"Where is he?" Li Ye asked again.

Mu ye chuckled nonchalantly. "Just follow me. I planted a spiritual imprint in that kid's ghost-repelling talisman. He's only just begun practicing the Yin Talisman Arts—he won't notice my imprint. Right now, he's probably still desperately searching for wandering spirits, all for the spirit stones I promised him."

With a flicker, Mu ye slipped into the forest.

Li Ye swiftly followed.

Their movements remained silent as they passed through the dense woods, making their way toward the cold pond where Wen Jiu was.

As they drew closer, the murderous intent in Li Ye's eyes grew stronger.

The likes of you, treading the crooked path...

You deserve nothing but a miserable end.

The Main Peak...

Is not a place you should set foot on!

At the edge of the cold pond, Wen Jiu crouched among the treetops, about ten zhang from the water. The black ghoul had concealed its presence and lay in wait nearby. Without using spiritual perception to probe carefully, no one would detect their existence—one man, one corpse.

As for the signal talisman and ghost-repelling talisman, Wen Jiu had tossed them into the pond, wrapping them with Yin energy and hanging them by the water's edge.

But as he waited, the surrounding air suddenly turned eerily cold. A chill, as piercing as the frigid aura of a corpse-ridden battlefield, seeped through his clothes and into his skin.

This abrupt cold meant little to Wen Jiu, yet it made him sense something unusual.

Even corpse pits weren't this bone-chilling.

Let alone the remote Wushan Mountains.

As he pondered, a sinister wind began to stir through the trees.

Then came a faint rustling.

Wen Jiu's expression sharpened. Without hesitation, he ordered the black ghoul to activate the "Three Rivers Ghost Veil," fully concealing their presence.

It was here.

The wandering spirit had arrived.

But the Night Patrol's intel was wrong.

This spirit wasn't merely at the third level of Qi Refining. Even after being weakened by daylight, its malice and eerie aura were unlike anything Wen Jiu had ever encountered.

The next instant—

A gust of ghostly wind swept past him, surging straight toward the cold pond.

Ripples spread across the water's surface, accompanied by a sinister, chilling whistle that sent shivers down one's spine.

Wen Jiu quickly focused his Yin vision, preparing to glimpse the spirit's true form—

But before he could, he sensed movement in the forest.

Through the narrow gaps in the leaves, he caught sight of two figures swiftly approaching.

Mu ye.

And behind him, a man in black, at the third level of Qi Refining. His face was obscured, but his build left no doubt—Li Ye.

"Perfect timing."

A flicker of delight crossed Wen Jiu's face. Without hesitation, he pulled out a low-grade warding talisman he had scavenged long ago and hurled it toward the spirit by the pond.

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It wasn't high-quality—

Just barely first-grade, low-tier.

But more than enough to enrage the spirit.

Boom—

The talisman streaked through the air like a shooting star, detonating at the pond's edge.

The half-faced spirit, in the midst of absorbing the pond's sinister energy, instantly flew into a rage. Its remaining eye darted about wildly, scanning for whoever had dared to disturb it—

And then, it spotted Mu ye and Li Ye, who were approaching.

Even in broad daylight, the half-faced spirit erupted with a torrent of ghostly energy, its presence surging to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"Die!"

With a furious snarl, the spirit lunged at them.

At that moment, the explosion of the talisman made Li Ye and Mu ye pause. Before they could even react, a wave of ghostly energy swept toward them—

Reaching them in the blink of an eye.

"A ghost!"

"Qi Refining, fourth level!"

As they walked ahead, Mu Ye's expression changed first. Without hesitation, he quickly retrieved several high-quality ghost-repelling talismans from his storage pouch. However, when he threw them out, they only managed to slow down the movements of the half-faced wraith rather than fully suppress it.

Seeing this, both of their expressions darkened instantly. There was no time to think about what was happening—they had to retreat immediately.

This wraith was far stronger than they had anticipated.

For it to withstand multiple ghost-repelling talismans in broad daylight, its strength was undeniable.

"What the hell? How did such a vicious wraith suddenly appear?" Li Ye quickly drew his longsword, activating his sword technique while retreating. He continuously struck at the half-faced wraith, but despite his efforts, the entity kept closing in on them.

Left with no choice, he swiftly formed a hand seal and unleashed one of the Night Patrol Division's top ten sword techniques—the Whirlwind Sword Art.

Golden sword light erupted as the flying sword danced through the air, finally forcing the wraith back temporarily. But it was just that—temporary.

Seeing this, Mu Ye also sprang into action. He pulled out a hammer-shaped magical weapon and activated his strongest technique—Hundred Gold Hammer. This was another one of the top ten techniques of the Night Patrol Division, one that only managers with more than five years of experience could cultivate.

Boom!

Mu Ye charged forward with his hammer, coordinating with the Whirlwind Sword to strike at the wraith, smashing through waves of sinister ghostly energy. Only then did they manage to fully suppress it. But whether it was the Whirlwind Sword Art or the Hundred Gold Hammer, neither was the most effective method against this wraith. No matter how fiercely they attacked, the half-faced wraith remained overwhelmingly powerful.

"This thing must be the vengeful spirit of that murdered Lingnong Division disciple!" Mu Ye said gravely, his grip on the hammer unwavering.

"You think I don't know that?!" Li Ye snapped, irritated.

He was worried that this whole ordeal would ruin their plan to kill Wen Jiu today. If they missed this chance, finding another opportunity wouldn't be easy. Ever since the public announcement, more and more people had started paying attention to Wen Jiu.

Even those high-ranking officials who once looked down on unorthodox cultivators were now considering recruiting him. After all, no matter how one looked at it, Wen Jiu was guaranteed a place in the main peak.

Mu Ye was equally anxious. He could feel that his Hundred Gold Hammer wasn't having the desired effect.

If this dragged on any longer and they exhausted too much of their spiritual energy, they'd be in serious trouble.

"Damn it! How is this wraith so powerful in broad daylight?"

"Go all out!"

As they spoke, a faint smile of excitement appeared at the corner of Wen Jiu's lips.

This wraith was strong—just as he had hoped!

In the next moment, a black ghoul emerged, unleashing a surge of fierce ghostly energy. Within just a few breaths, it had reached the two of them, bypassing the half-faced wraith entirely and charging straight for Li Ye, who was maneuvering through the forest while controlling his sword.

Li Ye's face changed drastically. But in the very next instant, his expression froze.

He was shocked at first—

Another one?!

But then, his expression stiffened completely because he recognized the eerie ghostly aura—

This was the creature that had killed Fang Zheng and the others!

"It's it!" Li Ye exclaimed in both shock and excitement.

This was exactly the culprit that the elders were looking for.

However—

Before his excitement could even settle, it was abruptly cut short.

The black ghoul lunged at him. Even though Li Ye hastily recalled his sword and placed it in front of him, attempting to use the Whirlwind Sword Art to fend it off, the moment his weapon struck the ghoul, he felt it—this thing's body was far tougher than the half-faced wraith.

No matter how much he attacked, his sword could not halt the ghoul's advance.

Seeing the ghoul suddenly release an explosive surge of ghostly energy, pouncing at him with terrifying force, Li Ye frantically moved his sword in front of him and shattered several protective talismans.

Boom!

With a deafening crash, the black ghoul smashed through the protective barrier effortlessly.

Boom!

Li Ye, along with his longsword, was sent flying. He only stopped when he slammed into the trunk of a massive tree.

Pfft—

Just as he tried to get up, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body trembling.

Then, a chilling realization dawned on him.

Strong.

This ghoul was unbelievably strong.

Its physical body was even tougher than the half-faced wraith, which was already equivalent to a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator.