SPLASH! SPLASH!
As the female ghost in white holding an umbrella drew closer, the rain grew heavier, its influence growing ever stronger.
It wasn’t just this umbrella-wielding Evil Spirit; the group soon spotted other strange figures approaching from different directions.
To the left of their hiding place, a towering skeleton bounded across the rooftops. Vicious bone spurs jutted from its body. Within its hollow chest and deep eye sockets, an eerie green Ghost Fire burned, radiating a terrifying evil Intent.
Approaching from their right was a tall zombie, its body a deep crimson. Blood-red pustules covered its skin, and its face was a ferocious, twisted mask. Even from a great distance, they could faintly smell the pungent stench of blood.
"Hee hee hee! You’re all dead! You’re all so dead!"
Just then, a shrill, childish voice echoed from far behind them. The group immediately spun around to see a bizarre child standing atop a distant three-story pavilion. It had appeared at some unknown time, its skin deathly pale, wearing a bright red apron, and possessing three heads.
At that very moment, the child’s body began to writhe violently. Its small frame shot upward, muscles knotting and bulging, its skin rapidly turning a deep black.
Furthermore, unlike what Zhao Xuanqi and Zhuang Li had witnessed before, this time, after its transformation, the Three-Headed Child sprouted two more pairs of arms, becoming a true three-headed, six-armed monstrosity.
The arms corresponding to the bizarrely smiling face on the left gripped a rattle. The arms of the ferocious face on the right wielded a massive Black Wood Sword. Meanwhile, the arms of the calm, central face were outstretched, its fingernails sharpening into black spikes.
Evidently, after another cycle in the Ghost City, the Three-Headed Child had recovered some of its strength.
"It’s that damn thing! All of these creatures must have come from Anyuan Street. They knew we were here—this is a premeditated attack!"
The moment he saw the Three-Headed Child, Lu Dong’s expression faltered. He had encountered the creature not long ago and suffered a great loss. The Black Wood Sword had left a deep gash on his chest, and the effects of its Yin Qi had still not completely faded.
’The Three-Headed Child’s stealth abilities? It looks like this thing slipped past our lookouts and discovered our position.’
Zhao Xuanqi thought to himself. This creature possessed some kind of special cloaking ability. Last time, it had deceived his senses, leading him and Zhuang Li into a perilous situation.
"There seem to be quite a few Sword Soldier Ghosts around as well," Zhuang Li said in a low voice. "If we let them encircle us, it will be very troublesome. If we delay for too long, the next Night Parade of Hundred Demons will arrive. We won’t be able to rest, our Primordial Qi won’t recover, and many people will die in the next one!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s strike first and take out their leader! We were just about to go looking for trouble, and now they’ve served themselves up on a platter. It just saves us the effort!"
Ren Fei’s eyes flashed at the sight. He flicked a finger, using Force to draw a drop of blood to its tip, preparing to inscribe a Technique and attack the nearest target. But in the next instant, his pupils contracted violently as a sense of crisis overwhelmed him.
SWISH!
From within a single raindrop, a beam of light suddenly flashed, giving off a chilling glint that made one’s hair stand on end as it shot toward Ren Fei’s brow.
It came without warning. The others only noticed it the very moment the chilling light appeared.
FAST!
The beam of light was incredibly fast, but Ren Fei was no ordinary fighter. The instant the light shot toward him, his body reacted instinctively, and he jerked his head aside.
SCHLICK!
The beam of light grazed his cheek, slicing through his resilient skin and sending a spray of blood into the air.
The beam of light vanished in a flash, disappearing into another raindrop.
The next moment.
SWISH-SWISH-SWISH-SWISH-SWISH!
The beam that had entered the raindrop seemed to multiply. Dozens of densely packed beams of light suddenly burst forth from that single drop, assailing everyone nearby.
Although these new beams lacked the power and speed of the first one that struck Ren Fei, their sheer number was overwhelming. Their trajectories were utterly bizarre, and the assault was so sudden that an inescapable net of light enveloped them before anyone could react.
SCHLICK!
Everyone dodged immediately, but they couldn’t evade the attack completely. Some were hit, their clothes torn and bloody gashes cut into their skin, from which fresh blood began to flow.
This was only because their bodies were tough and their reflexes sharp. Any ordinary Blood Strengthening masters would have likely suffered immediate casualties from this assault.
And this was not the end. After flashing past, each beam would immediately vanish into another raindrop, then, like light reflecting off a mirror, refract out again to continue its jumping assault.
Within just two short jumps, the speed and destructive power of each beam seemed to be increasing. To make matters worse, having been caught completely off guard, the group struggled to mount an effective counterattack.
If the beams were given the chance to ricochet more times, the assault would likely become even harder to contain.
Meanwhile, in a pavilion not far from their hiding place, a bronze mirror stood before a window, aimed in the direction of the downpour. The mirror’s surface was dull, not even reflecting the surrounding scenery. The struggling, twisted faces that had once existed within it had now vanished.