"The young man is quite talented, but it’s a pity he’s not on the right path." The Young Taoist looked at the young man, feeling the overwhelming evil aura emanating from him, dimming the stars in the sky, and spoke.

"Hehehehe..."

The young man let out a cold laugh and said, "I’ve heard that Zhengyi Dao is best at exorcising demons and capturing ghosts. Today, I’ll have a match with the chief disciple of Zhengyi Dao."

The young man was referring to the Traveling Daoist.

"You’re not worthy." The Young Taoist stepped forward, pointed with his hand, and the Peach Wood Sword flew out.

The young man did not move; the Peach Wood Sword stopped just before it pierced his forehead.

Mr. Zhao, with his third eye, saw a Little Ghost catching the Peach Wood Sword for the young man, which instantly turned to ashes, unable to reincarnate.

"What is Zhang Guoping to you?" Mr. Zhao asked the young man.

"Can’t you communicate with the Yin World? Go ask Yama!" the young man replied with a smile.

"Ghost-Control Gate?" The Young Taoist had also heard of Zhang Guoping, who was once the Sect Leader of the Ghost-Control Gate. After the liberation, when burials were changed from earth to cremation, Zhang Guoping collected thirty thousand Fierce Ghosts to forge a Divine Weapon that both gods and ghosts feared: the Ghost-Eyed Soul-Losing Umbrella, with thirty thousand ghost eyes on its surface. Opening the umbrella would block out the sun and moon; a turn of it would shift the stars, and a shake would cause the earth to tremble.

Later, Zhang Guoping died.

It seems that this young man has some connection with Zhang Guoping.

"Let me show you Zhang Guoping’s unparalleled Divine Weapon. Dying by this treasure is your good fortune." The young man then took out an umbrella.

The black umbrella surface had white patterns.

Only Song Xiaodong, who practiced Qi Refinement for a stronger body and had sharper eyesight than others, saw clearly that those were not patterns, but the whites of eyes.

"Zhang Guoping used ghosts as a Ritual Implement to forge such a ferocious weapon and died tragically at home, a form of retribution. Aren’t you afraid of ending up like him by bringing out this umbrella today?" the Young Taoist asked.

"Hahahaha..."

The young man laughed for a moment and said, "Tragic death? Do you think Zhang Guoping died tragically?"

"An innocent man gets into trouble because he possesses a priceless treasure!"

With a "Ho!" the young man opened the Ghost-Eyed Soul-Losing Umbrella.

In an instant, the cries of thirty thousand people echoed across the Great Desert.

Everyone was terrified.

The young man smiled, closed the umbrella again.

The cries ceased.

He opened it again.

Closed it again.

The cries appeared suddenly and stopped abruptly, as if someone was repeatedly pressing the play and pause button on a music player.

This young man was even enjoying playing with it.

"Stop your arrogance!" The Young Taoist stowed away the Peach Wood Sword and rushed to the young man in a single step, throwing out three Talismans.

The young man stomped his foot, and a black image appeared on his body, expanding from small to large, shielding him from the three Talismans, which turned into thunderbolts and flying knives of flame but could not approach the young man.

Song Xiaodong saw clearly that this black image had disheveled hair, a green face with fangs, protruding horns, and wings — it was the form of a Heavenly Demon.

He didn’t know what Demonic Technique the young man had cultivated.

The Young Taoist was also startled by the shadow emanating from the young man and froze in place.

The young man smirked disdainfully and opened the Ghost-Eyed Soul-Losing Umbrella, intending to cover the Young Taoist.

"Wretched creature!"

Master Yunshui’s voice was stern and dignified as his Alms Bowl flew out to crash into the young man’s Ghost-Eyed Soul-Losing Umbrella. At the instant of collision, an image of a Lotus Platform appeared on the Alms Bowl, emitting golden light, preventing the Soul-Losing Umbrella from covering down. The Young Taoist came to his senses and took a step with Ground-Shrinking, retreating thirty meters away.

The Alms Bowl was knocked away, landing on the sandy ground. Master Yunshui extended his hand, and the bowl flew back into his hand.

"Fayu Temple? That day, it was your monks from Fayu Temple that spoiled my plans, nearly capturing Song Xiaodong. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have to intervene personally today." The young man looked at Master Yunshui and said.

"Head of the Song clan, look who this is." The young man pointed to Qingluan, who was standing beside him, with a vacant gaze and expressionless face.

Song Xiaodong couldn’t help but rush forward, but Master Yunshui stopped him.

"Head of the Song clan, this person practices Evil Arts and cannot be underestimated." Master Yunshui advised Song Xiaodong.

Master Yunshui opened the Soul-Losing Umbrella and turned the face of the umbrella towards the crowd.

The multitude of eyes on the umbrella surface seemed alive, following the spin of the umbrella. The sight made the whole group around Song Xiaodong feel a tingling sensation all over, momentarily hypnotized and standing still.

The ghost eyes seemed to be silently calling out: "Come... Come..."

Sun Yiyi, Chu Xianling, the Old Taoist, Zhao Ruonan, and the warriors couldn’t help but walk towards the young man and his magical umbrella.

Only Master Yunshui, the Traveling Daoist, Mr. Zhao, the Young Taoist, and Song Xiaodong were unaffected.

Master Yunshui observed Song Xiaodong and knew his Sea of Consciousness was clear and serene, like a glistening spring, and nodded in admiration.

The Young Taoist took out his Soul-Attracting Bell and shook it gently, waking everyone up.

"The Soul-Losing Umbrella, by its name alone, should remind you to beware of your mind and soul being captured by it." The Young Taoist said.

Seeing his tactic fail, the young man opened the umbrella fully and shouldered it.

It was as if the sky was covered by a gigantic umbrella, causing the stars and moon to disappear altogether.

The desert sky dimmed. Originally, it was close to dawn, and the eastern sky had begun to brighten, but as the young man opened the umbrella and held it aloft, the sky turned completely dark, even darker than when they were on the sea before.

The campfires were the only sources of light remaining, casting faint glows.

They weren’t worried about the young man launching a surprise attack under the cover of night because his white suit was too conspicuous even in the darkness.

The young man grasped the umbrella handle and gently turned it.

The faint cries could be heard again, echoing across the desert hills.

Mr. Zhao saw that the hilly terrain was covered by the Yin Souls summoned earlier when the young man turned the umbrella.

This Soul-Losing Umbrella not only ensnares the living but also the dead.

With a turn of the umbrella, the Yin Souls began rapidly circling around the umbrella and the young man.

Everyone heard the eerie cries in the desert, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, appearing from various directions, making everyone jittery and sending chills down their spines.

Many of the younger warriors were so frightened they became nauseous, bent over, and began to vomit.

Once one’s soul is captured by the umbrella, they follow its command.

Now, the young man paused the umbrella and pointed its tip toward Song Xiaodong and his group.

"Roar!—"

Countless vengeful spirits and Fierce Ghosts revealed their rotten and mutilated true forms, charging like a thousand-horse army toward Song Xiaodong and the others.

"Amitabha Buddha."

Master Yunshui chanted the holy name, emitting a golden light from his mouth, like a brush sweeping away the tide of vengeful spirits and Fierce Ghosts, illuminating them transparently, restoring them to their original forms, and emitting golden light, cleansing the immense resentment and Yin aura.

"Humph!"

The young man released the Soul-Losing Umbrella, which opened and floated gently in the wind, suspended above his head, rotating slowly. The ghost eyes fixed their gaze on the ghosts gilded by Master Yunshui’s invocation. Once they were seen by the ghost eyes on the umbrella, the ghosts immediately lost their golden light, their bodies decayed back into skeletons, and they continued to charge at Song Xiaodong and the others.