Realm of the Night God

Chapter 78: Taking Action

The Soul Gathering Bead was speeding fast, seemingly about to crash into a wall, but at this critical moment, as if hitting an invisible barrier, it suddenly stopped in mid-air!

A phantom shadow emerged at the point where the Soul Gathering Bead halted, accompanied by a sharp scream of terror.

This shadow was none other than the male ghost that had just disappeared.

Just as the male ghost disappeared in front of everyone, the illusions surrounding the Wu Family dissipated with his vanishing act. It seemed like the male ghost had truly hidden himself, unwilling to confront Yang Haoran and the others head-on.

Indeed, the male ghost had left, but he returned shortly after, concealing his Yin Qi and lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity.

He thought he could deceive everyone, but he underestimated Night Watch's ability to sense Yin Qi. The moment he reappeared, Yang Haoran sensed him.

Coincidentally, Yang Haoran, not in the best of moods at the moment, detected the male ghost's presence and decisively summoned the Soul Gathering Bead.

The Soul Gathering Bead was a vessel for capturing spirits, possessing significant restraining power over them. When it successfully targeted the male ghost, a tremendous suction force emanated from within, attempting to draw the male ghost into the bead entirely.

Amidst the terrified screams, the male ghost's body contorted. Despite his fear and struggles, he resisted the overwhelming force pulling at his soul.

Under normal circumstances, an ordinary undead would have no chance against the Soul Gathering Bead and would be pulled into it effortlessly. However, this male ghost was different. He was stronger than the average undead and managed to temporarily resist the bead's power, albeit with great difficulty.

The mansion echoed with terrified ghostly cries. Master Wu and the others, recalling the illusion the male ghost had previously cast, hastily retreated, still shaken by the experience. Seeing the male ghost reappear, they reflexively distanced themselves.

Ma Ling and Wang Yiming ceased their quarrel, their gazes converging on the Soul Gathering Bead, recognizing its significance.

Yang Haoran paid them no mind. As the male ghost struggled, his expression turned cold, and he fully activated his Yin spirit power. A billow of black smoke emanated from his outstretched left hand.

Simultaneously, the Soul Gathering Bead surged with black Yin Qi, and a large hand made of Yin Qi extended from within, seizing the male ghost and pulling him toward the bead.

"No! Don't!!"

The male ghost's resistance weakened as his soul gradually merged into the Soul Gathering Bead. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he was completely absorbed.

However, at that moment, Yang Haoran seemed to sense something and abruptly looked towards another direction!

There was nothing there, just emptiness!

The efficacy of the visibility talisman Wang Yiming had previously used had worn off. In such circumstances, if a spirit deliberately concealed its soul, it would be impossible to see it with the naked eye.

"Ghost Eye!"

With a low growl, Yang Haoran activated his Ghost Eye—a pair of black eyes devoid of whites, resembling black gems embedded in his eye sockets. Black Yin Qi emanated from his eyes, exuding an eerie and mysterious aura.

With the Ghost Eye activated, the world before his eyes changed. A female ghost was rushing towards the location of the Soul Gathering Bead, seemingly intent on rescuing the male ghost.

At this moment, Yang Haoran was fully focused on subduing the male ghost and couldn't spare any strength to intercept the female ghost. If she got close to the Soul Gathering Bead, she might indeed succeed in rescuing the male ghost!

This scene furrowed Yang Haoran's brow. He had exerted all his strength to capture the male ghost and couldn't afford to divert any to stop the female ghost. If she reached the Soul Gathering Bead now, all his efforts would be in vain!

The female ghost wasn't foolish. Aware of her own strength, she knew that their kind relied heavily on creating illusions to deceive their targets.

Although they were much stronger than ordinary undead, they hadn't yet reached the level of evil spirits and only had a rudimentary understanding of illusion manipulation. While effective against ordinary people, it wouldn't work against someone like Yang Haoran.

Thus, instead of attacking Yang Haoran, the suddenly appearing female ghost rushed towards the trapped male ghost, attempting to rescue him from the clutches of the Soul Gathering Bead! This sight troubled Yang Haoran. He had exerted all his strength to subdue the male ghost and couldn't spare any to intercept the female ghost. If she reached the Soul Gathering Bead now, she might indeed succeed in rescuing the male ghost!

Just as the female ghost was about to reach the Soul Gathering Bead, a black leather suitcase suddenly flew out of nowhere, smashing into her.

The female ghost let out a miserable cry as she was sent flying by the impact of the black suitcase.

Normally, this wouldn't have happened. Spirits like her lacked physical bodies, so physical attacks shouldn't have affected her soul. In simple terms, spirits were immune to physical attacks.

However, Yang Haoran soon realized the source of the anomaly. The black suitcase was enveloped in a faint halo of light, indicating that it was imbued with some kind of power, allowing it to harm the female ghost.

"Hmph... You thought I didn't exist?"

Ma Ling belched, a disdainful expression on her drunken face as she waved her hand, and the black leather suitcase returned to her grasp.

The one who made this sudden intervention was Ma Ling herself.

With Ma Ling's interference, the female ghost's attempt to aid the male ghost naturally failed. The male ghost, already at a disadvantage, let out a resentful ghostly cry as his soul was twisted and pulled into the Soul Gathering Bead by the hand formed of Yin Qi.

After capturing the male ghost, Yang Haoran didn't stop there. With a wave of his hand, the smoke-shrouded Soul Gathering Bead shot towards the female ghost.

Seeing this, the female ghost attempted to flee. However, at that moment, the hand protruding from the Soul Gathering Bead vanished into thin air. Simultaneously, streams of Yin Qi converged in front of the female ghost, forming another hand that grabbed her by the neck.

Though the female ghost lacked a physical form and was immune to physical attacks, this hand made of Yin Qi was a special entity. It firmly grasped her neck, rendering her unable to break free or dissipate her soul, effectively immobilizing her.

In the blink of an eye, the Soul Gathering Bead was before her. Its powerful suction force began distorting her soul. Gone was the arrogance she had shown when challenging Yang Haoran; now, aside from fear, panic was the only emotion visible on her face.

Yin spirit power was highly effective against spirits, but this female ghost's strength was comparable to that of the male ghost previously captured. Consequently, she wasn't immediately absorbed into the Soul Gathering Bead by Yang Haoran.

"Ghost slaying talisman!"

Wang Yiming's voice rang out, and a talisman struck the struggling soul of the female ghost like a flying knife. The talisman adhered to her soul and ignited without fire.

However, the female ghost's soul remained unscathed by the burning of the ghost slaying talisman. She continued to struggle as if unaffected. Yet, in an instant, as the talisman burned to ashes and fell away from her soul, her soul seemed to be sliced by an invisible blade. Amidst her despairing screams, flashes of white light swept through, cutting her soul into pieces!

Before these fragments could reassemble, a swirl of Yin Qi drew them all into the Soul Gathering Bead.

The two ghosts who had previously challenged Yang Haoran and attempted to devour him were now successively captured in the Soul Gathering Bead.

This scene relieved the Wu Family but also Wang Yiming.

However, Yang Haoran's expression didn't soften. His face remained grim as he scanned his surroundings with the Ghost Eye.

"Don't let your guard down. There's still a big one here!"

Yang Haoran's voice was deep, and his reminder helped the Wu Family relax their nerves momentarily before they tensed once more.

"There's still a bigger one? Stronger than the two we just faced?"

Wang Yiming's expression changed. The two ghosts captured by Yang Haoran were already formidable in his eyes. Hearing Yang Haoran's words, indicating the presence of an even more powerful entity, left him shocked.

"Where is it? I'll teach it a lesson on behalf of the spirits, or... belch... on behalf of the ghosts," Ma Ling burped, asking.

Yang Haoran furrowed his brow. He also wanted to know where this ghost was.

Upon entering the mansion, Yang Haoran sensed the presence of three strong Yin Qi sources, one of which far exceeded the others in strength. With Night Watch's sensitivity to Yin Qi, he was confident that his senses were accurate.

Aware of his own strength, Yang Haoran estimated the situation upon entering the mansion. Though dealing with one of the slightly weaker ghosts would be troublesome, it wouldn't be a problem. However, facing two simultaneously would reduce his chances of capturing them. With the addition of the looming threat of the big one, he was certain he had no chance of winning and might even risk his life.

He hadn't immediately called for reinforcements because it would take time, but more importantly, Master Wu had invited formidable individuals like Wang Yiming and Ma Ling. Seeking outside help would not only be a slight to Master Wu but also to Wang Yiming and Ma Ling.

Therefore, he decided to assess the situation first. If Wang Yiming and Ma Ling proved incapable of dealing with the three ghosts, he would call for reinforcements later.

Yang Haoran had known about the three ghosts in the mansion all along, and their formidable strength had kept him from acting recklessly. He wanted to gauge Wang Yiming and Ma Ling's abilities while preserving his own strength.

However, Guanhai's near-successful self-harm under the influence of the male ghost enraged him, prompting a change in plans. Despite not having acted until now, he made a decisive move!

The results of his intervention were satisfactory. With the assistance of Ma Ling and Wang Yiming, the two ghosts were captured in a short time. He had expected his actions to provoke the strongest ghost, but to his surprise, not only did it fail to appear, but its presence couldn't even be sensed anymore!