Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Struggle Between Man and Ghost

Facing the vengeful ghosts exuding a chilling aura, the excavation workers trembled so violently their legs could barely support them. "Boss Wei, Boss Wei, are we supposed to join the fight too? They... they really are true evil spirits!"

"What of it if they're ghosts?" Wei shouted, his voice booming. "If she wants your life, are you just going to sit there and let her take it? If you want to make money with me in the future, then muster your courage! Get through this, and you'll be counted as one of my people!"

Wei's words were blunt, but undeniably practical. The workers encouraged each other, "Right! If they want to harm us, we must resist! At worst, we die, but if we survive, we can make a fortune with Boss Wei and live the good life!"

Ye Dong turned away, letting drops of his essence blood fall onto Huiyan’s Clearsteel blade, then instructed her, "Huiyan, ghosts are different. Strictly speaking, they're just a form of energy. If you want to defeat them, you must not lose your momentum. When striking back, aim for their wounds—beat them hard, you understand?"

These evil spirits must manifest to attack humans, and when they do, humans can fight back. Human blood, or the blood of live animals, can be effective against them. If you ever have the misfortune to be haunted, the first rule is never to cower. If it comes for you, retaliate with all you've got: spray it with blood from your tongue, or smear blood from your fingers onto a weapon before attacking. Fight them with everything you have. This is an ancestral method, mentioned here for reference.

Listening to Ye Dong’s instructions, Huiyan gritted her teeth and nodded. "Alright! I’ve fought plenty of people, but this is my first time fighting a ghost. Be careful—you mustn't give yourself away!"

Wei stood at the front, his eyes sharp as blades, a yellow talisman in one hand and a dagger in the other. Though he was a villain, at this moment he seemed rather impressive.

Seeing Wei take charge, Ye Dong was puzzled. "With skills like theirs, why would these three waste themselves on tomb-robbing?"

"Tian, are you scared?" Lixing smirked wickedly. "The principle of killing ghosts and people is the same: be swift, precise, and ruthless—never falter!"

"Careful, they're coming!" Huiyan whispered urgently.

The ghosts were still over twenty meters away, but in the blink of an eye, they appeared right before Ye Dong and the others, as if teleporting—when they said they were coming, they truly arrived!

"Hehehe..." The cold laughter of the female ghosts sounded all around them, chilling Ye Dong to the bone. He turned to see the area filled with long-haired women in black, white shoes on their feet.

"Ah!" The excavation workers shouted, waving their daggers in a desperate attempt to drive the ghosts away. The louder they yelled, the more sinister the laughter became, and the more twisted the ghosts' smiles grew—like blooming flowers, radiant and terrifying. The more gleefully the ghosts laughed, the more imminent the danger for Ye Dong and his companions.

"Don't come any closer!" A tall, thin worker shoved a ghost away with all his strength, but in doing so, he flung his blood-stained dagger onto the stone path with a clatter.

Deprived of his anti-ghost weapon, the tall worker immediately lost his nerve. Faced with several vengeful female spirits, he dared not retrieve the dagger, instead cursing wildly, "Get away! All of you, get away!"

In his panic, his companion’s dagger caught his eye. "Give it to me!" he snarled, snatching his friend's dagger.

The one robbed was a chubby fellow—he never expected the tall one would betray him at such a critical moment! "What are you doing? Give me back my weapon!" The fat worker reached out to reclaim it, but the tall one wouldn’t let go. As they struggled, the female ghosts closed in, two fiercely grabbing their limbs while two more lunged at their bodies.

With a chilling rush, the fat and tall workers’ faces turned deathly pale and sinister, pupils dilating rapidly. Their lips, once tightly shut, slowly twisted into a wicked, unnatural smile, their gaze fixed on Huiyan nearby.

"Hehehe!" To everyone’s shock, the two men began to speak in female voices!

With a shout, they leapt behind Huiyan and, taking her by surprise, grabbed her arms tightly.

"What are you two doing?!" Huiyan exclaimed, horrified at being seized by the workers. What startled her even more was that neither bit nor struck; they simply clung to her with all their might. Next, a female ghost, her ghastly white face twisted in a cold smile, lunged straight at Huiyan’s body.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Huiyan was momentarily terrified. In that instant, she felt as if a massive weight pressed down on her, immobilizing her body. Her eyes began to lose control—she wanted to resist, but her limbs wouldn’t move at all.

"Tian! I can't move! Please, help me!" Huiyan shouted with all her strength.

Ye Dong was alarmed by her cry. "Is this ghost trying to possess Huiyan?"

He kicked away the ghost clinging to him and rushed to help, but Lixing had already taken a huge stride toward Huiyan, snapping the joints of the tall and fat workers’ arms with two swift blows.

As their joints broke, Huiyan was instantly released. Lixing’s movements were so fluid—swift, precise, and ruthless.

"Beauty, ghosts aren’t like humans who must kill their opponents to win. They just need to instill fear, and when your spirit is weakened, hit you with a fierce attack. Don't you dare lose your nerve!" Lixing chuckled, then went to assist Lecheng.

Huiyan had barely recovered, but the female ghost was relentless, lunging at her again. Ye Dong, furious, hurled his dagger, pinning the ghost to the stone wall.

"Huiyan!" Ye Dong rushed to her, calling her name repeatedly.

"I'm... I'm okay now!" Huiyan gasped, "These spirits are impossible to guard against!"

"Damn it, if it were any other time, I’d burn them all to ashes!" Ye Dong’s anxiety showed.

Huiyan knew his anger sprang from concern for her safety. She quietly reminded him, "Tian, don't let your worry cloud your judgment!"

Ye Dong sighed, lowering his voice. "I understand. The Clearsteel in your hand is a true artifact—show your usual confidence and teach them a lesson. As long as you’re not afraid, their abilities can’t harm you!"

Huiyan nodded, determination in her eyes. She raised the tip of her Clearsteel blade and stabbed at the attacking ghost.

Seeing Huiyan’s courage return, Ye Dong felt greatly relieved. With a swift motion, he felled two more female ghosts.

Wei, witnessing He Wentian’s fearless performance, felt a flicker of admiration. "This madman may be arrogant, but he shows no fear facing these spirits—he’s a true man!"

With a hearty laugh, Wei drew a bloody line across his left index finger with his dagger, chanting urgently, "Great Emperor Xuanwu stands before me, gods return to temples, ghosts to graves, monsters and demons to forests, True Lord Xuanwu, act swiftly by the law!"

After finishing the incantation, he waved his left hand, sending a stream of essence blood shooting toward the remaining black-clad female ghosts.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Wei’s drops of blood shot into the spirits like bullets, instantly slaying them. This move was undeniably powerful.

"The Xuanwu Exorcism Spell of the Maoshan Sect?" Ye Dong, seeing Wei’s prowess, grew uneasy. "I never expected Wei to be versed in Maoshan magic..."