TCH!
Gong Ruqing, who had only just cried out moments earlier, was once again cleaved cleanly in two by a single flick of Lu Sheng’s saber. Her body split apart mid-air and crashed heavily to the floor, each half thudding to a different side.
“Young Master Li… Young Master Li!!! Qingqing’s in pain…”
Li Shunxi’s face turned a ghostly green as he stumbled after Lu Sheng. Duan Meng’an and Ning San, drenched in cold sweat, followed close behind.
Lu Sheng had barely stepped out of the kitchen when a violent gust of wind slammed against him.
In a flash, he swept his saber up across his body like a shield.
DANG!!!
The deafening clang rang through the entire kitchen. The impact forced Lu Sheng back several steps, nearly throwing him off balance as a pitch-black silhouette lunged out of the shadows.
“Another Soul of the Dead!?” Li Shunxi’s eyes widened in disbelief. What kind of Manor harbored not one, but two of these things? Until now, he had only ever read about them in books.
Souls of the Dead—indestructible specters of bronze flesh and iron bone. Fire was their only weakness. Among all ghosts, they were the hardest to subdue. And now two had appeared back-to-back.
While Li Shunxi stood frozen in shock, Lu Sheng had already clashed head-on with the second apparition.
A rapid storm of blows shook the room. Then, with a thunderous crash, both black figures smashed through the kitchen wall and vanished through the collapsing gap.
Duan Meng’an grabbed Li Shunxi and bolted from the kitchen with Ning San close behind. A swarm of ghosts—Young Misses, guards, and other twisted forms—chased after them in a frenzied rush.
Their speed was terrifying. One ghost’s claw lashed out, raking across Duan Meng’an’s back and tearing through his hardened body skill as if it were nothing. Five sharp lines of blood streaked across his flesh.
“AH!”
Duan Meng’an let out a guttural scream, forcing his legs to move even faster.
Li Shunxi and Ning San couldn’t even look back. They pushed themselves to their limits, sprinting toward the Manor’s exit.
BOOM!!!
In the middle of the backyard, Lu Sheng drove his blood-crimson right palm straight into the chest of the Soul of the Dead. At the same instant, the creature’s heel smashed brutally into his abdomen. A surge of blood flushed across Lu Sheng’s face—clear evidence of internal injury.
“DIE!!!”155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTdp4P2ZJG
Lu Sheng wrenched the creature’s head back, exposing its neck. With his other hand gripping the straight saber like a steel clamp, he slashed without a moment’s pause.
SPLAT!!!
A stream of ink-black blood burst outward, drenching him from head to toe.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
The Soul of the Dead thrashed violently, hammering fists and feet against Lu Sheng’s body until his face reddened unnaturally from the battering.
Even so, Lu Sheng had already activated the Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill, paired with Yin Yang Attraction. The injuries inside him were knitting back together almost as quickly as they formed.
In this dire situation, he had no choice but to trade blow for blow and finish the Soul of the Dead as swiftly as possible. If this dragged on any longer, there was no telling what other sinister tricks this Manor might spring upon them.
The creature’s relentless strikes left deep, painful wounds across Lu Sheng’s body, but none were fatal. Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill’s greatest strength was its homeostasis—every ruptured blood vessel was sealed by inner force almost instantly. A few days of rest would heal the rest. To him, these injuries were no more than cuts on a finger.
If not for the massive inner-force expenditure, he would have already unleashed his Tiger Roar & Crane Song Saber. One strike of that technique would have obliterated this Soul of the Dead outright.
“Boss! Let’s go!!!” Duan Meng’an’s shout echoed from the distance. They had seized the chaos to escape and were now circling around the house toward the front courtyard.
Lu Sheng struck the Soul of the Dead with a powerful palm, sending it flying. Without waiting for its body to crumble, he stomped hard against the ground, channeling the recoil into his legs as he launched himself forward through the air.
With a few long strides, Lu Sheng closed the distance and caught up to the three of them. Together, they sprinted toward the Manor’s main exit.
“Why must we go through the main exit? Can’t we just climb over the walls?” Ning San panted.
“No, we can’t! This is a Ghost Formation. If we go over the wall, we’ll end up right back in the kitchen cellar—that’s where the formation’s core is! Quick! Destroy that tree!” As they burst into the courtyard, Li Shunxi pointed toward the withered tree standing beside the stone bridge and shouted.
BAM!
Duan Meng’an hurled his entire weight into the black, shriveled trunk—thick as a forearm—splitting it cleanly across the middle. The top half snapped backward and crashed onto the ground.
The impact sent Duan Meng’an staggering wildly. Ning San grabbed him under the arms, pulling him along as they dashed toward the Manor’s exit.
Behind them, Lu Sheng swung his saber in a powerful backhand strike, smashing a pursuing ghost guard flat against the floor.
“AHHH!!!”
A shrill, piercing scream suddenly erupted from the courtyard.
Song Yunjuan—the little girl from before—was sprinting frantically toward the exit. A ghost with tangled, disheveled hair lunged after her in long, uneven strides.
“HELP!!!”155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrjY772WXV
Her face had turned deathly pale. She stumbled, nearly falling, then caught herself and continued to run. Tears and mucus streamed helplessly down her terrified face.
“It’s the little girl from the Manor!” Li Shunxi froze mid-step, hesitating. A quick glance told him the ghost was still far enough behind her. There was ample time to save her before making their escape.
“You guys go ahead first!” he said, unable to abandon her.
Duan Meng’an and Ning San shot him an incredulous glare.
“Boss is even further ahead of us. If they catch you, nobody’s gonna come back for you!”
“Cut the crap! Just go while the formation is down!” Li Shunxi clenched his jaw, firm in his resolve. He simply couldn’t bring himself to leave a child to die in such a cursed Manor.
Duan Meng’an and Ning San exchanged uneasy looks. Their eyes flicked toward the little girl, and their steps faltered in hesitation.
“Help! Brother! Big Brother!!!” As Song Yunjuan fled, her foot caught on a sharp stone. She stumbled and fell hard onto the ground. The female ghost behind her lunged forward, claws outstretched.
“AHH!!!”155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkWyXKa6ug
She squeezed her eyes shut and screamed with all her strength.
BAM!
A heavy impact thundered across the courtyard. Lu Sheng burst onto the scene from behind, seizing the female ghost by the head. His palm glowed a dangerous crimson as scorching heat surged forth, white smoke rising from the ghost’s skull as it sizzled.
With a sharp twist, he hurled the creature violently into the distance.
Song Yunjuan, trembling but safe for the moment, looked up at Lu Sheng with eyes full of gratitude.
“Thank you, Big—”
BOOM!!!
Without warning, Lu Sheng drove a savage kick straight into her torso. The force lifted her off the ground and sent her crashing into one of the Manor’s pillars. The impact flung her back into the air.
SPLAT!!!
A flash of saber light sliced across the courtyard. In a single movement, Lu Sheng bisected Song Yunjuan cleanly at the waist. Her wide, innocent eyes remained frozen in disbelief as her blood splattered across the stone floor.
“Boss…!!!” Duan Meng’an and Ning San stared in absolute stupefaction.
Li Shunxi stood rooted in place, utterly stunned. This was an outcome he had never imagined.
Lu Sheng paid them no mind. Striding straight to the Manor’s main door, he swung his saber down in a thunderous arc.
Ka-cha!!!
The wooden door splintered instantly. Lu Sheng dashed out first, and only then did Li Shunxi and the others snap out of their shock and hurry after him.
But once outside, the three of them froze again, dumbfounded.
A massive formation of armed men and horses—hundreds strong—had encircled the Manor in a tight ring.
Lu Sheng strode forward without hesitation, snatching a burning torch from a soldier’s hand.
“RAZE IT!” he roared.
“RAZE!” a Crimson Whale Sect leader echoed.
At once, dozens of sect disciples set their arrows ablaze and drew their bows, all aiming at Song Manor.
Swish swish swish swish!!!
Flaming arrows arced through the sky like falling stars, embedding themselves across the Manor. In moments, the entire compound erupted into roaring flames.
The red flames grew rapidly, swelling into a ravenous blaze that devoured the Manor inch by inch.
Lu Sheng mounted a horse, eyes cold as he stared at the burning compound. His expression didn’t shift; his body remained rigid and unmoving against the shimmering heat.
The fire raged on, its roar filling the night as the entire company silently watched.
“Young Master, the firewood on all four sides was lit ablaze,” a small leader reported, licking his dry lips.
“Continue shooting the fire arrows.” Lu Sheng’s voice was flat, icy.
“Yes, sir!”
The disciples quickly drew their bows once more, igniting the oil sachets tied to each arrow.
Swish swish swish swish!!
Another volley of flaming arrows arced through the sky and plunged violently into the burning Manor.
“ROAR!!!”
Suddenly, a small figure burst out of the inferno at the Manor entrance. It was the little girl—Song Yunjuan.
Flames engulfed her entire form as she let out a monstrous roar at the company of sect disciples. No trace of humanity remained in her voice; it was the howl of a wild beast trapped in a burning cage.
Through the blaze, she lunged toward the exit—only to crash into an unseen barrier. She was unable to cross its threshold.
She shrieked endlessly at the soldiers, her tiny face melting and drooping like soft wax. Yet her eyes and mouth remained three yawning black holes, howling without pause.
“ROAR!!!”
BOOM!!!
A straight saber spun through the air like a blazing wheel and smashed into her face, knocking her backward into the raging fire.
Lu Sheng lowered his arm.
“Keep shooting! Down to the very last arrow!”
Shaken to the core by the horrifying sight, many disciples had nearly broken formation. But Lu Sheng’s roar snapped them back to their senses. With trembling hands, they gripped their bows tighter and unleashed volley after volley into the burning Manor.
Dozens more arrows flew. Flames climbed higher, merging into a single inferno that swallowed everything within.
KA-CHA!
Without warning, a charred figure stumbled out through the Manor gates, crashing to the ground and rolling across the dirt. The flames still clinging to him were smothered, though guttural roars continued to spill from his mouth.
Several disciples jumped in alarm. A few quickly raised their bows, ready to pierce him with arrows.
“Hold!” Lu Sheng commanded, raising his arm.
Lu Sheng stepped forward quickly, lowering his gaze to the figure on the ground. Beneath the severe burns and swollen blisters, he could just barely identify him—the same scholar he had seen when passing by the Manor the first time.
His skin was charred, his face almost melted, yet his features were twisted into what was unmistakably a grin.
Seeing Lu Sheng approach, the scholar collapsed flat on his stomach. His hand trembled violently as he dragged his fingers through the dirt, forming uneven words:
I am human.
“Bring him away for treatment. He’s a man, not a ghost,” Lu Sheng said.
The order was clear, but the men hesitated. None dared to go near him. The memory of the little girl’s grotesque transformation still hung thick in the air.
Only after a long, uneasy silence did a few of the bolder disciples step forward, lifting the burned scholar with great caution.
“Heavens… his tongue’s been cut off! No wonder he can’t speak,” an older disciple muttered, swallowing hard.
Lu Sheng had recognized the scholar purely by his tattered robes—nothing of his appearance remained intact.
The true reason he could distinguish living humans from ghosts came from the frightening sharpness of his senses. The three inner force skills he cultivated—each demanding decades of training for ordinary martial artists—had combined into a depth of power equivalent to over a hundred years of cultivation.
Such inner strength heightened his five senses to an extraordinary degree. Within ten meters, he could clearly hear a person’s heartbeat and breathing.
That was how he realized Gong Ruqing and the others were ghosts.
There was another clue: only four sets of footprints—his, Duan Meng’an’s, Ning San’s, and Li Shunxi’s—were present outside the Manor’s entrance. Not a single footprint from anyone else.
Even under the dark night sky, he had noticed it with ease.
These details came together in his mind. After observing further, he detected a faint scent on Gong Ruqing—one identical to the smell lingering on little Song Yunjuan.
At that moment, he knew his suspicion was correct.
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.