Xu Zimo shrugged. He looked toward the beams of light filled with ghostly shadows.
From within, six figures walked out, an elder leading the way, followed by five young men and women.
Each had striking eyes and sharp brows, their presence radiant and commanding.
Most importantly, the aura of power surrounding them was enough to make anyone tremble.
They all wore gray robes, each robe marked with a ghost’s head on the chest.
“Lord Nocturne!” Jiang Mozi shouted in greeting when he saw them.
Elder Nocturne lowered his head, frowned slightly at Jiang Mozi, and asked, “How did you end up like this?”
“I was ambushed by this Evil Spirit,” Jiang Mozi replied with his head bowed in shame.
“The Academy entrusted you with such an important mission, yet you’ve failed,” Nocturne said indifferently. “When we return, you will accept your punishment yourself.”
“With my body ruined as it is now, what face do I have left to return to the Academy?” Jiang Mozi sighed.
Once, he had been strong enough to contend with the Kui itself, but now he was little more than a cripple. The bitterness and humiliation in his heart were things only he could truly feel.
Hearing this, Nocturne’s expression softened slightly. Then he turned his gaze toward the sky, shouting, “Evil Kui! Surrender yourself! Today, we of the Ghost God Collegium have descended, there’s no need for futile resistance!”
“Where is Kui? Why doesn’t he dare face me himself?” the Evil Kui hissed, her voice raspy and cold.
“Ghost God Kui is occupied with greater matters,” Nocturne said flatly. “We are more than enough to handle you.”
The Evil Kui let out a sharp snort. The dozens of tails behind her stood upright in the air like pillars piercing the heavens.
Xu Zimo smiled faintly and stepped back. The situation no longer required his involvement. This was now an internal affair of the Ghost God Collegium.
With a roar, the Evil Kui lashed out, her tails whipping forward like lightning.
Nocturne’s gaze hardened. “Form the Primordial Yellow River Formation!” he commanded.
The five disciples behind him leapt into the air.
One of them held the Primordial Yellow River Diagram, a relic ranked forty-sixth among the Grand Thousand Treasures.
As it unfurled, magnificent rivers and mountains shimmered upon its surface. The flowing waters and towering peaks seemed almost alive, as if ready to burst from the painting itself.
That disciple stood at the center, lifting the Primordial Yellow River Diagram high above his head as radiant light streamed from it.
The other four took positions according to the Four Symbols.
Azure Dragon, limbs drawn together, swimming gracefully through the air.
White Tiger, baring fangs and claws, roaring at the sky.
Vermilion Bird, spreading wings like a soaring crane, one foot poised in midair.
Black Tortoise, a fusion of turtle and serpent, waves rising in its wake.
The four sacred beasts stood in formation, dragon roaring, tiger bellowing, bird crying, and tortoise stirring.
The five surrounded the Evil Kui.
Nocturne strode through the air, his momentum blazing like a falling sun.
“Calamities gather, let all ghosts retreat!”
With a shout, black spirit power erupted beneath his feet.
The Yellow River Diagram expanded, covering a hundred meters of ground.
Standing atop it, Nocturne stamped down as a pentagram glowed beneath him.
He rapidly formed seals, countless runes flying forth and merging into the Yellow River Diagram.
“Primordial everlasting, all things in harmony. Yellow River commands, purge evil, banish corruption. Seal!”
His voice rang out firm and resonant, echoing endlessly across the heavens.
The Primordial Yellow River Formation activated. Thunder and wind roared; the skies darkened.
The heavens themselves changed!
The Evil Kui, trapped inside the formation, struggled and howled furiously.
Her power surged like a tidal wave, shaking the world, yet no matter how she fought, it was futile.
The six held their positions, their bodies radiating the phantom might of the Four Symbols, all power channeling into the array.
The Kui’s tails lashed toward them, but each time they neared, the pentagram blazed, striking them back like lightning.
“Lightning, descend!” Nocturne bellowed.
He pointed toward the heavens, and thunder exploded. Bolts of lightning tore through the darkened sky, drawn into the formation.
Each strike infused with the Yellow River Diagram’s might, terrifyingly precise and merciless.
The Evil Kui scrambled to evade, her movements frantic, even desperate.
But she could not escape. Several bolts struck her directly, her flesh split open, her screams echoing through the mountains.
“This formation’s power perfectly restrains her,” Xie Changliu observed.
Chancellor Jiang Mozi added grimly, “Lord Kui designed it specifically for this Evil Spirit. The last time she was captured, the same formation was used.”
“The same trick twice?” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile. “That’s boring.”
All eyes turned back to the sky.
Countless thunderbolts rained down, burying the Evil Kui completely.
Even a rat would have died a dozen times over under such an assault.
When the thunder finally ceased, the sky above the formation had been ripped apart. The land was scorched and shattered beyond recognition.
The Evil Kui lay within the ruins, weak and motionless.
Nocturne straightened his posture and drew from his robe a long iron chain.
The chain gleamed blood-red, dozens of meters long, writhing like a living serpent.
“Bind!” Nocturne commanded.
The chain shot forward, winding toward the Evil Spirit.
Seeing this, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Once the Evil Spirit was captured, their mission would be complete.
Just as the chain brushed her skin, the once-weak Evil Kui suddenly erupted with violent energy.
She seized the chain and opened her jaws wide, swallowing it whole.
“Careful!” Nocturne shouted.
He raised his hand toward the sky again.
“Endless lightning, heed my command!”
Thunder crashed down even fiercer than before.
The Evil Kui laughed maniacally. “Kui and I are one, how dare you try to kill me?”
“Rather than be imprisoned in the abyss for countless ages, I’d rather perish with you all!”
As her words fell, her tails and floating hair radiated waves of dense, chaotic energy.
Her entire body shone with blinding light, she seemed the very center of existence, blazing with terrible brilliance.
“What is she doing?” someone asked in confusion.
Everyone stared blankly. Even Nocturne froze, unsure for a moment.
Then realization struck him like lightning.
His face turned pale as he shouted, “No! She’s using the formation’s power to break Lord Kui’s seal, and force herself to self-destruct!”
Everyone’s faces changed drastically.
All within the Ghost God Collegium knew that the Evil Kui’s meridians had been sealed.
Even if she wanted to die, she could not.
That seal had been set by the true Ghost God Kui himself.
But now, her madness, her willingness to burn herself away, left everyone terrified.
If she succeeded in detonating herself, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Stop her! Quickly!” Nocturne roared.
“How do we stop that?” someone shouted back, panicked. None of them had ever faced something like this before.