Evil Ghost

"The director is already dead."

Mei Ye said blandly.

"Yes. On the day he died, the two of us separated his soul from his body and tortured it for years. Later, his spirit grew weaker and weaker until it dissipated on its own."

The girl smiled, as if she could still see the day their great vengeance had been fulfilled.

"Then why keep hurting people afterward?"

"One person can't commit such great evil alone. He was enabled by others... Unless we kill every last one of them, our revenge won't be over."

"Do you think I came here to avenge the director?"

The girl froze and looked at Mei Ye, gazing at him for a long while.

"No..."

The girl shook her head. At that moment, she felt as though she'd wasted her breath.

He seemed to be after some kind of reward. His gaze was utterly indifferent, like that of a machine.

He didn't care about the truth behind it all. He only cared about whether he could kill them quickly.

"Why are you telling him all that? Kill him already! He made me suffer so much!"

Jin Hong shouted furiously in the girl's arms.

Mei Ye had gravely wounded him. Jin Hong wanted nothing more than to turn Mei Ye into a puppet and get his revenge.

The girl looked at Jin Hong and gently reassured him. "All right. I'll kill him right now."

With that, she suddenly grabbed Jin Hong by the neck and twisted hard, snapping it.

Jin Hong's eyes bulged. His wooden eyeballs rolled out, and his tongue lolled from his mouth as he went limp.

Just then, a white figure drifted out of Jin Hong's puppet body and hurriedly fled.

But the girl gave a light wave, drawing the translucent white form toward her. Her red lips parted, and she swallowed it whole.

A moment later, she took a deep breath, feeling full.

The aura around her grew stronger.

Wen Siyi was utterly bewildered. Killing an ally before the battle? Was this surrender?

Only then did the girl notice Wen Siyi's strange expression. She smiled. "Don't misunderstand. This is his punishment—he changed his heart."

A wistful look crossed the girl's face. "We were once a loving couple, and even after becoming demons, we swore never to part."

"But he deceived me. He actually prefers younger, prettier women. Heh. Men—all cut from the same cloth as Director Wang."

Wen Siyi pursed her lips. She wanted to say it had nothing to do with her, but decided there was no point.

Shing—!

Mei Ye drew his blade, his aura rising with fierce intensity, murderous light spilling from his eyes.

The girl had no desire to chat anymore. Mei Ye was the most impatient one here, and he seemed restless now that Jin Hong was dead.

Mei Ye stared at the girl as if he'd added her to his kill list.

Under that pressure, the girl's body began to change. Her clothes burst apart, revealing terrifying limbs. Puppet arms and legs propped up her torso, raising her several meters high as she looked down at Mei Ye.

A dense, oppressive demonic aura filled the warehouse. It groaned under the strain, then collapsed with a crash. Daylight poured in from outside, and with a rumble, everyone stood on the open ground.

The puppet glanced at the bright blue sky, slightly uncomfortable.

Ever since becoming a ghost, she had hated the sun.

Its light could not brighten her world, in life or after death.

Later, she had figured out how to attach herself to puppets. After killing so many people without being punished, she'd stopped resenting the sun.

But today,

the bright sunlight stung her body, as if Judgment Day had finally arrived.

"My fate is mine to command, not Heaven's."

Her expression was icy. No one could judge her.

The earth trembled as the puppet charged forward. Her enemy was right ahead!

Mei Ye charged head-on. His blade flashed so brightly it nearly blinded the eye, and the sole of his boot slammed into the puppet's wooden joints, shaking her massive body.

The puppet's countless limbs attacked Mei Ye all at once, like a centipede's hundred legs.

A beam of purple light fell soundlessly. An explosion erupted behind Mei Ye.

The ground was scorched into a blackened crater, and fragments of stone flew everywhere.

Mei Ye darted through the purple light. His glazed, golden skin turned him into a streak of light as he cut through countless joints while the puppet tried to surround and trap him.

His blade fell like a torrential rain, every strike precisely aimed at the weak points in the puppet's joints.

Wen Siyi stood far off to the side, her lovely eyes fixed on Mei Ye. Even though the place was so dangerous, she wasn't afraid—in fact, she watched from up close.

When she saw Mei Ye's peerless swordsmanship and graceful footwork, her eyes lit up, as if she were watching a free boxing match.

"Yin Thunder Fire!"

The puppet spun across the ground, whipping up a whirlwind. Mei Ye backed away to give himself more room to attack.

A cluster of eerie blue flames appeared, and the temperature around them dropped several degrees.

The ghostly blue fire danced in the puppet's palm. Wherever it passed, white frost crystallized in the air, and a thin layer of ice formed on the ground. The flames gave off no heat—instead, they radiated a bone-chilling cold.

A frigid aura blanketed the area, blurring even the sunlight.

The puppet held the freezing flames in her hand and glared at Mei Ye with murderous intent. Then, with a sudden motion, she hurled them at him.

This fire was the ultimate technique she had cultivated for years.

Ghosts feared fire, but these flames carried the curse of her hatred for the world. She used them to torment people.

As she hurled the flames, a stream of cold black aura crawled toward him like a bone-deep infestation.

Amid the churning blue sea of fire, Mei Ye's hair whipped in the wind, and golden light gleamed in his dark eyes.

He crouched, gathering strength. Golden light rose from his body, and the black aura shrank back as if it had encountered its natural enemy, too afraid to approach.

His skin shimmered like glazed glass, his bearing solemn and sacred, his aura majestic. Whether moving or still, he radiated tremendous power.

From a distance, Wen Siyi let out a soft "Oh." She stared at Mei Ye as though she had just witnessed something extraordinary.

The flames swept over, incinerating everything. Smoke twisted in the sky, groaning with the chaos of the earth.

Mei Ye neither dodged nor retreated. He charged straight through. His golden skin was like a shield; the savage flames couldn't touch him. They rebounded off his body, then fled in every direction.

The puppet couldn't react in time. She instinctively raised her arms to defend herself, but Mei Ye lifted his peerlessly sharp greatsword high above his head. Like a god of war beneath the sun, he brought it down with a savage strike.

Splurt!

The puppet split in two. No blood appeared, but her fury only made Mei Ye's formidable skill all the more apparent.

The blade cleaved down from the puppet's head, splitting her wooden body in half. Splinters drifted down like snowflakes. The two halves toppled in opposite directions, crashing to the ground with heavy thuds.

"Rustle, rustle..."

In the school, strange human shapes emerged from the shadows. They crawled out of the classrooms, broke apart into individual joints, and swiftly joined with the puppet.

These were manufactured puppets, made from people who were already dead.

After reforging her body, the girl swayed back to her feet. Now she looked at Mei Ye with unmistakable caution.

Mei Ye pressed his advantage, swinging his long blade again and again. The weapon unleashed astonishing power in his hands. The naked eye couldn't keep up with his speed, the flames couldn't reach him, and no defense could withstand his attacks.

Unstoppable! Unconquerable!

"Vast Blade Art at the perfected level..."

Wen Siyi and the puppet girl both recognized the art, and stared in stunned silence.

How many people in the world practiced this blade art?

Probably a million.

But few ever mastered it to perfection, because one's cultivation level mattered more than the power of one's martial arts.

Once a martial art reached the major completion stage, continuing to train in it became poor value for the effort.

At that point, it was more practical to learn another art or improve one's cultivation.

"Fight!"

Mei Ye roared. Golden light blazed, and his silver blade swept down like the Milky Way, washing over the mortal world.

The puppet girl's massive body had to swat at Mei Ye like she was trying to kill a mosquito, but Mei Ye was extraordinarily nimble.

Every one of his strikes carried the force of ten thousand jun.

Every one of his punches carried the force of ten thousand jun.

The ground beneath his feet shattered, the puppet's limbs were cleaved apart, and the air exploded under his fists.

Nothing could withstand him! Nothing could hold together!

The puppet girl retreated again and again, her body swaying as if it were about to collapse.

Even the flames she summoned were as fragile as paper.

Mei Ye moved through the battlefield as if no one were there, recklessly unleashing his violence and despair.

The puppet girl was gradually losing strength. Countless cracks appeared across her wooden body.

She was like a porcelain vessel, cracks spreading from her surface and webbing over her entire body.

Black aura seeped through the cracks, writhing like countless snakes.

Mei Ye kept his eyes fixed on the puppet's body as his power rose without end, crushing everything about her.

Ever since the Glazed Treasure Body Art had strengthened him, his vitality had flowed without end. It was as if he could be an old fool who moved mountains, endlessly digging with his hoe until he leveled mountains and filled seas.

Whoosh—!!

The girl finally couldn't take it anymore and let out a shriek.

"Ah!"

She summoned every flame around her, and purple light pounded against Mei Ye again and again.

Purple light and blue flames intertwined into a net of death, blasting toward Mei Ye from every direction.

Explosions rang out one after another, the ground riddled with blackened craters as purple light enveloped Mei Ye's body.

But Mei Ye was excited now. He wasn't in pain; he was even delighted by her resistance.

His blade struck the puppet again and again as black aura surged into the air and the puppet girl's presence grew weaker.

Each blow sent great clouds of wood chips flying. The puppet's body visibly shrank. The blade energy shredded the black aura, drawing shrill, piercing screams from it.

At last, the puppet completely disintegrated. A translucent white soul burst from the wreckage. The moment sunlight touched it, white smoke rose from its surface with a sizzling sound.

The soul twisted and warped, desperately fleeing toward the shadows.

Mei Ye's eyes narrowed. He sprang forward, leaping into the air as his blade flashed like a rainbow, cleaving straight through the soul.

"Ah—!"

As it screamed, golden light blazed around Mei Ye, like a small sun rising.

The severed soul trembled violently in the golden light. Black aura gushed from its wound with a sizzling, corrosive hiss.

He swung again and again, stopping the ghost from escaping and hacking it to pieces.

His blade fell like a violent storm, slicing the soul into countless fragments, each one dissolving in the golden light. Its shrill screams weakened, then finally fell silent.

The puppet girl died for good, her soul scattered and her consciousness lost amid her screams.

Her flames, too, vanished from the world.

[Eliminated an early-stage Qi Gathering Realm powerhouse, Merit Points +3452]

Mei Ye landed on the ground, his blade gleaming with a cold light. As the sea of fire faded, his tall, imposing figure stood atop the ruins.

Wen Siyi had never seen anyone like him before. Stars sparkled in her eyes.

Mei Ye sheathed his blade. The distant sound of police sirens was drawing closer; it was time to leave.

"Wait,"

Wen Siyi hurried after him. "What martial art was that? A new body-tempering art? Hmm... It had a Buddhist quality to it."

"Golden Bell Shield and Iron Shirt."

Mei Ye gave her a perfunctory answer.

He only knew that the girl was pretty, and probably came from a good family. But after killing demons, all he could think about was his bonus.

Outside the school gate, the pedestrians had all fled. Mei Ye glanced at Wen Siyi. "That demon is dead. Now you can go back to class, and I can clock out."

"Brother, you still haven't told me who you are."

As they were about to part, Wen Siyi asked earnestly.

She lifted her head, her gaze lingering on Mei Ye's astonishingly handsome face.

This time, unlike when they had first met, her interest was genuine and intense.

It was as if she wanted to see through Mei Ye's beautiful exterior and into his soul.

But Mei Ye didn't answer her. He turned aside as wind gathered beneath his feet, then vanished in a flash, leaving only a series of afterimages.

"Brother! Are you going to stay with the Demon Suppression Bureau?"

When Wen Siyi saw him leave, she panicked for some reason and hurried after him.

Unfortunately,

Mei Ye was even faster.

Like a drifting wind with nowhere to settle, he vanished from the world in an instant.