Chapter 120: A Matter of Life and Death

I dared not let my guard down. The cultivation of a Corpse Crone is a shortcut of sorts; the one Liu Bowen encountered years ago achieved a wicked mastery in just three years by consuming corpses, nearly killing Liu Bowen himself. This alone speaks volumes about the terrifying speed of a Corpse Crone’s progression.

The one I faced now had been at it for over forty years. While the number of corpses she had consumed far exceeded that of her predecessor, she was undoubtedly formidable.

My current abilities allow me to handle ordinary evil spirits with ease, and even top-tier ones can be defeated using the Forbidden Arts of the Yellow Springs—the infant spirit I faced back then was one such entity.

However, the Corpse Crone I was dealing with now was at least on par with a ferocious ghost. Relying solely on the Yellow Springs Arts, I was clearly no match for her.

As I pondered this, the malevolent aura seeping from the Crone transformed into dozens of ghostly shadows, lunging at me frantically. If I guessed correctly, these shadows were the souls of the very corpses she had consumed. Their physical bodies had been devoured, and they had sought revenge against the Crone, only to be subdued by her dark arts and transmuted into her own malevolent energy.

I let out a roar and struck one of the ghosts, shattering it into nothingness. But as I turned to strike the next, the others swarmed me, tearing at my flesh.

When ordinary spirits harm the living, they usually rely on illusions. But once a spirit reaches the level of an evil ghost, it can use its own yin energy to cause harm—not just to the body, but to the soul itself.

These shadows bit into me, inflicting little physical damage but causing excruciating pain to my three souls and seven spirits. Furthermore, because my "Nine Yin Absolute Pulse" destiny was rooted within those very souls, consuming them would significantly boost the strength of these ghosts in a short time.

I kept striking them away, but their numbers were overwhelming. As they feasted on my soul, they grew stronger, while I grew weaker. Even with the support of the power from the Forbidden Arts of the Yellow Springs, I was struggling.

The Corpse Crone watched with growing excitement. Originally, she had targeted my Nine Yin destiny merely to avoid the hells of the underworld, never suspecting that my constitution could also vastly amplify her cultivation. She erupted into laughter, certain of her victory.

"Damn it!" I cursed, swatting away the shadows gnawing at my soul and darting to the side. The ghosts swarmed after me instantly.

The situation was becoming critical; if I didn't act now, I might never get another chance.

Gritting my teeth, I bit the tip of my tongue and sprayed a mist of blood into the air. With my right middle finger, I traced a grotesque totem in the void using the blood.

"Yellow Springs Endless, Dark Law Boundless, Eight Desolations Forbidden, Five Elements Slaying Immortals!"

As the incantation ended, I performed a complex series of hand seals. A dark figure brandishing a long saber slowly emerged from the totem I had drawn in the air.

"Break!"

I shouted and pointed. The dark figure raised its blade and let out a piercing howl. That sound alone shattered several of the ghostly shadows into dust. In the blink of an eye, the figure swung its blade—forged from dark energy—over twenty times, obliterating every ghost circling me.

The figure then walked toward me, step by step, and hovered behind my back.

I took a deep breath, feeling a familiar, surging power coursing through my veins. It was the same energy I had felt when Old Man Di Yi first taught me the Yellow Springs Curse in the Black Tower. At the time, I felt I could have fought the Taoist nun with it, but Di Yi had stopped me, warning that the curse should only be used in life-or-death situations. After defeating the nun, I had wondered who would become the first whetstone for my Yellow Springs Curse. I never dreamed it would be this man-eating monster.

The Corpse Crone’s laughter died instantly, replaced by a look of profound terror.

"You... what kind of power is this?"

If she had been composed while watching me use the Forbidden Arts, she was now in a full panic. The moment the dark figure emerged from the totem, she had sensed a lethal threat. She wanted to flee, but her greed for my Nine Yin destiny had kept her rooted in place. Had she run then, she might have escaped. But now, it was too late.

With a cold expression, I walked toward her, the dark figure with its saber looming behind me, emitting a low, guttural growl.

Seeing this, the Crone, like a spent arrow, let out a shrill scream. A massive surge of malevolent energy erupted from her, coalescing into a humanoid shadow over three meters tall that roared as it charged at me.

To be honest, the shadow looked somewhat similar to the one behind me, but size isn't everything. I roared, pressed my hands together, and raised them high above my head. The figure behind me mirrored the movement, lifting its long saber.

As the creature of malevolent aura lunged, I swung my hands down. The dark figure followed suit, bringing the saber down in a flash of black light, like a bolt of dark lightning.

The blade cleaved the monster from top to bottom, splitting it in two before it dissipated into nothingness.

The moment the aura-construct was destroyed, the Corpse Crone let out a piercing shriek and froze. A thin line of blood appeared on her forehead, and a matching fissure opened down the center of her body. With a spray of blood, she split in two.

Watching her corpse lying there, guts spilling onto the ground, my stomach churned. The dark figure behind me dissolved back into my body, and the exhaustion from using the Yellow Springs Curse hit me like a tidal wave, causing me to collapse.

Bai Ruoshuang lay nearby, pale and unconscious. I didn't know if she was alive or dead. Panic set in, but I was too weak to move.

I used my last ounce of strength to pull out my phone and call Peng Li.

The call connected immediately. Before I could speak, Peng Li’s anxious voice broke through: "Wu Dao? I was just about to call you!"

I panted heavily, unable to reply, as Peng Li continued, "The police department has received several reports of missing corpses from hospitals. It’s been classified as a supernatural case, and I was going to ask for your help."

My heart sank. "Peng... Brother Peng, no need to investigate. Track my phone’s location and drive here immediately. I’ve already solved your case."