Chapter 186

The fire of karmic sin ignited the earth spider.

Before it could struggle, Tang Luo grabbed its palm from behind and pulled downward.

The earth spider's massive body instantly lost balance, tilting downward, and its other five huge arms involuntarily reached down to support it.

Tang Luo clenched his right fist and raised his hand to blast out!

The Thousand Hands cannot block it!

However, this time there were no flurries of fist shadows or palm shadows—only five strikes.

The earth spider's five arms turned into a spray of blood mist; splattering black blood fell on surrounding buildings, emitting a harsh sizzle and releasing white smoke that made one want to vomit from the stench.

With a flick of his left hand, he hurled the earth spider—now noticeably smaller and burning with karmic sin fire—backward.

After smashing through many shops, the earth spider crashed into the building's main gate and fell onto the street, where a burning torch could be seen.

Though the earth spider could still struggle, it had lost all strength to resist, merely rolling left and right on the street.

Flames on its body continuously formed vengeful faces that frenziedly gnawed at the earth spider.

Each bite made the earth spider's body wither, steadily progressing toward a charred, desiccated corpse.

Tang Luo stepped out, watching the earth spider gradually become a curled black corpse, the fire in its eyes reduced to a mere thread.

"Finally, not so noisy anymore." Tang Luo exhaled, speaking to the earth spider, "Thank you."

The earth spider, already stepping into death, gave no response to Tang Luo's "thanks."

The karmic sin fire gradually faded, finally leaving only a "corpse shell" that turned to ash at the slightest breeze.

"Gone." Li Suibin, having exited the building, said with an extremely complex expression.

The shadow in his heart was thus erased by someone—but in its place, a heavenly chasm remained.

On one side of the chasm stood Master Xuanzang; on the other, he stood.

Li Suibin felt he had returned to the real world and could probably write a modern poem expressing his "sorrow."

"Hahaha, I said it—with the master around, there's nothing to worry about." Chu Zhongtian said, the master as formidable as ever, as if fighting anyone made little difference.

First assess the situation; once action is truly taken, it's just one-two-three, and it's over.

"I found the axe."

After a while, An'an emerged with two axes in hand; the spider lady tossed her axe casually into a corner—fortunately recovered, otherwise it would have been a great loss.

"This earth spider is not bad." Tang Luo said, whether providing merit power or giving him a place to set fire, the earth spider fulfilled its duty without disappointing him.

Hearing Tang Luo's words, Li Suibin's mood improved considerably.

See? This is a demon beast even the master "praised"—his losing is normal.

"The time flow in that sealed land seems different from outside." Tang Luo asked, "What time is it now?"

"No wonder Master Xuanzang hasn't come out after so long—we were still worried—" Chu Zhongtian didn't finish his sentence, worrying about what, worrying that Tang Luo would be killed by a senior's plot.

"The start of the Hundred Ghost Night Parade is two days from mission end." An'an said, "Now, we're not exactly sure how much longer."

They had been fed by the earth spider and spider lady, plunged into a death-feigning state and fainted, not knowing how long had passed.

But judging by the city's condition, the Hundred Ghost Night Parade's rampage had already lasted quite a while.

Optimistically, perhaps in a few more hours they could return; at most, half a day.

"Looks like time waits for no one." Tang Luo said, "The dog should be back soon—later, you guys find a place to hide with her; I'm going to 'Universal Salvation.' By the way, do you know how this Hundred Ghost Night Parade came about? Not that we released something in the sealed land, right?"

Everyone shook their heads; An'an briefly described what they encountered after entering the dry well.

After parting ways, An'an and Chu Zhongtian searched for Li Suibin and Feihuang.

They found nothing, and during that time encountered no danger—it was as if all ghostly beings had vanished overnight.

This calm did not reassure An'an and Chu Zhongtian; instead, it felt like the stillness before a storm, the quiet before wind fills the tower.

Events proved they had not guessed wrong.

At the critical moment, the Hundred Ghost Night Parade suddenly erupted, turning the entire city into a human hell.

Had Tang Luo not appeared in time, it would have been uncertain whether they, as reserve rations, could have luckily endured until mission end.

"Rest assured, Master, we will surely take good care of your dog." Chu Zhongtian said.

"... No, actually, never mind." Tang Luo thought it over and decided not to discourage them; looking at Li Suibin's appearance, he felt he was quickly becoming a true·declining middle-aged man.

The kind who had worked half his life at some company, only a team leader, who had risen to power shortly after joining, bossed around by younger colleagues.

With four elderly parents at home, two ill, a rebellious daughter who neglects studies, a wife complaining that Old Wang next door got promoted and raised, taking the whole family on trips, able only to stay after work in the glow of his past life's peak moments, having spent ten or twenty thousand on a car driven for over a decade, gaining a brief respite—this bitter middle-aged man.

The sole comfort: at least he hadn't gone bald.

Judging by appearance, Li Suibin was already close to that state; Tang Luo decided kindly not to expose it.

Life is already so hard—some things are better left unspoken.

"Feihuang, Li Suifeng—are these two causing trouble?" Tang Luo gazed at the city.

This Hundred Ghost Night Parade is likely related to them.

But whether Feihuang or Li Suifeng, neither seems to have this ability.

Perhaps they encountered something in the sealed land, became subordinates of the sealed demon, which then created the Hundred Ghost Night Parade?

That would be a relatively reasonable explanation.

Regardless, Tang Luo intends to seize the time, save people, and convert the ghosts.

If the source can be found, naturally resolving this Hundred Ghost Night Parade would be best.

"By the way, I saw two people on the road—seems like other divine-demonic wanderers have intruded." Tang Luo said, "In my last survival mission, I also encountered intruding divine-demonic wanderers. Their mission was still to kill me; I don't know if it'll be the same this time, but anyway, you guys be careful."

The three widened their eyes—divine-demonic wanderers hunting in the Hundred Ghost Night Parade?

Does this still let people play?

"That... actually, we can temporarily hide here." Chu Zhongtian suggested.

The earth spider and spider lady were slain by Tang Luo; this "No Entry for Strangers" dangerous nest instantly became safe.

In the short term, there probably won't be any hundred ghosts coming over, enough to hold out for a while.

Even if there is danger, we are not truly helpless.

Sword control technique is not only for controlling swords; when necessary, bricks and rubble can actually be used as well.

Corpses can be found by walking outside; if this still leads to encountering danger and dying, Chu Zhongtian also accepts it.

The other two nodded; with things having developed to this point, their only thought was to survive.

Everything else was completely thrown out of their minds.

The three turned back into the building, standing at the broken door, seeing Tang Luo off, but they didn't wait for Tang Luo to walk out of this street.

A sudden rush of footsteps came from the other side.

Chu Zhongtian and the others saw a figure flash past the street in front of the door, moving extremely fast; in the brief glance, they felt it was unusually familiar.

"Master?"

"No, he has hair, it's that corridor imitating ghost!"

The three suddenly reacted.

It was the corridor imitating ghost that had appeared before, mimicking Tang Luo's appearance; Tang Luo guessed this ghost could not leave the corridor too far.

But now it appeared on the road, rushing straight toward Tang Luo.

It seems Tang Luo's deliberate dropping of the slit-mouthed woman's corpse as part of the "merging ghost" plan has worked, or is it the Night of a Hundred Ghosts that removed the imitating ghost's original restrictions?

Or perhaps both.

Without shouting a warning to Tang Luo, the earth spider, such a great demon, is no match for the master in one move.

This imitating ghost is just here to deliver food.

The three still cautiously stepped back one step; although the imitating ghost is just delivering food to the master, they know dealing with it certainly won't be that easy.

If it draws the imitating ghost's attention, making it attack them, and if one of them can't withstand it, forcing the master to turn back to save them, that would be too embarrassing.

The basic operation of clinging to the thigh is to obey and not cause trouble, never acting on one's own initiative.

When there is danger, hide a bit, let the thigh handle it, rather than mindlessly rushing forward, thinking one is making great effort, when in fact it's just hindering.

The corridor imitating ghost rushed toward Tang Luo but did not stop; instead, it brushed past him, bringing a gust of wind.

"Running this fast, are you being chased?" Tang Luo watched the imitating ghost rolling forward on the ground, somewhat curious.

Just as they brushed past, he stuck out his foot to trip it, and incidentally sent the last bit of karmic fire to it.

The karmic fire quickly burned that fierce ghost to ashes, bringing Tang Luo some merit power.

"Indeed, survival missions still suit me." Tang Luo muttered, continuing forward.

Standing at the crossroads, he casually chose a direction, intending to go that way.

Suddenly, a black sharp arrow appeared behind Tang Luo, heading straight for his heart's position, making no sound, as if it had appeared out of nowhere!

Tang Luo turned around, reached out and grabbed the arrow; the shaft was in his hand, the fletching still trembling continuously.

Turning his right hand that held the arrow, he swept the fletching upward, just striking another arrow that had appeared out of nowhere, breaking that arrow.

His right hand became an afterimage, sweeping past in front of him, then stopping.

Several more black arrows appeared on the ground, which he blocked entirely; Tang Luo backhanded threw, and the black arrow in his hand vanished without a trace.

At the end of the street, the archer widened his eyes, trying to dodge sideways as much as possible, but still was a step slow; the arrow swept past, tearing away his right arm.

The ornate bow and arrow fell to the ground.

The man's face turned horrified, his mind filled with only one thought: "He went bald, and also got stronger."

Why? Why was it that just now he was still chasing the "hundred ghosts," and suddenly they became so ferocious?

Was it merely because when he disappeared from sight, he went from white hair to bald, and then became stronger?

In the mission world, the things in the manga really are true!

He was really obsessed with manga before, no mistake!