Wencai and Qiusheng, Daoist Four Eyes spoke up.

"Senior Brother, looking at you now, it seems being targeted by those White-Robed Twin Ghosts today wasn't just them coming to settle an old grudge, was it?"

"Hmph, who knows? We'll have to go ask Master Ren to get the full picture."

With that, Uncle Nine twitched his brows, turned with the sharpness of a sword, and strode away.

"Sigh."

Watching his senior brother's state, Four Eyes let out a sigh. Having been a fellow disciple for so many years, he knew that Uncle Nine was likely at the peak of his fury, so he could only sigh again and follow closely behind.