After revealing himself, Shen Luo did not immediately attack the Hanged Ghost. Instead, he formed a blade with his hand and slashed at the rope hanging from the gate arch.
Sensing trouble, the Hanged Ghost immediately released Zhong Kui with his extended tongue. It curled back at incredible speed, then flashed forward again, stabbing straight at Shen Luo's heart.
"Freeze..."
A round pearl flew from Shen Luo's brow, radiating a layer of watery blue light that instantly solidified the surrounding space.
"Sea-Calming Pearl... That is..."
Zhong Kui recognized the pearl first, then looked at Shen Luo in disbelief.
Naturally, Shen Luo had no time to acknowledge him. After using the Sea-Calming Pearl to temporarily freeze space and delay the tongue's thrust, he cleanly severed the hanging rope with a palm strike.
The instant the rope snapped, a great deal of baleful qi poured out of the Hanged Ghost's body, and his aura immediately weakened. Shen Luo grabbed the retracting tongue, gave it a savage tug, and swiftly wound it around the ghost's neck.
While he restrained the Hanged Ghost, Zhong Kui flew forward and pierced the Netherworld Ghost King through the chest with his sword. Before the king could absorb Yin Baleful Qi and recover again, Zhong Kui pressed his thumb against the wound in his chest.
An acupoint opened on the pad of his thumb, unleashing an incomparably powerful suction force that continuously drained every last trace of Yin Baleful Qi from the Netherworld Ghost King's body.
The instant all the baleful qi was drained from him, the Netherworld Ghost King could no longer maintain his form. The bronze armor supported by black mist shattered one piece after another into powder, all of it flowing into the acupoint on Zhong Kui's thumb and vanishing completely.
Seeing this, Shen Luo