Run.
Run.
Run!
Clutching the shard of glass, Chen Xi bolted forward like a hunting leopard, the hem of her oversized Human Skin Coat flapping wildly in the wind.
The dread of being targeted by such a colossal entity surged straight up her spine, making her feel as though she were carrying a mountain on her back.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The ground shook with every step, causing the paper-crafted shop signs along the roadside to rattle loudly, sending scraps of paper flying through the air.
Chen Xi didn't dare to look back, relying solely on the reflection in the broken glass to guide her way.
Though she was unfamiliar with the terrain, she deliberately chose to duck into narrow alleys. The old streets of Mong Kok sprawled out like a spiderweb, twisting and turning, so narrow that only two people could walk abreast.
Standing over ten meters tall, Black and White Impermanence were far too massive to squeeze in. They could only block the entrance of the alley, sweeping their white light deep inside.
Black Impermanence reached in with his giant hand, groping down the alley. His pitch-black fingernails scraped against the brick walls, producing an ear-piercing screech and sending sparks flying.
Huff... Huff...
Chen Xi pressed herself against the freezing brick wall, panting in shallow breaths. The depths of the alley were pitch-black, illuminated only by the white light sweeping back and forth from the entrance.
She could even smell the rot wafting off Black Impermanence. It was like a pile of corpse mud that had been decaying for decades, mixed with the metallic tang of rusty iron chains.
The giant hand groped around the entrance. Several times, the fingertips scraped the brick wall just above her head, the wind it kicked up stinging her face.
【Living soul... come out...】
Black Impermanence's voice was like thunder rolling out from deep underground, vibrating so hard her eardrums ached.
Chen Xi didn't dare to be careless. She held her breath and edged deeper into the alley, inch by inch.
At the end of the alley, the path turned a corner, leading to a tong lau building.
Chen Xi's eyes lit up.
The layout inside the building was far more complex, making it much harder for Black and White Impermanence to find her.
She dashed over in a few quick strides and shoved hard against the wooden door of the tong lau, a thick, musty odor instantly washing over her.
The interior was pitch-black. The handrails were sticky, coated in some unidentifiable grime. Chen Xi bounded up the stairs, the steps groaning and creaking under her feet as if they might collapse at any second.
She climbed all the way to the fourth floor in one breath, finally turning into the corridor.
The corridor was cramped, lined with rows of dark, tightly packed subdivided flats. At the end of the hallway, a dusty glass window let in a sliver of pale, ghastly light.
It was White Impermanence, searching for her whereabouts.
So the white light they had seen during their night patrol was actually Black and White Impermanence hunting down people.
Chen Xi slowly crept to the window, pulling back a corner of the curtain to peer out with utmost caution.
Black and White Impermanence had not left the entrance of the alley.
White Impermanence hovered in midair, his white robe draping down and dragging across the rooftops, instantly grinding any paper-crafted items into ash with a sharp sizzle.
His two hollow eye sockets were aimed directly at the tong lau. Beams of white light swept up from the bottom, searching floor by floor like searchlights, meticulously scanning every single level.
Meanwhile, Black Impermanence stood beside the building, his head lowered, his black-cloth-covered face turned toward the structure.
His nose twitched slightly, as if trying to catch the scent of a living person.
“Damn it.”
Chen Xi pulled her head back, leaning against the cold wall, and quickly popped a glass marble into her mouth.
【Glass Marbles (Iron): Holding this in your mouth restrains your yang energy and masks the sound of your breathing. Effective against yin evils below the level of a fierce ghost. Duration: 20 minutes per marble.】
The Human Skin Coat could fool ordinary little ghosts, but it couldn't deceive fierce ghosts, let alone the true underworld deities of myth like Black and White Impermanence.
She could only hope they would leave after failing to find her.
Although this tong lau wasn't tall—only six or seven stories—its layout was complex, offering plenty of cover.
As long as she could hold out for twenty minutes, Zheng Wenxuan and the others should be able to make it back to the Shing King Building safely.
Chen Xi gripped her revolver tightly, her palms slick with sweat.
The blood bullets in her gun were made from her own blood. They were effective against ordinary ghosts, but would they work against Black and White Impermanence?
But that was a worst-case scenario.
Black and White Impermanence were the first "aberrant creatures" from a mythological system to appear across the several Instances she had experienced so far.
If Black and White Impermanence existed, it meant there was a very high probability that Huaxia's thousands-of-years-old mythological system would also manifest alongside the spiritual energy recovery.
Chen Xi slowly raised the shard of glass, angling it to peer down.
Behind the building was a rusty drainage pipe running from the roof to the ground. It looked reasonably sturdy.
If she climbed down the pipe, she could loop around to another street and perhaps lose the two ghosts.
Just as this thought crossed Chen Xi's mind—
Buzz—
The entire floor suddenly shuddered, and the light outside the window vanished instantly.
It was as if something colossal had blocked out the light.
Every single hair on Chen Xi's body stood on end.
It was no exaggeration; they literally stood straight up. Her scalp went numb, feeling as though a row of insects were crawling down the back of her neck. The bioelectricity generated by the approach of such a massive creature surged through her entire body, making her hair stand on end.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she turned her head.
Pressed flat against the glass window outside was a massive face.
The face of Black Impermanence.
The ten-meter-tall giant was leaning over, pressing his face against the fourth-floor glass. The black cloth covering his eyes draped down, its edge brushing against the windowsill. His nose was pointed directly at where Chen Xi was hiding.
The glass was coated in dust, obscuring his full features, but the lower half of his face was visible beneath the black cloth:
His skin was a dark, bruised blue-black, his lips a deep purple, and his mouth was curled into a grin. His nostrils flared slightly as if trying to confirm the scent of a living person.
The distance was absurdly close.
Chen Xi could even make out the deep, craggy wrinkles on the giant ghost's cheeks, as well as the dark patterns embroidered onto the black cloth.
He was right there.
Less than a meter away from her.
The oppressive pressure of having such a colossal entity right in her face was like a mountain crushing down, making it difficult for Chen Xi to even breathe.
She clamped her hand over her mouth, holding her breath as beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, dripping down one by one.
“Heh... Heh...”
Black Impermanence seemed somewhat puzzled. A heavy, wheezing breath rumbled from his throat, hitting the glass and instantly coating it in a layer of frost.
He twitched his nose in confusion, then thrust his giant, fan-like black hand straight toward the glass window.
Crash!
With a dull thud, the giant hand smashed directly into the corridor, clawing around blindly. Shards of glass rained down everywhere, and a foul wind instantly filled the hallway!
He's looking for me, Chen Xi analyzed calmly as she hid behind a large pile of old newspapers.
The Human Skin Coat can't hide my living aura, so he knows I'm in the building. But the glass marble is masking my breathing.
It seemed these two giant ghosts wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.
Clang!
Crash!
The giant hand flailed wildly in the corridor, its fingertips brushing against the doors of the subdivided flats, shattering the wooden doors into splinters like paper.
The little ghosts hiding inside shrieked and bolted out, only to be instantly snatched up by the giant hand the moment they emerged.
Screech—
Without even a chance to struggle, the little ghosts were crushed into a ball and yanked out like radishes being pulled from the ground.
The hand reached a bit further in, its fingertips stopping less than half a meter from the corner where Chen Xi was hiding.
An icy wind, thick with the stench of rotting flesh, blew over her.
Chen Xi pressed herself tight against the wall, her back completely drenched in cold sweat.
She couldn't wait any longer.
Staying here meant certain death.
Chen Xi watched the movements of the giant hand, silently counting the seconds in her head as a rough escape route began to take shape in her mind.
One... two... three!
Black Impermanence's hand retracted half an inch, as if preparing to sweep from a different angle.
Now!
Chen Xi lunged forward, executing a flawless, agile roll right under the giant hand.
As she rolled, she kicked off the edge of the windowsill, using the momentum to leap forward. Bracing herself with her hands, she vaulted right out the window.
Whoosh—
The wind instantly billowed into her Human Skin Coat.
A sudden sensation of weightlessness hit her. The veins on Chen Xi's forehead bulged as she clamped her hands onto the drainage pipe running down the exterior wall!
Clang!
As her full weight hung from the pipe, it shook violently, sending a shower of rust flakes raining down.
Realizing what had happened, Black Impermanence let out an angry roar and backhanded the wall.
Smack!
The slap slammed into the wall, causing the entire tong lau to shudder. Plaster and debris cascaded down.
Using both her hands and feet, Chen Xi immediately slid down the pipe.
The pipe was freezing, coating her hands in rust.
She slid down at breakneck speed, the wind howling in her ears alongside the furious roars of Black and White Impermanence.
【Living soul!】
Two beams of white light snapped onto her head. The moment the light hit, an iron chain whipped through the air just above her, narrowly missing her and smashing into the adjacent wall, gouging out a massive crater!
Crash!
Bricks and stones exploded outward as the outer plaster peeled away, revealing the paper-crafted frame underneath.
Chen Xi slid down even faster.
The alley led to the more bustling Temple Street—if she could just escape there, she could hide!
But in the next second, Chen Xi's eyes widened in shock. The various small flyers and advertisements plastered all over the wall like unsightly scabs suddenly seemed to come alive, twisting and distorting!
The faces on the advertisements bulged their eyes, their mouths splitting all the way to their ears to reveal sharp, jagged teeth. With their green faces and prominent fangs, they looked exactly like the fierce ghosts from ancient myths and legends.
Countless hands thirsting for living blood reached out from the walls—
Paper-crafted hands, withered hands, hands with long fingernails, tiny hands... densely packed, they reached out from the billboards, clawing at Chen Xi!
With Black and White Impermanence pursuing her from above and troublesome little ghosts harassing her from behind, she was trapped.
“Son of a bitch!”
Chen Xi cursed, uncharacteristically breaking her composure. Gripping the pipe with one hand, she raised her revolver with the other and fired several shots in rapid succession at the ghostly hands!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The blood bullets, charged with her living blood, slammed into the ghostly hands with a sharp sizzle, sending up plumes of white smoke.
The ghostly hands recoiled sharply, letting out ear-piercing shrieks.
Yet, more and more hands kept emerging from the wall, forming a dense, black tide!
The faces on the advertisements for medicine, clothing, fishballs, and spirit mediums all turned into ghastly visages, reaching out to grab her.
It was as if the entire wall had come to life under the white light.
Countless hands clawed at Chen Xi—some grabbing her arms, some pulling her hair, others wrapping around her ankles.
Chen Xi fired continuously as she slid down, the gunshots popping like firecrackers.
Blood bullet after blood bullet shattered one ghostly hand after another.
【Heaven's Justice】!
【Player "Chen Xi" has killed "Shedding-Skin Ghost"! Permanent Attack Power +1 (Cap: 300)】
【Player "Chen Xi" has killed "Bat Ghost"! Permanent Attack Power +1 (Cap: 300)】
【Player "Chen Xi" has killed "Foreign Ghost"! Permanent Attack Power +1 (Cap: 300)】
...
As she fired faster and faster, Chen Xi's face grew increasingly pale.
With a sharp rip, the hem of her Human Skin Coat was torn open by a ghostly hand!
Her blood and living aura spilled out, and the dense swarm of ghostly hands went wild, dragging her toward the wall with frantic, desperate strength!
Having lost too much blood, Chen Xi was starting to lose her strength.
If this drag-out fight continued, she would either be pulled into the wall by the ghostly hands or fall and be captured by Black and White Impermanence.
She immediately retrieved a Blood-Replenishing Pill and a Qi-Boosting Pill from her inventory, stuffed them into her mouth without heed of the dosage, and swallowed them whole.
The pills melted instantly upon entering her mouth, sending a warm current coursing through her entire body.
Her wounds healed at a visible rate, her dizziness vanished, and her strength returned.
【System Notification: Blood-Replenishing Pill x3 used. HP restored by 50%】
【System Notification: Qi-Boosting Pill x2 used. Mana restored by 40%】
Her status was instantly maxed out.
Chen Xi gritted her teeth and fired three consecutive shots at the densest cluster of ghostly hands:
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The three shots blasted open a gap. Using the swinging motion of the pipe, she leaped through the opening!
【Caught you...】
The voices of Black and White Impermanence echoed from above, carrying a hint of excitement.
A massive shadow loomed over her, chains clattering loudly as a mourning staff whistled through the air, hurtling straight down!
A brilliant, blinding light, like a spotlight on a stage, illuminated Chen Xi, leaving her with nowhere to hide.
Black Impermanence's chain and White Impermanence's mourning staff slammed down from two different directions simultaneously.
They moved so fast they were mere afterimages.
There was no way to dodge!
Rumble—!!!
A deafening explosion shook the earth.
Dust and smoke billowed into the sky, sending stone splinters flying dozens of meters away.
A bottomless crater, ten meters in diameter, was gouged into the ground.
The chain and the mourning staff slammed into the bottom of the crater at the same time, the shockwave cracking the surrounding buildings and exposing the paper-crafted framework inside.
As the dust slowly settled, ghosts wailed and howled all around.
Yet, the crater was completely empty.
There was only a tattered, oversized Human Skin Coat lying flat at the bottom of the pit.
Chen Xi was gone.
Black Impermanence froze. He slowly retracted his hand and scratched his head, letting out a puzzled growl from beneath the black cloth covering his eyes:
【Living soul... gone.】
White Impermanence drifted over as well, the white light in his eye sockets scanning back and forth.
But even after searching several times, he couldn't find even a trace of a living person's aura.
“Heh...”
White Impermanence let out an unwilling howl, his voice shrill and piercing, like a woman's sobbing or nails scratching against glass.
The two giant ghosts circled the crater twice but still found nothing.
Ultimately, Black Impermanence tugged on his iron chain, causing the little ghosts strung along it to chatter and shriek.
White Impermanence cast a glance in the direction of the Shing King Building before slowly turning around.
The two ghosts walked toward the end of the street, resuming their patrol.
Quiet returned to the street once more.
Only the massive crater in the ground and the solitary Human Skin Coat lying inside it remained to prove that the thrilling chase just moments ago had not been an illusion.
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