Chapter Twelve: A Strange Summoning? So Many Corpses?

Instinctively sensing that Tuan Tuan and Xue Yanling were in danger, Li Yan chose not to continue observing. He stepped out from the shadows and shouted angrily, “Wu Jiu, why are you trying to harm Xue Yanling and Tuan Tuan?”

Wu Jiu, who had been focused on his task, was startled by Li Yan’s voice. He froze in disbelief, shook his head, and asked, “How are you here? Didn’t I have you under control?”

Li Yan sneered coldly, “Your tricks could only hold me for a moment.”

Frowning deeply, Wu Jiu knelt down and began chanting softly, repeatedly kowtowing to the ground with devotion as he spoke the incantation.

Li Yan’s right eyelid twitched uncontrollably; he had a strong premonition that Wu Jiu was summoning something dreadful.

He continuously unleashed energy waves at Wu Jiu, trying to interrupt the spellcasting.

But despite this, Wu Jiu did not stop.

Seeing this was futile, Li Yan swiftly teleported beside Wu Jiu, grabbed him, and restrained him.

However, this only held Wu Jiu for a brief moment.

Wu Jiu broke free and attempted to continue, only to be bound again by Li Yan.

His eyes slightly reddened with anger, Wu Jiu muttered, “I’m trying to save them. If you stop me again, I’ll kill you.”

Li Yan clearly did not believe his nonsense—what kind of rescue needed such methods?

He sneered, “Stop making excuses.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Jiu burst into laughter.

Li Yan was puzzled—why was he laughing?

But before he could react further, the human skin on Wu Jiu’s body peeled off and drifted to the ground.

Wu Jiu transformed into a monster—still humanoid but with two heads.

Each face had only eyes and a mouth, lacking other features.

Li Yan was stunned; he hadn’t expected Wu Jiu to be anything but human, but rather a member of the sinister creatures.

No wonder he wanted to harm others.

Yet, Li Yan felt the situation was far more complicated.

Wu Jiu waved his large hand, creating a gaping hole in the surrounding space.

He threw Xue Yanling and Tuan Tuan into the abyss.

Li Yan tried to stop him but was too late.

Angrily, he demanded, “What exactly are you trying to do?”

Wu Jiu said nothing. Instead, he extended his tongue, covered in disgusting green slime.

His tongue swiftly reached for Li Yan, attempting to engulf him.

Repulsed, Li Yan slashed at the tongue with his knife, severing it with a single cut.

But the tongue quickly regenerated.

Without giving Li Yan time to react, Wu Jiu used his tongue to pull Li Yan close, then opened his blood-red maw, preparing to devour him.

Seizing the moment, Li Yan spat a mouthful of blood at Wu Jiu.

Wu Jiu howled in pain and retracted his tongue, releasing Li Yan.

Wu Jiu then split into multiple copies of himself, all launching attacks on Li Yan.

Overwhelmed, Li Yan was knocked unconscious.

Wu Jiu placed the dazed Li Yan on a table and tied him up.

When Li Yan opened his eyes again, the humanoid Wu Jiu was drooling as he gazed at him.

“What are you really after? Where is the real Wu Jiu?”

Wu Jiu held a matchstick, striking it repeatedly against the box.

With a sinister grin, he ignited a piece of paper and threw it onto the table.

He laughed coldly and said, “You ruined my plans. I never expected I’d have to summon the sinister creatures to deal with you. What a nuisance. Let’s see what it feels like to burn to death.”

With a wave of his hand, Wu Jiu reopened the spatial rift and vanished.

The fire steadily grew; Li Yan grew desperate.

He tried to use a binding-breaking spell, but though the incantation was cast, its effect was weak.

The ropes loosened slightly but did not come undone.

He was still trapped.

Growing despondent, not knowing the nature of the ropes—certainly not ordinary ones, or they would have been undone by now—Li Yan tried other spells.

He attempted unlocking and movement spells, all to no avail.

His brow furrowed deeper; he refused to wait passively for death.

Gathering all his strength, he focused on the ropes, and just before the flames could consume him, he broke free.

Now the question was how to enter that spatial rift.

He searched the vicinity but found no entrance.

Instead, he discovered three corpses—faces unrecognizable but apparently a family of three.

Many other bodies lay scattered as well.

Li Yan was shocked, wondering if Xue Yanling’s whole family had perished.

But there was no time to dwell; he continued searching for the entry point.

After a long while, he finally found the portal they had entered.

Opening it, he stepped inside.

The place was an exact replica of the Xue Mansion, indistinguishable from the real one.

After searching for some time, he finally found Xue Yanling and Tuan Tuan cowering in a corner.

Wu Jiu wielded a kitchen knife, poised to strike them.

Li Yan quietly approached from behind and struck Wu Jiu, knocking him unconscious.

With Wu Jiu down, Li Yan gathered Xue Yanling and Tuan Tuan and returned to the mansion.

They hurriedly fled the back mountain.

But halfway through their escape, Wu Jiu caught up.

He tried to reclaim Xue Yanling and Tuan Tuan.

Li Yan fiercely resisted.

Frustrated, Wu Jiu summoned the sinister creatures once more.

They rose, animated by the sinister power, along with the corpses.

Together they charged at Li Yan and his group.

Li Yan’s scalp tingled as he muttered spells.

When complete, a massive golden magic circle appeared at the location of the corpses and sinister creatures.

The circle activated, causing the corpses to collapse motionless.

But the sinister creatures were not so easily subdued.

Closing their eyes, they unleashed a mysterious force that pulled Li Yan before them.

They smiled as Li Yan’s eyelids grew heavy.

A magnetic voice whispered, “Sleep now… sleep, and you will be reunited with your family.”

Li Yan fought to stay awake, but his strength waned.

He finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

As he drifted off, Wu Jiu rubbed his knife against Li Yan’s body relentlessly...