CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 25: YIN OBJECT

In the nick of time, a pair of pale, shriveled hands suddenly extended out and grabbed the skin hand suspended in mid-air.

"Hurry, go!"

Following behind, Sang Que shouted to He Shouhui, prompting He Shouhui to react and flee in panic.

Gui Chou gently pulled with both hands, tearing the Skinning Master’s skin hand effortlessly, which scattered like ashes and quickly collided into Sang Que’s body.

Sang Que’s right palm began to heat up, not only completing the Geng Trigram but also adding a Kun Trigram!

The Skinning Master vanished without requiring Sang Que’s eyes to trace his presence, and Gui Chou stood motionless like a statue.

From afar, Yan Daozi, witnessing the scene, turned pale with fright!

After recovering from the shock, he immediately realized something, his eyes widened as he looked at Sang Que, muttering "impossible!" repeatedly.

Even at such a young age, Sang Que had already surpassed him in the Nine Netherworld, otherwise, how could she and the Yin Child find the Skinning Master so easily and dismantle the Skinning Master’s body?

Sang Que’s rank was higher than his, even though the Yin Child wasn’t superior to him, he couldn’t see the true form of the Yin Child.

Yet the Yin Child could temporarily borrow Sang Que’s ’strength’ to suppress his Skinning Master.

When two Evil Spirits were maneuvered, if their ranks were similar, ultimately, it would be the Yin Walker’s strength driving them.

Nearby, Sang Que abruptly raised her head, and her eyes met Yan Daozi’s. As she grasped the firewood hatchet and took a step, she disappeared into the dense fog, causing Yan Daozi’s scalp to tighten.

A chilling wind approached, and Yan Daozi turned, swinging his sword horizontally.

Clang!

A firewood hatchet cleaved out from the mist, sparks bursting forth, causing Yan Daozi to stagger back three steps, finally stabilizing himself against the earthen wall.

Such strength! She turns out to be a practitioner—it was no random throw on the night of summoning!

The mist surged, and a murderous intent glinted in Sang Que’s eyes.

Yan Daozi was stupefied and impressed by Sang Que again and again; just as he intended to retaliate with his sword, he caught sight of the Yin Child appearing at his side.

In the Yin Child’s abdomen, ghostly hands reached out for him relentlessly, and Yan Daozi held his breath, promptly drawing a taut ink line from the ink bucket suspended at his waist.

A line of blood materialized and violently propelled the Yin Child backwards.

Sang Que seized the opportunity to swing her hatchet, striking heavily on Yan Daozi’s shoulder, but instead of blood, there came a metallic ring.

Under Yan Daozi’s Daoist robe, he was wearing inner armor made of Copper Coins.

Jingle!

Yan Daozi shook the Dao Bell, causing the Evil Mist to disperse. The Yin Child, poised to pounce, was repelled by three talismans on Yan Daozi, which instantly burned to ash.

Sang Que gripped the hatchet with both hands, repeatedly launching heavy strikes, while Yan Daozi, wielded his sword single-handedly, managed to deflect most attacks; the few strikes that grazed him were blocked by the inner armor.

Though it seemed flimsy, the Copper Coin inner armor provided remarkable defense without logical explanation.

Not far off, Kou Yushan, He Baosheng, and a few patrolling personnel braved their fears and peeked out from behind the wall. Seeing Sang Que and Yan Daozi in fierce combat, expressions of disbelief adorned their faces.

To them, Yan Daozi was akin to the Evil Spirits—unmatchable, for Taoist disciples first trained in martial arts for ten years before being taught spells.

Kou Yushan hadn’t anticipated such indomitable martial prowess behind Sang Que’s casual mention of ’training,’ an unexpected contrast with her slender figure.

Recovering from shock quickly, Kou Yushan woke He Baosheng and the others, urging them to move the village residents indoors to avoid getting caught up in the chaos.

By the courtyard wall.

Facing Sang Que’s relentless attacks, Yan Daozi was frantic, unable to manipulate the injured Skinning Master. Seeing the Yin Child retreat and return, he stowed the Dao Bell and took out a white talisman, igniting it with a flick.

The iron sword surged with black tadpole-shaped runes.

Sang Que’s brow jumped as she cautiously retreated, realizing Yan Daozi was using the talisman she had obtained from the Locked Wooden Box.

The Yin Child remained expressionless, with parched hands stretching out from its abdomen to grasp Yan Daozi from behind.

Yan Daozi whirled around with a sword slash!

The Yin Child, usually impervious to ordinary weapons, had all its abdominal ghost hands severed by Yan Daozi’s sword, disintegrating into ashes mid-air.

Stunned, Sang Que attempted to ambush.

Yan Daozi, without looking back, flipped his hand to retrieve an item.

The red cloth fell, revealing an old wooden comb with strands of wet hair hauntingly dancing around.

Before Sang Que could land a blow with the hatchet, her eyes widened at the sight of the eerie hair hurtling towards her like a serpent; instinctively, she tossed the hatchet to fend it off.

The hatchet twisted into a gnarled shape by the hair instantly, Sang Que’s brow furrowed as she released the Evil Mist and fled, decisively abandoning the idea of taking Yan Daozi out by force.

That wooden comb was undeniably a yin object, and Sang Que wasn’t aware of how many Yan Daozi possessed.

After all, he belonged to this world, living this long wasn’t for nothing. He was more learned about Evil Spirits and skillfully wielded powers than her, equipped richly.

She was just a half-baked Yin Walker, understanding nothing, unlikely to easily defeat Yan Daozi.

If it weren’t for her agreement with the Yin Child to intervene unconditionally, given the slash from Yan Daozi earlier, she would have suffered severe backlash—the white talisman was truly formidable, luckily she had collected them all.

Forced by circumstances earlier, she now possessed enough power to return home. There was no need for recklessness; her mother awaited her at home—she couldn’t perish here.

However, how to open the path back home now?

"Geng Trigram, Life Gate... gate!"

Sang Que dashed into the Liu Family Courtyard, dodging the old locust tree, her right hand outstretched fueled by the intense desire to return home, pressing against the central wooden door of the house.

The door opened, light flickering in Sang Que’s eyes, she stepped in.

On the village road, Yan Daozi pursued near the Liu Family Courtyard, a tall ghostly shadow suddenly emerged at his side. Yan Daozi didn’t have time to react as his entire right arm was twisted into a knot.

The crisp crunch of breaking bones made the blood run cold, Yan Daozi screamed, groaned, turning pale, realizing the Skinning Master was about to strike again, he decisively spewed blood from his mouth onto the wooden comb.

The hair on the comb danced, rushing at the Skinning Master, tightly binding it, immobilizing it.

Yan Daozi leaned against the wall, exhausted, holding the wooden comb engraved with a cicada pattern, grateful he had such an item to temporarily suppress the Skinning Master. Otherwise, the Skinning Master wouldn’t stop until he skinned him alive.

The hair on the comb tried to drill into Yan Daozi’s arm, and he immediately tossed the comb onto a nearby bloody corpse to let the hair feast freely.

The curtain of gray fog gradually dissipated, Yan Daozi looked toward the Liu Family Courtyard. The main house door was wide open, but inside was empty; Sang Que had vanished!

Yan Daozi’s right arm, twisted, he endured the searing pain, supporting himself with the wall before limping into the Liu Family Courtyard to search, finding all windows locked from inside, without signs of escape; Sang Que had simply vanished within.

Clap!

A blood-stained book dropped from nowhere in the assembly hall, and spotting it, Yan Daozi turned quickly wary, retreating to the courtyard.

"Has she encountered the same deceits that befell Liu Family’s third son?"

Liu Family’s third son was forgotten by everyone, but after Ming Zhang’s reminder, Yan Daozi knew there was such a person in Liu Family who encountered an unknown existence and vanished, forgotten.

Though he hadn’t forgotten Sang Que yet, the capability to make someone disappear without a trace was possible only by an unknown entity. Yan Daozi dared not provoke or investigate.

"Master Yan, Skinny was attacked by Xia Chan; you should check on him."

Yan Daozi hadn’t yet confronted Kou Yushan, but Kou Yushan rushed over, making excuses to push him off.

"Master Yan, the zombie from your family has escaped!"

Yan Daozi was about to question Kou Yushan’s potential alliance with Sang Que when someone shouted in panic. Yan Daozi suddenly remembered Ming Zhang’s corpse hadn’t been handled yet.

He took a deep look at Kou Yushan, clutching his distorted arm, quickly heading towards his nearly scorched courtyard.

This matter isn’t over!