After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Although Xie Jinchen's men were skilled, the enemy had an overwhelming numerical advantage and fought to the death, gradually forcing them to hold onto a corner of the roof, with their space for movement becoming smaller and smaller.

Almost every guard had wounds, some deep and some shallow, their clothes soaked in blood, and their breathing became heavy.

In the distance, the leader in black seemed completely unconcerned about the casualties of his own men, simply watching Xie Jinchen and the others struggle like trapped beasts.

Seeing that Xie Jinchen and the others were wounded but their formation remained intact, the leader finally lost his patience.

He suddenly pulled out a small pottery jar covered with strange runes from his pocket.

The mouth of the jar was sealed with dark red talisman paper, and the runes on the paper moved slowly as if they were alive.

The leader began chanting obscure and sinister incantations.

"puff!"

As the incantation was finished, the earthenware jar began to tremble slightly, and the talisman instantly burned to ashes.

The earthenware jar suddenly began to shake violently, emitting black smoke and emitting a series of chilling, piercing howls.

An aura far colder than all the assassins combined emanated from the area.

The black smoke quickly condensed, transforming into a shadow shrouded in a black robe.

It held a huge scythe formed from black smoke in its hand, with black slime constantly dripping from its blade.

Xie Jinchen's gaze sharpened.

This is a ghost created by evil magic.

As soon as the ghost took shape, it roared to the sky, and its pale green ghostly eyes instantly locked onto Xie Jinchen, who had the strongest malevolent and vital energy on the roof.

The next moment, its massive body, trailing black smoke and afterimages, wielded its giant scythe and pounced straight at Xie Jinchen.

Wherever it passed, a chilling wind swept through, and even the temperature dropped sharply.

"Your Highness, be careful!"

"Protect the Crown Prince!"

The guards' expressions changed drastically, and they exclaimed in unison.

They were not afraid of assassins, but these supernatural ghosts were beyond their usual range of dealing with.

The instinctive chill and sense of powerlessness even caused the front-line guards to stiffen and hesitate slightly when they tried to parry with their swords.

Xie Jinchen's eyes suddenly sharpened, and his aura abruptly became fierce.

He growled, "Get out of the way, this thing is not something you can handle."

Upon hearing this, the guards all trembled.

They had followed Xie Jinchen for many years and knew the young master's temperament well.

Despite their reluctance and worries, the ironclad rules of the secret guards were etched into their very bones: once the master's order was given, they would obey even at the cost of their lives!

"retreat!"

An Yi uttered a single word through gritted teeth, his eyes bloodshot, but he was the first to leap backward.

Seeing this, the remaining guards could only grit their teeth and suppress the urge to rush forward and die together. They quickly retreated to the edge of the roof, forming a tighter formation to keep the remaining black-clad assassins out.

The blood-stained rooftop in the center was left entirely to Xie Jinchen and that ghostly figure.

"roar!"

The ghost had no concept of tactics. Seeing the obstacle disappear, it let out an even more excited and violent roar.

Black mist surged, and the giant scythe swept down, slashing down on Xie Jinchen, who stood alone in the center of the roof ridge.

Xie Jinchen's pupils contracted slightly. He pushed off with his feet and darted to the side and back, narrowly avoiding the sweeping black scythe.

A chilling aura of death swept across his cheeks, bringing a piercing cold.

At the same time, he slashed his longsword at the waist and abdomen of the ghostly figure, which was formed by black smoke.

"laugh!"

The ghostly figure's forward momentum noticeably faltered, letting out a painful shriek as black smoke billowed violently from its waist and abdomen.

This attack clearly injured it.

Its injured body twisted violently, and with a backhand swipe, the ghostly claw slashed a deep, bone-revealing wound on Xie Jinchen's arm, instantly soaking his sleeve with blood.

Xie Jinchen groaned, his face paling slightly, but he didn't even frown.

Using the force of his twisting body, he tapped his toes on the tiles several times, quickly drifting backward several feet.

Xie Jinchen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging blood and qi caused by the ghostly energy corroding his left arm wound. His voice was slightly hoarse due to the intense pain and the circulation of his internal energy.

"Listen carefully, all of you."

He took a breath, his gaze sweeping over the tearful eyes of An Yi and the others:

"If I die here today, there is no need for a body burial or a proper burial; just cremate my body on the spot."

He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the ghostly figures and carnage before him, fixed on the direction of Nanzen-ji Temple, a fleeting, elusive tenderness passing through the depths of his eyes:

"Then, go to Nanchansi Temple and find Jiang Dusheng."

When he uttered the name, his voice trembled slightly.

"Tell her everything that happened here. Ask her to make sure that my soul completely dissipates into the world, and that there is absolutely no possibility of it lingering in the mortal realm."

His tone suddenly became more serious, "And we must never allow any force to have the opportunity to use my soul for anything! This is my... final request, and also my order."

"Your Highness!"

An Yi's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and he could no longer restrain himself. He roared hoarsely, almost rushing forward recklessly.

The other guards were also visibly furious, their eyes wide with rage and their bodies trembling.

A trickle of bright red blood spilled from Xie Jinchen's lips due to the tremors of his internal energy and the corrosive influence of the ghostly aura, which stood out starkly against his pale face.

"An Yi, don't forget the ironclad rule of the Shadow Guards: Once the master's order is given, death is the only punishment!"

These words were like ice water poured over someone's head, instantly freezing the momentum of Dark One's advance.

He clenched his teeth tightly, his fists cracking.

In the end, he remained firmly rooted to the spot, staring intently at the center of the battle.

Xie Jinchen withdrew his gaze and looked ahead.

The wound on the ghostly figure's waist and abdomen was slowly healing amidst the billowing black smoke, but its aura became even more violent and chaotic.

The eerie green ghost eyes stared intently at the wound on Xie Jinchen's left arm, revealing a greedy desire.

Xie Jinchen took a deep breath, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes disappeared, leaving only ruthlessness.

He held the sword in one hand, while the other hand swiftly formed a hand seal in front of his chest. His fingertips traced across his chest, dipping into the blood flowing from his wound, as he muttered a low incantation:

"Bloodlust as the catalyst, soul pact as the guarantee."

"The bonds that bind me are now broken."

He took a deep breath, and the last trace of restraint that belonged to Xie Jinchen vanished completely in his eyes.

"break!"