Chapter 60: The Ten Heinous Spirits (Part 2)

I had found what I was looking for. With a swift motion, I unplugged the power, plunging the room into darkness once again.

"How did Zhang Rong manage to catch up with you?" I asked.

"Damn it! I got lost in this creepy place and was looking for a room to hide in. Guess what I saw?" Yuan Feng replied in a hushed, mysterious tone.

"Did you see a ghost or something?"

I was just testing him, but to my surprise, he nodded vigorously. "You saw it too, right? In the house at the center."

His face was ashen with fear, his hands flailing wildly as he tried to describe it. "The room was full of figures. At first, I thought they were people. But when I crouched under the window and took a closer look, I realized their faces were as pale as paper, and their words didn't make any sense."

"What were they saying?" Something felt off, and I pressed him for details.

Yuan Feng shook his head. "I only caught a few words here and there—something about a spirit hearse and ten evils."

"Where is that house? I need to see it for myself." The final piece of the puzzle was about to fall into place. Tonight, the ultimate confrontation was inevitable.

"It's right in the middle of the crematorium, but the main gate is locked. The only way in is through the columbarium on the side."

"You seem to know quite a lot about this place," I said, my tone pointed.

Yuan Feng didn't seem to catch my implication. "I'd advise you not to go now. Zhang Rong is still out there, probably nearby."

"Don't worry; I'll be careful."

After a few more minutes of silence, I gently took Yi Yi's hand and pushed the door open.

"Let's move. Quickly!"

Just as we stepped out, someone grabbed my sleeve. I turned to see the eerie little girl staring at me with unyielding eyes. She whispered, "Don't go. You'll die."

Her words shocked me, but before I could respond, Zhang Rong, disheveled and wild-eyed, spotted us from the far end of the corridor.

"Scatter! Don't look back!" I shouted.

We dashed down the corridor and into the crematorium's central hall—a place meant to be solemn and dignified.

But now, shadows flickered, and faint sounds of crying, laughing, and murmuring filled the air.

Clutching Yi Yi's hand tightly, I led her toward the columbarium. "Yi Yi, no matter what happens, stay hidden until dawn! Promise me you'll hold out!"

Minutes later, Yuan Feng's agonized screams echoed from outside. Zhang Rong must have caught him.

This murderous maniac, who preyed on women, ultimately met his end at the hands of one.

The stars seemed to waver. It was the darkest hour before dawn—a time when night was at its deepest.

I took out my phone. "Liu Banxian, are you there? It's time for the final showdown!"

"Showdown? With what?!" Liu Banxian sent a sigh emoji. "I've been analyzing the layout while you were running around. This crematorium isn't meant to bring peace to the dead. It's designed to harness yin energy and fuel the escape of a terrifying entity."

"A terrifying entity?"

"Kid, don't let your hardiness and a few talismans make you reckless. This level of power could obliterate you with a mere breath."

"Even if it's powerful, I'm not completely without options." I took out the yellow paper talisman from the Daoist at Qingtu Temple. It had a single inscription:

"When the spirit hearse departs, the dead return home. Without the tenth, the fiend is doomed."

The live streams at Peaceful Inn and Xinhu High School had introduced me to two distinct spirits—Yuanchen and Hongluan.

Drawing from these encounters, I researched Eight Characters spirits extensively. While much of it was fictional, I gained an understanding of their categories.

The term "Ten Evils" first appeared in the Dreamcatcher Talisman when the old woman at the mass grave mentioned it. The Daoist's note also referenced these words. Clearly, the spirit in this live stream was the Ten Evil Spirits.

"When the spirit hearse departs, the dead return home."

The passengers on this hearse—both humans and ghosts—represented one of the Ten Evils. Only when they were united could their fate qualify as the complete Ten Evil Spirits.

The talisman's final line was my beacon of hope: Without the tenth, the fiend is doomed.

The Ten Evils weren't complete; one was missing. Therefore, the fiend sealed within the crematorium couldn't escape. Tonight, my challenge was only against nine minor spirits.

For a time, I suspected Yi Yi might be the missing tenth spirit. But then I found a postcard in her backpack. Her mother's name was Tie Yi, sharing the same pronunciation as "Yi."

The crematorium's records confirmed her mother had been cremated over a week ago.

This cruel truth was why I had avoided questioning Yi Yi directly. As for who she spoke to on the phone every night, I had a pretty good idea.

If a ghost like the Red-Clad Woman could harm people through a phone, lingering souls could use them for their final farewells.

Like the old woman I saw at the start of the stream, burning paper to summon her late husband for one last glimpse.

Death extinguishes life, but not all ghosts are malicious. Some merely linger, unwilling to forget that first moment they laid eyes on their loved one.

Yi Yi was too kindhearted to commit unforgivable sins, leaving one question:

Who was the final member of the Ten Evils?

I suspected it was her mother.

A loving, respectable mother could have hidden sins in other areas of her life.

To aid the fiend's escape, the Ten Evil Spirits needed to merge. This would erase their individual consciousness, including the memories of Yi Yi her mother cherished.

Her mother's refusal to fuse was likely why Yi Yi was called to board the ghostly Bus 14.

"When the spirit hearse departs, the dead return home."

This bus served only the dead. If I hadn't boarded it, I dreaded to imagine how the lost and innocent Yi Yi might have been tormented by those wandering spirits.

This was the closest to the truth I could surmise. It explained why I boarded the ghostly bus in the first place. The commission from the underworld had been initiated by Yi Yi's mother. My mission tonight was to protect Yi Yi at all costs.

As long as Yi Yi survived, her mother would resist the fusion, and the fiend would remain sealed.

With my plan clear, I pulled out the Mao Mountain Seven-Star Talisman. "Liu Banxian, this is it! Tell me how to use it!"

"This talisman is exclusive to Mao Mountain disciples. I learned Qingcheng techniques, not Mao Mountain's—how could I know their methods? Try the lightning spell I taught you earlier?"

Frustrated, I nearly threw my phone. The last thing I needed was false hope dashed in a moment.

"Looks like I'll have to train under Liu the Charlatan if I survive tonight," I muttered bitterly.

Turning to the stream, I shouted, "Anyone here familiar with Mao Mountain techniques? Help me out!"

"Urgent call for help, folks! Anyone in the chat familiar with Mao Shan Daoist techniques? Please drop a couple of comments to save my life!"

"I know some! Streamer, listen up! Repeat after me: The Great Tathagata, mercifully ferry all souls, the bright mirror reveals no dust! You're welcome! By the way, I'm the one who mentioned being from the Harbin Buddhist Academy last time!"

"Whoa, a Harvard monk! Much respect!"

"Are you guys seriously joking around at a time like this? Streamer, I'm a die-hard fan! I happen to be a Taoyuan Cemetery sales manager. If you pass on tonight, I'll personally arrange a VIP royal funeral package for you!"

Outside, Zhang Rong was pacing up and down the hallway. From the adjacent hall, the sound of crying, laughing, and eerie chatter grew sharper and more unsettling.

I watched the chat flood with chaotic jokes and banter. Feeling completely helpless, I reached into my pocket and pulled out another talisman—the blood-red cursed talisman!