Chapter 113: Battle Against the Belly-Dwelling Demon

After being bitten by the hefty man, the Abdominal Ghost astonishingly revealed a human form. Aside from its hands, which resembled those of an ape, it looked no different from an ordinary person. This sight startled Song Nian greatly; he had never expected that the enigmatic Abdominal Ghost would appear in such a guise.

“Ah~~~” The hefty man in the mirror emitted a heart-wrenching roar. Song Nian hurried to the mirror and, upon meeting the hefty man’s gaze, immediately understood. He reached out and tore off the talisman stuck to the hefty man’s forehead.

Without the talisman, the hefty man’s soul instantly returned to his body. He gasped sharply and then collapsed limply, his mind foggy and entirely devoid of consciousness.

Seeing the hefty man’s dire condition, Song Nian was truly anxious. His eyes turned cold as he looked at the Abdominal Ghost reflected in the mirror, and in his heart, he already condemned it to death. How dare it harm his brother! Regardless of whether it was human or ghost, its fate was sealed: death! This was one of Song Nian’s core principles.

After the hefty man’s soul returned to his body, the Abdominal Ghost’s dissipated power gradually recovered. Just as it prepared to catch its breath, a flash of golden light appeared in the mirror—a golden blade suddenly hovered above its neck.

The golden blade struck swiftly and fiercely, slashing diagonally downward from above its neck. Even from a distance, the Abdominal Ghost felt the blade’s sharp aura; the danger was palpable. Displaying remarkable adaptability, the Abdominal Ghost’s body instantly transformed into a puddle of black water, flowing rapidly to one side.

Song Nian’s blade missed its mark. With a flick of his hand, the golden blade traced a circle before stabbing toward the black water. However, the Abdominal Ghost’s body, seemingly boneless, twisted into a rope that instantly coiled around Song Nian’s wrist.

Outside the mirror, Song Nian supported the hefty man onto the bed. By now, Song Nian was thoroughly familiar with the Soul Division Technique. After casting it, his body was unaffected, but his soul power was entirely depleted—a major drawback of this technique.

Surprised by the Abdominal Ghost’s cunning attack, Song Nian realized the creature’s strike was more devious than anticipated. What he didn’t know was that the hefty man’s bite had forced the Abdominal Ghost back to its original form. Though it had regained some strength, it was nowhere near its peak. That was why Song Nian could barely hold his own against it; otherwise, he would have been killed instantly.

With a cold snort, Song Nian’s arm suddenly erupted with golden light. The golden blade sprang forth from his arm and severed the rope formed by the Abdominal Ghost. The ghost seemed badly wounded and quickly retreated, assuming human form at a distance.

“The Soul Secret Technique truly is wondrous.” If not for the hefty man’s bite, this Abdominal Ghost would have reached the power of a third-tier ghost. Although it had heard of the technique, seeing it firsthand was a rare privilege.

“Heh, since you know this is the Soul Secret Technique, why not come over and die quickly?!” Song Nian showed no mercy. The hefty man was gravely injured and lying uncertainly on the bed. This time, Song Nian was determined to finish the Abdominal Ghost.

“Hmph! If not for that lucky bite from the fat one that destroyed my strength, leaving me with less than a tenth of my power, do you think you could still stand here and talk to me now?!” The Abdominal Ghost snapped back fiercely. Neither side was willing to back down.

“Luck is part of strength. Since your luck is that bad, how about a little more?” With that, Song Nian swung his golden blade horizontally and then thrust it outward, golden light flashing as the blade appeared before the Abdominal Ghost. This time, the ghost didn’t transform into black pus but retreated, its eyes filled with contempt.

“Ha!” Suddenly, the Abdominal Ghost let out a roar. Its ape-like arms elongated, reaching toward Song Nian’s chest. Song Nian was secretly astonished by the ghost’s tactics but had no choice but to retreat, feet halting abruptly. He shifted his body sideways, rapidly withdrawing the golden blade to strike at the long arm.

Just as the blade was about to cut through, the arm turned back into a puddle of black water. Seeing this, Song Nian’s teeth clenched tightly in frustration, a murderous gleam flashing in his eyes. With a flick of his other hand, a large golden bow appeared. Using the golden blade as an arrow, he shot fiercely at the Abdominal Ghost.

Taken by surprise, the Abdominal Ghost retreated in panic. Its arm could no longer be withdrawn, so it sacrificed the limb to save its life.

“Shh!” The golden blade pierced through the ghost’s shoulder, severing half its arm. Strangely, the ghost seemed unfazed by the pain. Taking advantage of Song Nian’s momentary lack of weapon, it leapt forward, striking Song Nian’s chest with its remaining hand.

Song Nian’s soul trembled violently. He felt his world spin, losing control of his body as he was sent flying backward—though luckily, he did not exit the mirror.

That single punch revealed just how terrifying the Abdominal Ghost had been at its peak. That blow nearly killed Song Nian’s soul avatar. Yet, Song Nian believed that given the ghost’s current strength, that punch was its absolute limit; it could hardly strike so powerfully again.

Struggling to his feet, Song Nian conjured the golden blade once more. He glanced at the Abdominal Ghost, who was now half-kneeling on one leg, gasping heavily.

“Heh, what’s wrong? Can’t hold on? Come on then!” Song Nian taunted.

Watching Song Nian persist, the Abdominal Ghost was surprised. It had underestimated the Soul Secret Technique’s power. That single punch had elevated its strength to a third-tier ghost level—albeit briefly—but it was undeniably a full-force strike.

“Good, you didn’t disappoint. But do you really believe you can kill me?” the ghost said as it rose and locked eyes with Song Nian. “Heh, how will you know unless you try? There are too many unknowns in this world. To stop at the unknown is cowardice—and I refuse to be a coward!” It laughed mockingly, as if scoffing at Song Nian’s ignorance.

“Then today, you will pay a painful price for that spirit of exploring the unknown!” The ghost stepped forward, extending its remaining hand. Its black fingernails rapidly lengthened, transforming into nearly a meter-long black iron hook. The faint black mist emanating from the nail made Song Nian uneasy. This time, he might truly meet his end.

“Let’s see who dies first!” Gritting his teeth, Song Nian swung the golden blade. A flash of golden light shot toward the ghost’s chest, but the ghost deftly dodged, counterattacking with its hook-like nail. Shadows flickered as it slashed, tearing Song Nian’s clothes.

Every part of Song Nian’s attire was linked to his soul. Even the torn clothes caused a slight shock to his spirit. He inwardly acknowledged the ghost’s skill but did not cease his attack.

Gradually, Song Nian understood the ghost’s earlier words were true. Without the hefty man’s bite, Song Nian would have died countless times by now. Yet here they were, evenly matched. Such is karma: the cause planted by the hefty man bore fruit within Song Nian.

With the golden blade sweeping fiercely, the Abdominal Ghost’s stamina waned. Song Nian pushed it to the edge of the mirror. However, the mirror had been sealed with talismans by the hefty man. While the ghost might have escaped at full strength, now it lacked the power.

“Die!” Song Nian leapt high, gripping the golden blade with both hands, and brought it down fiercely. From the edge of the mirror, the Abdominal Ghost sensed the blade’s pure and sacred aura even from afar.