How did I, who just ascended to heaven, become an evil spirit?

A low, mournful horn sounded from all around, as if the cavalry had begun their attack.

The warhorses neighed, and in the blink of an eye, the cavalry scattered the group that had surrounded them. The lances were thrust out mercilessly, and everyone was struggling to keep up.

Yan Yang was first impaled by a spear, then knocked into the air by another warhorse, rolling on the ground repeatedly before finally lying there, his fate unknown.

He was not the first target of these ghost soldiers. After their formation was disrupted, a large number of ghost soldiers surrounded Li Hu.

They thrust out long spears, forcing Li Hu to retreat repeatedly.

Whenever Li Hu countered with his sword, they would immediately turn into a cloud of black mist and disappear.

Li Hu had never encountered such a formidable opponent. The soldiers were like a cold and merciless iron wall, with ghostly soldiers appearing from Li Hu's blind spot every moment. They would only appear for a fleeting moment before disappearing again.

In a one-on-one fight, such unpredictable movement techniques would be troublesome enough.

Li Hu had never lost a duel, but the enemy was an entire army. No matter who faced such a thing, any response would likely be a mistake.

In just a short while, he was covered in countless wounds, half of his body was bruised from being hit by the warhorse, and blood was flowing from his head into his eyes, making everything in his vision red.

Li Hu felt he was going to die; he had muscle strains all over his body and couldn't muster any strength.

boom!

Li Hu was struck by a black horse galloping towards him and crashed into the base of a tree, finally coming to a stop. The impact broke at least three of his bones.

These cavalrymen didn't seem to be in a hurry to take Li Hu's life, or perhaps they had sensed Li Hu's evil nature and were looking for a way to completely destroy his will.

In short, they treated Li Hu like a cat chasing a mouse, bouncing him around like a ball, until the sword in Li Hu's hand broke.

Finally, a spear pierced Li Hu's chest, and with a successful strike, sent him flying.

The warhorse galloped several meters, and Li Hu was also thrown several meters into the air before being pinned to a tree and unable to move.

Just as the cavalry were about to end Li Hu's life, Li Sujin, holding a small embroidered box, slipped through the gaps between the warhorses and entered the room.

She spread her arms, shielding Li Hu behind her, and blocked the charge of the cavalry.

"Stop!" Li Sujin shouted hoarsely.

"I am a maidservant of the Queen Mother of the West, and I have a few words I would like to say to him."

Li Sujin was petite and surrounded by a group of tall cavalrymen. Even compared to Li Hu behind her, she was excessively small.

But she still stood there stubbornly.

Upon hearing this, the galloping cavalry halted, reined in their horses, raising clouds of dust, and stood three meters away from the two men, holding their lances low as they waited for the man's reaction.

"Since you are one of the Queen Mother's people, I will give you half an incense stick's time."

Voices came from behind the masks of the ghost soldiers, but Li Hu couldn't tell which one was speaking.

Li Sujin turned around, pursing her lips, her eyes red.

She carefully reached out and wiped the blood and dirt off Li Hu's face, then quietly slipped the embroidered box into his hand.

"What...is this?" Li Hu asked with difficulty.

"This is what you've been looking for these past few days."

Li Sujin spoke softly, then opened the box for Li Hu, inside which were two blood-red meatballs.

An indescribable black aura swirled around it, and many tiny fleshy buds grew on the meatballs, dancing in the air like living things.

Li Hu recognized that this black aura was of the same origin as his own; what else could it be but his other two corpses?

As Li Sujin wiped Li Hu's clothes, she said, "I had already put these two things away for you, but I was afraid that if you went any further, you might encounter some danger."

Li Hu nodded. Li Sujin's meaning was actually the same as his. They both hoped that the other would no longer have any deeper contact with evil spirits or the power of immortals, but they stubbornly endured those unspeakable risks alone.

"My husband, now that you have stepped through this gate, there is no turning back. So do not look back. Continue to cultivate your skills and create a clear and bright world."

Li Sujin suddenly uttered words that sounded like her last words, which made Li Hu struggle to grab her, but he was too badly injured to move.

"I know your talents and resilience; I'm sure you can do it."

As Li Sujin spoke, two more tears streamed down her face. She always had this expression when she was with Li Hu these past few days.

Li Hu felt a pang of pity; it seemed that she had never had a good life with him.

"I really can't bear to part with you."

Li Sujin slowly stood up, her hand having somehow quietly touched Li Hu's broken sword. As she turned around, her gaze lingered on Li Hu before she walked towards the group of cavalry.

At this moment, the cavalry retreated, reining in their horses and maintaining a precise three-meter distance from Li Sujin.

Li Sujin raised the broken sword, knelt down towards the horizon, and said:

"This matter arose because of me. My husband and I are of one mind and bound together by life and death. Today, I am willing to exchange my life for his."

"Queen Mother above, I, Li, am willing to repay Your Majesty with my life, to serve You for all eternity, and to die in Your place!"

When Li Sujin finished speaking, some of the warhorses around her couldn't help but jump up and neigh. As if sensing this loud but silent wail, everyone around her shivered.

After saying that, in Li Hu's blurred vision, Li Sujin held the sword horizontally and slowly fell to the ground.

Li Hu clearly heard a shattering sound in his head. The two meatballs in his hands were squeezing so hard they were making a cracking sound. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Rumble.

At this moment, rumbling thunder rose from the sky, and a magnificent hand, carrying countless gold and silver jewels, suddenly descended from the heavens!

The hand was a hundred meters long, and when it pressed down, it made everyone gasp for breath.

Each finger is like a towering pillar; nails, fingertips, joints, wrists—everywhere that could be adorned with decorations is covered in extravagant accessories, exhausting all the glitter and jewels.

Each bead inlaid on it has a diameter of over one meter, and some are even about the same size as the Moon Fairy that Li Hu had seen before.

Those tall, mounted ghost soldiers standing beside him all appeared tiny.

The hand descended from the sky, extending its middle finger and thumb to grasp Li Sujin's corpse in its grasp. Then, it tapped the ground with its index finger, causing the ground to suddenly tremble.

The warhorses reared up in fright, while the ghostly soldiers dismounted and knelt in reverence and solemnity.

"This humble servant kowtows to the Queen Mother, wishing Your Majesty's holy heart to be everlasting and your profound influence to endure!"

Li Hu was horrified, but his eyes never left Li Sujin's body.

Suddenly, just as the large hand was about to leave, Li Hu seemed to have made up his mind. His eyes turned red, and he shoved the two Three Corpse Meatballs into his mouth. He struggled to his feet and roared:

"I'll blow you up!"

After Li Hu got up, he felt the two fleshy lumps slide into his stomach, followed by a sharp abdominal pain.

The two fleshy lumps wriggled up and down inside his belly, constantly growing larger. Li Hu looked at his belly through the skin and saw that something was pushing up on the right side one moment, and then something else was bulging out on the left the next.

It was as if two living creatures were rolling around inside. With their movements, Li Hu's entire belly grew larger again, becoming even larger than when the five ghosts were hiding inside.

boom.

Li Hu clearly heard a tearing sound coming from his stomach, and a crack was visibly torn open.

Four hands emerged from within, four hands exactly like Li Hu's own...

Immediately afterward, Li Hu's vision went black, and he heard a series of ringing sounds in his ears. His eyes stared blankly at the hand on the horizon, and his whole body went limp, losing consciousness.

……

When Li Hu opened his eyes again, he found himself still lying in the same patch of grass.

The blood on the ground was still wet, indicating that not much time had passed.

But it was still dark. Li Hu struggled to get up and found a huge bloody hole in his stomach. His entire abdomen was sunken, and he could even see his lower back on the opposite side.

The surroundings were very quiet. Li Hu got up and looked around. The first thing he noticed was the black horses and black armor scattered all over the ground, and the ghost soldiers were all dead.

However, the numbers were incomplete; it appeared that only some died, some were injured, and some escaped.

Li Hu stared blankly, then noticed that Yuan Sou and Huang Daxian's group were running towards them from afar.

Everyone was injured, but thankfully no one died. Yan Yang was the most seriously injured, having lost his right arm and seemingly having lost all his vitality overnight.

"Tiger Lord, what are you doing now...?"

Old Yuan hesitated, his eyes wide, the look of terror on his face undiminished.

"I'm fine," Li Hu said, then quickly asked, "Where's Su Jin? Where's her body?"

"My sister-in-law has probably been taken away by the Queen Mother of the West, but we don't know the specifics yet."

Zong Shanyue said worriedly, "However, it is still dark. I don't think the Queen Mother of the West has lifted her order to kill you. It is still very dangerous. My dear brother, please accept my condolences."

Hearing this, Li Hu felt a tightness in his chest, squatted on the ground, and felt extremely uncomfortable.

After a long silence, Li Hu asked again, "Who killed all these corpses of ghost soldiers on the ground? Did you do it, sir?"

"Of course it's me! How could it be some old Taoist priest?!"

Suddenly, a response came from behind Li Hu, and the voice sounded somewhat like his own.

Li Hu turned around in shock and found two people standing behind him. One was dressed in black, and the other in white. The one in black was a full ten feet tall, while the one in white was only about three feet tall.

Regardless of their physique, the face on their shoulders was exactly the same as Li Hu's.

Li Hu was puzzled, wondering who these two were, since they didn't seem to be mirror demons.

Could it be his own twin corpse?

Li Hu thought this was very likely, after all, just a moment before he lost consciousness, Li Hu remembered the two hands that had emerged from his abdomen.

But the tall, black-clad Li Hu paused, then briefly introduced himself:

"I am Li Hei."

"My name is Li Bai," said Li Hu in white, bowing slightly with a faint smile.

Li Bai appeared refined and cultured, while Li Hei looked solid and dignified. Both were extraordinary individuals, which immediately sparked Li Hu's imagination.

"Are you Peng Zhi and Peng Qiao?" Li Hu quickly asked.

But the two men shook their heads repeatedly, and Li Bai stepped forward and said:

"I already said, I am Li Bai, and that one is Li Hei. Are you deaf?"

"I kindly helped you drive away these ghostly soldiers, yet you are so rude. You are truly a piece of rotten wood!" Li Bai said with considerable disdain.

Li Hei squatted down, his massive body probing Li Hu's abdomen with his hand, and sighed:

"That was really dangerous! We were almost discovered by the Queen Mother of the West."

Li Hu was filled with doubt, wondering what these two were up to, so he turned to look at Yuan Sou and the others.

"Tiger, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

Yuan Sou stammered as he stepped forward and said, "Those ghost soldiers, you were the one who killed them all, have you forgotten?"

"Me?" Li Hu pointed to himself in surprise. "Me?"

At this moment, Huang Daxian also stepped forward and touched Li Hu's forehead with his broad, kind hand, saying:

"Brother Li, what's with this 'Li Bai, Li Hei' thing? What's with this 'rotten wood' thing? What were you just muttering to yourself?"

Hearing this, Li Hu became even more puzzled. He looked at Yuan Sou, then turned and pointed to Li Hei and Li Bai behind him, asking:

"And what about them? Who are they...?"

"them?"

Yuan Sou asked in confusion, "Tiger Master, there's nothing behind you. There's only a tree in the direction you're pointing... this..."

The group was puzzled, and Li Hu hurriedly sought help from the more reliable Zong Shanyue, but the result was the same.

It seems that only Li Hu himself can see the truth behind Li Hei and Li Bai.

Furthermore, what they just said was spoken by Li Hu himself, in a soliloquy manner.

It was as if Li Hu had just played three roles and performed a play for everyone.

"Brother, did you go crazy because your wife is gone?" Chi Yue's face was filled with grief, but she was also a little afraid of Li Hu's current state, so she stood far away and dared not approach.

"Who said Su Jin left?!" Li Bai suddenly became agitated and roared.

In everyone's eyes, it was Li Hu himself who shouted those words, and the sound was so loud that even Old Man Yuan was startled and took two steps back.

"You're saying she didn't leave?"

Li Hu suddenly laughed, then turned and went to Li Bai's side, squatting down so that his height was in line with Li Bai's.

"I watched her commit suicide, and that huge hand carried her to heaven. How could she not have left?"

Seeing that Li Hu was beginning to waver, Li Bai slowly said, "The Queen Mother of the West took her to Baiyujing, healed her injuries, and then sent her back to your home in Qingyuan County."

"A day in heaven is a year on earth; all of this happens in the blink of an eye."

Li Bai tucked his hands into his sleeves and said in a profound and enigmatic manner, "Why don't you go back now and see if what I said is right?"

Li Hu laughed when he heard this, without any doubt. He turned around and quickly ran towards Qingyuan County to see if it was true or not.

Since these two possess the extraordinary ability to drive away ghostly soldiers, what they say must be true!

But after running only a few steps, he tripped over the corpses of the ghostly soldiers on the ground in his haste and fell to the ground with a thud.

But he ignored it all, immediately got up, and ran back towards home.

From Li Hu's perspective, Li Hei and Li Bai followed behind him at a leisurely pace, never leaving his side by more than ten feet.

Li Hu felt much more at ease. Since they dared to follow, they must not have lied!

"Plain Brocade!"

As he ran, Li Hu cheered joyfully, as if all the recent ordeal and gloom had vanished.

Yuan Sou and the others looked at Li Hu from afar, completely baffled.

"Oh no," Yuan Sou said with a sense of loss, "I'm afraid Tiger has really gone mad."

"You mustn't laugh at him."

Wong Tai Sin stepped forward and said, "Brother Li has given me a second life, so I will take care of him myself from now on."