Volume Three – The Fox Spirit’s Tomb Chapter Thirty-Three – Bloodshot Eyes

After hearing Xu Tian out, Li Kun and I nodded. I said, "Old Xu is right. Even a fox spirit probably couldn't withstand a hit like that; after all, this method of attack uses death energy, which is specifically designed to target such entities."

Xu Tian looked at Li Kun beside him and said, "Old Li, since you've encountered such an opportunity, you might as well give this eye of yours a name."

I nodded in agreement. Li Kun lowered his head in thought for a while before saying, "The energy emitted from my eye is death energy, so it can't be called a 'Death Eye.' Old Liu, Old Xu, you two help me think of something."

Xu Tian turned to look at me, indicating he didn't have any good ideas either. I examined Li Kun's eyes and said, "This is simple. Your eyes turn blood-red when you attack, and your method of attack is black death energy. You have two choices: 'Blood Eye' or 'Black Eye.' Take your pick."

Upon hearing this, their eyes lit up. Xu Tian remarked, "Blood Eye—that’s a good name. What do you think, Old Li?"

Li Kun clapped his hands in approval. "That name is fantastic! 'Blood Eye.' From now on, Master Li will rely on the Blood Eye to roam through all kinds of great tombs. If anyone refuses to submit, Master Li will give them a taste of it. Whether human or ghost, if they take this hit from Master Li's Blood Eye, they'll end up either dead or half-crippled!"

Suddenly, I remembered something and quickly pulled out my phone to check the time. Seeing my action, the two of them instantly realized what was happening; amidst all this, we had almost forgotten the most important task at hand.

Xu Tian hurriedly asked, "Old Liu, what time is it?"

"Exactly twelve o'clock," I replied.

As soon as I said this, the three of us fell silent. We all knew this was no time for idle chatter, as the Skinning Ghost could arrive at any moment.

I walked over to Xu Tian, took the Soul-Suppressing Bell from my bosom, and gestured toward him. Xu Tian understood my intent, and we both slowly crouched down.

Li Kun looked at me, and I pointed to the paper effigy placed in the center of the courtyard. Li Kun nodded and walked to the window to peer outside. The room had been left in a wretched state by Li Kun, and most of the glass was shattered, but that worked in our favor—if we saw the Skinning Ghost, we could just reach out and affix the Ghost-Sealing Talisman.

Li Kun no longer needed to activate his "Heavenly Eye." His current eyes were effectively equivalent to having a Heavenly Eye permanently open, and his Blood Eye was far more potent; he could see things clearly that remained hidden to us.

Xu Tian closed his eyes slightly. I held the Soul-Suppressing Bell before him and chanted: "The mysteries of yin and yang are difficult to exhaust, from the two solstices returning to the Nine Palaces. If one understands the principles of yin and yang, the heavens and earth are within one's palm. Heavenly Eye, open!"

With that, I shook the bell gently in front of Xu Tian. This time, he didn't experience any of the previous side effects. Once done, we both peered out to watch the paper effigy in the center of the courtyard.

Time ticked by. After about twenty minutes, we saw a pitch-black shadow slowly approaching the house from the distant sky.

The moment I saw the shadow, I whispered to the others, "Get ready, it’s here."

They nodded, each holding a water gun filled with black dog blood or rooster blood. I held the Ghost-Sealing Talisman Xu Tian had given me, waiting for the Skinning Ghost to deliver itself to its doom.

Just then, the shadow in the air gradually dissolved into black mist and drifted toward our courtyard. About a minute later, we watched as the black mist slowly coalesced into a human form.

As the Skinning Ghost arrived, we all looked closely. Surprisingly, the ghost appeared as a young girl of fifteen or sixteen, looking exceptionally pure—yet her eyes were blood-red, not unlike Li Kun's Blood Eye, though hers lacked the deep, permeating ghost energy.

Once the Skinning Ghost landed in the courtyard, an eerie, sinister laugh reached our ears. While laughing, the ghost muttered, "Another young and beautiful skin. With you, I can ascend to the next level. It is your fortune to serve as the material for my ascension."

With that, the Skinning Ghost stepped forward toward the paper effigy.

I was secretly shocked, realizing Xu Tian was right. It was no wonder the paper-maker hadn't dared to create such an effigy; if he had, the Skinning Ghost would surely have killed him long ago.

The Skinning Ghost walked through the vegetable patch in the yard, while the paper effigy stood against the wall with its back turned. Fortunately, the ghost was behind the effigy; had it approached from the front, it would have sensed the ruse immediately.

Just then, the Skinning Ghost felt something was amiss. Why would a young girl be standing motionless against a wall in the middle of the night? Was there some conspiracy?

As soon as this thought crossed its mind, a brilliant golden light erupted, as if the night sky had been illuminated. A massive golden net trapped the ghost firmly within the courtyard.

Sensing danger, the Skinning Ghost thought, "If I can take this girl, I will become a fierce ghost and perhaps escape."

With that, the ghost lunged forward. In the blink of an eye, it reached the effigy and gripped its neck tightly with its left hand. But just as it raised its right hand to peel off the girl's face, the effigy suddenly collapsed like a deflated balloon, shattering under the ghost's grip.

Realizing it had been deceived by a paper doll, the Skinning Ghost let out a roar and glared at the three of us in the side room. "It was the three of you! Do you think you can keep me here tonight?"

Seeing the Skinning Ghost trapped like a wild beast, we jumped out of the window and stood outside the golden net, watching the creature.

The ghost glared at us with such intense hatred that if looks could kill, we would have died a hundred times over.

I said slowly to the ghost within the net, "You're right. We are going to keep you here tonight, and not just keep you—we will make your soul scatter, to console the spirits of the nine young girls from Goutou Village. Even if the Headless Ghost were here with you, you would still be doomed."

The Skinning Ghost laughed maniacally. "Just the three of you? You have no Taoist cultivation, just three little brats. Are you here to die? The Headless Ghost could kill you easily, and even I could crush the three of you with one hand."

Li Kun, always quick-tempered, could no longer contain himself. His eyes widened, and he prepared to use his Blood Eye to finish the ghost off.

I held him back. "Don't stop me, Old Liu!" Li Kun snapped. "I can't stand this arrogance. I'll make its soul scatter right now and show it the price of mouthing off!"

Xu Tian walked over and said, "Killing her so easily would let her off too lightly. Have you forgotten what we agreed upon?"

Li Kun looked at us and nodded. "Fine, let's wear her out slowly."

The ghost scoffed at the net. "You think a pathetic net can hold me? You’re dreaming."

It transformed into black mist and charged at the net. "Three ignorant fools, tonight is your death day!"

We stepped back, feeling a bit uncertain about the talisman's power, but as the ghost slammed into the golden net, a blinding flash of light erupted, followed by a sizzling sound like meat dropped into hot oil. A blood-curdling scream echoed as the ghost was thrown back into the yard.

Seeing the power of the golden net, we were stunned. Li Kun swore in disbelief. "Damn, Old Xu, your talisman is incredible! That sound was so satisfying."

We looked at the ghost. It was emitting white smoke, its flesh peeling away in layers. The once-pretty face was now charred and completely mangled.

Li Kun laughed. "Damn you, get up and keep being arrogant! You were so tough a moment ago, weren't you?"

The ghost shrieked in agony, clutching its mangled face and cursing us incessantly. We positioned ourselves at three points around the net, encircling it.

Li Kun raised his water gun. "I'll make you curse!" He fired the black dog blood at the ghost. "Keep cursing! Go on!"

As the blood hit the ghost, it screamed and retreated, cursing us as "little bastards" and wishing death upon us. But as it fled Li Kun's range, it entered Xu Tian's.

The ghost felt another wave of searing pain. As it turned, it saw Xu Tian firing his own water gun.

The ghost's cursing grew increasingly foul. I was shocked; I wondered if this woman had made a living by hurling insults when she was alive—her mouth was incredibly sharp.

I couldn't take it anymore and joined in, firing my own supply of black dog blood at the ghost.

Eventually, the ghost found the only blind spot: the air. It hovered above us, glaring down silently. Our supply of blood was running low, and if the ghost didn't descend, our only option left was for Li Kun to use his Blood Eye to pierce it.

We sat on the ground, looking up at the floating ghost.

The ghost realized it couldn't drag this out; if dawn arrived, it would certainly perish. "You three," it hissed. "If you have the guts, fight me head-on. Life or death, let fate decide. Do you dare?"

We all laughed. Xu Tian replied, "Do you think we need to risk our lives fighting you? A few more hours and you'll be dead anyway. Treasure the time you have left."