"Be careful!"

Wei Long stretched out his arm and pulled Lu Ran behind him.

Wei Hu dropped back even further, the two brothers flanking Lu Ran from front and back.

Meanwhile, between the upper and lower staircases, Deng Yuxiang and Sun Zhengfang were locked in combat with the children.

"Wuu waaah!"

The Ghost Talisman Doll let out a chilling cry, its hollow eye sockets "staring" at Sun Zhengfang as it flailed its little hands about.

Suddenly, streaks of black talisman paper appeared out of thin air, hurling towards Sun Zhengfang.

Sun Zhengfang stood resolute, his hand swiftly assembling a shield out of branches.

With two soft taps, "tap tap," the black talisman paper was already sticking to the shield.

Then, crimson runes began to glow on the black talisman paper, their light growing ever more blinding.

"Crack! Crack!"

A loud bang!

Bursts of blood mist exploded, the stench of blood assailing the nostrils.

But Sun Zhengfang's branch shield remained undamaged.

"Stream Realm third to fourth rank!" Sun Zhengfang shouted, divine power surging through his palm.

Two branches suddenly shot out from the shield, whipping at the enemy like lashes.

Hearing Sun Zhengfang relay this information, Lu Ran felt somewhat relieved.

The appearance of the Ghost Talisman Doll was indeed horrifying, but if it was only at the level of the Stream Realm, it naturally wouldn't pose a threat to several powerful Moon Gazers.

"River Realm! Above the third rank of River Realm!"

Deng Yuxiang's voice came from above.

Lu Ran: "..."

The calm that had just settled in his heart was once again suspended.

Sun Zhengfang: "Wei Long, Wei Hu, advance in an orderly manner, first help little Deng find the yellow paper!"

The so-called "yellow paper" referred to the Yellow Paper Talisman that was previously attached to the tiger head hat.

Once the Yellow Paper Talisman fell off, the Ghost Talisman Doll's body became ethereal, becoming immune to most physical damage.

If the Yellow Paper Talisman were to be reattached, the Ghost Talisman Doll would materialize.

Regrettably, this was a technique that Lu Ran could not learn.

Because it was not an Evil Technique.

It was a racial trait inherent to the Ghost Talisman Doll.

"Yes!"

"Yes!" The Wei brothers received their orders and quickly ascended.

Lu Ran, caught in the middle, also wanted to rush upward, but although he took a step, he couldn't reach the stair.

This was because a flexible branch had suddenly wrapped around his waist.

Sun Zhengfang: "Little Lu Ran, your chance to shine has arrived, are you afraid?"

Lu Ran immediately perked up: "No!"

"Good! I'll draw this male doll up here," Sun Zhengfang spoke quickly. "You climb the stairs again and find the yellow paper."

Lu Ran was somewhat puzzled, climb the stairs again?

Before he could ask, the branch tied around his waist suddenly exerted force, whisking him upwards.

"Whoa!" Lu Ran exclaimed softly as the branch spiraled him out of the window between the third and fourth floors.

Instantly, the night wind assaulted him, the rain drenching him.

The branch carried Lu Ran down, only releasing its hold at the second floor's height.

Lu Ran landed heavily, facing Deng Yuxiang's Night-cutting Blade stuck at the entrance to the stairs.

"Buzz~"

The Night-cutting Blade trembled slightly, seemingly eager to join the fight.

Lu Ran sprinted forward, no time to soothe it.

As he moved, divine power surged within him, fervently activating Evil Technique·Evil Recognition!

He quickly scanned the stairwell, dashing up to the second floor.

Before the headlamp's beam even reached the yellow paper, Lu Ran's peripheral vision had already caught sight of the target.

"Did you find it?"

"I found it!" Lu Ran clutched the yellow paper, its surface rough to the touch.

"Wait for the right moment, stick it back onto the doll," Sun Zhengfang instructed while whipping at the Ghost Talisman Doll with another branch, his shield in the other hand.

Despite the whipping sounds ringing out, each lash passed right through the Ghost Talisman Doll's body and hit the concrete steps.

"Waaah..."

Was the Ghost Talisman Doll actually crying out in distress?

It kept summoning Black Talisman Paper, hurling it persistently at Sun Zhengfang's shield.

It was clear that the Evil Demon's intelligence was not high, much like a three-to-four-year-old child's.

As Sun Zhengfang and Lu Ran "conspired loudly," the doll showed no reaction, focusing solely on bombarding the branch shield...

"Go for it~"

Lu Ran roared inside, seizing the moment after the Ghost Talisman Doll had just thrown out a piece of Black Talisman Paper, mist spraying from beneath his feet.

"Whoosh—"

Lu Ran zoomed past, hand holding the yellow paper, and slapped it onto the back of the Ghost Talisman Doll's head.

"Eh~" The Ghost Talisman Doll let out a strange guttural sound.

Its little head buzzed!

It even forgot to cry...

The Ghost Talisman Doll's ethereal body instantly became solid.

Not only that, a festive tiger head hat was suddenly fitted on the doll's head.

Nobody knew where the hat came from.

But with the yellow paper in place, the hat followed suit.

Now that the Ghost Talisman Doll had regained its physical form, its fate was easily foreseeable.

Lu Ran's slap was not light!

He sent the Ghost Talisman Doll flying out, heading straight for the branch shield.

The shield sprouted sharp wooden spines.

"Thud~"

The body of the Ghost Talisman Doll, composed of pure energy, shattered into mist, dispersing in the air.

"First encounter?" Sun Zhengfang retracted his branch shield, looking down.

It wasn't hard to see from his expression that he was very pleased with Lu Ran's performance.

Sun Zhengfang could have certainly handled the Ghost Talisman Doll by himself.

But when circumstances allowed, letting Lu Ran participate in combat as much as possible was in line with the Divine People Bureau's principle.

Lu Ran had not disappointed Sun Zhengfang's expectations and had once again competently completed the task!

Just like in past hours, one word to describe his performance: steady!

"Indeed, it has been an eye-opener," Lu Ran nodded.

He had only seen such Evil Demons in textbooks.

In terms of rarity, the Ghost Talisman Doll should be comparable to Yan Zhi.

Sun Zhengfang gestured for Lu Ran to come upstairs: "There's a 30% chance that Ghost Talisman Dolls appear in pairs. These demons are very strong but also very weak.

Weak, because their minds are simple.

Strong, due to their racial traits and powerful Evil Techniques."

"Mm-hmm." Lu Ran agreed, making his way upstairs, "I am well acquainted with the Divine Technique of the Jade Talisman Sect."

Lu Ran said this because the Evil Technique the Ghost Talisman Doll employed was similar in effect to the Divine Techniques of the Jade Talisman Sect.

Except the doll tossed Black Talisman Paper instead of white jade tablets.

"Stop!" Wei Long's voice sounded from above, halting Lu Ran.

Sun Zhengfang continued to cover the rear, looking up the staircase: "Did you find the yellow paper?"

Wei Long: "It's already given to little Deng. Wei Hu is initiating Blood Sea Chaos on the fifth floor, blocking the Evil Demon's escape route."

That said, the Ghost Talisman Doll was ethereal after all, and it couldn't be trapped on either side.

But there was no need to worry about it fleeing.

After all, such demons with low intelligence and a love for carnage would definitely not let these people off.

"Wei Long, protect Lu Ran," Sun Zhengfang went ahead.

Facing a River Realm Ghost Talisman Doll, Sun Zhengfang didn't intend for Lu Ran to engage any further.

"Boom boom boom!"

A series of loud explosions rang out; Deng Yuxiang had actually retreated from upstairs.

Deng Yuxiang had her eyes tightly closed, her expression dark.

Her body was entwined with streams of wind, mixed with wisps of mist.

North Wind Divine Skill·Wind Shattering Armor!

"Come out!" Deng Yuxiang's voice turned ice-cold, "I'll let you have a quick end."

Suddenly, her ears twitched ever so slightly, and she swiped up with her Wind Blade.

A pale small hand reaching out from the wall, tossing out a piece of black talisman paper, was met with her blade.

The Wind Blade shattered the black paper, and sparks flew spectacularly!

Tiny electric currents, like little snakes, crawled along the Wind Blade towards Deng Yuxiang.

But as soon as the currents touched her body, they were wiped away by the streams of wind.

Simultaneously, a small tornado ripped through the wall, tearing off the plaster.

The plaster peeled away, dust billowing everywhere.

Realizing the danger, the hand that peered through the wall hastily retracted.

Deng Yuxiang spoke sternly, "Captain Sun, you should evacuate from here, and I'll tear down this building."

Sun Zhengfang: "Nonsense!"

Deng Yuxiang was indeed quite furious, wishing she could go full force and unleash a tornado storm.

The Ghost Talisman Doll is immune to physical attacks, huh?

Then both you and this decrepit building can go down together!

Sun Zhengfang made a decisive call: "Wei Long, take Little Lu Ran, jump out the window and use the Voice of Compassion to draw the Ghost Talisman Doll..."

"Shh!" Deng Yuxiang suddenly issued a silencing command.

Sun Zhengfang immediately kept quiet, fearful of disturbing his teammate.

All went silent inside the stairwell.

But Deng Yuxiang frowned slightly, had she heard wrong?

Currently, with the Ghost Talisman Doll in an ethereal state, its movements were nearly silent.

Thus, Deng Yuxiang could only listen for the subtle disturbances in the wind caused by the demon's energy fluctuations when casting spells!

The difficulty of this task was, needless to say, immense!

At the bottom of the stairwell, Lu Ran waited a moment and then began to mischievously ascend once more.

Using Wei Long as a human shield, he pushed the Prisoner Demon believers, cautiously climbing two steps to reach the fourth floor.

Wei Long was aware that Lu Ran wanted to contribute to the team; however...

He steadied himself, refusing to move, firmly blocking Lu Ran's way.

But Lu Ran still had a trick up his sleeve!

Hugging Wei Long, he twisted his body, straining to peek ahead.

At last, Lu Ran caught sight of the tall figure standing by the window on the half-fourth floor.

Wei Long was about to help Lu Ran straighten up, but he noticed Lu Ran had closed his eyes.

He hesitated for a moment and ultimately chose not to disturb him.

In truth, no one realized that Lu Ran and Deng Yuxiang were completely different!

A believer of the North Wind,

Listening to the voice of the wind.

Lu Ran,

Was smelling the scent of the ghost!

Evil Technique·Evil Recognition enhanced not just his hearing, but all five senses, including his hearing!

Hm?

Why is the scent getting weaker?

Did the Ghost Talisman Doll leave the building? Has it run away?

Impossible, how could such a demon flee... Holy shit!

Lu Ran was startled inside: "Sis, watch out behind you!"

"Behind?" Despite her surprise, Deng Yuxiang still turned to look.

This trust came from Lu Ran's impressive performances time and again.

But this time, it seemed Lu Ran had erred.

The dilapidated window, lacking glass, was only framed, darkness and heavy rain on the outside.

Where was the Ghost Talisman Doll's figure?

"Huh?" Just as Deng Yuxiang was about to close her eyes, she suddenly noticed a pale small hand quietly extending from the window frame.

Deng Yuxiang flung her hand out, sending a Yellow Paper Talisman towards the small hand.

Her moves were seamless, her upper body leaning out the window, her Wind Blade slashing fiercely!

That troublesome being was decapitated in an instant!

"Spurt!"

The Ghost Doll's energy body split open, turning into wisps of mist, diffusing into the night outside the window.

Wei Long stood with his mouth slightly open, disbelief etched across his face.

"Whats this?" Captain Sun also touched his head in puzzlement.

Deng Yuxiang stood upright, speaking softly, "Little Lu Ran."

"Sis?"

"Why?"

Lu Ran: "..."

Because I have a nose like a dog's?

That explanation wouldn't sound right, would it?

With a slight turn, Deng Yuxiang looked down: "I haven't even heard it yet, how can you hear it?"

Lu Ran opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

Because I wasn't listening!

I was smelling it!

After a long while, Lu Ran squeezed out a sentence, "How about after work tomorrow, I help you clean your ears, sis?"

Deng Yuxiang: ???

Is he insulting me?

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