Chapter 142: Shift and Shadow, Never Afraid

Along with the sound, two figures walked slowly out of the gray mist in the long street behind Bashan.

"Yezi, Brother Han."

Bashan's expression suddenly lit up with pleasant surprise at the sight of the newcomers. Yet, this split second of distraction allowed two strands of black mist to transform into long whips, lashing toward him.

The whips were ferocious and swift, carrying a highly corrosive black mist as they rolled forward. Taking even a single blow from them would undoubtedly be an extremely painful experience.

"Watch out!"

Just as the black mist was about to engulf Bashan entirely, Liu Han sprang into action.

A rich golden light suddenly emanated from his body, transforming him into a miniature golden man amidst the night.

As this golden light emerged, Bashan, surrounded tightly by the wraiths, began to glow in the exact same manner, completely without warning.

The golden glow started out faint before flaring brightly. Reaching its peak intensity, it suddenly erupted into an overwhelmingly dazzling glare.

Accompanied by this blinding flash of golden light, the positions of Liu Han and Bashan, separated by ten meters, instantly swapped.

Bashan, who had been trapped within the encirclement, appeared beside Ye Yan without any warning, as if teleported by magic.

Meanwhile, Liu Han, transformed into the golden figure, was swapped right into the center of the encirclement, taking the blow meant to devour Bashan.

"Bang! Bang—!"

Following two muffled thuds, Liu Han relied on his physical body to take the full force of the black mist whips.

The only price he paid was that the golden light on his surface scattered, and he was irresistibly forced back a few steps, his complexion turning slightly pale.

Bashan was completely dumbfounded by this turn of events, having no idea what had just happened.

All he knew was that the instant the black mist whips were about to descend, his surroundings blurred and shifted rapidly, and the next thing he knew, he was inexplicably standing beside Ye Yan.

It was Liu Han who had stepped in to take the blow for him.

"Is this Shift and Swap?!"

Having witnessed the entire sequence firsthand, Ye Yan wore a slightly astonished expression as he looked at Liu Han in the center.

If he guessed correctly, the ability Liu Han had just deployed was called "Shift and Swap"—a technique among practitioners that was alternately hailed as a divine skill or dismissed as utterly useless, resulting in extreme polarization of opinion.

So-called Shift and Swap was not an uncommon secret technique within the practitioner community. Although its transmission was widespread, very few people actually mastered it.

This was not because the threshold of the technique was particularly high or the incantations overly complex.

Rather, the technique itself was so鸡肋 (useless and burdensome)—a flavorless chicken rib—that it seemed to hold little practical significance.

When "Shift and Swap" was activated, it would select a target within a certain range—either a person or an object—and exchange positions between the two.

While the technique sounded decent enough on paper, upon activation, the caster was reduced to a stationary wooden stake—a completely immobile, living target. They could neither interrupt the spell nor execute any other actions until the execution of "Shift and Swap" fully concluded.

Consequently, besides its proper name, "Shift and Swap" had accumulated numerous nicknames, such as "Run Up and Take a Beating," "The Death-Substitution Grand Technique," and "Hold Steady and Don't Feed."

In Ye Yan's mind, "Shift and Swap" was essentially on par with Zhao Fangxu's "Vajra Palm," Sister Bao's "Ejiact," and "Continuous Ejaculation."

Visually impressive, but entirely useless.

Yet, after witnessing Liu Han execute "Shift and Swap," Ye Yan's perception underwent a complete transformation.

Without Liu Han's timely maneuver just now, Bashan's fate would have been hard to predict... Death might not have been certain, but he would undoubtedly have suffered severe injuries.

Had he directly unleashed his Sovereign form, Ye Yan was confident he could have saved Bashan before the whip landed. However, that would have needlessly wasted one usage of his Sovereign state.

That simply would not have been cost-effective.

Reflecting on this, Ye Yan raised his head and asked Liu Han, who was still inside the encirclement, "Brother Han, do you need a hand with this?"

As for Ba Shui, there was no need to worry about him; wielding his black spear, he was holding his own against dozens of wraiths without losing ground.

As for Liu Han, he had just utilized "Shift and Swap"—a technique demanding substantial consumption—and had additionally absorbed a direct attack meant for Bashan.

That was why Ye Yan posed the question.

"Just a minor issue, I can handle it myself. You just stand back and rest for a moment."

Amidst the gaps of parrying the wraiths, Liu Han smiled at Ye Yan, flashing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.

"Alright..."

Hearing this, Ye Yan nodded, opted to simply stand back, pulled out a cigarette, and genuinely abandoned any intention of intervening.

Although he had never witnessed Liu Han in action before, Ye Yan harbored no doubts regarding his strength.

Having formerly served as Zhao Fangxu's bodyguard, Liu Han possessed strength that, while perhaps not at the absolute pinnacle, was definitively top-tier. Dealing with a mere handful of wraiths should pose no challenge at all.

Before the lit cigarette had even burned halfway down, Liu Han had already used his calloused fists to violently shatter two of the wraiths.

His boxing style was quite conventional, bearing a resemblance to the widely circulated "Tongbei Fist." Yet, upon closer observation, one could discern numerous distinct nuances in Liu Han's execution.

"White Ape Tongbei Fist" was a martial art far more ancient than standard Tongbei Fist, as well as a family heirloom passed down through Liu Han's lineage, which he had practiced since childhood.

In less time than it took to finish a single cigarette, the battle on Liu Han's end had already drawn to a close.

Compared to outliers like Bashan who had completely abandoned physical combat, Liu Han had retired from his bodyguard duties, yet his combat instincts remained razor-sharp.

On the other side, Ba Shui's battle was still ongoing and would likely continue for a little longer.

For him, dealing with these wraiths meant victory was assured; it was merely a matter of time.

...

Far away, atop a rooftop.

Abe Island-Fragrance, still observing through binoculars, sighed once more. "Still couldn't force this fellow to make a move... What a pain."

Having failed across two consecutive waves of attempts to force Ye Yan's hand, a degree of irritation inevitably crept into his heart.

Quietly estimating the strength of the individuals below, Abe Island-Fragrance ultimately resolved that he could no longer afford to hold back his true capabilities.

It was time to go all-in.

Aside from the support-type operative among them, the remaining fellows were by no means weak. Releasing merely a few dozen wraiths might not necessarily subdue them, let alone compel Ye Yan to unleash his full power.

Failing to draw out Ye Yan's complete strength rendered such probing exercises largely meaningless.

Therefore, after a brief moment of hesitation, Abe Island-Fragrance resolved to summon the Hundred Ghosts, staging a Fusan Night Parade of a Hundred Demons right here on the soil of the Dragon Kingdom.

With the sheer quantity of the Hundred Ghosts, even if they failed to force out Ye Yan's absolute peak, they would at least expose seventy to eighty percent of his capabilities.

In this regard, Abe Island-Fragrance retained absolute confidence...

With that thought, Abe Island-Fragrance prepared to act immediately, driving the "Realm of the Nether" to release the malevolent entities imprisoned within. At that precise moment, however, Koma Yoshito's voice broke the silence, indifferent and detached:

"Right, you should have read that intelligence report from earlier, shouldn't you? It mentioned that this Ye Yan appears to be a witchcraft practitioner—a native Dragon Kingdom spirit-exorcism profession somewhat akin to your Yin-Yang noble houses."

"In that case, is there any possibility that your Hundred Ghosts Parade might end up being countered by him?"

Koma Yoshito posed the question casually.

Beside him, Abe Island-Fragrance narrowed his eyes, a flicker of dangerous intent flashing within them.

"Lord Koma, you may question my competence or suspect my ulterior motives on this trip. However, I must ask you not to underestimate the strength of the Abe clan; otherwise—I really will get angry, you know..."

Abe Island-Fragrance drew out his tone before his voice took on a note of arrogance. "Lord Koma, as an outsider, you need not know so much."

"You only need to know that the Abe clan is a top-tier Yin-Yang aristocratic lineage inherited all the way down from the Heian period. When it comes to handling shikigami and evil spirits, my Abe clan is the absolute pinnacle."

"Regardless of whether it is the witchcraft practitioners of the East or the prayer-seekers of the West, they must all bow their heads before us. To borrow a local saying from the Dragon Kingdom: when it comes to playing with shikigami and phantoms, we are their ancestors."

"..."

"As long as you know what you're doing."

Koma Yoshito's tone remained entirely unchanged; he could hardly be bothered to argue with this arrogant brat from the Abe family.

He had merely remembered the matter and offered a casual reminder. Since the brat was so brimming with confidence, he saw no further need to dwell on it.

Having power was for the best anyway.

After all, his sole objective was to probe the strength of the Gatekeepers; everything else was utterly irrelevant to him.

Seeing Koma Yoshito fall silent and speak no further, Abe Island-Fragrance squinted his eyes like a cunning fox that had successfully stolen a chicken. A triumphant smile playing across his features, he stood before the gates of the Nether Realm.

Leaning against the howling, chilling winds, Abe Island-Fragrance executed an elegant bow with his folded paper fan, resembling a master of ceremonies announcing the next act on a stage. A trace of excitement tinged his voice:

"The grand performance is about to begin. I invite Lord Koma to take his seat and witness it for himself."

...

With Liu Han joining the fray, the battle on Ba Shui's side was also finally approaching its conclusion.

Just as Liu Han and the others believed the fighting was about to end here,

"Dong! Dong! Dong—!"

"Dong! Dong! Dong—!"

A series of heavy, resounding drumbeats, mixed with the strumming of pipa and shamisen, suddenly surged from the end of the long street... accompanied by howling chilling winds and an endless chorus of rising, agonizing shrieks, utterly shrill and piercing.

"What is happening?"

The instant the sound rang out, Bashan's scalp tingled fiercely. Visibly tense, he raised his head to stare into the dim night sky above, as though searching for something hidden within.

"Ba Shui, Liu Han, stop lingering over there. Fall back to my position."

Sensing the turbulent, chilling winds around them and the increasingly oppressive *Qi* weighing down upon the heavens and earth, Ye Yan furrowed his brow slightly and called out to the two figures in the distance.

"Got it..."

Hearing this, neither of them hesitated. Abandoning their ongoing fights, they sprinted toward Ye Yan as the focal center, not daring to delay for a single second.

"Yezi, what is going on here?"

The moment he closed the distance, Liu Han couldn't help but ask, an identical sentiment reflected in Ba Shui's expression.

Neither of their perceptions was weak; naturally, they could sense the drastic shifts occurring in the surrounding environment.

That freezing wind and oppressive *Qi* felt as though some monstrous malevolent entity was clawing its way up from the depths of hell. Even the sky overhead was affected, heavy storm clouds gathering to blot out the pale moonlight.

"Not quite sure yet," Ye Yan replied casually, shaking his head. "However, it's presumably the handiwork of those fellows from Fusan, and they've certainly made quite a grand entrance."

Ye Yan shared the hypothesis he had already formulated in his mind with the others present.

Hearing this, Bashan's expression twisted with indignation. "Those bastards are truly devoid of all restraint, openly stirring up trouble right out in the street without giving the company an ounce of respect."

As regular employees of the company, Bashan simply couldn't fathom their motives. To pull off such a massive spectacle on their very first day—what on earth were they trying to achieve?

Liu Han pondered for a moment before offering what he deemed the most plausible conjecture: "Do you suppose the Fusan delegation is doing this to test the company's strength while simultaneously flexing their own muscles?"

Aside from that explanation possessing a modicum of logic, the rest defied all rules of rational behavior.

"Impossible," Bashan flatly rejected the notion. "This is our turf! For them to make such a blatant spectacle here—are they truly not afraid that the company might snap and leave every single one of them buried right here?"

The conversation looped back into a dead end once more. In the end, none of them could accurately guess what those Fusan individuals were attempting to accomplish.

Just as they were speaking, Ba Shui, still clutching his black spear, suddenly blurted out a vulgarity: "What the hell—look at that! Is this a zombie apocalypse or what?"

The moment those words fell, Liu Han and the others cast their gazes outward. A single glance was enough to make them draw in a sharp breath of cold air.

"Damn it, why are there so many?!"

Even Liu Han found himself unable to maintain his usual composure at this sight.

Ahead of them, a countless multitude of Fusan wraiths of varying shapes and sizes, densely packed like a dark, crushing tidal wave, were shrieking as they closed in.

That wasn't all. Atop streetlamps, along walls, and deep within shadowy alleys, pairs of crimson eyes gazed at them from afar, resembling clusters of bats crammed tightly inside a dark cave.

"Damn it, we're cooked."

Surveying the sheer magnitude of their numbers, Ba Shui, whose stamina was already waning after two successive battles, felt a trace of despair welling up in his eyes.

It looked as though escaping today was going to be an impossible dream.

Bashan was even more direct and decisive; raising his hand, a stream of blue light landed upon the top of Ye Yan's head.

Traces of sorrow filled his gaze as he said, "Yezi, the two of us brothers are likely going to leave our bones buried right here today."

"Later, Ah Shui and I will clear a path for you. You and Brother Han should run for it if you can."

"Just do us the favor of getting out alive and passing this message along to Brother Hao..."

A look of mortal resolve had already settled in Bashan's eyes.

Ants could kill an elephant; from his perspective, facing such a vast horde of Fusan wraiths meant that trying to break out would be as difficult as scaling the heavens.

Rather than letting everyone perish here, it was far better to ensure that one or two individuals managed to escape successfully.

That way, the intelligence could at least be relayed back, rendering their deaths meaningful.

"We're all company men. Clearing a path is something I'll do alongside you—let Yezi go instead. He's still so young, it would be a terrible waste for him to die here."

Liu Han reached out to tug at his necktie, loosening the collar slightly to prepare for the impending brawl.

Watching them scramble and vie for the chance to throw their lives away just to buy him an escape route, Ye Yan was left utterly speechless.

"Look at you lot, acting like a bunch of fools. What's with all this talk of dying over such a trivial little scene? It's not nearly as dramatic as you're making it out to be... Alright, stop making a fuss and stay back. I'll handle the rest."

As his words faded, Ye Yan took a single step forward, detaching himself from the group of four to create a distance between them.

As he walked forward, the smile on Ye Yan's face abruptly morphed into one of wild, unrestrained abandon.

Black *Qi* transformed into billowy black mist, surging violently around him. Following closely behind, seven ghostly banners slowly rose into the air, blooming with a bewitching, verdant glow...

When it came to sheer numbers, Ye Yan had never feared a single soul.