While in Hollywood, I used Taoist magic to quell American terrorism.

"call--!"

Dalton, who had been in a state of apparent death, suddenly bounced upwards, his chest heaving violently.

His eyes snapped open, his gaze shifting from blankness to extreme terror.

"Mommy! Mommy!" The child's scream shattered the silence of the room.

"Dalton! My darling!"

Lena went berserk, pulling the awakened child into a tight embrace, tears streaming down her face.

"Thank God, thank you, thank you..."

Just as the mother and son were immersed in the joyful reunion, the temperature inside the room suddenly dropped to freezing.

A chilling gust of wind suddenly rose from the ground, making the curtains rustle loudly.

Josh lay on the recliner with his eyes still closed.

A ghostly figure dressed in a tattered black wedding dress, with a ferocious face like an old woman.

It was carrying a putrid smell as it was thrown towards Josh's body.

Just as he was about to succeed, a golden light suddenly emanated from Josh and struck the phantom.

boom!

The phantom was blasted away like a kite with a broken string, tumbling several times in the air before finally regaining its footing.

It stared in shock at Cao Kun, who had suddenly appeared next to Josh.

"Parker Crane, do you think I wasn't on guard against a freak like you?"

Cao Kun's cold voice boomed in the room like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

"Who are you?" A cold, indistinct voice, neither male nor female, came from the phantom's mouth.

"Parker Crane, you don't know me, but I know you."

Cao Kun said calmly, "Or should I call you 'Mr. Crane'?"

A psychopath who was abused by his mother from childhood, treated as a girl, became psychologically twisted, and ultimately castrated himself.

The bride in black, Parker Crane, twisted her face in shock: "You're going to die!"

The bride in black let out a piercing scream, and her entire body turned into a cloud of black smoke.

Mixed with countless sharp fingernails and resentment, it swept over Cao Kun like a tidal wave.

The temperature in the room plummeted again, and frost even formed on the walls.

Lena was so frightened by the sudden turn of events and the terrifying scene that she clung tightly to Dalton, who had just woken up and was still extremely weak, and huddled at the head of the bed.

They stared in utter terror at the "old woman" who had suddenly appeared, a sight more terrifying than any nightmare.

"Mom... what... what is that?" Dalton asked, trembling.

"Don't be afraid, baby, don't look..." Lena covered her son's eyes, but she couldn't help trembling.

Cao Kun neither dodged nor avoided, but swiftly formed a hand seal with one hand.

"Five Thunder Decree, Heavenly Thunder Shatters the Sky! Fall!"

Boom!

Even in a closed room, it seemed as if a thunderclap echoed in the void.

Cao Kun's lightning-struck peach wood sword, accompanied by a powerful and yang-like bolt of lightning, cleaved directly into the black mist.

"ah--!"

From within the black mist came Parker Crane's agonizing screams.

The resentment that had been building up for decades melted away as quickly as snow under the blazing sun in the face of the thunder magic activated by the seventh-rank celestial master.

Cao Kun, not one to back down, took out a consecrated Five Emperors Coin.

With a flick of his finger, golden light shot through the air and struck the black-clad bride precisely on the forehead.

With a "bang," the dark figure was knocked back several meters, and its originally solidified spirit body became much more transparent.

"Master Cao! Where's Josh? Josh hasn't come back yet!"

Lena huddled in a corner, clutching Dalton, and screamed in terror.

"Don't worry, once we deal with this old bastard, Josh will naturally come back."

Cao Kun's face was cold and his eyes were like torches. He had replaced the peach wood sword in his hand with a copper coin sword.

"From one to ten thousand, go!"

Cao Kun flicked his wrist, and the Great Zhou Heavenly Copper Coin Sword exploded once again.

The 365 copper coin swords, like shooting stars, pierced through the black-clad bride's soul.

Puff puff!

The black wedding dress phantom was riddled with holes, and its yin energy leaked out like a flood.

"No...this is impossible. I've been planning this for decades, how could this happen?"

The bride in black had a contorted expression on her face.

"Give me your body!" It abandoned all its frills and concentrated all its resentment into one point.

The entire spirit body transformed into an incredibly solid black arrow.

It shot straight at Josh's forehead at extremely high speed!

"Hmph! Trying to escape!"

Cao Kun snorted coldly and stepped forward: "Rise!"

Instantly, beams of golden light rose from inside the room, sealing it completely.

"what!"

A scream!

The figure of the bride in black reappeared.

"fall!"

A bolt of lightning struck down, hitting the arrow.

The arrow disintegrated and scattered instantly.

The bride in black appeared to be launching a final attack, but in reality, her main soul quietly left, attempting to escape.

Unfortunately, Cao Kun saw through his plan.

The bride in black lay on the ground, her spirit fading, her face contorted in a grimace.

It seemed as if it could vanish at any moment.

It looked at Cao Kun and revealed a chilling, ferocious smile.

"Hehe...hehehe...Eastern exorcist...do you really think you've won?"

You... will die soon... I'll be waiting for you in hell...

"You won't have a chance to go to hell."

Cao Kun remained expressionless and stretched out his hand: "Come here!"

Puff puff!

365 small swords flew up, passed through the black-clad bride's body again, and returned to Cao Kun's hand, where they reformed into a copper coin sword.

The bride in black shuddered, and her body collapsed into nothingness with a soft thud.

"Ding! Killed a C-rank ghost, gained 1000000 merit points."

The bride in black vanished completely, and the suffocating chill in the room began to slowly dissipate.

Lena hugged Dalton tightly, her tears of relief still wet on her face.

She looked at Josh, who was still motionless, and asked anxiously, "Master Cao, Josh, he..."

"Don't worry, it's time to take him home."

Cao Kun walked to the altar, his expression returning to calm.

He relit a stick of incense to summon the soul, and wisps of smoke rose straight up.

This time, without any external interference, the process should go smoothly.

Cao Kun, holding the Celestial Master's Token, took a step forward, and a powerful surge of earth energy rose up:

"Yin and Yang have boundaries, but the soul is impermanent."

"By the decree of the Celestial Master, I open the gates of the underworld, break the locks of the Yellow Springs, and summon your departed souls to come and obey my command!"

"If you dare disobey, may your body be consumed by the talismanic fire and you be condemned to eternal reincarnation! Reveal yourself!"

As Cao Kun finished chanting, the red rope in Josh's hand began to tremble violently.

Josh, who was on the recliner, suddenly shuddered, his eyelids twitching violently.

His chest began to rise and fall noticeably, and his complexion regained its color at a visible speed.

"Josh!" Lena exclaimed in surprise.

A few seconds later, Josh slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were initially unfocused and tired, as if he had just completed a long journey.

But he quickly focused and saw his wife and children by the bedside.

"Lena...Dalton!" His voice was hoarse but full of excitement as he struggled to sit up.

"Josh! You're back! That's great!"

Lena could no longer hold back and rushed to her husband's side, hugging Dalton tightly.

The family of three embraced tightly, weeping with joy.

Cao Kun nodded slightly as he watched this scene, preparing to pack his things and leave.

Although this commission had its share of twists and turns, it was ultimately resolved satisfactorily.

They also eliminated a troublesome evil spirit, so it was a good haul.

However, at the very moment Josh's soul completely merged with his body and his consciousness fully awakened—

A sudden change has occurred!

The space twisted and a terrifying aura descended into the room.

A blood-red mark slowly appeared on the wall.

A clearly visible, ominous ram skull!