"I've been holding back for too long."
As Old Nine spoke, he suddenly shot up into the sky.
"All nine of you, come at me together. It'll save us all some trouble."
Old Nine said with confidence. The blue stream of water in his left hand began swirling around his body.
"I'm still not too fond of it, using two Ghost Weapons at the same time. I'll just use water to deal with you all."
I kept glancing at Lin Rui. He really is special. Thinking back, it was Lin Rui who reminded me and helped me recover my memories the second time I entered a horror story. But how did he get in? That's something I've always found strange.
"You'll find out soon enough, Brother Qingyuan. Heh, a trump card should only be used at a crucial moment. But counting these two times, I can tell you I've used it six times in total. It's a pity that guy will never figure it out."
Sure enough, Luke Ling completely ignored Old Nine's provocation. He seemed deep in thought, resting his chin on his hand, looking utterly perplexed.
"If you don't come over, then I'll come to you."
At this moment, Old Nine looked like a man made entirely of blue water. Blue droplets trickled and dripped all around his body.
"Qingyuan, watch closely. What's pouring out isn't water. Only high-level Blue-Faced Men can do this—it's the physical manifestation of a ghost soul. That guy's impressive."
Lan Yin spoke up. I glanced over—he was holding a large bowl, eating with gusto. He looked much better, so I nodded.
"Sooner or later, you'll be entangled with ghosts again. The thing inside you will show itself one day. So you should let Miss Sima give you a thorough lesson on everything about Blue-Faced Men."
I nodded and kept watching. Old Nine was already charging toward Luke Ling and the others.
At that moment, Luke Ling finally looked up and glanced over, then signaled with his eyes. A Blue-Faced Man rushed forward.
With a loud splash, Old Nine's watery form was shattered by a punch from the Blue-Faced Man. He quickly began to reassemble, but before he could finish, the Blue-Faced Man punched him again, scattering him into pieces.
"Aren't you supposed to show your real skills?"
Luke Ling watched Old Nine intently, focused on his every move.
"Hmph, I've already shown my real skills. Heh heh."
Old Nine's voice echoed in the air as he reformed in midair. The Blue-Faced Man charged again, this time with black tendrils extending from his eyes.
"Found you."
The Blue-Faced Man said coldly, then aimed at the right side of Old Nine's body and punched him.
"It's over. As long as you're human, you're no match for me!"
Old Nine replied calmly. Suddenly, I saw the Blue-Faced Man clutch his head and begin to whimper. His body shriveled, turning thin and skeletal like a dried branch. He slowly collapsed to the ground, raised his hand, opened his mouth, and finally closed his eyes.
At that moment, two Blue-Faced Men were about to step forward, but Luke Ling stopped them. There were still eight Blue-Faced Men left. Old Nine continued to shout.
"All of you, come at me together!"
Luke Ling laughed, as if he saw through everything, and stood up.
Two Masked Men carried the corpse of the dead Blue-Faced Man back and placed it before Luke Ling.
With a crack, Luke Ling broke off one of the Blue-Faced Man's hands, held it, and crushed it into dust, letting it scatter in the air.
"There's not a single drop of moisture left in his body. Hmph, so that's it—you drained every bit of water from him."
Old Nine burst out laughing.
"So, as long as you're human, more than half your body is made of water, right? If I hit you even once, there's no saving you. Wasn't that the case just now? Even though I missed, heh, next time I won't."
As Old Nine spoke, he raised his hands, streams of water like ribbons trailing behind him. Except for his head, his entire body had turned into flowing water.
"Old Nine, come back!"
Hugh Thompson called out immediately. Old Nine turned back, looking somewhat helpless, but Hugh's serious expression made him call out again.
"I told you not to act recklessly."
In the end, Old Nine glanced over at Luke Ling and reluctantly flew back.
"Why not make something up and trick that guy? Let him ponder for a while before acting."
Lan Yin muttered, but Hugh Thompson just shook his head.
"That guy knows very well that even if we all attack together, he can't escape unharmed. That's why he won't make a move, especially since he's wary of Ray Lin's abilities. Now, with Old Nine added to the mix, he won't act rashly. Our top priority now is to wipe out every last Blue-Faced Man."
Hu Tianshuo spoke, looking toward the Blue-Faced Men. Zhao Yuyang rushed over.
"Let me go. The one I stabbed earlier may look fine, but I'm sure he knows what's really going on with his body."
We looked over. Sure enough, among the eight Blue-Faced Men standing behind Luke Ling, the one on the far right seemed unsteady.
Hugh Thompson shook his head.
Hu Tianshuo called out immediately. Old Nine turned his head, looking rather helpless, but Hu Tianshuo's serious expression made him call out again.
"Why?" Evan Zhao protested, looking at Hugh Thompson.
"We need your abilities for the upcoming chaos. No matter what, Luke Ling won't be able to sit still. Even though Mr. Brown will block the two Golden Mask Men, he's got John Chou at his side."
As soon as Hugh finished speaking, everyone nodded. Mentioning John Chou left no room for argument.
Lan Yin muttered, but Hu Tianshuo just shook his head.
"That guy knows very well that even if we all attack together, he can't escape unharmed. That's why he won't make a move, especially since he's wary of Lin Rui's abilities. Now, with Old Nine added to the mix, he won't act rashly. Our top priority now is to wipe out every last Blue-Faced Man."
At this moment, Lan Ruoxuan produced the Phoenix Blade and handed it to Lan Yin. Lan Yin took the Phoenix Blade, smiled, and then looked at me.
"Qingyuan, come with me. Don't start fighting yet. I'll tell you a secret. Of all ten Guides, only I know this secret, but I can tell you. As for the others, you stay here."
Lan Yin said, holding the Phoenix Blade, and beckoned to me. Everyone looked at Lan Yin in confusion, but he just smiled.
"Although I can't fight right now, the Phoenix Blade still has a killing move, left behind for that monster. When the time comes, all of you must give it your all. In the end, you will be the one to finish him off."
As Lan Yin spoke, he pointed at me. I looked at him in surprise, and the others nodded. I followed Lan Yin and walked toward the dormitory.
After arriving behind the dormitory, Lan Yin glanced around and went straight up to the second floor. We entered Yu Niexuan's room. Lan Yin kicked open the door, and as soon as we entered, he released strands of red thread, sealing up the walls and the door.
"So what is it? Why is it so mysterious?"
"Heh heh, this secret was told to me by Old Lan. I paid him some money to visit the Green House once, after a thousand schemes, and had a famous courtesan keep him company for a night. Only then did he tell me."
I glanced resentfully at Lan Yin. He laughed, then pointed at the hilt of the Phoenix Blade where it joined the blade.
"Look carefully, Qingyuan."
I leaned in a little, looking closely, but I couldn't see anything special. At that moment, Lan Yin reached out and pressed on the hilt, and with a crisp sound, a fine crack appeared where the hilt joined the blade. I stared in shock.
"Have you ever seen the real Phoenix Blade, shattered before?"
I shook my head.
"The hilt and blade of the Phoenix Blade act as a medium connecting the mortal world and the Vermilion Bird Sacred Realm. If the hilt and blade are split apart, wild, endless flames will pour out non-stop—unless the hilt and blade are repaired with a soul thread produced by one of our people from the Underworld Spring. Otherwise, the flames will flood out like a broken dam, becoming a disaster. The Phoenix Blade has been broken twice—once by Old Lan, and once by me."
My heart skipped a beat as I looked at Lan Yin. He smiled mysteriously.
"Don't ever tell anyone else, because this secret belongs to the sacred relic. The punishment is severe. But when the time comes, if that monster dares to come, and those Blue-Faced Men join forces and things get out of hand, Qingyuan, you take the Phoenix Blade, go right up to that monster, and when the time comes, snap the Phoenix Blade, and stab the hilt into the gap in the body he exposes. No matter how invulnerable he is, he'll die for sure. Heh heh."
So fierce. I couldn't help but silently think to myself, it's true—if those wild flames burst out, that guy couldn't possibly escape unscathed.
"Just be careful. I didn't choose Lan Ruoxuan because she can't handle it. You, on the other hand, possess the power of coexistence—these wild flames won't harm you. When the time comes, Zhu Tang will help you, and it will be perfect. This time, let's give that monster a big one. Heh heh."
I nodded enthusiastically. At this moment, the crucial Zhu Tang was nowhere to be seen. Lan Yin cursed loudly.
"Damn, where is that guy? Without him, how can you take the Phoenix Blade and finish off that monster?"
For a moment, both Lan Yin and I were at a loss. After all, right now, we had no idea where Zhu Tang had gone.
"Anyway, be careful. Whatever you do, don't tell Zhu Tang about the Phoenix Blade. After all, it's a sacred relic—if he finds out, we're doomed."