Chapter Nineteen: The Eight Illusory Formations

The evil sect Taoist was stunned by my scolding, his rage flaring as he pointed at me and shouted, “You brat! If I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll think I’m easy to bully? Some young punk dares to boast about cleaning me up? I, Gu Chengguang, have survived in the supernatural world for over a hundred years—who hasn’t heard my name? Today, I won’t let you little bastards trample me!”

Standing opposite him, I listened to him announce his name. Relying on the fiery temper of youth, I refused to back down and responded, “My master once said, vengeful ghosts are not only spirits of the underworld, but also those who commit evil in the living world. You may have survived in the circle for a century, and I respect you as a senior, but your vile deeds and harm to others make you no different from a vengeful ghost.”

But as I spoke, Gu Chengguang began to laugh madly, his laughter echoing through the surroundings. I frowned tightly, eyes fixed on him, and after a moment, Gu Chengguang spoke, “Ridiculous! So stubborn—your master told you that? Did he never mention that our society today is one where only the strong survive?”

He raised his voice, but I remained unafraid, my brow furrowed as I replied coldly, “My master also taught me: all vengeful ghosts must be eradicated. Even when facing strong enemies, never retreat. If you belong to the supernatural world, you cannot shrink back just because the enemy is powerful. My master is such, and so am I.”

I spoke with righteous conviction, but it only drew another round of mocking derision from Gu Chengguang. “Enough, enough, stop spouting your fancy words, kid. My advice—mind your own business and leave with that female ghost. I’m not a monster without redemption. Since you amused me just now, I’ll spare you both. Don’t waste the chance.”

With that, Gu Chengguang strode forward. Naturally, I wouldn’t let him go. With a flick of my wrist, I threw a talisman for warding off evil. It hovered in the air, shining brilliantly. Bathed in its light, Gu Chengguang halted, slowly turned to look at me, and said, “So you really want to fight, kid?”

I didn’t answer, but flung a luminous charm and recited an incantation. A golden longsword suddenly appeared in the air, and, pointing my finger, I sent it flying toward Gu Chengguang.

He wasn’t easy to deal with. He cursed under his breath, took a small black skull from around his neck, placed it in his palm, and clapped his hands together, scattering the crushed bone dust in front of him. The golden sword stopped at the surface of the bone dust, its light instantly dimming, and then slowly vanished from the air.

I frowned, sensing trouble. My previous spells had nearly used up all my talismans—if my calculations were correct, that luminous charm was the last one. Still, I kept up a calm front as I stared at Gu Chengguang, because I had a backup plan. I thought… the black and white twin fish tattoo on my arm should give Gu Chengguang quite a headache.

Gu Chengguang no longer underestimated me; he stood firm and said, “Hmph, I didn’t expect you to have some tricks up your sleeve, kid. Since you’re courting death, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

With those words, Gu Chengguang pulled out a bracelet from his waist, glowing with a dark light, held it in his hand, and began to mutter an incantation. Seeing this, my heart tightened, and I lunged forward to stop him, but was bounced back by an invisible wall, crashing to the floor. I stood up, and by then, Gu Chengguang had finished his incantation. He tossed the bracelet into the air, and the stormy night suddenly crackled with lightning, thunder rumbling all around.

I glanced about—the surroundings were encased in a visible gray glow, forming a barrier that allowed entry but no exit. Gu Chengguang lowered his hands, laughed heartily, and said, “You little brat, enjoy yourself in here. I have other business to attend to, so I won’t keep you company.”

With that, Gu Chengguang vanished. Yun’er floated to my side, her face anxious as she said, “Lin Xuan, this is Gu Chengguang’s signature technique, the Eight Illusions Formation. It’s a kind of illusionary array. The formation slowly consumes everything inside; those within can’t escape, and outsiders can’t break in. There are eight array nodes in the Nine Illusions, distributed in each corner. To break it, you must find the correct node, determined by the principles of the Eight Trigrams and Five Elements. Do you know them?”

Yun’er’s words left me dumbfounded. Eight Trigrams and Five Elements? I only knew the names of the eight directions, but none of the deeper workings—my master never taught me. I watched the expanding gray glow and muttered, “That evil Taoist really gave me some face, pulling out his big tricks right away. I don’t understand the Eight Trigrams and Five Elements, so I’ll need to think of something else.”

With that, I approached the barrier and tried various methods to break through, but nothing worked. The gray glow was like an elastic wall—any contact bounced me back immediately. To conserve my strength, I simply sat down, thinking hard about the spells my master taught me, hoping to find a solution. After a long while, nothing came to mind. I suddenly thought of my master—if he were here, Gu Chengguang would already have been sent to the underworld. Alas, I had to finish what I started myself. This too was something my master once taught me.

Yun’er and I stayed inside the illusion for nearly an hour without finding a solution. My phone was useless—no signal at all. Just as I was near the edge of collapse, Yun’er suddenly said, “Lin Xuan, we’ve been here over an hour—do you think something might have happened at the hotel?”

I turned slowly to look at her, sighed, and said, “Zhong Yan is protected by the Yang-Ming Jade, so she should be…”

At this, I was suddenly stunned. Yun’er noticed my dazed expression and asked, “Lin Xuan, what’s wrong? Should be…? Can you finish your sentence?”

She asked again when I didn’t respond, calling out, “Lin Xuan, what’s wrong? Speak!” She pushed my arm and waved her hand in front of my eyes.

I snapped back to reality, shouting suddenly. Yun’er was startled, floating up and clutching her chest. “Lin Xuan, what’s wrong with you? Are you crazy? Do you find scaring people fun? Oh, wait—is it fun to scare ghosts?”

Looking at the floating Yun’er, I chuckled, “Are ghosts afraid too?”

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

“That’s nonsense. Ghosts are transformed from people, and people are afraid, so why wouldn’t ghosts be afraid?” Yun’er replied irritably.

My laughter grew, and Yun’er was bewildered by my abrupt shifts between coldness and amusement. She frowned, “Why are you laughing? Is it that funny?”

I waved my hand, “I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing at myself.”

Yun’er looked at me, puzzled. I explained, “Thanks to your reminder just now, I remembered something. Do you recall what you said about the array nodes of the Eight Illusions?”

Yun’er nodded, “Of course I remember what I said.”

I nodded, stood up, and moved to the center of the gray glow, looking around as I said, “I’ve figured out a way to break the formation. Though I don’t know much about the Eight Trigrams and Five Elements, I thought of something easier than finding the array nodes. Step back a bit—don’t want to accidentally take you with me.”

Yun’er nodded in surprise and retreated several meters. I flexed my body, raised my right arm, and the black and white twin fish tattoo immediately sensed my call, flying out and circling in the air, gradually forming a black-and-white Eight Trigrams diagram. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if this method would work—I was just trying my luck.

But the results delighted me. The twin fish spun faster and faster, expanding the Eight Trigrams diagram, and the surrounding evil energy was quickly absorbed into the golden light radiating from the diagram. After a while, a faint light shone from afar, accompanied by a gentle rain falling on my face. Indeed, within the illusion, all outside elements were cut off—even the rain appeared in this strange way.

Soon, the evil energy was completely absorbed, and the twin fish diagram settled back onto my arm, which now felt heavier—likely from absorbing the evil energy.

I breathed a long sigh of relief and beckoned Yun’er over. She drifted toward me, and I said, “The illusion is broken. You’re a ghost; distance shouldn’t be a problem for you. Go check the hotel—I’ll be right there.”

Yun’er nodded, turned into a wisp of blue smoke, and vanished.

…

Meanwhile, in the hotel, Gu Chengguang had arrived at the room where Zhong Ming was staying. Chu Mengxi stood before Zhong Ming’s family, frowning as she faced Gu Chengguang, “You’re the evil Taoist, aren’t you? What do you want?”

Gu Chengguang glanced at Chu Mengxi with disdain, “Why are young people these days so reckless? Just dealt with one, now another shows up.”

Chu Mengxi was shocked, “Dealt with one? Lin Xuan? What did you do to him?”

“Nothing much—just trapped him in my illusion. Don’t worry, he won’t die so quickly,” Gu Chengguang sneered.

Chu Mengxi felt some relief, but before she could speak, Gu Chengguang continued, “But! He’ll be slowly tortured to death inside, and no one can save him—not even himself. Ha!”

Chu Mengxi froze, her gaze empty as she stared at Gu Chengguang, unable to speak. Gu Chengguang, unwilling to waste more time, his face twisted viciously as he barked, “Move aside, brat. I’m giving you a chance to live. You too—just hand over the girl behind you.”

Zhong Ming, quick-tempered, jumped up and shouted, “You old bastard! If you hurt my daughter, I’ll kill you!”

He lunged at Gu Chengguang, fist raised, but before it could land, Gu Chengguang swept his sleeve, sending a surge of evil energy that slammed Zhong Ming against the window. Cracks spidered across the glass; luckily, the hotel windows were sturdy, or Zhong Ming might have gone right through.

Zhong Ming collapsed, coughing blood, struggling to prop himself up but falling again. Zhang Yinqiu, frightened, rushed to help him, caressing his mouth and weeping, “Old man, are you alright? Hold on! If anything happens to you, how will I live alone?”

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

Zhong Ming lay on Zhang Yinqiu’s arm, coughing as he replied, “Cough! Yinqiu, don’t call me old man—it makes me sound old. I’m fine, don’t worry. You haven’t seen how tough I am yet.”

He managed a smile, blood streaking his lips. Zhang Yinqiu, still crying, wiped his mouth and said, “At a time like this, you’re still joking.”

“Hey, hey, I say, what time is it and you’re flirting? That was just a little punishment for your impulsiveness. Next time, it won’t be so simple—I’ll take your life!” Gu Chengguang barked irritably from near the window.

After speaking, Gu Chengguang’s eyes shifted to the stunned Chu Mengxi, and he said coldly, “I know you. No, I know your father. I’ve been in the supernatural world for years, so I’ll give your family some face. Move aside—I won’t repeat myself.”

Chu Mengxi stood her ground, eyes icy as she stared at Gu Chengguang, refusing to move. His face darkened, more terrifying than before, and gray evil energy began to radiate from him, emotionless as he said, “Brat, do you really think I can’t take the girl behind you? I could rush over and none of you could stop me. I’m only doing this out of respect for your family. Since you won’t accept it, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Evil surge, rise!”

With those words, a fierce wave of evil energy spread outward from Gu Chengguang, forming skeletal figures wielding eerie, cold blades, hacking down at Chu Mengxi and Zhong Ming.

Just as the wicked blades were about to strike, I kicked open the door, and the black-and-white twin fish in my hand soared into the air, expanding overhead to shield the three. The skeletal blades struck the twin fish barrier with a clang, shattering instantly.

Gu Chengguang turned, his face changing in disbelief as he exclaimed, “How can it be you? You should be trapped in my illusion—how… how is it possible? Did some expert rescue you?”

Chu Mengxi, startled by the sudden noise, snapped back to herself and turned to look at me in the doorway, saying, “Lin Xuan, you’re alive! Thank goodness.”

I greeted her with a smile, “I was born lucky—how could I die? Are you alright?”

Chu Mengxi shook her head. I nodded and turned to Gu Chengguang, “That pathetic trick? You thought you could trap me? You must be senile, overestimating yourself.”

Gu Chengguang’s shock faded, replaced by a sinister smile. “Hmph. You think I can’t kill you now? Ridiculous. In the end, you’ll die all the same. What’s the difference? I don’t mind if my men claim a few more lives. Ha!”

Outside the room, a crowd had gathered. A man in a suit walked in, saying, “Gentlemen, don’t fight—let’s talk things out. Why solve problems with violence in today’s society…”

Before he could finish, Gu Chengguang shouted, “Get lost! It’s none of your business, or I’ll kill you too!”

The suited man shrank back, retreating from the room, muttering as he left, “What kind of people are these? Trying to help and he threatens to kill me. What are the police for? Lunatic.”

I watched the man leave, then turned to Gu Chengguang, “Hey, this is between us. Don’t harm ordinary people.”

With that, I slammed the door shut with a bang. Gu Chengguang licked his lips and raved, “Ignorant brat, courting death!”

I prepared for battle, the twin fish hovering before me, ready to defend. Gu Chengguang wasted no more time, raising both hands as a surge of evil energy filled the room, shaking everything around. I frowned, seeing the room enveloped by evil energy, and shouted to the others, “Go hide in the bathroom, quick!”

The three nodded frantically, carrying Zhong Yan with them. As they left, I summoned the Yang-Ming Jade from Zhong Yan’s neck and put it back on mine. Gu Chengguang gave me no chance, slamming his palm down, sending the reformed skeletal figures charging at me, their wicked blades poised to strike.

Page (3/3)