Chapter 272

Li Yi was not like ordinary people; as an evolver, his first thought when facing an enemy was not to flee or hide, but to strike and kill—though this approach was somewhat reckless, it suited his identity as a cross-worlder, for different worlds breed different people.

As his spiritual energy erupted, Li Yi instantly locked onto Fang Hua and closed the distance to his very presence.

Eye Strike!

Suddenly, a piercing gaze flared to life.

Li Yi chose to directly attack with the Eye Strike technique; if the opponent were human, they would die instantly, and if they were a spirit controller, even if one Eye Strike couldn't kill them, it would severely damage their consciousness, buying time for follow-up attacks.

Yet as he unleashed the Eye Strike, he suddenly realized the newly appeared Fang Hua showed no reaction—not even a flicker of pain on his face.

"Did the Eye Strike fail?"

Li Yi froze for a moment, his expression startled.

The only possible reason the Eye Strike could be rendered completely useless was if the opponent was neither human nor a spirit controller, but a true ghost—only ghosts could ignore the attack and influence of the Eye Strike, a fact he had confirmed upon arriving in this world.

The next instant.

Li Yi abruptly halted before Fang Hua, his vertical pupils glowing, his clothes billowing as a surge of blood qi and martial Gangqi exploded outward—he still delivered his most ferocious punch without hesitation.

Thunder God's Hammer Strike!

A single punch launched through the air, unleashing terrifying power wrapped in a condensed, unyielding fist Gangqi —this time, even the air shattered; the punch's force exploded like thunder, and every glass panel in the nearby exhibition hall cracked simultaneously—if any ordinary person had been close, they would have been instantly stunned.

With the strength of a Spirit Perception realm cultivator combined with a Qi Channeling martial artist, Li Yi was at the peak of his life's power.

Unfortunately, his peak strength was displayed in a world inhabited only by vengeful ghosts—and worse, these ghosts could not be killed; his entire power proved useless here.

With this punch, the fist Gangqi exploded through the air—even from several meters away, its power could kill.

Li Yi was not impulsive; he would never approach an opponent without confirming the situation. Though he still possessed a spiritual artifact capable of repelling vengeful ghosts, it was his last-resort survival tool—he would not use it unless absolutely necessary.

As his power fully discharged,

the others in the collection hall instinctively covered their ears, their heads ringing from the shock—they simply could not believe such power could come from a single human.

He was practically a superhuman.

"My god, is this Li Yi's true strength? One punch shattered tempered glass—did that punch break the sound barrier?" Guo You shook his head, utterly stunned.

"This guy's definitely a superhuman—if he suddenly took off flying tomorrow, I wouldn't be surprised. How the hell did this ghost post office turn a beast like this into a courier? Thank goodness he's not a spirit controller—his mental state is stable. Otherwise, if he got angry, he might just kill us all."

Another courier on the second floor spoke, still trembling with fear.

But the most shaken was Liu Qingqing, who had been close enough to witness every detail of Li Yi's attack.

That speed and power—Liu Qingqing felt most spirit controllers wouldn't stand a chance against him; even powerful ones, if caught off guard, would be killed instantly.

If spiritual power revealed itself as eerie and bizarre, Li Yi's strength was pure violence and destruction.

"Did it work?"

But Li Yi knew his power, though immense, had limited effect in this world. He stared at the man named Fang Hua, uncertainty gnawing at him.

Fang Hua's chest had been blasted open by the punch—a massive wound shaped like a fistprint, piercing clean through. Yet astonishingly, no blood flowed from it—because it was not flesh and blood; there was no muscle, no organs, only a thin skin stretched over something else, forming a human shape.

This sight left one momentarily bewildered.

How could this still be called a person?

And why could such a thing even move?

"You're not a ghost," Li Yi said, staring at the man named Fang Hua, his hand gripping a worn, cracked short staff, ready for any sudden threat.

The result of this test punch was clear.

This man could not possibly be a ghost—if he were, Li Yi's punch would have had zero effect.

He had assumed Fang Hua, lacking human consciousness, would not speak—but his eyes suddenly filled with shock, then lowered to his chest wound, before slowly speaking: "I am not a ghost, but I am not human either. My name is Fang Hua—but I am not the real Fang Hua."

Huh?

This statement was deeply contradictory.

"What are you?" Li Yi pressed, eager to know now that the being could communicate.

Fang Hua paused, thoughtful, then confused—until, as if recalling something, he pointed toward a display in a nearby hall: an ancient wooden doll, weathered with age, its face dirty and indistinguishable.

"There were originally two of these dolls. One became me. The real Fang Hua is dead. I am the entity that replaced him and now lives in this world."

He uttered a shocking statement.

Li Yi's pupils instantly contracted.

An ancient wooden doll had become a living person—and lived like a normal human? This was beyond absurd.

Was that thing a spiritual artifact?

It must be.

Only spiritual artifacts possessed such irrational abilities, capable of constantly challenging Li Yi's understanding.

So this world, besides ghosts, also contained beings created by spiritual forces.

"Why do you stay in the collection hall? Why don't you leave?" Li Yi calmed himself and asked further.

"A dead man who still lives cannot be accepted," Fang Hua replied with a reasonable explanation.

The real Fang Hua had died and been buried. If he reappeared before the public, panic would erupt—he'd be rejected by everyone, and if unlucky, the city authorities would spot him and execute him outright.

Li Yi said: "There are vengeful ghosts in this collection hall. Don't you fear being killed by one?"

"That ghost stays in the basement. It rarely comes up, and it has never targeted me," Fang Hua said. "I've coexisted peacefully with it. And because this place is haunted, I can live here safely without fear of discovery."

"Li Yi, don't believe him."

At that moment, Liu Qingqing approached, wary: "Don't assume he looks human—he's just mimicking human thought and movement. His essence is still spiritual. Every word he speaks could be a lie. If you're misled, you'll die."

"So I suggest you kill it. Don't let such a thing remain in this world."

"That makes sense. Such uncertain entities should be eliminated as soon as possible," Li Yi nodded, agreeing with Liu Qingqing.

If Fang Hua had gone unnoticed, fine—but now that he was found, he must be dealt with.

Who knew if he'd suddenly turn into a ghost and stab Li Yi in the back later?

Thinking this, Li Yi swung another punch without hesitation.

This time, Fang Hua's face twisted in horror—he feared death, feared vanishing from this world, and turned to flee. But his movements were strange, like a broken marionette: jerky, stiff, awkward.

Yet before he took two steps, his head exploded.

No blood sprayed—only wooden splinters flew.

Fang Hua's body collapsed to the ground, yet he was not dead—he still moved, still spoke, though the voice seemed to come from nowhere: "Don't kill me. I can give you the other wooden doll. Carve your name on it, and it will become you, living in this world."

At that moment, Liu Qingqing stepped forward, her red qipao vividly striking. She stared at the wooden doll, her gaze going distant, lost in thought.

Huh?

Li Yi sensed something wrong and instantly retreated, putting distance between himself and Liu Qingqing.

He had detected an alien presence on her—first fluctuating, now fully engulfing her.

"Is she being influenced by spiritual power? Or, having become a spirit controller, is she being corrupted by a vengeful ghost—could she be losing control?"

Li Yi's expression darkened; he dared not approach.

Whether it was Fang Hua, Liu Qingqing, or the ghost here—everything was too sinister. He was deeply wary of anything touched by spiritual power.

Liu Qingqing now noticed Li Yi. She turned her head and smiled—flirtatious, memorable.

But that smile confirmed it for Li Yi: this was not Liu Qingqing.

Because Liu Qingqing would never wear such an expression.

Yet now, this "Liu Qingqing" walked to the headless Fang Hua, bent down, and with pale fingers, casually manipulated his body as if it were a puppet.

"Liu Qingqing and Fang Hua are somehow connected," Li Yi's expression hardened.

That fluent control—definitely not Liu Qingqing. It resembled a spiritual resonance. This "Liu Qingqing" was no longer herself—she had been instantly replaced by something else.

In Li Yi's world, this was spirit possession.

"But while Liu Qingqing is compromised, Fang Hua is finished. Maybe I should take that spiritual artifact—it might be useful later."

Then Li Yi turned to the other ancient wooden doll in the exhibition hall and leaped forward.

He extended a finger—the tempered glass case shattered instantly.

He took the wooden doll.

As soon as he touched it, a chilling aura clung to his skin.

The sensation was unmistakable—it was indeed a spiritual artifact. Fang Hua had told the truth; he had not deceived him.

He shoved the doll into his backpack, then stood calmly at a distance, observing Liu Qingqing's strange behavior, while remaining alert—after all, a ghost still lurked here. If it appeared now, the situation would turn dire.

At the very least, Liu Qingqing couldn't die yet—she was still essential for confronting vengeful ghosts and completing delivery missions.