Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!
The four underworld emissaries struck in unison, their combined might shaking heaven and earth.
The crimson-clad fierce ghost’s face changed drastically. Without a moment’s hesitation, a flash of blood-red light enveloped its body as it attempted to flee.
However, the emissaries—bearing the divine mantle of the Netherworld’s Yin Gods—wielded ghost domains that inherently possessed absolute suppression over ghosts of the same rank.
Now, with all four ghost domains unleashed and layered upon one another, they formed a confinement prison!
There was no escape!
Not the slightest chance!
Before its eyes, the Funeral Staff, the Soul-Locking Chain, the Ghost-Beating Whip, the Asura Axe…
These four Netherworld artifacts were already bearing down upon it!
*“ROOOAR!!!” *
The crimson-clad fierce ghost let out a despairing shriek. The bloodlust in its scarlet eyes churned wildly, its once-alluring visage contorting to its absolute limit—as if, in that flash of an instant, it had made the most desperate and unhinged choice possible!
*“CRAAACK!!!” *
The very next moment—an abrupt upheaval!
A brilliant, dazzling arc of golden lightning exploded from its very chest!
The thunderlight blazed fiercely, forming a violent surge of lightning shockwaves that erupted outward from its core, sweeping toward the four emissaries!
It was too sudden—too utterly unthinkable!
Not only had Lu Chen never anticipated it, but even the battle-hardened four emissaries were caught completely off guard by this wholly irrational attack!
In that split second, the four emissaries could only hastily switch from offense to defense, channeling their vast, eerie powers into barriers before them to withstand this inconceivable… “Thunder Method” attack?!
*“PFFT!!!” *
After the thunderblast, the crimson-clad fierce ghost violently spewed a torrent of thick, sticky black blood. The surging ghostly aura around it instantly withered by more than half.
Clearly, to forcefully execute that thunder method secret art, it had paid a tremendous price.
But it had also seized that fleeting opportunity—while the four emissaries were defending—to make its move!
*“SWOOSH!!!” *
A blood-red light flared anew, transforming into a mournful crimson streak that shot toward the “school gate” of the ghost domain with terrifying speed!
“This ghost… can actually wield thunder methods?! That’s… that’s impossible?!”
Lu Chen’s heart shook violently.
There was no time to think.
The Yama Token on the back of his hand suddenly erupted with deep, abyssal black light!
— *“Wusha Black!” *
*“WHOOSH!” *
The “Ghost Domain” unfolded!
A heaven-blanketing wave of black energy surged forth like a raging river of darkness.
With blinding speed, it spread outward, chasing down that fleeing crimson streak!
*“WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING!!!” *
At the same time, with the empowerment of [Wusha Black] , the four emissaries’ speed skyrocketed!
Though Lu Chen’s ghost domain was merely in its infancy,
it still stemmed from the ghost domain power of the true deity—Yama himself!
Even if the Yama Token could only manifest two or three tenths of its full might, it was still an unprecedented enhancement to the four emissaries’ domains!
In an instant, their four ghost domains seemed to awaken, their power multiplied.
They moved with such speed that they overtook the desperately fleeing crimson-clad fierce ghost, merging into an unbreakable barrier of pitch-black darkness that sealed off every possible escape route!
*“SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!” *
The sound of piercing air rang out once more!
The Soul-Locking Chain shot forth like a black dragon emerging from its lair, and the Ghost-Beating Whip arced like a serpent through the air, wrapping around the crimson-clad fierce ghost’s feet first!
*“AAAAHHHH—!!!” *
The agonizing torment of soul-rending and spirit-binding struck instantly, wrenching a blood-curdling scream from the crimson-clad ghost.
In its desperation, a fierce glint flashed in its eyes once more. From its mouth, it unleashed two slightly dimmer golden lightning bolts, shooting straight at Fan Rusong and Horse-Face!
*“MOO!” *
A muffled bellow, like a thunderclap from a clear sky!
Bull-Head’s massive frame lunged forward in a single stride, directly shielding the two emissaries!
It opened its gaping maw, spewing forth a torrent of black-red flames—none other than the Netherworld’s infamous—Hellfire!
The ultimate yang lightning clash collided with the ultimate yin hellfire!
*“BOOOOOOM!!!!!” *
A deafening explosion echoed throughout the entire ghost domain. Wild ghostly energies surged in every direction, pushing the already crumbling crimson ghost domain to its breaking point—cracks splintering across it at an alarming rate!
In that very instant—
A white figure leaped up like a phantom!
Xie Qingyi’s face was as still as deep water. She swung her Funeral Staff, unleashing a shrill, bone-piercing gale—within which it seemed countless wronged souls and vengeful spirits were wailing and demanding lives!
The gale was like a blade!
Giving not the slightest chance, it silently sliced across the crimson-clad fierce ghost’s neck!
In an instant, that hideous head was severed from its body.
The head tumbled across the ground several times, letting out a desperate, enraged howl: “Do you know who I—”
Before it could finish, the head—along with the bound torso—swiftly dissolved into a plume of black smoke, vanishing completely.
With the crimson-clad fierce ghost dead, its created ghost domain naturally dissipated as well.
The scene before them twisted and blurred, then steadied once more.
It returned to the image of a tree-lined path.
“Are you all alright?”
Lu Chen quickly dispelled his Yama form and flashed to Fan Rusong’s side, looking at the four emissaries.
They all bore distinct scorch marks on their bodies—clearly wounded by that unexpected thunder method.
“We are unharmed, General,” Fan Rusong replied with a cupped fist salute, though his breathing was somewhat labored.
“A mere fierce ghost, and it could still wield thunder methods?!” Lu Chen still couldn’t believe it.
Though they had successfully destroyed the crimson-clad fierce ghost, its final, logic-defying counterattack had left everyone shocked and unsettled.
Lu Chen furrowed his brow deeply, utterly unable to comprehend how these two polar extremes—[Ghost] and [Thunder Method] —could possibly be connected.
It was like fire hiding ice, or ice hiding fire—the same principle!
“Sir, this thunder method is indeed peculiar,” Fan Rusong said, steadying his breathing, his voice grave. “Though it is yang thunder, its power seems considerably weaker than that of orthodox lightning. It feels more like… some kind of converted force.”
The other three emissaries nodded in agreement. Having personally experienced the lightning strikes, their impressions were the most direct.
“Converted force…” Lu Chen murmured to himself, when suddenly a bolt of lightning flashed through his mind!
He remembered!
When he had first taken on this “Rebirth Academy” mission, the mission background had explicitly mentioned one line: This fiend possesses unexpectedly strong resistance to thunder methods!
After all, thunder practitioners were the most numerous among spirit cultivators.
Because thunder methods inherently possessed unparalleled single-target killing power against demons, monsters, and especially ghosts.
That was why they were so widely favored.
Yet this fierce ghost of Rebirth Academy had formidable resistance to thunder.
At the time, Lu Chen had found it strange but hadn’t thought much of it.
Now—having witnessed the ghost wield thunder with his own eyes—it all clicked!
If this fierce ghost could use thunder methods, no wonder it wasn’t afraid of them.
But where did this power come from?
A ghost cultivating thunder methods—he had never heard of such a thing!
“General, there’s something here!”
Just then, Xie Qingyi interrupted his thoughts.
She raised her slender hand, and with a telekinetic pull, a dark, unremarkable object on the ground flew into her palm.
Its color closely resembled that of the asphalt path.
Had one not looked carefully, it would have been nearly impossible to spot.
Lu Chen focused his gaze and saw it was a pitch-black wooden token—neither metal nor stone in texture, chillingly cold and heavy to the touch.
Carved upon the token were more strange script characters.
However, what was astonishing was the method of carving—it was utterly unique.
Half of the characters were engraved using the “intaglio” method—indented strokes.
While the other half were engraved using the “relief” method—raised strokes!
“This is… Yin-Yang Dual Engraving?!”
Lu Chen’s pupils contracted sharply, his heart jolting.
He knew that script carving had always been divided into two types:
— Intaglio (Yin Engraving):
Mostly used for offerings to ancestors, the deceased, and deities—such as tombstone inscriptions and ancestral tablets—symbolizing the reception of yin virtue and communication with the netherworld.
— Relief (Yang Engraving):
Used for the living—such as personal seals and merit steles—symbolizing the manifestation of yang energy and proclamation among the human realm.
The purposes of the two were strictly divided, with heavy taboos.
Intaglio must never be used for the living, and relief must never be used for spirits, ghosts, or deities.
Yet this black wooden token before him dared to defy all convention, employing Yin-Yang Dual Engraving!
“Could it be… that the entity this token honors is… neither alive nor dead—both human and ghost?”
A chilling thought surfaced in Lu Chen’s mind: “A living corpse?!”
Just as his heart raced, several sharp intakes of breath came from beside him.
“This looks like… Yin Thunder Wood, doesn’t it?!”
It was Horse-Face—normally a man of few words—who spoke first.
“No mistake! The aura within it—supreme yin and extreme balefulness yet carrying a faint hint of destructive thunder intent—must be Yin Thunder Wood without question!”
Bull-Head rumbled in agreement, his bell-like eyes filled with unprecedented gravity.
“Yin Thunder Wood?” Lu Chen was taken aback, about to inquire further.
“Sir!” Fan Rusong said solemnly. “Would you allow me to take a look…?”
Lu Chen handed over the black wooden token.
The twisted, bizarre script on it bore no resemblance to any mortal language—he couldn’t decipher a single character.
Fan Rusong took the token in both hands and examined it carefully.
Behind him, Xie Qingyi, Bull-Head, and Horse-Face immediately crowded around.
Four heads were nearly pressed together.
As they read deeper, the four emissaries’ expressions grew increasingly grim—their eyes widening more and more with each passing moment.
As if they had seen something utterly inconceivable—something that even filled them with dread.
Seeing this, Lu Chen’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter: “What’s wrong? Is what’s written on it… Netherworld script?”
Though Lu Chen knew a few phrases of Netherworld script, it was limited to crafting large silver ingots. When it came to such profound inscriptions, he was completely in the dark.
“Sir…”
After a long while, Fan Rusong slowly lowered the wooden token and raised his head:
“Things… may have taken a dire turn!”
“What is it?!” Lu Chen’s heart clenched as he pressed for answers.
Fan Rusong’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard:
“Someone is trying to refine… a Yin God!!”
