Mo Lin's figure was entirely shrouded by the contract ghosts.
More than twenty ghosts launched their attacks in unison.
The spirits converged, and a dense, suffocating aura of ghostly energy filled the air.
Feng Mingyu, witnessing this scene, felt her hair stand on end. To her, it seemed like an inescapable deathtrap.
Even if Mo Lin survived, he would surely be gravely wounded.
Most strikingly, she saw no sign of Mo Lin summoning his own contract ghost for protection.
Perhaps his ghost was too frightened to appear.
But this was merely her own assumption.
"Ah..."
"Ah... ah..."
The agonizing wails of ghosts echoed through the air.
It was the contract ghosts that screamed in torment.
Feng Mingyu, shocked, turned toward the sound.
The ghosts surrounding Mo Lin twisted in grotesque fear, as if they had encountered their worst nightmare, and began fleeing at an alarming pace.
Feng Mingyu blinked in disbelief. She rubbed her eyes, making sure she hadn't misseen. Indeed, the ghosts were running in terror.
She even saw three ghosts being cleaved in half mid-air, vanishing into nothingness.
Following the direction of their disappearance, she saw Mo Lin standing, sword in hand, gracefully swinging his blade to strike down the ghosts.
The movement was fluid, like a flowing stream.
Every ghost struck by Mo Lin's sword was cleaved cleanly in two.
With each swing of his blade, more ghosts were dispatched.
In just a matter of seconds, over ten contract ghosts lay defeated, their ethereal forms severed.
Mo Lin, unrelenting, swung his sword once more, cutting down several more ghosts attempting to flee.
Feng Mingyu, watching in awe, muttered under her breath, "What kind of ghost weapon is that? It's so powerful!"
She had never heard of a ghost weapon so capable, one that could obliterate spirits with a single strike.
Earlier, even a formidable, perilous-level ghost had been slain with just one swing.
A perilous-level ghost was a tier-three ghost. For such a powerful entity to be slain so effortlessly... It was more terrifying than any horror novel.
Feng Mingyu stood frozen, her mind in a daze.
"Die!"
A young man, enraged, screamed as he lunged at Mo Lin with a ghost weapon.
The weapon was spiraled, shaped like a conch, with a sharp, needle-like tip aimed at Mo Lin's abdomen.
Feng Mingyu, seeing the attack, panicked. She wanted to intervene but was too late. She could do nothing but watch as Mo Lin was about to be ambushed.
Her heart raced, her breath caught in her throat, eyes locked on Mo Lin's every move as she clenched her fists, powerless to act.
Mo Lin swiftly turned, his sword slashing across the air.
"Thwack..."
Blood sprayed into the air.
The young man's arm holding the weapon was severed and fell to the floor.
"Ah..."
The man's agonizing cries echoed as he writhed on the ground, clutching his bloody stump.
Mo Lin's sword was no mere toy; it was a weapon of pure lethality. Severing an arm was effortless, and killing was just as easy.
Above him, a contract ghost hovered.
This ghost had an intriguing technique, and Mo Lin, desiring to subdue the creature, refrained from killing it.
Seeing the tide turning, the ghost tried to return to its host, but Mo Lin was determined not to let it escape.
With a swift motion, he suppressed the spirit and successfully captured it.
The Ghost Book flickered, and the message appeared:
"Congratulations! You have acquired the ghost technique: Instant Transmission (Allows you to appear at the farthest point your vision can reach instantly.)"
This was the technique Mo Lin had been after.
Name: Long BiLevel: PerilousSkill: Instant TransmissionHell Coin Output: 20 per day
One of the men, noticing his connection to his contract ghost had been severed, rushed forward, furious.
"Why did you take my ghost?" He howled at Mo Lin. "Give it back!"
Mo Lin found his demand laughable.
"Bang!"
With a swift kick, Mo Lin knocked the man to the ground.
"If you don't want to die, get lost..." Mo Lin's voice was cold and merciless.
These people had bullied him earlier, using their numbers to try and intimidate him. Now they wanted to use guilt to take back their ghosts? How ridiculous.
The man, seething with anger, climbed back to his feet, glaring at Mo Lin. When he saw the bloodstained sword in Mo Lin's hand, fear flashed in his eyes.
"Anyone else dissatisfied?" Mo Lin's voice rang out, his stance commanding.
The room fell into a stunned silence. Not a single soul spoke.
The more than twenty Ghost Officers present were now nothing more than ordinary people.
Their contract ghosts were either slain by Mo Lin's sword or had been taken from them.
Without their ghosts, these officers were no different from mere mortals.
Even the contract ghosts of the few third-tier officers had been destroyed.
Feng Mingyu stood frozen, in disbelief.
"Is this really happening?" She couldn't fathom it.
She had considered many possibilities, but this... this was beyond anything she had imagined.
Mo Lin, by himself, had destroyed more than twenty contract ghosts, including some perilous-level ones. His strength was nothing short of terrifying.
The twenty-plus officers had all been reduced to ordinary people.
Earlier, Mo Lin had claimed he would resolve the matter in ten minutes. But that was an understatement—he had handled everything in just five.
Mo Lin walked into the room, heading straight for the thief cowering in the corner.
The thief's face drained of color, and all the arrogance he had displayed earlier vanished. Now, panic was evident on his face.
He huddled in the corner, shrinking away from Mo Lin.
"I'm sorry... please... spare me," the thief stammered, retrieving the ten thousand Hell Coins he had stolen from Mo Lin and offering them up.
"Please... I was wrong," the thief groveled.
Unfortunately, Mo Lin wasn't interested in his apologies.
This was the nature of a coward—he only apologized because Mo Lin was strong. If Mo Lin had been weak, the thief would have only grown bolder.
"Which hand stole my coins?" Mo Lin demanded coldly.
The thief froze, his face contorted with fear. "I'm sorry... please, forgive me."
"I'll ask you one last time— which hand stole my coins?" Mo Lin's voice was frosty, devoid of patience.
"I... I know I was wrong," the thief whimpered, hesitantly extending his right hand.
He feared what Mo Lin might do if he didn't comply.
"Thwack..."
Blood spurted as the thief's arm was severed.
A sharp pain overwhelmed the thief, and he collapsed, unconscious from the agony.
Mo Lin calmly pocketed his Hell Coins.
Did he feel pity for the thief?
Not in the least.
If Mo Lin hadn't been strong, perhaps he would have been the one to die today.
Feng Mingyu was stunned.
Mo Lin had just shattered Sun Ye's territory. Sun Ye, who had a reputation for controlling the black market, would not take this lightly.
Feng Mingyu, feeling a headache coming on, realized the gravity of the situation. It was already beyond her control.
Without a doubt, Sun Ye was on his way.
Feng Mingyu looked up, and as expected, a middle-aged man, exuding fury, rushed toward them.
He was dressed in black leather shoes, moving swiftly, his anger palpable.
This was Sun Ye.
Sun Tao Fei.
A legitimate Fourth-tier Ghost Officer with deep connections in the black market. He was no innocent man.
To carve out a name for himself in the black market, he must have used some ruthless methods.
Mo Lin had just shattered his territory, and his arrival was inevitable.
Sun Tao Fei stormed into the hall, and immediately, his eyes locked onto Mo Lin standing at the center.
The twenty-odd subordinates surrounding him were all pale with fear.
Upon seeing this, Sun Tao Fei gritted his teeth, seething with rage.
o4-mini