Chapter 387: The Resentful Spirit's Backlash
The moment the Resentful Spirit vanished, it wasn't just the old man who thought it would attack Yang Haoran; even Yang Haoran himself believed the Resentful Spirit was coming for him.
After all, the Resentful Spirit had been summoned by the old man; it was only natural for her to obey his commands.
However, to his surprise, the Resentful Spirit did not attack him after disappearing. Instead, it suddenly reappeared behind the old man.
It was precisely because the old man sensed the bone-chilling cold emanating from behind him that his words abruptly ceased. A premonition of ill omen forming in his heart, his first thought was to immediately dodge.
Yet, no sooner had this thought flickered through his mind, and before his body could make any move, he felt a sudden chill at his neck. His mind then grew hazy, and his consciousness blurred.
The scene before them caused an expression of disbelief to appear on the faces of Yang Haoran and the other two. Under their gaze, the Resentful Spirit not only refrained from attacking them, but instead appeared behind the old man, biting down on his neck and ravenously devouring him.
For the situation to take such a turn, not to mention Luo Dui and Bai Xue, even Yang Haoran had not anticipated things would unfold this way.
He had originally prepared for a fierce battle with this Resentful Spirit, but never expected the old man to become the spirit's first target instead.
The old man also knew he had been struck. He knew it was none other than the Resentful Spirit he himself had unleashed.
The Resentful Spirit, dispersed by the force, reformed behind the old man once more. As if utterly unaffected, she flashed a terrifying, bloodthirsty grin and lunged again, biting towards the old man.
The Resentful Spirit's previous bite had already ripped a large chunk of flesh from the old man's neck. However, this time, the Resentful Spirit did not bite his neck again, but instead aimed for his entire head.
Just like the Ghost Infant that Yang Haoran had previously collected into his Soul-Gathering Bead, this Resentful Spirit's mouth, once opened, could similarly envelop an adult's entire head.
Her gaping maw, filled with razor-sharp fangs, swallowed the old man's head in one bite, then, as if gnawing on a sugarcane stalk, directly bit off his entire head.
Blood spurted forth, and the Resentful Spirit ravenously swallowed the old man's entire head. Then, with a fierce suck, she drew all the gushing blood from the old man into her mouth.
Finally, still unsatisfied, she even embraced the old man's headless body, then, like a wild beast, completely disregarded their presence and began to frantically tear into it.
By now, the old man was thoroughly and completely dead, slain by the very Resentful Spirit he had unleashed. Witnessing this scene, Luo Dui couldn't help but gasp.
“What. . . what in the world is going on? ”
Bai Xue's serpentine eyes were filled with confusion as she watched the Resentful Spirit frantically devour the old man's corpse.
“The old man was likely unable to control this powerful Resentful Spirit, which is why he suffered a backlash and ended up like this,” Yang Haoran explained.
Indeed, Yang Haoran's analysis was not wrong. The old man was attacked by the Resentful Spirit precisely because he couldn't control this formidable entity.
Like other Ghost Infants, this Resentful Spirit was also a product refined by the old man. Due to the different “materials” used in its creation, this particular Resentful Spirit possessed astonishing power upon its successful refinement.
It was precisely because this Resentful Spirit's power was so astonishing that the old man couldn't fully control her. He could only create a token to seal and carry her with him.
The root cause of his inability to completely control this Resentful Spirit was, ultimately, his own insufficient power. Forcefully summoning such a spirit made him highly susceptible to backlash.
The old man understood this himself, which was why he never summoned this Resentful Spirit for battle unless absolutely necessary.
It was for this very reason that before Yang Haoran appeared, even though both sides were locked in a fierce, indecisive battle, the old man had not released this Resentful Spirit.
Being able to deal with Bai Xue and the others without releasing this Resentful Spirit was only one reason. Another reason, of course, was his inability to fully control the spirit.
If he could truly control this Resentful Spirit completely, why would he be entangled with Bai Xue and the others here? He would simply release the spirit, wipe everyone out cleanly, and be done with it.
After Yang Haoran appeared, the situation changed. If he didn't release the Resentful Spirit, death awaited him. He was well aware of his own strength; there was no way he could survive with Yang Haoran and the other two attacking him in concert.
Thus, after a moment of hesitation, he decided to release the Resentful Spirit. Although he couldn't completely control it, he wasn't entirely without control either.
Moreover, Yang Haoran was an Underworld Official, his body exuded a dense Yin Qi, and the Spirit Power within him was a ghost's favorite. Therefore, once the Resentful Spirit was summoned, there was a high probability that Yang Haoran would become its primary target.
Once Yang Haoran became the Resentful Spirit's target, the subsequent matters would be much simpler. The Resentful Spirit would deal with Yang Haoran, while he would handle Bai Xue and Luo Dui. In the end, victory would still be his.
But then, something he never dreamed of happened: after the Resentful Spirit was released, he himself became its very first target.
This situation had never occurred before. In the past, though he couldn't fully control this Resentful Spirit, it at least wouldn't easily attack him. If every time he released it, the Resentful Spirit considered him its primary target, how could he be foolish enough to unleash it?
The reason the situation changed this time was that when the old man released the Resentful Spirit, his strength was significantly diminished compared to his peak. Thus, upon appearing, the Resentful Spirit designated him as its first target because it sensed that the old man's control over her had weakened considerably. The Resentful Spirit then attacked the old man, instinctively seeking to break free from his command.
The Resentful Spirit was determined to devour the old man, and he, in turn, was caught unprepared, leading to the current scene.
“This Resentful Spirit is very strong. While she's devouring the old man's corpse, let's hit her hard. Ideally, we can finish her off in one go. ”
Yang Haoran spoke in a low voice, immediately receiving responses from Luo Dui and Bai Xue. Both naturally supported Yang Haoran's approach.
To put it bluntly, Yang Haoran intended to use this opportunity to launch a sneak attack on the Resentful Spirit. Although the word "sneak attack" might not sound particularly honorable, when dealing with a mindless Resentful Spirit that acted purely on instinct, none of the three cared about whether it was shameful or not.
After receiving their assent, the three of them launched an attack on the Resentful Spirit, who was still devouring the old man's corpse, almost simultaneously.
Luo Dui's peach wood sword, enveloped in a layer of power, thrust towards the Resentful Spirit, while Bai Xue condensed her Demon Power in her tail and lashed out fiercely at the spirit.
As for Yang Haoran, he controlled his Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, and slashed towards the Resentful Spirit's body.
The trio's attacks were swift, but the Resentful Spirit's reaction speed was equally rapid. Sensing the threat, she violently hurled the corpse she was devouring towards Luo Dui's peach wood sword.
Then, baring her fangs, she clapped her hands together, striking at Bai Xue's serpentine tail.
As for Yang Haoran's Remnant Moon, she had no other free limbs to deal with it and could only endure the blow.
The old man's corpse collided with the peach wood sword, shattering under its immense power. The sword's force, undiminished, then struck the Resentful Spirit's body.
Simultaneously, the Resentful Spirit's hands clashed with Bai Xue's serpentine tail. With a tremendous clang, the Resentful Spirit's hands actually managed to successfully block Bai Xue's tail.
And at that very moment, Yang Haoran's Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, slashed across the Resentful Spirit's body.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the Resentful Spirit's body simply could not withstand such immense power. It instantly disintegrated, transforming into Yin Qi that scattered in all directions.
However, her body then reformed on the side.
“The Resentful Spirit's body can be both ethereal and corporeal, which makes her different from ordinary ghosts in this regard and somewhat troublesome to deal with. However, the Resentful Spirit possesses no rationality; she's like a beast that only knows bloodlust and flesh-eating. The recent events are a clear example: facing our three-pronged attack, she didn't even attempt to dodge. So, if we approach it from this angle, wearing her down will become much simpler,” Yang Haoran reminded them.
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