Chapter 715: Chapter 552: Lingering like a Shadow_2
As soon as the old man finished speaking, he suddenly twisted his head and looked towards the hospital. Yang Xiao was puzzled, but ten seconds later, a dark gray fog slowly emerged from that direction. It seemed alive as it writhed towards their location.
This familiar gray fog struck Yang Xiao head-on—it was the Daoist robe old ghost. It... it had found them again!
The haunting presence never seemed to dissipate.
However, this time with a Netherworld-level master nearby, Yang Xiao wasn’t too frightened. It’s just that his good sister’s plans were foiled. After all, trying to consume the Daoist robe old ghost in front of a Netherworld-level master without revealing his presence was almost impossible.
But judging from the older man’s previous attitude towards the Drama Robe, his good sister must have been a renowned demon in her life—at least no weaker than the person before him, definitely at the upper-middle Netherworld standard. If he could one day fully control his good sister, then Yang Xiao would really have made something of himself.
"Crack—"
"Crack—"
The crisis in front of him came rapidly and fiercely. Soon, Yang Xiao could see the dried corpse behind the rolling gray fog.
Wrapped in the mist, the Daoist robe old ghost’s stiff steps scraped against the ground. Each step he took actually covered at least five or six steps forward as trees and vegetation swallowed by the fog withered away. Buildings they passed were corroded and riddled with holes, a force filled with death and decay. Just standing face to face with this force required immense courage.
At that moment, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but admire the courage of the Silver-haired Captain, who managed to block the Daoist robe old ghost’s path with a silver spear.
"Is it really him?" The Academy elder muttered to himself as the Daoist robe old ghost approached, clearly recognizing the other’s identity.
At this moment, Yang Xiao didn’t care who it was; what he cared about was how to survive the attack of the Daoist robe old ghost. If it weren’t for the old man’s covert assistance last time, his fate would have been grim. The ghost’s attacks were more terrifying each time.
"It’s targeting you.", the old man said abruptly, "Something on you is attracting it."
"Is it the Little White Robed Buddha’s horsetail whisk?" Yang Xiao asked, surprised.
The old man’s expression turned serious, and he nodded, "That should be it; after all, it’s a Netherworld-level Magic Artifact. This thing’s appetite is getting bigger."
"Senior, we needn’t overpower it; just stalling for time will do. The mission is almost over." Yang Xiao said.
But the old man shook his head and pulled out the Precious Sword from his sleeve, "It’s not appropriate. As long as this thing exists, it will always be a major threat. Green Venerable Tourmaline can no longer suppress it, and it will soon break free completely. If it goes outside, it will definitely wreak havoc in the Academy."
"What do we—"
Before Yang Xiao could finish, the old man had already taken action, pressing the Precious Sword downward as he chanted, "Slashing."
The next second, the gray fog before the Daoist robe old ghost was swept away by an invisible force, and at the same time, the old ghost’s chest burst open, revealing the dry flesh inside. The strike had cut a gaping slit across the front of the old ghost’s chest.
"Hiss—"
Worthy of a Netherworld-level master, Yang Xiao felt much more reassured.
But before he could even rejoice, he saw the dispersed fog slowly closing back up, and at the same time, the wound on the old ghost’s chest eerily healed itself. Yang Xiao watched, dumbfounded. He clearly felt that this old ghost had become stronger than before!
"It’s become more difficult to deal with than before," the old man said, his tone serious for the first time. "It seems that today’s matter must come to an end. It has devoured too many Magic Artifacts and has become a major threat."
"Elder, could we wait until we get out and bring more people to deal with it?" Yang Xiao suggested, thinking it would be safer.
"It’s too late," the elder decided, formulating a plan. The next second, he drew a line in the air beside him with his left hand, and a rift appeared out of nowhere. His figure disappeared instantly.
When the elder left, Yang Xiao was confused. He waited a few seconds but didn’t see where the elder reappeared. A sinking feeling struck his heart. He wondered if the elder had just abandoned him and run away, leaving behind nothing but empty words.
After all, the Ghost’s target was him. The elder had left him behind to buy time, and then escaped to alert and gather capable elders from the Academy to set a trap and ambush the Daoist robe old ghost as it emerged. From another perspective, this was the safest way to handle the situation.
It’s better to rely on oneself than on others. In such a critical moment, he had to count on his dear sister. After confirming that the elder was nowhere in sight, Yang Xiao fervently called out to his sister in his mind, but he didn’t get any response. The feeling of abandonment was just as intense as before.
"No, that’s not right!" Yang Xiao realized belatedly. At such a moment, his sister had no reason not to help him. They were in the same boat. If he were killed by the Daoist robe old ghost, then the ghost would benefit instead of his sister. Even a fool would choose to help him over the ghost, so the problem wasn’t with his sister, but with the elder!
The Netherworld-level elder hadn’t left. He was hiding nearby, just like before!
He was waiting to see how Yang Xiao would save himself. Once his sister intervened to help him, his previous lies would come undone.
That must be it!
Realizing this, Yang Xiao felt slightly relieved, but he still had to play his part. With his remaining right hand, he took out the Soul-Capturing Mirror and first tossed the unconscious Qu Muzhi into the Mirror World. Then, turning to look at the approaching Daoist robe old ghost, he sneered, "Bye-bye!"
The next second, he rushed towards a reflective marble plinth, but with a "bang," he was bounced back. The collision left him dizzy and confused, with a large bump swelling on his forehead like a unicorn.
The ability of the Soul-Capturing Mirror was restricted!
At that moment, Yang Xiao was still alert. He didn’t know whether it was the Daoist robe old ghost or the hidden elder from the Academy who was responsible, but his escape route had been cut off.
The next second, just as Yang Xiao was considering how to stall for time, another surprise occurred. He looked at his right hand in shock as the Ghost Lantern appeared without being summoned and materialized directly in his hand.
Memories flooded his mind, and Yang Xiao sensed trouble. Indeed, soon his vision was enveloped in a dazzling green light, much like it had been in the Mirror World, except this time, Yang Xiao remembered to close his eyes early and narrowly escaped disaster. Yet, the green light still made his eyes painfully sore.
Sure enough, this Old Ghost had the ability to trigger the Resentful Eye to lose control, and even backfire on the host. Moreover, this Old Ghost also carried a decayed aura; any object it touched or came near would be eroded by that force.
"Elder, save me!" Yang Xiao shouted while fleeing. If things continued like this, he would undoubtedly be killed by the Daoist robe old ghost.
When Yang Xiao looked back to check the old ghost’s position, his peripheral vision unintentionally swept across a small patch of woods. All the trees in the woods were being corroded by the slowly spreading decay, except for the one in the middle, which was unharmed.
Holding his breath and looking closely, Yang Xiao saw an incredible scene. A dim shadow was cast on the trunk of that tree by a person, the missing elder from the Academy!
In this state, he seemed to be ignored by the ghost. The Daoist robe old ghost slowly walked past the tree, his numb and withered death-like face staring straight at Yang Xiao.
The moment the Daoist robe old ghost completely turned his back, a figure "stood" up from the tree trunk. Sword in hand, the figure struck, decapitating the old ghost in one swift move.
