Chapter Eighteen: Sabotage from Within

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Facing such a terrifying evil spirit, Gu Chen was unsure how to deal with it without a talisman. He carefully gauged its power and felt that its current terrifying strength was not much weaker than a fully unleashed Soul King. If their collective soul power hadn't been stolen by it, they might have stood a chance against it together. But now, having devoured the life essence and flesh of so many soul masters, the balance had shifted, leaving no one able to challenge it anymore.

All things exist in cycles of mutual generation and restriction. To solve this evil spirit now, the only way was to use the Scarlet Sun Golden Flame Talisman. This talisman, from the Taoist tradition, was specifically designed to counter evil spirits and ghosts. Made with yellow paper and black dog’s blood, it had miraculous effects against such malevolent beings.

“Why hasn’t Zhu Qing arrived yet?” Gu Chen’s face showed anxiety as he muttered to himself. Without the Scarlet Sun Golden Flame Talisman, no matter how many realms he advanced, he was no match for this evil spirit. Judging by its size, it must have cultivated for over ten thousand years! If they confronted it head-on, even a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast could easily crush him with a single slap.

Moreover, evil spirits were generally much more formidable than soul beasts because they were not only highly versatile but also adept at manipulating human hearts. They could possess a person’s body and, importantly, were immune to most physical attacks. Without talismans or magical tools to restrain it, it was nearly impossible to destroy.

“Everyone scatter and run. This evil spirit has a limited number and length of tentacles. Run as far as you can with all your strength!” Gu Chen flew into the air, anxiously shouting to the frightened crowd by the lakeside.

Upon hearing this, everyone snapped out of their shock. They understood that no one could save them today; survival depended entirely on luck.

The eight-tentacled evil spirit began swimming toward the shore. Its eight tentacles were thick and powerful, radiating an ominous black aura. Each tentacle was over ten meters long, and its strikes were terrifyingly fast. It seemed to prefer delicate young women, mostly targeting beautiful young females.

Though Gu Chen couldn’t defeat the evil spirit, his martial soul allowed him to disguise himself as an owl and fly. He tried to save as many soul masters as possible within his ability as they faced imminent danger.

Time passed by the second. The soul masters’ speed of escape was no match for the eight-tentacled evil spirit. One by one, vibrant lives were swallowed by it. The dreadful sound of chewing echoed in everyone's ears, sending chills down their spines.

Gu Chen bitterly regretted his lack of power; otherwise, he would have made the evil spirit suffer an existence worse than death.

After flying for more than ten minutes, with repeated rapid flights carrying people, Gu Chen’s strength waned. Scanning the distance, he still saw no sign of Zhu Qing. With no other choice, he decided to escape first and figure out how to deal with the evil spirit afterward.

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Just as he was about to fly away, he saw several familiar figures appear at the edge of the dense forest.

Thanks to his chameleon martial soul’s superior eyesight, he immediately recognized the newcomers.

There were two men and two women—four members of the Shrek Seven Devils: Dai Mubai, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing.

At that moment, Zhu Qing appeared very anxious, while Xiao Wu comforted her quietly. Tang San’s face was expressionless, silent.

Dai Mubai occasionally stood in front of Zhu Qing, seemingly trying to persuade her.

After rescuing another person, Gu Chen quickly concealed himself, transformed into the Mighty Vajra Bear martial soul, and sprinted toward Zhu Qing and the others.

As he approached, a voice rang out.

“Dai Mubai, if you block me again, don’t blame me for being rude!” Zhu Qing was so frustrated by Dai Mubai’s repeated interference that her chest heaved violently.

“Zhu Qing, listen to me. Gu Chen is definitely lying again. There’s nothing in Sacred Heart Lake. I often bathe there, and Tang San and Xiao Wu have been there too. You know Tang San’s abilities—if there really were an evil spirit in the lake, wouldn’t he know?” Dai Mubai reasoned.

“Yeah, Zhu Qing, Gu Chen likes to joke around. Maybe this time he’s just teasing you! If there really was an evil spirit, would he run away?” Xiao Wu chimed in.

After Gu Chen left with Zhu Qing earlier, Tang San had said something to Xiao Wu that sharply lowered her opinion of Gu Chen. Even she believed Gu Chen was lying, perhaps trying to show off to win Zhu Qing’s heart.

“Xiao Wu, you admit that Gu Chen often shirks responsibility and jokes around, but I’m sure this time it’s real. Don’t stop me. If I’m late and Gu Chen gets into danger because of it, I’ll feel guilty for life!” Zhu Qing insisted.

Tang San, who hadn’t spoken much, seemed much steadier after this trip. With one hand behind his back, his face expressionless, he said softly, “Zhu Qing, give me the items. I’m faster; I’ll deliver them for you.”

Tang San’s soul power had leapt to level forty-nine over the past month, and his eight-spider spear had evolved, gaining wind attributes.

Hearing Tang San’s words, Zhu Qing hesitated. She knew Tang San and Gu Chen had some grudges. Initially, when she saw Tang San and the others, her first thought was to hide, quickly buy yellow paper and black dog’s blood, find Gu Chen, and return to Shrek Academy together.

Unexpectedly, Tang San was able to communicate with the Blue Silver Grass and immediately discovered Zhu Qing’s location.

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Along with what Dai Mubai told him that morning about Gu Chen teaching Xiao Wu to play the flute, Tang San decided to teach Gu Chen a harsh lesson.

So their arrival was no coincidence—it was partly orchestrated by Tang San.

After locating Zhu Qing, Tang San said nothing but exchanged a glance with Dai Mubai, signaling that no matter what Zhu Qing did, they should find a way to stop her.

When Zhu Qing tried to buy yellow paper, she claimed it was fake. In front of Zhu Qing and the shop owner, a White Tiger Radiant Wave shattered the yellow paper to pieces. Dai Mubai wanted to beat up the shop owner to stand up for Zhu Qing but was stopped by Zhu Qing and Xiao Wu.

This forced Zhu Qing to run from the south to the north side of the city to buy again. When purchasing black dog’s blood, she insisted the seller’s was fake and almost wrecked his shop. Eventually, the owner took them to find a batch of pure black dog’s blood. Dai Mubai still refused to relent, claiming the dog was dyed.

After many twists and turns, they finally bought the yellow paper and black dog’s blood Gu Chen needed.

Dai Mubai also said he never heard that yellow paper and black dog’s blood could ward off demons. Tang San, who had lived two lives, knew about such things but didn’t say much, only lightly remarking, “The world has changed; some precautions are necessary!”

What Dai Mubai didn’t know was that his obstruction had led to nearly all the visitors at Sacred Heart Lake dying.

“Greetings, seniors...” Gu Chen forced down his anger and approached the four.

“Gu Chen, sorry I’m late. Did I delay what you wanted to do?” Zhu Qing asked apologetically.

“Sis, no time to talk. The evil spirit has gone mad and is slaughtering wildly... please quickly hand me the yellow paper and black dog’s blood. Every second counts; saving even one more life depends on it.”

“Here.” Zhu Qing quickly handed over a package and shot a fierce glare at Dai Mubai.

Dai Mubai shrugged, as if to say he hadn’t expected this either.

Gu Chen took the package and thanked Zhu Qing, then ate a rapid-flying Oscar-brand mushroom sausage and sped toward Sacred Heart Lake.

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