Chapter Ninety-Four: Angels and Demons

Wei Qi and I did not dare linger in the county town. We hurriedly drove to Fulai Mountain and reported everything to Master Xingyun. He was a venerable man of great ability, and we needed his help to find the one who had cultivated the Devouring Yin Art.

Unfortunately, Master Xingyun was not at Dinglin Temple. His disciple said he had gone to Mount Wutai and had only just set out, so he probably had not arrived yet.

Wei Qi and I discussed it and decided to seek out Li Dainian. Besides Master Xingyun, he was the only other highly respected yin-yang master we knew.

After hearing our account, Li Dainian was deeply shocked as well. How could such a thing exist? Could it be that the Lord of the Underworld had trained many supreme yin emissaries at once? He immediately decided to go down the mountain with us that night and keep watch at the large square in Juxian to see whether anyone practicing the Devouring Yin Art would appear.

After I went home for a short while, Shangguan Wan'er insisted on coming with us. After thinking it over, I let her. With my blood and the blood amber protecting her now, ordinary yang energy could no longer threaten her.

At Wei Qi's house, Li Dainian held a brief meeting with us and warned us repeatedly to be careful. We must not let the supreme yin emissary suck away our souls. If our souls were taken, it would be all over. We all nodded and promised we would stay alert.

We checked our magic tools carefully, then headed to Juxian. By the time we arrived, it was not yet dark. Wei Qi suggested we take a look at Shang Xiaoyun's new home. I knew that although this guy did not accept Shang Xiaoyun's feelings, he still had a place for her in his heart. That feeling rested somewhere between friendship and love, wonderfully strange and delicate.

Shang Xiaoyun looked much better than before, and her new home was quite lovely. She even treated us to a meal there. By the time we finished eating, it was already after nine in the evening, and the few of us hurried back out.

At this hour, yin energy was rising. If anything was going to happen, it would likely begin soon.

We arrived at Wenxin Square, the largest square in Juxian, got out of the car, and were somewhat startled. The place was bustling beyond belief. People were singing, dancing in the square, eating and chatting at food stalls, walking dogs, and generally filling the square to the brim.

"Master, I don't think they'd appear in a place like this. There are too many people," Wei Qi said to Li Dainian.

Li Dainian nodded. "True. But with so many people here, there are more targets. We'll keep watch here. Just be careful. There are civilians everywhere. If they really do show up, don't accidentally hurt any innocent bystanders."

He was older and thought things through more thoroughly, and he always acted with steady caution.

We wandered through the crowd but found nothing unusual. Now and then we chatted with some of the people hanging around there and asked about the deaths from the previous night. Some had not heard of them; others said there were so many people here that nothing could possibly happen.

We could not say much in return. Sometimes panic spreads faster than reality, and there was no need to frighten them.

As time passed, the night grew deeper and the crowd gradually dispersed. The vast square began to fall quiet, with the trash left behind by the evening scattered all over the ground. Over there, five or six young men and women were practicing roller skating, their laughter drifting over now and then. Wei Qi and I went over to tell them to head home, only to be met with a glare of contempt. One yellow-haired punk even snapped that he liked playing there and that it was none of our business.

Wei Qi rolled up his sleeves and was ready to fight them, but I stopped him. There was no need at all.

The three of us drifted around for half the night and still found nothing, not even the ghost of a clue. Wei Qi smoked one cigarette after another, squatting there and fuming. Clearly, those kids had provoked him.

Li Dainian stood where he was, analyzing the situation, saying that Juxian was so large, with dozens of squares big and small, and the supreme yin emissary might be hiding in any corner. Even if it came out to feed on someone's soul, it might not choose this place.

While he was still drawing conclusions, a burst of惨叫 suddenly rang out from over there. It was those boys and girls practicing roller skating.

Under the pale yellow lights, the children scattered in panic. Before they had even run a few steps, all five or six of them had fallen to the ground. In their midst, a figure was moving. Thin as a blade. All too familiar.

"Yueyue," I said to Wei Qi as we ran.

Wei Qi answered at once, "Yes. It's Yueyue."

It was impossible to guard against. Just when we were exhausted to the point of collapse, she had appeared. Hadn't Master Xingyun already taken her away? Could it be that she had slipped out while he was away from the temple?

There was no time to think further. We hurried after her.

Yueyue stood among the fallen children with both arms spread wide toward them. The children lay motionless on the ground as waves of blue light rose from their bodies and flowed slowly into Yueyue's own.

By the time we reached them, the light had vanished. Yueyue had already sucked away their souls.

I looked up and let out a long, bitter sigh. We were still too late. Those children were such a pity. No matter what, I had to take their souls back, because their bodies were still warm. As long as their spirits were recovered in time, they could still be revived.

Then, in an instant, something even more brutal happened.

Yueyue moved with terrifying speed. Her hand flashed out, and the belly of a little boy on the ground was slit open. In the blink of an eye, after a streak of blood, a human heart appeared in her hand.

We had imagined Yueyue would be formidable after mastering the Devouring Yin Art, but we never dreamed she would be this cruel. Stealing souls and digging out hearts, she was no longer merely a supreme yin emissary. She had become a vengeful ghost, a demon.

Whoosh.

Just as Yueyue was about to cut out another boy's heart, Li Dainian's horsetail whisk shot out with a sharp cry.

We had worked together several times, but this was the first time I truly saw his skill. In his hands, the once-soft whisk was like a sword, its strands standing straight like steel needles, slicing through the air as it flew at Yueyue.

Li Dainian's whisk came crashing toward her with the force of wind and thunder. The girl must have sensed the attack, because she sprang upward and landed squarely on the whisk in midair.

After riding it for a short distance, Yueyue bounced off and raced away. The three of us quickly gave chase.

"Stay safe! Don't get too close to her. If you do, she'll drain your soul!" Li Dainian shouted after us.

"Dachuan, cut her off from the side!" Wei Qi roared, gripping Master Xingyun's staff with a fierce look on his face.

"You two keep after her. I'll block her from the front." With the Palm Thunder in my hand, I was not especially afraid.

As I spoke, I turned and ran off in another direction.

A few dozen seconds later, I had circled around to Yueyue's front. The girl was rushing toward me at full speed. I stepped forward and shouted, "Yueyue, stop right there!"

She had been running furiously, but at my shout she screeched to a halt. The wind around her sent dust swirling into the air. Under the streetlights, I could see Yueyue clearly. Apart from her shape, she was no longer the same girl at all. Her face had turned a ghastly blue-gray, her eyes were no longer black but blazed with purple-red light, and her hair streamed backward as if driven by a violent gale. In her right hand she held a human heart, blood dripping from her fingers and soaking the ground.

"Yueyue, is that really you?" The sight before me chilled me to the bone. She had once been such a fragile girl, and now she had turned into a murderous demon. Why?

"Who are you? Why are you blocking my way?" She flung the heart in her hand aside and lunged straight at me. I remembered what Li Dainian had said, so I naturally would not let her near me. The moment those blade-like fingers came for my throat, I struck with one palm, sending the Palm Thunder surging toward her.

At this point, Yueyue was no longer human. She was a fierce ghost, a demon. I had no choice but to give it everything I had.

Boom.

The Palm Thunder exploded against Yueyue's body, and she rolled to the side with a cry. The heart in her hand rolled away as well. She was not blasted to pieces like those yin soldiers. Instead, aside from some damage to her clothes, the rest of her remained intact. I surged forward with the Three-Foot Dragon Abyss in my hand and pressed the blade to her chest.

"Yueyue, wake up!"

Before I could finish, a figure descended from the sky and landed directly in front of me.

"Let her go."

The voice was very cold, yet oddly familiar.

My whole body trembled. I looked at the girl who had come down from above and was instantly stunned. What... what was this?

The girl in the white dress looked so much like Wang Ying. No, not like her. It was Wang Ying. The same height, the same face, the same voice. Only the tone was icy, the expression equally cold, and the look she gave me utterly unfamiliar.

"Wang Ying? Wang Ying, is that you?" I said, suddenly excited, and withdrew my sword as I stepped toward her.

"I'll say it again. Let her go, or I'll kill you right now."