After figuring out the relationship between this vengeful ghost and Wang Hui, Fang Lin'an drew a sharp breath.
No wonder this red-dressed specter's grudge was so deep—she was murdered by her own son! If the resentment of an ordinary person killed by a stranger could be quantified as 100, then the resentment of a mother murdered by her own son would surely blast past that limit!
But even so, something wasn't right. Parents killed by their offspring weren't unheard of in this world, though not common either. So why, specifically, had Wang Hui's mother become an S-Class vengeful spirit?
Fang Lin'an bit his own finger and formed a hand seal: "By my power, divine beings attend! Tianyan Vision, open!"
A faint golden light flashed. Fang Lin'an's eyes suddenly cleared, becoming unnaturally perceptive. He gazed at the red-dressed ghost and, amidst the roiling, layered black resentment, glimpsed a wisp of blood-red mist.
That was… tainted divine power!
This ghost had ties to the tainted gods!
"What are you doing?!" The red-dressed ghost noticed Fang Lin'an's actions, malice radiating from her: "A Taoist priest! Now that you've trespassed here, today, not a single soul shall leave alive!"
Pierced by the red-dressed female ghost's ear-splitting shriek, Fang Lin'an coughed up a mouthful of old blood. His vital essence and spirit seemed to drain away in an instant. Frantically, he slapped a protective talisman onto himself, shouting towards Yun Jianyue even as he did so.
"She's draining our life force! Run!"
Lu Xuesnow, in her ghostly form, was plastered flat against the wall, trembling violently. Her own paltry resentment was utterly insignificant compared to the red-dressed ghost's overwhelming malice. Even more critically, her ghostly energy was being uncontrollably siphoned away by the red-dressed ghost.
If all her ghostly energy was drained, she'd be completely extinguished – dead for good!
"Sweet pea, run! This hag's too fierce! I'll block her, you run now!" Lu Xuesnow gritted her teeth. She was already a ghost; dying one more time wouldn't matter, but she couldn't let her sworn sister perish.
Lu Xuesnow launched herself like a tiny cannonball once more. This time, however, the red-dressed vengeful spirit merely lifted a hand and grabbed her head.
With a sickening CRACK, the red-dressed ghost violently wrenched Lu Xuesnow's head from her body and tossed it onto the ground.
The red-dressed ghost snorted coldly, radiating contempt: "Is that it?"
Lu Xuesnow's body thrashed about for her head: "Ah! My head fell off again!"
Slap!
Another crisp slap echoed.
Yun Jianyue nearly ground her teeth to dust: "You motherfu—... Do you even know how long I spent stitching her head back on last time?! And you just ripped it off?!"
"You idiot, hitting her just pisses her off more! Run!" Fang Lin'an yelled, coughing up another mouthful of old blood. The talismans couldn't fully counteract the red-dressed ghost unleashing her full power.
After enduring two consecutive slaps, the red-dressed ghost went utterly berserk. She raised her hand to strike back, but just as she swung…
...The unmistakable sound of a chainsaw revving ripped through the air.
The next instant, the red-dressed ghost's forearm fell to the ground with a wet thud.
Lu Xuesnow, who had finally managed to jam her head back onto her neck, spun around to see Yun Jianyue holding a chainsaw – having just severed the red-dressed ghost's arm.
"Where on EARTH did you get that chainsaw?!" Lu Xuesnow shrieked, her voice a crashing wave of hysteria. "I swear I'm seriously calling the cops on you! Seriously!"
Yun Jianyue hefted the chainsaw, flashed Lu Xuesnow a bright, toothy grin, and gave a thumbs-up: "Wang Hui hid it under his bed. Probably the one he used to dismember you. Weirdly enough, it works great!"
Lu Xuesnow: ?
Fang Lin'an: ?
Before Fang Lin'an or Lu Xuesnow could react, Yun Jianyue swung the chainsaw, cleaving through the red-dressed female ghost's neck with savage efficiency.
Then the other arm. Then a calf. Then a thigh. Then the torso…
In mere minutes, Yun Jianyue had hacked the red-dressed ghost into scattered limbs and chunks.
The severed parts writhed on the floor. Yun Jianyue planted her hands on her hips, glaring down at the mess and spat: "Daring to ruin my hard work? You're scum of the earth."
The dismemberment of the red-dressed ghost eased the drain on Fang Lin'an somewhat.
"She's an S-Class ghost; she can regenerate. Run while she's still in pieces, and bring that waste of flesh." Fang Lin'an stumbled to his feet, moving to carry Wang Hui.
Lu Xuesnow darted in front of him: "You want to save him?!"
"He'll face justice for his crimes! You haven't killed anyone yet! Once blood stains your hands, all that awaits you is utter annihilation!" Fang Lin'an could tell Lu Xuesnow wasn't irredeemably evil and tried to reason with her.
"You two arguing? RUN!" Yun Jianyue grabbed Lu Xuesnow's arm and yanked her towards the exit. "She's putting herself back together! And she's fast! Chainsaw's dead, I can't hack her again."
Fang Lin'an hastily hoisted Wang Hui onto his back and fled.
They moved fast, reaching the ground floor in the blink of an eye.
But at that moment, thick black fluid surged from apartment 404. It raced down the stairs with impossible, physics-defying speed, flooding ahead of Yun Jianyue and the others.
The black liquid erupted upwards, solidifying into a translucent film of grayish-black energy. The dome rapidly expanded, engulfing half the residential complex.
"A Ghost Domain!" Fang Lin'an felt a surge of panic. Trapped within a ghost's domain, they'd be like fish in a barrel.
The Ghost Domain sealed itself with terrifying speed, forming a rapidly shrinking semi-sphere. Yun Jianyue kicked the membrane twice. It didn't budge.
Unless they suddenly sprouted wings, escape was impossible.
Just as the edges of the Ghost Domain were about to fuse completely in mid-air…
A helicopter roared into view, approaching the narrowing gap at dizzying speed. As it neared the point of closure, a lean figure leapt out.
Clad in a grey T-shirt and black trousers, his jet-black short hair whipped back under the force of gravity and wind. Under the moonlight, features of breathtaking, almost divine perfection were visible.
His expression remained impassive. In his hand, a gleaming, razor-sharp Tang sword.
He plunged the sword tip-first into the fist-sized gap at the Ghost Domain's apex. With a single powerful downward stroke, he sliced the supposedly impregnable barrier wide open!
"CRACK."
A sound like shattering glass echoed as the entire Ghost Domain imploded and dissolved into fragments.
Recognizing the newcomer, Fang Lin'an rushed forward, voice thick with emotion: "Little Martial Uncle!"
The man sidestepped effortlessly, avoiding Fang Lin'an's enthusiastic charge.
Lu Xuesnow stood frozen, drool pooling unnoticed at the corner of her mouth. "Sweet pea… h-handsome…"
"Pathetic." Yun Jianyue snorted, discreetly wiping a trickle of drool from her own lip before muttering: "Admittedly has some serious charisma though. That entrance? Pure pinnacle flex energy."
Spurned by his Little Martial Uncle, Fang Lin'an felt a sting of hurt, but urgency pushed it aside. He quickly summarized what had happened.
Listening without expression, the man responded with just three words before turning towards the building radiating malice:
"Understood."
Lu Xuesnow materialized beside Fang Lin'an like a phantom, her gaze fixed on the retreating figure. "Who is he? Got a girlfriend? I'd say he just barely qualifies for my Sweet Pea!"