Chapter 123: The Scarecrow (3)

"It was not just Wang Yong and the others who killed me; everyone in Fengmen Village is guilty. They turned a blind eye to my death, and every single one of them deserves to die!"

"Kill! I will slaughter them all!"

Ghostly energy surged into the sky like a dark cloud, shrouding the entire Fengmen Village.

The piercing chill made everyone deeply uneasy. Yan Yu shielded the group behind him and whispered, "The situation is dire. When the chance arises, you all must leave first and notify Teacher Lin as soon as possible. I will hold Ye Han back!"

"No, Ye Han is too powerful now. I must stay and help you, my husband!" Zhao Qingqing shook her head.

"Boss, we aren't much use here, and we don't have any virgin boy urine or anything like that, so we'll be heading out first!" Fatty and Master Cao were already preparing to slip away.

Ye Han turned her neck rigidly: "None of you are getting away!"

In an instant, Yan Yu and the others felt as if they had been plunged into an ice cellar. Fatty and Master Cao, having weaker constitutions, collapsed and lost consciousness immediately.

Sensing the danger, Yan Yu grabbed Zhao Qingqing’s hand and forcibly sent her back into her plush toy form.

Just then, a strange man walked into the courtyard.

He was dressed in a black robe, his face completely obscured by a black cloth. On his back, he carried a straw effigy; the effigy wore a pair of leather gloves, and its face was covered with a white cloth painted with a bizarre human countenance. The craftsmanship was crude, yet the face was rendered with such vivid realism that the eyes seemed to shift, and the mouth appeared ready to speak at any moment.

Seeing this man, Zhang Qi cried out immediately, "Master, save me!"

Yan Yu spun around, staring at the mysterious figure with a grim expression.

So, he was Zhang Qi’s master, the one from the Ghost Valley Sect? He wondered what rank of disciple this fellow was—Blue Robed? Red Robed? Or the dreaded Purple Robed?

The mysterious man did not speak. He walked forward silently and pulled the wooden dagger from Zhang Weiwei’s corpse. Then, he pointed at Yang Xuefei.

Zhang Qi seemed to realize something and quickly said, "Isn't the result the same whether we kill Zhang Weiwei or Yang Xuefei? Master... you aren't trying to deceive me, are you?"

The mysterious man shook his head.

"I'll go kill Yang Xuefei right now!" Zhang Qi struggled to climb out of the pile of stones.

The mysterious man suddenly appeared in front of Zhang Qi and pinned him to the ground.

"You... intend to do it yourself?" Zhang Qi’s expression flickered with uncertainty.

The mysterious man suddenly narrowed his eyes, as if smiling. Then, he gently pressed the dagger against Zhang Qi’s throat and pushed it in with all his might!

Zhang Qi’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at his master. It was he who had provided the clues about his sister. It was he who had taught him Taoist arts and the art of soul-returning. It was he who had sent him to Fengmen Village to save his sister from her suffering. Why would he kill him?!

Zhang Qi would never get an answer; his soul flew out from his seven orifices and dissipated into nothingness in an instant!

"Little brother!"

Seeing this, Ye Han went instantly berserk, screaming as she charged at the mysterious man! However, the man merely waved his hand dismissively, and Ye Han was sent flying backward in a wretched state.

That was a fifty-year-old vengeful spirit! Yet, the mysterious man treated the entire affair as casually as stepping on an ant or shooing away a fly. He pulled out the dagger and walked straight toward Yang Xuefei.

Yan Yu’s expression shifted. He stepped forward to block the man and shouted, "You villain of the Ghost Valley Sect, stop!"

The mysterious man raised an eyebrow, looking at Yan Yu with interest. He beckoned, and Ye Han, who had just been sent flying, floated back to him uncontrollably. The mysterious man reached into the center of Ye Han’s forehead without resistance and pulled out a wisp of her soul.

Yan Yu recognized this dark art; by holding a piece of a ghost's soul hostage, one could forcibly control them—it was the same method Zhang Qi had used to control those vengeful spirits earlier!

Ye Han’s eyes became completely hollow, while the mysterious man’s gaze grew sharp!

"Ah—"

Ye Han lunged fiercely at Yan Yu!

"Evil-Breaking Incantation!"

Yan Yu dodged while chanting, but the incantation, which had been quite effective against Ye Han before, now had little impact on her! Ignoring the spell, Ye Han transformed into a mass of ghostly energy and swept Yan Yu up into the sky!

With the obstacle cleared, the mysterious man ignored Yan Yu and reached Yang Xuefei. "Hand it over."

Yang Xuefei was paralyzed with fear. "Wh-what thing?"

The mysterious man did not speak, simply reaching out to grab her!

Boom!

A bolt of palm-lightning descended from the sky, striking the mysterious man on the back! However, the lightning only scorched the clothes on his back; it did not harm him in the slightest.

The mysterious man looked back at Yan Yu, who was still suspended in the air by the ghostly energy, and felt a flash of anger that the boy would still attempt to intervene despite his own dire situation. He turned around and gestured, and Ye Han sent Yan Yu flying directly toward him!

In a blur, Yan Yu felt his throat being crushed by the mysterious man’s grip, making it nearly impossible to breathe!

"You bastard... let go!" Yan Yu suddenly reached out and tore off the man’s mask, only to be horrified by what he saw.

The mysterious man’s mouth had been gruesomely pierced through with crude iron wire, stitched tightly shut!

"Does it look good?" The mysterious man curled his lips.

Yan Yu realized with a jolt that the man was speaking via ventriloquism!

A terrifying force surged from the man’s grip onto Yan Yu’s neck. At that moment, Yan Yu felt as if his neck were about to be snapped! This strength... it was terrifying!

"Kirin Arm... if you don't come out now, no one will find a physical body for you!" Yan Yu screamed in his heart.

As if responding to the call, a terrifying aura of yin energy erupted from Yan Yu’s left arm! The mysterious man’s expression turned to one of shock!

"Eat!"

With the signature line of the demonic face, the Kirin Arm appeared instantly. Before Yan Yu could even react, the arm had backhanded the mysterious man and clamped onto his wrist!

With a crisp sound, the man’s wrist was crushed to pieces by the Kirin Arm!

This gave Yan Yu a chance to breathe. He landed on the ground, supporting himself with his left arm, and looked down, saying, "So... you like to choke me, do you?"

The mysterious man’s expression was dark and shifting.

"Now, it’s my turn!"

Yan Yu let out a cold snort and lunged forward with terrifying speed, locking his hand around the man’s throat! The mysterious man, who stood only a little over 1.6 meters tall, was lifted directly into the air by Yan Yu.

"Was it you who instigated Zhang Qi to do all this?" Yan Yu asked with a grim face.

The man looked at him expressionlessly, saying nothing.

"Don't you play the mute with me!"

Yan Yu exerted force, slamming the man head-first into the ground with such violence that a deep crater was carved into the hard earth!

"Speak!" Yan Yu roared.

It didn't have to be this way...

Everyone could have lived. There were better ways to resolve this. But because of this wretch, Zhang Weiwei’s soul had been scattered, and Ye Han had been reduced to a vengeful spirit driven only by the urge to kill!

After so many lives were lost, Yan Yu could no longer tolerate the man’s callous, indifferent face!