Chapter 74: Ghost Rune Doll

Time dripped like rain, tick-tock, tick-tock.

Lu Ran followed the Moonwatch patrol team, repeatedly cutting through their jurisdiction, campaigning south and north.

From roadside shops to abandoned wastelands.

From residential buildings glowing with lights to the dilapidated, deserted neighborhood along Wu Lie River.

The team’s presence was everywhere.

“Heh.”

Lu Ran’s chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, once again following the others back to Wu Lie River.

Rain slid down his hair, tracing his face.

In this high-intensity combat, wearing or not wearing a raincoat made no difference.

“Tired?”

Deng Yu Xiang, her blade still dripping blood, stepped over the still-warm corpses of demons and arrived before Lu Ran.

“No, not tired,” Lu Ran gasped, plopping down onto the wet, muddy ground.

“You’ve got a tough mouth,” Deng Yu Xiang said, yet her beautiful eyes betrayed clear admiration.

“Little Lu, do you still have enough energy in your Divine Power Pearl?” Sun Zhengfang stood before a demon corpse, calling out loudly.

Lu Ran nodded.

His fatigue was physical, not from Divine Power depletion.

The team had taken excellent care of him—Lu Ran’s Divine Power Pearl, worn around his neck, had never once run dry.

Come to think of it, these Moonwatchers’ physical conditioning was insane—barely human!

Especially Deng Yu Xiang!

She wielded a long, heavy greatsword, dashing through battlefields, slaughtering until heaven and earth darkened.

For every hundred meters Lu Ran ran, she probably covered five hundred!

And now, looking at her calm, composed demeanor, she made even the famed Xue Xue Ma sweat more than sweat!

Probably even horses didn’t have this endurance?

“Eleven oh one. Hold on,” came Wei Long’s voice from behind.

“Only eleven?” Lu Ran’s face froze in shock.

It felt like hours had passed.

Deng Yu Xiang knelt on one knee, gazing at Lu Ran’s face: “Endure a little longer—just four more hours.”

Three a.m. was a turning point—the demon incursion would sharply decline until no more descended.

Nearby, Sun Zhengfang called out again: “If Little Lu can’t hold on, forget it.

We’ll find a house, get him inside, and end the trial.”

“No, Uncle Sun!” Lu Ran hurriedly said, “Don’t kick me out!”

Though he was exhausted, his heart was utterly fulfilled!

Along this path of slaughter, Lu Ran, using the Moonwatch team’s hands, had captured many demon souls.

He’d been filling his own pockets!

Pure bliss~

Sun Zhengfang smiled broadly: “You’re tired. Don’t push yourself—I’ll find you a safe place to rest.

By the way, that auto repair shop belongs to your classmate’s family—why not go there and hold out for half the night?”

Lu Ran panicked: “I’ve run with you from east to west, from south to north!

We haven’t even unloaded the mill yet—why are you slaughtering the ox?

No! I won’t leave—I want to see Captain Ge!

I’ve sweated for the Moonwatchers! I’ve bled for Rain Alley City!”

“Hahaha~” Deng Yu Xiang burst out laughing, reaching out to gently flick the brim of Lu Ran’s hood. “Your Uncle Sun’s just teasing you.”

Before she finished speaking, both Deng Yu Xiang and Lu Ran turned their heads simultaneously, gazing upward.

This sight left Wei Hu stunned and Wei Long envious.

The body language between this man and woman was unmistakable—enemy attack!

As a follower of the North Wind, Deng Yu Xiang’s ability to sense enemies in advance was natural.

But how could Lu Ran, with his low power, do the same?

The Wei brothers followed their gaze and saw energy churning in midair—a slender, vicious hound rapidly forming.

“Woof~”

The roar instantly turned into a whimper—the hound had barely appeared when a barrage of wind blades struck it head-on.

Dare to show yourself?

Show yourself—die instantly!

Deng Yu Xiang lowered her hand; the hound’s head and body fell apart onto the ground.

Poor little dog.

Lu Ran was still muttering to himself when he sensed something strange.

In his mind, within the Demon Sculpture Garden, the massive demon statue of the hound clan flickered again with a faint glow in its eyes.

Lu Ran had a faint feeling.

He might be able to use the Demon Art: Evil Fang?

Was there enough soul energy?

The hound clan was indeed a common type of demon.

Over the past few hours, the team had slain many hounds, including several River Realm hounds.

Lu Ran’s heart stirred—he wanted to test the Demon Art: Evil Fang.

But there were so many Moonwatchers around… never mind, better lie low for now.

After all, this ability couldn’t be explained—better test it privately.

“Boom!”

“Roar!” Roars and thunderous crashes followed in succession.

The group stood in the dark, desolate wasteland, gazing far north toward the brightly lit city district.

Sun Zhengfang’s playful mood vanished; his face turned serious: “This hound wasn’t an isolated case—it’s a signal.”

Deng Yu Xiang stood up: “Indeed—the frequency of demon descents increases as midnight approaches… hmm?”

This was the second time she’d been interrupted.

“Meow!!”

The sudden, piercing cry sent chills through several hearts!

What rare demon had just descended?

Lu Ran’s expression changed sharply!

Cat?

A cat’s meow?!

He scrambled to his feet and stared toward the sound.

To the Wei brothers, Lu Ran’s energy surged violently—he clearly looked panicked.

But that wasn’t true!

Lu Ran’s Divine Power surged because he’d maxed out the Demon Art: Demon Sense.

His pitch-black eyes pierced through the night and rain, searching for that long-absent figure.

Could it be him?

Could it be that little mottled tabby?

“Go check!” Sun Zhengfang ordered.

“Yes!” Deng Yu Xiang lightly tapped the ground and vanished in a blur.

“Wait for me!” Lu Ran’s feet churned with mist as he launched forward like a cannonball.

“Lu Ran?”

“Slow down, Lu Ran!” The Wei brothers rushed after him.

Lu Ran followed Deng Yu Xiang’s trail straight toward a residential building.

The entrance to the dilapidated apartment block stood wide open, like a gaping black gate to hell.

“Wu ya ya~”

From within the pitch-black stairwell, eerie cries echoed faintly.

Interspersed was the strange laughter of a child.

Lu Ran: !!!

His hair stood on end!

If he’d heard a child’s laughter during daylight, in a park, Lu Ran wouldn’t have reacted so strongly.

But it was now—eleven at night!

This was a long-abandoned residential neighborhood—in this pitch-black stairwell, a child was laughing?

This damn…

“It might be a Ghost Rune Doll.”

Deng Yu xiang slammed the Zhan Ye Dao into the ground and strode into the stairwell.

The stairwell was narrow, leaving no room to wield the Zhan Ye Dao effectively.

Deng Yu xiang summoned a wind blade out of thin air, gripping it in her hand; the headlamp on her forehead also activated, casting a beam of light into the dark stairwell.

Lu Ran gripped the Xia Guang Dao tightly and followed close behind.

Instantly, the sound of rain was cut off; the silent stairwell grew even more sinister.

Hss~

Lu Ran sniffed, then frowned—ghostly aura!

Many demonic races carried a distinctive odor.

How to describe it exactly?

It was like the musty smell of moldy walls in a damp, dark basement.

Lu Ran knew it well—he had a demonic sculpture garden in his mind, and every time he dreamed of entering it, he smelled it.

Hee-hee~

Just as they reached the third floor, a child’s laughter echoed from above, sending chills down their spines.

Under the beam of the headlamp, a small head suddenly popped out from the upper stairwell.

Lu Ran’s eyes narrowed.

It was a little girl, no more than three or four years old.

From this angle, Lu Ran couldn’t see her clothes, but he saw she wore a tiger-head cap.

The cap’s design was festive, resembling the lion heads used in folk lion dances.

Why call it a tiger-head cap, not a lion-head cap?

Because a “king” character was embroidered on the tiger’s forehead.

And what was stuck beneath the “king” character? Nothing cute at all!

A yellow talisman was pasted there!

It bore crooked, uneven runes, partially obscuring the girl’s face.

Huh~

The little girl playfully blew a puff of air.

The yellow talisman before her face fluttered up, revealing her true face.

She was actually kind of cute?

Demonic race: Ghost Talisman Doll!

Hee-hee~

The Ghost Talisman Doll gripped the handrail with her tiny hands, crouched down, and grinned at them.

“Baby,” Deng Yu xiang suddenly spoke.

Her voice was gentle, making Lu Ran blink in surprise—he nearly answered.

“Come here, big sister will hug you.”

Deng Yu xiang cooed softly, climbing upward with the blade in hand.

“Huh?” The Ghost Talisman Doll tilted her head; the yellow talisman on her cap fluttered up again.

“Good girl,” Deng Yu xiang soothed. “Don’t be naughty, don’t blow—no!”

Deng Yu xiang suddenly raised her voice, but it was too late—the mischievous child had already acted.

The yellow talisman stuck to the cap finally fell off.

In an instant, flames erupted from the cap, burning the tiger-head cap to ashes.

The Ghost Talisman Doll’s face turned instantly pale!

Worse still, her eyes vanished!

Only two hollow, dark sockets remained—terrifying beyond words.

Like a damn transformation!

Hee-hee~

The Ghost Talisman Doll grinned eerily, her hollow sockets “staring” at them.

“You dare disobey?” Deng Yu xiang’s expression turned icy—she transformed too.

From a gentle big sister, she became a ruthless Great Nightmare.

She stretched her long legs, leaping over two or three steps at once, lunging upward with her blade!

Hss~

Lu Ran sniffed again, then turned his head downward: “There’s another one!”

Sun Zhengfang, covering the rear, frowned sharply.

He immediately released tendrils of branches from his palm, never questioning Lu Ran’s judgment.

Since joining the team, Lu Ran had proven his keen perception time and again.

Sure enough!

At the stairwell’s lower corner, another “little tiger” poked its head out.

It was a little boy, his face curious, looking up at them.

The yellow talisman stuck to his tiger-head cap also slipped off silently.

Please vote for monthly tickets~

(End of Chapter)