Vengeful Spirit? Where did that come from?
Black Guard of Impermanence felt a sudden chill. The Little Vengeful Spirit before him posed no threat, but whoever could command such a spirit must be a Nightwalker.
Has the Night Rose leader found me? Are they planning to double-cross me?
As Black Guard of Impermanence's suspicions grew, hurried footsteps approached. A figure appeared at the alley entrance, peering curiously into the shadows.
It was a strikingly handsome young man, his expression a mix of hope and curiosity as he looked toward them.
Their eyes met, and the young man's face froze.
Black Guard of Impermanence saw a complex mix of emotions in his eyes: surprise, shock, and fear.
A Nightwalker? His aura isn't strong. He's not with the Night Rose. The Taiyi Sect? No, at this hour, anyone here must be with The Officials—Fu Qingyang's direct subordinate.
Then he remembered the manipulation of Heaven's Injustice.
Primordial Heavenly Venerable? The name flashed through Black Guard of Impermanence's mind.
Fuck! Black Guard of Impermanence?! Wasn't he fighting at school? Why is he here? That Little Goofball set me up!
Zhang Yuanqing quickly pressed his wireless earpiece and shouted, "Chief Teng Yuan, Black Guard of Impermanence is here! Come quick! Location is..."
Before the words had even left his mouth, Black guard of Impermanence lunged forward like a great bird, his feet striking the wall as he pounced. His pupils narrowed to slits, and his brown eyes shifted to an amber hue.
Sharp bone spurs erupted from his back, elbows, and knees, tearing through his clothes with a ripping sound.
"Sorry to interrupt, I'll be going now," Zhang Yuanqing muttered, retreating rapidly while activating his Night Roaming Skill to vanish into the shadows.
Black guard of Impermanence's attack was too swift; Zhang Yuanqing didn't even have time to recall Little Goofball, only managing to send the child a "flee for your life" command.
Facing a Peak Saint Stage Level 6 Evil Class practitioner, even a Level 4 Nightwalker would likely meet a grim end, let alone a Level 2 Nightwalker like himself.
Black guard of Impermanence was a trusted subordinate of the former Vice President of the Spiritual Energy Association, a formidable figure in his own right.
Zhang Yuanqing's strategy was clear: escape!
But he couldn't flee completely. Though he didn't understand why he was here, his presence meant Fu Qingyang and the Hundred Flowers Association Elder's ambush had undoubtedly gone awry.
His immediate task was to stall Black guard of Impermanence as long as possible, buying time for the true powerhouses to arrive.
Teng Yuan had already received his message.
Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing's lungs burned fiercely, his throat ached and itched violently. He began coughing uncontrollably, his head spinning, and his form flickered back into visibility.
He had been poisoned by a Gu without even realizing it.
Crack! The Black Guard of Impermanence, his body bristling with bone spikes, launched himself forward with a powerful spring from his knees, shattering the concrete road beneath him. He gave his enemy no chance to react.
He was confident he could kill the Nightwalker before him in just two or three moves.
High-level cultivators hunting lower-level ones was always swift and decisive.
The piercing wind rushed toward Zhang Yuanqing. As the enemy closed in with lightning speed, the hairs on his back stood on end. Suppressing his discomfort, he focused his mind and opened his Inventory.
In the next instant, the golden Orb materialized in his hand. His feet sank into the ground, his shoulders feeling as if they were bearing the weight of a mountain.
Bang!
The Black Guard of Impermanence retracted his right shoulder, bent his elbow, and unleashed a powerful right hook like a spear thrust.
The earth-yellow barrier trembled violently, like a bubble in the wind.
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Zhang Yuanqing staggered backward, each step cracking the concrete beneath his feet.
Bang!
Another punch landed. A faint crack echoed from the Orb in Zhang Yuanqing's hand, and fine fissures spiderwebbed across its surface.
Bang!
The third strike shattered the Steadfast Orb into dust, and the barrier vanished.
Blood streamed from Zhang Yuanqing's nose and mouth, his face deathly pale.
The Black Guard of Impermanence advanced relentlessly, closing in for the kill. His fourth punch, aimed at Zhang Yuanqing's head, detonated the air with a thunderous roar.
Zhang Yuanqing's body collapsed, narrowly evading the lethal blow.
Suddenly, a pair of pristine red dancing shoes appeared on his feet. After executing a split to dodge the straight punch, the shoes propelled him upward in a spinning leap, evading the Black Guard's sweeping kick.
Then, with uncanny foresight, he performed a horizontal jump to avoid a bone spike hurled downward.
Throughout this ordeal, Zhang Yuanqing, the shoes' master, remained dazed and coughing up blood, a completely passive beneficiary of his Item's prowess.
"Quite a collection of Items," the Black Guard of Impermanence remarked, raising an eyebrow. For a Nightwalker at the Transcendent Phase, possessing two Items was considered exceptionally wealthy.
The Primordial Heavenly Venerable's ability to clear two S-rank spirit realms had indeed earned him a considerable fortune.
"Go! Get us out of here!" Zhang Yuanqing gasped weakly, commanding the Red Dancing Shoes.
At this point, he had abandoned any pretense of stalling for time. The Peak Saint Stage Witchcraft Master was simply too powerful, capable of instant annihilation. The disparity in strength and speed was insurmountable, rendering close combat impossible.
This was also why he hadn't drawn the Blade of Bloodlust.
As for the Ghost Bride, her cultivation level should also have reached the Saint Stage, but the gap between Saints could be vast.
He wasn't entirely certain of the Ghost Bride's exact capabilities, but he knew the Black Guard of Impermanence was an Evil Class cultivator at the sixth level of the Saint Stage. This meant that within the same cultivation realm, only a handful of individuals could surpass him.
If he misjudged this situation, he would have no room for error—it would be a one-way ticket to death.
The Red Dancing Shoes immediately carried their useless Master, clattering up the steep residential building wall as if it were flat ground.
The Red Dancing Shoes' Rule Item ability ignored terrain.
It was both a divine artifact for pursuit and, at times, a life-saving escape tool.
"Trying to run?"
The Black Guard of Impermanence sneered, making no move to chase. Instead, he reached into the Void and conjured a crude straw doll, palm-sized and adorned with purple Talismans on both sides, radiating an aura of decay and corruption.
The doll's face twisted and writhed, sprouting eyes, a nose—it was unmistakably Zhang Yuanqing's likeness. A crimson glow suffused its feet.
The Black Guard of Impermanence pinched the doll's feet between two fingers and exerted a sudden, violent force.
Zhang Yuanqing, sprinting up the building wall, felt his momentum abruptly halt. Glancing down, he saw the Red Dancing Shoes' once-pristine surface now coated in a layer of ashen decay, resembling a pair of tattered shoes abandoned for decades.
He plummeted uncontrollably, crashing heavily to the ground, sending a cloud of fine dust billowing into the air.
"Cough, cough..."
Zhang Yuanqing coughed violently, spitting up blood-streaked phlegm. His lungs were severely damaged, and toxins were coursing through his body. Had it not been for his extraordinary vitality, he would have already succumbed to organ failure.
"Nice shoes. They're mine now!" The Black guard of Impermanence pinched the scarecrow's head between two fingers, exerting brutal force, ready to crush the insignificant insect with casual ease.
Almost simultaneously, Zhang Yuanqing threw back his head and howled at the sky. A beam of pure moonlight pierced through the clouds, bathing him in its radiant glow.
Moon Howl!
Drawing upon this surge of power, he snatched the Demon Subduing Pestle from his Inventory and stabbed it forcefully into his thigh.
A dazzling golden light erupted, instantly dispelling the deathly pallor that had begun to darken Zhang Yuanqing's face.
Regrettably, the purification energy only targeted its Master. The Red Dancing Shoes remained tainted by the deathly pallor, temporarily stripped of their divine properties.
Zhang Yuanqing gasped for breath. The purification had purged some of the toxins, easing the agony, but that was all.
A Saint Stage Witchcraft Master's poison was far too potent and terrifying. From the very start, it had crippled him.
The Steadfast Orb had shattered. The Flame Gauntlets were useless. The Red Dancing Shoes were corrupted. The Dream-Entering Jade Talisman had already been used. The Demon Subduing Pestle excelled at purification but lacked offensive capabilities. To maintain a low profile, he hadn't brought the Cat King Speaker—though even if he had, it likely wouldn't have helped.
The Ghost Bride might buy him some time, but she likely couldn't pose a real threat to a Peak Saint-level Evil Class practitioner.
Zhang Yuanqing mentally reviewed his Items, despairing as he realized he was trapped in an impossible situation.
This was the most terrifying and powerful enemy he had ever faced since becoming a Spirit Realm Walker.
"More Items? Solar Divine Power?"
The Black guard of Impermanence was startled. The shattered pearl was one thing—it was merely of Transcendent Phase quality—but the Red Dancing Shoes, which automatically evaded attacks, and the newly revealed Brass staff were far beyond the capabilities of Transcendent Phase Items.
The Brass staff, in particular, contained Solar Divine Power, indicating that this Item possessed a fragment of Sovereign-level power.
"An unexpected delight! An unexpected delight!"
The Black guard of Impermanence burst into laughter, his narrow eyes gleaming with greedy joy.
"Delight my ass!"
Just then, a light flickered on in a second-floor window. A bald old man pushed open the window, leaned out, and began cursing at the two figures below.
Damn it! Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank.
The Black guard of Impermanence glanced coldly at the bald old man.
In the next instant, the old man clutched his throat, foam erupting from his mouth, and tumbled out the window. His limbs twitched a few times before he went still.
Zhang Yuanqing's eye twitched. By now, more and more windows were lighting up as residents stirred awake.
The Black guard of Impermanence immediately turned his murderous gaze on Zhang Yuanqing.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing didn't hesitate. He pulled out the Red Veil and draped it over his head, hoping reinforcements would arrive while the Ghost Bride kept the Black guard of Impermanence occupied.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing sensed something was wrong. The terrifying, overwhelming yin energy hadn't descended, and all nearby sounds had vanished.
The world was deathly silent.
The Black guard of Impermanence hadn't seized the opportunity to attack him either.
What's going on? Zhang Yuanqing instinctively tried to remove the Red Veil, but to his horror, his hand wouldn't obey him.
He could only roll his eyes, straining to peer through the narrow slit beneath the veil.
The moment he saw, Zhang Yuanqing finally understood what had happened. His body had turned ashen gray, and the hard manhole cover and concrete pavement beneath him were also coated in a thin layer of the same pale gray.
What force has stolen all the color?
Just as he was puzzling over this, he heard a faint, deep voice, its timbre impossible to discern, chuckle softly:
"If I remember correctly, it was at this time, in this place... Long time no see, Black guard of Impermanence."
Black guard of Impermanence's voice, filled with inexplicable terror, rang out:
"You?!
"How could it be you? It can't be you! This is impossible! This is impossible!"
The voice abruptly cut off.
Then, Zhang Yuanqing heard a thud as someone collapsed to the ground.
Who's here? A major figure from some faction? The Leader of Night Rose? No, Black guard of Impermanence's reaction was too extreme. Zhang Yuanqing's anxiety surged.
But he couldn't move, and he had no idea what fate awaited him.
After what felt like an eternity, he noticed the gray-white hues that had been seeping into his narrow vision beneath the Red Veil gradually recede like a tide.
The world regained its color.
Without hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing tore off the Red Veil and stared intently.
A dozen meters away, a figure lay motionless—Black guard of Impermanence. The Witchcraft Master's eyes were wide with terror and disbelief, his expression frozen in death.
He was dead.
Beside the corpse lay a finely crafted crystal cup, its surface riddled with cracks.
The miniature sun within the cup was gone.
They took the demon lord's artifact but left the Holy Grail untouched? Zhang Yuanqing was puzzled. He struggled to his feet, staggered over to Black guard of Impermanence's corpse, and picked up the cracked crystal cup.
He held the Rule Item in his hand.