Chapter 123: Chapter 47: Such a Ghost is Wiped Out with a Single Finger
Shen Qing was stunned.
He hadn't expected that a single jab from him could obliterate the ghost to the point where not even residue remained.
In the dense forest ahead,
the ghosts kept emerging from all directions, each with ferocious faces, blood-red eyes, and a cruel smile hanging at the corners of their mouth.
Once human, they had been turned into evil ghosts after falling prey to the tiger demon, losing their humanity.
At this moment, they were inching closer and weaving towards the location of Lian Bing and others with their claws bared and teeth flashing.
Lian Bing and the others were completely encircled by the ghosts, with no avenue of escape.
The ghosts moved erratically and at an unbelievably fast pace.
The sudden chaos had instilled fear in many, whose punches and weapons could not harm the ghosts at all.
Blood splattered everywhere as screams echoed through the deep woods, one after another.
Those who were tackled down by the ghosts were instantly devoured by the darkness, leaving behind nothing but their piercing wails.
Lian Bing seemed to have some experience dealing with ghosts, managing to injure them slightly with his strong power, but that was about as far as he could go.
After joining forces with another martial master to take down one ghost, both appeared exhausted and their faces inevitably showed a color of despair.
With just a single ghost being such a struggle, they had no chance of survival against so many more.
Xiao Zhi, who had kept a watchful eye and realized that the situation was going south, took to his heels and ran.
Seeing Shen Qing standing there in a daze, Xiao Zhi shouted, "Run! There are too many ghosts here, we're no match for them!"
The ghosts in the woods, hearing the commotion, all looked up and began chasing after Xiao Zhi.
One of the ghosts leered with a hideous laugh as it lunged towards Xiao Zhi.
Xiao Zhi felt a chill throughout his body.
It's over!
In a panic, Xiao Zhi closed his eyes and flailed blindly behind him.
After a moment, when there was no movement and he sustained no injuries, he cautiously opened his eyes to unexpectedly find an arm, with a sword pointed outstretched in front of him.
By that time, the ghost that had lunged at him had vanished without a trace.
Turning his head around, Xiao Zhi saw Shen Qing looking at him with a smile.
"Help me grab the bow and arrows."
Shen Qing took off the bow and arrows strapped to his back and tossed them to Xiao Zhi.
Experience new tales on m v|l e'm,p| y r
Xiao Zhi caught the heavy bow and dark iron arrows in a flurry of panic.
With a look of astonishment and numbness, Xiao Zhi watched as Shen Qing rolled up his sleeves and strode forward.
After killing two ghosts in a row, Shen Qing seemed to have gained some confidence in his strength.
To such ghosts, he could obliterate one with a single finger!
Shen Qing quietly advanced to an open space, where the sunlight, dappled through the dense foliage, fell upon him and dotted the damp ground beneath.
From a distance, he appeared akin to a fearsome and majestic deity or demon.
His sharp and murderous gaze was directed forward, faintly tinged with the madness of bloodthirst.
The ghosts, possessing some spiritual wisdom, noticed that Shen Qing could slay one of their kind with a single finger and realized that he was not to be trificked with.
"So you do know fear! I thought you ghosts were devoid of emotions. Seems like you're not so different from us after all."
Shen Qing took one step after another forward, exerting an indescribable pressure.
With every step he advanced, the ghosts retreated one step.
The still-living Lian Bing and another square-faced martial master, witnessing this unbelievable scene, felt waves of shock stirring in their hearts.
It was then that Shen Qing's commanding, cold voice resonated through the deep woods.
"Well then, if that's the case, I won't hold back. If you don't want to die, try stopping me with all your might!!"
As soon as his words fell, Shen Qing suddenly sprinted toward the ghosts in front of him, plunging headfirst into their midst.
The Wind Defying Finger was a martial arts technique known for its speed, and was greatly complemented by the enhancement of movement technique in hunting skills.
Shen Qing was upon them in the blink of an eye.
"Die!"
The combination of the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill and the Wind Defying Finger caused Shen Qing's hands to blur into an afterimage as they pointed out, striking one of the ghosts.
With a soft "puff", the ghost was struck by the finger wind, and instantly dissipated into a wisp of smoke in the air, unable to emit even a cry of agony.
"Weak, weak, weak, too weak! Not even requiring a third of my power, pathetic!"
Shen Qing's expression was frantic.
He struck out consecutively, each strike precisely hitting a ghost.
In front of the wind from his fingers, these ghosts had no resistance—they turned into black smoke and dissipated one after another.
"Worthless, worthless, worthless!"
The remaining ghosts, driven by resentment, screamed and howled, finding no escape, they pounced toward Shen Qing with bared teeth and claws.
But it was all in vain.
With a muffled 'pfft' sound,
Shen Qing's finger connected with the last ghost in front of Lian Bing, its powerful qi turning the ghost to ashes.
As Lian Bing watched in stunned silence, Shen Qing stopped moving and slowly withdrew his hand.
The scene became quiet once again.
Under the shadow of fear, breaths that had been held were now turning into heavy pants.
"All worthless!" Shen Qing said with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "Officer Lian, are you all alright?"
Lian Bing couldn't help but swallow hard, stuttering, "No... no... problems..."
"Good to hear that you are fine."
Shen Qing looked around and saw the four fallen disciples, not quite understanding.
Why did they die to such pathetic ghosts?
"Perhaps, it is not that they were too weak, but that I am too strong?"
Shen Qing muttered to himself, somewhat uncertain.
Meanwhile, in Nanshan Village surrounding Shicheng Mountain,
Chang Yinfa, along with a few senior disciples from Linfeng Hall, and Yu Xiaoruo from the Guardian Martial Department, walked in.
They had been assigned to this location.
"Mr. Yu, why is the village so quiet, where are the people?" Chang Yinfa asked nervously.
Yu Xiaoruo from the Guardian Martial Department glanced at him, and said nonchalantly, "During the day, everyone must be out hunting the tiger on the mountain, how could they stay at the base point? We'll find out when we go in."
Chang Yinfa suddenly realized, "Oh!"
A group of people walked into the village.
Yu Xiaoruo from the Guardian Martial Department slapped the door beside him and called out, "We're here, may I ask where our brothers from the Martial Department are?"
There was no response.
Yu Xiaoruo from the Guardian Martial Department frowned, sensing something wrong.
"Mr. Yu, listen, there seems to be a sound."
"Shh, no one makes a sound." Yu Xiaoruo from the Guardian Martial Department tilted his head, listening carefully, and indeed, heard some noises.
The sounds were a bit like that of pigs smacking their lips while eating.
"Over here."
Someone quickly followed the sound.
Upon discovering the source of the noise, everyone's face turned pale, and they could not utter another word.
In front of them sat a large tiger with a variegated coat, gnawing on the corpse of a martial master from the Guardian Martial Department.
Surrounding it, seven or eight ghosts stood guard, their pale faces uniformly turning toward them.
Chang Yinfa felt something stuck in his throat as he managed to say with difficulty, "Tiger... tiger demon... "
The calf-sized tiger lifted its head and stared at them, emitting a human-like smile, "Yo, more snacks have delivered themselves!"
Without a word, Yu Xiaoruo from the Guardian Martial Department turned and ran.
"Run!"
The others, snapping to their senses, scattered as one.
The tiger demon's smile subsided, and it tossed aside the human leg in its paw, standing up.
At that moment, the surrounding ghosts, as if understanding its intent, transformed into shadows and gave chase.
"Rarely do mice stumble in; let's have some fun with them, a nice way to digest."
The tiger demon had just taken a step forward when it abruptly stopped.
The huge tiger turned its head toward another part of the forest, looking puzzled, "What's going on? Why have my little ghosts dwindled so rapidly?"
It spun around, shaking its head, then suddenly darted into the woods, rushing toward the direction of its sense.