Zhang Fan couldn't help but rub his eyes, but when he looked again, the white banner had shifted direction, and all those shadowy figures had turned to stare at him, their gazes eerie and deep.
"Run."
Zhang Fan's heart shuddered, and on instinct he turned to flee.
Jingle-jingle... jingle-jingle...
Just then, that crisp sound of the bell rang out once more. Zhang Fan suddenly felt his body go weak, his steps staggering, and he collapsed to the ground.
When he looked up again, that white banner was already standing right in front of him. On its ghastly pale surface were strange talismans, like dragon and tiger entwined, announcing great misfortune and deadly on.
Rumble...
At the sa ti, those bizarre figures surged forth like a horde of ferocious ghosts released, all lunging at him.
In that instant, Zhang Fan felt as powerless as a drowning man, an unprecedented chill enveloping his entire body.
"Damn."
Zhang Fan's heart skipped a beat, instantly clear about his predicant.
The white banner swayed, the eerie bell tolled, hundreds of ghosts paraded at night, a grand feast unfolding, savoring the sole tribute deep within the wild mountain forest.
"Ghosts—Primordial Spirit detached, pure yin without yang… a rare delicacy indeed."
Just then, a mysterious voice rose in Zhang Fan's mind, as if it were a dreamlike muttering.
"Now, you can use the technique I taught you."
The spectral words had barely faded when, suddenly, a blazing white light shot up from Zhang Fan's young body, like a lantern piercing the frigid night.
In a split second, the wails and screams of ghosts echoed across the sky. The horde of specters recoiled in terror, chaos erupting.
Rumble...
Then, within that pillar of blinding white light, a fragile primordial spirit surfaced, like the eye of a vortex, emitting an irresistible pull. All those ghostly shadows could not escape, and were devoured, absorbed one by one.
"Aaahhh..."
Terrifying howls and anguished cries pierced the deserted mountains, like voices from purgatory. Still, nothing could halt the refining of that small primordial spirit...
Amidst the blazing white light, that feeble primordial spirit gradually began to change...
With every breath, it beca a little different from before.
"If it's you, you'll definitely master this technique..."
That mysterious voice sounded in Zhang Fan's heart again.
"It's the technique your father least wanted to pass on to you..."
"Divine Demon Holy Embryo!!!"
As the hundred ghosts were annihilated, that mysterious voice slowly faded in Zhang Fan's mind, accompanied by the clashing of chains, like an undying nightmare lingering for eternity.
"Daddy's daddy is a monster, daddy's mommy is a monster, mommy's daddy..."
Just then, a cheerful cell phone ringtone sounded, snapping Zhang Fan out of his dream.
Hoo...
Zhang Fan jolted upright, looking around at his familiar room, realizing he was ho, and let out a slow breath of relief.
The morning sunlight stread through the window, dazzling his eyes.
Last night, after Liu Fusheng carried him ho, his consciousness blurred, he barely muttered a few words before dozing off.
Ever since Zhang Lingzong left, he hadn't slept so deeply in ages.
"Daddy's daddy is a monster, daddy's mommy is a monster, mommy's..."
The phone was still ringing. Zhang Fan rubbed his eyes, pulling himself out of his daze, picked up the phone, and saw the caller ID—Bai Buran.
"Boss..."
"Co to the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance. Now."
Bai Buran's voice ca through the phone, a simple instruction before hanging up.
Zhang Fan knew—it must be about the Thirteen Zodiacs.
Last night, in a panic, he'd mass texted everyone about Xu Dog Han Land Disgust's appearance.
Zhang Fan rubbed his temples, looking at all his missed calls and texts—one each from Wen He, Jiang Hu, Sui Chunsheng, and Jiang Lai...
Because of a business trip, Jiang Lai wasn't in Yujing City. She'd called him seventeen tis over the night.
Zhang Fan hurried to call back, but only got a busy tone.
"Safe and sound, don't worry."
Zhang Fan opened SuperChat and sent Jiang Lai a ssage.
"Don't run around. Wait for to co back."
Soon, Jiang Lai replied, complete with a warning .
"Okay." Zhang Fan grinned and replied.
As he spoke, Zhang Fan leaped out of bed and went to wash up.
"Damn Thirteen Zodiacs—nothing but trouble."
Ever since he left Zhenwu Mountain and ca into contact with the Wuwei Sect and Thirteen Zodiacs, he'd t five of them—every single ti, it was endless trouble, a close call with death.
Only the ti with Si Snake Bai Yujing was a false alarm.
Now, it seed even Thirteen Zodiacs weren't all of one mind. At least Si Snake seed to favor Zhang Fan, leaving Shi Shougong and Su Shiyu—two demons—to him.
Leaving Hongfu Garden, Zhang Fan hailed a car; it was already past ten when he arrived at the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance.
In the office, aside from Bai Buran, Sui Chunsheng and Zhan Xinyue were there too—they'd gotten last night's news.
There was also a woman—a striking beauty with a wild figure.
"This is Zhang Fan," Bai Buran introduced.
"She's Zhuang Xiaong, from White Crane Temple," Bai Buran gestured to the seductive woman.
"White Crane Temple!?" Zhang Fan's heart skipped a beat.
The experts from White Crane Temple had co to Yujing City.
"Zhang Fan, right? Have a seat. Let's talk about last night." Zhuang Xiaong flashed a friendly smile, gesturing for him to sit.
"About last night... well, here's how it went..."
Zhang Fan started rambling. For him, it was a chance encounter—he'd run into Xu Dog of the Thirteen Zodiacs, and so mysterious master fighting with talismans.
He was just a bystander, the level was way too high—he could only watch from afar, ended up injured by the aftermath, passed out. By the ti he woke, the street was empty, so he just went ho.
"Did you figure out who that mysterious master was?" Zhuang Xiaong mused, then asked.
"No clue. Seed good with talismans—maybe so senior from Maoshan..." Zhang Fan hedged, mixing truth and lies with ease.
"Maoshan..." Zhuang Xiaong was thoughtful.
Maoshan, one of the Three Mountains Talisman sects, also among the Ten Great Daoist Mountains, happened to be in Jiangnan Province, near Yujing City. If that master practiced the Talisman Dao, being a disciple of Maoshan wasn't impossible.
"I'll give Maoshan a call to ask," Zhuang Xiaong thought privately.
She asked a few more questions—Zhang Fan's answers were vague, unclear, or forgetful, typical of soone just recovering from a serious illness.
"Alright, I've got all I need. If I have more questions, I might contact you again." Zhuang Xiaong gave Zhang Fan a deep look before speaking.
"For now, best not leave Yujing City."
"Got it."
With that, Zhuang Xiaong got up and left the office.
"Wait for a second."
Bai Buran stood, said a word, and followed her out.
"You're damn lucky—ran into the Thirteen Zodiacs and made it out in one piece."
Now that it was just them, Sui Chunsheng finally relaxed, patting Zhang Fan on the shoulder.
"Experts from White Crane Temple are here—they're hunting the Wuwei Sect's demons," Zhang Fan remarked casually.
"Not really... just coincidence," Zhan Xinyue shook her head.
"Word is, Sister Zhuang has real status in White Crane Temple. Reached High Skill rank before she was thirty. She's here investigating an old case."
"What old case?" Zhang Fan pressed.
"Well..." Zhan Xinyue hesitated, glancing at Sui Chunsheng.
"It's fine—Zhang Fan's not an outsider," Sui Chunsheng said bluntly.
He'd seen Zhang Fan in action on the Gusu trip, and they'd beco friends of a sort.
"It's not really a secret. Over twenty years ago, there was a demon lord—supposedly appeared in Yujing City..." Zhan Xinyue explained.
"If you have any leads, report them—big reward."
"Big reward?" Zhang Fan's eyes widened. "What demon lord?"
"Information's murky, but we know he had a title—called..."
"Great Spirit Sect King!!!"
"Huh!?" Zhang Fan froze.
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