Chapter 1 Although It Was Our First Collaboration, the Results Were Not Bad

Although it was our first time working together, the results were pretty good. Watching Ding Kan finish reciting the incantation, I plopped down on the ground, gasping for breath.

Ding Kan wasn't in much better shape. His chest was heaving, but he was more stubborn and exceptionally alert. He remained standing, leaning against the wall for support, taking a brief rest.

Perhaps seeing that I'd managed to catch my breath a couple of times, Ding Kan nudged me. "Hey, hey, those ghosts are still surrounding us outside. It's not time to rest yet. Although your abacus bead mini-formation can temporarily block them, it won't last long. We need to think of a long-term solution."

I waved my hand, catching my breath twice more before saying, "It's fine. If they dare to come in, just kill them. Don't feel bad about it. We're acting in self-defense. Killing them isn't against the law."

Ding Kan kicked me again, exasperated. "Never mind that they're all dead ghosts. Even if they were alive, if they tried to kill me, I wouldn't stand on ceremony. Did you really think I didn't scatter them because I pitied them and couldn't bring myself to hurt them?

"If I could kill them, I would have wiped them out already. It's just that I can't use my Daoist magic, so my empty gestures can't kill them! It's driving me crazy."

"Oh, so you can't use your Daoist magic either? I thought this restriction didn't affect you," I joked, half-smiling, completely out of tune.

Ding Kan wanted to kick me again, but this time I was prepared. Not only did he not kick me, but I swept his legs out from under him.

Ding Kan got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and said unhappily, "Thank you for thinking so highly of me, but I really don't have that kind of ability. No one in the Heavenly Masters' Mansion can use their Daoist magic, and I'm no exception. At first, I thought someone had used Gu poison or something, but our magical artifacts can't be used either. The situation outside is the same for those people. It shouldn't be as simple as Gu poison or poisoning."

I gave him a depressed look. I had kindly knocked him down so he could sit down and rest, but he didn't appreciate it and insisted on standing.

If he didn't appreciate it, he didn't appreciate it. If he wanted to stand, he could stand. Anyway, he was the one who would get tired.

"Indeed, a powerful restriction has been placed in this area. I haven't figured out how this restriction was formed, and I don't know how to break it yet. However, my abacus is made of meteorite iron. Although the acquired mana cultivated on it is also restricted, the magnetic field of the meteorite iron itself is still there.

"Using the magnetic field of the abacus beads themselves, combined with the principle of the Five Elements' mutual generation and overcoming, we can not only form a protected area, but also allow the people in the protected area to recover 80% of their mana."

Ding Kan's eyes immediately lit up. "Damn, I can recover 80% of my power in this small house? Is your abacus that awesome?"

As he spoke, Ding Kan blinked his curious eyes and actually reached out to touch my abacus, which only had half of its beads left.

"Goodness, it really is a good thing! How come I don't have such an awesome magical artifact? If I did, I probably wouldn't have to run."

"Go, go, go!" I shooed him away like a fly. "I've already told you that you can recover 80% of your power, and you're still not trying to see if your magic works? You still have time to study my abacus? You wouldn't be wronged if you were eaten by a ghost."

Fortunately, although this kid Ding Kan was a bit unreliable, he still understood the principle of listening to advice and eating his fill. He immediately stopped trying to get his hands on my abacus. He glanced out the window at the few evil ghosts who were about to attack, pointed with a sword finger, and the three evil ghosts in the same line were directly pierced like candied haws. The three ghosts dissipated together.

Perhaps Ding Kan was too brave and shocked the evil ghosts outside. The ghosts changed their fearless appearance and began to hesitate. Although they pretended to attack, no one was willing to rush forward. Just now, they were afraid of being left behind and not being able to eat our flesh. Now, they were afraid of rushing to the front and obstructing Ding Kan's view.

I was about to applaud Ding Kan and praise him when a slow, deep singing voice came from somewhere. The voice was neither male nor female, neither old nor young, neither eastern nor western, neither dead nor alive. I simply didn't know what language to use to describe it. Anyway, I had never heard it before.

When the evil ghosts outside the small house heard the singing, they became as excited as if they had been injected with stimulants and began to attack frantically. The scene suddenly became lively again. Ding Kan killed ghosts with practiced ease, and the evil ghosts attacked the city one after another.

"Stop, don't kill anymore!" I looked at the evil ghosts outside, one by one dissipating, and suddenly stood up and grabbed Ding Kan.

"What's wrong? Is your great-aunt out there?" Ding Kan looked at me, depressed.

"No."

"Then why are you stopping me? Has your Saint Mary complex flared up? I'm telling you, this is a critical moment of life and death. It's really not the time for you to be a Saint Mary."

"Tch, can't I even say a word? I am indeed a Saint Mary, but I also know how to use my life to be a Saint Mary."

"Uh? Then why won't you let me continue killing ghosts? Your abacus beads can't hold on for long. If I don't kill them, they'll be able to attack in soon."

"Nonsense, it's obvious, can't I see that? I'm reminding you, haven't you noticed that the evil ghosts outside are getting stronger and stronger, each one more powerful than the last? At first, it didn't take any effort to kill them, but the more we kill, the more difficult it becomes?"

"You're the one talking nonsense. Am I stupid? Don't I know that each one is harder to kill than the last?"

"Alright, alright, don't get excited." I waved my hand to calm him down. "Have you ever wondered why the ghosts in the back are harder to kill than the ghosts in the front?"

"If the rookies can't get in, they'll send in the stronger ones!" Ding Kan said casually.

"But don't you think their abilities are improving too evenly?"

"This?"

Ding Kan was directly stunned. "Indeed, knowing that these rookies are no match for me, and knowing that there are more powerful ones, they still insist on sending troops one by one in a queue. There's no logic to fighting a war like this. Unless..."

Ding Kan seemed to have thought of something that made his back feel cold. He took a step back unconsciously, not wanting to kill another ghost.

The matter was already obvious. It wasn't that there was a mindless commander behind them sending troops in a queue, but that these ghosts were collectively becoming stronger. Moreover, this strengthening was happening as Ding Kan killed ghosts.

The total energy of the evil ghosts was fixed. The fewer the individuals, the stronger the combat power of a single ghost.

At the beginning, our Daoist magic was restricted, so although we charged and killed along the way, the number of ghosts we could kill was very limited. We could only protect ourselves from being harmed by ghosts. Because the number of ghosts didn't decrease significantly, the strength of the ghosts didn't increase. But now Ding Kan was carrying out a large-scale massacre, so the combat power of the ghosts was gradually becoming awesome.

If Ding Kan continued to kill...