The severed-head ghost tattooed on Zhao the Eldest let out a piercing shriek. As its baleful aura was evaporated, it spat out a blood spike and rapidly regrouped its form in another spot.
Zhao the Eldest was every bit the fierce outlaw. Ignoring the blood gushing from his arm, he lunged forward, his massive hand clawing straight for my face. From the grip he had just used on the blood spike, it was clear he practiced Eagle Claw Kung Fu—if he landed that strike, he'd tear the skin clean off my face.
Just as I was about to dodge, there was a sharp whoosh in the air—a demon-hunting arrow shot straight toward us.
Zhao the Eldest snapped back his hand and caught the arrow right in front of his forehead. The arrow carried a Soul-Extinguishing Talisman; if it had pierced him, it would have obliterated his soul. But he caught it just in time, and the arrow only sank in about three inches, falling short of his spiritual core.
No wonder they say he has nine lives—truly fierce.
At that moment, the severed-head ghost swooped in, its body flailing wildly behind it.
I whipped the blood spike around and released the Di Gou Star to intercept it, then spun and thrust with all my might.
After nailing over ten thousand nails into that spike, its effect finally showed—its needle-sharp tip struck dead center on the tail of the demon-hunting arrow.
With the force of the impact, even Zhao the Eldest's Eagle Claw couldn't hold onto the slick shaft. The arrow drove in another three inches and triggered the talisman.
Zhao the Eldest groaned and fell to the ground like a felled tree.
But with his death, the severed-head ghost went berserk.
The Di Gou Star, never meant for direct combat, was instantly torn to pieces without my control. It dissolved into a stream of blood-red light and returned to the spike.
The ghost's head and body were separated; its limbs flailed, stirring up gales of yin wind. Its mouth stretched wide, unleashing a soul-piercing screech as the yin energy soared.
A chill ran down my spine.
I'd made a grave mistake—never kill a Patterned Yin Master before dealing with the ghost. Otherwise, the ghost goes berserk and won't rest until one of you is dead.
If I didn't destroy it now, it would only cause more trouble later.
The severed head floated toward me, shrouded in raging yin energy.
But without limbs, no matter how furious, it was still just a ghost ball. I sidestepped and slapped on a yellow talisman. But before it could ignite, the ghost bit into it, rolled its tongue, and swallowed it whole.
Even the sacred talisman of Mount Laoshan failed—I felt a tremor in my heart.
I quickly formed a hand seal and roared, "Dou!"
A burst of Buddhist light flashed, sending the ghost head flying backward with a shriek.
I seized the moment and hurled the blood spike—it hit the ghost right between the brows, pinning it to a tree.
Its body lunged at me, skeletal hands like withered claws gripping my shoulder.
One of the three suns I carried was instantly extinguished by its touch, leaving me chilled to the bone.
Just then, Zhan Ling arrived and fired an arrow at the ghost's body. The Soul-Extinguishing Talisman exploded, scattering its form once again.
I rushed to the tree, gripped the blood spike, and channeled yang and killing energy into it.
The ghost head thrashed and screamed, but it remained firmly pinned, unable to escape. Its body was still entangled with Zhan Ling and couldn't come to its aid.
In the end, the ghost head was refined into nothing under the spike's burning light, leaving only a strand of pure yin energy, which was absorbed into the weapon.
Head and body were one—once the head was destroyed, the body dissipated as well, vanishing into yin mist.
Last time the spike absorbed energy, I hadn't noticed. But this time, with the weapon in my hand the whole time, I could feel it—the spike's aura grew just slightly stronger.
It confirmed my suspicion: whether slaying humans or ghosts, the blood spike grew stronger with each kill.
Zhan Ling smiled radiantly at me after taking down two foes, her curves as dazzling as ever.
I felt drained but relieved. With only two enemies left, a surprise attack might just finish the job.
Zhao Si was still alive, both hands clutching his crotch, pain rendering him semi-conscious. Even as we approached, he was cursing through clenched teeth.
I glanced down and saw blood soaking through his pants, dripping steadily to the ground.
Zhan Ling noticed my strange expression and teased, "Little brother, I know men very well. Want me to take a look?"
I quickly pulled up my pants and shook my head like a rattle drum.
I said nothing, but in my heart, I thought—if anyone's gonna look, it'll be Xiaocui. No way I'm letting another woman touch me like that. Especially her way.
Zhan Ling giggled but didn't press further. Time was short, and two enemies remained inside the mist.
She raised her weapon to give Zhao Si a merciful end. I stopped her.
"Zhan Ling-jie, use my blood spike."
In others' hands, the blood spike might seem ordinary—but ordinary or not, it was still a deadly weapon.
Killing someone who can't resist is no problem.
Zhan Ling glanced at the spike, took it without hesitation, and drove it straight into Zhao Si's heart.
When she pulled it out, his legs twitched once before falling still.
"Hmm?" Zhan Ling frowned slightly, staring at the spike.
I quickly retrieved it and returned it to its sheath.
Zhan Ling said, "Little brother, this military spike of yours is far from ordinary."
I quickly changed the subject. "It's just a standard tri-edge blade. Zhan Ling-jie, my formation won't last much longer. We need to act fast. Zhao the Second's yin tattoo is just above his waist."
I pointed to the spot on my own body.
"Zhao the Third's is below the belly—near his dantian, a little higher than Zhao Si's."
I made another gesture.
Zhan Ling came over, grinned, and reached out for a playful grab. "You mean here?"
She was too fast. I didn't dodge in time, and her hand landed right in my nest. I flushed with embarrassment, stammering, "N-no, a little lower than the dantian."
"Here?" she teased, reaching again.
I stepped back to dodge. No doubt about it—she was messing with me on purpose.
And honestly, I couldn't handle it.
Afraid she'd mess with me more, I quickly adjusted my clothes and entered the mist.
As I stepped in, Huang Jiu scurried up from the ground, climbing up my pants leg and settling on my shoulder.
Zhan Ling followed close behind.
"They've been separated," Huang Jiu said. "But both released little ghosts—one of them is a ghost infant. Really fierce. Be careful."
"Did they hear the noise outside?" I asked.
"I sealed the sound with demon aura. They shouldn't have heard a thing."
If they didn't hear the fight, we might still have a chance for a sneak attack.
I already had a plan. I turned to Zhan Ling. "Let's take out Zhao the Third first. His ghost tattoo is a starved ghost—easier to deal with. I'll try to get close and ambush him. You stay hidden and wait for your shot with the demon-hunting bow."
Hunters like her weren't skilled in spellcraft. Their strength lay in combat—and in their demon-hunting bows.
For them, hitting a target from a hundred steps away was the baseline. What mattered more was timing.
Zhan Ling wasn't the best of her kind, but judging from earlier, she wasn't bad—every shot was spot-on and unexpected.
With the strategy roughly agreed upon, I followed Huang Jiu's guidance, moving silently through the mist toward Zhao the Third...