Chapter 439 - 305: Three-Headed (2)
Watching the figures of the living, Zhuang Li’s expression grew heavy.
These people all had friends and family. To be killed by Evil Spirits right before her eyes while she was powerless to help left a terrible ache in her heart.
"I have no objection, but that thing is extremely dangerous. Let’s get out of here first."
Zhao Xuanqi nodded in agreement. He had experienced the terror of the Shadow Puppet Stage firsthand. Never mind the strength of the general puppet; if it consumed enough blood and flesh, the sheer, overwhelming number of puppets would be enough to crush anyone to death.
The two left the Shadow Puppet Stage’s area of influence and exited the district. With Zhao Xuanqi leading the way, they headed toward the district where the Huang Mansion was located.
The Huang Mansion was a familiar name from Zhao Xing’s memories. The Huang Family was arguably the most powerful and influential family in all of Guming County. It was said a family member held a high-ranking position in the imperial court’s Six Ministries. In Guming County, there were some things even the County Magistrate couldn’t accomplish, but Master Huang of the Huang Mansion could. Anyone from Guming County would know where to find the Huang Mansion.
The most direct route from Zhao Xuanqi’s current district to the one containing the Huang Mansion crossed through three other districts and would take about an hour.
They proceeded with great caution. They discovered that in other districts, perhaps because there was no creature like the Shadow Puppet Stage that hunted humans over a wide area, the average Evil Spirit was actually stronger. More than two-thirds of them were the type that had developed blood markings.
On several occasions, they heard the sounds of living people nearby. But by the time they reached the location, the people who had made the noise had already been killed.
An Evil Spirit with blood markings was not something an ordinary Blood Strengthening disciple could handle. Once a person made a sound and was discovered, they likely wouldn’t survive for long. True masters, on the other hand, wouldn’t make much noise in this environment; even if a commotion occurred, it would be over quickly. Although they could clearly sense that more living people had been pulled into the Ghost City, it wasn’t easy to run into anyone in such a large county, especially when everyone was trying to stay hidden.
This presented a tricky problem for the two of them. In these conditions, gathering survivors to build up their strength would be no easy task.
Beyond that, the two made more discoveries.
They found that every district seemed to have its own "special" Evil Spirit.
In Changxing Street, where they had first appeared, the special Evil Spirit was the Shadow Puppet Stage.
Next was the adjacent Pinghe Street. Its special Evil Spirit originated from a coffin shop, from which bizarre paper effigies constantly streamed in and out to hunt for prey within the district.
In Lu’an Street, the special Evil Spirit was an ancient, dry well. Formless Yin Spirits would frequently drift out of it and wander through the large surrounding area.
Finally, there was Tea Fragrance Street, where Zhao Xuanqi had once undertaken an extermination mission and where the two of them were now. The special Evil Spirit there was a winged Flying Yaksha that constantly patrolled the sky. They had nearly been spotted by it.
At that moment, inside a house in Tea Fragrance Street.
"Every district has a special Evil Spirit, and each one is likely a C Class threat or higher. This must be a deliberate arrangement. They’re like guardians for each district, preventing any living thing from escaping. This Realm is hunting with purpose. The source of this Evil Cultivation probably still possesses some basic intelligence."
Zhuang Li said in a low voice.
Zhao Xuanqi nodded, understanding what she meant. ’If the source of this Realm still has basic intelligence and can command its minions, then things are even more troublesome.’
"We’re almost at the Huang Mansion. Let’s check out the situation there first," Zhao Xuanqi said.
Then, while staying hidden and avoiding the notice of the Flying Yaksha in the sky, the two left Tea Fragrance Street and entered Anyuan Street, the location of the Huang Mansion.
The moment they entered the district, they noticed something different about it.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
The ground trembled faintly. The sound of footsteps approached, accompanied by the sporadic clanking of metal.
A troop of Evil Spirits, marching in a square formation, came into Zhao Xuanqi and Zhuang Li’s view.
It was a squad of armored soldiers, marching in groups of six. Their skin was shriveled, their armor was broken, and their weapons were rusted. A terrifying, ghostly light glinted in their eyes. The faint aura of menace they projected was stronger than that of ordinary Evil Spirits.
"Sword Soldier Ghosts," Zhuang Li whispered to Zhao Xuanqi. "They’re formed from soldiers who died on the battlefield and were nourished by yin qi. Their own Evil Qi is extremely strong, making them difficult to harm with ordinary Blood Qi. They’re also better fighters and even retain some awareness of military formations. In large numbers, they are an immense threat."
The two realized that Sword Soldier Ghosts were constantly patrolling this district in large numbers. Even for them, sneaking in silently would be incredibly difficult.
"I’m going in to take a look. You wait here?"
Zhao Xuanqi took a deep breath. This time, he suppressed his presence to the absolute limit, becoming almost like a lifeless, walking corpse.
’Although it’s basically impossible for us to destroy the source in our current state, we’ve come this far. I have to see what’s going on there.’
"Let’s go together."
Zhuang Li said. Her fingers tapped a few points on her body, and to Zhao Xuanqi’s surprise, her life-force aura diminished as well.
"Miaoyin Hall disciples cultivate both medicine and martial arts. Controlling our Qi and Blood to conceal our presence is second nature to us," Zhuang Li said with a smile.
’This woman has quite a few tricks up her sleeve.’
Zhao Xuanqi gave a slight nod, not objecting. The two continued deeper into the district, dodging the patrols of the Sword Soldier Ghosts.
After covering about a fifth of the district’s length, both of them suddenly froze.
PAT-PAT! PAT-PAT! PAT-PAT!
A crisp drumbeat echoed through the street. From a corner up ahead, a figure about half the height of a man came skipping out.
It was barefoot and wore a red bodice, looking like a child.
Except this child’s skin was deathly pale, and it had three heads.
The three heads were also deathly pale, but each had a bizarre circle of blush on its cheeks. Each head wore a different expression.
The middle face was calm and placid. The one on the left was contorted into a wide grin. The one on the right was twisted in a ferocious snarl.
The bizarre child held a blood-red rattle in its left hand and a small, black wooden sword in its right. As it skipped along, the rattle made a crisp sound that echoed through the district.
The patrolling Sword Soldier Ghosts automatically made way for the Three-Headed Child. The drumbeat, however, rang in Zhao Xuanqi and Zhuang Li’s ears with a strange power. It seemed to resonate with the faint thumping of their hearts and the slow circulation of their Qi and Blood.
A sense of agitation rose from within them, and their Qi and Blood felt as if it was about to erupt into chaos.
If they lost control of their Qi and Blood, their living presence would be exposed instantly.
The two stood perfectly still, desperately suppressing the chaos in their Qi and Blood. Zhuang Li pressed one hand to the point between her breasts, using her Force to help quell the disturbance, and managed to stabilize her condition.
The Three-Headed Child skipped past the building where the two were hiding, apparently without noticing them. It reached another street corner, turned, and vanished from sight. The crisp sound of the rattle slowly faded away.
Zhao Xuanqi and Zhuang Li looked at each other and breathed a small sigh of relief.
’Getting exposed in the enemy’s lair would not have been fun.’
However, just as they were about to move, the hair on Zhao Xuanqi’s entire body suddenly stood on end. His Hundred Beasts’ Intent roared to life as an intense sense of crisis flooded his mind.
Before he could react, a voice as innocent and clear as a young child’s rang out right beside their ears.
"Hee hee~~ I found you~~ Now it’s your turn to be the ghost~~"
At some unknown moment—silently, without any warning, as if appearing from thin air—a pair of small hands had gripped the corner of the courtyard wall where they stood. Three pale heads with different expressions poked out, their eyes fixed on them with pure malice.