C61 The Lingering Nightmare

The thunderous sound of galloping hooves grew louder and louder. Perhaps it was the influence of the Yin Tiger Talisman, but I could feel my body slowly recovering.

Trembling, I managed to stand and stared into the Evil Taoist's eyes, glowing with an eerie green light. In shock, I yelled, "Sorcerer! What are you up to?"

With a cold sneer, the Evil Taoist replied, "The forces I used against you earlier weren't summoned by the Yin Tiger Talisman. They were merely the spirits buried beneath Hundred Ghost Slope that I've awakened. But now, I am wielding the legendary Ghost Soldiers and Ghost Generals!"

"You... Aren't you worried that such a disturbance will draw the attention of the Ghost Messenger?" I exclaimed.

The Evil Taoist smirked slyly, "If it means getting what's inside you, I'll take any risk. You should be more concerned about yourself, boy. Once I've drained the Yin Qi from your body, I'll cut open your belly while you're still conscious, extract your heart, and retrieve what I'm after!"

I was shaking uncontrollably, overwhelmed by fear more than anger. Death didn't scare me, but a fate worse than death did.

"Hmph, you should realize that I..." The Evil Taoist's words were abruptly cut off. His face, once twisted with malice, was now filled with surprise and terror as he stared over my shoulder...

I spun around but saw nothing. When I faced forward again, the Evil Taoist had hastily stowed the Yin Tiger Talisman and was now brandishing a Talisman—a high-grade silver one!

I couldn't fathom his intentions, but as he tossed the Talisman into the air, it burst into a blinding white light.

The pain seared my eyes, and it took an eternity to regain my sight. I feared I had been blinded.

What did the Evil Taoist want with me? My body was shielded by my adoptive father's protection, and I could still draw in Yin Qi. He couldn't possibly be planning a close-quarters attack.

Fearing a surprise assault, I grabbed a stone and swung it wildly, but silence enveloped me, and nothing happened.

Shortly after, my eyes managed to pry open, but the world appeared as a hazy blur. I noticed the Evil Taoist who had been before me was gone, vanished without a trace.

Then, a chilling voice echoed through the mountains, "Zhao Changsheng, the day will come when I appear silently by your side. I will take that thing from you, and I will become your nightmare!" The word 'nightmare' reverberated around me, searing itself into my psyche and indeed becoming the very nightmare that haunted me.

Yet, in that moment, I was perplexed. Why had the Evil Taoist fled once more? Previously, he was pursued by the Ghost Messenger, but who could it have been this time?

I surmised that the Evil Taoist chose to conceal himself at Hundred Ghost Slope not only to plot against us but also to leverage the terrain to his advantage against the Ghost Messenger.

I wasn't sure of the Ghost Messenger's full capabilities, though they seemed akin to ancient servants, perhaps akin to a chief officer. But the entities summoned by the Evil Taoist with the Yin Tiger Talisman were the Ghost Soldier and Ghost General, who were undoubtedly of higher rank than any officer.

This was puzzling. What had the Evil Taoist seen that spurred him to flee? Was it the man in white reappearing?

I scanned the surroundings, but the figure in white was nowhere to be seen. The clamor of the spectral army that had once filled the mountains had dissipated along with the Evil Taoist. The Hundred Ghost Slope had returned to its former stillness after the tempest of violence had subsided.

Approaching Deaf Zhang, who lay unconscious on the ground, I reached out to rouse him when a fierce backlash of Yin Qi surged within me!

I collapsed to the ground, wracked with pain far more intense than before. Having already absorbed the Yin Qi of the Ghost Soldier, my body was at its limit. And now, having taken in some of the Yin Tiger Talisman's power, I felt like an overinflated balloon, ready to burst at any moment.

Wracked with pain, I collapsed to the ground, my vision blurring before my eyes. It was as if I could see my foster father materializing before me. Desperately, I reached out, crying, "Dad... Dad, save me..."

But as a gentle breeze passed, his image vanished, and in its place, a woman from the Miao tribe appeared.

Having grown up in solitude, perhaps deep down I had always yearned for the affection of a loving mother. Through the haze of my fading consciousness, I called out feebly, "Mom, is that you...?"

When hallucinations take hold, revealing the deepest desires of the heart, it's a sign that a person is truly on the brink of death...

I extended my hand, longing for the maternal love I had never known. Yet, in the blink of an eye, the Miao woman disappeared, and now, standing before me, was a young man dressed in white...