Chapter Fourteen: The Path of Heresy

“Little Fox, who is he? Why have you brought a stranger here?” From within the Yin Spring, Li Ping suddenly opened her eyes, her pupils tinged with a pale grey, filled with a fierce and menacing aura.

She appeared utterly furious at this moment, her body shrouded in intertwining corpse and ghostly qi, making her look truly terrifying.

“Master, he is Su Ye, the young master of the Su family from Jinhua County. He can help you dispel the resentment in your heart and allow you to reincarnate. Master…”

The cat demon’s voice was gentle as he introduced Su Ye to Li Ping. In front of her, he was as docile as a cute pet, devoid of any ferocity one might expect from a demon.

“Little Fox, the Su family of Jinhua County—Zhao Village is part of their estate. Have you forgotten how I died? The Su family could very well be behind it all. How dare you bring him here!”

Li Ping’s voice was shrill, a mix of crying and accusation. Wisps of ghostly mist swirled in her grey-white pupils as she leapt from the Yin Spring like lightning, lunging straight at Su Ye.

Her fingers stretched wide, nails sharp and blood-red like iron hooks, reaching for Su Ye’s heart.

“Master, don’t harm Su Ye! He means no harm!” The cat demon cried out anxiously, his emerald eyes full of turmoil, torn between blocking his master and letting her attack.

Su Ye watched Li Ping pounce towards him and sighed softly. From the sleeve at his wrist, his talisman brush slipped into his hand, while the companion jade talisman in his sea of consciousness glowed with pale blue light. The spiritual energy of the cave gathered to the tip of his brush.

The brush danced like a spiritual serpent, and in an instant, a talisman of Exorcism condensed and took shape.

With a flick, Su Ye sent the talisman shooting towards Li Ping’s forehead.

Since her transformation into a vengeful corpse spirit, Li Ping had spent long years in this natural convergence of yin energy, with the cat demon outside avenging her by slaying her enemies. These influences combined had granted her strength on par with a first-level cultivator.

Unfortunately, after becoming a vengeful corpse spirit, she had not learned any true methods of attack. Though she possessed the power of a first-level cultivator, she did not know how to wield it.

Wind swirled at Su Ye’s feet as he floated aside, easily evading Li Ping’s assault.

“How it hurts!” Li Ping screamed in agony as the Exorcism Talisman struck her brow. Brilliant golden light burst forth from the talisman, and under its radiance, tendrils of corpse and ghostly qi steamed from her forehead.

Li Ping’s entire strength depended on these energies. Once expelled by the talisman, her power would dissipate, leaving her as weak as when she first became a vengeful corpse spirit.

“Little Fox, I am in such pain! How could you be so cruel, bringing this man to harm me?”

“Little Fox, I’m suffering… I can’t breathe… the earth is so heavy…”

Li Ping, immobilized by the Exorcism Talisman, let out heart-wrenching cries, attempting to lure the cat demon into breaking the talisman on her brow.

“Su Ye, can’t you…” The cat demon’s eyes filled with sorrow as he looked to Su Ye, hoping he might ease Li Ping’s pain.

“If Li Ping remains possessed by corpse and ghostly qi, her soul will forever be trapped in her body, unable to reincarnate,” Su Ye replied coldly.

As he finished speaking, he waved the brush again, crafting two Binding Talismans.

The power of one Exorcism Talisman alone was not enough—Li Ping might still break free. But with the addition of the two Binding Talismans, the situation changed.

Su Ye swiftly completed the talismans, letting them gently fall on Li Ping’s left shoulder and abdomen. At that moment, her struggles ceased, and even her anguished cries faded away.

Suddenly, an intense surge of corpse and ghostly qi erupted from within Li Ping, so powerful that the Exorcism and Binding Talismans upon her body shattered into fragments of spiritual light.

This unexpected turn left both Su Ye and the cat demon stunned. Their gazes locked onto Li Ping, now undergoing a tremendous transformation.

“Where did this brat come from, daring to ruin my plans!” A cold shout came from Li Ping’s lips. Her hands formed a mystic seal, and a dense wave of corpse and ghostly qi gathered, summoning a sinister wind that roared through the cavern.

“So there is someone manipulating her from behind,” Su Ye said, his expression turning cold as he drew in spiritual energy with his brush, pushing the power of the companion jade talisman in his sea of consciousness to its limit.

A streak of crimson fire surged from his brush, intertwining rapidly into a Thunderfire Talisman.

Now, with his cultivation at the third realm, the Thunderfire Talismans Su Ye crafted were nothing like those he had made in the Su household. With the combined power of his brush and jade talisman, even late-stage fiends would struggle to withstand this talisman’s might.

A look of shock and rage flickered across Li Ping’s ashen face. She let out a sharp cry, then spat out a jet-black bead.

The bead brimmed with corpse and ghostly qi. The instant it left her mouth, it transformed into a streak of black light, shooting straight toward Su Ye’s chest.

The Thunderfire Talisman erupted with surging power, instantly dispersing the sinister wind, yet it failed to intercept the black bead.

Su Ye grunted as the bead struck him in the chest. Beyond the forceful impact, he felt a chilling energy invade his body.

He immediately activated the Five Thunders Heart Technique, weaving his internal power into the seal of Yin and Yang Five Thunders. In a flash, he spat out a mouthful of chilled, black blood, expelling the frigid energy from within.

Boom!

The Thunderfire Talisman exploded, its raging power forming a blazing net that enveloped Li Ping entirely.

This talisman’s strength far surpassed that of the Exorcism Talisman. Under the searing force of thunder and fire, thick corpse qi steamed from Li Ping’s body.

She screamed in agony, her wails echoing with the curses of the dark manipulator within.

Moments later, a streak of pale light shot out from Li Ping’s body, vanishing from the underground cavern.

Li Ping’s once-struggling body abruptly lost all strength and collapsed to the ground.

“Su Ye, what’s happened to my master?” the cat demon asked, its eyes brimming with worry as it gazed at Li Ping, still wrapped in the remnants of thunder and fire, not daring to approach.