Lang Jiuchuan’s sudden change of expression was because she had sensed someone casting a spell on her from afar — the same as what she had experienced before. Someone was tampering with her fate chart again.

She just hadn’t expected that the Gong family’s son would use a Heavenly Thunder Talisman within the manor grounds. Was it merely to deal with a few ghost creatures, or could it be connected to the person manipulating her fate chart?

Lang Jiuchuan composed herself and pressed the Panguan Brush down onto her spiritual platform, point by point, burying the brush deep within the platform’s core to anchor her soul. She wanted to see who could outlast that scoundrel, Cui Panguan.

Deep underground, Cui Panguan sensed the disturbance in the brush and his eyes went cold. That bastard — was he trying to send that troublesome girl back?

Can’t a ghost even rest in peace!

Cui Panguan sat at his own desk and slammed his palm down onto his Panguan Brush. A resonant hum rang out.

Divine authority poured into the brush.

Over at the Qi household, inside a Yin-Yang Taiji Eight Trigrams formation, the Yellow-Browed Daoist who had just been about to manipulate Lang Jiuchuan’s fate chart suddenly felt his soul seize up.

Crack.

An invisible force of heaven and earth struck him. His soul fractured, and with a sickening sound he spat out a mouthful of old blood as his cultivation began to rapidly regress.

The Yellow-Browed Daoist’s face was filled with horror. He turned toward the fellow elder beside him, vision darkening, and cried out in alarm: “Stop!”

Too late.

The other had already unleashed the Ten-Thousand-Ghost Banner. Dark winds swirled from the banner, and following the talisman seal hand-signs he had formed, it drifted toward a certain location.

Meanwhile, Lang Jiuchuan and Lang Zhengping rushed to the west courtyard and saw the yard billowing with black smoke — the buildings had half-collapsed — and both of them felt their eyes go dark.

New Year’s Eve, and even firecrackers didn’t cause this kind of devastation.

“Go back to Shoukang Hall.” Lang Jiuchuan surveyed the ghost creatures, pulled out a stack of yellow paper, bit her finger, and hastily drew several talismans before stuffing them into his arms. “Don’t let anyone leave Grandmother’s courtyard — especially the women and children. These talismans posted at the doorways will ward off the malevolent energy.”

Lang Zhengping stared at her in silence.

Niece, you’re scaring me with that grave expression!

“But — but the Gong family’s son is here,” he said weakly, then added, “Why don’t you come back with me?”

Wasn’t there a Daoist saying — let a fellow cultivator die so you don’t have to? Let the capable ones fight to the death; mere mortals like themselves were only fit to cling to their lives!

Not far away, Gong Qi caught this with his sharp peripheral vision. His expression darkened several shades.

He laughed in exasperation. Hah!

“Stop your babbling and go — now!” Lang Jiuchuan gave him a shove.

Lang Zhengping looked at her blazing phoenix eyes, bright with ferocity and a will that brooked no opposition. For a moment, he felt as though his second brother had possessed her.

He stumbled away, clutching the talismans as he ran back.

Gong Qi watched Lang Zhengping flee, while Lang Jiuchuan remained standing there, eyes half-lidded. He called out, “Miss Lang Nine, this is a disaster your Lang Family brought upon yourselves. Don’t tell me you’re just going to stand by and watch?”

There was no one else around — was he dropping all pretense now?

Lang Jiuchuan frowned and said, “Banishing evil and upholding the Way is the very foundation upon which the Xuan Clan stands. I thank the Daoist for your righteous aid.”

Gong Qi: “!”

Quite good at putting on pretty airs.

Just then, a dark and malevolent ghost creature stretched its claws toward him, those long, sharp nails radiating a blue-black toxic energy. If those claws caught him, the poison would immediately seep through the wound into his body.

Gong Qi pulled from his waist a crimson Soul-Binding Chain and lashed it at the fierce ghost. As the chain coiled around it, righteous flames erupted from it, burning the ghost until it let out a piercing, wretched shriek.

Lang Jiuchuan and Jiangche gasped in unison.

What a marvelous treasure.

“The rumors of the Xuan Clan’s deep reserves are well-founded.” Lang Jiuchuan eyed it with envy, touching the Dizhong Bell at her waist — the one she’d only obtained through shameless threats and outright snatching.

Jiangche said, “Look at Gong Four’s fan.”

Lang Jiuchuan immediately looked over. Gong Four held a fan that was entirely jet-black — the material unknown — with golden talismanic patterns carved into the ribs, while the face bore a Taiji Eight Trigrams design. He merely gave it a wave and the golden patterns blazed to life alongside the Eight Trigrams.

Suppressing evil!

Oh my.

Several ghost creatures were struck by the golden light and screamed together. That piercing shriek stabbed at the eardrums, and the dark, corrupted energy grew even denser and began spreading.

Something was wrong!

Yin energy was surging up from underground, as if a Yin-Gathering Formation had been laid beneath the earth, turning this entire area into a place saturated with dark energy.

Immediately after, countless wandering spirits and wild ghosts began crawling up from beneath the ground. One of the fierce ghosts seized the opportunity to grab some of them and devour them.

“You’re asking to die!” Gong Qi’s face was dark as still water. He tapped a foot off the ground and leapt into the air, a Five-Thunder Talisman pinched between his fingers, and hurled it down.

Another thunderous explosion. The building crumbled.

Lang Jiuchuan’s face had darkened as well, because she realized that the stronger the Yin energy grew, the more ghost creatures appeared. Before long, many people within the Marquis’s manor would be caught up in this.

She couldn’t afford to sit on the sidelines any longer.

Lang Jiuchuan swept forward, shaking the Dizhong Bell in her hand. Righteous energy launched toward the two malevolent ghost creatures drifting toward the heart of the Lang manor. Die!

The righteous energy was vast and powerful, shaking the surroundings in all directions.

A sizzle.

Two ghost creatures were instantly reduced to dust, vanishing into nothing.

Gong Qi and Gong Four’s pupils contracted.

What a formidable magical treasure.

Lang Jiuchuan was also somewhat surprised, and then felt a surge of delight.

“The Dizhong Bell has evolved along with you?” Jiangche was stunned.

Lang Jiuchuan thought — it likely grew stronger as she grew stronger. Was this thing one of those treasures that judged its master and acted accordingly?

Gong Qi let out a cold snort. Not hiding anymore now, are you?

Lang Jiuchuan called out, “I’ll seal this courtyard off. I’ll trouble the two of you to quickly purge and subdue the evil energy.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a stack of yellow paper from her hand and grabbed a fistful of copper coins from the large coin pouch at her waist. She had grabbed them on the fly when she and Lang Zhengping were rushing over — they’d passed a manor steward carrying a basket of copper coins meant for New Year’s exchange, and she’d helped herself to a pouch.

She hadn’t expected them to come in handy so soon.

Gong Four and the others hadn’t quite caught up yet. They watched as she took the yellow paper and copper coins and walked to various positions, burying them. After a moment, they fell into a brief silence.

She hadn’t even used a divination compass before burying the items. Was she acting freely from instinct, or did she simply have no need for one?

Gong Qi’s eyes deepened. It had to be her — this was the extraordinary encounter his Ninth Uncle had spoken of. Without a doubt.

This heretic!

But now was not the time to investigate that. Looking at the increasing number of ghost creatures crawling up from the ground, Gong Qi and Gong Four’s expressions grew grim.

New Year’s Eve, and in broad daylight no less — what kind of deep-seated hatred was this, that they couldn’t wait a single moment and had to go this far?

Did they not realize that one misstep could drag the innocent people throughout this entire area into disaster?

To show such complete disregard for the lives of innocent commoners — this was sheer malice.

The two martial brothers exchanged a glance. Gong Four said, “Use the Heaven-Earth Net Ghost-Slaying Formation.”

Gong Qi nodded. He glanced toward Lang Jiuchuan and saw that she had already begun forming hand seals. She rose lightly into the air, then brought her foot down hard upon the ground.

A hum resonated.

The entire area around them instantly shifted — it felt as though something had enveloped and encircled it, preventing the dark energy from spreading any further.

Countless resentful souls and ghostly shadows howled and screamed. The corrupted energy was so thick it chilled one to the bone. Those within the Marquis’s manor with weaker constitutions, especially those not far from the courtyard, were quickly affected. Some fainted outright, while others who fell into hallucinations went nearly mad.

Gong Qi hesitated no longer. He exchanged a nod with Gong Four, and the two simultaneously shifted their stances and leapt high into the sky. As they soared upward, Gong Four cast out a net and called out: “Spread the Heavenly Net, summon the Heavenly Thunder, slay ten thousand evils — rise!”