If the Ghost Stockade's formation and the "Screaming Soul Blood Silk Array" in the ancestral hall were being controlled by someone, He Ping would have no choice but to keep his distance.
Of course, if he was willing to spend half a year of his lifespan, he could forcibly break through the Ghost Wall around the haunted domain. With the Paper Sedan and Paper Puppets, escaping wouldn't be difficult.
But—
"No one's controlling this formation. They've just left a malicious ghost inside to guard it. No matter how cunning a ghost is, it can't think like a human or properly control this grand formation."
He Ping narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flickering within. He was certain that whoever had deliberately set up the "Screaming Soul Blood Silk Array" had some grand scheme in mind. And since the ancestral hall had a formation commanded by a malicious ghost, there had to be something anchoring it at the formation's core.
"...An anchor. It must be no ordinary formation object. Otherwise, how could it suppress this malicious ghost and keep the entire 'Screaming Soul Blood Silk Array' running? There's no way it could be this easy!"
For the first time, a flicker of excitement stirred in his otherwise still heart.
There had to be an anchor hidden in the core of the Screaming Soul Blood Silk Array in the ancestral hall. Anchors could protect a home or tomb and stabilize formations. Some could even increase one's lifespan, stave off calamity, and extend one's years.
A treasure like that would be an enormous boon to someone like him, whose vitality had been badly depleted. If he got his hands on an anchor that could lengthen his life, he wouldn't have to risk trying the living puppet route.
Boom!
The malicious ghost with the black umbrella stepped across the threshold of the ancestral hall, its oppressive presence drawing closer. The Screaming Soul Blood Silk Array stirred to life, and its bone-chilling, sinister killing intent swept toward him like a cold wave, nearly swallowing both the puppets and the Paper Sedan.
He Ping's thoughts snapped back to the present. He gripped several strings tight between his fingers and gave a cold laugh.
"If a person were controlling this formation, I'd retreat ten miles at once. But what right does an empty formation, controlled by a malicious ghost, have to throw its weight around in front of me?"
He was utterly unafraid. The strings at his fingertips pulled taut in the air, and all twenty-five Paper Puppets gathered in front of him. Their Armor-Clad Spirit Light surged, joining together to resist the power of the Screaming Soul Blood Silk Array.
Humm...
The mighty formation bore down on them, as though all of heaven and earth were pressing down. Yet it couldn't break through the barrier of spirit light. The air around the Paper Sedan seemed to freeze solid.
Just then, the umbrella-wielding ghost took another step. This time, the black figure crossed the threshold, and the black umbrella in its hand spun once.
At that very moment, the situation changed abruptly.
"Bang!"
Inside the sedan, He Ping felt as if he'd been struck on the forehead by a heavy hammer. A tremendous force swept and hurled through the air, slamming into the Paper Sedan and him along with it. They slid backward, while several Paper Puppets in front were knocked away.
At least three puppets split apart from that blow, their brightly colored scraps fluttering through the air.
A wave of dizziness followed. He Ping pressed his lips tighter and tighter, his teeth grinding with a creak.
He had no idea what had just happened. The ghost had only spun its umbrella once, yet his vision had gone black, and an invisible, mountainous wave had surged toward him. The Paper Sedan had been blasted several yards backward. Fortunately, the Armor-Clad Spirit Light had blocked the force, and it hadn't breached his defenses.
"What the hell? The spirit light's been scattered, and I've lost three Paper Puppets?!"
His mind was in a daze. Almost instinctively, he flicked his left and right index fingers three times. Three tiny puppet dolls, like cloth dolls, flew out of the damaged puppets and lunged fiercely at the malicious ghost holding the black umbrella.
"Spirit-Exploding Witch Puppets, explode for me!!!"
At his command, the dolls flying toward the ghost blew apart. This time, before the ghost could even turn its umbrella halfway, three balls of flame burst open.
Boom!!!
A thunderous roar shook their eardrums. Flames and thick smoke swallowed everything around them in the blink of an eye, and ripples shivered through the air.
The Spirit-Exploding Witch Puppet was one of He Ping's trump-card puppets.
Originally, the Spirit-Exploding Witch Puppet in the Formless Secret Treasury had only been packed with black powder. But as a modern man, He Ping thought plain black powder was too weak, so he modified the puppets.
Among the retainers of the He Mansion were several craftsmen skilled in making gunpowder and fireworks. Using his modern knowledge, he guided them in developing nitric acid, then used it to make nitrocellulose explosives.
After He Ping packed them with nitrocellulose explosives, the modified Spirit-Exploding Witch Puppets became far more powerful. He hid them directly inside his Paper Puppets. Whenever a Paper Puppet was damaged, he could unleash the witch puppets to land an unexpected, devastating blow on his enemies.
The explosives inside the Spirit-Exploding Witch Puppets were packed with iron filings and pellets, making their blasts astonishingly destructive. The umbrella-wielding ghost could never have expected He Ping to have a trick like this. When the witch puppets lunged at it, it couldn't stop them and could only let them detonate.
In the blast's cloud of smoke, a silent wave of hot air swept dust across the front of the ancestral hall. The red-lacquered main doors were blown to pieces, and the gold plaque bearing the words "Chen Family Ancestral Hall" shattered on the spot. A hole appeared in the charred bricks beside it, with countless cracks spreading from its edges.
The impact had drained all the color from He Ping's face, leaving him deathly pale. But in that instant, his eyes suddenly lit up.
He noticed that the umbrella-wielding ghost had grown more insubstantial. It twisted now and then, its movements growing sluggish.
"I only set off the Spirit-Exploding Witch Puppets because the opportunity presented itself, but the ghost really was affected. Still, the explosion shouldn't have hurt it. Unless it was the formation that was affected?"
A flash of insight streaked across his mind, and he understood at once.
"That's right, it's the formation. It has to be this ancestral hall. The ghost isn't simply stationed inside the Screaming Soul Blood Silk Array. It's rooted in the ancestral hall itself. Destroy the hall, and it won't be able to hold its place..."
Off to one side, the black umbrella turned slowly. The stiff-bodied ghost's eyes glimmered like the night, and its black robe lifted in the windless air. Yet from beneath its withered shoe, a patch of shadow shot toward the sedan.
In the blink of an eye, the shadow on the ground suddenly expanded. Combined with the formation's aura, it surged like furious waves, then spread like dark clouds blotting out the sky and earth. A gale swept through, unstoppable.
Yet He Ping showed not the slightest fear. He had already seen through the weaknesses of the ghost and the formation. What was there to fear?
"I don't care who set up this formation here. Today, it's all going down!"
With a fierce resolve, he detonated four more Paper Puppets. Several Spirit-Exploding Witch Puppets shot up like lightning—but instead of lunging at the ghost, they veered toward the ancestral hall.
"Blow up! Blow up! Blow it all up! Explosions are art!!!"
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Several thunderous blasts followed, and a scorching wave of air rolled over them. The ancestral hall was hit again, its entire front entrance reduced to dust.
The shadow around the ghost had been about to surge forward like raging waves. Now it hurriedly recoiled like a black tide, rushing back to shield the ancestral hall's front entrance.
"It's already hurt, and it still wants to protect this ancestral hall? Hahaha, it's begging to die."
He Ping's spirits soared. He sacrificed four more Paper Puppets and triggered their Spirit-Exploding Witch Puppets, sending them through the huge hole blasted in the wall and into the ancestral hall. This volley struck the main hall. How could a building of brick and timber withstand the explosions?
The wooden beams inside were blown into countless fragments, while bricks and stones burst outward in every direction. White smoke billowed from the blasts. The ancestral hall was the foundation of the Screaming Soul Blood Silk Array. Once it was damaged, the malicious ghost was badly wounded along with it.