Chapter 129: Battling the Underworld Envoys

"Young Master, watch out for the sneak attack!"

Nie Shisan had not left; he was hiding near the front desk, secretly observing. Seeing Wang Zhaoyang strike at Zhang Shouzhen’s back, he cried out in alarm.

Hearing this, Zhang Shouzhen reached out and bit his fingertip until it bled. Enduring the sharp pain, he formed a sword seal with his fingers, twisted his body, and jabbed toward Wang Zhaoyang’s palm.

"Splat!"

His sword-fingers pierced into Wang Zhaoyang’s palm, causing the entire hand to explode, scattering into drops of murky, rain-like liquid. Wang Zhaoyang frowned deeply; ghost energy swirled around his wrist as a new hand regenerated, though the ghost aura surrounding him had weakened significantly.

"You actually burned your own vital blood to deal with me!" Wang Zhaoyang, not daring to get closer, roared in fury. Zhang Shouzhen flicked his finger, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You are all trying to kill me; why would I be stingy with my pure Yang vital blood?"

"I don’t believe you can handle both of us. Brother Bu, it is time to show your true strength! Otherwise, we are really going to be led around by the nose by this little brat!"

Wang Zhaoyang gave a sinister smile and swiped his hand across the floor. The water droplets covering the stage began to freeze into ice at a visible rate, and the ambient temperature plummeted. Zhang Shouzhen suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold beneath his feet; his feet were frozen solid. He knew well that this was no illusion—it was reality. Wang Zhaoyang had reached the Manifestation of Yin realm!

Zhang Shouzhen took a deep breath, fending off the attacks of the soul-locking chains while searching for a way to escape.

Nie Shisan watched, heart pounding with terror. Zimei was still entangled with the ghost servants and could not break free. Gritting his teeth, Nie Shisan let out a thunderous, deafening roar. He rubbed his hands together, dashed toward the stage, and leaped with all his might, slamming his fists into the ice-covered stage. With a sharp "crack," the ice shattered. Zhang Shouzhen’s feet were freed. Joy washed over him, and with a fierce shout, he charged straight at Bu Yuan.

Just as the broken sword was about to pierce Bu Yuan, the latter vanished in a bizarre flicker.

"Heaven and Earth Infinite, Green Dragon Orthodox Law, Evil-Slaying Blade, condense!"

Zhang Shouzhen spun around, pulled out a dozen yellow talismans, and flung them into the void while chanting. The next moment, the talismans transformed into green evil-slaying blades, slashing fiercely toward Wang Zhaoyang. At this point, he no longer cared if the opponent’s soul would be scattered into oblivion.

The Evil-Slaying Blade was a powerful, lethal spell; even a ghost in the Manifestation of Yin realm dared not receive it head-on. Wang Zhaoyang felt the terrifying power contained within the green blades and grabbed the air in front of him. A massive ice mirror appeared, shimmering with light, though shrouded in grim ghost energy.

As the blades struck the mirror, they erupted in brilliant rays of light, sending ice shards flying everywhere.

"Squelch!"

Zhang Shouzhen suddenly felt his body tighten; the soul-locking chains had wrapped around him securely.

"Young Master!" Nie Shisan’s expression changed drastically. He took a deep breath, his entire body swelling until his suit burst. He grabbed the iron chains with his massive hands, but the next instant, he was struck as if by lightning, his whole body trembling.

"Do not touch the soul-locking chains! Careful, they will hook your soul. Leave this place at once!" Zhang Shouzhen gritted his teeth and shouted.

"Heh heh, nobody is leaving. Come out!" Bu Yuan, hovering in mid-air, grabbed at the air, and the chains pulled tight. Zhang Shouzhen’s primordial spirit was actually yanked out. However, once his spirit left his body, a faint golden glow plated his form, and the chains binding him shattered instantly.

"A primordial spirit with pure Yang essence?! Oh no! Wang Zhaoyang, quickly possess his body, or we won't escape death!" Bu Yuan retracted his soul-locking chains, looking at their dim, fading ghost energy with extreme heartache. If they were tainted by any more pure Yang energy, the chains would be ruined. A ghost messenger without their chains was no different from any other low-level spirit; they would not only lose their strength but also be stripped of their status as ghost messengers.

He did not want to lose his position, as only ghost messengers could travel freely between the human world and the underworld. Without that identity, he would face countless obstacles.

"Boom!"

The ice mirror in front of Wang Zhaoyang had shattered into pieces. He and Bu Yuan were now in the same boat. He sidestepped to avoid one evil-slaying blade, but another severed his arm. Decisive, he let out a low growl and transformed into a streak of black light, aiming for Zhang Shouzhen’s physical body. Zhang Shouzhen merely gave a cold smile and ignored him. With a flicker, he appeared before Bu Yuan, grabbed the cloak on his back, and tore it away.

It was unclear what material the robe was made of, but despite being stained with pure Yang energy, it did not disintegrate.

Deprived of his cloak’s protection, Bu Yuan’s true appearance was revealed: a frail, withered old man with wrinkled skin, wearing a snow-white long robe underneath. Seeing his cloak stolen, he bellowed in rage, "Damn brat, give me back my ghost messenger robe!"

"Give it back to you? Dream on! Zimei, catch!" Zhang Shouzhen sneered. The ghost messenger robe and the soul-locking chains were symbols of their office and potent ghost artifacts. Seeing Zimei still struggling under the barrage of the ghost servants' clubs, he threw the robe to her. Zimei’s face lit up; she leaped, donned the robe, and with a flick of her sleeves, blocked the incoming flurry of clubs.

"Ah..."

Wang Zhaoyang let out a miserable shriek. He had intended to possess Zhang Shouzhen’s body, but the moment he touched it, he was repelled by a powerful force. His ghost energy was more than half depleted, and his entire form became blurry and indistinct.

"You have a treasure on you? It can actually block an invasion from a Manifestation of Yin ghost! Which sect do you belong to?" Bu Yuan glared at Zhang Shouzhen in a fury.

"Oh? I am a member of the Qian family and a disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect. What, do you want revenge? Do you dare provoke our Heavenly Demon Sect?" Zhang Shouzhen flashed a cunning smile, staring down at Bu Yuan with an arrogant air.

"Hmph, the Qian family? The Heavenly Demon Sect? Don’t think that just because you have powerful backing you can be so rampant. Even members of those two clans are subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death, and not all of them are powerful. You just wait; I will take my anger out on the low-level disciples of your Qian family and the Heavenly Demon Sect. I want to see what ability you have to protect them!"

Bu Yuan reached out and grabbed at Wang Zhaoyang, who immediately turned into a stream of water and merged into his hand. Even though the robe was lost and the chains were severely damaged, he remained a ghost messenger—a genuine one. He still possessed a few methods; though using them would be a "win by a thousand, lose by eight hundred" tactic, these were life-saving techniques. He would never use them unless he was truly at the brink of having his soul scattered.