Chapter 172 The Bride

Listening to the mournful suona and watching Yuanshi Tianzun place the bridal veil on his head, the Spirit Realm practitioners present felt an indescribable sense of strangeness.

On one hand, they couldn't tell whether the core of his technique was the red veil or the thing in his pocket playing music.

On the other hand, a boy, a red veil, wedding music… it was all too bizarre.

*This damn speaker, it's playing music at the wrong time again, stealing all my thunder…* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled inwardly, covered by the red veil.

"Experiencing what it's like to be a bride?" Hengxing Wuji's amber vertical pupils reflected the poignant red, and he mocked with a strange expression,

"So you want to be my bride, huh? No way, I'm not interested in men."

Zhang Yuanqing ignored him, focused his mind, and silently sensed his surroundings, waiting for the ghost bride to appear.

Seeing that his taunts received no response, Hengxing Wuji's eyes flashed slightly. Suddenly, he cracked the floor tiles and launched a sneak attack without any martial ethics.

He didn't know what this kid's tricks were, but any risk had to be nipped in the bud. Giving the enemy time was like endangering himself.

"Tzz..." Suddenly, a crackling sound appeared in the high-pitched suona music, as if the signal was being interfered with.

*It's coming…* Zhang Yuanqing sensed a vast and boundless Yin energy surging from the void behind him. This made the hairs on his back stand on end, but he didn't dare turn around.

This feeling was too familiar. That day at Jinshui Amusement Park, when the ghost bride appeared, he felt the same way, the experience was exactly the same.

The boundless Yin energy enveloped the villa. The official practitioners present felt their souls trembling. What had he summoned?

In Hengxing Wuji's vision, he saw a large expanse of dark fog surging from behind the official Night Watcher, bringing coldness, strangeness, and fear. In the haze, a ghostly figure in a bright red wedding dress appeared behind the Night Watcher.

*Creak…* Hengxing Wuji's feet scraped against the ground, making a sharp sound. He braked, forcibly stopping his steps.

An unspeakable fear exploded in his heart.

A terrifying wraith, a powerful wraith, an irresistible wraith… He sensed the pressure of a high-level Yin creature. Following his instincts, Hengxing Wuji turned around and ran without hesitation.

He was a Wugong Master, not an illusionist, and lacked the means to deal with spiritual bodies.

Especially not such a high-level being.

Hengxing Wuji rushed towards the door. He had just taken a step when he suddenly stopped. The door had disappeared, replaced by a dark, heavy mist.

In the mist, the strange figure in the red wedding dress loomed.

*This…* Hengxing Wuji's scalp went numb. He changed direction and rushed towards the stairs.

However, thick Yin mist surged up the stairs. As the mist churned, a pair of delicate little feet in red embroidered shoes were walking down the stairs step by step.

Despair surged in Hengxing Wuji's eyes.

What was he doing? In the eyes of the official practitioners, Hengxing Wuji seemed to be possessed, sometimes rushing towards the door, sometimes rushing towards the window, sometimes rushing towards the stairs.

But each time, he would retreat in terror. His ugly insect face was twisted with fear, and his amber vertical pupils were filled with anxiety.

Tang Guoqiang shuddered violently. Helpless, he desperately moved his body away from Zhang Yuanqing, fleeing in a panic as if his life depended on it.

A ghost wall? Zhang Yuanqing raised his head slightly, observing the frantic Hengxing Wuji with his limited vision, and immediately judged that the ghost bride was using illusions.

He was thinking of taking the opportunity to finish him off and bleed Hengxing Wuji when he suddenly found that he couldn't move.

*What's going on? The notes didn't say the red veil would restrict movement…* Zhang Yuanqing was shocked and doubtful. Then, he felt something press against his back.

Like a piece of cold ice, but with an unusual softness.

Boundless Yin energy surged in, invading his body and merging with the Taiyin power within him.

The sleeping little Doudi woke up, curled up and shivering. The infant spirit had no idea what was happening. When it woke up, it felt like it was in great danger.

Finally, Zhang Yuanqing found that he could move. He took steps, slowly walking towards Hengxing Wuji.

But all of this was beyond his control.

The ghost bride was manipulating his body.

Guan Ya, Qing Teng, Bai Long, Li Dongze… Everyone's gaze shifted from Hengxing Wuji to the slowly walking Zhang Yuanqing.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but for a moment, they saw a ghastly ghost figure in a red wedding dress clinging tightly to Yuanshi's back.

Looking at that ghost figure, everyone felt fear from the bottom of their hearts.

Zhang Yuanqing walked up to Hengxing Wuji and, through the lower edge of the red veil, caught sight of a pair of pale, delicate hands reaching out from behind him, grabbing his hand.

Bone-chilling Yin energy gathered in his palm. Zhang Yuanqing watched helplessly as his hand turned blue-black, his arm muscles swelled, and black blood vessels wrapped around them.

Sharp, black nails extended from his fingers.

Those pale, delicate hands guided this ghost hand to strangle Hengxing Wuji's neck.

........

Dark, heavy fog enveloped him. All around him were ghost figures in red wedding dresses. Hengxing Wuji looked around in panic. He wanted to escape, but there was no way out. Every direction had a ghost figure.

His heart pounded violently, and adrenaline surged, but it didn't bring courage, only extreme fear.

His ferocity, irritability, ruthlessness, and decisiveness had all disappeared for some reason. The only remaining emotion was fear, was trembling.

Hengxing Wuji knew he was under some kind of influence, but what was despairing was that he knew this wasn't normal, but he couldn't change it.

At this moment, the ghost figures in all directions simultaneously reached out their hands. Under the gorgeous red wedding dresses were pairs of blue-black, strong ghost hands wrapped with blue veins.

Hengxing Wuji had nowhere to retreat. He watched helplessly as the ghost hands strangled his throat. The next moment, icy Yin energy invaded his body, spreading rapidly, and his life quickly vanished.

........

Zhang Yuanqing looked at Hengxing Wuji under his ghost claws. The light in his vertical pupils gradually dimmed and finally went out.

In this tall, ugly body, the soul rapidly shattered and dissipated.

*Huff, he's dead…* Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, he finally confirmed that the battle was over and there would be no more accidents.

*No, there's still a monster with a human head and a snake body…* The moment this thought flashed through his mind, the ghost bride controlled him to turn around and walk towards the big snake.

In the next moment, the big snake's fierce eyes were sometimes scattered, sometimes ferocious, and its soft snake body writhed restlessly and weakly.

It had also fallen into the illusion.

Zhang Yuanqing strangled the big snake's neck in the same way, depriving it of its life.

However, Zhang Yuanqing found that his actions had not stopped, and the ghost bride had not left. Instead, she was manipulating him to turn around and face the official practitioners.

The official practitioners, who had just felt a surge of joy, suddenly felt a chill in their hearts.

Zhang Yuanqing noticed that the delicate, pale hands holding his arms swayed slightly, hesitating between Bai Long, Qing Teng, and Guan Ya.

After a few seconds, she seemed to make a choice, manipulating Zhang Yuanqing to walk towards Guan Ya step by step.

"Yu, Yuanshi?" The old driver's face was pale, and she moved backward in panic.

She was going to kill Guan Ya? No, stop it… Zhang Yuanqing was anxious, but his body was completely out of control.

The ghost bride should have a time limit, but there was no indication in the item's description. Zhang Yuanqing didn't know how long she would exist. When the ghost bride's time limit expired, Guan Ya would definitely be finished.

Seeing Guan Ya getting closer and closer, Zhang Yuanqing's mind raced. Suddenly, he came up with an idea. He transferred the "control" to the little Doudi in his body.

Inside his body, the little Doudi finally couldn't bear the pressure and burst into tears.

Zhang Yuanqing gained brief control of his actions. Immediately, he raised his left hand and pulled off the item covering his head.

Boundless Yin energy quickly retreated into the void. The ghost bride reluctantly returned to the Spirit Realm.

And at this time, he was only five or six steps away from Guan Ya.

Zhang Yuanqing sat down hard on the ground, panting heavily. The feeling of weakness surged back.

Sweat soaked Guan Ya's white shirt. Her wet temples stuck to her cheeks, and her chest rose and fell.

Feeling the terrifying Yin energy dissipate, the official practitioners simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, feeling both fortunate and joyful. They thought to themselves that he was indeed a Night Watcher who had cleared two S-class instances in a row. At the beginner stage, he was already so extraordinary.

A Wood Wanderer trembled as he took out a pill from his tactical backpack and said, "Quickly take a detoxifying pill. Although it can't remove the toxins, it can alleviate the symptoms."

"Can you send it over?"

"I, I can't move…"

Captain Qing Teng frowned. "Who can still move? First, go and collect the items upstairs. Now, we're just coughing and paralyzed, but who knows, we might suddenly die later."

Da Ji Ba staggered to his feet, intending to go upstairs, but after a few steps, he fell weakly, unconscious from blood loss.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing supported his exhausted body and said, "I'll go."

Bai Long breathed a sigh of relief and smiled weakly, "You're really a reliable boy, no, man."

*If you had said that a few seconds earlier, the ghost bride wouldn't have spared you…* Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly.

Behind-the-scenes commander Li Dongze prompted,

"It should be on the second floor, near the door, in the second or third room. Hengxing Wuji has been fighting in that location before. He should be guarding the items."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded and staggered up the stairs.

.........

Everyone watched him disappear around the corner of the stairs. Li Dongze raised his watch and looked at it. A look of joy appeared on his face.

"Thirty minutes are up. The barrier has dissipated. We can call for support."

Among the official practitioners present, only he paid attention to elegance and wore a watch.

The rest used their phones to check the time. Before the capture operation, their phones were all adjusted to flight mode.

At this moment, the living room door was kicked open violently. A dozen fully armed official practitioners filed in.

Following them was Fu Qingyang, wearing a white suit and a short ponytail, and beside him was Ling Jun, dressed casually and loosely.

The support team was here? Li Dongze and the others were both surprised and delighted.

Ling Jun's gaze swept over the dead Gu beasts, and he smiled.

"It seems we're not needed anymore. Young Master Qian, the captains under your command have good combat power."

Fu Qingyang glanced at Guan Ya, who was not injured, and then at the other captains. His cold face relaxed slightly.