Chapter 299: Collapse

Several more clones swiftly leaped over the courtyard wall and jumped in.

The Ghost Wang Fei grew even more arrogant, controlling all her clones to speak in unison: "Now guess, which body am I actually in?"

Wu Chenxin's eight Heavenly Soldiers and Generals each grabbed hold of one clone.

The Ghost Wang Fei didn't even deign to resist; she abandoned these eight clones, letting the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals tear them apart.

"Hehehe... what's the point?"

"Even if you slay all these clones tonight, how can you be certain I don't have other clones within the city?"

"As long as one fish slips through the net, I can quickly breed countless clones!"

Ma Tianshou flew into a rage: "How arrogant, you evil spirit!"

The Tiger-Headed Cleaver captured the Ghost Wang Fei's true body again.

The Ghost Wang Fei put on an act, screaming "Aaaah!" as she was seized and brought beneath the Tiger-Headed Cleaver.

Ma Tianshou suddenly yanked the cleaver blade downward—

But in that instant, the Ghost Wang Fei was about to switch to another clone...

Xu Yuan spotted the timing and shook the bicycle bell in his hand:

Ding-ling-ling...

All the clones froze stiff at once.

The Ghost Wang Fei entered a new clone, only to find she couldn't move at all!

The Ghost Wang Fei was stunned; she instantly switched from this clone to another, only to find the same situation.

So the Ghost Wang Fei headed straight for Master Wen Bin Bin's body.

This body possessed Zhang Laoya's foundation in the Six Flows of Dharma Cultivation.

After the Ghost Wang Fei used the cocoon-eating "seed" to parasitize Zhang Laoya, she controlled Zhang Laoya to transfer the cultivation of "Merchant Arts" to "Master Wen Bin Bin."

But this Master Wen Bin Bin was no longer the real Master Wen Bin Bin.

Once the three Dream Eaters and Zhang Laoya died, the Ghost Wang Fei casually eliminated Master Wen Bin Bin.

She replaced him with one of her own monster clones.

Any monster clone had consumed Xu Yuan's medicine.

Unless it was a body as formidable as Wild Boar Tusk's, it could not withstand the medicine's potency.

The Ghost Wang Fei opened Master Wen Bin Bin's mouth and let out a shriek: "What's going on?!"

Ma Tianshou and the other two knew the truth and laughed heartily: "Hahaha, so the evil spirit has met her match today!"

Wu Chenxin acted fastest; his eight "Heavenly Soldiers and Generals" pounced, tearing apart eight clones in one strike.

The Ghost Wang Fei's voice was shrill: "Tonight, I'll spare you for now—"

She flashed out from within "Master Wen Bin Bin's" body, simultaneously commanding her other clones in the city not to gather, then randomly selected a clone to enter.

Ma Tianshou roared, hoisting the Tiger-Headed Cleaver on his shoulder: "Xu Yuan, lead the way!"

Xu Yuan activated "Gazing at Fate," stepped onto his fire wheels, and chased after the Ghost Wang Fei.

The Ghost Wang Fei had just entered the new clone and hadn't even caught her breath when she heard a "ding-ling-ling" sound.

This clone, along with several others nearby, froze stiff!

"What on earth is happening?!"

The Ghost Wang Fei collapsed in a scream of despair; Xu Yuan had already brought Ma Tianshou charging over.

Li Yichuan followed behind, holding a massive Divine Machine Crossbow in his other arm.

Before he even arrived, he unleashed a massive hail of arrows.

Puff-puff-puff...

Several clones were turned into sieves.

The Ghost Wang Fei had no choice but to switch clones again.

This time, she deliberately chose one far away—she had just entered it when she saw Ma Tianshou, carrying the Tiger-Headed Cleaver, sprinting through the air above her head.

The Great Lord Ma had pasted a "Soaring on Clouds" talisman on his leg and shouted across the entire city: "The Evil-Exorcism Bureau is conducting business!"

"All evil spirits, retreat!"

Curfew was suspended tonight; the Great Lord Ma was imposing—but he dared only act this way within the city.

The evil spirits within the city followed the rules.

With the Great Lord Ma leading the charge, Xu Yuan, stepping on his fire wheels, followed closely behind, shaking the bicycle bell at the clones once more.

The Ghost Wang Fei was controlling a clone to slip away along the wall when suddenly her whole body jerked and she crashed to the ground.

Li Yichuan had already eliminated all the clones at "Pine Wave Courtyard" and chased up; he waved his hand, and the "Heavenly Soldiers and Generals" pounced.

"Kill, kill, kill! Hahaha..."

The Captains of the Evil-Exorcism Bureau had never felt so exhilarated at night.

With the Great Lord Ma covering them from above, the Evil-Exorcism Bureau swept the entire city at night.

Any stragglers from Li Yichuan's and Wu Chenxin's forces were seized by Di Youzhi and others, chopped up, and burned.

Shi Bading and Wan Yun also came out, leading their brothers to grab credit.

Only He Youxing remained in the office, sitting firmly on the fishing platform; with the lights on, Xie Qingman sat opposite him.

"The Director's conduct has indeed brought momentary satisfaction, but the evil spirits in the city likely harbor grievances; the trouble will fall on us later." He Youxing began to hesitate again, looking back and forth.

Xie Qingman nodded in deep agreement.

Inside the vast Occupation Bureau, it was cold and desolate; only two disheartened Law-Enforcement Lords comforted each other.

Former rivals now huddled together for warmth.

The Ghost Wang Fei fled in disgrace, heading straight from Xicheng to the Eastern City.

Xu Yuan chased her "life," his speed no slower than hers.

Ma Tianshou roared: "The city gates are closed! Evil spirit, today you are doomed!"

The Ghost Wang Fei refused to believe it; with hundreds of avatars in the city, she constantly switched between them.

These avatars were the result of decades of her painstaking effort.

She had personally entered the fray, bewitched those smelly men, and only then obtained that batch of cocoon food.

During this time, she also captured many living people, tortured and killed them, and collected their resentful souls for experiments.

After making countless preparations, she finally succeeded.

This final step, where she and her avatars hid among the people, was originally the least risky and simplest part—by now, it could already be considered a success.

After that, in at most three years, she could advance to the Fourth Grade; in ten years, she could advance to the Third Grade!

But how did she get stuck at this very last step?

Where was the problem?

The Ghost Wang Fei suddenly looked at the young inspector from the Purification Bureau.

That carriage bell in his hand...

But in the Ghost Wang Fei's will, her entire plan included the Shanhe Bureau, the Canal Office, and the Imperial Inspector Master Wen Bin Bin... yet there was no such small inspector.

Where did this fellow pop up from?

And when did he strike against these "avatars" of my palace?

The Ghost Wang Fei had already realized that someone had drugged her avatars.

She gritted her teeth fiercely, her mind instantly shifting to the canal dock outside the city.

Didn't you, Ma Tianshou, say the city gates were closed, thinking you could trap me like a turtle in a jar?

Unexpected, wasn't it? I still have avatars outside the city!

Without these avatars, with the city gates closed and the city walls sealed by auspicious artifacts, my palace would truly have been unable to escape.

At the canal dock, the great manager of the Canal Gang, who was sleeping in a room, suddenly opened his eyes; his appearance instantly changed, from a burly and bold Wu Xiu into a peerless beauty.

She looked with disgust at the girl in her arms and reached out to cover her nose and mouth to suffocate her... but suddenly remembered a question: how did that small inspector manage to find the location of my palace's avatars accurately every single time?

If he could find those avatars inside the city, he might well be able to find these few at the canal dock as well!

The Ghost Wang Fei instantly became alert, floated up from the bed, and dared not delay any longer, preparing to flee quickly into Little Yu Shan.

But she suddenly heard a light chuckle; the window was pushed open, and that small inspector was actually outside already.

The bell in his hand rang out, and the Ghost Wang Fei fell straight down once again.

The Ghost Wang Fei was truly on the verge of collapse; she burst out of her avatar, her face grotesque, fangs bared, and screamed fiercely at Xu Yuan: "Ah—"

(End of this chapter)