Terrifying Heavens: I Slay Demons by Painting Faces

As night deepened, in the dark mountains, a cold wind howled and birds cried.

Chen Hengyi stood on a mountain road overgrown with weeds, gazing at a dilapidated and abandoned old house on the mountainside ahead.

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To a normal eye, the old house looked like it was about to collapse, but when he opened his eyes to the fire, he saw that it was filled with festive firelight, lanterns hung above the door, and the sounds of gongs and drums could be heard.

Inside the broken windows and doors, shadowy figures moved about, creating a lively scene.

He wiped his eyes, and the playful rage subsided.

"What a den of thieves!"

That place was undoubtedly the location of the Ghost Bride, and the matter of Chen Wang also indicated that the Great Black Buddha Mother was involved.

so....

With a flick of his hand, Chen Hengyi caused the heavy opera box to appear and fall to the ground.

He returned to his car, turned on the headlights, and then began preparations.

"Ghosts, let's see how many ghosts you can have!"

However, before starting, Chen Hengyi took out a few dark pills and put them in his mouth.

This is a good thing he bought on purpose, especially suitable for filling the deficit.

Regardless of the consequences, let's eat first.

He then picked up a tiger-hair brush and began to draw on the face.

This time, he will be playing a deity who specializes in catching and killing ghosts.

In the world of traditional Chinese opera, this role belongs to the painted-face category.

That is, the "Jing" character in the four categories of Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, and Chou.

This deity was a scholar from Zhongnan Mountain, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and ranked first among the tribute scholars. He also struck his head against a pillar in the Golden Hall. After entering the underworld, he transformed into a judge of the underworld.

Chen Hengyi put down the tiger-hair brush and looked in the mirror, where a hideous and terrifying oily face came into view.

With a red face adorned with gold and bat wings spread, and with fierce brows and piercing eyes, he reveals his sharp edge.

The underworld judges the balance of Yin and Yang, suppressing evil spirits and protecting the four directions.

This is none other than Zhong Kui, the Holy Lord who bestows blessings and protects homes!

After putting on the costume and attaching a beard as sharp as steel needles, Chen Hengyi finally picked up a precious sword from the opera box.

His clothes were a vermilion scholar's robe, his shoes were thick-soled black boots, and his sword was a demon-slaying sword.

He wore an official hat, had an iron face and a bushy beard, and a leopard-like face.

With a wave of his hand, Chen Hengyi put away the opera box. After taking a step, his body suddenly made a few soft cracking sounds, and his shoulders broadened, giving him a burly and imposing appearance.

His gaze was fixed intently on the place where the drums and gongs were being played: "Grandpa's stomach is growling!"

"Let's go!"

After saying that, Chen Hengyi strode towards the old house.

Closer and closer.

The noise grew louder and louder, neither joyful nor sorrowful, stirring up irritation and agitation, neither happy nor sad, utterly incongruous.

When Chen Hengyi arrived at the gate of the house, he smelled the hot, ghostly aura inside, and a thunderous sound came from his stomach.

I'm starving!

Chen Hengyi strode forward and kicked out.

The long-rotten door shattered instantly, splintering wood, and the inside fell silent at the same time.

Inside the house, all the paper figures turned their heads in unison, their pale, rosy faces and empty eye sockets staring at the imposing, vermilion-clad figure at the doorway.

The sounds of gongs and drums abruptly ceased, leaving only the mournful whistling of the wind blowing through the broken window.

Chen Hengyi ignored the group of paper figures and looked towards the main hall.

The two men suddenly stood up and cursed in Hokkien, "They're really something! My daughter finally got married, and they dare to come and cause trouble!"

These two must be the ghost bride's parents. When they stepped forward, the light shone on their faces, making them appear terrifyingly pale and ghostly.

It's a ghost too!

Chen Hengyi stepped forward, holding the Demon-Slaying Sword, and recited in a theatrical voice: "Oh my, how lively! This fine wine and food truly makes Zhong Kui feel overwhelmed!"

"Zhong Kui!?"

When Chen Hengyi appeared in disguise, the ghosts were startled. The ghost bride's parents trembled and immediately slumped back into their chairs.

A deathly silence fell over the room for a moment, then the ghostly parents abruptly stood up, their pale faces contorted with rage: "Zhong Kui?! I don't believe it!"

Before the words were even finished, all the paper figures in the room turned their heads in unison, their cheeks flushed and mouths wide open, emitting a sharp "giggle" laugh. The tables and chairs creaked and moved, seemingly moving towards the door as if they were alive.

At this point, Chen Hengyi stopped speaking.

He stepped across the threshold, his crimson robe sleeves fluttering even without wind. He raised his sword and swept it across half a circle, crimson light bursting from the spine of the blade.

The paper figures that were closest to the fire immediately burned to ashes with mournful cries.

When these paper figures died, he didn't know if he had misread them.

He seemed to see a golden toad suddenly appear and then disappear in the blink of an eye.

"Waste paper? Who eats waste paper?!"

Chen Hengyi took a few steps and swept the Ghost-Slaying Sword around several times, and all the paper figures in the room died.

His crimson scholar's robe became even more magnificent, and Zhong Kui's facial makeup shifted, revealing a ferocious and terrifying appearance.

He walked up to the ghost bride's parents.

thump!

The two ghosts were already trembling with fear, their souls seemingly about to dissipate.

"Grandpa Kui, spare me! Grandpa Kui, spare me!!"

"We were blind to your greatness and shouldn't have let our daughter act so recklessly. We already know we were wrong."

The two ghosts knelt in worship.

Chen Hengyi sheathed the Demon-Slaying Sword, and the two demons immediately relaxed.

"Thank you, Kui..."

At this moment, Chen Hengyi's stomach rumbled, and when he opened his mouth, his teeth gleamed with a coldness, like steel knives.

Two large hands grabbed the two demons from the left and right: "Hahaha—one steamed, one braised!"

Chen Heng squeezed the ghost husband's hand, and the ghost husband wailed incessantly as he put him into his mouth.

At that moment, Chen Hengyi's mouth seemed to transform into a hacksaw from hell; with the opening and closing of his lips and teeth, the ghost was already swallowed whole.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! It smells like earth."

At this moment, Chen Hengyi looked at the Ghost Mother again. Upon seeing this, the latter tried to escape, but Chen Hengyi's hand was like a five-finger mountain, suppressing her firmly.

"Full of life, perfect for grilling!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Hengyi spat out a mouthful of golden flames, while the bat patterns on his theatrical robe flickered.

With his fierce-looking face, the demon mother was so frightened that she dared not resist.

In less than a second, the demon mother in his hand was burned to ashes and slipped through his fingers.

Chen Hengyi was greatly distressed, shaking his head and muttering, "Oh dear, oh dear—why can't this little devil withstand a fever? His stomach is so empty, what should I do?"

As he spoke, Chen Hengyi turned his gaze to a room deep inside the house, where a wedding bed was placed.

Through the bright red bed curtains, one could vaguely see the figure lying on the bed.

Clang!

With a clang of a sword, Chen Hengyi stepped forward using the Seven Star Steps.

But then, the bed curtains suddenly opened automatically, and a ghost bride in a phoenix coronet and wedding gown appeared out of nowhere. She stood quietly in front of the wedding bed.

On the wedding bed behind him lay a person and a corpse.

The person was Liu Chenghao, who had become skin and bones, while the corpse was a rotten skeleton dressed in a wedding dress.

To Chen Hengyi's surprise, the ghost bride's belly was swollen, as if she were ten months pregnant.

She...was pregnant, and that's when they consummated their marriage.

Thump! Thump thump thump!

A small but firm heartbeat was heard.

Chen Hengyi's eyes widened in anger, his beard bristling, and he raised his hand to strike down.

"What a vile and filthy evil spirit! How dare it commit such a vile and wicked act against Heaven!"

His sword strike was swift and fierce, as if the legendary scholar from Zhongnan Mountain had also erupted in fury at that moment.

The ghost bride was unable to dodge in time and had half of her head cut off.

The wound was filled with green pus and blood.

"Chenghao and I were compatible in our past lives; this is a predestined marriage..."

"Bah! You wretched woman, take this!"