Ghost gods raged. The scene in the small courtyard changed instantly. The flowers that had surrounded Ling shed their petals, and their branches writhed grotesquely as they reached for her.

Ling shook her head. "Why are ghost gods always so arrogant?"

The man said coldly, "Because the art of magic has declined. Now, the world belongs to the ghost gods."

"Not necessarily!" Ling pressed a chess piece onto the board. All the black pieces seemed to open their eyes like ghost gods, their murderous intent fixed on her opponent.

The other man stood up abruptly, trembling. "Yi Tian chess, a god-slaying game?"

"Correct!" Ling looked at him with a half-smile. "The three hundred and sixty-one pieces of Yi Tian chess are all made from the eyeballs of ghost gods. My chess box isn't full yet. I was hoping to collect another piece or two. But it seems your eyeballs aren't worthy to be placed on my board."

Despite being a ghost god, his first reaction was to flee. But he seemed to be imprisoned in place by the cold light emanating from the chessboard, unable to move a muscle from head to toe.

At the same time, Mi Tianyue, lying on the wall, also had eyes that turned blood red. Her gaze echoed the moonlight from afar, and the short axe beside her flew into the air. Its blade met the moon, radiating a chilling light. At first glance, it looked like another half-moon, its cold light like water, its murderous intent biting.

"Brilliant Heavenly Moon, slay—" Mi Tianyue roared, her voice fierce. Person and cold light merged into one. The watery light descended from the sky, and the entire courtyard was immediately submerged in a bleak, silvery white.

Those with sharp eyes could see a black shadow holding a sharp axe in the white light, burying the axe blade into the ghost god's head.

In the blink of an eye, the white light dissipated. The moonlight in the sky was still soft and gentle, but on the ground, phosphorescent fire swirled chaotically. Mi Tianyue, standing in the green waves, slowly lost the blood-red light in her eyes, while Ling calmly put away her chess pieces.

Mi Tianyue turned around and said, "Your incomplete God-Slaying Formation can also kill ghost gods?"

"Slaying gods is like killing people. You don't necessarily have to be stronger than your opponent. The key is how you plan it." As Ling spoke, blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Mi Tianyue exclaimed in surprise, "You're injured?"

"After all, it's a god-slaying. There's bound to be a price to pay!" Ling wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, put away the chess pieces, took out her phone, and her fingers trembled slightly as she touched the keys.

Ling's God-Slaying Formation seemed ordinary, but it was extremely dangerous. The ghost god, imprisoned by the chess pieces, would inevitably struggle desperately. At that time, it was like using a rope to tie up a mad wild bull. Even if the other party couldn't break free from the rope, they might still be able to injure the person holding it.

The key to Ling's ability to slay the god was that she seized the opportunity when Mi Tianyue was accumulating power. Whether the ghost god killed someone early or Mi Tianyue made a move half a second later, all three of them would have been buried in this small courtyard.

Ling was essentially cutting off the ghost god's head while walking on a knife's edge.

She won! But it was a victory sought in danger!

Before Ling could even call, I opened my eyes in the cemetery. "I understand!"

I turned to look at the cemetery and said, "The real horror of the Qian Nian Yi Mu (Thousand-Year-Old Tree) isn't the feng shui, but what's beyond the feng shui. They also have people who can manipulate feng shui."

"If this person was living in seclusion in the provincial capital, we wouldn't be unable to collect any clues. This can only mean that the person guarding the formation for Nan Yi Mu is a ghost god!"

"It seems that our Liang Jie Tang (Two Realms Hall) has to slay a god!"

As murderous intent flashed in my eyes, Ling's phone call came through. Ling simply said to me on the phone, "The Mu family has been exterminated...I deduced that Mu Wenmin must have established another contract with a ghost god. You must be careful of that ghost god."

"Don't worry!" I simply said those two words and hung up the phone.

On the other end of the phone, Mi Tianyue was half-dead with anger at my attitude. "Is that all he has to say? I can say 'don't worry' too. Doesn't he ask if you're injured or anything?"

"I wouldn't ask either if I were him. If a friend is injured, they pay with blood. If a brother dies, they pay with their life. That's Li Po's Jianghu (martial world) code." As Ling spoke, a faint smile appeared on her face.

"Alright! I won't ask." Mi Tianyue said, "Is the strength of the Liang Jie Tang enough to slay a god? Mu Wenmin was able to scare that guy earlier to the point where he didn't dare go to the Northeast to chase people. He must have signed a contract with an even stronger ghost god. I'm afraid the Liang Jie Tang..."

Ling shook her head and said, "You've underestimated the Liang Jie Tang. Everyone in the Liang Jie Tang has secrets. Once their secrets are forced out, the Liang Jie Tang will become even more terrifying than the Three Palaces. Just Wang Tu Fu (Butcher Wang) alone is enough to suppress the art of magic in three provinces, let alone the fact that they have even stronger masters."

Mi Tianyue asked in confusion, "Really? Wang Tu Fu hasn't transcended the mortal realm yet. At most, he can be considered a grandmaster in name only."

"A grandmaster cannot be humiliated!" Ling shook her head and said, "In the battle of Shi Li Mountain, if the slaughter ban didn't prevent the use of external forces, Wang Tu Fu himself could have ensured that Cang Tianji would never return."

"The last time the Coffin Gate suffered a loss at their hands, Wang Tu Fu had the thought of calling for reinforcements. This time, Wang Tu Fu might have other preparations."

"Oh, oh..." Mi Tianyue nodded and said, "Ling, how did I hear that Hei Ye Xiao (Black Night Owl) of the Liang Jie Tang has a feud with you? You guys wouldn't..."

Ling took a deep breath and said, "The person who has a feud with Hei Ye Xiao isn't me, but the previous Nan Weiyang commander. Hei Ye Xiao is also clear about this, otherwise, he wouldn't allow me to come and go freely from the Liang Jie Tang."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. I still have something I need Li Po to repay me for."