Chapter 120: The Clash

"Do you really think a little brat like you can hurt me?"

Jiu’er’s lips curled slightly as she spoke coldly. In the next instant, she raised her palm, and black, razor-sharp fingernails several inches long extended from her fingertips. They were as hard and tough as tempered steel. With a single swipe across the hemp rope, it snapped instantly. Jiu’er landed steadily on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Bending her knees slightly, she launched herself upward, leaping to the height of the ceiling beams in a single bound. Her arm shot out like lightning, grabbing the ghost doll firmly before she descended back to the floor. The doll in her grasp began to struggle incessantly, emitting strange, shrill cries.

The space was cramped, and Qingya, who had possessed Tingting’s body, showed no restraint. Every strike of the cleaver was aimed at Zhang Shouzhen’s vital points. Zhang, however, was in a difficult position; he had to be cautious to avoid harming Tingting’s physical form. Consequently, after only a few moments, a cleaver grazed his shoulder, drawing blood.

Seeing that she had landed a hit, Qingya grew even more arrogant. Her mouth stretched into a wide, jagged grin. Gripping the cleaver tightly, she began hacking wildly and aimlessly at Zhang Shouzhen, aiming every blow at his head, neck, and other lethal spots.

Suddenly, the ghost doll opened its mouth and spewed a cloud of black smoke. Caught off guard, Jiu’er was hit by the smog, her vision instantly obscured. Yet, she kept her grip tight on the doll, refusing to let it escape. A moment later, as the smoke cleared, she pulled a yellow talisman from her robes and shouted:

"Yin-Sha Soul-Suppressing Talisman!"

She slapped the talisman onto the doll’s forehead. The doll let out a piercing scream, its ghostly aura vanished in an instant, and it went limp, appearing no different from an ordinary ragdoll.

Seeing this, Qingya’s expression shifted drastically. Knowing the Soul-Suppressing Talisman had sealed Luo’er, she immediately pressed the cleaver against her own throat and roared, "Remove the talisman from Luo’er, or don't blame me for destroying this body!"

Zhang Shouzhen frowned slightly. He already had a yellow talisman in his hand and signaled to Jiu’er, saying, "Jiu’er, do as she says."

Qingya was a shrewd woman; she knew Zhang cared deeply about Tingting’s physical safety and was using it as leverage.

Jiu’er nodded and tore off the Yin-Sha Soul-Suppressing Talisman. The doll began to struggle once more, and Jiu’er hurled it away with force. As Qingya reached out to catch it, Zhang Shouzhen’s expression turned grave. Holding a yellow talisman between his fingers, he chanted:

"Taiqing Supreme, evil spirits retreat, obey this command!"

A layer of cyan light shimmered over the yellow talisman. With a flick of his wrist, the paper darted forward. Just as Qingya caught the doll, the talisman slapped onto Tingting’s back. A thick black mist erupted from Tingting’s body, instantly flying toward Erniu, who lay unconscious on the ground.

"Hmph, trying to possess another? Not on my watch!"

Zhang Shouzhen whipped out another talisman and tossed it at Erniu. As the black mist touched Erniu’s body, the talisman flared with cyan light, its runes pulsing. The mist was repelled, emitting a sizzling sound, and Qingya let out a shrill, piercing scream as she fled toward the door.

"Jiu’er, take care of Sister Tingting and Brother Erniu!"

With that, Zhang Shouzhen dashed out in hot pursuit. By the time he reached the front courtyard, the black mist had coalesced into the form of Qingya. She wore the same red jacket and black trousers, her hair hanging down to her ankles. Her face was covered in deep cracks, with white maggots writhing inside. She glared at Zhang with pure malice. "I didn't expect my cultivation to have improved so rapidly while I was still recovering from my injuries. I underestimated you, you little whelp."

"You wicked spirit, why haven't you gone to the underworld to be reincarnated? Do you still intend to wreak havoc?" Zhang Shouzhen asked coldly.

"Reincarnation? Heh, after all the evil I’ve done, do you think I still have the right to be reincarnated? Save your breath. Even though your cultivation is higher than before, it is impossible for you to truly destroy me!"

Qingya gave a sinister laugh and flicked her hand. The viscous ghost fog surrounding them transformed into over a dozen black venomous snakes that lunged at him. Though these spectral snakes lacked intelligence, the mist condensed by a spirit at the Yin-Manifestation realm was physical and capable of harming Zhang Shouzhen’s body. He had no choice but to be careful. He wiped his hand across his broken sword and began to chant:

"Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars Subduing Demons, Evil-Slaying Sword Technique!"

With a flick of his wrist, silver sword light danced through the air. The heads of the black snakes were lopped off one by one, their bodies shattering and dissolving into black mist upon hitting the ground. By the time he had eradicated the snakes, Qingya had already fled into the distance.

Zhang Shouzhen mused for a moment, then chuckled. He pulled out two yellow talismans and said, "Taiqing God-Speed Talisman!"

As he stuck the talismans to his legs, he transformed into a gust of wind and gave chase, his speed even surpassing that of Qingya.

He still relied on the power of paper talismans to perform these feats, but Li Tagu had no such need. Once one reached the Yin-Manifestation realm, many talisman arts could be performed by forming mudras and visualizing the talismans in one's mind, channeling spiritual power directly to manifest them.

These were techniques from the Secret Records of Taiqing. The Taiqing God-Speed Talisman was far more powerful than the ordinary Taoist 'Thousand-Mile' spells, and it could conceal his form; to the eyes of a mortal, he would appear as nothing more than a passing breeze.

Qingya glanced back, saw Zhang Shouzhen closing in, and panicked. Then, she gave a strange, eerie smile and flew toward a nearby mountain range, avoiding the residential buildings.

When Zhang Shouzhen reached the edge of the mountain, he found that Qingya had vanished. He immediately activated the Azure Dragon Spirit Eye; two miniature dragons swirled within his pupils. His gaze locked onto the hillside, and just as he raised a talisman to force Qingya out of hiding, the soil beneath his feet loosened. A pale hand shot upward, grabbed his ankle, and pulled him down with tremendous force. Zhang let out a cry as his entire body sank into the earth, quickly covered by the shifting soil.

"My husband, I don't know if this boy will be to your taste. I originally intended to feed you with Erniu, but I was busy occupying that girl's body; her will was too strong, and she kept trying to reclaim her vessel. I tried to kill Erniu several times, but she kept stopping me, so I had to lock him up. Now that Zhang Shouzhen has come to save them, it’s perfect. This boy’s vital essence should be quite pleasing to you."

Qingya stood by the pit, holding her ragdoll and stroking it gently. She curled her lips into a smile and spoke softly.

But the next moment, the pit exploded outward. Mud flew everywhere as Zhang Shouzhen scrambled out, covered in sticky green slime. He cursed at the pit, "What kind of filth is this? You almost choked me to death! I’m done playing with you lot!"

Zhang’s face was pale, but he didn't hesitate. He pulled two more talismans from his pocket, slapped them onto his legs, and vanished into the distance like a gust of wind.

"Qingya, what kind of person did you bring me? I almost got trapped by this little brat!" an angry voice bellowed from the pit. Hearing it, Qingya trembled, staring in disbelief at the direction in which Zhang Shouzhen had fled.