Double Kill

On a path not far from Ren Family Town, beneath a mass of dense, dark clouds, two men and two ghosts faced off in a desperate battle.

By now, the battle on Qiusheng's side was all but decided. He and the White-Robed Ghost had both suffered grievous injuries.

Qiusheng's legs and arms were weak, and he had not an ounce of strength left in his body.

As for the White-Robed Ghost, arcs of lightning still crackled across its body from time to time. It would likely take a while for the ghost to use its own yin energy to completely wear down the lightning.

And so, the man and ghost entered a standoff, both doing their utmost to recover.

Whoever recovered first would seal the other's fate.

Meanwhile, Uncle Nine had already backed the White-Robed Ghost on his side into a corner with his talismans and Daoist arts.

After all, perhaps the White-Robed Twin Ghosts could stand against Uncle Nine when they fought together.

But now that they had been separated, how could either one possibly match him?

"Shangqing Dongxuan, gather the mysterious spirit! By the authority of the law, strike down the ghost!"

After using a talisman traced in midair to force back the White-Robed Ghost before him once more, Uncle Nine used the Copper Coin Sword in his hand to perform a ghost-slaying technique recorded in the Shangqing Dongxuan Record. A flash of yellow light streaked through the air.

Boom!

Amid a deafening crash, the Copper Coin Sword in Uncle Nine's hand became a streak of yellow light and plunged into the White-Robed Fiend's body, where it exploded with a thunderous blast.

The blast scattered the yin energy around the fiend's body and dealt it a grievous wound.

Watching this from the side, Qiusheng forced down his discomfort, pulled out the Peach Wood Sword at his waist, and gritted his teeth as he charged at the White-Robed Ghost that his master had blasted over beside him. It was barely clinging to life.

The ghost's spirit body was now so faint that the slightest touch seemed enough to make its soul scatter.

With such an easy kill right in front of him, how could Qiusheng, the ultimate kill-stealer, pass up the chance to claim it?

Seeing Qiusheng rush in, Uncle Nine stopped the technique he had been preparing to finish off his opponent and turned his attacks on the other White-Robed Ghost instead.

Qiusheng had just reached the White-Robed Ghost that Uncle Nine had blasted nearly to its end. Without hesitation, he thrust his sword into it, making its soul scatter on the spot.

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have slain a century-old White-Robed Ghost and obtained 300 Exorcism Points."

Before Qiusheng could even celebrate the system's alert ringing in his ears, he charged at the White-Robed Fiend his master had just blasted to the brink of death again.

Arcs of lightning still crackled inside its body. This alone showed how terrifying Qiusheng's earlier Heaven and Earth Longevity technique had been.

Reaching the White-Robed Ghost, Qiusheng wasted no time. He thrust his Peach Wood Sword again, aiming for its chest.

But unlike before, this time his sword seemed to strike something hard.

Qiusheng didn't care. When he saw he couldn't pierce its chest, he immediately redirected his sword toward the White-Robed Ghost's head.

At last, with that thrust, the White-Robed Ghost before him also had its soul scattered.

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have slain a century-old White-Robed Ghost and obtained 500 Exorcism Points!"

"Hm?"

Hearing the system's alert, Qiusheng furrowed his brows.

He had killed both White-Robed Ghosts, so why had he received different amounts of Exorcism Points?

After a moment's hesitation, understanding dawned on him.

There was no doubt that both White-Robed Ghosts had died after he delivered the finishing blow.

But one had been brought to the brink of death by Uncle Nine before Qiusheng finished it off.

The other had been beaten down by Qiusheng himself in a one-on-one fight before he delivered the finishing blow. The difference was how much damage he had contributed to killing the two White-Robed Fiends.

"Senior Brother! Senior Brother! Are you all right?"

Just after Qiusheng and Uncle Nine had dealt with the two White-Robed Fiends, Taoist Four Eyes finally arrived with Wencai.

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

His whole body was numb and aching. After all, he had been struck by lightning. That stuff could kill you if you weren't careful. He genuinely didn't have the strength to stay on his feet.

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

Feeling around under himself, he found an iron plaque in his hand.

A chilling aura poured from the plaque. One glance told Qiusheng it was no ordinary object, so he immediately tucked it into his robes without a word.

By the time he had done that, Wencai had reached his side.

Looking at Qiusheng, whose hair had been frizzed by the lightning and whose body still twitched uncontrollably from time to time, Wencai couldn't help muttering,

"My goodness, Qiusheng, Qiusheng, are you all right?"

Wencai grabbed Qiusheng by the arm and shook him hard, knocking him unconscious when he had still been struggling to stay alert.

"Master, this is bad! Qiusheng has passed out!"

"Nonsense. He was already injured. How could he not pass out after you shook him like that?"

Uncle Nine looked at Wencai with an exasperated smile and chided him. After a brief pause, he continued,

"Wencai, take your senior brother back to the Public Mortuary. Once you get there, take him straight to the quiet room where I usually cultivate. Until your senior brother wakes up and recovers, you are not to leave his side for even a moment."

"Oh, all right. But, Master, aren't you and Martial Uncle coming back with us?"

"Enough talk. Your martial uncle and I have to go to Master Ren's house. You go back first."

Uncle Nine looked at Wencai, who was still chattering away, and his expression turned unusually stern.

This time, he was truly angry.

When had he, Lin Jiu, ever been ambushed by two vicious ghosts like this? And his eldest disciple had been injured so badly right under his nose.

All of it filled him with anger.

It also changed his mind about ignoring certain matters. He suspected his ambush might not have been a coincidence.

But until the truth came to light, his suspicions were just that—suspicions.

So his next step was to go to the Ren residence and find out what was going on.

Seeing Uncle Nine's grim expression, Wencai panicked and didn't dare say another word. He hoisted Qiusheng onto his back and hurried off.

Watching Wencai and Qiusheng disappear into the distance, Taoist Four Eyes asked,

"Senior Brother, from the looks of it, those two White-Robed Twin Ghosts weren't here today to avenge some old grudge, were they?"

"Hmph. Who knows? We'll have to ask Master Ren to find out what really happened."

With that, Uncle Nine furrowed his brows, his sharp brows like swords, and turned to leave.

"Alas."

Looking at his senior brother, Taoist Four Eyes sighed. Having been Uncle Nine's fellow disciple for so many years, he knew his senior brother was furious. With another quiet sigh, he followed close behind.