Chapter Sixty-Eight: A Single Cough

In an instant, all consciousness faded. However, the decaying corpse was also obliterated by the explosion, and Song Nianqiang was abruptly pulled from the illusion, gasping for air—he had just experienced the sensation of death in its entirety.

He quickly assessed his surroundings and realized he was still standing in the corridor. Understanding what had happened, Song Nianqiang rushed toward the room where the big fellow was. So much time had been lost—who knew what had transpired during his absence?

Fortunately, when Song Nianqiang returned to the room where the big man and the mother and child were hiding, the Flayer Ghost had not yet breached the formation. Yet, the big man had risked everything to become the core of the array. His face was flushed to a deep purple, and Song Nianqiang recognized the signs of breath-holding—the big man was withstanding the Flayer Ghost’s assault by suffocating himself to buy time.

For as soon as the big man entered a state of asphyxiation, the formation would lock. Unless one’s cultivation far exceeded that of the one suffocating, it would be impossible to break through. But there was a limit—no ordinary person could hold their breath for long; three minutes was already a miracle. Thankfully, the big man trained diligently, but now three minutes had passed and he was reaching his limit.

If he exhaled, the formation would collapse instantly. At that point, not only the mother and child but even the big man himself would fall victim to the Flayer Ghost, their skins surely stripped away.

Luckily, Song Nianqiang arrived just in time. He cast the Five Thunders Incantation at the Flayer Ghost. Since the ghost was single-mindedly focused on attacking the big man within the array, it failed to notice Song Nianqiang’s approach and was struck squarely by the spell. Though it wasn’t enough to destroy the ghost, it did ease the big man’s burden for the moment.

Song Nianqiang hurried to the doorway, positioning himself in front of the big man. Perhaps sensing Song Nianqiang’s arrival, the big man finally released the breath he had held for three minutes. His head spun from lack of oxygen—he tried to stand but failed, so he simply closed his eyes and sat on the floor to recover his breath.

The Flayer Ghost had not expected Song Nianqiang to escape her illusion, and was taken aback. She knew that the two ghosts she had painstakingly subdued had already been destroyed by Song Nianqiang. Extending her long claws toward him, she vanished in a flash.

“Get out of the way!” Song Nianqiang shouted. Now, without the protection of the formation, the Flayer Ghost could burst in at any moment to strip the skin from the mother and her child. Yet, the pair had no idea what was happening. All they saw were two men rushing toward them in a panic—the fat one sitting cross-legged, muttering to himself, while the other stood guard, watching the room intently.

Before coming here, the chief of the precinct had sternly warned the mother to sit quietly on the bench with her son, promising that by morning the murderer of her husband would be caught. Thus, the mother sat on the bench, holding her son, who had already fallen asleep, unable to stay up so late.

Suddenly, the window flew open and a chilling wind swept in. The door kept slamming open and shut. Witnessing this, the mother grew terrified—she was an ordinary woman from a small town and had never seen anything like this outside a movie. Yet, as a mother, she had to care for her son. Despite her fear, she remained seated, covering her son’s ears.

“Damn it…” Song Nianqiang cursed under his breath. The room’s lights suddenly shifted, bathing everything in a ghostly green glow, thickening the atmosphere of dread. The Flayer Ghost’s patience was extraordinary; after all this effort to break in, she remained motionless.

With the ghost not making a move, Song Nianqiang couldn’t locate her. The standoff dragged on. Soon, it would be four in the morning. Once the hour passed, the energy of the living would rise and the ghostly energy would weaken—forcing the Flayer Ghost to withdraw. Perhaps she was already preparing her final assault.

Tension hung thick in the air. The big man sat cross-legged, chanting the Purifying Heaven and Earth Spell. Song Nianqiang tried to open his Heavenly Eye, but it was a futile hope—there were many who hunted ghosts, but few who could open the Heavenly Eye.

Only five minutes remained until four o’clock. Song Nianqiang glanced at the wall clock. At four, the rooster would crow, marking the transition from yin to yang. At that time, all ghosts, no matter their strength, would be compelled to retreat.

As each second passed, Song Nianqiang grew more anxious. Suddenly, the lights in the house blazed to full brightness, so glaring that it was impossible to keep his eyes open. This was exactly what the Flayer Ghost intended. In that brief moment when everyone squinted, she appeared beside the mother and child. Her long claws had already pierced the mother’s neck—within seconds, the woman would be a skinless corpse.

A cough echoed through the room.

The Flayer Ghost’s form froze as if struck by a heavy blow. Song Nianqiang, his eyes now adjusted to the glaring light, saw the claws buried in the mother’s neck and panicked. At once, he cast the Incinerating Heaven Incantation—a forbidden spell he had learned beyond his level, specifically to deal with the Flayer Ghost, its power immense.

Black flames erupted from the Flayer Ghost’s body just as the clock struck four. Though the ghost suffered under Song Nianqiang’s attack, this was not what truly terrified her. What filled her with dread was the owner of that cough.

To be rendered immobile by a single cough—this meant the person’s cultivation was at the level of a master ghost-hunter. Such an expert was far beyond what a second-tier ghost like her could challenge. Her best option was to flee and hope the master would not pursue her.

With trepidation, the Flayer Ghost vanished, and the mother survived by a hair’s breadth. Song Nianqiang collapsed onto the floor, his nerves frayed to the point of exhaustion.

“My Purifying Heaven and Earth Spell didn’t work?!”

This blow was not minor for the big man. That spell was his trump card, and yet it had failed to withstand the Flayer Ghost. No matter how carefree he was on ordinary days, now he had to reconsider his own strength. He had thought himself accomplished at ghost-hunting, but now he saw just how far he was from the true experts.

“Fatty, once this is over, we’re going home to seclude ourselves for a week—we must break through to the next level!” Song Nianqiang was similarly disheartened. He had been short-sighted, never realizing that there was always someone stronger. Now, he had learned this lesson firsthand.

Neither of them were fools. With the Flayer Ghost’s skills, it would have taken only seconds to skin the victims. Had it not been for that cough, they might have been left with nothing but two skinless corpses.

That night, Song Nianqiang and the big man were exhausted in both body and spirit. Song Nianqiang called the chief to explain what had happened. The chief did not blame him; even if he had wanted to, he wouldn’t have dared. With no other choice, Song Nianqiang sought out the Colonel.

He spent over an hour discussing the events with the Colonel in a private room. When he finally emerged, the Colonel clapped him on the shoulder and said with a smile, “Nianqiang, don’t worry. Everyone encounters setbacks. The Second Ghost Division of the Paranormal Police is no longer enough for this. I’ll call the Seventh Special Operations Group and have them send someone over, so you can see the true elite of our nation!”

“Good. After my strike, the Flayer Ghost won’t return tonight. Will the Seventh Group’s people arrive tomorrow?” Song Nianqiang was concerned—if the ghost returned, he might not be able to handle it.

“No problem. Their operations are always overseen by designated personnel. Getting a plane ready is nothing to them.” The Colonel grinned, and Song Nianqiang felt reassured. He only needed to hold out one more night. Yet one question still gnawed at him—who was the owner of that mysterious cough?