At six in the morning, Yan Hao walked out of the Black Spade Bar with a sense of relief, sweeping away his previous gloomy expression, his hands clasped behind his back, exuding a certain air of confidence and flair.

His bodyguards followed behind him, visibly relaxed, as if they could finally see tomorrow's sunrise.

Standing at the doorway, Mr. Liu smiled and said, "Mr. Yan, take care on your way! We won't escort you further since you're stepping into the Ether Association's territory soon. Frankly, we've been too lazy to stir up conflicts with them recently."

Though he wore the expression of a grinning Buddha, his actual thoughts were polar opposite: "A bunch of morons, thinking I don't know you've messed with the association? If it were just a falling-out with the association, maybe you'd still have a chance, but now you're dabbling with the Gu Masters too? Damn it, even if the association cares about the bigger picture, they'll definitely come for your lives."

Let's see how long you last!

Yan Hao maintained a polite smile and replied, "Many thanks, Third Master, your help this time has been tremendous."

Yet inwardly, he thought: "Heh, stupid fat bastard, such a small amount of money was enough to buy you off. Once we leave, you can stay behind and deal with the association's wrath, haha!"

Businessmen are always like this: smiling on the outside, swearing in their hearts.

A black Maserati was parked outside the bar, and from inside, low whispers could be heard.

"Supreme, those two are really taking their time chatting."

The Scholar glanced down at his watch. At that moment, he was seated in the driver's seat, dressed in bodyguard attire with a baseball cap casting shadows over his face, disguised as the chauffeur.

Gu Jianlin was getting impatient, his tone indifferent as he remarked, "Looking at them, you'd think they were getting a foot massage."

The Scholar gasped, shocked that the Supreme, after integrating into human society, now knew something as mundane as foot massages. He quickly flattered him, "The Supreme's foresight is truly prophetic. No doubt about it—they definitely had a foot massage."

The original driver and bodyguard had already been knocked out and stuffed into the trunk.

The Yan family wasn't entirely foolish—the driver was a Spirit Medium, and the bodyguard specialized in Ancient Martial techniques, both at Second Rank.

However, Gu Jianlin wielded the Lock of Nonexistence and the Soul Comforting Bell, along with the ability to cast Ghost Curses from afar.

Pair that with the Scholar, a Third Rank Heavenly Master, and together they had subdued the two in under half a minute.

The entire process hadn't even made much noise.

"Supreme, if you plan to use the Ancient God's Blood to control Yan Hao, then the rest of his bodyguards and attendants can all be eliminated. After all, in a Forbidden Zone, losing a few men is par for the course. In fact, anyone privy to the specifics of the Yan family's evacuation schedule must be cleaned up."

The Scholar explained, "I could even follow them undercover, blending in with the Yan family's entourage."

Gu Jianlin nodded slightly.

The Scholar added, "As for Yan Hao himself, while his abilities aren't feeble, it might pose a minor challenge to subdue him in a single move. Nevertheless, in your hands, he's unlikely to cause any issues."

Gu Jianlin, seated in the front passenger seat, turned slightly to find a strand of hair on the car seat. He coiled it around his fingertip.

Activating Ghost Curse Techniques is best done using a medium.

The curse's potency increases significantly.

By now, Yan Hao and his entourage of bodyguards had approached.

One of the bodyguards opened the car door, and Yan Hao assumed the demeanor of a man in power as he seated himself inside.

The bodyguard then joined the others in heading to the vehicle behind.

"What are you dawdling for?"

Yan Hao, oblivious to the oddities around him, commanded in a stern voice, "Drive!"

Almost instantly, ethereal silver-white chains materialized, crisscrossing and hovering in the void.

—Lock of Nonexistence, unleashed!

At that moment, Gu Jianlin abruptly raised his right hand, his index finger coiled with the strand of hair. "Die!"

Thud!

Blood gushed from Yan Hao's seven orifices, as if his skull had suffered a brutal impact, his vision plunging into darkness.

Simultaneously, the Scholar's car seat reclined swiftly, and his eyes morphed into eerie serpent-like pupils. He lunged forward, employing close combat grappling techniques to restrain Yan Hao.

In mere seconds, Yan Hao's body was tightly entwined, rendered immobile.

Although the Heavenly Master's Path wasn't ideal for assassination—be it Element Manipulation or Mind Shock Burst—it often created excessive noise and carried the risk of accidentally killing the target.

Still, the Scholar's mastery of Controllable Deformation had bolstered his physical strength, making him more than just a simple mage.

Gu Jianlin turned around, pale Ghost Fire igniting in his right hand, and pressed it onto Yan Hao's chest.

Divine Sacrificial Fire, burn!

Yan Hao let out a guttural scream of agony, yet the sound seemed to be sealed within this confined space.

At the same time, bloodshot veins emerged in Yan Hao's pupils as he tried to summon his raging Qi.

Ancient Martial Path, Second Rank!

Gu Jianlin's left hand pushed down on the black, gold-framed metal case's handle. A sharp *click* echoed!

Something within the metal case sprang into motion as its surface segments snapped apart, reorienting themselves instantly. Bone-like steel emerged, engraved with scarlet vein-like patterns, transforming into a collapsed umbrella-shaped weapon whose razor-sharp tip gleamed coldly.

An iron umbrella, embedded with grotesque, blood-red veins.

The fabled Heavenly Evil Spirit weapon turned out to be such a bizarre creation!

Surprised, Gu Jianlin flipped the umbrella and drove its tip into Yan Hao's abdomen!

*Thud!* Yan Hao convulsed violently, his body succumbing to the shock as the umbrella discharged a jolt of electricity through him, leaving his hair standing on end!

The Scholar, too, convulsed under the current.

Well done!

Gu Jianlin couldn't help but feel exhilarated—this was the true power of an Alchemy Weapon!

Suddenly, the car interior was filled with a rapid beeping sound.

It was Yan Hao's wristwatch—the glass shattered, releasing scorching rays of light that surged ominously, threatening to explode any second!

Gu Jianlin squinted, and without hesitation, extended his hand to grab the watch.

But just then, the rear glass window reflected a bizarre apparition.

It was a girl wearing a cat-face mask, her waist-length black hair cascading ominously, her figure resembling a spectral presence from a horror movie, phasing through the glass to approach directly!

Her figure suggested femininity—petite and graceful yet subtly voluptuous.

Ghost Slayer Path!

The Scholar's pupils contracted sharply as he attempted further deformation to break free from the electric current.

Gu Jianlin was visibly startled.

At that moment, he recalled Uncle Mu's warning.

Never become overly dependent on your profiles or Life Perception.

That advice had sunk in; even amidst potential danger in this operation, he had ancient god transformation as a fallback.

But still—how had this entity appeared out of nowhere?

*Crack!*

The void splintered like shards of glass, countless ghastly cracks spidering through the silence!

The nearing explosive watch similarly shattered into countless fragments, scattering everywhere.

Simultaneously, the girl began to solidify into physical form.

Except she didn't seem particularly bright—after materializing, she was stuck halfway, her upper body inside the car, lower body left dangling outside. She swayed awkwardly.

Gu Jianlin refrained from activating his ancient god transformation.

This was because her arrival seemed akin to their own!

The cat-face masked girl gripped a syringe and drove it straight in!

"When is the Yan family planning to evacuate?"

Her tone was frosty, carrying an icy, distant edge.

Yan Hao rolled his eyes, twitching uncontrollably from the shocks, his lips trembling.

"Hey."

The cat-face masked girl turned her head and said evenly, "Could you stop electrocuting him for a moment?"

Gu Jianlin remained silent, slowly withdrawing the iron umbrella.

Fortunately, Yan Hao, being on the Ancient Martial Path, was tough and durable. After enduring sacred fire and countless shocks without dying, he stammered post-injection, drooling as he muttered, "Tomorrow night, six o'clock."

Having obtained her answer, the cat-face masked girl nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the young man beside her, saying, "Thanks for your help. If I'd acted alone, I might not have been able to subdue him. By the way, let me remind you—the You Ying Group has deep waters, and not many there are good people. It's best to keep your distance."

She paused, adding, "As for Miss Lan's creation, the Heavenly Evil Spirit, do your best not to let the association's people see it."

Gu Jianlin's pupils narrowed; he immediately recognized her identity.

The Scholar, having shaken off the electric current, slumped into his seat, panting heavily as he said, "Isn't this Miss Moon Princess? It's our first meeting in the real world, right? Haha, what a coincidence!"

"Indeed, quite the coincidence. You're still as weak as ever."

Miss Moon Princess gave the young man one last look and reminded him again, "Leave this area as soon as possible. Don't linger."

[PS: This book is first published on the Qidian app. Welcome to support legitimate reading. Next chapter updates at 11:30 PM~]