Ling Tian watched the monster summoned by Zhang Daoquan with a talisman, and fell into deep thought. His brain spun rapidly, analyzing a vast amount of information, and an answer was about to emerge.
He used his Heavenly Eye Divine Ability to examine the monster closely, only to discover that its clothes were adorned with many intricate patterns.
These patterns were primarily used to suppress spiritual entities.
"Chimei wangliang, shigui sanbi!"
The monster before him continuously mumbled, and Ling Tian recognized these as ancient Chinese characters from thousands of years ago. From the inheritances within his Spirit Realm space, he understood the meaning of the creature's incantations.
Ling Tian was now certain. The monster, or rather, the ghost-god before him, was none other than Zhong Kui from Chinese legends!
Zhong Kui was a folk deity in Taoism, a native of the Tang Dynasty, born in Zhongnan Mountain. Legend had it that he was accomplished in both civil and martial arts, and possessed an upright character.
However, due to his appearance and his straightforward, blunt personality, he found no way to serve his country, and in his dejection, he died by crashing into a pillar.
It is said that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, suffered from a persistent spleen ailment while at Mount Li in Lintong. One night, he dreamt of a formidable-looking man who captured a small ghost, gouged out its eyeballs, and then devoured them.
The man claimed to be "Zhong Kui, who failed the imperial examination." Upon waking, the Emperor's illness immediately vanished. Consequently, Emperor Xuanzong ordered Wu Daozi to paint a picture of Zhong Kui capturing ghosts as seen in his dream, and hung it in the palace to ward off evil and suppress demons.
From then on, Zhong Kui became a door god in Chinese mythology and folklore. In folk New Year paintings, Zhong Kui was depicted on doors to drive away ghosts, ward off evil, and protect the household!
Ling Tian never imagined that the ghost-god Zhang Daoquan had summoned with his own life before dying would be Zhong Kui!
Looking at the colossal figure before him and sensing the dangerous aura emanating from it, Ling Tian felt a prickle of fear.
Speaking of ghost-gods, Ling Tian was no longer unfamiliar with them. Not long ago, while in Japan, Ling Tian had encountered both Ibaraki-doji and Arakawa no Nushi, two very famous ghost-gods in our country.
Ling Tian had defeated both of them, and their souls were refined by his Soul Refining Furnace, ultimately becoming nourishment for Ling Tian's soul.
However, as Ling Tian looked at Zhong Kui before him, he could feel that this being was countless times more powerful than Ibaraki-doji and Arakawa no Nushi!
Furthermore, Zhong Kui, suddenly summoned to this world, was momentarily bewildered. Zhong Kui widened his terrifying eyes, looking around, searching for chimei wangliang.
To him, beings like chimei wangliang were extremely nourishing food. But after searching for a long time, he found no ghosts around, only a human!
Facing Ling Tian, Zhong Kui hesitated. He did not directly interact with humans; his duty was to capture ghosts. However, the markings on Ling Tian compelled him to attack. This was a power of law, which Zhong Kui could not resist.
Thus, Zhong Kui violently swung the chain in his hand towards Ling Tian!
Ling Tian stomped on the ground, his body shooting back two meters. He seemed to have dodged the chain's attack, but the chain in Zhong Kui's hand suddenly lengthened as if it had a life of its own, appearing to happen out of thin air, defying the laws of physics.
The chain moved like a spirit snake, seemingly unaffected by gravity!
Ling Tian had not expected the chain's trajectory to be so bizarre. By the time he sensed something was amiss, the hook at the end of the chain was less than half a meter away from him.
At that very moment, Ling Tian felt his body disobeying him. The hook emitted an energy that seemed intent on snatching his soul!
In a moment of extreme peril, Ling Tian immediately entered the Spirit Realm space. Once inside the Spirit Realm space, the soul-tearing force vanished.
Ling Tian collapsed onto the ground within the Spirit Realm space, gasping for breath, his body drenched in cold sweat.
At this moment, information flooded into Ling Tian's mind. He then recalled that some ancient texts contained records about Zhong Kui and the weapon in his hand!
The chain in Zhong Kui's hand, along with its hook, was also a famous magical artifact in Chinese mythology, known as the Soul-Locking Hook.
This hook could capture any spiritual entity; no chimei wangliang could escape its grasp.
And when this Soul-Locking Hook was used to attack humans, it did not cause physical harm but could directly tear the person's soul out of their body!
For an ordinary human who had not cultivated, if their soul was forcibly pulled from their body, they would die on the spot.
Even for human cultivators who had reached the Soul Separation realm, having their soul forcibly pulled out would cause severe damage to their soul, seriously affecting their cultivation!
Ling Tian was utterly terrified. He dared not go out. The thing outside was too terrifying. Its hook was not a physical object, nor was it even an ordinary energy body. Ling Tian could not protect himself even with the Diamond Talisman.
Indeed, he possessed some means to inflict heavy damage on Zhong Kui, but he also could not withstand a single hook from Zhong Kui.
Therefore, Ling Tian decisively chose to continue hiding.
Outside the Spirit Realm space, Zhong Kui was also bewildered. This thing's intelligence seemed to be not very sharp. It retracted the chain, its eyes fixed directly on the hook, but it did not find Ling Tian's soul.
Zhong Kui raised its eyes and searched around again. Neither Ling Tian's figure nor the marking was present.
Zhong Kui paced back and forth for tens of minutes. During this time, the black talisman hovering in the air released all the energy it contained.
After all, Zhong Kui did not belong to this world or this space. Its presence here was merely a projection of power. Without energy support, Zhong Kui's form grew fainter and fainter, eventually vanishing into the night.
Another half hour passed before Ling Tian emerged from the Spirit Realm space. He first released several of his spirit beasts, ordering them to patrol and guard the surroundings. Only after confirming that Zhong Kui had completely disappeared from this world did Ling Tian dare to come out.
Ling Tian released his spiritual power, his divine sense covering the surrounding forest for several hundred meters. He thoroughly confirmed that there was no danger present, and the summoned ghost-god Zhong Kui had also vanished. He then let out a sigh of relief.
Ling Tian turned around and saw Zhang Daoquan's corpse on the ground. He frowned.
Originally, he had intended to capture Zhang Daoquan and force him to confess his crimes personally before the high-ranking officials of Longhu Mountain. But now, Zhang Daoquan was dead, and there was no evidence!