Zhao Fusheng's initial real encounter with the ghost instantly snuffed out her escape plan in its cradle. The strength of the already reanimated malevolent ghost was far beyond that of a newly awakened ghost like the Zhao couple. This was Zhao Fusheng's first time truly dealing with a malevolent ghost, and she finally understood its true terror.
The ghost's strength was astonishing; it handled her as if she were a toy while carrying her. Her skin rapidly collapsed, and the fragile bones in her neck emitted a crunching sound as they fractured under the ghost's power. Suffocation set in, the scent of blood filled her throat, and the shadow of death instantly enveloped Zhao Fusheng's heart.
A chill spread from her neck. Under the shroud of the terrifying malevolent ghost's aura, she surprisingly felt no intense pain from her neck bones being twisted. But she still had a backup plan; she hadn't completely despaired.
Perhaps due to controlling the malevolent ghost, Zhao Fusheng's vitality was far more tenacious than that of an ordinary person. Even with her neck bones almost twisted into a pretzel, she had not yet perished and even had the strength to counterattack. At this moment, Zhao Fusheng endured the blackness swimming before her eyes, tightened her grip on the carrying pole, and, relying on intuition, unleashed all her strength to strike forward.
Thump!
She seemed to have struck an indestructible boulder. A massive recoil hit her, and Zhao Fusheng's hand loosened, the carrying pole slipping from her grasp and falling to the ground with a clatter. At the same time, Zhao Fusheng was lifted by the ghost. As the world spun, she heard a hissing sound from within the ghost lamp by her ear. As the ghost drew closer, the flames burned even more fiercely, glowing with a greenish hue.
Within the green flames, she strained her bloodshot eyes to look around, but the malevolent ghost had, at some unknown point, vanished from in front of her. Yet, the suffocating grip on her neck still persisted. A chilling wind blew from above, and a cold aura from directly above was staring down at her. She laboriously turned her eyes and saw the vanished ghost object, its feet inverted, stepping on the beam above. Its head and face now hung upside down, terrifyingly close, directly opposite her own face.
The malevolent ghost's face was cold and numb, already shriveled like dried cured meat, its pale grey eyes 'watching' her. This was certainly not the body of a living person. Cold, withered, its skin had lost its luster, and its long hair was as dry as desolate weeds, scattered and falling, proving that its life had long since ceased. Death qi entwined around the malevolent ghost's entire body, yet this dead thing was still moving, and its strength was eerily immense.
Zhao Fusheng was caught by it, utterly powerless to resist. The mud walls trembled with the malevolent ghost's movements, and the entire house vibrated with a humming sound. At this moment, Zhao Fusheng finally understood the meaning of Fan Bisi's statement about 'humanity's inability to resist the power of malevolent ghosts.'
The malevolent ghost's pale, numb eyes did not move. An overwhelming malevolence radiated from it. Then, it suddenly released one of the hands restraining Zhao Fusheng.
The ghost's release briefly allowed Zhao Fusheng to catch her breath, but she did not feel fortunate because of it. For the malevolent ghost's slightly longer right hand moved down her throat, coldness penetrating her lungs and viscera. The hand, covered in cadaveric spots, crawled to her chest, then its five fingers stiffened, and it forcefully plunged downwards into her chest and abdomen.
Blood splattered, showering Zhao Fusheng's face. In that life-or-death moment, she felt no pain, only coldness drilling into her organs. But the next moment, an anomaly occurred.
The instant the malevolent ghost's palm pierced her chest, the Soul-Life Scroll, tucked into her clothes, sensed the malevolent ghost's aura. Her own 'Ghost Minion' was about to be stolen; how could the Soul-Life Scroll tolerate this? The ghost talisman was immediately activated, automatically covering her body.
Only the power of a malevolent ghost can deal with a malevolent ghost! Where the ghost spell was dense, the ghost hand could no longer advance an inch. The talismans climbed from Zhao Fusheng's body, covering the malevolent ghost's purplish-green intertwined arm. Two cold auras contended and resisted each other, and the malevolent ghost's movements paused.
This pause was crucial, earning Zhao Fusheng a sliver of hope. But Fan Bisi was right; the Soul-Life Scroll was controlled by Jia Yi, and Jia Yi was far away in the Imperial Capital, tens of thousands of miles from here. Although the ghost spell's power was strong, it couldn't compare to the malevolent ghost before her. In just a fleeting moment, the malevolent ghost's arm clenched, and the talismans covering its entire arm instantly shattered.
The talismans vanished, and the ghost hand once again touched her body.
"Looks like I'll have to rely on myself after all." Zhao Fusheng sighed inwardly. At this point, how could she dare to hold anything back? A desperate resolve rose within her, and she activated the power of the malevolent ghost.
As her thought shifted, the malevolent ghost she had suppressed instantly reanimated. A chill swept from her back, and shadows instantly engulfed her. In her Sea of Consciousness, the Investiture of the Gods' reminder sounded again: "Using the malevolent ghost's power will consume one-third of your vitality."
The malevolent ghost's rule, as utilized by Zhao Fusheng, was to give first and then take. The good fortune she harnessed, however, reached its peak at this moment of life and death. As the malevolent ghost manipulated her body, her arm hung limp, and in her frantic grasping, she seized the ghost lantern, which had fallen to the ground at some unknown point, in her palm.
She clutched it as if it were a life-saving straw, and the good fortune from controlling the malevolent ghost continued to work. The malevolent ghost's blood-stained palm, after shattering the ghost talismans, was about to pierce her chest and pull out her intestines. At that very moment, the bloodstains were slick, and the ghost hand, sliding along her chest, actually slipped sideways to her arm, pulling up the ghost lantern she tightly clutched in her palm!
The moment the ghost lantern fell into the malevolent ghost's hand, it began to burn furiously. The lamp oil within the human skin lantern rapidly boiled, emitting a gurgling sound of surging bubbles. The flames grew rapidly in an instant. The malevolent ghost, having grasped the lantern, seemed to be satisfied and slowly released its grip on Zhao Fusheng's neck.
The flames within the lantern quickly burned out, but the ghost, as if having fulfilled its rule, seemed to want to turn and retreat. At this moment, Zhao Fusheng was possessed by a malevolent ghost. The moment the ghost object reanimated, death qi permeated her entire body.
With a crack-crack sound, her twisted neck rapidly returned to its original state, and the fractured cervical vertebrae were straightened one by one, pushed back into their original positions. The marks left by the ghost's hand were erased, and her ruptured chest healed, its skin flat, pale, yet cold.
A bloodthirsty, tyrannical urge to destroy filled Zhao Fusheng's heart. Her expression was numb, and her face was pale. Influenced by the malevolent ghost she controlled, she desperately wanted to take something from the malevolent ghost that was attempting to escape.
Seeing the lamp-holding ghost turn to retreat, Zhao Fusheng finally no longer suppressed the destructive urge within her.
"Don't go!" she said hoarsely, then grabbed the malevolent ghost's arm that was holding the lamp.
The malevolent ghost's body frequently switched between tangible and intangible forms, but once Zhao Fusheng controlled a ghost, the malevolent ghost lost this switching advantage. She wanted to force the malevolent ghost to stay, but the ghost's power was also not to be underestimated.
The malevolent ghost of Yaofan Alley was of the Sha level, and the ghost object Zhao Fusheng controlled was also of the Sha level. Their ranks were equal; logically, neither should be able to harm the other. But malevolent ghosts had their own rules and principles for killing. The malevolent ghost of Yaofan Alley killed by means of a register. It was enshrined in a shrine and, after killing, took intestines and heads as offerings—this also aligned with the origin of the name Yaofan Alley (Beggar's Alley).
The Beggar Ghost!
Now, after Zhao Fusheng leveraged her fortune, she used the human skin lantern to substitute herself, allowing its rule to be fulfilled. And the malevolent ghost she controlled had the rule of 'give first, then take'. The Beggar Ghost of Yaofan Alley had already taken her 'something', so it was her malevolent ghost's turn for the 'take' part. When two ghosts meet, one must emerge victorious.
Ghosts cannot be killed or annihilated; they can only be driven away, dissected, or suppressed.
Zhao Fusheng's thoughts shifted, and she proceeded to tear at the malevolent ghost's arm. The malevolent ghost's body was also one of the world's most ferocious objects. Thinking this, the power of the ghost object's rule she controlled operated to its utmost. With a crisp sound of tearing bone, the Beggar Ghost's right arm was suddenly ripped off by her and clutched in her hand.
At the same time, the Beggar Ghost not only lost its right arm but also lost the offerings it had received. Just as it was about to act again—Zhao Fusheng, quick as a flash, picked up the already extinguished and shattered ghost lamp from the ghost's hand and stuffed it into the Beggar Ghost's other hand.
The malevolent ghost had no thoughts, felt no pain. Once it received something, it was as if its rule was fulfilled. Even though large amounts of black qi poured from its severed limb, it showed no other reaction. It merely wore a blank expression, carrying the tattered lantern with its single remaining hand, turning and walking out the door, heading towards the Fuzi Temple.
And the ghost hand clutched by Zhao Fusheng did not 'die' after being forcibly separated from the ghost's body. It clenched and unclenched, as if still instinctively begging for something.
After all this was done, the Investiture of the Gods' prompt sounded in Zhao Fusheng's Sea of Consciousness:
Successfully dissected the malevolent ghost's body in Yaofan Alley, obtaining one ghost hand;
Successfully broke the rank of the Beggar Ghost, lowering it to a Ferocious-level, and changed its killing rule;
Successfully resolved the ghost disaster in Yaofan Alley, saving the lives of the remaining living beings in Yaofan Alley, Merit +150.
The Liu Clan Ancestral Hall ghost case completed 1/3.
The malevolent ghost you control successfully completed its rule and gained power.
...
The notification sounds rang out continuously, but Zhao Fusheng had no time to feel happy about completing the task. Because the moment she used the malevolent ghost's power to forcibly tear off the Beggar Ghost's arm, the malevolent ghost she controlled also completed its rule and gained power.
Almost at the same moment as the Investiture of the Gods' prompt, she felt a long-unseen chill assault her. The scene from her nightmares recurred. A ghost shadow silently approached her, its cold gaze falling upon her, coveting her lifespan and fortune.
A pale, chilling hand reached towards her back. The instant its fingertips touched her back, a familiar sense of dread enveloped Zhao Fusheng's entire body. At the same time, the Investiture of the Gods' prompt sounded again:
You have been affected by a Malevolent-level ghost; 10 Merit Points have been consumed to clear the ghost's lingering thoughts.
As soon as that notification sounded, the Investiture of the Gods in Zhao Fusheng's mind immediately unfolded. Red light flickered on the bloody list, and an extraordinarily fierce malevolent aura spread out. The malevolent ghost, suppressed by the power of the Investiture of the Gods, recoiled its ghost hand as if electrocuted.
Zhao Fusheng turned abruptly, only to see a malevolent ghost with a pallid face standing just a step away from her, its cold eyes fixed on her. The malevolent ghost's two hands were raised high, frozen in mid-air as if attempting to grab her. Finally, as if suppressed by some mysterious force, the ghost's resentful and unwilling aura emanated, and its body slowly turned into a black shadow.
Seeing her turn around, the ghost shadow attempted to reach out again. Yin energy assailed her, touching her body, and a breathtaking killing intent permeated her chest. Zhao Fusheng recoiled in horror, but the ghost's speed was faster than hers. The next moment, the shadow of the ghost claw pierced her chest, but due to the malevolent ghost's suppression, it lost its lethality, finally dissolving into ten residual, asphalt-like black wisps, unwillingly.
The malevolent ghost's figure instantly collapsed like a pile of sand, flowing downwards. The phantom remnants of its grasp turned into streaks of black qi. The black shadow fragmented and shrank, then surged into her own shadow like water, vanishing without a trace.
This terrifying scene occurred in a flash. Zhao Fusheng, for a moment's inattention, was almost ambushed by the malevolent ghost she herself controlled, almost suffering the same tragic fate as the original owner. The malevolent ghost had disappeared, but the resentful killing intent, which the ghost had tried to use to disembowel her when it approached, passed into her heart through that cold ghost hand.
She felt a sense of crisis. She had already used the malevolent ghost's power twice, and it had drained 2/3 of her vitality. With the existence of the Investiture of the Gods, the damage inflicted by the malevolent ghost on her was quantified. But from Zhao Fusheng's own observation, it meant that every time she used the malevolent ghost's power, the malevolent ghost got 'closer' to her. The day the malevolent ghost's hand could finally touch her would be her death day.
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. As she felt anxious, the malevolent ghost's hand she was holding twitched, pulling her back to her senses. Now was not the time to deal with the ghost object she controlled.
According to the Investiture of the Gods' reminder, the ghost disaster in Yaofan Alley was temporarily contained. She had successfully completed her mission for this trip. Her gaze fell upon the ghost hand she tightly held. The ghost hand, even after being severed from the body, was not 'dead'; it seemed to retain the consciousness of its main body, constantly opening its fingers and fumbling for something.
'One ghost hand of the Beggar Ghost.'
Zhao Fusheng reached out to touch the ghost hand. The Investiture of the Gods prompted: "When this hand demands something, neither human nor ghost can refuse."
"..." Upon hearing this, Zhao Fusheng's eyes lit up. The Investiture of the Gods reminded again: "Use the malevolent ghost's items with caution. It might eventually take your life."
Zhao Fusheng's heart tightened, but she was not yet entirely out of danger. The power of the malevolent ghost she controlled could not be used again for now, until a solution was found. And to complete the ghost case, she had to have something to assist her—this arm torn from the Beggar Ghost could solve her current predicament.
She held this severed arm as if it were a priceless treasure, turning it over and over, not finding it ugly or grotesque in the slightest. Seeing its withered ghost fingers opening and closing, she thought for a moment, and lovingly took out the human skin paper she had obtained from Paper Man Zhang from her bosom, stuffing it into the ghost hand's palm:
"Here, take it."
She gently caressed the ghost hand, murmuring to herself:
"Behave well. Next time, I'll rely entirely on you for exorcism."
The ghost hand, having grasped the human skin paper in its palm, immediately seemed content. Then, the previously restless ghost arm, tightly clutching the human skin paper, stopped moving. The ghost arm shriveled and shrank at a visible speed, transforming into a palm-sized miniature withered hand, like a model, resting quietly in Zhao Fusheng's palm.
This initial transformation startled Zhao Fusheng. She thought the ghost hand had lost its malevolent ghost abilities after being separated from the body. She tugged at the human skin paper and saw a surge of black qi erupt from the withered, tiny fingers. The motionless ghost hand quickly clenched its five shrunken, slender fingers. Zhao Fusheng's heart stirred, and she immediately understood: this ghost hand had completed its rule.
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