A Sneak Attack? Can a Scholar's Business Be Called Sneaking?!**
After the Daoist unleashed the Crimson Thunder Edict, his aura surged dramatically.
As his figure flickered, he left behind a string of afterimages.
With the long sword in his hand—now wrapped in crackling crimson lightning—he slashed straight toward the streamer ghost.
But right at that moment—
The surrounding lights suddenly went dark.
The streamer ghost's figure vanished instantly.
When the lights came back on, he had already appeared behind the Daoist.
"Let me tell you something straight from the heart!"
With a sinister chuckle, the ghost thrust his razor-sharp claws straight toward the Daoist's heart.
But the Daoist sensed it in time and let out a low shout:
"Golden Light Mantra!"
The instant the ghost claws—carrying thick, corpse-like yin energy—were about to pierce his back—
A blinding golden light burst forth from the Daoist's body, enveloping him completely.
The talismanic script condensed by the Crimson Thunder Edict peeled off his skin and branded itself onto the golden light.
The moment the ghost claws touched the golden glow, it was as if they'd plunged into sulfuric acid—
Black smoke billowed out instantly.
After a shrill scream, the streamer ghost vanished once more.
"Damn you, dead Daoist!"
"You're tougher than I thought!"
When he reappeared, the ghost had already pulled away.
Looking at the layer of skin burned off his claws, he cursed through clenched teeth.
"Trash!"
"Don't run if you've got guts! Let your Daoist daddy skewer your chrysanthemum with one stab!"
Seeing the ghost reappear, the Daoist cursed nonstop as he charged forward again.
But the ghost only let out a cold laugh.
As if he had something to rely on—utterly fearless.
"Not running would make me an idiot!"
"Dead Daoist, do you really think I can't beat you?"
Seeing his confidence, unease crept into the Daoist's heart.
Still, he didn't stop. His speed increased instead.
"Eat this, damn it!
Take your Daoist daddy's eighteen-meter great sword!"
As his voice fell, golden light flowed like water along the blade—
Extending it several meters longer!
Golden Light Mantra — Manifestation through Qi!
Crimson thunder talismans clung to the sword as lightning danced along its surface.
With a single swing, he cleaved straight down at the ghost.
As a high-level cultivator of Dragon Tiger Mountain, a Tier-4 Qi Condensation cultivator—
This was already his strongest attack short of revealing his final trump card.
If it landed, it would severely injure the Tier-4 ghost.
Man and ghost were evenly matched.
What decided victory was whose technique was more vicious.
Facing the incoming golden great sword, the streamer ghost knew he couldn't take it head-on.
Lights flickered erratically as his figure blurred again.
Thick black fog spread out, engulfing the entire third floor of Wanda Plaza.
"Niu-Ma Charges Out!
No grass grows where I pass!"
"Dead Daoist, know why every other cultivator who came here fled in defeat?"
"Because… this place doesn't belong to me alone!"
"Even if the Spirit Bureau lunatics show up, I'm not afraid!"
The streamer ghost's body vanished completely, as if fused into the fog.
His sinister voice echoed from all directions.
Seeing this, the Daoist frowned deeply, gripping his lightning-golden sword and scanning his surroundings warily.
At that moment—
Ning Chen's heart stirred.
His golden pupils flared to their limit.
Very quickly, he spotted the streamer ghost hiding in a dark corner of the fog, grinning in triumph.
"Opportunity!"
"Hongdou~"
With a soft call, Hongdou nodded lightly.
Then her body dissolved into wisps of black smoke and surged into Ning Chen's body.
Spirit-Capturing, Ghost-Dispatching General — Spirit Possession!
Ghostly energy coiled around him.
His golden pupils instantly flooded with blood-red light, turning gold-crimson.
Yin energy gathered in his hand, condensing into a pitch-black surgical blade.
Standing up, Ning Chen grinned, flashing a mouthful of white teeth.
Locking onto the streamer ghost's position, he silently crept over.
At the same time—
"Heehee~"
"Moo~ Moo~"
From within the black fog came the sounds of oxen and horses braying.
"Moo… moo…"
Before Ning Chen—and the Daoist in the distance—
Dozens of ox-horse phantoms with blood-red eyes, dense ghostly energy, and sharp fangs slowly emerged from the fog.
"What the hell?!
There are really oxen and horses?!"
The Daoist blurted out in shock, becoming even more alert.
Ning Chen's mouth twitched.
Good lord—
He really meant Niu-Ma Charges Out literally?!
"That's insane…"
"Young Master~ these ox-horses are ghostly constructs. Don't let them confuse your eyes."
Hongdou reminded him softly.
Ning Chen snapped back to focus and nodded slightly.
Even without her warning, under the golden pupils, nothing could hide.
These ox-horses were clearly molded from souls.
Judging by their aura, they were likely the souls of people this streamer ghost had killed—
Enslaved and reshaped into ox-horses.
There were dozens of them.
So the four jumpers from the building were far from the only victims.
Ning Chen tightened his grip on the surgical blade and continued advancing.
It was a sneak attack—
But he felt zero guilt.
When a scholar handles matters, can it really be called sneaking?
Once the streamer ghost was dealt with, these ox-horses wouldn't matter.
Their highest level was only Tier-2.
No matter how many there were, Young Master Ning could handle them with one hand.
Perfect materials to boost Hongdou's strength.
Hongdou grows stronger → feeds back into him.
Wasn't that beautiful?
...
"Damn it! They're all souls?!"
"That bastard!
You killed them and turned them into ox-horses?!"
"How dare you?!"
The Daoist finally realized what was going on and cursed furiously.
"Moron!"
The streamer ghost shot back coldly.
Then he raised his arms and shouted:
"Niu-Ma Charges Out!
No grass grows where I pass!
Kill him!"
"Moo~ Moo~!"
The ox-horses roared, eyes blazing brighter, saliva dripping from their long tongues.
Hooves slammed against the floor as they charged madly at the Daoist.
Footsteps thundered.
Curses flew.
Facing dozens of Tier-1 and Tier-2 charging ox-horses, even the Daoist began to struggle.
Attacking was no longer an option.
He retracted the golden light to his body, switching fully to defense—
Like a tiny boat tossed about in a storm.
The streamer ghost watched from the side, openly mocking him.
"How does it feel?"
"Getting trampled by ox-horses—nice, right?!"
"Didn't you say you'd skewer me with your eighteen-meter sword?"
"Come on! For real! I'm begging you!"
He revealed himself from the fog, flipped the Daoist off, and slapped his own face provocatively.
"Damn it! I can't take this anymore!"
"Oh? Getting mad? Mad already?!"
"Ox-horses! Drop the beat! Keep dancing!"
The streamer ghost even turned on the speakers from a nearby shop.
DJ music blasted through the floor.
"Damn it—fine!"
"Worst case, your Daoist daddy goes three months without a great sword!"
"Thunder Arts!!!"
The Daoist gritted his teeth, finally making up his mind.
Golden light around him began to tremble violently—
Quickly shifting from gold to white as a terrifying aura surged upward.
...
The Celestial Masters' lineage was famous for thunder techniques.
As a disciple, this Daoist clearly knew his stuff.
But just as he was about to unleash Palm-Heart Thunder—
He suddenly glimpsed a ghostly figure behind the streamer ghost.
His heart skipped.
The thunder technique stalled for a split second.
Then—
A sickening sound of blade slicing into flesh rang out.
"Looking for authenticity?"
"This is my first time hearing a ghost make such a cheap request."
"Don't worry—I'll satisfy you."
The streamer ghost hadn't even reacted yet.
He only felt a chill in his lower back.
Then his body suddenly felt… lighter.
Like something was missing.
The pain came next—bone-deep, soul-crushing.
He lunged forward and spun around—
Only to see Ning Chen grinning maniacally.
One hand held a surgical blade.
The other held a bloody kidney.
The streamer ghost's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
"AAAAHHH!!
MY KIDNEY!!!"
"F—!!!!"