62: Chapter 62 Ma Si

Meanwhile, inside an abandoned air-raid shelter on the outskirts of Jiangzhou City.

The place was damp and chilly, with dark green moss covering the cave walls.

Deep inside the air-raid shelter, an open space had been cleared out.

Right in the center stood an altar of white bones, constructed from several piled skulls.

On the altar burned two sickly green corpse-oil candles, their light flickering.

A thin, emaciated man in black robes with a jade-green centipede tattooed on his left cheek sat cross-legged before the altar.

He held a small straw doll in his hand.

Wrapped around the doll was a single black thread.

This man was named Peripheral Elder, the junior martial brother of Ghost Hand Seven.

He too was an outer elder of the Yinshan Sect.

"Senior Brother! Senior Brother, after hustling in Jiangzhou City for so many years, you were actually wiped out by a young brat's lightning spell. You've truly disgraced our Yinshan Sect," Peripheral Elder muttered sinisterly to himself.

Closing his eyes, his hands continuously shifted through hand seals, pulling the black thread in his palm.

"Once my Thousand-Li Walking Corpse figures out that brat's background, at midnight tonight, I will execute the [Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Array], raze that Funeral Shop to the ground, and capture his soul to accompany you in death!"

Time passed second by second.

A heavy, sluggish shuffling sound echoed from outside the shelter.

Peripheral Elder opened his eyes, a flicker of joy passing through them.

"It's back."

At the entrance, the walking corpse draped in a tattered raincoat stiffly stepped into the shelter, cradling a pair of paper-crafted boy and girl servants.

Seeing the walking corpse return unscathed, Peripheral Elder curled his lips into a disdainful sneer.

"As expected, he's just a bluffing useless trash. If he really had earth-shaking Dao cultivation, would he have let my walking corpse leave alive? It seems last night's heavenly thunder was merely him borrowing some one-time-use treasure."

Peripheral Elder stood up and sauntered arrogantly toward the walking corpse.

He reached out to take the pair of paper dolls, intending to carefully inspect whether Lin Ye's aura remained on them.

Just at the moment his fingertips were about to touch the paper dolls—

The two corpse-oil candles on the altar, which usually burned endlessly, suddenly burst into a bright cluster of sparks without warning and went out in an instant!

Peripheral Elder's heart shrank violently, an unprecedented sense of mortal peril gnawing at his nerves.

He looked down.

The spots of red-gold ink at the eyes of the previously lifeless paper boy and girl suddenly erupted with a brilliant light!

The hidden [Lightning Summoning Talisman] array markings on the chests and abdomens of the paper dolls were fully activated upon sensing the dense Yin qi drawn from the altar.

"Th-This... This is Pure Yang Thunder Markings?! No!!!"

Just as Peripheral Elder's shrill scream tore from his throat—

"BOOM!!!"

An earth-shattering explosion detonated violently inside the narrow air-raid shelter.

Pure Yang True Qi compressed to the extreme, combined with Daoist lightning magic, poured out completely less than half a meter in front of Peripheral Elder like a high-explosive bomb.

Wild arcs of lightning instantly tore the walking corpse into blood and gore.

A terrifying shockwave wrapped in utmost Yang flame slammed viciously into Peripheral Elder's chest.

His proud protective Yin qi couldn't even hold for a second; he flew backward like a broken kite and crashed heavily onto the white bone altar.

The altar shattered, sending bone fragments flying in all directions.

And that wasn't all!

Lightning and fire raged frantically in the enclosed space, burning the surrounding moss and filth into nothingness.

Peripheral Elder collapsed among the rubble, charred all over, spewing large mouthfuls of black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs.

More than half of his left face with the centipede tattoo was burned away, exposing pale white bones in an utterly miserable sight.

"Lin Ye... Taiping Old Street..."

Peripheral Elder's eyes were filled with deep-seated malice and terror that penetrated straight to the bone.

Gripping a broken bone fragment tightly, he used his last breath to draw a blood-red messaging rune on the ground.

He knew he wouldn't survive; such domineering lightning fire had already destroyed his heart meridians.

Before dying, he had to send information about this terrifying enemy back to the true headquarters of the Yinshan Sect.

With a flash of blood-red light, the rune sank into the ground and vanished.

Peripheral Elder's head tilted to the side, all signs of life completely gone.

...

Jiangzhou City, Taiping Old Street.

Outside, the rain gradually subsided, and the dark clouds parted, revealing a sliver of pale daylight.

Inside the hall of the Funeral Shop.

Lin Ye was leaning back in his grand armchair resting with his eyes closed when a crisp system notification suddenly rang out in his mind.

"Ding! Daily quest evaluation complete. Congratulations to the host for successfully killing an outer elder of the Yinshan Sect using Paper Figurine Lightning Storm! Husband Points +300. Current Points: 3150. Talisman Mastery significantly increased."

"Warning: The enemy sent a bloodline transmission before death. The core tier of the Yinshan Sect has placed you on their hit list. A storm is brewing; please increase your strength as soon as possible, Host!"

Hearing the first half, Lin Ye still had a slight smile at the corners of his lips.

Hearing the second half, he slowly opened his eyes, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Killing an outer elder brought down a hit list from the entire core tier.

The deal seemed like a loss on paper, but in reality, it was unavoidable.

Once these rabid dogs practicing evil arts locked onto a target, backing down would only lead to a faster death.

"It seems I need to find an opportunity to completely eradicate these threats."

Lin Ye lightly tapped his fingers on the armrest, calculating secretly.

"Ye-zi! Ye-zi, open the door!"

Fatty Wang's signature loud voice resounded from outside the door.

Accompanied by the earth-shaking noise of the rolling shutter being pounded on, Fatty rolled into the shop like a ball of meat.

He carried two giant plastic bags filled with various fresh ingredients and a brand-new dual-flavor hotpot pot.

"Hotpot goes best with rainy days! I specifically went to Old Zhao's place to buy freshly sliced beef loin and premium tripe. Today at noon, us brothers are going to feast!"

Fatty placed the plastic bags heavily onto the Eight Immortals table, shaking off rainwater as he shouted loudly.

Hearing the commotion, Frost Star leaped down from the second-floor stair railing and landed steadily on the sofa.

The little girl popped her head out and glanced at the raw meat inside the plastic bags, wrinkling her small nose in disgust:

"Brother Fatty, the meat you brought back doesn't have a speck of blood scent at all. It tastes terrible."

"Oh, my little lady, this premium beef cost me several hundred yuan! Cooked in the pot and dipped in shacha sauce, the taste is divine!"

Knowing full well this little loli's terrifying combat power, Fatty quickly apologized with a beaming smile.

Leng Yue walked out from the inner room, took the ingredients from Fatty, and headed toward the backyard kitchen to wash them.

Looking at this scene filled with mundane, cozy warmth, the bloodlust brought about earlier by the Yinshan Sect vanished completely.

He stood up and walked to the table to help arrange the bowls and chopsticks.

"Fatty, this hotpot of yours couldn't have come at a better time."

Lin Ye patted Fatty's shoulder, his tone relaxed.

"After we enjoy this good meal, run an errand for me this afternoon."

"No problem! Say the word, Ye-zi, and Brother Fatty will cross mountains of daggers and seas of flames for you. Where to?"

Fatty patted his chest in guarantee.

"Take a trip to Antique Street and find Master Chen."

Lin Ye's gaze sank slightly, a deep calculating glint passing through his eyes.

"Just tell him I have a few top-grade Netherworld Ores brought out from the City of Wrongful Deaths in my hands, and ask if he has any connections to help me find out the foothold of the Yinshan Sect in Jiangnan Province."

Fatty's hand slicing the meat paused, his face turning pale for a moment, but seeing Lin Ye's resolute expression, he eventually grit his teeth hard.

"Alright! I'll get right to it after lunch!"

The hotpot base bubbled over the small red-clay stove, the spicy aroma of beef tallow blending with the sweet freshness of tomato and mushrooms to fill the entire Funeral Shop.

Outside the door, the autumn wind carried a tinge of desolation.

Inside, however, the hotpot boiled with the truest warmth of the mortal world.