The cinnabar glowed, and the talisman blade unleashed a powerful force to vanquish evil.
Zhao Xiwen felt as if his shoulder was being scorched by fire, not only excruciatingly painful but also instantly carbonizing the rotting flesh.
If this continued, his entire arm would likely be ruined.
“Ahhh-“
Zhao Xiwen let out a roar, raised the Zigan Sword, and fiercely stabbed it into the spot where the talisman blade had pierced him, forcibly digging out the talisman blade along with a large chunk of flesh.
The extracted flesh and blood immediately turned into pus, but the talisman blade did not burn and lose its power like other talismans.
Instead, it remained as pristine as ever, completely untouched by the pus and corpse poison.
A talisman forged into a Blade naturally becomes as sharp and resilient as a real weapon, impervious to water and fire.
From a distance, Shi Pengpeng formed a hand seal, and the talisman blade soared into the air once more, bursting with a surge of sharp intent as it thrust toward the rotting corpse.
“Roar “Zhao Xiwen bellowed, no longer daring to be careless.
He swung the Zigan Sword in a large arc in front of his chest.
The Zigan Sword channeled the forces of yin and yang, entangling the talisman blade.
“Clang “The sword’s energy clashed with the talisman blade, producing a metallic clang.
The sound carried the vanquishing power of the talisman, rippling outward like waves, layer upon layer, surging toward Zhao Xiwen.
“You… you…” Zhao Xiwen was utterly shocked.
“Is this all you’ve got? Wielding such a massive Zigan Sword…” Shi Pengpeng narrowed her eyes, her eyelids slightly reddened from sorrow, resembling peach petals resting on her shimmering gaze, both stern and mocking.
“Your fate isn’t as strong as mine.”
Using her birth chart to refine talismans not only drew upon the vast energy of heaven and earth but also infused her own destiny into the spell, making it more precise and potent when activated.
Zhao Xiwen hadn’t expected her to possess such boldness.
He was forced to retreat step by step, eventually backing into the shadow cast by the massive evil deity statue.
He looked up and saw the deity’s lowered gaze.
Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he hastily turned around, raising his sword in a gesture of worship.
As he moved, the five incense sticks on the altar before the evil deity statue-three long and two short-burned rapidly, thick white smoke filling the air, harmonizing with the sword techniques of the Zigan Sword.
“Whoosh “
A cold wind blew, not strong but damp, carrying the moisture of condensed yin energy.
Soon, Shi Pengpeng’s talisman blade was soaked by the moisture, the cinnabar faded, and the entire talisman disintegrated into a muddy pulp.
Shi Pengpeng furrowed her brows slightly and looked up at the evil deity statue.
It was clearly a creation of Longevity Island, bearing no resemblance to any recognized deity or Buddha.
Logically, a deity not officially recognized or worshipped by the masses shouldn’t possess such formidable power…
But there was no time to ponder this.
With the talisman blade destroyed and Zhao Xiwen protected by the evil deity, using long-range vanquishing talismans would likely not be enough to kill him.
Shi Pengpeng quickly made a decision.
She darted forward, charging straight at Zhao Xiwen.
“Trying to get close to me? Not so easy!” Zhao Xiwen, now fully wary of her, immediately activated the Zigan Sword.
As the sword moved, the hundreds of clay figurines in the mausoleum turned in unison, surging like a tide to his front, piling on top of one another, layer upon layer.
“Shi Pengpeng, if you have the skill, destroy these souls and step over their corpses to reach me.”
Shi Pengpeng looked up and saw the clay figurines stacked like bricks, forming a towering wall of bodies.
They kept emitting low, guttural growls from their mouths.
Though their faces were expressionless, they were clearly filled with pain and confusion.
The ghostly hands molded from yellow clay reached forward, clawing incessantly at the air as if trying to kill them, yet also as if pleading for help.
It was a scene straight out of a hellish struggle, like demons trapped in purgatory.
Shan Ren clasped his hands together, unable to bear the sight: “Amitabha, such sin, such sin—”
“Longevity Island has done nothing but evil!” Bai Wanmu’s eyes also reddened.
“Pengpeng, what should we do now?”
These clay effigies were already difficult to deal with, and knowing that they contained the souls of the victims made it even harder for them to strike.
But in this situation, if they didn’t destroy them, they wouldn’t be able to get close to Zhao Xiwen.
Zhao Xiwen, noticing their dilemma, revealed a cruel and grotesque smile, her bloodshot eyes glaring at Shi Pengpeng:
“What tricks do you have left now?”
Shi Pengpeng’s expression remained indifferent as she replied honestly, “I’m out of tricks.”
Zhao Xiwen’s smile nearly split her face to her ears: “Then prepare to—”
Before she could finish the word “die,” Shi Pengpeng continued, “But I still have a Snow White Prince.”
As she spoke, she turned her head to look toward a corner of the mausoleum.
“?” Zhao Xiwen was puzzled and followed her gaze.
There, against the mountain wall, stood a brightly colored paper pavilion.
Yan Jing had somehow climbed up the mountain wall and was now standing behind the pavilion, revealing half of his body.
His face was cold as he looked down at them, his tone icy and commanding: “That’s right, Pengpeng still has me.”
Zhao Xiwen: “…”
What the hell kind of Snow White Prince is this?
Yan, that guy, really lives up to his position as the vice president of Cat’s Paw.
He sure knows how to put on a show!
If it weren’t for the fact that he had investigated him beforehand, he would never have guessed that he was actually a coward who’s afraid of the dark and ghosts!
Shi Pengpeng, however, pursed her lips, a faint smile appearing.
She had worked hard to save Yan Jing and had been keeping an eye on him, worried that something might happen.
She was a bit surprised when she saw him suddenly stand up out of the corner of her eye.
But she quickly understood.
Yan Jing had always been terrified of supernatural entities.
Since childhood, he had avoided anything dark or ghostly, staying as far away as possible.
But he wasn’t truly a coward.
At the very least, whenever he felt she was in danger, no matter how scared he was, he would always bravely step forward.
Like that time at the Zhao family’s graveyard, he had gritted his teeth and followed her, and ended up being a great help.
Shi Pengpeng raised an eyebrow and said: “Brother, do you know what to do?”
Yan Jing, with one hand in his pocket, nodded coolly: “Yeah.”
Zhao Xiwen sneered: “Oh, President Yan, what exactly are you planning to do?”
Yan Jing had never practiced any form of magic.
What could he possibly do by stepping forward now?
Offer himself as a feast for these ghosts?
Soon, Zhao Xiwen found out.
Yan Jing focused his breath and silently recited the incantation he hated the most:
“Five ghosts, five ghosts, roam endlessly. Confuse the lost, move the unseen…”
The activation of the Ghost-Seeking Curse by the Unwithering Bone was, for the ghosts of this world, the most irresistible bait.
In an instant, all the clay effigies felt the unparalleled attraction of the Yin-Yang Strange Bone.
They immediately struggled free from the clay wall, “Growl-growl-” almost tumbling and crawling as they rushed toward Yan Jing.
Zhao Xiwen: “…………!!!!”
This useless  Unwithering Bone, his method was actually to use himself as bait to lure these ghosts to devour him?!!
Zhao Xiwen was so furious that he almost died again, but he had to admit, although this method was simple, it was also very effective.
In this world, which ghost wouldn’t want to reverse the balance of yin and yang?
Not to mention these tormented souls trapped in the clay figurines, even Zhao Xiwen himself had done so much and paid such a heavy price, all for the sake of obtaining the  Unwithering Bone and returning to the world of the living.
The  Unwithering Bone naturally had the ability to disrupt the balance of yin and yang, and for a moment, even the Zigan Sword was affected, causing the clay figurines to break free from their restraints.
For a brief moment, Zhao Xiwen even felt the urge to follow those clay figurines and rush towards Yan Jing.
Fortunately, he regained his senses in time and quickly raised his sword, shouting, “All of you, come back!”
But he was still a step too late.
Shi Pengpeng had been watching him closely, and the moment the clay figurines scattered, she charged forward with two talismans in hand, shouting, “Senior Sister, Master, protect my brother, don’t let him be eaten by the ghosts!”
“Got it!” Bai Wanmu didn’t waste any time and immediately turned around with Shan Ren to block the swarm of clay figurines rushing towards the  Unwithering Bone.
Shi Pengpeng approached Zhao Xiwen, her fingers moving rapidly as she sent yellow talismans flying like arrows from a crossbow.
Zhao Xiwen swung his sword repeatedly, the wind swirling around him as the talismans were ignited one after another, turning into ashes.
In just a short moment, the two had exchanged dozens of moves.
Zhao Xiwen gradually saw through her tactics and laughed heartily, “So you’ve run out of talisman blades!”
He should have realized it earlier talisman blades were different from ordinary talismans; they couldn’t be created casually.
They required a vast amount of cultivation to transform paper into Blades.
Moreover, Shi Pengpeng’s talisman blades were infused with her birth characters.
Using birth characters to forge talismans consumed her lifespan.
Who would dare to use their own life as a weapon?
Without talisman blades, relying only on ordinary exorcism talismans, Zhao Xiwen was not afraid.
He became even more arrogant, the Zigan Sword channeling the corpse poison within him, transforming it into sword energy that shot towards Shi Pengpeng.
Shi Pengpeng used talismans to form a shield to block the attack, but the talismans were either soaked by the corpse poison or burned to ashes by the Zigan Sword’s power.
She was forced to retreat, struggling to keep up.
Zhao Xiwen wouldn’t let her escape and chased after her, swinging his sword.
Suddenly, the cinnabar at the four corners around him lit up, and four yellow talismans appeared out of thin air.
Shi Pengpeng, who had been fleeing, turned around, her hands pressed together in front of her chest, and shouted, “Command!”
The Four Symbols Talisman Array descended, and Zhao Xiwen realized that he had unknowingly been lured out of the protective range of the evil god statue by Shi Pengpeng.
“Ahhh what can a mere talisman array do to me!” Zhao Xiwen showed no fear, raising his sword to slash at the array.
The Zigan Sword was indeed powerful, and the Four Symbols Talisman Array soon began to loosen, on the verge of collapsing.
But at that moment, a metallic clang echoed through the air, and the talisman magic trembled.
“!!!”
Despite being a rotting corpse, Zhao Xiwen felt a chill run down his spine.
He followed the sound and saw a yellow talisman, imbued with a surge of sharp energy, flying straight towards him.
A talisman blade!
“How dare you-” Zhao Xiwen was stunned.
“I told you, I’m going to use my birth characters to kill you!” Shi Pengpeng’s face was pale.
Forging talisman blades with birth characters was extremely difficult and would consume her lifespan.
But the Longevity Island and Zhao Xiwen were too despicable.
Even if it meant gambling with her life, she couldn’t let them go.
Fortunately, her fate was strong enough to barely withstand the double consumption.
Zhao Xiwen had already witnessed her talisman blades once and dared not confront them head-on again.
However, trapped in the Four Symbols Talisman Array, there was no time to escape.
In a moment of desperation, he raised the Zigan Sword and let out a fierce shout, actually cutting off his own arm.
Had he gone mad?
Shi Pengpeng was stunned for a moment before quickly realizing what was happening.
The Zigan Sword, also known as Liang Fei, was originally a treasured sword used by enlightened immortals to achieve transcendence through corpse liberation.
Although Zhao Xiwen did not possess the cultivation to become an immortal, using the Zigan Sword to sever his own body was indeed a desperate measure to seek life through death.
Sure enough, as the arm was severed, the corpse, empowered by the sword’s magic, swelled up again like a giant.
The Four Symbols Talisman Array could no longer hold and instantly collapsed.
Zhao Xiwen turned and fled, the evil god statue was within reach, and as long as he could return to its protective range, he would be safe…
This thought had just flashed through his mind when a sharp, unstoppable force whistled from behind, horizontally slicing through his neck.
Several times.
In an instant, pus and blood gushed like a fountain from the severed neck, and the corpse’s massive head fell to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
Even after stopping, the head’s eyes still looked back in disbelief.
How could the talisman blade, which was still so far away, have reached him?
“Didn’t expect that, did you? The casting range of my talisman blade is actually thirty meters,” Shi Pengpeng spat out a mouthful of blood, almost unable to speak, but seeing his puzzled look, she kindly explained.
“In this day and age, if you don’t have a thirty-meter blade, how can you even think of making a name for yourself?”
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