Netherworld’s Spirit Envoy - -

This seemed to come as a complete surprise to Li Bai. In that urgent moment, he hesitated briefly before tilting his head back to let out a long cry into the night sky.

Unlike Jiang Renjie’s spell, Li Bai’s cry was actually absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy. Black Yin energy and white spiritual energy intertwined before us, blending together yet opposing one another.

These two opposing energies started clashing on their own without Jiang Renjie or Li Bai needing to take action. As they collided, a crackling sound erupted, and the black Yin energy and white spiritual energy unexpectedly began to mix. A clear interface emerged between them, sparking lightning at its edges. At that moment, both Jiang Renjie and Li Bai wore expressions of astonishment.

The Yin energy and spiritual energy were like untamed horses, completely beyond their control.

The lightning generated from their friction continued to gather, and a massive black cloud appeared overhead in the night sky. It hovered above them, growing larger and heavier, threatening to descend.

With a loud boom, the mixed gray energy resonated with the black cloud in the sky. A gigantic vortex formed above their heads, expanding rapidly with a blinding light flashing at its core.

Lin Zhe stood there, dumbfounded as he gazed at the night sky, murmuring to himself, “That is…”

An expression of disbelief crossed Jiang Renjie’s face, and out of fear, he took two steps back. “How is that possible!”

Conversely, a strange smile appeared on Li Bai’s face. He turned to Lei Zhen and Jiang Renjie and said, “Heaven truly assists me; the heavenly thunder has arrived.”

“Ah! Wonderful, just wonderful! Haha, my Three Corpse Gods are going to evolve again!”

As Lei Zhen burst into laughter, his Three Corpse Gods began to tremble violently. Initially, they just struggled, but soon they shook like a screen door. Their facial expressions became increasingly menacing, and long fangs protruded from their mouths, extending ever further until they reached their chins.

Additionally, a dense layer of small nodule-like particles began to form on their bodies, resembling lumps of flesh. These grotesque nodules were small, only the size of grains of rice, and moved continuously under the skin of the Three Corpse Gods, resembling flesh spores.

“Look quickly!” Lin Zhe’s shout drew my attention. The once dry and cracked skin of the Three Corpse Gods was now turning pink under the movement of those fleshy nodules, resembling that of a newborn baby.

Lei Zhen burst into laughter, “It’s happening, it’s happening! My Three Corpse Gods are becoming more successful. Transform, transform, I’m waiting for you!”

At that moment, the first bolt of heavenly thunder descended, striking directly onto the Three Corpse Gods. Lei Zhen’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a tense expression as he watched the dazzling light, hardly daring to breathe.

When the light faded, the Three Corpse Gods, which had taken on the appearance of newborn skin, reverted to their original form, now charred black like coal, appearing even more frightening and menacing.

Lei Zhen, despite his heartache, gritted his teeth and persisted, “Come on, keep going. This time, we will definitely succeed!”

Meanwhile, the heavenly thunder seemed to target more than just the Three Corpse Gods. Above us, another vortex formed in the center of the black cloud, rapidly growing larger, surpassing even the size of the Three Corpse Gods’ vortex.

Jiang Renjie, keeping his distance, was the first to notice, his eyes filled with astonishment, yet he dared not approach, fearing the heavenly thunder’s wrath.

The Scarlet Ghost Soul placed on the long table began to emit swirling red vapors, their vivid color resembling fresh blood, looking eerie and shocking.

“Xiaofei, use the blood from the tip of your tongue to suppress that red vapor!” Li Bai’s voice rang out. Despite his imposing stature, I still found it a bit difficult to adjust.

Before I could react, Jiang Renjie rushed forward, shouting loudly, “The Scarlet Ghost Soul is mine!”

Simultaneously, two identical bolts of heavenly thunder struck down, one aimed at the Three Corpse Gods, the other toward the Scarlet Ghost Soul on the table.

Without thinking, as the heavenly thunder and Jiang Renjie both reached the Scarlet Ghost Soul, I spat out my tongue’s blood.

With a resounding “boom,” we were all knocked unconscious.

When I awoke, I saw nothing but chaos. Everything was blurred, as if in an illusion, unable to discern between illusion and reality.

Sitting up, I saw that Li Bai had already returned to normal, his gaze wary as he looked behind me, motionless.

I turned to look and saw that Lei Zhen and his Three Corpse Gods were all lying on the ground, their eyes blank and seemingly still trying to process what had happened. Jiang Renjie appeared as though he’d suffered a great blow, looking around in disbelief and searching for something.

Suddenly, the Three Corpse Gods stood up straight again, their bodies starting to tremble slightly. With each tremor, Lei Zhen grew more anxious, as if sensing that something bad was about to happen.

“What is…” I tried to speak, but noticed that my breath was visibly escaping my mouth, swirling around me before disappearing. Furthermore, the sound I made didn’t resemble speech at all; it was just a jumble of noises.

I looked at Li Bai, hoping he could explain what was going on. Instead, Li Bai furrowed his brow, and upon meeting my gaze, even rolled his eyes at me. It wasn’t the time for him to act like that.

I lifted my hand, intending to get up, but my hand seemed to have a mind of its own and began floating. It felt as though I were flying, filling me with increasing confusion. Unable to speak, and with Li Bai ignoring me, I realized no one else could respond to me now.

While I was in a state of confusion, the Yin-Yang Notebook suddenly appeared before my eyes.

The Yin-Yang Notebook had taken on a clear form. I could see that it wore a gray long robe, styled in ancient attire, with the face of a young person. It was not particularly tall, dressed like a loyal servant.

“Master, thank you, Master. I am alive again.” The Yin-Yang Notebook wore an unmistakable smile, looking excitedly at its own hands.

“What exactly happened earlier? I can’t remember anything.” My mind felt muddled, as if still trying to catch up.

The Yin-Yang Notebook explained, “Earlier, the clash between the Yin energy and spiritual energy caused the Scarlet Ghost Soul to resonate, which attracted the heavenly thunder.”

“Then why can’t I speak?” I was still puzzled. Couldn’t this Yin-Yang Notebook speak without me having to ask every single question?

“The heavenly thunder represents extreme Yang, while the Scarlet Ghost Soul embodies extreme Yin. Their meeting here naturally caused an imbalance between Yin and Yang, making everything neither Yin nor Yang. That’s why you can’t speak, and your actions are restricted.”

With the Yin-Yang Notebook’s explanation, I finally understood the situation. However, this also meant that Lei Zhen’s Three Corpse Gods had evolved, and Li Bai was clearly not their match. It seemed inevitable that we would lose the Scarlet Ghost Soul.

Noticing my concern, the Yin-Yang Notebook offered a solution, “Now that the Scarlet Ghost Soul has been opened, if Master wishes to rescue Lin Shishi, I can help you enter.”

“That’s great, please take me there immediately!” As long as I could rescue Lin Shishi, it didn’t matter if the Scarlet Ghost Soul ended up with Lei Zhen-it was of no use to me anyway.

However, the Yin-Yang Notebook had a condition: it instructed me to return and take a deep breath of Yin-Yang Qi, holding it in without exhaling.

Though it didn’t explain why, the Yin-Yang Notebook assured me it would be essential once I was inside the Scarlet Ghost Soul.

Upon entering the domain again, the Yin-Yang Notebook had already located the entrance to the Scarlet Ghost Soul. In front of me stood a large black door, surrounded by swirling Yin energy. The doorframe was adorned with various horrifying expressions-bared teeth and howling faces, menacing and terrifying. Just a glance was enough to make me feel as though I could hear the cacophony of agonizing screams, leaving my legs weak.

“Is there something inside the Scarlet Ghost Soul?” I asked, wanting to ensure I understood what I was stepping into.

The Yin-Yang Notebook explained that inside the Scarlet Ghost Soul, a Ghost King ruled over all. He governed all souls within, and to retrieve Lin Shishi, I would either need to defeat the Ghost King or meet his demands.

Was this a joke? The mere mention of a Ghost King sounded formidable. How could someone like me, an ordinary mortal, contend with such a powerful entity on its own turf? It felt like an impossible task.

The Yin-Yang Notebook didn’t respond to my complaints. The path was mine to choose. If I wanted to enter, it would let me in; if I wanted to leave, it wouldn’t stop me.

But Lin Shishi was inside, waiting for me. If I turned back now, she would surely lose all hope in me.

Truthfully, was I, Li Xiaofei, a coward? Certainly not! So how could I retreat now?

Resolved, I knew what I had to do. Yet, as the master of the Yin-Yang Notebook, shouldn’t it offer some assistance rather than merely watching me venture into danger?

“Master, the Ghost King is an entity of extreme Yin. Allowing its Yin energy to permeate your body might awaken your latent potential or even revive dormant memories within you.” The Yin-Yang Notebook offered this considered advice, leaving the specifics for me to discover on my own.