Speaking of which, it's both laughable and pitiable.
This ferocious body of Zhang Kui is terrifying at first sight, and ordinary women avoid him. But some demonesses and female ghosts flock to him, eager to fawn over him.
Could it be that I've become some kind of altered Brother Yudi?
With a bizarre thought flashing through his mind, Zhang Kui turned sideways, spun a flower with his right hand, and fished out a few Sealing Talismans with his left hand from behind.
The Evil-breaking Talismans have power equivalent to those of the Astronomical Bureau's Talisman Arrows. They may not be advantageous against these old ghosts, but Sealing Talismans can be used to hinder them.
He did not recklessly rush forward.
This black fog was obviously peculiar, capable of blocking his Tongyou Skill. Earlier he could vaguely see silhouettes, but now it was like black ink, rendering everything invisible.
On the other side, seemingly angered by Zhang Kui's words, the female ghost's hand suddenly expanded by several meters, lunging straight for his crotch.
Zhang Kui chuckled, his large hand igniting with bloody Gang Evil, grabbing the ghostly hand and tugging it forcefully,
"Come out and meet me, dear!"
Amidst a piercing woman's scream, a red silhouette was pulled out from the black fog.
Everyone looked and saw the female ghost wearing a tattered blood-red opera costume, her head full of black hair, her face bruised and battered like a mouse gnawed by snakes, exposing pale bones.
Zhang Kui's eyes flashed with evil intent,
"Too ugly, die!"
As he spoke, the Greatsword ignited with Blood Evil and slashed past.
The female ghost screamed as she dissipated into Yin Qi and vanished.
Zhang Kui snorted coldly, looking towards the door.
This ghost is much weaker than the Ghost General from before, yet it has survived for a century, surely relying on something else.
The most likely explanation,
is the "Ancient Artifact" that Eunuch Yin mentioned earlier.
What on earth is that thing?
With the female ghost slain, hordes of ghosts wailed, Yin wind gusted, and the black fog surged into the room like a living entity.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Several Talisman Arrows shot into the black fog.
It turned out that Eunuch Yin, enduring his injuries, had rolled over, picked up the crossbow on the ground, and fired a series of shots.
Amid the firelight, several explosions went off one after another.
However, Eunuch Yin's efforts were in vain as the eerie black fog only slightly indented before charging forward even faster.
Zhang Kui snorted coldly, about to retreat, when the black fog suddenly generated a massive suction force.
In almost an instant, it enveloped and swallowed him.
After devouring Zhang Kui, the black fog stopped advancing, only rolling and surging in place, as if a satiated creature slowly digesting its meal.
The scene was silent, everyone's faces pale.
No one expected Zhang Kui, who seemed the most formidable, to vanish without a trace before even striking against this ghostly mist.
Seeing the situation reach this point, Eunuch Yin's eyes flickered with a ghostly gleam, suddenly leaping up, True Qi erupting, blasting a hole in the inn's wall with a palm, attempting to escape amidst the chaos.
However, his expression changed drastically as he halted mid-air, forcefully stopping himself.
Beyond the shattered wall,
there was still thick black fog…
"It's useless; if I could have run, I would have done so already…"
The old weasel on the beam sighed, looking down at the black fog below, and said gently:
"It's still a long time before dawn. We can only hope they appease themselves with this Daoist's blood…"
......
In the dim gloom, the atmosphere was uncertain.
Zhang Kui stood on guard, sword in hand, Greatsword and left hand simultaneously igniting with Gang Evil, activating the Double Eye Ghost Gazing Technique, his expression fierce.
This was a strange space.
No sky above, yet faintly visible,
No ground below, yet solid underfoot.
"Hehehe… Hahaha…"
A series of eerie laughter from male and female, young and old, constantly echoed nearby, sounding both distant and near, elusive.
Zhang Kui's lips curled into a cold smile.
He had guessed that this was a special space formed by the black fog, but unfortunately, it had no attack power.
To harm him, these spirits would have to make a move.
Sure enough, a faint light appeared far ahead, followed by the sound of gongs, drums, cymbals, and people singing opera once again.
A trace of confusion flashed in Zhang Kui's eyes, but he quickly regained clarity, discreetly crumpling two Sealing Talismans into paper balls and stuffing them into his ears, pretending to walk dumbfoundedly forward…
The faint light grew closer,
until finally, an old stage appeared before him.
Lanterns floated on either side, the stage was adorned with flowers.
The band playing music swayed their heads, upon closer look, all faceless beings.
The elder in opera garments, the scholar, the child… their faces tattered, each singing and performing, all with expressions of rapture.
The singing was initially mixed but eventually unified,
"Life is short, an operatic dream, why not join in…"
As they sang,
The sinister eyes suddenly turned towards him in unison.
"Bravo!"
Zhang Kui suddenly clapped and shouted praise,
"Encore!"
The sound abruptly stopped, and the group of ghosts seemed not to react.
Zhang Kui displayed a sinister smile at the corner of his mouth,
"The play is over, everyone, off you go!"
After speaking, with a whoosh he vanished, already appearing on the stage, the blood-red greatsword swirling like a whirlwind, stirring up a cacophony of ghostly wails.
In almost the blink of an eye,
half of the ghosts on the stage had dissipated.
Suddenly, Zhang Kui felt a repulsive force appear, seemingly intending to eject him from this misty ghost space.
Zhang Kui stabbed his sword into the stage, wrapped his right arm around a pillar, and laughed heartily, shaking his head.
"You want to drive me away? I won't leave!"
The eerie wind howled, and the remaining ghosts swirled around the stage, some bleeding from seven orifices, others with sharp claws and long tongues…
They seemed terrifying but didn't dare to come near.
Zhang Kui chuckled,
"If you're not coming over, I'll tear down your ghost's nest!"
All ghostly beings must have a place where they reside.
Even wandering ghosts have wild graves or broken coffins, and this group of tragic theater ghosts gathered in one place must naturally be this stage.
Zhang Kui circulated his True Qi and stomped his foot hard.
With a rumble, the earth crumbled and dust rose,
half of the stage collapsed.
The ghosts immediately went wild with madness, sharp wails sounded, and each bared its teeth and claws charged forward.
In the whistling wind, Zhang Kui laughed heartily as he destroyed and slayed the ghosts one by one, like a Demon King.
It was unknown how long it lasted,
when peace eventually returned to the world.
Accompanied by a trace of mournful singing,
the stage, now in ruins, gradually vanished...
Zhang Kui snorted coldly, swung his greatsword onto his shoulder, and frowned as he looked around.
Logically, the ghosts should be gone,
but why does this eerie space still remain?
"There must be a boundary somewhere..."
Zhang Kui pondered for a moment, then shot out in one direction, disappearing instantly into the mist.
After some time, his figure reappeared, annoyingly scratching his head.
"Damn it, I'm lost..."
He calmed down to carefully observe his surroundings.
Could it be that this space is the "Ancient Artifact" that Eunuch Yin mentioned?
But there must be a key point...
Suddenly, Zhang Kui seemed to feel something,
and with a big hand grasped towards the void ahead.
With a swirl of light and shadow, the black mist instantly disappeared.
Looking up, he saw a sky full of stars, and a hundred meters ahead, a faint glimmer of light in the Xiangfu Inn.
In his hand,
he was holding an old black umbrella...
Zhang Kui frowned at the old umbrella in his hand, still able to sense a thread of chilling ghostly aura on it.
"There's actually another one, go to hell!"
As he spoke, the blood-colored Gang Evil enveloped the whole umbrella.
After a barely audible scream, the umbrella's Yin Qi disappeared, turning into an antique old object.
Indeed, this thing is an umbrella yet not an umbrella.
The handle is made from unknown wood with bamboo grain, but when tapped it sounds like metal.
The style of the umbrella is also peculiar; it's more like the ceremonial parasols used for noble travels, except the skirt edge seems to be burnt away, and part of the handle is broken.
So now it looks somewhat like an umbrella.
Zhang Kui thought for a moment, following the method Eunuch Yin used, bit his middle finger, and smeared blood on the umbrella handle.
Unfortunately, this strange umbrella remained utterly still.
Isn't the refining method correct?
Just as he puzzled, the blood on the umbrella handle suddenly disappeared, then his inner True Qi surged like a tide towards the handle, and the Mana Value on the skill panel rapidly plummeted.
Zhang Kui was startled, yet found the strange umbrella couldn't be shaken off, his whole body was sore and weak, and as his Mana Value hit zero, his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.
If he were any ordinary cultivator, this would've taken half his life, but Zhang Kui's True Qi and Magical Power within his body kept automatically recovering, only to be immediately absorbed by the strange umbrella.
After an unknown period, the strange umbrella finally stopped, Zhang Kui stood up gasping, his True Qi gradually replenished.
"You almost drained me dry..."
Zhang Kui murmured, casually opening the umbrella.
Instantly, the black mist exploded, encompassing nearly a hundred meters around, roiling like a Ghost Realm.
Zhang Kui was delighted to discover that within the black mist there existed an independent space, not only provided with defensive power but also allowing free passage within this range, as if his heart were a calm mirror grasping everything.
Zhang Kui could already imagine a group of enemies engulfed in the black mist, unable to see their hands, while he could freely slaughter them, and from outside none could enter.
It's simply a weapon for group battles!
"Haha, what a treasure!"
Zhang Kui laughed loudly, put away the black umbrella, the black mist dispersed, casually tucked it into the backpack behind him, and strode off towards the inn...