Chapter 392: Chapter 356: Slaying the Martial Artist

Sang Que attempted Instant Teleportation, but found herself restrained by the stage and could only crouch low and retreat, slipping through the gaps between the three and drawing her blade to counterattack.

With a sweeping slash, the blade’s bloody light resembled a crescent moon, and the charging Short Fighting Martial Artist was directly cut in half, transforming into a paperman upon hitting the ground.

Witnessing the prowess of Sang Que’s Hundred Blade, the Flipping and Pouncing Martial Artist rolled to the side to avoid, while the Long Robed Martial Artist remained motionless, not daring to act rashly.

Sang Que quickly rushed to the edge of the stage, lifting her foot to jump off and break away from the enemy’s home ground.

A sudden change occurred as soon as Sang Que’s raised foot was about to step down; the stage seemed to extend and still lay beneath her foot.

Sang Que couldn’t leave the stage, nor could she use Instant Teleportation or open up a Ghost Realm on it.

Meanwhile, Yin Child was isolated outside the stage, unable to get on no matter what method was tried.

“The grand play has begun, no interference is allowed, and before the act ends, none may leave the stage!”

Under the mask of the Long Robed Martial Artist, eyes glinted with satisfaction. This was his rule for the stage: anyone pulled up could only act out the play with him, and before the play concluded, nothing else could interfere with the stage.

Sang Que withdrew her foot and turned. If she truly wanted to leave, it wasn’t impossible—she just preferred to save the trigram for killing rather than using it to leave.

Although Yin Child was blocked and couldn’t ascend the stage, Sang Que could still communicate with her.

Sang Que warned Yin Child that if anything attempted to escape from the stage, she wouldn’t help search for the tongue and would gouge out her eyes instead.

Yin Child, receiving the order, immediately flashed to a clear vantage point on a grave mound, eyes wide open and ready to act at any moment.

The Long Robed Martial Artist lifted his long beard with a gesture, and the flag behind him suddenly flew up, transforming into a new Short Fighting Martial Artist in an instant.

This detail was reminiscent of the Daomadan Sang Que encountered last time. Her flag also transformed into a Little Ghost, but she hadn’t had a chance to react before Sang Que slaughtered her.

Sang Que drew out the scroll from her back and tossed it aside. Before the three martial artists could see what it was, Sang Que swiftly advanced, brandishing her blade straight for the Long Robed Martial Artist’s face.

The Long Robed Martial Artist swung his Big Gate Saber, meeting Sang Que’s strike. Sparks flew from the contact, and under Sang Que’s immense force, the Long Robed Martial Artist staggered half a step back, eyes wide in astonishment at Sang Que’s formidable skill.

Sang Que suddenly withdrew her blade and sidestepped towards the Long Robed Martial Artist, switching the blade to her left hand while her right hand attempted to imprint a Thunder Trigram on his shoulder, which would reduce him to half health in five minutes.

Just at that moment, the Flipping and Pouncing Martial Artist rolled to Sang Que’s right, sweeping his leg low for an attack, while the Short Fighting Martial Artist charged from her left, both blades slashing down.

The killing intent was palpable; Sang Que dared not be overconfident and could only retract her move to defend, kicking the Flipping and Pouncing Martial Artist’s leg aside and twisting her body to use the blade against the dual blades.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking rang out as the Short Fighting Martial Artist’s blades were shattered against the Hundred Blade, yet Sang Que suddenly felt herself gripped by an overwhelming force, rendering her completely immobile.

A shadow on par with the Long Robed Martial Artist appeared behind Sang Que, leaping up high and chopping down with a blade.

Outside the stage, Yin Child covered her eyes in terror, unable to watch, but she heard neither the sound of flesh tearing nor the smell of blood.

Yin Child peeked through her fingers and saw the shadow’s large blade barely miss Sang Que, striking beside her as the distant Long Robed Martial Artist showed shock. Once Sang Que could move again, she was still exhausted but managed to muster the strength to swing her blade, decapitating the Short Fighting Martial Artist.

The Flipping and Pouncing Martial Artist witnessed this and immediately rolled away, escaping to the safety of the Long Robed Martial Artist’s side.

What had just occurred left both sides bewildered, yet their reactions were prompt, and they quickly discerned the cause.

On this stage, the martial artist’s combat scene could not be endless, so once Sang Que withstood a move from each of the three martial artists, it would trigger a “One-Hit Kill” state, locking her body for the shadow’s fatal strike.

That blow earlier was deflected by Recovery’s power, missing her.

Sang Que’s breath was heavy and her heart raced, accelerating her blood flow throughout her body to recover.

The Long Robed Martial Artist saw Sang Que suddenly weakened, and yet another flag flew from behind him, transforming into a new Short Fighting Martial Artist. The three seized the chance and charged at Sang Que again.

A red silhouette unexpectedly appeared behind the Long Robed Martial Artist, the veil of the Deceitful Bride flying up swiftly, draping over his head.

The Long Robed Martial Artist was struck with astonishment, never expecting Sang Que to command a second Fierce Ghost.

The trio of martial artists’ offensive actions halted completely, as the Deceitful Bride’s hand pressed heavily on the Long Robed Martial Artist’s shoulder. Her power to turn humans into Ghost Slaves rapidly decayed his body, yet what fell off him was nothing but paper.

The Long Robed Martial Artist’s body abruptly collapsed, dropping two flags and the Big Gate Saber amidst a heap of rotting paper husks.

Immediately thereafter, the paralyzed Short Fighting Martial Artist shivered, their body tearing apart from the center.

A man stripped of his costume, wearing a black inner garment, emerged from the ’shell’, retaining only the facial oil.

The two flags were trampled underfoot by the Deceitful Bride, trembling intensely, as the Red Ghost leapt from the unfolded painting on the ground, its sharp claws tearing the Flipping and Pouncing Martial Artist to shreds.

The series of transformations left the Long Robed Martial Artist stunned, only just able to process the situation.

This Deceitful Bride and the Red-clothed Female Jumping Corpse, weren’t they both from their Ghost Opera Troupe?!

Having lost his last resort, the Long Robed Martial Artist hastily offered many benefits from the Paper Macher under his control, asking for assistance.

Instantly, numerous pale, rough, and unfinished papermen appeared around the stage, swarming toward the Red Ghost and the Deceitful Bride.

The Deceitful Bride remained still on the flags while the Red Ghost savagely clawed at its attackers.

The expression quickly vanished from the Long Robed Martial Artist’s face, turning blank as his facial skin peeled away, revealing a papery texture beneath.

The entire stage began transforming from solid to paper; uncountable paper scraps drifted from above, rising from the ground, akin to a swarm of little insects flooding toward the Red Ghost and the Deceitful Bride, threatening to enwrap them into papermen.

However, before this transformation could complete, a gun muzzle ominously pressed against the back of the Long Robed Martial Artist’s head.

Bam!

Sang Que shattered the martial artist’s head with a gunshot. The martial artist did not fall; instead, the shattered flesh turned into paper mid-air, rapidly forming a paperman’s head, swiveling to stare at Sang Que with dull, spiritless eyes.

The torrent of paper scraps converged at Sang Que’s feet, swallowing half her body in an instant, turning into paper-braced legs.

Sang Que remained unafraid, flatly asking, “Unafraid of bullets, you must fear fire, right?”

No sooner had she spoken than the palm she had previously cut ignited with yin fire. She seized the Paper Macher’s throat, employing a Thunder Trigram just in case.

The yin fire instantly engulfed the entire head of the Paper Macher, who retreated struggling, the flood of paper scraps leaving Sang Que and rushing to smother the yin fire on its head.

Sang Que refused to give any chance. From their prior encounter, she already knew this martial artist wasn’t at the fifth layer, so she decisively fetched a Stomach Bag of a starving ghost, obtained halfway by Yin Child, and hurled it at the Paper Macher, stained with blood.

The Stomach Bag, like a large pouch, expanded mid-air, with desiccated veins and dark brown blood and flesh attached. It covered the Paper Macher, rapidly contracting and compressing it into a meat ball.

Though the yin fire threatened to burn through the bag, Sang Que reloaded, approached, and fired another shot at the bag.

Bam!

The gunshot echoed through the chaotic burial mound, startling a flock of Blood Crows into flight.

The entire stage collapsed with a bang, the Stomach Bag ruptured, and Yin Child, eager to show off, promptly appeared beside the deformed martial artist. Unafraid of the burning, multiple hands reached from her opened abdomen, pulling the blood-depleted Paper Macher out from the martial artist.

Sang Que, anticipating Yin Child’s intent, snuffed out the yin fire, capturing the nearly bloodless Paper Macher under a painting, leaving only the martial artist’s curled-up, headless corpse.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep