Chapter 1052: Chapter 728: "Face"_2
Strangely, this item left no trace in the air, disappearing the moment it was thrown. Yang Xiao pulled out the Ghost Lantern and saw a tiny, cicada-like object spinning around him.
But whether it was afraid of his current "body" or the green light from the Ghost Lantern, this thing only circled him without getting close. The moment it came into contact with the green light Yang Xiao emitted, the cicada lost control and fell to the ground.
"This is quite a nifty little thing," Yang Xiao remarked, surprised by this unexpected delight.
Feeling that enough time had passed, Yang Xiao directly drew out the Ghost Bamboo Stick, slamming the three against the wall with one strike each. He initially intended to give them a swift death, but recalling the women who were imprisoned, Yang Xiao decided to let them hang on the wall and await death instead.
After finishing all this, Yang Xiao returned to the real world. Worrying about frightening the imprisoned women, he only broke the door and then hid his form, returning to the Mirror World.
Suddenly, Yang Xiao inadvertently noticed a large mirror with a red border on the wall. His reflection was horrifying: hair scattered, dressed in strange floral clothing, an unclear face, skin exposed with terrifying and disgusting corpse spots, like a corpse that had been dead for who knows how long.
For some reason, a strong sense of unease surged from within Yang Xiao. He approached the mirror, wanting to closely observe his appearance in this state.
He vaguely felt that he seemed to have seen a similar face somewhere, a "face" that matched this body closely.
Getting close to the dirty mirror, Yang Xiao used his slender fingers to part his hair bit by bit, eventually exposing a hideous and bizarre face to his eyes.
His pupils suddenly shrunk. This face was painted stark white, with only the lips painted in a hint of crimson red, bearing a ninety percent resemblance to the Geisha Face he had found in the Nightmare World!
The only difference was that that face was of a young woman, while his current face was covered in wrinkles, with grotesque ravines, belonging to an elderly woman at least eighty or ninety years old.
Yet the feeling both gave off was from the same origin. Yang Xiao looked down carefully, his dirty, bare feet also somewhat deformed; the big toe bent outwards, leaving a wide gap between the second toe.
A speculation instantly formed in Yang Xiao’s mind: this ghost and the Geisha Face both originated from Japan.
As an eerie sensation arose, time was up, and Yang Xiao returned to the secret chamber of the Second Demon Taoist. However, the Golden Cicada Magical Artifact he had picked up and held was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he couldn’t take away the spoils in that state, which was a bit of a pity.
Soon after Yang Xiao returned, Daoist Qingfeng also came back. He recounted to the Second Demon Taoist, word for word, what he had seen.
There was no denying it; his Senior Brother Qingfeng indeed had some tricks up his sleeve. Although Yang Xiao hadn’t specifically looked for him, he indeed hadn’t found any trace of him.
Presumably, Daoist Qingfeng had his own ways to conceal himself, likely using a good Magic Artifact.
At the behest of Uncle Master, the Second Demon Taoist, Yang Xiao handed over the Ghost phone, which Senior Brother Ming Yue presented on his behalf.
"Yang Xiao, tell me once again in detail how you acquired this Magic Artifact," said the Second Demon Senior.
Adding another line, "Be meticulous."
At this moment, Yang Xiao realized that Uncle Master had surely noticed something, so he didn’t dare to keep anything hidden, and told the whole story again in full detail.
This included the woman suspected to be from the Yi Sect, the Luming Bureau’s investigation team’s sacrifice, and the severe consequences of the supernatural incident that erupted in Jingping Town, including the extent of the losses.
Yang Xiao took more than half an hour to recount all these events, never stopping until Uncle Master said so, and by the end, his mouth was dry.
"Strange..." After Yang Xiao finished, the Second Demon Taoist felt the Ghost phone in his hand, slowly taking a breath, "How could the people from the Yi Sect have such a Magic Artifact?"
"Uncle Master, this Magic Artifact originated from Japan, didn’t it?" Yang Xiao inquired further.
"Indeed, this Magic Artifact should belong to the Japan Ghost Sect; it’s a good item."
"Do you recognize this thing?" Yang Xiao exclaimed with excitement.
"I don’t recognize this Magic Artifact, but I’ve fought with people from the Ghost Sect and saw them using similar artifacts, but none as sharp as yours."
"Hiss—" Yang Xiao’s heart moved. He could guess Uncle Master’s level, and the Ghost Sect’s Angel Envoy who could battle with him was certainly not ordinary. Yet, the Magic Artifact in their hands wasn’t as good as his Ghost phone, so it seemed he had really hit the jackpot this time.
"You were right not to chase that woman in Jingping Town; otherwise, you would have died too. No one in the Rongcheng Patrol Division stands a chance against her. This person’s possession of such a treasure suggests substantial backing," the Second Demon Taoist said, well aware of the stakes beyond Yang Xiao’s comprehension.
"Yang Xiao, if there is any trace of this person next time, do not act rashly; return to me first."
"Yes, Uncle Master." Despite being eager for revenge for Wu Zhengwu, Yang Xiao knew that going after her alone with Qu Muzhi would be suicide, as even Captain Fang and his team were easily dealt with by the woman.
Soon after, the Second Demon Taoist gave Yang Xiao a few pointers regarding this Magic Artifact. First, the conditions of its use: it must be concealed outside the line of sight of the one being attacked.
Previously, when Yang Xiao stood before Daoist Qingfeng, the Ghost phone couldn’t connect and lost its function.
Next was the scope of this Magic Artifact’s effect. The further the attacker is from Yang Xiao’s body, the fuzzier the transmitted location, leading to a larger margin of error.
As for this last point, the Second Demon Taoist lowered his voice, "Yang Xiao, indeed this is a good Magic Artifact, but have you considered why such a good thing was merely used as a bait to trigger a supernatural event, rather than being seized by a master for personal use?"
"Because... it’s hard to control?" Yang Xiao speculated.
"Because it’s too dangerous, and the user is easily backfired. From your first use, I could tell you couldn’t fully control it, and that ghost continuously influences you, waiting for you to lose control."
With these words, the uneasiness inside Yang Xiao took shape. Not long ago, Tong Han, who witnessed him using this Magic Artifact, had said similar words; she felt as if the female ghost might have noticed her.
"Uncle Master, what should I do to avoid being affected?" He grew anxious, as it concerned his life.
"The simplest way is to use it less, preferably not at all. Once your spiritual power increases a bit more, your ability to resist losing control will also become stronger."
"You’ve already increased your spiritual power since your return, but this isn’t a long-term solution. You’ve entered the Nightmare World too quickly, far beyond other Angel Envoy."
"It’s not my desire, but too many enemies, and as the Deputy Director of the Patrol Defense Office, sometimes I have no choice."
"You misunderstand; this isn’t entirely the aftermath of excessive Magic Artifact use. Even if used excessively, you shouldn’t receive the Ghost Box as frequently as you do. You’re a rare anomaly."
With a pause, the elderly figure behind the curtain looked up, staring at Yang Xiao, "I ask you, among the Magic Artifacts you use, does any one of them make you feel peculiar?"
Yang Xiao became wary; his Uncle Master’s insight was indeed sharp. Yang Xiao suspected he sensed something odd among these Magic Artifacts.
"They’re all rather peculiar. I’m not sure which ’peculiar’ you’re referring to?"
Yang Xiao put on a distressed expression. The Opera Robe Ghost was his biggest secret, unknown even to Nalan Shuo. The desire for something that even the old Dean of Ru Lin Academy coveted should better remain concealed from outsiders.
He believed his Uncle Master wasn’t one to covet treasures, but he wouldn’t gamble his life on human nature.
For a while, they exchanged looks through the curtain before the cross-legged figure inside shook his head, feeling he might have overthought, "Forget it, if there really was something unusual, you would’ve noticed, even without my asking."
"You are unique, the fastest to enter the Nightmare World among many Angel Envoy I’ve seen, and that’s not a good thing. I haven’t returned to that place for almost 30 years."
