Realm of the Night God

As a spirit master, Zhao Hong naturally had Yin Qi protecting her body, but after the man's relentless assault, the protective Yin Qi had been completely dispersed, unable to shield her physical form.

Under the man's frenzied and violent torture, Zhao Hong's aura grew faint, barely clinging to life, merely a breath away from death.

Secretly, Bai Xue looked towards Yang Haoran, not for the first time since the man began viciously tormenting Zhao Hong. She had glanced at Yang Haoran multiple times, with one purpose – to seek his opinion.

Each time she looked at Yang Haoran, Bai Xue was asking if he wanted to intervene, but Yang Haoran remained silent, giving no reply.

Without Yang Haoran's consent, Bai Xue dared not act rashly, fearing her impulsiveness might ruin his plans.

Moreover, the man exuded an aura of danger that made her doubt her chances of victory against him alone. Faced with such a formidable foe, she could not act recklessly – she was no fool.

Like Bai Xue, Yang Haoran sensed the man's peril. If forced into one-on-one combat, he believed his odds of winning were slim.

Hence, he refrained from acting hastily. Although the man had expended some spirit power, his strength remained formidable. Since neither he nor Bai Xue had been exposed, Yang Haoran saw no reason to court danger needlessly.

He waited, anticipating Zhao Hong's counterattack to drain the man's power after enduring his beating.

With her Guardian Spirit absent, it seemed normal for Zhao Hong to be overwhelmed.

Yet Yang Haoran felt the situation seemed too simplistic. Zhao Hong, a spirit master, should possess formidable survival techniques.

After all, she had concealed herself within the crematorium for years and avoided exposing her identity despite clashing with Deng Feng – clear signs of her exceptional abilities.

For such an extraordinary person to fall so swiftly without a fight seemed unbelievable to Yang Haoran.

Reality, however, seemed to mock him. Under the man's relentless violent onslaught, Zhao Hong clung to her last breath. One more strike could extinguish her life!

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Yet Zhao Hong showed no signs of a comeback, making Yang Haoran wonder if he had misjudged the situation.

Although Zhao Hong hung by a thread, Yang Haoran had no intention of intervening. She was his intended target; her death would only benefit him. His sole regret was that Zhao Hong seemed fated to die an insignificant death without even depleting half the man's power.

The man grabbed the lifeless Zhao Hong and lifted her broken, bloodied form.

"I'm sorry, it seems we can't wait for your Guardian Spirit to appear. That's quite a pity. No matter, I'll wait here. If it dares to show up tonight, I'll make sure it joins you."

The man sneered, then viciously slammed Zhao Hong's body into the ground.

No surprise occurred. Zhao Hong's body crashed heavily with a dull thud, her final breath expiring as blood trickled from her mouth and nose, life fading away.

Yang Haoran expected some dramatic turn, as television dramas always portray. But reality defied such scripts – the spirit master Zhao Hong expired without fanfare.

Sensing Zhao Hong's life force vanish, the man did not relent, lifting her corpse again to confirm her demise before finally showing a satisfied smile.

"Heh, I vowed that one day, you would pay for your debts with blood. Little did I expect that day would come so swiftly."

The man's face bore a cold sneer as he casually tossed Zhao Hong's corpse onto the ground like discarding trash. Her lifeless body rolled limply a few times before coming to a rest, her expression one of utter misery, eyes remaining horrifyingly open.

"This woman kept fleeing in this direction all night. If I'm not mistaken, her Guardian Spirit should be in this direction. By now, her Guardian Spirit must have sensed her death. The question is, will it ignore this matter or foolishly come seeking revenge?"

The man grinned, his words seeming part self-musing, part address to his own Guardian Spirit.

For a spirit master to possess a Guardian Spirit, they must forge a contract with a ghost. Once the contract succeeds, a unique connection forms between them, persisting indefinitely.

However, if either party dies or their soul dissipates, the contract dissolves, severing the special bond it had established.

Now that Zhao Hong was dead, her Guardian Spirit would undoubtedly sense its master's demise. But whether it would rush here remained uncertain, for their contract had been nullified the moment Zhao Hong perished.

Under such circumstances, the Guardian Spirit's decision to avenge its former master depended on the nature of their prior relationship.

From the man's earlier remarks, it seemed he had never encountered this particular Guardian Spirit before and knew nothing of its dynamic with Zhao Hong. Hence, he could not be certain if it would appear.

Nevertheless, he decided to wait, for he had his own agenda.

"You've only recently ascended to a malevolent spirit. Your realm remains unstable. If Zhao Hong's Guardian Spirit dares to show up, it would be a tremendous boon, serving as the perfect nourishment to consolidate your realm."

The man grinned ominously at his Guardian Spirit.

In his view, with Zhao Hong dead, her Guardian Spirit's arrival would be a suicidal act – no surprises were expected.

A spirit master without a Guardian Spirit was akin to an ordinary person lacking hands. Likewise, a Guardian Spirit lacked purpose without its spirit master.

Taking them on together would be challenging, but defeating them separately would prove all too easy.

Upon hearing the man's words, the malevolent spirit bore a horrific grin, licking its lips in anticipation.

"I wish to devour her soul first. The soul of a spirit master would provide great nourishment," the hollow, unnatural voice rasped.

The man shook his head. "Her soul cannot be consumed yet. I still wish to extract certain secrets from her. Once I've obtained the information I desire, you can do with her soul as you please."

Displeased flickered in the malevolent spirit's eyes, which the man noticed with concern. He feared it might disobey and hastily devour Zhao Hong's soul while he was distracted, squandering a valuable opportunity.

Malevolent spirits were more unruly than evil spirits, less susceptible to their masters' control when tempted to indulge their impulses.

With this in mind, the man waved his hand, enveloping Zhao Hong's corpse in a shroud of Yin Qi that lifted it into the air. Then, channeling his spirit power, he prepared to forcibly coalesce and extract her soul as a spirit form.

His reasoning was simple: if he could not trust his Guardian Spirit to refrain from reckless actions, he would secure Zhao Hong's soul himself.

Tendrils of Yin Qi, manifestations of his spirit power, bored into Zhao Hong's seven apertures, aiming to forcibly condense and separate her soul into a spirit form.

However, the man's expression instantly froze, twisting into one of utter revulsion!