Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Thunder God Awakens

At the very moment he finished speaking, a sudden surge of azure light appeared. The light struck the ghost directly, causing its body to become transparent and vanish in an instant.

Simultaneously, the scarlet coffin began to shake violently, with red mist seeping through its seams. A trembling voice whispered, “It’s a corpse-devouring ghost. That wasn’t its true body—it was merely an illusory fragment. If you used the Shock Talisman against it, then it would be over.”

Li Yue staggered over to us, clutching the Spectral Mirror. At that moment, the blue glow vanished from the bronze mirror’s surface.

“The Spectral Mirror can discern countless ghosts. That was just an illusory soul of the corpse-devouring ghost. It contained the full aura of its true form but lacked much power,” she explained.

A wave of terror washed over me, but the throbbing pain in my consciousness grew unbearable. My soul trembled as it grasped the talisman brush.

Li Yue’s voice suddenly softened. “I’ll lure it out. Otherwise, it will stall for time. That coffin has been nourished by resentment for many years. The blood on it is ghostly blood.”

As her words fell, Li Yue stepped before us.

My soul shuddered and rasped, “Let’s go!”

Yet, Wang Gongming remained by my side, his hand reaching out toward the water’s surface of Qianshui River.

Suddenly, the water churned and surged, massive waves crashing toward the coffin.

Li Yue’s hand produced a talisman, which floated forward—not as fast as the Shock Talisman, but just following the waves, arriving before the coffin.

At that moment, the talisman transformed into a phantom figure.

I was stunned—it was a spectral image of myself!

The figure raised a hand, suddenly radiating a blood-red light. Three Shock Talismans appeared almost simultaneously, striking down upon the water’s surface.

The water roiled violently as ghostly screams echoed.

After the three Shock Talismans, the figure flickered and nearly dissolved, then three Battle Talismans, like black blades, pierced deep into the throng of ghosts.

“What a powerful talisman clone! Xie Yuan, is this the true strength of your ordinary Shock Talismans?” Wang Gongming finally spoke, his tone laced with excitement.

For me, I had already prepared for a desperate battle, likely to die.

Wang Gongming’s words, however, ignited a surge of confidence within me.

Li Yue refused to leave; even if I hurried her, she wouldn’t budge.

So the only outcome was victory.

I forced myself to steady the trembling, maintaining my soul’s stability. My hand shook as I stood fixed, staring intently at the coffin, waiting for an opportunity.

Li Yue’s talisman struck the ordinary resentful ghosts, while Wang Gongming’s waves battered the scarlet coffin relentlessly.

Crack… crack… crack…

Continuous cracking sounds echoed, followed by a deep, sinister voice suddenly resonating:

“You have some skill, Wang Gongming. I didn’t expect you to be so strong even after leaving Qianshui Town. Now, open your eyes wide and see what this is!”

With a thunderous explosion, the coffin shattered violently.

Amid the red smoke, a pitch-black shadow shot forth!

In the blink of an eye, the shadow landed on the water’s surface. Piercing screams and cries erupted from the river.

It was a short, grotesquely fat ghost, a stark contrast to the earlier one. Its skin was bloated and veined, threatening to burst. Its eyes were tiny, nearly invisible.

Its mouth was enormous—so exaggerated it nearly split to its ears—and in its hands, it clutched a ghostly half-body.

It was the ghost of a girl. Her face etched with unbearable pain, the severed half of her body slowly regrowing.

The abundant yin energy here allowed her rapid recovery; within moments, nearly half was restored.

But the corpulent, twisted corpse-devouring ghost suddenly shoved her body into its mouth, biting off the newly regrown lower half.

A piercing scream tore through the night sky.

“Wang Gongming, look carefully—do you see who she is?” the corpse-devouring ghost roared with a sinister laugh.

I stared unblinkingly, restraining my urge to act.

This distance was still too great.

My instinct warned me: even if the Shock Talisman could reach, it would be dangerously weakened.

My soul was only halfway out of my body, barely keeping me upright, but unable to move swiftly.

If I left my body entirely to chase him, death would be imminent.

What he was doing chilled me to the bone.

I had seen ghosts devouring ghosts before.

But never such a method—devouring half, allowing regeneration, then devouring again—trapping the consumed ghost in endless torment.

Wang Gongming’s eyes welled with bloody tears; his voice trembled with hatred and resolve.

“Today, either you die, or I perish!”

With that, he surged forward and vanished from sight.

Li Yue’s voice quivered, “Find the right moment. Don’t miss!”

She raised her hand. Two Fuse Talismans suddenly launched from her body. She quickly stepped forward and pulled her hands.

A red thread appeared, seven Shock Talismans emitted bursts of bloodlight.

The sky turned blood-red.

Those were Shock Talismans drawn from two Fuse Talismans clones, combined with Li Yue’s seven linked Shock Talismans.

The corpse-devouring ghost was engulfed in the bloodlight.

My consciousness trembled but grew more alert.

I clearly sensed it was not dead—nor weakened—only its soul slightly wounded.

As the bloodlight faded, hundreds of resentful ghosts surged from the water toward the shore.

At the moment the Shock Talismans struck the corpse-devouring ghost, Wang Gongming had dived into the bloodlight.

Now his right arm was nearly destroyed; the half-girl ghost was biting desperately at his wounded limb.

Wang Gongming returned to my side, his body trembling. Tears, tinged with blood, glistened at his eyes.

These were blood tears.

“I had a daughter. When I activated Qianshui Town’s feng shui array, my lifespan was insufficient. My daughter’s blood was bound to mine, so I buried her body in Qianshui Town as well. She did not die—only her soul was drawn out. I kept her soul with me, hoping that one day she would return, inherit my legacy, and become the true town guardian spirit. She is the real guardian.”

Wang Gongming’s words bore the weight of fatal resolve.

“Because of me, she suffered. I am unworthy to be her father.”

“My child, father has matters to attend to now. I cannot let you be consumed by that ghost. If I survive, I will make it up to you.”

As he spoke, Wang Gongming seized the ghost girl’s shoulder and tore her off forcefully.

A deep, bone-searing wound appeared on his arm.

In the next instant, he hurled her into Qianshui Town.

“Xie Yuan, if you survive, you must return and kill that spawn ghost! Though my daughter is the town’s guardian, she has endured years of torment. Her soul is fragile, and her mind nearly lost. If that spawn ghost is not destroyed, she will be in danger.”

I saw clearly that once the half ghost entered Qianshui Town, vast amounts of yin energy condensed around her. Her body quickly took shape, but she did not stop—she vanished suddenly, like a frightened rabbit fleeing into the unknown.

Wang Gongming’s face twisted in anguish.

I was shocked—shocked that Wang Gongming would do such a thing for Qianshui Town.

Yet, my mind dared not wander.

For at this moment, the corpse-devouring ghost had climbed ashore, its voice warped to the extreme.

“Wang Gongming! You suffer greatly! When my son was taken by that old Taoist, I suffered too! When I saw my son’s soul being devoured alive, I wished my own soul would scatter to the winds!”

“You are the cause of this! I devour corpses, but not ghosts! Yet you would destroy him!”

The corpse-devouring ghost charged fiercely at Wang Gongming.

Now closer, I could see the red glow in its tiny eyes.

Li Yue suddenly shouted, wielding a slender peachwood sword.

The sword was slightly larger than mine and radiated an exceptionally sharp aura as it lunged at the corpse-devouring ghost.

The ghost’s expression shifted. “Troublesome wretch! I spared your life, yet you won’t stop!”

It spun and charged at Li Yue.

The peachwood sword pierced its shoulder.

“Attack!” Li Yue’s voice sharpened, cracking with intensity.

Actually, when the ghost reached the shore, I was close to losing control. I had planned to strike when it lunged at Wang Gongming.

He seemed to have no guard against me.

Approaching Wang Gongming was the closest distance.

Yet Li Yue moved first, and the peachwood sword inflicted real injury.

Previously, the two Fuse Talismans and seven Shock Talismans had barely harmed it.

Meanwhile, Wang Gongming’s mangled arm rested on my soul’s back.

I sensed his powerful soul energy. My talisman brush traced a stroke of the Shock Talisman.

This stroke was entirely different.

Before, after drawing the Shock Talisman, I would begin drawing energy from my soul.

Now, this stroke alone consumed a tenth of my soul’s energy, drastically slowing my speed.

The corpse-devouring ghost was yanking the peachwood sword from its shoulder, thrusting toward Li Yue’s chest.

The Shock Talisman was only halfway drawn.

My soul was more than half depleted.

“No!” I shouted hoarsely, watching the sword pierce Li Yue’s chest. Suddenly, the Shock Talisman formed.

I felt a powerful suction, threatening to engulf my entire soul.

At the same time, behind me, Wang Gongming’s soul surged like a raging torrent into mine.

The Shock Talisman turned a deep purple-red and shot toward the corpse-devouring ghost.

It raised its head sharply, fear flickering in its eyes.

The peachwood sword was halfway embedded; Li Yue knelt, clutching her chest, trembling.

The ghost halted abruptly, letting out a sharp roar as its body exploded!

“You cannot escape!” I screamed hoarsely as the Shock Talisman left my body.

With Wang Gongming’s soul supporting me, I had not died and retained some strength.

A pull tugged at my body, as if drawing my soul back.

Gripping the talisman brush, I drew a talisman in the void toward the corpse-devouring ghost.

It was a Fuse Talisman—but glowing a terrifying purple-red.

The aura it emitted sent chills through me.