"REEEOW!"
The White Cat on the offering table let out a shrill roar. It leaped into the air, moving with extreme speed, and reached the battlefield just before the three freaks could bite Zhao Yuan.
The cat opened its mouth, bit down on the freak clinging to Zhao Yuan's left leg, and tore it off with a powerful shake. At the same time, its claws flew out and swiped at the face of the freak on his right leg, dazing it and stopping it from biting him.
The Fire Spirit Insect, which had been resting on the White Cat's head, also woke from its slumber. It beat its wings and took flight, turning into a spark. With the speed of a lightning bolt, it struck the freak clinging to Zhao Yuan's back. Raging flames spread in an instant, incinerating the creature just as its teeth were about to pierce Zhao Yuan's neck!
With the White Cat and Fire Spirit Insect joining the fray, Zhao Yuan bought himself some time. He swept his Wind and Thunder Whip downward, striking the two freaks that had been clinging to his legs.
Sparks of electricity bloomed, as brilliant as New Year's fireworks.
Amidst a series of sharp CRACKS, the two freaks clinging to his legs burst into flames. They let out a series of strange, sharp shrieks before turning into two piles of ash that scattered in the wind.
Having narrowly escaped disaster, Zhao Yuan breathed a silent sigh of relief. Suddenly, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his shoulder. He reached up and his hand came away wet with blood. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two large gashes torn in the down jacket on his shoulder, and the muscle beneath was cut.
The wounds were narrow and deep, as if made by a sharp blade. The only thing Zhao Yuan was grateful for was that the cuts hadn't reached the bone, and he wasn't poisoned.
Without a doubt, the wounds on both his shoulders must have been caused by the freak that had been grabbing his shoulders and hanging onto his back!
'I didn't expect these freaks to have not only sharp teeth but also unusually sharp claws.'
"Huh?"
Zhao Yuan stared in astonishment as a cloud of ash drifted before his eyes.
'Why does the ash from these burnt freaks look like paper ash?'
Recalling the freaks' deathly pale skin, their bizarre postures and movements, and their light, weightless bodies, a sudden realization flashed through Zhao Yuan's mind.
'Could they actually be Papermen?!'
It was only then that Zhao Yuan noticed a new passage of text had appeared on his Information Leaf. He had been too busy fighting the freaks to see it earlier.
Relying on his Wind and Thunder Whip and the support of the White Cat and Fire Spirit Insect, Zhao Yuan once again repelled the freaks' attack, burning three more of them to ash. Only then did he have a chance to open the Information Leaf and read the words that had appeared on it.
"Puppet Paper Mache Man. During the creation process, the caster uses human or animal blood to paint organs onto the Paperman. They then infuse Qi into the Paper Mache Man's body, giving it form and turning it into an obedient puppet! As it is made of paper, this creature is extremely light and sharp, and its only fear is fire."
After reading the description, Zhao Yuan understood everything. These freaks weren't people at all, nor were they Ghost Soldiers and Generals. They were the Paper Mache Men commonly used as burial objects in folk traditions! Someone had just used a Secret Technique to grant them the ability to move like the living dead!
'No wonder they're so ugly... The Paper Mache Men sold in funeral supply shops are never good-looking!'
Zhao Yuan had already experienced how unusually light and sharp the Paper Mache Men were. But as long as they had a weakness, they could be dealt with!
'Afraid of fire, are you? Good. I'll start a fire and burn all you evil things to ash!' Zhao Yuan snorted inwardly and quickly opened his Storage Ring Space, taking out powders like saltpeter, sulfur, and rosin.
These substances were also used in traditional Chinese medicine. They were mineral-based and could not only treat illnesses but were also highly flammable and explosive!
Previously, when Zhao Yuan had been preparing the Soul-Stabilizing Incense, Beauty Pills, and Vitality Pills, he had always requested extra, unrelated ingredients as a cover. These materials were from that time. They had been sitting in his Storage Ring Space ever since. He never expected them to come in handy today!
Handful after handful, Zhao Yuan tossed the saltpeter, sulfur, and rosin powder at the sinister and bizarre Paper Mache Men.
In the blink of an eye, the remaining Paper Mache Men were all covered in a good amount of the powder. However, neither they nor Mage Zhang, who was hiding in the shadows and controlling them remotely, seemed to understand how dangerous the powder was. They paid it no mind and continued to launch ferocious attacks at him!
The Paper Mache Men swarmed forward once again.
This time, Zhao Yuan didn't throw any more powder, because the amount already lingering in the main hall was more than enough!
"Since you're Paper Mache Men, you should be burned to ash, not running around harming people!" Zhao Yuan shouted coldly, pouring all his Wish Power into the Wind and Thunder Whip. "Burn for me!"
"CRACKLE."
The Wind and Thunder Whip let out a deafening explosion!
Flames flickered and electric serpents danced! The powder lingering in the air was instantly ignited, and with a BOOM, it erupted in a dazzling blaze of light!
"Get down!"
The instant the powder ignited, Zhao Yuan lunged for the White Cat, cradled it in his arms, and dropped to the ground to avoid the blast of fire.
The Fire Spirit Insect, however, did not hide. Like a moth to a flame, it flew straight toward the fire!
The air in the main hall instantly became a sea of fire.
Elsewhere, the flames died out as soon as the powder in the air was consumed. But it was a different story for the Paper Mache Men. They were already afraid of fire, and Zhao Yuan had just doused them with plenty of powder. So, when the fire spread to them, it immediately engulfed them, leaving them with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide!
"SCREEE!"
A series of strange, blood-curdling, and shrill shrieks came from the mouths of the Paper Mache Men. But the sounds soon stopped. Because all the Paper Mache Men had been burned to ash.
Although nothing else in the main hall had caught fire, the floor and walls were scorched black in many places.
Zhao Yuan had no time to inspect the damage. He scrambled up from the floor and glanced at the Fire Spirit Insect hovering in the air. Seeing it was completely unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
When Zhao Yuan had ducked to avoid the flames, he hadn't seen the Fire Spirit Insect fly toward the fire. Not only was it not burned, but it had actually opened its mouth and was devouring the flames!
'This little guy can actually eat fire! That's one heck of a hobby!'
Zhao Yuan took a new Exorcism Talisman from his Storage Ring Space and tucked it into his pocket. He then took out the Fearless Pearl. Holding the whip in one hand and the pearl in the other, he faced the darkness outside the house and shouted sternly, "Mage Zhang, I've destroyed your puppet Paper Mache Men! If you have any other tricks, show them all!"
The area outside the house was silent. There was no sound, not even a flickering shadow.
'Is he out of tricks? Did he run away?' Zhao Yuan frowned and rushed outside to see what was going on.
He had just stepped into the courtyard when, with a loud BOOM, his own courtyard wall was smashed to pieces!
A burly figure, a full three or four meters tall, appeared in Zhao Yuan's courtyard!
'What the hell is this monster?!'
Zhao Yuan's brow furrowed, his expression turning grave.
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