C46 Fight Against the Evil Path(4)

Sunn Youde's corpulent body lay on the ground, quickly becoming drenched by the rain that washed away the blood. His eyes were wide open in disbelief, perhaps unable to accept even in death that the Evil Taoist would kill him.

While part of me rejoiced, a wave of fear also washed over me. The cold-bloodedness and cruelty of the Evil Taoist had surpassed anything I could have imagined.

I couldn't wait any longer. It was time to unleash my final move and summon the paper effigies disguised as Ghost Messengers for support, hoping to frighten off the Evil Taoist.

But strangely, the link between me and the paper effigies seemed severed. I couldn't sense their presence, nor could I manipulate them from the shadows.

A chill settled in my heart as I dashed outside, only to see a plume of black smoke rising from the woods. My head buzzed, and a sense of dread crept over me.

Drawing closer, my heart sank. My paper effigies and the nearby tree had been struck by lightning. The rain had quenched the flames, but the effigies were now useless, with broken limbs or missing heads.

I slumped onto the muddy ground, utterly defeated. What was I to do now?

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the Sunn family's old mansion. My heart lurched, and I scrambled to my feet, rushing back.

As I was about to step over the threshold, a piercing coldness enveloped me from behind. The eerie sound of chains dragging on the ground reached my ears.

The chilling sound struck fear into my heart, yet it also kindled a glimmer of hope.

I turned to see a scene I recognized all too well. A mist hung in the forest, and two figures clad in black were approaching me. The oppressive aura and intense Yin Qi signaled the arrival of the true Ghost Messengers.

The Ghost Messengers reached me in no time. Frozen in place, I forgot to move until one of them pushed me aside, murmuring, "Ghost Messenger passing through, living should make way."

Terrified, I stumbled to the side. The brief touch of the Ghost Messenger's hand made me feel as though I had plunged into an icy abyss.

The Ghost Messengers moved past me, and the one who had pushed me paused to give me another look. Beneath the shadow of his black hat, I couldn't see his face, but those cold, piercing eyes were unmistakable.

To my surprise, a flicker of shock passed through his eyes, and he occasionally glanced at the hand that had pushed me away.

The golden light within me hadn't reacted at all. Could the Ghost Messenger's astonishment be due to my unique constitution?

But at that moment, I couldn't afford to ponder it further. After witnessing the Ghost Messenger enter the Sunn family's old house, I quickly got to my feet and followed suit.

Upon reaching the courtyard, I found that not only had the two Ghost Messengers vanished, but the Evil Taoist was nowhere to be seen either. Only Deaf Zhang lay injured on the ground.

"Mr. Ergou, are you okay?" I called out.

"No... I'm okay, just some minor cuts and bruises. My years of martial arts training weren't for nothing." Yet as Deaf Zhang finished speaking, he coughed up blood.

"Mr. Ergou!" I rushed over, and upon closer inspection, I was relieved to see the blood was red, indicating no serious internal injuries.

"Changsheng, you really scared off that Evil Taoist. Your paper Ghost Messengers were almost too convincing; they seemed as real as the actual Ghost Messengers! The soul-binding iron chains even made the Evil Taoist cough up blood. You scared me half to death," Deaf Zhang said, chuckling.

I gave a wry smile and replied, "Mr. Ergou, what we saw was a genuine Ghost Messenger. My paper creations were destroyed by lightning..."

Deaf Zhang paused, taken aback. I helped him to his feet, and we both sought shelter from the rain in the Evil Taoist's room. I took the opportunity to search the room and retrieved my phone and the special "Jerky."

Sitting on the floor, catching my breath, I noticed over forty missed calls on my phone, all from the same number.

I knew who was trying to reach me.

I was about to return the call when suddenly, a flurry of footsteps echoed from beyond the courtyard.