116: The old ghost's black hand

Facing an attack powerful enough to level a building, Zhao Tianyang’s gaunt frame barely stirred.

He lifted his head.

His purely dark-red eyes swept over every person assailing him.

There was no anger, no fear.

Only a deathly silence of indifference.

As if he were looking at a group of… dead things.

The next instant.

He vanished.

Not the spatial leap kind of disappearance like Scarface.

But rather, with a speed that surpassed the limits of visual capture, he forcibly burst forth from his original position!

Boom!

The flaming long saber struck empty air, smashing heavily into the ground and kicking up a shower of gravel.

Meanwhile, the black-clad man who wielded the saber froze in place.

At some point, a gaping hole, front to back, had appeared in his chest.

Zhao Tianyang’s figure reappeared behind him.

Warm, shredded flesh still clung to his mummified claw.

Killed in one blow!

“He’s behind us!”

“How is that possible?!”

Someone gasped.

But it was already too late.

Zhao Tianyang’s body transformed into a black-red afterimage, creating a series of deadly illusions in the confined space.

He completely abandoned defense.

Every movement was a fatal attack.

Every attack inevitably claimed a life.

His body was the most terrifying weapon.

Most of the skills aimed at him missed, blasting holes in the walls and floor of Old Ghost Hall.

The few skills that did hit him only left shallow marks on his black-red skin, unable to even make him pause.

The blood-red lines filling the space provided him with unparalleled perception and mobility, buffering any skills and attacks used by the enemy.

Coupled with his formidable attributes, he actually held the upper hand in the current situation.

Puff!

A burly man attempting to block with a shield was pierced through by Zhao Tianyang’s claw, man and shield alike.

Rip!

An agile professional, just as he was about to create distance, had his ankle ensnared by a bloodline that appeared out of thin air, then was dragged back and torn in half.

Zhao Tianyang, by himself, forcefully held back everyone’s offensive!

Scarface and Silent Man, trapped in the blood web, were also stunned.

They had anticipated Zhao Tianyang would be difficult to deal with.

But they hadn’t anticipated this level of difficulty!

“We can’t wait any longer!” Silent Man finally spoke, a hint of urgency in his voice, “Let’s combine our strength and break through this damned web!”

Scarface snapped out of his daze, a ferocious grimace appearing on his face.

“Alright!”

The two no longer held back, their accumulated energy erupting and violently impacting the bloodlines wrapped around them!

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

The blood-red spider web let out an ear-piercing wail and began to tremble violently.

Zhao Tianyang seemed to sense something as well; his slaughtering movements paused slightly, and his dark-red eyes once again turned towards the two caught in the web.

“Stop him!”

“Don’t let him get distracted!”

The surviving black-clad men seized this opportunity, once again summoning their courage, and launched a new round of attacks.

This time, they were smarter.

Several support professionals stepped forward, and halos of slowness, weakness, and confusion enveloped Zhao Tianyang.

The main attackers, meanwhile, widened their distance and began chanting more powerful, wider-ranging skills.

The moment the halos settled upon him, Zhao Tianyang’s ghostly speed noticeably faltered for an instant.

His gaunt body swayed, and for the first time, a hint of struggle appeared in his dark-red eyes.

Now is the time!

Inside Old Ghost Hall, the energy fluctuations had become utterly chaotic.

Old Ghost shielded Seventh Master, his face grim.

If they could just stall a little longer, their planned reinforcements would arrive.

With those people, they should be able to hold out until the boss arrived!

But Old Ghost’s breathing suddenly quickened.

No.

He couldn't just think about holding on.

This was an opportunity!

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove their worth to the boss!

They weren't just useless old men who could only mind the shop!

They weren't just good-for-nothings who could only rely on the boss’s prestige!

At this thought, a terrifying glint erupted from Old Ghost’s cloudy eyes.

“Old Ghost?” Seventh Master was startled.

Old Ghost, however, ignored him, his withered fingers rapidly tracing the edge of a compass, and an almost imperceptible faint light shot out from the compass, silently merging into a black-clad man who was chanting a fire spell.

The black-clad man was guiding a massive fireball into formation, about to unleash it.

Suddenly, his entire body stiffened.

The intensely condensed fireball extinguished with a puff right in front of him.

Spell backlash!

The black-clad man grunted, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his face filled with disbelief.

His internal energy flow felt as if it had been forcibly twisted by an invisible hand!

This bizarre scene stunned his companions around him.

Seventh Master’s heart skipped a beat even more.

This old fellow… Old Ghost, whom he had known for decades, actually had such a side to him!

That wasn't a simple support skill.

That was precise, destructive power imbued with intense malice!

It was a despicable sneak attack!

He didn’t know Old Ghost’s profession, nor what he did before coming to Old Ghost Hall, but he was certain that Old Ghost’s professional characteristics leaned towards an auxiliary life profession focused on exploration, treasure hunting, setting up enhancement arrays, and researching item properties, with almost zero direct combat ability.

But who would have thought that the geomancy secret arts, when used in reverse by him, could be so insidious and ruthless!

“Heh.”

Old Ghost let out a dry laugh, yet continued mumbling words that ordinary people couldn’t understand.

His fingers kept flicking on the compass.

One after another, faint lights shot out.

A black-clad man about to cast an earth wall stumbled, falling flat on his face.

Another burly man wielding a giant axe felt his weapon suddenly weigh a hundred catties more, almost dropping it on his own foot.

Zhao Tianyang’s frontal rampage became the perfect cover.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to that god of slaughter; no one noticed the gaunt old man in the corner constantly making small moves.

With Old Ghost’s secret assistance, Zhao Tianyang’s pressure significantly decreased.

He roared, forcefully breaking free from the shackles of several negative halos, and his gaunt body once again transformed into the Grim Reaper’s scythe, stirring up a bloody storm among the crowd.

A support healer was about to heal a companion but found that his skill simply wouldn’t activate, as if the rules of that area had been tampered with.

He could only watch helplessly as his companion was torn apart by Zhao Tianyang’s claw.

“Damn it! What’s going on?!”

“Something’s fishy!”

The black-clad men finally realized something was wrong; their offensive became chaotic.

And Old Ghost, meanwhile, became more and more adept.

Seventh Master watched, dumbfounded.

Was this still the Old Ghost who usually smiled and seemed detached from worldly affairs?

This ruthless, foul-mouthed demeanor was more practiced than any street thug!

Old Ghost’s professional characteristic was an absolute weakness in direct confrontation.

But now, with Zhao Tianyang, a 【Asura】 who could both tank and deal damage, taking the lead, his shortcomings were perfectly compensated.

This allowed him to completely unleash himself, bringing out the insidious side of his profession to its fullest!