The familiar figure outside the door was none other than Ye Yiyun. She leaned on the doorframe with one hand, her other hand stretched out like a sword pointing forward. Gasping heavily, sweat dripping down her fragrant skin, her hair was tangled and stuck to her face.
Ye Yiyun anxiously looked toward Ling Xiaodong among the mountain ghosts and only relaxed when she saw him unharmed.
The mountain ghost sprawled on the ground struggled to get up, letting out a furious roar directed at Ye Yiyun outside the door. The other five mountain ghosts immediately turned their attention and began pacing toward her!
This is bad! One of these ghost kings could only be countered by a cultivator at the Six Harmonies Realm. Aunt Yun was only at the Five Elements Realm, and on top of that, there were six ghost kings present!
Ling Xiaodong was about to put down Mu Qinghe in his arms to go rescue Ye Yiyun, who was surrounded by mountain ghosts, when Ye Yiyun’s voice, filled with rage, cut through the air.
“How dare you! A few beasts like you actually dare to harm my junior disciple! Today, I will scatter your souls to the wind!”
Ye Yiyun caught her breath, straightened her posture, and her cold, sharp eyes stared mercilessly at the six mountain ghosts burning with blue flames. The fury in her eyes was about to erupt.
Ling Xiaodong had never seen Ye Yiyun so angry before; even when he accidentally barged into the inn before, she had never shown such fury.
Ye Yiyun took out thirty-six yellow talismans from her sleeve and flicked them toward her chest. The thirty-six cinnabar talismans spun around her, crackling with sparks of electricity between each one.
The six mountain ghosts instinctively sensed danger and slowly took a few steps back. Their dim yellow cat-like pupils contracted into narrow slits, ready to turn and flee at any moment.
“Hmph! Trying to run?”
Ye Yiyun snorted coldly and stomped her foot. A Yin-Yang symbol spread out beneath her feet, enveloping all six mountain ghosts.
Three layers of golden characters representing the Three Powers, Four Symbols, and Five Elements floated at the edges of the Yin-Yang diagram, transforming into golden chains that completely sealed off the area.
Ye Yiyun stood among the thirty-six talismans, chanting a long incantation.
“Heavenly Cave Heaven’s Truth, Fire Fire’s True. Heavenly Crow Heaven’s Seal, Mighty Ding Xin. Ice Wheel Ice Xue, Flowing Light Fire Wheel. He Jia Di Xi, Taiyi Primordial Lord. Biting Ridge Sparrow Tongue, Heavenly Thunder Wind Bell…”
Several mountain ghosts lunged at her during her incantation, but when their claws touched the flying talismans, sparks of electricity burst forth, scorching their claws blackened. The golden chains surrounding them were even harder to break, unmoving no matter how fiercely they thrashed.
Desperate, they could only watch as the thirty-six thunder talismans spun faster and faster, the electric light between them growing wilder.
“Thunder Lord Guan Bo, Wood Man Kui Guang. Sudden Fire Decree, Shaoyang Fire Chariot. Silver Fang Fierce Officer, Six Wave Rolling Water. Flying Hawk Running Dog, Flowing Gold Fire Bell. Hurry Hurry As Decree!”
The moment Ye Yiyun finished the last word, the thirty-six thunder talismans exploded with blinding golden light shooting straight into the sky. Instantly, the night brightened as if it were broad daylight.
A raging thunderstorm poured down from the heavens. The six ghost kings didn’t even manage a howl before being utterly drowned in the boundless sea of lightning.
This was the ultimate thunder spell specially designed to kill all ghostly creatures—the Thirty-Six Thunder General Command Curse!
Because this curse draws on the power of heaven and earth to slay all manner of demons and evil spirits, it could not be cast on humans.
As the six mountain ghosts disappeared, Wuyazi, sitting in meditation inside the City Lord’s Mansion, spat out a mouthful of blood, his face filled with shock.
The six ghost kings he had sent to intercept had lost contact in an instant. The strength of the infiltrating Luo Sect expert within the city far exceeded his expectations. What kind of person could this be?
“Aunt Yun!” Ling Xiaodong called out in delight.
He hadn’t expected Aunt Yun to be so powerful, effortlessly reducing six ghost kings to dust.
“Ling Xiaodong! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
Ye Yiyun quickly approached Ling Xiaodong, her heart filled with both concern and fear. They had agreed to meet at the inn by evening, yet she had waited anxiously there until the moon was high without seeing him return. Using a compass, she cast a divination—Kan-Kun hexagram.
Kan hexagram, Kan representing water, water above and below, symbolizing entrapment, indicating Ling Xiaodong was in danger. But the Kun hexagram confused Ye Yiyun—Kun below, Kan above, an auspicious sign. How could Ling Xiaodong have good fortune even while in peril?
Ye Yiyun convinced herself it was a miscalculation; after all, divination wasn’t her strong suit—thunder curses were. Besides, the urgent matter was locating Ling Xiaodong’s position.
Just as she prepared to cast another divination for direction, dense ghost qi erupted from the east of the city. Ye Yiyun immediately understood what was happening and hurried toward the source of the ghost energy, coincidentally arriving outside the courtyard just in time to witness the scene from before.
“Xiaodong, are you alright?”
Ye Yiyun stepped closer, intending to check if Ling Xiaodong was injured, only to see the white-clothed woman cradled in his arms.
Seeing Ling Xiaodong and the white-clothed woman intimately embracing, Ye Yiyun’s previous fears vanished, replaced by a surge of nameless fury. Her brows arched sharply as she demanded, “Who is she?”
Thinking of how worried she had been for his safety, only to find Ling Xiaodong cozying up with another woman—hugging and holding each other—Ye Yiyun’s anger flared fiercely.
Ling Xiaodong flustered, “Wait! Aunt Yun! Please let me explain!”
Mu Qinghe, nestled in Ling Xiaodong’s arms, looked at Ye Yiyun in surprise. Even the Helmsman was no match for this supreme Thunder Art!
Seeing this woman stride over angrily, addressing Ling Xiaodong so familiarly, and being so young and beautiful, Mu Qinghe had thought she was Ling Xiaodong’s Dao companion, tightening her heart.
But hearing Ling Xiaodong call her Aunt Yun, she subconsciously relaxed. So she wasn’t a Dao companion after all, and then felt a bit shy.
What did it matter if Ling Daozhang had a Dao companion? Why be so nervous? Besides, she and Ling Daozhang were perfectly innocent; there was nothing to explain!
Because forcing her strength earlier had worsened the injury on her calf, Mu Qinghe could only lie timidly in Ling Xiaodong’s arms and say, “Auntie.”
Ye Yiyun exploded with anger.
She hadn’t expected this white-clothed woman, who appeared like a serene immortal maiden, to actually be a seductress, lying unmoving in Ling Xiaodong’s arms even after seeing her arrive.
What made it worse was that she had just called her “Auntie”!
Though Ye Yiyun often joked in front of Ling Xiaodong about being past her prime, she didn’t truly believe it.
Who in the world didn’t love beauty? Even Ye Yiyun often refined youth-preserving pills and took great care of herself, believing she still looked as good as ever. Yet today, she was called “Auntie” by a woman not much younger than herself!
At that moment, Ye Yiyun looked at Ling Xiaodong with the same icy gaze she had earlier given the six mountain ghosts. Ling Xiaodong’s skin even felt a faint prickling—that was the signal of danger!
Ye Yiyun narrowed her eyes coldly and said, “Kun below Kan above, an auspicious sign. I see now. While I was anxiously waiting at the inn, you were enjoying yourself here. Ling Xiaodong, are you feeling very proud now?”
“No! Aunt Yun, please listen to me. It’s not what you think!”
The prickling on his skin sharpened Ling Xiaodong’s sense of crisis. Just as he was about to explain, a sharp shout interrupted them.
“Your Highness!”