Chapter 620 - 620: Soul-locking Array, Maniacal

Lin Xue always carried the Protective Talisman and Fearless Pearl that Zhao Yuan had given her. Hearing his words now, she quickly clasped them in her hands and instantly felt a sense of relief wash over her.

She remembered that she was a Cultivator in her own right. 'I can't drag Zhao Yuan down.' She nodded and said, "Don't worry. I'll make sure Sister Liu is safe."

"What are you two talking about? Something about protection?" Liu Xiaoya asked, her curiosity piqued. Their conversation had been too quiet for her to hear clearly.

Lin Xue flatly denied it. "Protection? You must have misheard. I said I'd stay here and chat with you about the renovations."

"Really?" Liu Xiaoya was skeptical. She was certain she had just heard the word "protection." But since Lin Xue and Zhao Yuan wouldn't elaborate, she couldn't press the matter.

Zhao Yuan quickly stepped out of the villa and into the garden. "Well? Did you find anything?" he asked.

"No." The Bone Woman shook her head.

Zhao Yuan reassured her, "It's alright. Let me pinpoint its location!"

With that, he opened his Storage Ring Space, took out a brush and paper, and performed the Tracking Technique.

In just a moment, a detailed address and map materialized on the paper.

The address was useless—it was just the address of this very villa. The map, however, was crucial. It pinpointed the Evil Ghost's exact hiding place.

The Bone Woman leaned in for a look. "I know this place," she said. "I've chased after it twice, once yesterday and once today, so I've already memorized the surrounding terrain. The spot marked on the map is about twenty meters southwest of the villa."

Zhao Yuan didn't doubt the Bone Woman's ability to memorize terrain in the slightest. In her past life, she was a Military General who led troops into battle! Observing and memorizing terrain was precisely her specialty.

Zhao Yuan handed the map to the Bone Woman, along with a Shrinking Earth Talisman. "You lead the way," he ordered. "Let's go pay our 'neighbor' a visit!"

"As you command!" the Bone Woman replied. Taking the map, she unleashed her top speed, and augmented by the Shrinking Earth Talisman, she shot out of the villa like a phantom.

Zhao Yuan immediately followed suit, using a Shrinking Earth Talisman of his own and pushing his speed to the limit.

Within the Cao Tang Peninsula District, each villa was separated by fifty to sixty meters of space filled with lush trees, rockeries, and other landscaping. Therefore, Zhao Yuan and the Bone Woman weren't the least bit worried that their inhuman speed would be spotted by any neighbors.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the location marked on the map.

To Zhao Yuan's confusion, he still couldn't detect any trace of Ghost Qi in the area.

'Did the Evil Ghost get away already?'

'Impossible!'

'Right after I used the Tracking Technique to find its location, the Bone Woman and I came straight here. There's no way it had enough time to escape. And even if it did flee, it would have been in a panic and was bound to leave some clues behind!'

'The most likely possibility is that the Evil Ghost used a Secret Technique to conceal its Ghost Qi and is still lurking somewhere nearby.'

"You think you can get away with just hiding?" Zhao Yuan snorted. He raised a hand, withdrew the Wind and Thunder Whip from his Storage Ring Space, and plunged it into the ground. Immediately, he channeled Wish Power and Qi into it!

BOOM!

Powerful serpents of electric light immediately erupted from the Wind and Thunder Whip.

Countless electric serpents shot out from the whip, spreading out in all directions.

This was electricity imbued with Celestial Thunder Power—the bane of demons and ghosts! If the Evil Ghost was truly lurking nearby, these currents would undoubtedly force it out.

"AHHH—"

Sure enough, just as the electric serpents flew out, a shrill, piercing scream echoed from the left.

Zhao Yuan whipped his head around and saw a thick, ancient tree. The bloodcurdling scream was coming from within it. Not only that, but under the assault of the electric serpents, the tree's branches, trunk, and even its roots were shaking violently, as if in great pain.

'So it was hiding in the tree... No, that's not right. If it were just hiding inside, it could use a Secret Technique to conceal its Ghost Qi, but the tree wouldn't be in pain along with it. From the looks of it now, the tree itself seems to be suffering, enduring the devastation of the Celestial Thunder!'

Zhao Yuan's eyebrow twitched. He strode over to the ancient tree, which was so thick it would take two or three people to encircle it with their arms. With a wave of his hand, a stream of Qi surged forth, sweeping away the dirt, moss, and other debris from the trunk and revealing a Talisman Array.

'Just as I thought. The Ghost was imprisoned in this tree by someone! Who would do such a thing? And for what purpose?' Zhao Yuan's mind was filled with questions.

At that very moment, under the Evil Ghost's control, the ancient tree's branches and intertwined vines lunged at Zhao Yuan like ferocious vipers and giant pythons, trying to coil around him and tear him to shreds.

ZING!

The Bone Woman reacted instantly. She drew the Raccoon Bone Blade from her Storage Ring Space and, with a vicious slash, severed all the attacking branches and vines.

These were no ordinary branches and vines; they were part of the Evil Ghost, as hard as steel and solid as rock. Even so, they couldn't withstand the sharp edge of the Raccoon Bone Blade!

"Block its attacks for me," Zhao Yuan ordered without looking up.

The instant he saw the Runes on the trunk, a relevant description appeared on the Information Leaf.

Soul-locking Array: An exceptionally vicious Talisman Array that can imprison a soul, preventing it from reincarnating!

To use this Array, a living person must be brought before it and killed, ensuring their soul is locked within at the moment of death.

Practitioners of the heretical path of Ghost Cultivation are fond of using this Talisman Array, locking souls in places with strong feng shui to raise Ghosts. Once the Ghost matures, they either claim it as a Ghost Spirit or periodically devour the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi it has absorbed to fuel their own cultivation.

'This Talisman Array is simply despicable!' Zhao Yuan's brow furrowed. 'I wonder if there's a way to break it and release the imprisoned Ghost so it can reincarnate?'

The thought had barely formed when the method for breaking the Soul-locking Array appeared on the Information Leaf.

Overjoyed, Zhao Yuan immediately followed the instructions. Using his hand as a brush and his Qi as ink, he rapidly drew an invisible Rune in mid-air and slapped it into the tree's trunk.

VMMMM!

A strange humming sound emanated from the ancient tree. Then, he watched as trickles of foul, crimson blood began to seep from the Runes of the Soul-locking Array.

This was no illusion; it was real blood.

"This is Heart Blood!"

Thanks to the Information Leaf, Zhao Yuan knew the origin of this blood.

'The person who laid this Soul-locking Array stabbed a knife into the victim's heart right here, and used their Heart Blood to draw these Runes. Each and every Rune was drawn with blood from a fresh stab wound to the heart. During the process of drawing the Talisman Array, even though the victim's heart was riddled with holes, they were kept alive by a Secret Technique. The caster needed them to remain in a state of extreme pain and despair. That way, the power of their Heart Blood would be magnified, and they would become a more powerful Ghost after death!'

'This method is utterly monstrous!'