Chapter Forty-Eight: Rescue

I watched as the vice leader of the Heretic Spirit Sect, standing there, suddenly turned pale with fright. After all, faced with such an ancient and terrifying existence, whose age was beyond imagining, even mastery of those mysterious archaic glyphs seemed useless.

“Xiaodong, that vice leader is doomed. This great ghost has not even revealed her true form until now, only a sliver of her divine will. If these ancient glyphs are indeed, as she claims, the script of that mysterious divine race, then the vice leader is absolutely finished! Such a treasure is on par with any celestial herb or rare mineral!”

Hearing Xiyue’s voice, I felt a chill in my heart. I remembered that both the Immortal Lady and Xiyue herself had wielded ancient glyphs before.

“Master, the glyphs used by Mistress and the little fox are merely spells evolved from that mysterious divine script. The true archaic glyphs are not so easily acquired. Even the damaged glyph in this man’s hand is just a fragment,” Tu explained, sensing my silent contemplation.

“Tu, have you seen these ancient glyphs before?”

Tu nodded and replied through divine sense, “I’ve seen a few. Their power is tremendous—far beyond the control of ordinary people. Only those of the vanished divine clans can truly unleash their might. This broken glyph, and the one the little fox spat out last time, are both incomplete—little more than fragments with some added spells. Of all the glyphs Master has encountered so far, the one closest to genuine power was the one used in Lingquan Village—the glyph of Transformation.”

A shudder ran through me as I recalled the mysterious old man in Lingquan Village, who uttered the glyph of Transformation. A wave of dread swept over me, remembering that the glyph had now merged completely with Xiyue’s Sword of Transformation. Yet by Tu’s account, even that was only a fragment.

Suddenly, with a faint pop, the old crone’s ghostly form began to materialize from the shadows. Her hand struck out, landing directly on the vice leader’s palm. Instantly, the broken glyph in his hand, like a wounded child, was absorbed straight into his body. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, staring in horror at the old crone, who advanced on him step by step under the moonlight.

Her back hunched, she moved ever closer. Though I could not see her face clearly, I sensed at once that she had noticed our presence.

“Xiaodong, let’s go! We’ve been discovered!”

How formidable! I could not help but marvel at the old crone’s power.

“Youngster, prepare to die!” Her voice grew chillingly cold as she lunged for the vice leader. In a heartbeat, more than a dozen people nearby were seized, their vital essence swirling into her palm. The vice leader stood paralyzed, utterly powerless to resist. His earlier arrogance had evaporated—for before this old crone, unless one could match her strength, any resistance was futile.

When her withered hand reached for my old elementary school teacher, I sprang forward in an instant, my body shielded by Tu’s constant circulation of power, absorbing all the oppressive force.

With a crack, I unleashed a Soul-Breaking Talisman of the Sixty-Year Cycle, which I had studied since my return from Lingquan Village. This talisman was far more potent than ordinary soul-breaking spells, though I could only muster a fraction of its true power.

But it was just enough. As the talisman exploded, I grabbed my old teacher’s hand and pulled him back a dozen paces.

Xiyue stepped calmly to my side, her gaze never leaving the old crone.

“Mr. Zhao, are you all right?”

My elementary school teacher was named Zhao Wen. From the way he looked at me when I called his name, I was certain that the vice leader before me was indeed Zhao Wen!

“Yang Dong?”

I nodded.

His shock was even greater than my own.

“Mr. Zhao, let’s join forces to drive back this great ghost. We can talk later!”

He nodded. In truth, I was aflutter with excitement, unable to believe I would encounter my elementary school teacher here, in such a guise.

“So, it’s an ancient corpse! Perfect—my own body is rotten and I need a new host. Yours will do nicely, hahahaha!” The great ghost stared at Xiyue, greed flashing across her face.

The old crone’s clothes were in tatters, her whole figure as brittle as dry twigs. Half her face was stripped of flesh, exposing ghastly white bone, though her eyes still glowed blood-red, marking her as something not quite dead.

Her excited voice grated like bones clashing together, sending chills down my spine.

“Mere grave-keeper, daring to defy the cycle of life and death! Since you’ve shown yourself today, I shall refine you and absorb your vital essence!”

“Hahaha, such bold words! I’ve slept for untold ages, and now awakened, I will reign supreme! Do you think a ragged ancient corpse like you can block my path?”

At this, Xiyue wasted no more words. Her form flickered, and she struck at the old crone with a palm from midair.

But the crone showed not the slightest concern. She remained where she was, slowly placing her hand over her chest, then spat a mouthful of pitch-black breath. Instantly, it condensed into a great hand that lunged at Xiyue.

The space around us erupted. The air, previously calm, surged with waves of force. Billows of sinister energy wrapped themselves around the old crone, and the ghostly hand swelled several times larger in the blink of an eye, reaching straight for Xiyue.

“Master, now!”

Naturally, I knew what Tu meant. Such pure yin energy was the perfect nourishment for him. Without hesitation, I stepped forward—ignoring Zhao Wen’s attempt to stop me—raising my hand as Tu flew out of my body, condensing into a shimmering silver sword in my grasp.

With a hiss, I slashed at the ghostly hand. The entire space was shaken, the yin energy scattered with a thunderous roar, and finally, every last wisp was devoured by Tu.

“Foolish creature!”

Seeing her energy consumed, the old crone flew into a rage, reaching straight for the sword in my hand.

“Xiaodong, fall back! She’s a half-human, half-ghost, born from the fortune of an ancient grave-keeper. You’re no match for her—move now...”

………………Good night…………