Netherworld’s Spirit Envoy - -

the distance, I could see several dark figures climbing up. One of them was dressed in black, completely covered except for a pair of striking black and white eyes.

“Jiang Renjie!” I immediately recognized those eyes as belonging to the Master.

Li Bai stomped his foot in frustration, turning to the meditating Lei Heng and exclaimed angrily, “I knew it! Just as I feared, here it comes. Don’t just stand there; come with me! Let’s stop them first!”

Lin Zhe and I followed behind him for only a short distance when suddenly someone leapt out from the nearby bushes, directly colliding with me. They stared intently with eyes locked onto mine, their face a putrid mix of green and blue hues, etched deeply like it was carved from wood.

Before I could even scream, two hands, like eagle claws, wrapped around my neck, and I started gasping for air.

Seeing this, Lin Zhe rushed over, biting his fingertip to draw blood, then swiftly marked the forehead of the Three Corpse God.

The Three Corpse God paused momentarily, but it was enough for Lin Zhe to rescue me, pulling me behind him. “Be careful, this Three Corpse God is nearly sentient, smarter than humans.”

I cautiously nodded, realizing only then what Lin Zhe meant-was he implying that even this Jiangshi had more wits than me?!

Li Bai was already locked in combat with Jiang Renjie, neither gaining advantage. Meanwhile, three figures of the Three Corpse God appeared in front of Lin Zhe. Under Lei Zhen’s guidance, they leapt towards us from left, center, and right in an encircling formation. I hid nervously behind Lin Zhe, uncertain whether it was me trembling or him, but my heart was pounding with anxiety.

As Lei Zhen edged closer, Lin Zhe became increasingly cautious. Facing three of the Three Corpse Gods alone was proving difficult, and when they surrounded us, I charged forward alongside Lin Zhe.

Throwing a punch, the Three Corpse God didn’t react at all, while I felt like I hit a stone, my fist aching as if breaking.

Lei Zhen joined the fray, and I found myself entangled with one of the Three Corpse Gods while Lin Zhe faced off against another and Lei Zhen. The situation was becoming dire.

At that moment, a sudden scream from Leilei rang out behind me. Turning around, I saw a Three Corpse God take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Lei Heng. Leilei tried to stop him but was pushed aside with a swing of his arm.

“Not good, stop him quickly!” Li Bai’s shout snapped Lin Zhe and me out of our shock, but it was already too late to prevent the Three Corpse God.

Lei Heng was in a state of being out of his body, unable to react to external occurrences. His physical body must not be touched; even a slight movement could result in damage to his body at best or complete destruction of both body and soul at worst.

Lin Zhe and I rushed at top speed to stop the Three Corpse God, but we were just a step too late. When we grabbed the Three Corpse God, he used our momentum, leaned forward, and touched Lei Heng’s body with both hands.

We stood there in shock, watching Lei Heng’s body being pushed to the ground by the Three Corpse God. He then opened his mouth and vomited a big mouthful of blood!

“Dad!”

“Watch out!” Upon seeing Lei Heng injured, Leilei rushed towards him, but the Three Corpse God was still there. As Leilei charged forward, he raised his hands, intending to attack her. I seized the opportunity, dashed forward, and knocked Leilei aside, while the Three Corpse God’s hands advanced towards me.

At this critical moment, a glowing spirit talisman flew to my side, blocking the Three Corpse God’s attack. The moment the talisman encountered the Three Corpse God, he recoiled rapidly as if he had touched something extremely sensitive, retreating all the way to stand before Jiang Renjie.

Li Bai and Lin Zhe stood protectively in front of me. Leilei hurriedly helped Lei Heng up, quietly asking how he was. As I glanced back, Lei Heng’s pale face sharply contrasted with the blood at the corner of his mouth, making it clear that his situation was dire.

“Jiang Renjie, Lei Zhen, I didn’t expect you to act so quickly.” Li Bai smiled, but his expression was evidently tense.

Lei Zhen wasn’t particularly frightening, but the Three Corpse God showed signs of advancing, a speed that left Li Bai astonished.

Beside Li Bai, only Lin Zhe knew a little about spells. However, compared to Jiang Renjie and Lei Zhen, the gap was too vast. Whether Lin Zhe could even assist Li Bai was uncertain; not causing any trouble would already be a blessing.

Lei Zhen laughed heartily and said, “We’ve competed with you so many times, but this time we’re the absolute winners. No matter what happens today, we must secure the Scarlet Ghost Soul!”

Jiang Renjie had clearly lost his patience and snapped, “Enough talk, let’s do this.”

Li Bai charged forward, calling back to us, “Protect Lei Heng!” With that instruction, he plunged into the fray.

The current situation was quite unfavorable for Li Bai. He struggled to hold his own against the overwhelming force; the Three Corpse Gods seemed energized, as if fueled by adrenaline, lunging and snapping at him with fierce intent. Meanwhile, Jiang Renjie fought with reckless abandon, as if he had nothing to lose.

After observing for a moment, I noticed something peculiar. It seemed that Lei Zhen and Jiang Renjie weren’t looking to prolong this fight. They were putting all their efforts into breaking through Li Bai’s defense. Li Bai’s main objective appeared to be blocking them.

Their target must be… My gaze shifted to the Scarlet Ghost Soul on the long table. Could that be what they were after?

I exchanged a glance with Lin Zhe, signaling him. Just as I moved towards the Scarlet Ghost Soul to secure it, the weak voice of Lei Heng reached us.

“Don’t touch it! The Scarlet Ghost Soul is about to be activated. If you touch it, your soul will be absorbed!” As he finished speaking, Lei Heng’s body convulsed, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.

Lin Zhe and I quickly drew back our outstretched hands in fear, our attention snapping back to Lei Heng, whose strength was waning.

“Dad, are you okay? Don’t scare me like this.” Leilei held Lei Heng tightly, tears streaming down her face. Lei Heng tried to wipe her tears away, but he was too weak, managing only a pained smile.

“Girl, I’m fine, don’t cry, don’t cry.” Lei Heng forced a smile, his pallor slightly lifting, giving a hint of color to his face.

At that moment, a groan diverted our attention back to the battlefield.

We saw Li Bai knocked to the ground, his once pristine white suit now dirty and disheveled. He clutched his chest, looking defiantly at Jiang Renjie and Lei Zhen standing before him.

The two men approached, grinning as they addressed Li Bai, “We’re determined to claim the Scarlet Ghost Soul today. If you’re wise, you’ll step aside. You must realize by now-we’re not who we used to be. You’re no match for us.”

Lei Zhen seemed particularly smug, even shaking the copper bell in his hand with a flourish. At its sound, the Three Corpse Gods aligned perfectly, standing by Lei Zhen’s side, baring their teeth menacingly at Li Bai.

As they pressed closer, Li Bai’s anxiety grew. With a sudden crack of thunder, a blinding lightning bolt struck the spot where Li Bai stood. When the lightning subsided, a centaur appeared before Lei Zhen and the others.

Its coat gleamed brilliantly, with pure white limbs firmly planted on the ground, and atop its long, sturdy neck was Li Bai’s head-it turned out he was a centaur in his true form.

With a powerful neigh, Li Bai charged forward. His sheer force sent one of the Three Corpse Gods flying. Approaching a second one, he raised his forelegs high and stomped down on the deity below.

Seeing Li Bai transform so impressively, Jiang Renjie no longer held back. He unleashed a silver-glowing whip from his right hand, lashing it directly at Li Bai.

Li Bai dodged swiftly, his hind legs kicking at an approaching Corpse God. They clashed vigorously, each contact echoing with thunderous sound, putting the spectators’ nerves on edge and filling their hearts with dread.

I glanced worriedly at Lin Zhe, whose entire focus was on Li Bai. Though his heart was eager to join the fray, witnessing Jiang Renjie and the Three Corpse Gods’ power restrained him.

Given the disparity in strength, Lin Zhe intervening would only lead to his demise.

Jiang Renjie, now fully committed to the battle, charged at Li Bai with fists ready. Li Bai swung his neck, crashing into Jiang Renjie’s side with tremendous force, sending him flying.

The Three Corpse Gods then surrounded Li Bai, enclosing him at the center. Their seamless coordination and synergy made it nearly impossible for Li Bai to break through.

Taking advantage of the moment, Jiang Renjie, relentless like an undead pest, charged again. He swung his silver whip fiercely, drawing in the surrounding Yin energy with each motion, growing ever more oppressive.

The stifling Yin energy rolled in waves, suffocating us. As I struggled to breathe, I could almost see with the naked eye a shadowy black serpent unfurling along Jiang Renjie’s silver whip, its massive jaws aimed directly at Li Bai.