Surprise! The Fake Heiress is Actually an Ancient Master of Metaphysics! - Chapter 30

But she was trapped inside the formation set up by Master Xuanqing.

The female corpse exuded a sinister aura, her ghastly pale face now covered with dark ghostly patterns as her hollow black eyes fixed intently on Huo Jingyan in the distance.

A guttural, rasping sound escaped her throat as she hissed, “Purple dragon energy! I want him, I want him!”

Master Xuanqcursed loudly, “Who the hell do you think you are, daring to covet him? I’ll burn you to ashes today!”

Hearing his voice, the female corpse abruptly turned her head toward him. “You deserve to die!”

She hurled a mass of black energy at Master Xuanqing, which struck the barrier of the formation, causing him to grimace in pain.

Such intense malice—this ghost had been around for centuries!

Master Xuanqing was only in his sixties. Even though he was well-versed in arcane arts, compared to this female ghost, he was practically a child!

The ghost relentlessly attacked the formation barrier, and Master Xuanqing’s expression grew increasingly grave, his face gradually draining of color.

Tan Lingyin swiftly chanted an incantation and flung a talisman toward the female ghost.

The ghost bared her teeth at the talisman before abruptly dodging to the side.

Yet, the talisman seemed to have a mind of its own, nimbly sticking to her forehead.

“Freeze!”

With Tan Lingyin’s sharp command, the female ghost plummeted from midair and crashed back into the coffin.

Her body twisted unnaturally inside the coffin, limbs contorted in a grotesque posture, leaving only her hollow black eyes glaring forward.

Tan Lingyin exhaled slightly in relief before turning to Master Xuanqing. “You did well. If you hadn’t trapped her in time just now, catching her again would have been much harder.”

Master Xuanqing nodded. “True.”

But as he spoke, something felt off.

Why did this little girl’s tone sound like an elder praising a junior?

“Tsk, you little…”

He wanted to say something, but Tan Lingyin had already walked over to the coffin. He quickly warned, “Don’t get too close to that thing!”

Tan Lingyin replied calmly, “It’s fine. She can’t move.”

Standing beside the coffin, she carefully examined the female corpse’s clothing before reaching out to touch the dirt on the coffin.

Staring at the dark red, damp soil on her fingertips, her eyes darkened. “Corpse nurturing?”

Master Xuanqing gasped in shock. “Yes! You even know about corpse nurturing?”

Tan Lingyin ignored his question and said sternly, “Get someone to bring a broom.”

Master Xuanqing knew now wasn’t the time for other discussions, so he shouted toward Huo Jingyan, “Bring a broom!”

A bodyguard immediately rushed over and handed one to him.

Master Xuanqing passed the broom to Tan Lingyin, who began meticulously sweeping the dirt off the coffin.

Despite her slender arms, she worked with surprising strength, soon clearing the soil from the coffin’s surface.

The intricate carvings on the coffin were now exposed.

Tan Lingyin studied the patterns, her gaze growing colder. “They even engraved corpse-nurturing spirit patterns on the coffin. What kind of enemies did this woman make in life?”

Master Xuanqing snorted, eyeing the motionless corpse. “Judging by her behavior earlier, she probably wasn’t a good person when she was alive. That’s why someone took revenge like this.”

Tan Lingyin warned, “Master Xuanqing, don’t jump to conclusions.”

Master Xuanqing retorted, “Then how else did she end up like this?”

“Then we’ll have to ask her,” Tan Lingyin turned to gaze at the female corpse leaning askew inside the coffin. “I’ll question her myself.”

“She’s already been possessed by malignant energy and turned into an evil spirit,” Master Xuanqing shook his head slightly. “We should take this chance to destroy her now.”

But Tan Lingyin chuckled softly, “Even as exorcists, we must consider karma. Even if she’s an evil spirit, we should examine her past to understand why she became one.”

Master Xuanqing sighed, “Very well. I’ll maintain the formation. If anything goes wrong, get out immediately.”

He moved outside the formation, continuing to channel his mystical energy to sustain it, preventing the female ghost from harming Tan Lingyin or escaping.

Tan Lingyin observed the corpse’s soiled dress and realized it was actually a bright red wedding gown.

Buried alive in a coffin on her wedding day to cultivate as a corpse—no wonder the resentment and yin energy were so intense.

She bent down and reached out to touch the corpse’s hair.

Tangled locks clung to its face, obscuring its features.

Seeing her dare to touch the corpse, Huo Jingyan unconsciously clenched his fists, his coldly handsome features betraying a hint of concern.

Carefully, Tan Lingyin parted the disheveled black strands, her fingertips coming away damp with blood.

Unfazed, she used her hand to wipe away the grime from the corpse’s face.

The corpse stared back with hollow, pitch-black eyes, its gaze fixed unblinkingly on her, the dark ghostly patterns on its face spreading rather than receding.

It was furious. It was enraged.

Tan Lingyin spoke calmly, “Don’t rush. I won’t destroy you until I’ve uncovered your past.”

“But if you don’t cooperate, regardless of whether you’ve been wronged, I’ll banish you straight to the Hungry Ghost Realm.”

“After being trapped underground for centuries, you must be tired of being a ghost, no? I doubt you’d want to spend eternity as a starving specter.”

The corpse’s hollow eye sockets gradually returned to normal, and the dark patterns on its face faded.

It stared at Tan Lingyin with empty yet distinct black-and-white eyes.

Tan Lingyin chuckled lightly, “So you do have grievances. First, step out of this decaying body.”

As she spoke, she reached to remove the immobilizing talisman from the corpse’s forehead.

Master Xuanqing urgently warned, “Don’t!”

But it was too late—Tan Lingyin had already peeled it off.

The corpse’s head twitched, its pallid hands suddenly lashing out toward Tan Lingyin.

Huo Jingyan’s heart lurched violently, and he instinctively shouted, “Watch out!”

While everyone else was stunned by the scene, Tan Lingyin unhurriedly took a step back.

With some inexplicable footwork, she instantly shifted to the other side of the coffin, leaving the corpse’s hands grasping at air.

Her clear voice turned icy, “You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! I gave you a chance!”

She raised her hand, and the immobilizing talisman flew out again, sticking to the back of the ghost’s head.

“If you won’t come out, I’ll drag you out myself.”

Tan Lingyin pulled out another talisman from her bag, murmuring an incantation under her breath. The paper between her fingers began to glow with golden light.

As the Divine Light Talisman shone upon the corpse, wisps of black smoke emerged.

A grating, agonized sound rasped from the corpse’s throat.

The accumulated centuries of yin energy and resentment quickly burned away under the radiance of the Divine Light Talisman, causing the female ghost within the corpse to let out agonized wails.

“Spare me… spare me…” she rasped in a hoarse plea.

Tan Lingyin’s voice was icy as she commanded, “Come out on your own!”