Chapter Forty-Nine: The Soul-Reaping Envoy, White Wuchang

This time, Foolish Second finally understood what Lin Ran meant. He snatched the box from Lin Ran’s physical body and hurled it forcefully against a distant rock. The box struck the stone with a loud crack and split into two.

“Damn it! This idiot!” Lin Ran cursed inwardly at Foolish Second’s action. Why throw it so far? Lin Ran rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“No! Smash it! Shatter everything for me!” Suddenly, Lin Ran felt the iron chain around his neck tightening, his body being dragged backward by Black Warden. He shouted at the top of his lungs. Black Warden seemed to realize there was something strange about the box, but he had no time to bother with Foolish Second; he wasn’t foolish himself and knew that if he lost focus, Lin Ran would escape.

Foolish Second grabbed a rock, summoned all his strength, and smashed one of the halves of the broken box with all his might. As the box shattered, Lin Ran quickly craned his neck to look but saw nothing.

“Not that half! Smash the other one!” Lin Ran shouted at the box’s remaining piece.

“Kill him!” Black Warden shot Foolish Second a cold glance and gave the surrounding specters his command.

Obeying the order, the horde of ghosts surged toward Foolish Second, who was about to smash the remaining half of the box with a stone. In an instant, the specters surrounded him, preventing the rock from falling. Realizing he was blocked, Foolish Second grew angry, grabbing a few lesser ghosts and tossing them aside, but even more vicious spirits lunged at him.

Seeing Foolish Second besieged, Lin Ran became desperately anxious. Suddenly, Foolish Second let out a few agonized screams; Lin Ran saw chunks of flesh being torn from his belly, and the anxiety in his eyes grew even more intense. Black Warden, unwilling to delay further, dragged Lin Ran swiftly toward Ghost City.

“Aaah!” Just then, Foolish Second suddenly let out a tremendous roar, and a golden beam of light shot across the distance, blasting the attacking spirits into dust. Seizing his opportunity, Foolish Second found his target, and with all his might, he smashed the remaining piece of the box with his stone.

A crisp snap rang out, revealing a white bundle inside.

“Put it on!” Lin Ran saw that the white object was a piece of clothing, one that felt very familiar to him. Without a second thought, he shouted to Foolish Second, signaling him to dress his physical body in it.

At that moment, Foolish Second seemed possessed by a heavenly power. He dashed toward Lin Ran’s body and put the garment on him. Instantly, Lin Ran—who was being dragged away—felt an overwhelming force pulling at him. Before he could scream, his vision blurred, and when he opened his eyes, his soul had returned to his body. Black Warden now stood far away.

A cold and sinister aura immediately emanated from Lin Ran, yet it didn’t feel unfamiliar; rather, it was as if this was his natural state. Lin Ran looked down at himself in astonishment. He was now wearing a white robe, somewhat similar to the one Black Warden wore.

Foolish Second stared dumbly at Lin Ran’s transformation, forgetting that he was being chased by the horde. In that moment of hesitation, he was engulfed by the specters, his screams echoing in torment. Several fierce spirits rushed at Lin Ran as well. Witnessing this, Lin Ran’s expression turned icy, and he let out a cold snort. A wave of chilling ghostly energy burst from him, blasting the surrounding specters away.

“Courting death!” Lin Ran’s hand now held a golden soul-calling bell. At this moment, wisps of ghostly energy coiled around it. Lin Ran shook the bell gently, and instantly, the specters froze where they stood, as though stripped of all will. Such was the might of a single bell!

Foolish Second, now frightened, hurried behind Lin Ran. The way he looked at Lin Ran was no longer foolish; instead, there was a spark of awe and respect.

At that moment, Black Warden returned. His pitch-black face showed a hint of surprise as his iron chain dropped to the ground.

“You dare return?” Lin Ran greeted Black Warden’s arrival with a sinister smile. An even more terrifying ghostly aura surged from Lin Ran, instantly lowering the temperature around them. Lin Ran could feel his body brimming with dreadful power—he felt as if he could crush a fierce ghost with his bare hand.

“Are you White Night?” Sensing the chilling energy, Black Warden’s expression changed.

“You’ve no right to know who I am!” Lin Ran replied coldly, shaking the soul-calling bell in his hand.

Standing at a distance, Black Warden’s face twisted. With a muffled groan, he staggered, then turned and fled toward Ghost City without looking back. Lin Ran didn’t pursue him; he merely watched his retreating figure with a cold gaze.

Lin Ran frowned as he looked toward Ghost City. An oppressive force was locking onto him from that direction. It wasn’t that Lin Ran didn’t want to kill Black Warden; rather, under that oppressive gaze, he dared not make any rash moves.