Chapter 130: The Thunder Talisman Breaks the Evil

Half-Immortal Liu from Mount Qingcheng had personally taught me how to use the thunder talisman. Every word he spoke was a pearl of wisdom, and his bearing was extraordinary; he was very likely a highly accomplished master.

Fate had guided me to learn this method during my first live stream. Back then, I never could have imagined that one day I would hold a genuine Heavenly Capital Thunder Talisman and unleash the thunder seal!

Now, on the sixth floor of Century New Garden, a thunderbolt struck from thin air, terrifying everyone present.

The talisman paper hadn't even fully unleashed its divine power, yet its sheer might had already scattered the evil energy on the sixth floor. When that crack of thunder echoed, two talismans drawn with red characters on white paper shattered on either side of the corridor. These were the Spirit Concealing Talismans Lu Xing used to deceive the eyes of others. Because of them, the passing waiters had completely ignored the sixth floor.

Standing in the middle of the corridor, I held the thunder talisman high. I focused my mind and gathered my will, pouring every ounce of my concentration into controlling the talisman paper.

Using an Upper Vehicle Talisman was incredibly strenuous for someone like me, who was only at the Following the Middle Path Realm. I had barely chanted two lines of the incantation before all the strength in my body was drained dry. The talisman in my hand felt like a bottomless black hole.

"An Upper Vehicle thunder talisman!" Lu Xing's expression finally changed. A trace of fear surfaced on his ugly, bizarre face. Thunder was a heavenly tribulation, existing outside the five elements. It was the fiercest and most overbearing power in the world, capable of suppressing all evil entities and yin souls.

Seeing me bring out the thunder talisman, Lu Xing considered retreating. Yet, he was truly unwilling to give up this golden opportunity. He had searched for the General Star Divine Fiends for a full ten years, and this time, it was just a few meters away.

"I have to kill the General Star!" Lu Xing plunged his knife completely into the Black Eyeball. "Fate Ghost, heed my command! Kill!"

He channeled his spell, but the Fate Ghost standing silently in the corridor did not obey. Its long black hair writhed in the hallway like boiling water, carving deep gouges into the walls and floor.

"Fate Ghost, heed my command! Kill! Kill! Kill!" Lu Xing's face twisted in madness as he pierced the eyeball with his knife. The blood flowing from the Black Eyeball soaked his palm. The Fate Ghost let out a piercing shriek and covered its eyes as tears of blood streamed from its two pitch-black sockets.

The Fate Ghost had lost control. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Pushing everything else aside, I drew a drop of essential heart's blood and smeared it in the center of my palm. I was willing to gamble my yang lifespan and flesh and blood to obliterate this demon.

The complex divine patterns on the thunder talisman shimmered with a bloody hue. I felt as if I were lifting a thousand catties as I raised it above my head. "By the decree of thunder, as urgent as a falling star! Eight directional majestic gods, make me natural! Lingbao talisman mandate, proclaim to the nine heavens! Ganluo Dana, penetrate the great mystery! Slay demons and bind evil, kill a myriad of ghosts!"

Golden light flared like a scorching sun. Everyone in the corridor could hear the crackle of electricity ringing in their ears.

"Damn it! Fate Ghost, kill him for me!" Lu Xing's eyes stung from the glare. Pitch-black sweat dripped from his arms, and soon after, his skin began to wrinkle as if he were rapidly aging.

The Fate Ghost in the corridor also sensed the danger. It lunged at me with a screech, but it was too late. The talisman seal was already complete.

Treading the seven-star footwork, I used my very last ounce of strength to press the Heavenly Capital Thunder Talisman onto the top of the Fate Ghost's head.

"Let the foul and malevolent scatter, may the Dao energy endure forever!"

My voice rang like a bronze bell, shaking the soul. Wherever the thunder talisman passed, the evil energy crumbled and vanished!

The moment the talisman paper stuck to the top of the Fate Ghost's head, its pale, bloodshot face flickered between reality and illusion. Finally, it shattered into pieces like a glass mask.

Faintly, I thought I saw a strange woman smile at the small, emaciated Fate Ghost behind her. Her long hair flowed like water, and her eyes were filled with deep reluctance before she faded away like smoke.

"Bang!"

The Black Eyeball in Lu Xing's hand exploded. His complexion was ashen. "A Heavenly Capital Thunder Talisman! It's actually a Heavenly Capital Thunder Talisman! Damn it, all of you deserve to die!"

With the Fate Ghost destroyed, he seemed to age years in an instant. The hand holding the knife trembled slightly—whether from sheer fury or the massive drain on his qi and blood was unclear.

"Lu Xing, heavenly calamities can be survived, but self-inflicted sins cannot be escaped! You have lost all conscience. Today, I'm going to slaughter you with my own hands!"

I never once considered bringing him to justice and handing him over to the police. A firing squad wouldn't be enough to wash away the sins he had committed.

"Stop acting tough. An Upper Vehicle Talisman isn't something you can just use casually. Your realm isn't high enough, so it definitely drained a massive amount of your lifespan and physical essence. I bet you can barely even stand right now, can you?" Lu Xing knew the consequences of using an Upper Vehicle Talisman above one's realm, so he wasn't concerned about me. The one he was truly worried about was Bai Qi.

Although Bai Qi's hind leg was injured, if a real fight broke out, Lu Xing's chances of winning were slim.

"Hurry! Hurry! Someone saw him go to the sixth floor earlier! Jiang Shao said that whoever catches him first gets a five-thousand reward!"

"There was a loud bang from the sixth floor just now. It's pitch black, so we can't see clearly. Do you think that guy caused it?"

"The police have already been called. They should be here in ten or so minutes!"

Noisy voices echoed from the stairwell. With the Spirit Concealing Talismans broken, people could freely enter the sixth floor. The security guards rushing up at this moment made Lu Xing's situation even more precarious.

"Let's see where you can run this time." Although the building's power hadn't been restored, the security guards had strength in numbers. If Lu Xing ran downstairs, he would inevitably crash right into them.

Lu Xing tucked his knife into his lower back and pulled on his peaked cap. "I have to admit that I underestimated you this time. But if I want to leave, you people can't stop me."

He gave a gloomy smile. "I'm looking forward to our next showdown. Gao Jian, I'll remember your name!"

The moment his voice fell, he drew his knife and charged at Tie Ningxiang. This sudden turn of events was completely out of my expectations.

I wanted to stop him, but I collapsed to the ground after taking a single step. My legs were limp; using the thunder talisman had overdrawn far too much of my strength.

Fortunately, Bai Qi was still there. He leaped forward, blocking the path between Tie Ningxiang and Lu Xing.

But to my surprise, Lu Xing's target wasn't Tie Ningxiang at all. He had merely pretended he was going to kill her to trick Bai Qi into clearing the way, and then he scrambled up the stairs toward the upper floors.

I wanted to give chase in the darkness, but my body had absolutely no strength left. All I could do was lie on the floor and watch that evil, cunning figure run away.

The footsteps grew chaotic as more and more people poured onto the sixth floor. I forced my hand up to tuck the already cracked thunder talisman into my pocket and sighed softly. "So close. Just a little bit more."

"Found him! That bastard is right here!"

"Huh? There's a woman next to him, too."

"Who cares about that? Listen to Jiang Shao—let's teach this kid a lesson first!"

"Hey, don't kill him."

Two or three security guards walked toward me with batons in hand. One of them was the very guy whose nose I had broken. Seeing them approach, I licked my dry lips. "A murderer broke into the hotel. Go after him quickly! He ran upstairs."

"A murderer? You look like a murderer yourself, you little punk! How dare you hit me? Watch me beat you to death!" The security guard with the broken nose clutched his face with one hand, swung his baton in a wide arc with the other, and smashed it toward my head.

He was too close. I couldn't dodge at all, nor did I have the strength to. I simply closed my eyes.

"Smack!" The sound of a baton striking flesh echoed out, but I didn't feel any pain.

I opened my eyes to see a bloody arm shielding my head. The baton had struck her forearm, leaving a deep, dark purple bruise.

"He's not a murderer!" someone shouted, hugging me from behind. She felt incredibly soft and carried a unique, familiar fragrance.

"Senior Sister..." Ever since I was dragged into the rainy night serial murder case five years ago, my friends had left one by one, and my lover had abandoned me. I seemed to have become a symbol of bad luck and misfortune. No one had ever spoken up for me the way Tie Ningxiang did. When the vast majority of people stood against me, she chose to stand behind me.

Five years ago, I thought Ye Bing would be that person, but when I fell into the abyss, she heartlessly turned her back on me.

Five years later, it was the exact same situation. The only difference was that someone was finally willing to speak up for me.

The lights overhead flickered a few times before the corridor was bathed in light once again. The building's backup power had kicked in, and everyone present could finally see the total devastation of the sixth-floor hallway.

"What's going on?" Jiang Chen rushed over after hearing the commotion. The scene before his eyes gave him a shock at first, but then his gaze lingered on Tie Ningxiang, a flash of wicked intent passing through his eyes.

...

Lu Xing crawled out of a ventilation duct. At the rear of the Century New Garden building, a dilapidated van was already waiting for him.

He pulled the van door open. Under the seat lay a crowbar, tools for cutting electrical wires, and two pairs of insulated gloves.

"Did you get it?" A pair of twins sitting inside the van spoke in unison, sounding exactly like a single person.

Lu Xing waved his hand impatiently. He climbed into the van, but the moment he opened his mouth, he vomited a large mouthful of black blood.