Chapter 135: Divine Manifestation

The tall, skinny man shoved aside someone kneeling on the central prayer mat and dropped to his knees in front of the Bat God statue.

He was dressed in a black hemp robe, with a large dark-red stain on its hem.

From his waist, he pulled out a bundle of thick red incense, each stick as wide as an arm. The incense had an unusual sheen and was a brighter red compared to ordinary incense.

Clutching the bundle in both hands, the man bent down and lit the incense using the oil lamp placed beneath the altar.

After completing this, he straightened his posture, gazed devoutly at the Bat God statue, and said solemnly, “Bat God, protect me! Bat God, protect me! I am being haunted by an evil spirit. Please help me!”

“Bat God, protect me! Bat God, protect me…”

He repeated the chant dozens of times before placing the smoking bundle of red incense into the incense burner.

After offering the incense, he didn’t rise but continued to kowtow to the statue relentlessly.

“The stench of blood and the aura of a malicious spirit cling to him—this scoundrel has killed someone!” Daoist Qingyuan’s eyes flashed sharply, his tone laced with anger.

The fact that he could sense the aura of a malicious spirit indicated that Qingyuan possessed some skill, though not particularly advanced.

In Gu Ning’an’s eyes, behind the tall, skinny man stood a female ghost, her face twisted in rage, her body drenched in blood. Her aura of resentment was overwhelming. A pair of blood-stained hands reached repeatedly for the man’s neck.

The laws of heaven and earth dictate the separation of yin and yang. An invisible barrier exists between the living and the dead.

The female ghost wanted to kill the man who had murdered her, but the barrier between yin and yang blocked her path.

However, this barrier was not impenetrable.

If the barrier was naturally present, then sins and resentment served as the bridge to pass through it.

Now, with the man tainted by murder and the female ghost’s resentment continuously growing, the barrier between yin and yang was gradually breaking down.

In less than half an hour, the female ghost would be able to shatter the barrier and claim the man’s life.

The terrified man must have seen the ghost of the woman he killed through the “bridge of sin,” prompting his frantic rush to the Bat God Temple for help.

A moment later, the bundle of incense in front of the man burned out completely, and an overwhelming scent of incense wafted into the Bat God statue.

In that instant, a red glow emanated from the half-closed eyes of the statue!

“The Bat God has manifested! Bow quickly!” someone shouted.

The worshippers in the temple immediately fell to the ground, prostrating themselves, five points of their bodies touching the floor, as they kowtowed repeatedly to the statue.

With this, even more power of faith drifted out and was absorbed by the Bat God statue.

The red glow in the statue’s eyes swept across the crowd. It lingered briefly on two individuals who had not knelt. After passing over Daoist Qingyuan, it stopped on Gu Ning’an for a full ten breaths before moving away.

“Bat God, save me! Bat God, save me!”

“There’s a vengeful ghost behind me trying to kill your most devout follower!”

“Look at me—I’ve brought the most incense!”

“Bat God, save me! I promise to bring even more red incense in the future!”

Buzz!

The statue’s eyes shot out a beam of red light, aimed straight at the female ghost!

“What Bat God?! It’s nothing but a bat aiding evil!” the female ghost roared angrily. Locked onto by the red light, she immediately felt her soul burn, on the verge of being scattered completely!

Crack!

With a crisp sound, the red light suddenly exploded in midair!

Seeing this, the female ghost laughed wildly. Though she didn’t know why the Bat God statue’s power had shattered, as long as she didn’t perish, she would still have a chance for revenge!

The Bat God statue did not launch a second attack against the female ghost. When its earlier technique was disrupted, it had not sensed any fluctuations of spiritual power.

This meant that a being far more powerful than itself was nearby!

And that person could only be the man in the green robe!

After careful thought, the Bat God’s deep voice resounded slowly:
“Why does Sir obstruct me?”

“Injustice has its perpetrator, and debt has its debtor. Once revenge is taken, let it end,” Gu Ning’an said, ignoring the Bat God and instead addressing the female ghost.

Upon hearing his words, the female ghost immediately felt the barrier before her vanish. She realized she could now touch the man who had murdered her!

Overwhelmed with hatred, she barely spared Gu Ning’an a glance before reaching out and strangling the tall, skinny man in front of her.

Thud!

The man fell forward, his tongue protruding grotesquely, his lifeless body collapsing onto the incense burner, spilling ash all over the floor.

Having dealt with her enemy’s mortal body, the female ghost stood still, waiting for the man’s soul to leave his body. When it did, she devoured it in one gulp!

Gu Ning’an, watching the scene unfold, said nothing.

Those who kill must expect to be killed. The young woman, full of life, had been murdered by this man. Now, with her revenge fulfilled, taking a little more from him was only fair.

The man’s soul, scattered and absorbed back into the heavens and earth, would only sully this mortal world further.

The female ghost drifted to Gu Ning’an and knelt before him. “My name is Xia Meng. Thank you, sir!”

Gu Ning’an waved his hand. “It’s nothing. Go and disperse now. If you pass into the underworld with harmful karma, you’ll likely suffer the torment of soul chains.”

“Thank you, sir, for helping me!” With those words, her ghastly appearance softened, transforming into a gentle, sorrowful face with a faint smile.

Whoosh!

A soft breeze swept through, and the female ghost dissolved into specks of light, fading into the heavens and earth.

In her final moments, Daoist Qingyuan also caught a glimpse of her true appearance. Coupled with Gu Ning’an’s earlier words, he quickly deduced what had transpired.

Previously, he had thought that while Gu Ning’an was stronger than him, he surely couldn’t be stronger than the Bat God.

But now it seemed the Bat God was utterly insignificant before Gu Ning’an!

The Bat God had failed to destroy the ghost, allowed its devotee to be killed before its eyes, and even its question had been completely ignored by Gu Ning’an.

After some hesitation, Daoist Qingyuan asked cautiously, “Sir Gu, can we deal with this Bat God?”

Gu Ning’an raised his gaze to the Bat God statue and said indifferently, “Will you go to the City God on your own, or shall I send you there myself?”

The statue remained silent for a moment before its stone and clay form abruptly melted into a pool of black water, sinking into the ground.

“Not good! It’s trying to escape!” Daoist Qingyuan shouted and immediately activated his wooden carving.

He bit his fingertip and smeared fresh blood over the wooden carving’s eyes.

Whoosh!

A ray of golden light burst from the wooden carving’s eyes, transforming into a massive golden net that shot toward the black water.

When the golden net made contact with the black water, a violent sizzling sound erupted, and foul, acrid smoke rose into the air.

Bang!

In just a moment, the golden net shattered, and the black water fully seeped into the ground, disappearing without a trace!

“Sir Gu! It escaped!” Daoist Qingyuan exclaimed, his face full of anxiety. He couldn’t understand why Gu Ning’an hadn’t intervened.

Gu Ning’an said calmly, “No matter. I was waiting for it to leave.”