What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

Suddenly, one by one, the shadow puppets hanging on the surrounding walls opened their eyes.

The lush green light instantly filled the entire space.

Looking at the scene before me, I raised an eyebrow.

This old fellow actually turned the entire theater into a giant array!

However, since I dared to come here, I was already prepared.

I had already sent the message to Lu Yan before I even entered this place.

Now we're just waiting for her to come and close the net!

Thinking of this, I bit my tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto the scalpel.

Since you're going to play big, then I'll play along with you!

Almost instantly, the theater was completely extinguished of its light.

All that remained was the green light in the eyes of the shadow puppets, like clusters of ghostly flames drifting in mid-air.

The floor beneath my feet was shaking violently, and I felt a chilling force creeping up my ankles.

That was the formation trying to strip away my shadow.

In this evil magic, if a person's shadow is stripped away, then the body becomes an empty shell, at the mercy of others.

"Sir, this is quite a show of force. It seems you've brought out all your most treasured possessions."

I spoke calmly, lightly tapping my toes as I nimbly leaped onto a roof beam.

Those shadow puppets moved extremely fast. As soon as I jumped on, more than a dozen green shadow blades slashed through the air, turning the spot where I had just been standing into dust.

The old man stood in the center of the stage, tapping his walking stick on the ground while muttering incantations.

As he moved, the shadow puppets began to merge together, and the tiny figures, originally the size of a palm, swelled up to the size of a normal person in the shadows.

They held all sorts of leather weapons and surrounded the theater completely.

"Chen Yang, don't waste your energy."

Once you enter my Shadow Binding Array, unless you possess extraordinary abilities, you'll have no choice but to stay and become my puppet!

The old man's voice echoed in the cramped space.

I ignored him and stared intently at the four corners of the theater.

Grandpa once said that every formation must have a key point.

The Shadow Sect, as its name suggests, must rely on the interplay of light and shadow in its formations.

I keenly observed that although the theater was dark, the few white lanterns and the yellow light behind the stage remained burning, becoming the only source of light inside.

That must be the key to maintaining the balance of the formation!

I took a deep breath, and with a sudden jerk of my left hand, a black bone needle flashed with a faint light at my fingertips.

"go."

I uttered a single word, and the bone needle flew from my hand, carrying a murderous aura as it headed straight for a shadowy spot on the left side of the stage.

That place is where the Yin energy gathers most densely, and it is also a crucial point for the flow of formations.

The bone needle pierced the wooden pillar with precision, and the previously surging shadows froze for a moment.

Bone needles have the property of "sewing spirits," directly locking up the flow of spiritual energy in that area.

The old man's expression changed slightly, and the rhythm of his tapping of his walking stick went off track.

"What kind of technique is this? How could it possibly lock down my array's core?"

"It's just a low-class trick, please don't mind it, sir."

I smiled, and with a swift movement, I swooped down from the roof beam.

Dozens of shadow puppets, like sharks that have smelled blood, roared and pounced on me.

The willow-leaf blade in my hand drew blood-red arcs, each cut precisely slicing through the joints of these puppets.

Although shadow puppets are not afraid of pain, they are controlled by threads of spiritual energy.

At this moment, the scalpel not only carried a murderous aura with every cut, but was also coated with the blood from my tongue, capable of severing the transmission of these threads.

I did not linger in the fight, but instead constantly dodged and weaved among the puppets.

My goal is clear—to stall for time.

I just sent Lu Yan my location. Given the speed of the Folklore Bureau's special task force, as long as I can hold out for ten minutes, this theater will be surrounded by heavy firepower.

In modern society, no matter how powerful your skills are, you're still afraid of a kitchen knife.

As I wandered around, I would occasionally flick out a silver needle to seal off the restless cracks in the shadows.

The most crucial point of the formation has been fixed by the bone needles, and the pressure on the formation will decrease with each point I seal with the silver needles I throw out.

The old man clearly realized my intention, and he became increasingly agitated.

"You little bastard, you're asking for it!"

He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood onto the walking stick, and his entire body transformed into a huge black shadow, pressing down on me.

I could tell he was going to fight for his life!

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and I felt a sense of urgency and pressure coming my way.

This old man is definitely much stronger than Yinshan, and this is his home turf.

When they get really tough, it's definitely not something I can handle right now.

My eyes narrowed, and the murderous aura within me began to surge.

[Forbidden Technique: The Art of Closing Aura]...

I silently recited the mantra in my mind, my fingers already touching the acupoints on my chest.

If it really comes to the last resort, I'll have to resort to my ultimate move.

But just then, a loud bang suddenly came from outside the theater.

boom!

That was the sound of a specially made breaching bomb exploding.

Immediately afterwards, countless beams of intense white light shot in through the broken windows and doorways.

That's a "high-powered ultraviolet searchlight" specially made by the Folklore Bureau, designed to ward off all kinds of evil spirits.

It seems Lu Yan did her homework before coming, and probably already knows the weakness of the Shadow Sect's methods.

"When dealing with the Folklore Bureau, everyone must squat down!"

Lu Yan's clear and decisive voice came through the loudspeaker, accompanied by the sound of rapid footsteps and the clicking of a gun bolt.

The once arrogant and domineering shadow, under the bright light, emitted a hissing sound and quickly shrank back to the old man's feet.

The old man was blinded by the bright light and fell awkwardly onto the stage, breaking his walking stick in two.

I sheathed my scalpel, stood at the boundary between light and shadow, and looked at the theater that the special operations team had broken into. I let out a long sigh of relief.

"Director Lu, you timed this perfectly."

I turned around and smiled at Lu Yan, who was walking quickly towards me.

Lu Yan was dressed in a black special operations uniform, carrying a specially made pistol in her hand, and her face still carried a murderous aura.

Seeing that I was safe and sound, the tension in her eyes eased slightly, but it quickly turned into anger.

"Chen Yang! Who told you to rush in alone? If something happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to my superiors?"

She walked up to me, looked me up and down to make sure I wasn't missing any limbs, and then glared at me fiercely.

I scratched my head: "Isn't it because I'm afraid the old man will run away? Besides, I have confidence in myself."

"You're confident my ass!"

Lu Yan gave me a shove, then turned to look at the old man on the stage.

"Take it all away! Seize everything, don't let a single clue slip by!"

The special operations team quickly brought the scene under control.

I leaned against the wooden pillar, watching the shadow puppets turn into a pile of rotten skin under the bright light, but I didn't feel much relief.

Although one of the Shadow Sect's strongholds was destroyed, the old man's words before he left kept replaying in my mind.

"The items are in the station; we can take them anytime."

Is there a traitor within the Bureau of Folklore?

Or perhaps the Shadow Sect has a deeper scheme that we haven't yet uncovered?