64. Myriad Ghosts Searching for Souls
There were two types of talismans.
One was called the “Five Constants,” and the other was “Creation.”
Most talismans were of the Five Constants type, representing the five elements of heaven and earth, a manifestation of the natural order.
Of course, if there were those bound by the natural order, there were also those who transcended it. These “Creation” talismans harnessed the power of creation itself, peering into the unseen, possessing a myriad of strange and wonderful abilities.
Like the two talismans she was using now: the “Myriad Shadow” talisman and the “Hundred Ghosts Searching for Souls” talisman.
The former, upon being drawn, allowed her to rewind time within the room, until she saw a few men walking backwards into the room.
Seeing their faces, a cold smile appeared on Gong Yiling’s lips.
“Found you.”
The second talisman was already drawn.
She felt the spiritual energy in her body surge, and not only that… the blood on her pen glowed crimson, and her own life force dissipated as a red mist. A wave of dizziness washed over her.
This was a true Heaven-grade Creation talisman, requiring not only her heart’s blood as a substitute for the usual spiritual ink, but also the price of using the anti-mother weapon to activate a Heaven-grade talisman.
After activating two such talismans, Gong Yiling almost stumbled.
She steadied herself on the table, her eyes tired but filled with cold rage.
“Ling’er… what did you do?”
Gong Yiling looked at Gong Muzhi and smiled, holding up the talisman, which was now emitting a faint black glow.
Then, a chilling wail erupted from the ominous-looking talisman.
Several black shadows flew out, disappearing from sight at an incredible speed.
“These little ghosts will help us find them,” Gong Yiling said calmly. “And until I dispel this talisman, they will be haunted by ghosts for the rest of their lives. You’ll see the effects soon enough.”
—
—
In a bamboo forest on the back mountain of the South Courtyard, three men emerged from a hidden cave.
“Brother Liu, we’ve delivered the woman,” one of them said, troubled. “But… we still haven’t found Brother Yin.”
“Are you worried about that female instructor?” Brother Liu patted his shoulder. “We’ve confirmed that the maid knows nothing. Brother Yin must have gone somewhere before making his move.”
“We don’t know the situation with the Yin family. And if something happened to Brother Yin, his life token would have shattered. We wouldn’t be the ones looking for him.”
“You have a point, Brother Liu.”
“But,” Brother Liu continued, “we should still probe that female instructor. If she knows something… who’s there!?”
He sensed something and instinctively struck at the nearby bushes.
But his attack hit nothing but empty air, sending dust and leaves flying.
“What’s wrong?” one of the others asked. “Are we being followed?”
“I think so.” Brother Liu frowned. “I can feel something there, but I can’t see it…”
“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”
This time, all three of them heard the sound.
It sounded like the wind, but there was no wind. Where was it coming from?
“Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!”
The sound became more eerie, and the temperature dropped. A thick white mist enveloped them, and the sound of the wind was replaced by a sinister laughter.
“Hehehehe—”
“Teeheeheehee—”
Amidst the laughter, several black shadows could be seen within the mist.
“Who’s playing tricks!?” Brother Liu drew his sword and shouted, “Come out!”
But no matter what he said, the hundred ghosts only replied with their chilling laughter.
Then, the black shadows transformed into countless grotesque figures, the vengeful spirits of those they had killed, and they began to walk towards them.
“Liu Yisheng… I died a miserable death.”
“Yang Yihua… give me back my life!”
“Give me back my life!”
“I’ll kill you!”
These voices echoed in their ears, and the number of vengeful spirits grew, their black rage intensifying.
Initially, they could fight back with their swords, but these spirits were unkillable. No matter how they were dismembered, their scattered limbs would continue to crawl towards them.
“Get away! Get away!”
The three men began to panic.
These unkillable corpses, the sensation of cutting through them, the feel of blood splashing on their faces—it was all so real.
Desperate, Liu Yisheng shouted to the others, “Friends, hold fast!”
“This must be some evil demonic technique! We can break it!”
The other two also composed themselves, sat down cross-legged, and began chanting their sects’ purification mantras.
But… would it work?
The corpses finally reached them, tearing at their clothes, leaving deep scratches on their bodies.
—Even the pain was real.
This… this wasn’t… an illusion!
“I’ll kill you… I’ll kill you all!”
Having abandoned their previous defenses, they were now being devoured alive by the horde of corpses.
It was too late to react. The extreme terror paralyzed them, and even though they knew they should use their spiritual and martial arts to clear a path…
They couldn’t.
The dual pressure, both physical and mental, was suffocating. They could only tear at the corpses, but the more they did, the more they seemed to multiply.
Finally, they were buried beneath a sea of vengeful spirits, their own screams as chilling as the spirits’.
Through a crack in the writhing mass, Liu Yisheng saw a figure standing in the distance.
She had long, dark brown hair and blood-red eyes, her face hidden by a veil.
Even without seeing her face, he knew she was a beauty.
However, her eyes… were filled with pity and contempt.
Was she… looking at him?
