Chapter 117: Opening the Soul!
As this surge of power, not his own, erupted from his body, the first thing Yang Haoran thought of was the protective talisman Zhou Daoshi had lent him yesterday.
Without a moment's hesitation, he immediately pulled the talisman from his pocket.
At this moment, the protective talisman glowed intensely, a stark contrast to its ordinary appearance yesterday. Yang Haoran knew something was wrong and wanted to destroy the talisman immediately, but before he could even make a move, the folded talisman spontaneously ignited in his hand, turning to ashes in an instant.
The moment the protective talisman dissolved into ash, Yang Haoran knew it was too late. Though he didn't understand the art of talismans, he knew some basic common sense: only when a talisman self-ignites can it truly unleash its full power.
As the ashes drifted from Yang Haoran's palm, an even more powerful surge of energy, greater than before, emanated from beneath him.
Lowering his gaze to the ground below, Yang Haoran's expression turned even grimmer.
Beneath his feet, a talisman had appeared. It wasn't a physical object but rather formed from a special kind of energy, constantly radiating a dazzling light.
The talisman was enormous, occupying a vast area of the space. Not only was Yang Haoran standing within it, but Xu Meijing, who was beside him, was also positioned directly on top of this talisman.
Yang Haoran knew that this massive talisman beneath him must have been formed from the power of the folded protective talisman, but he didn't recognize what kind of talisman it actually was.
"A Lock Yin Talisman. I'm surprised you could draw such a long-lost talisman. It truly astounds me. " Xu Meijing's cold and arrogant voice echoed through the area.
Yang Haoran looked bewildered; he had no idea what this "Lock Yin Talisman" was. However, Zhou Daoshi, upon hearing Xu Meijing's words, showed a hint of surprise on his face.
"Heh heh, young lady, you're quite impressive, to recognize the Lock Yin Talisman. That's right, this talisman is indeed the Lock Yin Talisman, specifically designed to target ghosts and Underworld Office agents," Zhou Daoshi chuckled.
Yang Haoran's heart jolted. There were many talismans that targeted ghosts, which didn't bother him at all; even Wang Yiming knew quite a few. But a talisman specifically targeting Underworld Office agents? This was the first he'd ever heard of such a thing.
Just as he was still startled by this so-called Lock Yin Talisman, the talisman beneath his feet suddenly twisted, then transformed into two streaks of spiritual light, which separately merged into Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing's bodies.
It wasn't that Yang Haoran didn't want to dodge, but everything happened too quickly; he had no time to evade even if he wanted to. As for Xu Meijing, she seemed to have no intention of avoiding it, allowing the spiritual light formed by the Lock Yin Talisman to merge into her body.
As the spiritual light merged into his body, Yang Haoran's entire being shuddered violently. The Yin Qi on his body was forcibly drawn inward by a strange power, and the Spirit Power within him no longer obeyed his command, as if it had been sealed.
He tried to activate the Spirit Power within him, but no matter how he tried, his Spirit Power remained utterly still.
Unable to use his Spirit Power, Yang Haoran's constantly activated Ghost Eye automatically closed, and his eyes returned to normal.
At the same time, a talisman condensed above his head. This talisman was precisely the Lock Yin Talisman that had just vanished, though compared to its previous massive size, this Lock Yin Talisman was now no different in dimensions from a normal talisman. The only difference was that it wasn't a physical object; it, too, was condensed from energy.
Not only did a Lock Yin Talisman appear above Yang Haoran's head, but an identical one also hung suspended above Xu Meijing.
This was a mark; anyone afflicted by the Lock Yin Talisman would have such a talisman, condensed from energy, appear above their head.
"Heh heh, once ghosts are struck by the Lock Yin Talisman, their Yin Qi will be firmly sealed, causing them to lose their power. And when Underworld Office agents are struck by the Lock Yin Talisman, the Spirit Power within their bodies will be locked, preventing them from using Spirit Power and making them no different from ordinary people. For folk Yin-Yang Masters like us, who not only deal with demons, ghosts, and monsters but sometimes also interact with people from the Underworld Office, if we don't have a trump card that makes them wary, how can we establish ourselves in this profession?"
Zhou Daoshi clasped his hands behind his back, a confident smile on his face, as if everything was under his control.
"Between ordinary people and power lies a door, a door to power. Open this door, gain extraordinary power, and from then on, you are no longer an ordinary person."
"By the same token, once this door to power is closed, even the most capable individuals will become ordinary people again. And the existence of the Lock Yin Talisman isn't just about closing the target's door to power; it also adds a lock, a super-sized lock, completely sealing that door shut!"
"It's just that. . . heh heh, for those accustomed to possessing extraordinary power, having it suddenly vanish must be quite an unpleasant sensation."
Zhou Daoshi was delighted, the thick smile on his face fully displaying his inner emotions at this moment. He no longer looked at Yang Haoran but turned his gaze to the Corpse Ghoul beside him.
This Corpse Ghoul had no thoughts of its own and was solely under Zhou Daoshi's control. Previously, when facing Yang Haoran's attacks, it would actively intercept every blow for Zhou Daoshi. Now that Yang Haoran was afflicted by the Lock Yin Talisman and unable to use his Spirit Power, this big brute was naturally idle, standing respectfully by, awaiting its master's command.
"Extract their blood. I need to use their blood to draw a Blood Talisman to break the last vestiges of power from the incantations on the stone door."
After issuing a command to the Corpse Ghoul, Zhou Daoshi walked towards the still unopened stone door. The Corpse Ghoul, having received its master's order, showed no hesitation or delay. Its figure moved, bringing with it a foul stench, and charged towards Yang Haoran!
Yang Haoran's expression drastically changed. If his Spirit Power hadn't been sealed by the Lock Yin Talisman, he would have had a fighting chance against a being like the Corpse Ghoul. But now, without his Spirit Power, he was no different from a mobile human punching bag.
However, he didn't give up resistance just because of this; he was never one to easily surrender. While continuously trying to activate his Spirit Power, hoping to cause a slight loosening in the seal formed by the Lock Yin Talisman, he also picked up a head-sized rock from the ground, exerting his current maximum strength, and hurled it towards the charging Corpse Ghoul!
Boom!
One punch, with just one punch, the head-sized rock was instantly smashed to pieces by the Corpse Ghoul.
Yang Haoran's face was grim. He quickly picked up another stone from the ground and threw it at the Corpse Ghoul, but the result was the same. The Corpse Ghoul effortlessly pulverized the stone, its physical strength formidable like a tank.
"Xu Meijing, you go first! I'll hold him off! " Yang Haoran, while picking up another stone to throw at the Corpse Ghoul, spoke in a deep voice to Xu Meijing.
This matter originally had nothing to do with Xu Meijing. She had stayed with him and come all this way, and though he didn't say it aloud, he was deeply grateful in his heart. He didn't want to see Xu Meijing lose her life here, so he was prepared to sacrifice his own to buy her some time—enough time for her to escape this place.
Although Yang Haoran knew Xu Meijing's strength was unfathomable, with her Spirit Power sealed, she was just an ordinary person, and a woman at that. How could she possibly fight a Corpse Ghoul?
It felt like a mage who had run out of mana, facing a full-health tank charging at them. How could they resist? A few punches from the opponent would be enough to take their lives.
But to Yang Haoran's surprise, Xu Meijing didn't seem to regard their current perilous situation as a big deal.
"Run? Why run? Don't you want revenge?"
Her voice was still so familiar, so cold and arrogant, so utterly dismissive of others. Yet, for some unknown reason, this tone, this tone, which he usually found incredibly enjoyable, now sounded so pleasant.
No sooner had Xu Meijing's voice faded than the Corpse Ghoul rushed to Yang Haoran's front, its burly body like a towering mountain, pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
He wanted to find another stone nearby to greet this brute, but there were no more stones beside him, and even if there were, he no longer had the time.
A fist like a sandbag, trailing a gust of wind, smashed directly towards Yang Haoran's head. If this punch landed, he'd be insane, if not dead.
Yang Haoran's expression changed. Just as he was about to dodge aside, a person suddenly appeared in front of him. This person was none other than Xu Meijing.
Xu Meijing was just as she always was, hands in her pockets, carrying herself with an unbearable swagger.
Faced with this situation, Yang Haoran gave up on dodging. His reflex was to reach out and grab Xu Meijing, intending to pull her away, but his hand had barely extended when he froze.
A powerful surge of Yin Qi suddenly erupted from Xu Meijing's body, directly blocking the Corpse Ghoul's descending fist.
Boom!
With a loud crash, Xu Meijing's body remained completely still, while the tank-like Corpse Ghoul was instead sent flying backward.
The scene before him left Yang Haoran greatly astonished. The Lock Yin Talisman still floated suspended above Xu Meijing's head, but what was with this intense Yin Qi emanating from her body?
It wasn't just Yang Haoran who was surprised. Zhou Daoshi, who was examining the stone door, also changed his expression when he sensed the powerful Yin Qi erupting from Xu Meijing's body. He turned to look towards Xu Meijing's location.
"The Lock Yin Talisman certainly causes significant harm to us Underworld Office agents, but a Yellow Talisman-level Lock Yin Talisman cannot seal the Spirit Power within my body."
As Xu Meijing spoke, the Lock Yin Talisman suspended above her head began to tremble, as if a powerful force was impacting it, and it was on the verge of giving way.
"Newbie, watch closely. Today, Big Sister will show you what true power is. We, the people of the Underworld Office, are not just anyone that can be provoked."
Her previous sentence was directed at Zhou Daoshi, but this one was for Yang Haoran, who was behind her. As her words fell, the Lock Yin Talisman suspended above her head could no longer hold on. A crack appeared, and then it dispersed into a scatter of spiritual light, vanishing completely.
"Humans possess Heaven, Earth, and Life Souls. The reason our Underworld Office is so strong is because we have the ability to Open Souls. With each soul opened, our strength will multiply. This is the trump card that allows our Underworld Office to govern the Underworld. Today, I'll let you, the newbie, witness what Opening a Soul means, what true strength is, and what the dominance of the Underworld Office is!"
Her voice paused, and Xu Meijing's tone suddenly became serious and deep.
"Heaven Soul, Open!"
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