Chapter 58 Ghostly Encounter

Chen Mu did not answer immediately, only scanning his surroundings with a sharp gaze.

The street remained empty, the moonlight spilling down in a deathly pale hue, making the entire street terrifyingly silent; even the usually noisy chirping of insects had vanished.

"Try again."

Chen Mu said in a deep voice, his tone brooking no doubt.

This time, the three changed direction, deliberately avoiding the route they had taken, walking straight along the street and turning right at every intersection in an effort to break the cycle.

However, half an hour later, the three were standing in front of the Zhao residence again, their hearts sinking in unison.

"It's over, we're back again..." Liu Ziming gasped and sat down against the wall; the running just now had exhausted too much of his stamina, and his legs ached terribly.

Chen Mu said nothing, simply walking to the door of a house by the street and raising his hand to knock.

This Ghost Wall was caused by the Ghostly Creature using Yin Qi to cloud the perceptions of the living; as long as someone could respond to them, the Ghost Wall would break on its own.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The dull sound of knocking was exceptionally clear and loud in this silent night, yet there was no answer from inside.

Chen Mu increased his force and knocked three more times.

It remained silent and still, as if the house were empty.

But Chen Mu could clearly sense the aura of a living person behind the door; that aura was steady and long, suggesting they were fast asleep.

Can they not hear it...

Qi Huan and Liu Ziming exchanged a look and began knocking on doors house by house.

"Is anyone there? The Demon Suppression Division is handling a case!"

"Open the door! Is anyone inside?"

No matter how they knocked, there was no movement inside, as if all the people on the entire street were dead.

What was even more bizarre was that while faint candlelight could be seen through some door cracks, there was no reaction to their calls.

"It seems useless. This place has become its own world; it's as if we've been isolated."

Liu Ziming panted heavily, analyzing the situation with a touch of despair.

Qi Huan also furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, and said, "This won't work. Why don't the three of us split up to scout? Perhaps we can find a new Breakthrough."

"No!" Liu Ziming shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this.

"My strength is insufficient. If I encounter that Ghostly Creature alone, I will surely die. Besides, if we separate now, we will only be picked off one by one!"

Chen Mu nodded in agreement. "Liu Ziming's concerns are valid. Since that Ghostly Creature can trap us with a Ghost Wall, splitting up would only play right into its hands."

Qi Huan nodded, picked up a few stones from the roadside, and made a distinct mark at the street corner.

"Then let's continue on, making marks along the way to see if we can find a way out."

The three set off again, walking a bit slower this time and carefully observing their surroundings.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they returned to the original spot.

At the street corner, the mark Qi Huan had made with stones lay quietly there.

Not far behind them was still the vermilion gate of the Zhao residence, from which one could faintly hear the shrill screams of ghosts as they were devoured by the Paper Person.

Liu Ziming was exhausted, leaning against the wall and panting, fanning himself weakly with his hand.

"I just don't understand. Since that Ghostly Creature is so powerful, why doesn't it just come out and finish us off?"

"Why go to the trouble of setting up this Ghost Wall? Does it enjoy playing cat and mouse so much?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Mu and Qi Huan were both stunned. They exchanged a look and saw a sudden realization in each other's eyes.

That's right! If that Paper Person were truly as powerful as Qi Huan said, with the potential to become a Ghost King, then dealing with three Martial Artists at the Dao Entry Realm should be as easy as flipping a hand!

Why bother trapping them with a Ghost Wall while only focusing on devouring ghosts itself?

"Stalling for time! It's stalling for time!" Qi Huan blurted out.

A sharp light flashed in Chen Mu's eyes as well.

"It seems it isn't confident that it can defeat all three of us at once right now, or perhaps... its strength might not truly be enough to become a Ghost King."

"We were just intimidated by the bizarre methods it displayed at the beginning, forming a preconceived notion that it was incredibly powerful. In reality... it was our own fear that fueled its strength."

Liu Ziming also reacted immediately. "Or, it is at a critical moment and cannot be disturbed! That ritual of feeding souls with souls hasn't been completed yet, and it needs time to digest the remnant souls!"

Upon realizing this, the three of them were suddenly invigorated.

That Paper Person wasn't as terrifying as they thought, at least not yet.

"Go back! While it hasn't fully formed yet, we must destroy it!"

Chen Mu said decisively.

The three hesitated no longer and charged toward the Zhao residence gate; Liu Ziming, caught up in the moment, raised his foot to kick the door.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, Liu Ziming let out a cry of pain as he was sent flying, crashing to the ground and rolling several times.

Seeing this, Qi Huan stepped forward to try, but it was like hitting a wall; he was violently bounced back, staggering several steps.

"An air wall?" Chen Mu's expression was grave as he helped Liu Ziming up.

"It seems that the Ghostly Creature has used Yin Qi to seal off the Zhao residence and doesn't want us to enter right now."

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Mu stepped back, took a deep breath, drew his sword, channeled his Protective Aura, and slashed with one strike.

The Sword Qi tore through the air but dissipated into thin air three feet from the gate, like a mud cow entering the sea.

Qi Huan also made his Move, bringing his palms together, a scorching red light glowing in them, and struck forward with force.

"Boom!"

The barrier shook violently a few times, and the air in front of them twisted for a moment, but it immediately returned to normal, the barrier remaining solid.

Qi Huan's expression didn't change, but he had already used seventy percent of his power in that palm strike, and it still couldn't break through. He furrowed his brows, a look of hesitation appearing on his face.

Chen Mu noticed his right hand subconsciously reaching toward his chest, where something seemed to be hidden—likely Qi Huan's trump card—but in the end, he didn't use it.

Chen Mu shook his head and stepped forward again, trying several times, using various Moves, but the air wall before them remained unmoved.

"It seems useless. This barrier is condensed from Yin Qi; ordinary martial arts likely cannot break it."

Qi Huan shook his head, and Chen Mu also stopped; the situation fell into a stalemate.

Behind the barrier, inside the Zhao residence, the frequency of the Paper Person's devouring grew faster and faster, and the shrill screams of the ghosts became increasingly piercing; the three could even imagine those remnant souls rapidly diminishing.

Every missing remnant soul meant the Paper Person had grown stronger by one point.

The time left for them was truly running out.

Liu Ziming was watching from the side, anxious and burning with impatience, when he suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Right! When I was a child, I heard the village elders say that if you encounter a Ghost Wall, you can break it with the urine of a virgin boy!"

Chen Mu and Qi Huan were both stunned.

That the urine of a virgin boy can break evil is indeed a widely circulated folk belief, but that is usually directed at lower-level evil spirits; the Ghostly Creature before them was still capable of casting such a powerful Ghost Wall.

Is the urine of a virgin boy really useful?

But by now, Liu Ziming couldn't hold back and started unbuckling his belt, speaking as he did so.

"Trying is better than waiting to die! It's at least an option!"

As he was unbuckling, his movements suddenly stiffened.

He stopped awkwardly. "I have a wife and children, so I'm no longer a virgin. You two... which of you is?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept back and forth between Chen Mu and Qi Huan's faces.

Chen Mu was expressionless. "I have no urge to urinate."

Both their gazes fell squarely on Qi Huan.

Qi Huan's expression stiffened, and he let out a cold snort.

"What are you looking at me for? Do you think I'm a virgin?"