Chapter 136: The Killing Blow

The shadow moved with incredible speed. By the time I realized what was happening, it was already too late to dodge. Taking advantage of the motion, I hurled the chain sickle in my hand at the two dark figures. Perhaps I had grown accustomed to wielding whips; I found the chain sickle surprisingly easy to handle, and guided it with astonishing precision into the two shadows.

With two sharp clangs, the chain sickle sent sparks flying, and the two shadows were knocked away, landing on the ground.

I looked over and discovered that the shadows were actually two fishhooks wrapped with fine lines. One end of each fishing line was tied to a hook, while the other ends were held in Luo Xingtao’s hands.

The sharp hooks had been coated with a pale yellow, grease-like substance. Having seen countless corpses in the Yellow River, I knew it was no ordinary oil. It was corpse oil scraped from those who had died unjustly in the river. Heaven only knew how many bizarre bacteria it contained. If one of those hooks so much as cut the skin, the wound would spread rapidly; even if it did not kill the victim, it would leave a large section of flesh rotting away.

Worse still, the other ends of the fishing lines remained in Luo Xingtao’s hands. If the hooks caught in my bones, I would be no different from a fish on the line, completely at his mercy.

“The Pai Sect really is made up of nothing but lowlifes from the margins of society. All you know is how to harm people from the shadows. You are a disgrace to the world of feng shui.”

Looking at the hooks smeared with corpse oil, I still felt a lingering chill, and my contempt for Luo Xingtao deepened.

From the day I met him until now, that bastard had never once used an honorable method.

Luo Xingtao had not expected me to neutralize his killing move so easily. A flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes before he said, “Pi Yangxi, I never imagined that someone so young could possess such extraordinary mastery of feng shui. Given enough time, you will certainly surpass Chen Yetian of Duhe City. I advise you not to act on impulse. If you offend the Pai Sect, you will destroy your own future.”

I pointed at Chen Yetian’s corpse on the ground, its heart torn from its chest, and said, “Surpass your fellow disciple who died such a miserable death? No thanks. I have no interest. And stop trying to intimidate me with the Pai Sect. If your sect really has any ability, come and kill me openly. Stop engaging in these despicable, underhanded tricks.”

With that, I hurled the chain sickle at the monster. There was a ripping sound, and the sharp blade severed its arm. Green, foul-smelling blood immediately poured across the ground.

“Ah!”

The monster clutched its severed arm and rolled across the floor, still tethered by the iron chain.

“That strike was repayment for the sneak attack you made against me.”

Seeing Luo Xingtao’s chest heaving with fury, I felt indescribably satisfied. Dealing with a treacherous bastard like him called for exactly this sort of ruthless approach.

“Little Chief, did the Pai Sect bring out the Twenty-Corpse Formation for people to admire? Set up the formation quickly and kill these bastards! Stop wasting time, or Big Chief will be heading home!”

The fish-faced, human-bodied beast rolled across the floor in agony as it shouted at the top of its lungs.

Luo Xingtao no longer hesitated. He reeled in the hooks from the ground, stepped back half a pace, and shouted sternly:

“Eight hundred miles of Dongting, its grace reaches Chu. A true faith of thousands of years, its great way reaches Heaven. The Pai Sect performs its rite; the living keep away!”

Their synchronized cries rang through the night sky. Apart from us, there was not another living person in the hall. His words were meant for the ghosts and spirits in the surrounding area.

After Luo Xingtao withdrew, the twenty figures he had brought with him began to move. Dressed in black burial robes and carrying coffins on their backs, no one could tell whether they were dead or alive.

They rapidly spread out, forming a circle that surrounded all of us.

But after encircling us, they did not attack at once. Instead, they simultaneously turned around, took the coffins from their backs, and placed them facing us.

Under the dim lights, twenty unvarnished wooden coffins stood in a row on the floor. They seemed almost to have eyes of their own, silently staring at us, and a chill ran down my spine.