29: gossips and ghosts

Oak Tree City.

The sacred Radiant Light Holy Court cathedral was bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, its spire seeming to burn with golden flames.

In the square outside the cathedral, a group of ragged refugees gathered, the air mixed with the scent of sweat, grime, and despair.

Celestine knelt on the ground, carefully bandaging a frail child's festering wound.

Her face was pure and holy, her skin as white as snow, and her long, golden, wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders Li Ke a flowing radiance.

Compared to the surrounding dirty and polluted environment, she seemed to glow.

Many refugees didn't even dare to look directly at her, as if afraid their gaze would defile such a holy existence.

Celestine's movements were gentle.

A soft Holy Light emanated from her fingertips, slowly clearing away the yellow pus from the child's wound, then she bandaged the wound with gauze.

She paid no mind to the child's filth and stench.

Just then, the heavy oak doors of the cathedral slowly opened.

An elderly priest with white hair and a white-gold cassock walked out.

Behind him followed a middle-aged deacon in a silver robe, with an arrogant expression; it was the same one who had previously visited Charles Manor with Harman.

The elderly priest's gaze fell on Celestine, looking at her pure and holy face, her snow-white, slender neck, a half-smile appearing on his face.

“Sister Celestine.”

His voice was calm and authoritative.

“It's almost time for evening prayers.”

Celestine paused slightly in her bandaging.

She looked up and gave the frightened child in front of her an extremely gentle smile.

“Be careful not to let the wound open again.”

“It will get better soon.”

The child was overwhelmed, opening his mouth but unable to make a sound.

Celestine had already stood up, gently patted her nun's habit, and turned to walk into the cathedral.

The heavy doors slowly closed behind her.

Inside the cathedral, the light was dim, the tall dome cast a huge shadow, and the air was filled with a rich scent of spices.

“Sister Celestine, those refugees are destined not to live, why waste time on them?”

The middle-aged deacon's voice carried a hint of mocking laughter.

Celestine's footsteps paused slightly, and she was silent for a moment.

“They trust me so much.”

Her voice was very soft.

“I want to… do something for them, no matter how little.”

The sarcasm in the deacon's eyes became even more apparent.

“In Oak Tree City, the plague is rampant now, how many can you save?”

Celestine lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a shadow beneath her eyelids.

“Even saving one is good…”

“Enough.”

The elderly priest spoke, interrupting her.

By this time, they had already walked into a confessional on the side of the cathedral.

The elderly priest glanced at the middle-aged deacon.

The mocking expression on the deacon's face immediately receded, replaced by an excited smile.

Creak—Bang!

The door of the confessional closed, completely shutting out the faint, painful moans and wails of the refugees from outside.

“Kneel!”

The elderly priest's cold voice rang out.

Then, there was a rustling sound of clothing friction.

…

At the same time.

Charles Manor, the Soul Summoning Forest behind the castle.

Yin Qi rose, the sky was dim and the earth dark.

The branches of dead trees twisted, Li Ke countless ghostly claws reaching towards the sky.

A group of grayish-white figures wandered and lingered among the branches.

The Soul Summoning Forest, as the signature resource area of the Ten Thousand Souls Sect,

Once established, it would continuously attract living Souls from dozens of miles around to enter it.

The larger the forest, the stronger the Yin Qi, the stronger this attraction, and the wider the coverage.

In just a few days, dozens of living Souls had accumulated in the forest, densely lingering among the trees.

Although the quality was uneven and they were all the most basic living Souls, it was still a rudimentary scale.

Li Ke stood at the edge of the forest,

His gaze calmly swept over the wandering Souls.

Two days ago, he went to Xilin Town again and participated in a secret trade fair of the Mist organization.

The mysterious female buyer was indeed trustworthy and brought him several new Soul Stones.

With these Soul Stones, plus the several living Souls in the Soul Summoning Forest,

It had roughly met the requirements for a method Li Ke intended to use next.

Li Ke picked and chose in the forest,

Selecting several living Souls of different forms from them.

These living Souls were all female, dressed differently, seemingly engaged in different professions during their lives.

Then, he took out three grayish-white Soul Stones.

A slight Devilish Qi emanated from his fingertips, and he gently pinched.

Crack.

The Soul Stone shattered with a sound.

Three more solidified white Soul shadows, emitting different Qi, floated out from it.

One was dressed in the silver-white nun's habit of the Radiant Light Holy Court.

One was dressed in the gray priestly robe of the Court of Suffering.

One was draped in the azure star robe of the Star Orbit Secret Sect.

“Three Aunts Six Grannies Nine Ghosts…”

A faint light flickered in Li Ke's eyes.

This was a special type of fierce ghost, requiring the collection of specific types of female Souls to refine.

The so-called “Three Aunts” originally referred to Buddhist nuns, Daoist nuns, and diviners.

And the “Six Grannies” required six types of professional women: tooth pickers, matchmakers, shamans, procuresses, herbalists, and midwives.

Once the living Souls of the Three Aunts Six Grannies were gathered,

And refined into Yin ghosts in an Yin time and Yin place, only then could the “Three Aunts Six Grannies Nine Ghosts” be achieved.

Not only could it serve as a Protector combat force, but it could also be used to cast the suppression spell, “Three Aunts Six Grannies Nine Ghosts Soul Summoning Curse.”

This suppression method, because it carried the Qi of the Mortal World, could ignore most power blockades and was extremely difficult to break, no matter what star fate one had or Dragon Qi protection, it was all useless.

Now not in the cultivation world, of course, there are no Buddhist nuns, Daoist nuns, diviners...

But it's not without a compromise.

The Three Aunts actually refer to three types of women of different faiths, such women often have firm beliefs and different perspectives on the Mortal World.

And the Six Grannies refer to female Souls that have had deep contact with the Mortal World and are deeply tainted with worldly Qi, taking the Mortal World Qi from their living Souls.

The living Souls Li Ke selected from the Soul Summoning Forest were precisely those that met these characteristics.

And the three Soul Stones used, their living Souls belonged to the nuns of the Three Great Holy Sees.

In this world, divine power is supreme, and followers of the Three Great Holy Sees are everywhere, so these types of Soul Stones are not difficult to collect.

Seeing the nine living Souls gathered,

Li Ke's mind moved, activating the secret method.

The three nun Souls from different Holy Sees, and the six living Souls of professional women from the mundane world, as if drawn by an invisible force, drifted and converged together.

The nine Souls entangled, tore, and Fused with each other.

Finally, they transformed into an extremely bizarre aggregate of nine human faces.

Each face was covered with unspeakable resentment and hatred, their mouths opening and closing silently, as if uttering the most vicious curses.

Li Ke was expressionless, taking out a yellow talisman paper.

With a drop of his fingertip blood, he quickly wrote a string of birth characters on the talisman paper.

This was the birth characters of the silver-robed deacon, which he had scoured from Harman's memory.

Harman, in order to curry favor, had collected very comprehensive information on many superiors, which greatly facilitated Li Ke.

Li Ke pasted the talisman paper onto a small straw doll.

Then he took off his shoes and used the sole to fiercely beat the straw doll three times!

Slap! Slap! Slap!

“I beat your villain's head, let your head crack and your Soul be collected!”

Li Ke violently threw the straw doll towards the wriggling nine-faced ghost in front, muttering words, his voice incredibly cold.

“I beat your villain's body, let you be torn apart and worry for your life!”

“I beat your villain's feet, let you have nails in your feet and nowhere to go!”

“I beat your villain's back, let you be a cow and a horse forever without rest!”

“Beat, beat, beat! Smash your villain's head!”

“Let your Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, cease to exist for all generations!”

The nine-faced ghost let out a silent shriek, pouncing forward fiercely and instantly devouring the straw doll!

…

Oak Tree City, Radiant Light Holy Court Cathedral.

The middle-aged deacon tidied his silver robe, his face flushed with satisfaction, and walked out of the side door of the cathedral.

As soon as he came out, a knight hurried forward and reported in a low voice.

“Your Excellency Deacon, Harman… is dead!”

“He was ambushed last night on the road outside Xilin Town, the scene was gruesome, and the knight order's preliminary judgment is that it resembles the methods of those heretics from the Holy Meal Society!”

The smile on the middle-aged deacon's face instantly froze.

Harman is dead?!

Last night?!

He suddenly remembered going to Charles Manor with Harman yesterday, and at that time, he had even threatened that young baron with colluding with the Holy Meal Society.

He died that same night?

A chill instantly shot up from his feet to his spine!

Could it be…

That Li Ke Charles really has connections with the Holy Meal Society?!

The deacon was filled with shock and anger, immediately realizing the seriousness of the matter.

He must immediately report this situation to the Inquisition!

His steps were hurried, just as he was about to turn.

Suddenly!

A strong sense of dizziness struck, and the world spun.

In his mind, countless resentful voices seemed to be screaming and cursing madly, Li Ke maggots clinging to bones, gnawing at his Soul!

“Ugh…”

The deacon grunted, raising a hand to cover his forehead.

Then, he discovered in horror that tiny, corpse-Li Ke human faces were beginning to appear on the back of his hand, each face looking at him with resentment and cursing him madly!

The black spot human faces spread and multiplied rapidly!

Thump!

The deacon's vision went black, and he fell straight down, completely losing consciousness.