Chapter 295

Those who act recklessly are feared by conventional fighters, especially someone like True Lord Baihe, who openly sacrifices their life from the very beginning.

The Guan Jiang Shou typically didn't leave a deep impression on the martial arts world because the strength of these Yin Deities was limited by the physical condition of the child mediums they possessed. However, currently, they are unrestrained and can unleash their full power, making them incredibly formidable.

But just as people cannot escape the influence of their environment and circumstances, the same applies to deities.

For a long time, the Guan Jiang Shou's fierce and relentless fighting style was based on their disregard for the mediums' bodies.

They were accustomed to both disdaining the mediums for limiting their power and enjoying the risk-free ability to depart at any time after possession.

Having dwelled too long in a safe haven, even former Ghost Kings who once commanded fear now displayed petty calculations and timidness.

Of course, this was also what the Bodhisattva desired. Having learned lessons from the previous generation of True Lords, the Bodhisattva tightened control over this generation of Guan Jiang Shou.

Therefore, it wasn't so much that True Lord Baihe betrayed a faction, but rather that he deliberately broke free from the stagnant and decaying confines he had long endured.

The童子 (Daoist boy/spirit) had not anticipated the boy's instructions would be so extreme, nor Lin Shuyou's resolute actions, but it did not intervene.

The situation had escalated beyond the童子's comprehension. The divine fire was already ignited, and the countdown had begun. Dwelling on anything else now would be meaningless; it was better to seize the moment and enjoy the final rush!

The童子's combat experience and understanding of spells began to be unconditionally poured into Lin Shuyou's consciousness, initiating a shared connection.

In the True Lord state, when Lin Shuyou and the童子 were perfectly aligned in purpose and emotion, it became unnecessary to distinguish who was controlling the body.

The twin maces swept horizontally with the force to break a thousand catties. The green-faced General Sun dared not block directly, attempting to parry with his trident. However, upon contact, he felt a powerful rebound. His balance was first broken, and then he continuously retreated.

True Lord Baihe continued to press forward, giving no quarter.

He knew well that the iron chains wrapped around the waists of Generals Zeng and Sun continuously supplied them with divine power, meaning they would not tire. A prolonged battle would only exhaust True Lord Baihe himself, and furthermore, with his divine soul already burning, he had no time to waste.

Only by inflicting sufficient damage in the shortest possible time could he demonstrate the worth of his sacrifice.

After three consecutive strikes with the golden maces, General Sun frantically retreated, his heart filled with terror.

He knew that Baihe would gain immense power by burning his divine soul, but he never expected it to be this strong. Even though he was within a medium's body, for Baihe, that body was no longer a constraint but rather a massive amplification.

With momentum built, True Lord Baihe was ready to continue pressing his advantage and crush his opponent.

However, General Zeng, who possessed two bodies—one red and one blue—rushed forward, one holding a fire token and the other a tiger tablet, intending to relieve General Sun.

Behind the offering table,

Li Zhuiyuan raised his right hand and covered his right eye.

The next moment, several lanterns in the sky seemed to gain corporeal eyes, fixating intently on the two Generals Zeng below.

The two Generals Zeng immediately felt their bodies grow heavy, their steps like slogging through mud.

"Roar."

"Roar!"

Each of the two Generals Zeng tilted their heads outward, exchanging glances across the distance. Three wisps of incense light shot up from their heads, significantly weakening the suppression on them.

Li Zhuiyuan also tilted his head slightly.

No words were needed; understanding came naturally.

Zhao Yi stepped forward, the life-and-death gate on his chest rapidly spinning. He raised his left hand, placed it on the boy's head, and, with a smile, said:

"Good boy... Oh oh oh oh oh!"

The composed demeanor he had just regained instantly vanished. Zhao Yi's cheeks sunken, and his body began to twitch.

He truly hadn't expected Li to be so aggressive this time, immediately beginning to draw power fiercely!

In an instant, the lantern eyes above multiplied several times, their majestic gaze collectively locking down with overwhelming force.

The two Generals Zeng, who were about to break free from the mud, felt an invisible, immense force strike them. Their divine bodies couldn't withstand it. After taking a simultaneous step forward, their other legs simply couldn't follow, and with a "thud," they dropped to one knee.

With no further worries, True Lord Baihe could now fully concentrate on General Sun.

Finally, under the accumulated momentum of his continuous attacks, General Sun's trident, clutched in both hands, was parried by True Lord Baihe's single mace. The other mace then crashed heavily onto General Sun's shoulder.

"Crack..."

The sound of a divine body cracking echoed. While divine power could be replenished via chains, direct damage was not healed.

General Sun's green face contorted fiercely. Despite his injuries, he still intended to fight, and indeed, he retained the ability to persevere.

But when the white divine fire from True Lord Baihe spread along the golden mace onto him, panic flashed in his eyes.

Regardless of shifts in allegiance, the fundamental similarity between the童子 and General Sun remained unchanged. Thus, the flames generated by a burning Yin Deity's essence could indeed ignite him.

Furthermore, after breaking through General Sun's defense and landing a heavy blow, True Lord Baihe did not immediately launch another attack. Instead, he maintained a relatively static position, allowing more flames to transfer to General Sun and ensure his ignition.

General Sun: "You..."

True Lord Baihe's vertical pupils were icy cold, and his usual defiance was now imbued with a chilling determination.

This gaze felt unfamiliar to General Sun. He knew it wasn't Baihe, or at least, not purely Baihe.

When a person with simple, unwavering beliefs is on your side, you can trust them implicitly with your back. This was why Zhao Yi had always favored Lin Shuyou.

However, if you stood against him, you would feel that he was truly capable of sacrificing his life at any moment, even if it was just to achieve a mutual annihilation or merely to inflict some damage upon you.

True Lord Baihe's voice was chilling, carrying the weight of a final judgment, as he declared:

"Make your choice: either we perish together, or I utterly defeat you!"

Annihilation meant dragging his opponent to a shared end, erasing their existence from this world. Utter defeat, however, implied that nearly sixty years of effort would be wasted, yet there would still be a chance to start anew.

General Sun: "Traitor, don't be so arrogant! It's a fight to the death between us!"

Beneath this grand declaration lay an aggressive attack: the trident was raised recklessly, completely abandoning central defense, in a fearless posture that sought total defeat.

General Sun chose the latter.

Firstly, the situation was beyond his control. Secondly, as a former colleague, even despite past conflicts, General Sun trusted Baihe to keep his word when it came to life and death.

Furthermore, Generals Zeng and Sun had previously interacted with the boy behind the offering table. Although the experience was unpleasant, they had witnessed his methods. Their ugly little statues were still placed on the altar of "Corpse Retriever Li" in Nantong.

In any case, there was a half-fated connection through shared incense.

Most importantly, Baihe was willing to fight to the death because he had received ample benefits, which could be understood by the saying, "A scholar would die for his confidant."

As for them...

How much merit did they receive in a month? Why would they risk their lives for that!

The True Lords of the previous era, despite various flaws, never lacked fighting will. Even as traitors, serving different masters, they dared to fight to the death.

This generation of Guan Jiang Shou nominally served the Bodhisattva, but because the Bodhisattva took the lion's share while the Guan Jiang Shou received only a small portion, and despite bowing in deference, they were essentially exploited subcontractors.

True Lord Baihe understood General Sun's intention. He swiftly engaged General Sun, who disregarded his defenses, allowing True Lord Baihe to seize the opportunity. His golden maces were no longer obstructed, striking General Sun's divine body repeatedly and powerfully.

More and more cracks appeared. The final blow landed on General Sun's head, causing his divine body to explode, leaving only a flicker of light attempting to escape.

True Lord Baihe honored his promise. He first withdrew the divine fire that had transferred, then ignored the opponent's escape, refraining from delivering a fatal blow.

Upon closer examination, True Lord Baihe realized that burning General Sun's divine body seemed to have provided extra fuel, somewhat extending his own burning time.

True Lord Baihe turned and looked behind him.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan also lowered the hand covering his right eye. The eyes above his head reverted to lanterns, releasing the suppression on the two Generals Zeng.

Zhao Yi's drained expression recovered, but in reality, only his expression returned to normal.

The energy consumed by the deduction had not significantly decreased, and he finally understood what Li was secretly doing. Despite the pain, a sense of admiration welled up within him.

True Lord Baihe swooped down, arms outstretched. The two Generals Zeng, who had just risen, were swept off their feet by his two golden maces and knocked to the ground. True Lord Baihe did not get up but continued to press down on them in this manner.

With a successful example, replication was quick.

The flames on his body once again transferred through the golden maces to the two Generals Zeng. The exact same threat was uttered from his mouth:

"Make your choice: either you perish with me, or I utterly defeat you!"

The two Generals Zeng roared in unison:

"I would rather perish with you, traitor!"

It was the same choice, but it was even easier for General Zeng than for General Sun, as he had witnessed General Sun being spared.

Immediately, the two Generals Zeng abandoned their defenses and launched a fierce counterattack.

Under the continuous heavy mace blows, General Zeng's body continuously cracked, eventually disintegrating collectively.

The flames were retracted, and the escaping light and shadow were ignored.

True Lord Baihe inwardly examined himself. Although his expenditure still far outweighed his replenishment, he had lasted longer than anticipated.

Daring not to delay, True Lord Baihe actively charged down the Ghost Street.

Generals Zeng and Sun, who led the formation, had been dealt with. On the pier, subsequent Guan Jiang Shou had appeared, a group of "nostalgic" familiar old faces.

The Guan Jiang Shou had just disembarked, some still holding their iron chains instead of having them fastened, when they saw a ball of light and fire hurtling down towards them from above.

True Lord Baihe raised his twin maces high, his lips stretching into an unrestrained, wild grin:

"Former colleagues, I, Baihe, have returned!"

The pier immediately descended into chaos. Under normal circumstances, Generals Zeng and Sun were the two strongest Guan Jiang Shou. With them gone, True Lord Baihe now truly resembled a wolf among sheep.

Wherever the twin maces struck, there were wails of ghosts and gods. Past camaraderie and shared kindness were all in the maces, to be drunk with all of them!

"Hiss..."

Above, more lanterns transformed into eyes, gazing down at the pier.

True Lord Baihe could fight so joyfully because the Ghost Street's support for him had increased, simultaneously doubling the suppression on the Guan Jiang Shou.

Zhao Yi gasped continuously in pain, but he didn't utter the same cries as before.

Because he knew that Li was setting the stage for A-You, allowing him to be as happy as possible before his demise.

When it came to A-You, Zhao Yi was never stingy.

Finally, the pier lay in ruins.

True Lord Baihe, covered in wounds, stood there, using one mace to prop himself up. He raised the other mace, continuously aiming it at the remaining Guan Jiang Shou.

He had not delivered fatal blows to any whose divine bodies had shattered. He wanted them to forever remember this day, how their lofty Yin Deity selves were beaten and sent scurrying.

The milky-white divine fire continuously dimmed.

Lin Shuyou thought to himself, "Brother Xiaoyuan, I can't go on."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Hmm, then go die."

Lin Shuyou: "Understood, clear!"

His resolute vertical pupils dispersed, the flames on his body extinguished, and Lin Shuyou closed his eyes, his life force completely depleted.

Yet, his standing form momentarily deterred the remaining Guan Jiang Shou who still possessed their divine bodies from advancing.

"Li, it's my turn."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Zhao Yi removed his hand from the boy's head, walked around the offering table, and proceeded forward, his steps becoming increasingly unsteady with each stride.

He was accustomed to lending his mind to Li, but that recent period was Li's most intense use yet; he had been essentially drained dry.

"Gurgle... gurgle... gurgle..."

In the water at the edge of the pier, large bubbles surfaced one by one, and a pair of dark nostrils slowly emerged.

Zhao Yi stopped, his arms falling limply. He weakly called out to Tan Wenbin behind him:

"Zhuangzhuang, you brought the camera, right?"

Tan Wenbin: "Yes, I did."

"Remember to take a photo for me later."

"You can't capture things here with a camera."

"Then record it with your eyes."

"No problem."

Zhao Yi: "Li, if you had told me this was the plan earlier, believe me, I wouldn't have come."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You still would have come."

Zhao Yi: "So certain?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Those who cannot afford to gamble often cannot let go either."

Zhao Yi: "Alright, say no more."

Young Master Zhao swayed and fell to his knees.

He didn't blame Li for draining him dry, despite knowing it was his turn next.

From his pocket, he pulled out... two talismans.

These were Sealing Talismans and Evil-Breaking Talismans. The needles themselves were specially made, not only from unique materials but also engraved with array patterns.

It was no surprise that Zhao Yi possessed these two talismans. Having traveled the river so many times and for so long, he didn't even need to steal them; he could simply pick up any two that had been discarded without activating their effects.

After all, while these talismans were indeed valuable in the martial arts world, for Li Zhuiyuan and others who had mastered mass production, they could be used abundantly.

This alone demonstrated the depth of Zhao Yi's learning and thoroughness of his research in this area.

Tearing open his shirt, Zhao Yi found the rotation speed of his life-and-death gate had dropped to an extremely low point. He took a deep breath and began to reverse its rotation.

Intense death qi instantly permeated his entire body. Zhao Yi tilted his head back without screaming; his physical pain receptors had long since dulled. Only Li could inflict mental torment on him.

Two talisman needles pierced him. After a brief stagnation, the death qi became even more frantic.

New cracks appeared on Zhao Yi's body. After each crack opened, flesh writhed, making it look, at first glance, as if his entire body was covered in countless eyes.

Standing up and craning his neck, Zhao Yi asked:

"Li, how is it?"

"Disgusting."

"A newly discovered move, unfortunately, unlike A-You's repeatable technique, using this means certain death for me."

Reversing the life-and-death gate meant heading straight for the death gate, leaving no retreat.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Useless."

Hearing this, all the eyes on Zhao Yi's body collectively rolled at Li Zhuiyuan.

It was indeed useless. Lin Shuyou used the talismans to stimulate his potential, but Zhao Yi's method didn't boost his power. It only provided a brief, new burst of endurance by drawing in surrounding death qi.

This move was entirely impractical in a normal fight unless he intended to disgust his opponent to death.

But what else could Zhao Yi do, having been drained?

He didn't want to just crawl up and die; he had to walk to his death, otherwise, the photos wouldn't look good.

Stepping forward, as he walked, Zhao Yi felt confused. The already dense death qi on Ghost Street was actively gathering within his body.

This made him uncomfortable, yet also deeply relieved. He continued forward without looking back, but still raised a hand and waved, as if thanking Li for the dignity he was afforded.

The remaining Guan Jiang Shou on the pier were preparing to go into the street when, having just experienced the firebombing, they saw an even larger ball of Yin energy.

Previously, True Lord Baihe at least had discernible moves, but Zhao Yi was far more direct. After slamming down, he immediately accelerated the reversal of his life-and-death gate to a rate he himself could no longer control.

"Boom!"

A blast resonated, and death qi erupted.

Even if it didn't kill these Guan Jiang Shou, it could sicken them to death, or at the very least, contaminate them.

For them, the latter was even harder to accept than death.

Perhaps prejudiced by True Lord Baihe's previous sparing of lives, many Yin Deities, upon realizing their divine bodies were being invaded by death qi, decisively chose to disintegrate, hoping to preserve a pure light-and-shadow form to escape.

But Zhao Yi was not Lin Shuyou. There was no professional or spiritual bond between him and these Yin Deities. He let none of those attempting to escape go.

"Come on, be buried with me!"

The Liang sisters both stood up at this moment, watching everything in disbelief. They didn't understand this fighting style at all. They could have swarmed them, yet they chose to go to their deaths one by one.

Yet, their own leader seemed to have actively accepted this, making them unable to react emotionally. Only profound bewilderment filled their minds.

Then they looked at Tan Wenbin nearby, who had rolled up his hands and placed them over his eyes, "taking photos."

And Yin Meng, who was sitting by the stretcher, continuously eating snacks.

Their close companions had just died, yet they acted as if nothing had happened.

Tan Wenbin had guessed some things, but Yin Meng understood nothing at all.

However, those who had formed a red thread bond with Brother Xiaoyuan were already accustomed to that level of trust and devotion between life and death.

If Brother Xiaoyuan told them to die, it meant the situation was inescapable, and so they would simply line up and die.

Seeing Brother Xiaoyuan's calm demeanor, even though A-You was dead, it was difficult for sadness to even well up in their hearts.

Run Sheng was even snoring.

Without overthinking and simply following emotions, one could indeed live more easily.

On the pier, Zhao Yi felt a pang of regret. If he had maintained his peak condition, he could have died even more heroically and stirringly than A-You.

Now, simply condensing himself into a ball of death qi and smashing down was exhilarating, but it was too quick. It would be over before he could savor it properly.

"Splash..."

A black phantom emerged. It wasn't tall, yet it exuded an incredibly shocking presence.

Its hooves stepped onto the pier, and its gaze, emanating from the phantom, fixed on Zhao Yi.

Filled with mockery and disdain, this clearly indicated a past grievance.

Zhao Yi also guessed who it was. Although it had turned black and grown larger, it was no longer the slender white one.

"Judging others by appearances, I was just imitating. If you're angry, you should direct it at *that* person."

The phantom raised its hoof, and immense pressure converged. Zhao Yi, whose death qi was fading, would soon completely dissipate under this single hoof.

There was no fear, no dread, and no resentment.

"Li, even if you gambled wrong this time, you'll still die with me. I lose nothing."

"When I report to the Ghost Gate on the Road to the Underworld, there's no need to burn paper effigies for me. I'll have two un-married wives to accompany me, and you won't."

Zhao Yi turned his head and looked at the high ground behind him.

Honestly, talking about the Road to the Underworld and the Ghost Gate here felt strange.

Wasn't the Ghost Street he was standing on the Road to the Underworld itself?

As for the Ghost Gate... Zhao Yi's gaze fixed on the spot where Li had set up the offering table.

But fate wasn't truly in their hands. "Li, do you really believe that Great Emperor is willing to pay such a price for you and us?"

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and slammed it hard onto the table, saying gravely:

"Suppress!"

The hoof Zhao Yi awaited had not yet fallen. Instead, the phantom was first suppressed by a powerful force, forced to prostrate itself on the ground.

This moment mirrored that past moment perfectly.

The location had changed, the form had changed, but the situation remained the same.

"Heh heh..."

Zhao Yi chuckled, then leaped onto the phantom, straddling its back. Facing up Ghost Street, he located Tan Wenbin and made a scissor gesture with his left hand.

Tan Wenbin, with his hands curled over his eyes, squeezed them together and made a sound:

"Click!"

The suppression could not last too long; fatigue showed on Li Zhuiyuan's face.

The phantom stood up, shook its head, flung Zhao Yi into the air, then opened its mouth, bit him, and proceeded to chew and swallow him.

Immediately after, the phantom began to move upward. Behind it, countless ghost shadows, bound by chains, gradually appeared, their numbers unimaginably vast.

"Brother Binbin."

"Yes, Brother Xiaoyuan."

"It's your turn."

Tan Wenbin nodded and stepped forward. As he faced the approaching phantom, four beastly forms emerged on his body. He whispered:

"You know who this guy is, right?"

"Good that you know."

"I'm quite indignant for you. You're all demonic beasts, so why are you nameless while that guy is so famous?"

"Come on, let's fight!"

Tan Wenbin charged forward.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the Liang sisters and asked, "Do you two want to die for a bit?"

Liang Yan: "I..."

Liang Li: "This..."

Liang Yan and Liang Li asked in unison, "Do you have a definite trump card?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "If I did, your boss wouldn't have been cursing me so excitedly just now."

After a brief thought, the sisters also walked out from behind the offering table.

They weren't exactly trusting Li Zhuiyuan, nor were they "dying for love" for Zhao Yi.

It wasn't that they couldn't die for this affection; it was mainly that Zhao Yi died too quickly and decisively. If he had coaxed them beforehand, they might have gone first. The current situation, however, left them in a rather awkward position.

They were scared, and they felt a touch of sadness at their prospective man's death, but it was all rather fragile, like the thin, crispy cookies Yin Meng was eating.

Liang Yan: "If he dies, we won't have any merit to replenish our lifespan and won't be able to return to our youth."

Liang Li: "And the scars won't be perfectly removed."

The sisters exchanged glances, sighed simultaneously, and charged forward.

Tan Wenbin was struggling under the phantom's crushing pressure. When the two women joined, the situation immediately changed, with all three of them being suppressed together.

The phantom did not reveal its true form because it had concerns and could only appear shrouded in mist. Therefore, its power was greatly reduced compared to its true self, yet even so, it was beyond what ordinary beings could contend with.

Without the suppression of the Ghost Street environment, it could have easily slaughtered its way through.

"Splat!"

Liang Yan was crushed into a bloody pulp.

"Splat!"

Liang Li followed in her sister's footsteps.

The sisters' current state was far from their prime, so their quick and decisive deaths were entirely normal.

Tan Wenbin also couldn't hold on for long. After a charged attack made the phantom tremble and retreat a few steps, he was swiftly ensnared by its tail whip, then lifted high and slammed violently onto the ground.

Originally, Tan Wenbin had wanted to struggle a bit longer, or perhaps, in the moments before death, experience a brief yet incredibly long recollection in his mind.

First, he would recall his life experiences since he could remember, then reflect on his regrets, and finally, the faces of those he wished to see would continuously surface in his mind...

That's how it was always portrayed on TV: the time it took to blink twice after hitting the ground could feel like an eternity.

But strangely, Tan Wenbin couldn't find that emotion.

Deep down, he still trusted Brother Xiaoyuan too much. Even if Brother Xiaoyuan told him to go to his death, he found it perfectly reasonable, as if even death itself could hold a surprise.

"Boom!"

Flesh and spirit beasts instantly turned to dust.

After dispatching the obstacles, the phantom continued forward. The ghost horde behind it had already ascended the pier, densely moving up Ghost Street.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Yin Meng, who was sitting there, and asked:

"Mengmeng, are you full?"

Yin Meng wiped her mouth and nodded, saying, "Yes, I'm full."

"Since you're full, let's get going."

"Alright."

Yin Meng pushed aside the empty snack bags in front of her, rubbed her hands vigorously on her clothes, then opened her right palm and held it out.

A Gu worm flew out from her sleeve, happily circling in Yin Meng's palm.

But then, the Gu worm froze, its two long feelers intertwining, becoming tangled.

Yin Meng's gaze turned serious, as if issuing a silent warning.

The Gu worm chose to submit.

It moved downward, bit through Yin Meng's palm, and burrowed into her flesh.

Li Zhuiyuan: "The offering table is there. Go use it."

"Okay!"

Yin Meng stood up and walked behind the offering table to begin the sacrificial ritual.

This time, what she was sacrificing to her ancestors was her own corpse!

Not yet, but it didn't matter; she was going to die soon anyway.

As Yin Meng's sacrifice began, her body started to decompose, and a ball of green light extended tentacles, about to burst forth from her.

The phantom stopped advancing, sensing apprehension.

"Thump!"

Yin Meng's body split open, and a green moth flew out, circling in the air.

A Gu worm was attached to the moth's body.

It wanted to detach itself and save its life after completing its guiding mission, as it usually did.

But this time, no matter how it searched, it couldn't find a sleeve opening to retreat into.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't look at it, merely condensing a mist of blood in his palm.

If the Gu worm flew back, he would personally crush it to death right there.

The Gu worm did not fly back. This time, it chose to follow the moth and charged towards the phantom.

The phantom tried to dodge but was too slow. After the green moth collided with it, a green light shot upwards from below, piercing the sky.

The dark, gloomy night seemed to have a hole carved into it, and a beam of moonlight descended, shining upon the phantom.

The phantom wailed, beginning to panic, to be terrified, and to retreat.

From ancient times to the present, whenever members of the Yin family traveled, they were always invited to the seats of honor. This was all due to Yin Changsheng, as Yin Changsheng was still alive.

However, even the Yin family members themselves were unsure how to seek an audience with their ancestor; it was difficult even in dreams.

Li Zhuiyuan was considered a de facto inheritor of the Great Emperor not only because he reverse-engineered and mastered the Twelve Edicts of Fengdu, but also because he pushed the limits of the Yin family's imagination in excavating their bloodline.

The Great Emperor disregarded his descendants, caring little for them. Yet, relying on the bloodline connection, one could completely hop right up to the Great Emperor. If he still ignored them, they could try to provoke him until he couldn't stand it anymore.

The phantom's shroud was continuously torn away by the moonlight, slowly revealing its true form, which it was unwilling to show.

It was majestic and grand, somewhat resembling a dragon, a form composed of various animals. It lacked a dragon's wild arrogance but possessed its own profound solemnity.

At this moment, it began to bleed, its blood continuously dripping, gathering into a downward stream.

More than physical injury, what it truly feared was the karmic backlash revealed under the Heavenly Dao.

Amidst wails and tremors, iron chains extended from underwater, coiling around it and re-encasing it in a different manner.

Soon, it finally quieted down.

Wrapped in chains, it stood motionless, resembling an iron lion.

Countless ghosts had already bypassed it and continued forward.

Just then, from the narrow alleys on either side ahead, a group of "walking corpses" emerged. Yin Meng's grandfather was among them. They were all members of the Yin family who had been buried in the ancestral tomb.

Those buried in the Yin family's ancestral tomb were all practitioners of Xuanmen (Mystic Arts). The walking corpses they became could utilize some of their former abilities, making them the most challenging opponents among the walking corpse hierarchy.

In fact, normally, after death, Yin family members' souls should return to the Underworld. Their bodies being placed in coffins and sent to the ancestral tomb was already peculiar.

Their current transformation into walking corpses was even more inexplicable, as the suffering of a walking corpse had to be endured at all times.

However, understanding this became possible when considering that they had been cursed by the Bodhisattva long ago.

This curse denied them peace even after death. As Yin family members, they couldn't enter the Underworld directly like common wandering spirits, even though the Underworld... was truly founded by their family.

Therefore, the Great Emperor's original intention in establishing the Yin family's ancestral tomb was likely not to accommodate and protect his descendants, but rather a drastic measure to suppress them, fearing they might cause disaster after death.

From this, it was evident that the conflict over the Underworld had its roots laid down long ago, remaining in a stalemate until now, when it finally unfolded in this manner.

Both sides were too powerful, and neither was willing to drop their pretense and fight without restraint under the Heavenly Dao's gaze. Ultimately, it devolved into a stalemate between them, a proxy war where neither directly intervened.

After the Yin family members appeared, the hierarchy was extremely clear. Those with older, more opulent clothing rushed to the front, possessing greater strength. The numerous ghosts and monsters were continuously dissolved and swept away before them.

Those whose clothing styles leaned towards more modern times, and whose funeral attire was less elaborate, stayed further back, responsible for clearing away the miscellaneous ghosts left behind by the "elders" at the front.

As for Yin Meng's grandfather, he diligently charged along, his body brimming with the malevolent aura of a walking corpse. Yet, he remained at the very back, still having not encountered a single ghost or had a chance to strike.

The vast horde of ghosts was thus pushed back. Countless lone souls were dispersed at that moment, and in any case, the night sky above became even more gloomy and oppressive.

Just then, the long-quiet iron lion stirred.

It turned its body, swung its tail, and raised its hooves. Its movements were much slower than before, yet its momentum and presence were even greater.

The Yin family members charged forward to fight it. Yin family members were continuously crushed, but their demise at this moment was not only a repayment for their ancestors' persistence but also a liberation from their cursed existence as walking corpses.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and sat beside Run Sheng, reaching out to gently