Chapter 21: Do you really think you can escape?

"Tsk."

Chen Fan frowned slightly. Looking at the sticky blood beneath his feet, the first thought that crossed his mind was that he needed to buy a new pair of shoes.

"Boy! I don't care what Fu Xueyue promised you to make you risk your life for her!"

"But the Bodhisattva of Seeking the Way will help me handle this nuisance!"

Zhao Kai sneered, "A mere youth, having cultivated for no more than twenty years—could you possibly be a match for the Bodhisattva of Seeking the Way?"

Though his words were filled with confidence, his body, like that of Fu Yinghui, was trembling uncontrollably.

The entire hotel room had transformed. The cozy environment had become a purgatory. Liquid seeped from the surrounding walls like water leaking through an old house, but it was not rainwater—it was blood!

The walls had turned completely into walls of flesh and blood. As the blood pooled on the floor, the plush rug became saturated and bloated. Hideous ghost hands clawed their way out of the walls, leaving gruesome gouges in the bloody surface. An ordinary person would have fled in terror, but Chen Fan’s eyes held only a flicker of boredom.

"Seeking the bones,煞 the blood, destroying the clan through disaster."

"Those who seek the Way shall all become saints."

A shadow emerged before Chen Fan. Its phantom form slowly solidified into a female Bodhisattva, draped in pure white, flowing robes, yet possessing an infinitely seductive face.

"Are you the one who killed my disciples?"

"Hell is empty..."

"Today, I shall send you to the underworld!"

Chen Fan shrugged. "If you're talking about those people named Ku Sha, then yes, I killed them."

"Perish!"

The Bodhisattva of Seeking the Way let out a roar of fury and raised her hand, striking toward Chen Fan. At that moment, the ghost hands broke through the bloody walls to snatch at him, while the blood on the carpet coiled into a giant hand, pinning his feet to the ground.

Seeing Chen Fan unable to move, Zhao Kai burst into laughter. "Die! Die! That'll teach you to interfere with my affairs!"

Fu Yinghui’s eyes turned bloodshot, and she shouted excitedly, "What does my taking back what belongs to the Fu family have to do with you? You deserve to die!"

Chen Fan’s expression remained calm, though the corners of his mouth curled into a slight arc.

"I was waiting for this exact moment. You aren't going anywhere."

In an instant, a golden radiance erupted from Chen Fan’s body.

"Grand righteous energy! Such pure grand righteous energy!" the Bodhisattva exclaimed, instinctively attempting to flee. But in the next second, the golden light tightened like a cage of chains, strangling the Bodhisattva.

"No! How could I be trapped here! My soul is eternal! My Dao is inexhaustible! My flesh is indestructible!"

The Bodhisattva shrieked as her figure began to flicker back into a phantom state. Chen Fan’s gaze sharpened as he cast a spell.

"I told you, you cannot escape."

The grand righteous energy transformed into a golden dragon that lunged to devour the Bodhisattva. Just as the dragon was about to swallow her, a monkey-like shadow blocked its path. Both the shadow and the dragon shattered upon impact. Chen Fan shook his head slightly.

The party crasher had arrived.

Grand righteous energy was the perfect counter to evil entities and practitioners, but the monkey shadow before him was a wild mountain deity. Unlike the false gods worshipped by evil practitioners, this one had once received offerings of incense, so it was not technically an evil spirit.

"Don't you dare leave!"

A reprimand came from the doorway. The Taoist in green robes looked at the Bodhisattva and said, "Stay here, and we will join forces to kill him!"

The Bodhisattva’s face was twisted with malice, but she immediately conceded. "I agree!"

Zhao Kai and Fu Yinghui retreated into a corner, trembling with fear. Chen Fan turned to look at the green-robed Taoist and said calmly, "Wild Mountain Deity, I have no grudge or conflict of interest with you, do I?"

"I am merely repaying a favor," the Taoist replied flatly.

Chen Fan sighed helplessly. This Wild Mountain Deity was not on Boss Fu’s list. It seemed there would be no extra payment for this one.

"Scared? Heh..."

The Bodhisattva’s phantom figure broke free from the golden chains. She sneered, "Even if you are scared, you must die today!"

As she spoke, she held up four fingers toward Zhao Kai and Fu Yinghui. "Kill him! I want four children!"

Without waiting for the others to speak, the Bodhisattva formed hand seals. Six ghost claws emerged from the bloody walls, attempting to seize Chen Fan’s limbs and tear his heart and lungs out.

"Help me! Don't give him a chance to invoke his grand righteous energy!"

"No need to tell me."

The green-robed man spoke in a low voice and unleashed a stone statue from his hand. The green-faced, fanged monkey shadow instantly swung its fist toward Chen Fan.

Chen Fan said softly, "Do you think I only know grand righteous energy?"

"Wild Mountain Deity..."

"Wouldn't it be better to just stay honestly in your mountains?"

Chen Fan raised his left hand, and a surge of yin energy wreaked havoc. It was an aura even darker and more terrifying than the surrounding blood walls and ghost hands. From the vortex in his left hand, several vengeful spirits suddenly surged forth!

The clawing, screeching spirits swarmed the monkey shadow, biting and tearing at it.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

As the spirits tore into the shadow, it began to sizzle as if boiling water had been poured onto ice. The shadow began to fade—the incense offerings that had sustained it were being destroyed.

"Black magic!" the green-robed Taoist exclaimed in shock.

The Bodhisattva shrieked, hastily retracting her ghost claws and attempting to vanish and flee. But Chen Fan raised his right hand, and the grand righteous energy transformed into golden dragon chains, trapping the Bodhisattva once more.

"Proficient in soul-refining black magic, yet capable of wielding grand righteous energy..."

"Source of both righteousness and evil!"

The Bodhisattva stared at Chen Fan in disbelief, her eyes wide. "You are Daoist Leader Chen!"

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. "Congratulations, you guessed correctly."

"Do you want a reward?"

The Bodhisattva was stunned, then probed, "What reward? Will you let me go?"

"The reward is sending you to your death."

As the words fell, the grand righteous energy transformed into a golden dragon, swallowing the Bodhisattva whole. Within the vortex of his left hand, a new spirit appeared—one bearing the face of the Bodhisattva. The spirit immediately lunged toward the Wild Mountain Deity. The green-robed Taoist’s face turned pale with horror; he turned to flee instantly.

"Do you really think you can escape?" Chen Fan asked with a bright, sunny smile.