Chapter 499: Chapter 432: I Only Made a Slight Move
Human Dog Ghost was beaten so hard it bounced and jumped frantically, trying to shake Yang Xiao off its back, but Yang Xiao gripped the dog skin tightly. For a while, blows fell like rain, each delivered with full force because he knew if the Human Dog Ghost regained control, he would be dead.
But he overlooked that Human Dog Ghost still had a tail which stood erect like a Vajra stick, furiously whipping Yang Xiao.
The scene was chaotic, Yang Xiao rode on the dog’s back, battering its head with the Human Bone Staff while the tail stood erect, lashing his back blow after blow. Both sides were seeing red, making it difficult to determine who had the upper hand. Human Dog Ghost was not exceptionally powerful, but it was incredibly resilient. Normally, people would lose consciousness after just a couple of hits from the Human Bone Staff, but this creature endured more than a dozen.
Yang Xiao realized something was off, as it was unreasonable for it to be so resilient. Each of his attacks seemed to vanish like a stone in the ocean, a sharp contrast to the initial impacts on Human Dog Ghost’s legs. After steadying his mind, he noticed that each time the Human Bone Staff struck, an invisible force on the dog skin mostly neutralized the attack.
Moments later, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but gasp in shock when he finally saw that the power was emanating from under the dog skin—it was a series of protruding human faces.
He immediately realized that these were the victims that had been harmed and devoured by the Human Dog Ghost. Somehow, their spiritual power had been taken by the Human Dog Ghost, which explained why the more victims there were, the more brutal its attacks and behavior became.
It was evolving, and quickly at that.
Nevertheless, Yang Xiao’s attacks were not entirely ineffective. Even though part of the impact was neutralized, the remaining force still took a toll on the Human Dog Ghost. Its movements grew sluggish, and the strength of its tail’s whipping diminished, but Yang Xiao was also nearly at his limit.
If things continued this way, he would be thrown off by the Human Dog Ghost first, and then, exhausted, he would be reduced to new fodder for the Human Dog Ghost.
As Yang Xiao observed further, he noticed that just before each face appeared, a dark light emerged on the part of the Human Dog Ghost’s face not completely covered by the dog skin. Although not very noticeable, Yang Xiao still caught it and immediately realized this was the key.
The dark light displayed a strange, fleeting blue color—it was the tattoo on the face!
That tattoo symbolized disgrace, a mark of shame that Human Dog Ghost could never wash away. Yang Xiao instantly understood; this was the Human Dog Ghost’s vulnerability.
The situation was urgent. He had to take a risk. He reached out to grab the pole of the Ghost Lantern, forcefully channeling his spiritual power into it. The next second, the Ghost Lantern exploded with green light in the mouth of the Human Dog Ghost. It writhed in agony as if its mouth was filled with sulfuric acid. Simultaneously, Yang Xiao fiercely yanked upward and managed to peel off a patch of the dog skin on its face, revealing a bloody mess beneath, surrounded by rough stitches; that black dog skin had been brutally sewn on with fine hemp rope, a method undeniably cruel.
Without the protection of the dog skin, Yang Xiao struck the Human Dog Ghost’s face with his staff, stunning it instantly. Seizing the opportunity to beat the downed beast, he held his breath and delivered another powerful strike precise on the tattoo. The Human Dog Ghost convulsed momentarily, then violently exploded, throwing Yang Xiao back. When he got up, the Human Dog Ghost had vanished, and rain was falling from above, quickly drenching him.
But that was the end of it. On the ground in front of him lay a whole piece of black dog skin, with flesh and shattered bones scattered nearby.
Yang Xiao walked over and kicked aside the flesh to find a dog tooth pendant and a beautifully crafted dog bone bracelet.
Wiping the rain from his face, Yang Xiao stumbled back, finally breathing a sigh of relief. The Human Dog Ghost was dealt with, and this huge piece of black dog skin was the malign source, Resentful Eye, and a rarer kind with spreading and growing properties at that. No wonder Da Xiong could never pinpoint its exact location.
"This thing is too good to just hand over." Yang Xiao picked up the black dog skin and folded it as neatly as possible, taking a great deal of effort to stuff it into his backpack. His actions were not intended to claim it for himself but because such items posed a high risk if merely stored away; Yang Xiao hoped to relieve his organization of this burden.
As for the mess of flesh and bones on the ground, he would leave that for the tech department to clean up. Yang Xiao found an umbrella nearby, picked it up, and opened it over his head. After making sure nothing was overlooked, he left. He walked slowly, holding the umbrella in his left hand while his right hand casually slipped into his right pocket, clutching the Soul-Capturing Mirror.
He was wary of the Yu Yuan Sect lurking nearby, ready to ambush him. After all, while the Human Dog Ghost was challenging to deal with, killing him with it would still be quite difficult with the Soul-Capturing Mirror in his possession—he was hard to kill.
He didn’t dare to walk too fast, nor did he dare to show any signs of fatigue or panic. If the people from Yu Yuan Sect noticed his poor condition, that would be the real danger.
About ten minutes later, Yang Xiao walked out of the residential area’s security perimeter with casual steps. Only when he saw Beibei and Wu Zhe did he truly breathe a sigh of relief.
"It’s resolved," Yang Xiao said with a slight smile, his tone light as only an expert could achieve, "It was a Human Dog Ghost; cleaning it up took some time."
"Captain Yang is awesome!" Ximen Xiu was the first to stand up and cheer for Yang Xiao, his entire demeanor full of vigor, beaming with pride.
Captain Wu reflected on the sorry state of his own team and couldn’t help but remark, "Captain Yang truly is Director Nalan’s trump card. With just a minimal effort, he settled such a massive issue. Brother, I owe you big time this round!"
"Those are just minor matters, no need to mention them again." Yang Xiao moved his black umbrella aside, and instantly, Da Xiong stepped closer, holding his own umbrella over Yang Xiao’s head while he stood behind him like a competent bodyguard, his towering figure ramrod straight.
Wu Zhe quickly arranged for the tech department to step in, asking them to clean up the scene, retrieve the bodies of the victims, and handle follow-up matters.
A silver-raincoat-wearing tech department head came over, removed his helmet, and formally requested, "Captain Wu, I need you to dispatch two people to accompany us. We are going to retrieve the Resentful Eye, and in the process, there might be..."
He hadn’t finished his sentence when Wu Zhe corrected him, "The risks of retrieving the Resentful Eye are too high for now. Just focus on handling the scene." Then looking at Yang Xiao, he politely added, "Captain Yang, as the capable one, please take on this additional responsibility."
Hearing this, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but regard him highly. Wu Zhe was young but perceptive. He clearly saw that the Resentful Eye had been taken by him—after all, his backpack was nearly bursting at the seams—but he didn’t mention it outright, only suggesting Yang’s help indirectly.
"Since Captain Wu trusts me so much, it is naturally my responsibility," Yang Xiao responded with a smile, radiating the demeanor of a true master.
"That’s great! Captain Yang, you resolved the supernatural incident here, while Captain Qu led his team to destroy the Resentment Sect’s evil cultivator stronghold. With both of you in Rongcheng Patrol Division, it’s indeed a cause for celebration. Considering my humble opinion as a brother, being Director Nalan’s protégé, your promotion to Deputy Director is just around the corner!" Wu Zhe was almost as skilled at flattering as Yang Xiao.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao laughed heartily, "Really? Did Captain Qu already deal with all the evil cultivators of Yu Yuan Sect?"
"Indeed, they even captured one of their high-ranking members alive." As the matter was resolved, Wu Zhe was in high spirits, laughing as he responded.
"Oh?" Yang Xiao laughed along, "Which high-ranking member?"
"I’m not sure of the specifics, but I heard it’s a young woman, very tough, won’t divulge anything. She’s currently detained at Lingxiu Mountain Villa in the north of the city. Captain Qu plans to use her as bait," Wu Zhe informed, having just received the news himself.
"Where?" Yang Xiao suddenly stopped laughing, his tone involuntarily rising.
Wu Zhe, startled by the reaction, nearly dropped the cigarette box he had just picked up, "The north... north of the city at Lingxiu Mountain Villa, Captain Yang, are you alright?"
Yang Xiao suppressed the odd expression on his face, his heartbeat quickening; he knew who had been captured—it was Tong Han.
This was going to be troublesome.
