"Boom!" A muted thunder strike exploded.
The ancient well shuddered violently. A terrifying column of water surged up from its depths once more.
The ground trembled. Terror flashed in Zhang Dan and the others' eyes, and they retreated dozens of meters. After being caught off guard twice, everyone had learned to stay wary!
"Splash!!" The sound of gushing water spread everywhere, leaving dozens of drenched rats stunned across the whole scene...
With water dripping from their hair, Zhang Dan and the others exchanged glances. They shook their heads and muttered bitterly, "There's really no escaping it!"
The crowd remained terrified and miserable, but most of the villagers were curious. Some even leaned over the well to peer down. The entire body of water slowly swirled and turned turbid.
Once one bold soul stepped forward, more people suppressed their fear and gathered around to watch.
The ordinary folk were simple and kind. They rose with the sun and rested at dusk. Perhaps enjoying a spectacle was the sort of pleasure their lives were meant to include.
"Thieving Daoist!"
At the bottom of the well, Xu Banxian cried out in terror. When Feng Ling knocked the Water Ghost back, Xu Banxian broke away and retreated. He had not expected the other party to stay instead of fleeing!
Silt surged upward in rolling clouds, reducing visibility to an unprecedented low.
Feng Ling clenched his fists and frowned as he searched for the hidden, blood-red Ghostly Shadow.
"Seven hundred and forty-eight meters... what an inauspicious number!" Feng Ling cried out as if struck by lightning. The instant his feet touched the bottom of the well, it was as if calamity had settled in his heart. A faint premonition flashed through his mind.
According to numerological taboos, buildings generally avoid having an eighteenth floor, since it evokes the "eighteen levels of hell." Likewise, the depth of an ancient well avoids anything resembling seven-four-eight, which sounds like "go and die."
"A minor cycle of inauspicious numbers..."
Upon hearing this, the Bull-Nosed Daoist hurriedly counted on his fingers and tremblingly uttered a chilling remark.
"I've drawn blood! No, no..."
Xu Banxian was terrified. Now that the grim conclusion was clear, he realized that his blood had stained the Vicious Ghost's body. If it wanted someone to drag down to the grave, who else could it choose but him?
Xu Banxian's scalp prickled. He raised his head and looked up through straining eyelids. He had already sensed the source of the dangerous aura.
Feng Ling looked up as well, and his pupils contracted. Floating in the water above Xu Banxian's head was a figure clad entirely in red, its Ghost Hair billowing wildly as it radiated Deathly Energy. Beneath its bared teeth and twisting ghostly head, a pair of gleaming black Ghost Claws made a hideous sight!
"Dodge! She's above your head..."
"Screech..."
The Vicious Ghost roared and moved almost at the same moment Feng Ling shouted his warning and lunged into action!
"Ghost-Repelling Art... begone!" In utter terror, Xu Banxian threw his head back and bellowed.
A powerful repulsive force surged forth. The alluring, sharp claws stopped twenty centimeters from his face, and Xu Banxian breathed a secret sigh of relief. He stared at the Vicious Ghost and sneered inwardly.
"Boom!" Water exploded as Feng Ling's fist struck the Vicious Ghost. The blow lost momentum, however, and corrosive Ghostly Qi surged back at him, making his heart lurch and forcing him to retreat.
"What a shame!" Frustration flickered in Feng Ling's eyes as he cursed the Bull-Nosed Daoist for interfering.
If the Bull-Nosed Daoist's Ghost-Repelling Art had not thrown off Feng Ling's attack, that punch would have severely wounded the Water Ghost, which had already suffered minor injuries at Feng Ling's hands!
"Ah!" Just as Feng Ling had retreated to disperse that cloud of Ghostly Qi and was preparing to charge forward again, Xu Banxian let out a terrified scream as blood sprayed out and mixed into the water, staining the clear well water red.
The Ghost Claws, which had been unable to penetrate even slightly, now broke through the repulsive barrier and reached Xu Banxian's face with unstoppable force. Fortunately, the Bull-Nosed Daoist reacted quickly and turned his head, narrowly escaping a crushed skull. His carelessness still cost him dearly: one ear!
The Water Ghost turned its head in alarm and glanced at Feng Ling as he charged forward again. Reluctance flashed in its blood-red pupils, and its entire body shot upward toward the mouth of the well.
This sudden turn of events—
caught Feng Ling and the other completely off guard!
The Water Ghost had been gathering strength and guarding against Feng Ling all along. That was why it had failed to break through Xu Banxian's defenses at the start!
"Hurry! The villagers are in danger!" Feng Ling shouted as he shot toward the mouth of the well. This time, he was truly anxious.
If that escaped vicious ghost were to harm any innocent villagers, how could he ever live with himself!
As for Xu Banxian, he had no such concerns. He clutched his ear, then picked up his fallen Demon-Slaying Sword. True to his incorrigible nature, he fixed his burning gaze on the cold corpse bearing two Rubies!
"If you don't want your two disciples bitten to death by the ghost, hurry up!" Feng Ling gritted his teeth, wishing he could strangle the Bull-Nosed Daoist.
He himself had already covered a hundred meters, while the old man was still dawdling at the bottom of the well!
"Damn it! Coming, coming..." Hearing this, Xu Banxian was thoroughly irritated at being rushed. Before leaving, he gazed at those two rubies so close within reach, his struggling old eyes brimming with reluctance to part with them.
F*ck, how could there be such a person?
Feng Ling cursed inwardly. His speed increased, and the distance between him and the red figure steadily narrowed.
Feng Ling had called on Xu Banxian not because he could not subdue the Vicious Ghost, but because so many ordinary villagers stood by the well. If Feng Ling fought without holding back, who would protect them?
Zhang Dan and the other one?
They could barely protect themselves!
"Boom!" Seven hundred meters vanished in an instant. A massive column of water erupted again, knocking down the onlookers and forcing a bellyful of cold water into them!
Coughing erupted everywhere, nearly choking the terrified crowd to death.
"Boom!" The water column roared and burst apart, revealing a seductive figure in fluttering red robes. The coughing stopped.
The entire scene fell silent. In the oppressive atmosphere, only quickened, ragged breathing and the clear pounding of hearts remained.
"Achoo...!"
No one knew which unlucky soul had chosen that moment to slip up. A loud sneeze rang out and echoed around them. Everyone's heart lurched, and their eyes twitched.
"Screech...!" A bone-chilling ghostly shriek rang out. The Vicious Ghost lunged at the nearest pair—Zhang Dan and the other—shattering the eerie balance at once!
"Ah! A ghost..."
Dozens of villagers, gripped by terror, fled in every direction on trembling legs. Several elderly villagers stumbled and fell.
But in a touching display, several young men who had escaped turned back, steeled themselves, and carried the elderly on their backs.
It was deeply moving.
"Evil Spirit, cease your madness! Take this!"
A figure speaking with arrogant confidence wielded a wooden sword and charged at the Vicious Ghost. His conceited expression was the very image of the Bull-Nosed Daoist!
Look here, big brother! Don't you know your own limits? Why go trying to play hero like this for no reason? Losing face is a small matter, but don't go losing your life over it!
"Ah!" Scalding blood sprayed out. Zhang Dan's face was drenched in blood as he screamed in terror and stumbled backward, trembling.
"Tch! Too late!"
"Tch! Too late!" Feng Ling sighed in regret. The moment he surfaced from the well, he saw the ghost's right claw smash a fine, blood-soaked head into three pieces like a fragile watermelon.
The left Ghost Claw pierced the chest at the heart and emerged through the back. Thick drops of blood slid down its pitch-black nails...
"Ghost-Transcending Art!" Holy golden light descended and enveloped the terrifying figure as it tore into and devoured the Blood Corpse.
Wisps of Black Qi rose at once, while shrill, bone-chilling ghostly shrieks echoed without end. The sounds made the distant onlookers' hearts tremble!
Feng Ling steeled his resolve. He had not wanted to use the Ghost-Transcending Art, fearing it might offend the natural order. But he had no choice: the Water Ghost had become so vicious that it had committed this appalling, bloody atrocity!