Twin female zombies come to the door: My lord, please have mercy!

Deep in the fog of the Shenshui area on the southern outskirts of Jiangzhou.

Inside the lobby of the luxury cruise ship, the atmosphere fell into an eerie silence as the last item was auctioned off.

The cold white beam of the spotlight shone on the center of the auction stage.

On a cart made of some kind of old wood, a black clay pot about half a person's height was quietly placed.

The surface of the pottery jar was rough and covered with a thick layer of dark brown substance.

The mouth of the jar was sealed shut with black talisman paper covered with scarlet runes.

There was no wind, yet the edges of the black talismans trembled slightly, faintly emitting a harsh sound similar to countless fingernails scraping against the inner wall.

A strong stench of corpses, mixed with the putrid smell of the underground river, instantly swept over the entire venue like an invisible tide.

Inside private room number eight on the second floor.

The moment the pottery jar appeared, Lin Ye's eyes narrowed sharply.

Those with a pure Yang Daoist body are most sensitive to such evil spirits.

He could clearly feel the instinctive resistance and restlessness of his body's Qi and blood.

This smell, these malevolent black runes.

Yinshan Sect!

That night, he had just killed a withered old man from the Yinshan Sect with lightning from a distance.

Tonight, at the final auction item on this cruise ship, I unexpectedly stumbled upon the work of these evil cultivators who feed on the dead once again.

"Distinguished guests, please take a closer look."

On the high platform, the man wielding the hammer, Ghost Hand Seven, let out two eerie laughs like those of a night owl.

In his only remaining right eye, a fervor and madness flickered that was difficult for ordinary people to detect.

"This is the ultimate treasure—the [Mysterious Yin Hundred Ghosts Vessel]!"

"This ceramic jar contains the unformed embryo of a ghost king. With the nourishment of abundant human essence, it can be refined into an unparalleled ghost king who obeys your every command within seven days! Starting bid: fifty million!"

Ghost Hand Seven's introduction immediately caused everyone in the hall to gasp in shock.

A ghost king who obeys your every word?

In this chaotic world overrun by demons, having a Ghost King as a bodyguard is practically like having an extra get-out-of-jail-free card.

Many aristocratic family representatives and wealthy merchants, blinded by greed, had a glint of avarice in their eyes.

"A bunch of idiots."

Lin Ye sat on the leather sofa and coldly uttered four words.

Leng Yue picked up her teacup, took a sip of warm water, and looked down at the restless mortals below with a hint of pity through the glass curtain wall.

"This jar contains not a trace of the life force of the Ghost King's embryo; it is filled to the brim with the resentment of vengeful ghosts who were tortured to death."

"Once the seal is broken, everyone on this ship will become food for those vengeful spirits."

Leng Yue's words revealed the secret of heaven.

Lin Ye clenched his fists.

Those lunatics from the Yinshan Sect clearly suffered a great loss last night. They somehow found out about the cruise ship auction in Jiangzhou tonight, which would attract a large number of wealthy people, and deliberately set up this deadly trap.

They wanted to use the blood and vital essence of the wealthy and powerful as a sacrifice to set up a bloody massacre here!

A faint light flickered wildly on my retina, and the system's metallic voice, carrying a hint of fighting spirit, rang crisply in my mind.

"Ding! My Lord, please be mindful of your conduct. System notification: The Yinshan Sect's [Hundred Ghosts Devouring Souls Scheme] has been detected."

"The lives of everyone on this ship hang by a thread. Host, please devise a solution within three minutes to demonstrate the absolute dominance of the orthodox Xuanmen sect!"

The light screen unfolded, revealing three options:

[Option A: Self-preservation—Grab the two ladies, the fat man, and Young Master Qin, break the back window of the private room in the chaos, and jump into the river to escape.]

[Reward: Swimming Champion title. Consequence: The entire crew dies. If the Ninth Bureau investigates, you will be branded a fugitive and confined to the sewers for life.]

[Option B: Breaking the deadlock with money – Have Young Master Qin spend 100 million to buy the pottery jar, then take it to a deserted, desolate mountain area and dispose of it slowly.]

[Reward: Great Injustice Medal. Consequence: The Yinshan Sect's evil cultivators will secretly detonate the formation; you'll lose your life after spending the money.]

Option C: Flip the table, smash the place—directly expose this vicious murder plot! Use the newly acquired [Lightning Talisman] to give these rats who only dare to hide in the sewers a shock from the heavens!

[Reward: 400 Official Points, interception of the [Yinshan Sect Secret Order], achieving lasting fame in the Jiangnan metaphysical world.]

Lin Ye's lips curled into a sharp, cold smile.

Since taking over the funeral shop, he has come to understand one thing: to deal with those reckless mad dogs, the only way is to be madder, more ruthless, and more domineering than them to completely subdue them.

"I choose C!"

The moment the thought is settled.

Inside VIP box number three, Gu Changfeng's arrogant voice resounded throughout the room via microphone:

"Sixty million! This Ghost King, I'll take it!"

The wealthy businessmen in the hall looked at each other, and none of them dared to bid because of the Gu family's background.

A mocking glint flashed in Ghost Hand Seven's eyes as he raised the human leg bone in his hand, preparing to strike the gong.

"Bang!"

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted on the second floor.

The thick bulletproof glass of VIP box number eight was shattered by an extremely violent surge of pure Yang energy!

Countless shards of glass rained down, crashing onto the open ground around the auction stage, startling all the guests who retreated in shock.

Lin Ye held the seven-section peach wood sword covered with lightning strike patterns upside down in one hand, stepped out of the window frame of the private room, and stood upright on the viewing terrace extending from the second floor.

He looked down at Ghost Hand Seven on the stage, his voice, imbued with Taoist energy, booming like thunder throughout the cruise ship's lobby:

"Fifty million for a broken chamber pot filled with corpse fluid, and you still dream of hatching a ghost king? Ghost Hand Seven, you outcast of the corpse-driving lineage, you've truly lost all shame in your attempt to prolong your life using the Yinshan Sect's evil magic!"

"You want to drag this entire ship full of people down with you? Did you even ask the sword in my hand?"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

The wealthy merchants and independent cultivators in the hall all changed their expressions.

The Yinshan Sect is infamous in the world of metaphysics; anyone who gets involved with them never has a good ending.

Inside VIP room number three, Gu Changfeng, his face ashen, rushed to the window, pointed at Lin Ye, and began to curse:

"You surnamed Lin! Don't you dare slander me! You have no money to bid, yet you come out and ruin my good time? Elder Sun, this man is disrupting the event, arrest him immediately!"

Elder Sun, who was standing behind him, was about to make a move.

Ghost Hand Seven, standing atop the platform, suddenly let out a shrill, ear-piercing laugh.

"Hahaha... What a sharp eye you are, young man! Too bad you discovered it too late!"

Ghost Hand Seven's only remaining right eye was instantly swallowed by a dark aura of death.

His originally hunched body swelled violently, and black bloodstains cracked on his skin.

Without any hesitation, he raised the human leg bone in his hand and smashed it hard onto the black clay pot in front of him.

"The gates of Yin Mountain open, a hundred ghosts roam the night! Kill them all!"

"Snap!"

The earthenware jar shattered, and the black talisman paper that was sealed in a cross pattern instantly burst into flames.

An extremely thick, foul-smelling black mist erupted wildly from inside the jar.

Accompanied by chilling, wailing howls, hundreds and thousands of twisted and grotesque ghost faces coalesced and took shape in the black mist.

These vengeful spirits have bloodshot eyes and bite anyone they see.

The wealthy businessmen closest to the platform were enveloped in black mist before they could even scream.

In just a few seconds, the living people were drained of all their life essence, turning into several skin-and-bones desiccated corpses that collapsed to the ground.

The entire auction hall instantly transformed into a living hell. Terrified screams and cries echoed throughout the cruise ship.

"You dare, you monster!"

Inside the third private room, Elder Sun, seeing the situation was dire, shouted and pulled out a copper coin sword from his robes. He then leaped down from the second floor in an attempt to stop the spreading black mist.

Gu Changfeng panicked as well, suddenly remembering the [Purple Gold Thunderfire Mirror] that he had just bought for a sky-high price of 200 million.

"With the treasures of Longhu Mountain in my possession, what can a mere evil spirit do to me!"

Gu Changfeng grabbed the ancient purple-gold mirror as if it were a lifeline.

He bit his fingertip and poured all his inner energy into the mirror, attempting to ignite the heavenly thunder and earthly fire within.

A sudden and unexpected change occurred!

The moment his true energy surged into the ancient mirror.

The seemingly fierce purple-gold light on the mirror surface instantly went out.

Immediately afterwards, an extremely yin and evil aura that had been accumulating for countless years erupted!

This malevolent energy, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, surged upwards along Gu Changfeng's arm.

"what!"

Gu Changfeng let out a bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered.

His entire right arm, which was gripping the ancient mirror, instantly formed a thick layer of black ice.

The sound of veins snapping inch by inch could be clearly heard; this arm was completely ruined!

The Purple-Gold Thunderfire Mirror fell to the ground and broke in two.

This so-called treasure was indeed, as Lin Ye had said, a deadly death warrant!

"Second Young Master!"

Elder Sun was distracted and looked back when two fierce ghosts seized the opportunity to bite his shoulder, causing him to writhe violently on the ground in pain.

A sense of despair permeated the entire cruise ship.

The doors and windows of the hall had long been welded shut by the evil spirits, leaving no way to escape.

"Noisy."

Amidst this agonizing inferno of wailing ghosts and howling wolves, a cold snort, imbued with boundless majesty, emanated from the terrace of Box 8.

Leng Yue had already appeared beside Lin Ye without anyone noticing.

She looked down at the rampaging demons below, like an ancient deity who regarded all living beings as worthless weeds.

In his deep red eyes, the golden and crimson flames of the red lotus danced and burned.

She didn't make a move, but with just that wisp of the half-step drought demon's aura, the frantically attacking ghosts were as if they had encountered their natural enemy, letting out terrified cries, their bodies stiffening in place, no longer daring to take even half a step forward.

Lin Ye seized the opportunity and suddenly tapped his toes on the edge of the terrace.

Like a bird spreading its wings, he leaped nimbly from the second floor.

While suspended in mid-air, he deftly pulled a piece of yellow paper covered with intricate vermilion patterns from his pocket with his left hand.

This was the very Xuan-rank spell he had just mastered this morning—

[Lightning Summoning Talisman]!