As the last sliver of sunset dipped below the western mountains, the sky ushered in its darkest hour. Manager Xue, whose nerves were frayed as he returned with us, stared in terror at the sudden black mist, his expression shifting rapidly, a hint of regret in his eyes.
"Mr. Song... Mr. Song, is it the fox spirit? Where should I hide later? Or... or should I just drive away?" Manager Xue stammered, his words tumbling out incoherently. Su Dan Novel Network.
Seeing Manager Xue's ashen face, on the verge of tears, I couldn't help but feel a surge of contempt. You wanted to come, and now you want to leave. You insisted on tagging along when I told you not to, and now that something strange is happening, you want to flee. There aren't that many good things in the world that you can have all to yourself.
Calling him a coward in my heart, I said sternly, "We can't leave now. Don't you see the black mist outside? Even if I let you go, you wouldn't get very far. You can look through the crack in the door to see what's happening outside if you don't believe me."
Though Manager Xue was terrified, the thought of staying and potentially losing his life spurred him on. He forced himself to open the courtyard gate, just a crack, before slamming it shut with a "bang." He pressed himself against the door, then slumped to the ground.
"Out... outside, there are so many green eyes, it's... it's so scary."
The moment the black mist rose, I felt the oppressive yin energy around us. This black mist wasn't real fog, but condensed yin energy. If Manager Xue could see the mist formed by yin energy, there was no reason he wouldn't see the malevolent spirits.
Seeing he was about to wet himself from fear, I lost the inclination to tease him further. Instead, I said seriously, "Later, you and Sister Zhang, stay in the ancestral hall. No matter what sounds you hear, do not come out. I will fend off the evil spirits outside. Once dawn breaks, everything will be fine."
"Oh... oh... I'll go over there and stay, I won't come out even if beaten to death."
Just then, Zhang Dabiao, who also sensed the yin energy, emerged from the room, followed by his wife, Sister Zhang, whose face was a little pale. Seeing Manager Xue enter the ancestral hall, Zhang Dabiao quietly told his wife to go over as well, instructing her not to come out no matter what she heard.
"Mm!"
After arranging for them, Zhang Dabiao and I climbed onto the roof. The lights of the village were faintly visible, but they seemed very distant, like scattered sparks.
Many shadowy figures appeared around the courtyard, their pairs of green eyes revealing their identity: foxes. However, these were not real foxes, but the vengeful spirits of foxes, the fox corpses that had died unjustly in Manager Xue's house.
Outside the courtyard wall, I had sprinkled a large amount of rooster's blood mixed with special ingredients, dyeing the ground black and red. Through my ghost eyes, I could see the rooster's blood emitting a crimson yang energy, repelling the vengeful spirits that tried to leap into the courtyard, forcing them to circle the grounds and use their own yin energy to wear down the yang energy.
"We can't drag this out any longer. If the yang blood from the roosters is depleted, these fox spirits will surely charge in. We need to find a way to expose the evil spirit hiding behind them," Zhang Dabiao said with concern.
"It's not time yet. These fox spirits are likely the vanguard, meant to prevent our escape. The true mastermind hasn't arrived yet. Let's wait for Bai Ling'er to send word."
As the sun began to set, Bai Ling'er and Huang San also returned. After a brief meeting, I instructed her to take Huang San and hide near North Mountain. This would allow the yin energy there to help Huang San heal, and it would also serve as a backup force, potentially achieving a surprise effect.
Time ticked by, and the surrounding yin energy grew thicker. Even the moonlight appeared unusual, forming a halo. At this point, not only were there fox spirits, but also many more yin spirits.
As midnight struck, a sharp fox howl suddenly echoed from the east. Immediately, countless yin spirits and fox spirits, as if receiving a command, disregarded the scorching yang energy from the rooster's blood along the walls and desperately battered the barrier I had set up.
My heart tightened as I said, "The main culprit has arrived."
Zhang Dabiao nodded and said, "You distract him here. I'll go out and take a look."
"Alright!"
Zhang Dabiao took out the Yang-Repelling Talisman I had given him beforehand and affixed it to himself. His yang energy then vanished at a visible rate. Only when he looked like a yin spirit did I nod and say it was acceptable.
I cautioned him, "Be careful. If things go south, come back."
"Got it!"
Then, I activated the Six-Line Yang-Profound Formation I had set up in the courtyard, sweeping away all the yin spirits attacking the outer wall. Although yin spirits lack intelligence, they were startled by the sudden yang energy and retreated in fear. Seizing this opportunity, Zhang Dabiao blended in with them.
To draw the attention of the person behind it all, I shouted loudly, "Bold wretch, driving yin spirits to commit evil! Are you not afraid that the Underworld's Yin Division will find out and drag you down for punishment?"
My words were met with no response, only another fox howl. However, this time the sound came not from the east, but from the north. Due to the heavy yin energy, even with ghost eyes, I couldn't see very far. I could only pray that Zhang Dabiao would find that fellow.
The sharp fox howls caused the green eyes of the surrounding fox spirits to turn crimson. However, they didn't charge forward directly. Instead, they began to ferociously tear at the surrounding yin spirits. With each yin spirit they consumed, the redness in their eyes intensified.
Then, a fox spirit larger than a wolfdog, with a shrill howl, grew even larger, reaching the size of a small calf. Its erect pupils had turned red, emitting a faint glow.
"Damn it, they've directly evolved into Ghost Generals," I frowned, watching the fox spirit transform into a Ghost General before my eyes.
It grinned, and a ball of black light formed in its mouth before being spewed out.
With a "bang," it struck the door. The two large doors made of yang wood were almost shattered by this blow.
"Holy crap, that's fierce."
Seeing this, I quickly jumped down from the roof, took out two Profound Yang Talismans, and quickly affixed them to the door. Just as I finished, I saw an even thicker black light approaching through the crack in the door.
*Boom—*
I felt as if a thunderclap sounded in my ears, making them ring. The door frame vibrated violently. I estimated that with two more blows, the main gate would likely be breached.
Scrambling back into the courtyard, I took out the Six-Line Profound Yang Talisman.
"With my blood, I sacrifice to heaven and earth, borrowing the yang energy of heaven and earth to pacify demons and evil spirits, let the formation rise..." As the talisman was placed on the ground, a visible golden light radiated outwards from me, combining with the rooster's yang blood outside to form a golden shield that enveloped the small courtyard.
The fox spirit Ghost General outside let out a piercing fox howl upon seeing this. Its mouth split even wider, and the black light within it, as if inexhaustible, relentlessly bombarded the golden shield, emitting "bang bang" sounds and causing ripples to appear on the shield.
I stood on the roof again, looking at the fox spirit Ghost General and said, "There's no need to waste your energy. This Six-Line Yang-Profound Formation cannot be broken by a mere Ghost General. Why don't you have the person hiding behind you come out! We can talk. No matter how great the hatred, there's always a price, isn't there?"
The fox spirit Ghost General's crimson pupils revealed a mocking expression. It ignored my words and began to cry out "you you," its voice clear and sounding more like a bird's chirp than a fox's cry.
As it called out, the yin spirits that had been lingering by the wall all converged towards it. Simultaneously, black light erupted from its body, transforming the yin spirits into yin energy. This caused its power to surge rapidly, making it seem like it could break through Ghost General and become a Ghost King at any moment.
This caused my expression to change drastically. The Six-Line Yang-Profound Formation was based on Profound Yang True Qi, and the strength of the formation was entirely determined by the Profound Yang True Qi of the one casting it.
I was confident that my Profound Yang True Qi could handle a Ghost General, but if it truly became a Ghost King, the outcome would be uncertain.
In my anxiety, I had to communicate with Bai Ling'er in my heart, asking her to quickly bring Huang San to intercept the fox spirit Ghost General. However, after communicating twice, I received no response from Bai Ling'er.
This left me somewhat dumbfounded. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have let Bai Ling'er leave. What should I do now?