Not far away, Master Duanchen stared blankly at the two evil beings hovering above Samaritan Cui’s home. He then glanced down at the quivering evil spirit in the birdcage he had brought. A rare trace of confusion flickered across his face.

He had originally planned that if Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou disposed of the three-eyed ghost child too quickly, he would bring out this evil spirit for them to continue their slaughter, aiming to make the commotion greater.

“Where did these two come from?”

It appears that my preparations are no longer necessary. The evil spirits that have appeared in Samaritan Cui’s home are far more formidable than the one I’ve brought.

Master Duanchen picked up the birdcage and said calmly, “We who have left secular life take compassion as our guiding principle. This humble monk cannot be bothered to take you back. Please end your own lives.”

The evil spirit understood human speech and shook its head vehemently.

Seeing this, Master Duanchen sighed softly. “Since you are unwilling to end your own life, this humble monk has no choice but to assist you.”

With that, he began chanting sutras. Buddhist light radiated from him, incinerating the evil spirit inside the birdcage.

~~~

The three-eyed ghost monk glared at Lu Yang with all three of his eyes. “I never imagined that after fifty years of hiding in Kaihuang City, I would be discovered by you two today. Your deaths won’t be enough to atone for this!

“You’re merely two Half-Step Golden Core juniors. Do you truly believe you can defy the heavens?”

The hollow shadow fixed its gaze on Meng Jingzhou, its resentful aura overwhelming. “The power of blood and qi reminds me of the old monk who reduced me to a malevolent spirit. What a loathsome feeling!”

Both the three-eyed ghost monk and the hollow shadow were Apex Nascent Soul ghost cultivators. By joining forces, employing forbidden secret arts, wielding various magical treasures, talismans, and arrays, consuming pills to unlock their potential, and drawing on the nighttime boost to their cultivation techniques, they could barely rival a Basic Divine Transfiguration cultivator.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared to appear in Kaihuang City so brazenly. They were confident they could escape from Master Duanchen.

Lu Yang slowly drew the Qingfeng Sword. Moonlight refracted off its blade into his narrowed eyes, casting a snow-bright gleam.

Faced with such formidable foes, Lu Yang dared not hold back. “I knew Samaritan Cui was troubled by hauntings, but I never imagined we would find two Fusion experts.”

Meng Jingzhou assumed the Arhat Fist stance, ready to strike at any moment. “A three-eyed ghost monk—could it be that you’ve cultivated Three Talents Open Heavenly Eye? And this hollow shadow is unfathomable—it must have fallen into qi deviation while practicing the peerless ability, Upright Without Shadow.”

“They won’t be easy to handle.”

The three-eyed ghost monk and the hollow shadow were flummoxed. Three Talents Open Heavenly Eye? Upright Without Shadow? If we could cultivate such outrageous abilities, would we still be stuck at the Apex Nascent Soul Stage and unable to break through, forced to hide in Kaihuang City for over fifty years?

Lu Yang stopped concealing his cultivation. His aura surged forth like a volcanic eruption, distorting space until it vaguely formed the shape of a mountain.

Meng Jingzhou’s blood-qi power transformed into a great dragon. His pure yang power blazed like the sun, radiant and majestic, illuminating the entire Kaihuang Temple.

The three-eyed ghost monk and the hollow shadow sensed their auras, their expressions changing drastically. This was far beyond anything they could perceive.

“You two concealed your cultivation! Who are you?!”

“Wait, perhaps there has been some misunderstanding...”

“Even if it costs us our lives, we senior and junior brothers will stop you today!” Lu Yang raised the Qingfeng Sword with fearless resolve, facing death with equanimity. Sword qi soared to the heavens, and the endless humming of the sword drained what little color remained from the already pallid face of the three-eyed ghost monk.

We really aren’t Fusion cultivators!

“Sword Severing the Ages!” Lu Yang roared, snapping his hair tie. Strands of hair fluttered. His sword seemed to slice through the river of time. It was as if time froze at that moment. What should have been an ordinary sword strike was unleashed with the momentum of an all-out strike.

“Overlord Heaven’s Fist!” The blood-qi great dragon coiled around Meng Jingzhou’s fists. Veins bulged, ripping his clothes. His eyes burned crimson as his battle cry resounded across heaven and earth. What should have been an ordinary punch was delivered as if it were the last punch of his life.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Qingfeng Sword descended, cleaving the three-eyed ghost monk in two. From the severed halves, countless tendrils sprouted and pulled the body back together.

Meng Jingzhou shot forward like a mystical arrow, breaking through layer after layer of the sound barrier. His fist punched a gaping hole in the hollow shadow’s abdomen, inflicting a wound that would not close.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou then unleashed a one-sided battle. Sword qi and blood-qi energy dazzled the eye, painting the sky in iridescent hues. The city’s residents came out to watch, but could see nothing clearly, unable to tell who was involved in the battle raging in the sky.

Cui Que’er pushed open her window and looked up at the sky. Watching the multi-colored display above that was punctuated by the shrieks of malevolent spirits, she trembled in fear. “So these are the evil spirits that have been hiding in our home? How terrifying.”

Invisible to all, the three-eyed ghost monk and the hollow shadow hovered in the air, not daring to move. A single twitch would get them caught in the onslaught, resulting in their demise.

As for their ability to match a Basic Divine Transfiguration cultivator through various means, when confronted with such attacks, any Apex Nascent Soul cultivator was hardly different from a Basic Divine Transfiguration cultivator.

Seeing that they had put on enough of a show, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou let out a great shout. Their moves collided in a massive explosion. Seizing the moment when the blinding flash forced everyone’s eyes shut, they quickly grabbed the three-eyed ghost monk and the hollow shadow, handed them to Master Duanchen waiting by the Cui Residence, then returned to the heart of the blast. Feigning grievous injuries, they spat out blood and plummeted from the sky, collapsing limp in the courtyard.

“Great Masters!”

Samaritan Cui rushed over despite the danger, trying to help them up.

Lying on the ground, Lu Yang waved feebly. His breath grew increasingly shallow, inhaling more than he exhaled. Still, he forced himself to speak in a frail voice. “We did not fail our mission. Those two have been dealt with by us, senior and junior brothers.”

“Samaritan Cui, don’t worry. We are just tired and wish to sleep a while...”

“Great masters!”

An elderly monk appeared in the courtyard. He crouched and carefully examined Lu Yang’s and Meng Jingzhou’s injuries.

“Master Duanchen.” Samaritan Cui bowed, assuming the earlier battle had attracted the abbot’s attention.

“Master Duanchen, are these two great masters alright?”

Master Duanchen pressed his palms together. “These two benefactors are not in any grave danger. This humble monk will bring them to our temple. Their conditions will surely improve.”

“That’s great then.” Samaritan Cui heaved a sigh of relief.

Master Duanchen hoisted the two onto his shoulders and flew back to Kaihuang Temple, carrying two birdcages containing the three-eyed ghost monk and the hollow shadow.

He was indeed a monk—he never spoke of falsehood. The moment he brought Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou back to the temple, they immediately became lively and energetic again.

Their mission for the night was complete. All that remained was to wait for Kaihuang Temple’s publicity.

“At last, it’s settled.”

“Speaking of which, are all three-eyed ghost children in your Buddhist Kingdom this big?” Lu Yang examined the sealed three-eyed ghost monk. This doesn’t match the descriptions in the texts, which state that three-eyed ghost children only reach the knee. This ghost we captured is half a head taller than me. Can this thing evolve?

“Why did you go around frightening Samaritan Cui’s family?” Meng Jingzhou asked.

They’re both at the Apex Nascent Soul Stage; surely they no longer need to feed on fear. Besides, frightening one family day after day wouldn’t even be enough to keep them full. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The three-eyed ghost monk erupted in fury. “Who said we were frightening Samaritan Cui’s family? We were simply discussing meeting underground tonight. We have never set foot in the Cui Residence before!”

Lu Yang exclaimed, “That’s strange! Where has the three-eyed ghost child gone?”