"If you give the word, I shall have these people killed immediately," Li Bingyan said coldly.
Those in the distance turned deathly pale at her words, terror written across their faces.
Who would not tremble at such a threat?
After all, no one wished to have a hole blasted through their body.
Especially Shen Fei—his face was ashen as a corpse's.
These people had all been brought here by him. If they were to die, how could he possibly explain himself upon returning?
"Big Sister Li, please—calm down. We can talk this through," Shen Fei called out to her, attempting to placate her.
Bang!
A sharp, crisp sound echoed through the air.
A metal bullet pierced Shen Fei's forehead.
Blood splattered; a gaping wound opened between his brows.
He collapsed to the ground without a sound.
The others, horrified, immediately covered their heads and crouched low.
This time, someone had truly died.
Who dared to be the next to stand out?
"You killed him just like that?" Mo Lin hadn't expected Li Bingyan to strike so swiftly.
"What does it have to do with me? You're the true instigator of this mess," Li Bingyan replied helplessly.
"Hm?" Mo Lin caught a whiff of conspiracy in her tone.
"Am I wrong? These people came looking for trouble with you, and in the process, Shen Fei conveniently lost his life," she added, her voice casual.
In a sense, Mo Lin truly was the instigator.
Yet coming from Li Bingyan's mouth, it sounded suspiciously like he was being scapegoated.
"Sister Li, unless you explain yourself clearly, I refuse to shoulder this blame," Mo Lin said slowly.
"It's quite simple, really. That man committed countless vile deeds, and I had no way to punish him—until today. Borrowing your hand, I vented a bit of personal resentment," Li Bingyan explained unhurriedly.
Given Shen Fei's associations with the Ghost Realm and his nefarious acts, they must have been extraordinarily heinous to warrant her murderous intent.
As for why she chose this moment, the reason was equally clear.
Behind Shen Fei stood the Copper Coin Taoist Sect—a power she had no wish to provoke.
Using this opportunity, the blame would naturally fall on Mo Lin's shoulders.
"Oh... it's fine. I'll take the blame," Mo Lin said nonchalantly, patting his chest.
After all, he was already mired in enough troubles; one more wouldn't make much difference.
"As for the ghost and the rest of the Copper Coin Sect people—leave them to me," Li Bingyan said.
"Alright."
Without hesitation, Mo Lin launched an attack against Gong Xiu.
Simultaneously, Bingyu and the other ghosts struck.
This time, Gong Xiu truly met his downfall.
All the methods he had prepared against Mo Lin proved utterly useless.
Mo Lin was far stronger than Gong Xiu had ever anticipated.
He had thought Mo Lin might be slightly stronger than Zi Shang Qingrou.
Yet Mo Lin was not only powerful but also exceedingly cunning.
Since he could not win, Gong Xiu decided to flee.
He turned, attempting to retreat.
But how could Mo Lin allow that? He cut off Gong Xiu's path and launched a fierce assault.
"Kid, if I want to leave, you can't stop me," Gong Xiu sneered.
He wasn't wrong.
Their cultivations were equal, their strengths comparable.
Unless Mo Lin had a special technique, he would indeed struggle to restrain him.
At such a level, capture was no easy feat.
"Your Soul-Scattering Ghost Grasp won't work on me," Gong Xiu said again.
The Soul-Scattering Ghost Grasp was a technique used by underworld envoys to subdue spirits.
Yet against an evil ghost of Gong Xiu's caliber, it was nearly ineffective.
Then let's try the Thunder Talisman.
Mo Lin slowly produced the Thunder Talisman he had obtained earlier.
Clutching it between his index and middle fingers, lightning crackled around him.
He shot toward Gong Xiu like a spear of living thunder.
This was no counterfeit—it was a genuine Thunder Talisman.
A true, orthodox artifact.
As lightning burst forth, Gong Xiu's body began to rapidly disintegrate upon contact.
Desperately, Gong Xiu wielded his ghostly staff to barely fend off the onslaught.
But only just.
Nearby, Li Bingyan's brows furrowed sharply.
A Thunder Talisman?
"Why does he have a Thunder Talisman?"
Who didn't know the story?
When the Thunder Talisman Sect's master had been slain and the talisman stolen, it had caused an uproar.
No one had imagined it would fall into Mo Lin's hands.
Quickly recovering from her shock, Li Bingyan covered her face in distress.
To use the Thunder Talisman at such a time...
This was disastrous.
The Fire Talisman Sect was hunting the talisman—and so was the Thunder Talisman Sect.
Now both factions had converged on Yunchuan.
And Mo Lin had foolishly revealed the talisman at this critical moment.
Though uncertain of the full consequences, she was certain they would be dire.
In the distance, Li Hui's pupils shrank violently.
"How can that kid use a Thunder Talisman?"
Unlike Li Bingyan, he cared more about how Mo Lin was able to wield it.
It defied logic.
A ghost master, using a Thunder Talisman?
Impossible.
Ghost masters formed contracts with spirits, making them inherently incompatible with artifacts like Thunder Talismans.
Moreover, Mo Lin possessed a host of nightmare-level ghosts.
The repulsion should have been even stronger.
Why could he use it?
It made no sense.
Gong Xiu, who was still being battered, thought the same.
"How? How can you wield such a thing?" Gong Xiu cried in disbelief.
Shock.
Terror.
"Why not?" Mo Lin replied calmly. "I'm not a ghost."
Nor was he truly a ghost master.
After all, Mo Lin had never formally contracted with any spirit.
He used the Ghost-Suppressing Tome to control the ghosts.
And the lesser spirits had joined him willingly.
"A human?" Gong Xiu's confusion deepened. "Then why are you in the underworld?"
"So many questions," Mo Lin said impatiently, striking at Gong Xiu again.
Lightning cloaked Mo Lin's body.
Gong Xiu dared not make any physical contact.
Any part of him that touched Mo Lin would instantly disintegrate.
"Running away?" Mo Lin snorted coldly.
He raised a hand.
A bolt of lightning shot forth.
Struck by it, Gong Xiu's body froze, rendered immobile.
In that instant, Mo Lin felt his inner energy nearly exhausted.
The Thunder Talisman drained his strength.
But its power was undeniable.
Whether it was due to his own abilities or the artifact itself, Mo Lin couldn't tell.
Nor could he verify it.
Slowly, Mo Lin approached the immobilized Gong Xiu, preparing to end him.
Above...
Red petals—no, red snowflakes—drifted from the sky, vanishing as they touched the ground.
Following their trail, Mo Lin saw her.
A female ghost clad in a flowing crimson robe.
Upon closer inspection, her garments mirrored Mo Lin's own attire exactly.
An underworld official.
This was the first true underworld envoy Mo Lin had seen since coming to the mortal realm.
Before she could even speak, Mo Lin warned coldly:
"I don't know what Gong Xiu or the Ghost Realm promised you, but I advise you—stay out of this."
It was not a request—it was a threat.
Regardless of whether she heard or not, Mo Lin continued:
"Today, these ghosts must be purged. If you interfere, I will not hesitate to destroy you as well."
"If I wish to kill you, not even the Bridge of Forgetfulness could stop me."
This ghost hailed from that very bridge—one of the three great powers of the underworld.
As for how Mo Lin recognized her so quickly—
By her aura, and by her identity.
A ghost unknown to him could only belong to one of two factions: the Ghost Realm or the Bridge of Forgetfulness.
4o