Chapter 166: This Dirty World, I Wish I Had Never Come Here
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You Bing Yue struggled to keep herself upright, but her small stature and lack of anything nearby to support her made it a losing battle. She was on the verge of collapse.
Suddenly, Du Zi Heng rushed forward, shielding her protectively.
Thanks to the talisman bestowed by Yu Zhi Yi, the sinister wind born of the malicious energy couldn’t harm them no matter how fierce it grew.
While Ou Yang Shuo wasn’t completely unaffected by the dark gusts, his resilience kept the effects at bay to a large extent.
Watching Yu Zhi Yi stand steadfast like an unmovable mountain, Ou Yang Shuo grudgingly admitted, despite his unwillingness, that she did have some true skills. Forcing himself closer to her, he suggested, “While that thing hasn’t fully emerged yet, you and I should join forces to annihilate it!”
As soon as his words fell, the malice thickened.
A terrifying force sent him flying once more.
Yu Zhi Yi regarded him with a calm disdain. “If you can’t speak wisely, perhaps silence would better suit you. Otherwise, you’re merely proving how foolish Dragon-Tiger Mountain’s chief disciple truly is.”
This time, Ou Yang Shuo didn’t cough up blood but was left speechless.
Ignoring him, Yu Zhi Yi turned her attention to the crimson river ahead, her expression unchanging.
The river, despite the absence of wind, churned violently. In an instant, the ominous energy above its surface condensed, transforming into the shape of a woman.
The woman’s tattered hemp garment clung to her grotesquely swollen body. Her head bore a deep, severe wound as though struck by a heavy object, exposing the white of her brain through the gaping injury. Her face was a patchwork of mutilated flesh.
At the sight, Li Chang Huai and his companion doubled over, vomiting uncontrollably.
Even You Bing Yue, though seasoned by a past life filled with bloodshed and countless gruesome deaths, found the red-and-white mess of the woman’s face utterly nauseating. She endured, however, holding herself steady.
Du Zi Heng’s face turned pale despite his steadfast will, but he managed to keep his composure and avoid retching.
Though the woman’s mangled face lacked discernible eyes, the group could feel her gaze, ice-cold and oppressive, sweeping over them.
The chill from her stare only intensified Li Chang Huai and his companion’s retching.
Ou Yang Shuo finally swallowed back the blood threatening to spill and rose once more. He stared intently at the woman and declared gravely, “So, you’re the ghost responsible for the brutal deaths of eight innocent people in South Cao Village!”
Drawing his sword, its tip glimmering with golden light, he said coldly, “I am Ou Yang Shuo, the 281st chief disciple of Dragon-Tiger Mountain. In light of your tragic death, I’m willing to grant leniency. Surrender willingly, and I will spare your fragmented soul.”
“Defy me, and annihilation awaits you!”
The sinister wind surged again, the malevolent black energy lashing out towards Ou Yang Shuo. However, as it neared his sword, it recoiled as if encountering a terrifying force, shattering into fragments of white light and vanishing into the air.
Ou Yang Shuo smirked. “My blade is a divine weapon. Lowly spirits like you are no match for it. I advise you to surrender.”
Relief swept over You Bing Yue. “Brother Ou Yang is truly impressive!”
“Why waste your breath on such a female ghost? Strike her down and avenge those who lost their lives!” You Bing Yue’s voice was sharp, her eyes cold as she gestured toward the resentful spirit.
Ou Yang Shuo nodded firmly. “You’re right.”
However, Du Zi Heng frowned, raising a cautionary hand. “Hold your anger. I suspect there might be hidden truths behind what happened back then.”
“Hidden truths?” You Bing Yue’s retort was merciless. “What truth could possibly justify eight lives being snuffed out?”
Ou Yang Shuo sneered. “Who would’ve thought Young Master Du would display such womanly compassion?” He scoffed, wasting no further time on words. With a swift motion, he launched into his mystical arts.
A flick of his long arm sent his sword soaring into the air. Both hands formed seals as his voice resonated with ancient incantations, “‘Proclaim, Soldier, Battle, Formation… Array in Line, Advance, Destroy Evil!’”
Golden light erupted from the sword, shaping itself into a dragon that roared as it hurtled toward the female ghost.
The brilliance of the dragon left Du Zi Heng visibly shaken. Li Chang Huai and his companion, standing nearby, looked on in awe as though witnessing a miracle.
“It’s settled now,” one of them declared.
But before the words fully left his lips, the female ghost vanished.
Her disappearance was no simple vanishing act; instead, she dissolved into black malicious energy that scattered across the heavens and earth. The dark force split into several streams, surging toward Ou Yang Shuo from all directions.
One stream struck Ou Yang Shuo with such force that he was flung backward. This time, he didn’t rise again. Blood filled his throat, spilling past his lips, staining the ground. His chest throbbed with an unbearable pain, his strength draining as the coppery tang of blood thickened in the air. Above him, the ominous crimson glow within the malicious energy grew stronger.
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the black clouds gathering over the village. A cold dread spread through his chest. He tried to clutch his broken ribs but couldn’t. Only one thought echoed through his mind—he was fated to die here.
The malicious energy coalesced above him, forming a terrifying force capable of destroying everything in its path. Ou Yang Shuo opened his mouth to speak, but no sound emerged. A bitter smile curved his lips. His life was over.
Just as despair engulfed him, a serene female voice rang out.
“Although I have no desire to save this fool, if you kill him, your hands will be stained with the blood of an innocent. That will bar you from reincarnation.”
The malicious energy froze in place, as if hesitating.
Moments later, it surged forward again, carrying its destructive intent toward Ou Yang Shuo.
Yu Zhi Yi sighed. “He is indeed insufferable, but he does not deserve to die.”
No one saw how she moved, but when the crowd next looked, Yu Zhi Yi was already at Ou Yang Shuo’s side. Her slender, fair fingers stretched out and effortlessly intercepted the raging malicious energy.
Ou Yang Shuo, who had narrowly escaped death, stared at her in utter disbelief. Her silhouette, glowing faintly in the eerie light, stood unyielding against the malevolent force. She had stopped it with just two fingers!
Yu Zhi Yi’s wrist flicked, and with a casual motion, the malicious energy retreated. It returned to the river, where it coalesced once more into the shattered form of a farm girl, her head gruesomely broken.
“Why… stop me?” The ghost’s fragmented voice echoed, icy yet fragile.
“I thought you were different from them,” it continued, bitterness lacing every word.
Yu Zhi Yi spoke softly, her tone carrying both firmness and compassion. “I’m here to help you, which is why I must stop you. The eight who perished back then deserved their fate. You stood by and watched their demise, which was karmic retribution. But if you take his life now, you’ll owe him a debt of karma, and that will tether your soul, barring reincarnation.”
“Reincarnation?” The ghost laughed, the sound more mournful than joyous, chilling those who heard it.
“What good is reincarnation? What good is life?” Her laughter ceased abruptly, replaced by a deep, seething hatred. The malicious energy trembled, mirroring her anguish. “If I could choose, I’d rather never have come into this filthy world.”
Yu Zhi Yi sighed again, her voice steeped in sorrow.
“Your name is Cao Zhao Di. You were the eldest daughter of South Cao Village. Born into a family that valued sons over daughters, your parents had two more girls after you and finally a boy. Before your brother was born, they scorned you, calling you worthless, blaming you for their lack of a son.”
“When your brother was finally born, you were the happiest of all, believing your parents’ long-awaited son would bring an end to their cruelty toward you.”
“But his birth only deepened your nightmare…”