"Hm?"
The surrounding area was completely covered in ashes, yet Chen Xuan frowned, pinching a small handful of the ash in his hand.
"Thank you, Gentleman, for saving our lives!"
The survivors — Xue Qian, Pang Ling, Qin Long, and the others — quickly expressed their gratitude to Chen Xuan.
Then, they rushed toward the remaining new graves.
Those tombstones were left by previous Ghost Tamers.
Now that the giant banyan tree had disappeared, for some reason the tombstones did not vanish with it but remained behind.
This was not a time to celebrate.
They needed to determine whether those Ghost Tamers were truly dead.
If so, they would have to be dealt with accordingly,
because each of them carried a Malevolent Ghost inside.
Soon, one grave after another was dug open, shocking Qin Long and the others to the core.
Out of the eleven people — two team captains and Chen Ruoqing were not inside — the remaining eight had all been pulled into their coffins.
At this moment, except for the two captains who still had faint breaths, the other six were completely dead.
Six deaths out of eleven, including a team captain — such a loss was devastating.
Even more terrifying was the implication: at least six Malevolent Ghosts were about to awaken.
For a moment, even Xue Qian and the others felt an intense headache coming on.
Some Malevolent Ghosts might have been deeply suppressed within the Ghost Tamers, but once freed, their terrifying power would far surpass when controlled.
This was exactly why Xia Country always dealt with various Paranormal Incidents —
without suppression, every single Malevolent Ghost might grow into an A-rank, or even S-rank.
Just as everyone expected to face the challenge of Malevolent Ghosts awakening, an even more surprising situation occurred.
All the Malevolent Ghosts inside the dead had actually disappeared.
"Malevolent Ghosts disappeared? How is that possible?"
Pang Ling frowned tightly. "That doesn't make sense."
"Could they have been absorbed by the banyan tree?"
Xue Qian was also puzzled.
"That's impossible. Malevolent Ghosts can't be absorbed — they can only be imprisoned or stored."
Qin Long's face looked a bit better than before, though his voice remained hoarse.
He glanced at the Gentleman, who was staring absentmindedly at the ashes nearby.
"I'll go!"
Seeing this, Pang Ling stood up and walked toward Chen Xuan.
After all, only she and Chen Xuan had direct contact so far, and neither had taken any action against the other.
"Gentleman, have you figured out the problem?"
Pang Ling bowed slightly, smiling politely.
"No, it's just a guess."
Chen Xuan did not answer directly, his voice carrying an indifferent tone.
He turned his head slightly to look at Pang Ling. "You want something?"
"Yes, Gentleman."
Pang Ling smiled awkwardly, standing close to Chen Xuan.
Yet secretly, she felt like stepping back.
On the surface, she kept composed, but inside, she was shocked.
"Why does this dangerous feeling feel even stronger than the last time we met?"
"Has he really grown this much in just a few days?"
Suppressing her panic, Pang Ling quickly said,
"In the graves we just dug open, all the Malevolent Ghosts inside the deceased Ghost Tamers have disappeared.
Gentleman, what do you think about this?"
Chen Xuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke coldly:
"Are you trying to trick me into revealing something?"
There was a hint of accusation and even threat in his voice.
If Pang Ling's answer displeased him, he might act immediately.
Pang Ling's expression changed; she shook her head instinctively.
"No, no, no, Gentleman. We would never do that. You solved this incident, so we want to ask if you know why the Malevolent Ghosts disappeared.
Because if these Malevolent Ghosts did not disappear but are hiding nearby, it could be fatal to the surrounding area and even Xiadu City."
Behind the blood-stained white mask, a pair of emotionless eyes fixed on Pang Ling, almost suffocating her.
After several long seconds, Chen Xuan finally withdrew his gaze and casually glanced at the graves that had been dug open.
He said calmly,
"They didn't disappear — they were taken away."
"Taken away? Taken away by what?"
Pang Ling was stunned.
What kind of power could take away so many Malevolent Ghosts at once?
This was terrifying.
Chen Xuan simply pointed at the pile of ashes.
"Of course, by this."
"The Ghost Tree?"
"How is that possible? The Ghost Tree was already split apart."
The moment Pang Ling spoke, she felt something was wrong, and her expression changed abruptly.
"Damn, the Ghost Tree wasn't destroyed — it was just an illusion?"
"Not bad, you're a little smarter than I thought."
Chen Xuan glanced at her growing breasts.
He originally thought this woman was just an idiot with a big chest, but now she didn't seem so stupid.
"If you treat the Ghost Tree as a Malevolent Ghost, then a Malevolent Ghost capable of taking away all others, if it grows, it will become very…"
Before Chen Xuan finished, a hoarse voice came from behind.
"Sorry, Gentleman, but I don't think Chen Ruoqing's condition is right… I feel…"
Swish!
Chen Xuan turned sharply.
Not far off, Chen Ruoqing was standing, inexplicably holding a blood-red wooden comb, quietly combing her hair.
The hair continuously swayed and grew longer and longer.
"No, it's the Malevolent Ghost awakening!"
Chen Xuan glanced at her, his face suddenly darkening.
He stepped forward and vanished strangely from his original spot.
When he reappeared, he was right beside Chen Ruoqing.
At this moment, Chen Ruoqing had her back to him, but on the back of her head was a grotesque, bloody, smiling face.
This face had no eyes, no nose — only a mouth with a weird grin.
This time was different from before, but Chen Xuan was sure — it was the awakening of a Malevolent Ghost.
"Why aren't the Ghost Hair Ties reacting?"
Chen Xuan didn't attack but watched the motionless Ghost Hair Ties thoughtfully.
After sensing carefully, he suddenly realized it wasn't that the Ghost Hair Ties had no reaction — they were being suppressed.
The combined power of two Malevolent Ghosts had already overwhelmed the Ghost Hair Ties' suppression.
Realizing this, Chen Xuan immediately raised his hand and pressed it on Chen Ruoqing's shoulder.
Instantly, the power of the Ghost windbreaker erupted.
The strange smile on Chen Ruoqing's face instantly froze.
The ghostly hair growing all over her body stopped growing.
But Chen Xuan knew this was only a temporary fix.
He couldn't keep his hand on her forever.
Besides, nobody else could wear the Ghost windbreaker except him.
Unless they could suppress the Malevolent Ghost's erosion inside her, the situation might worsen.
At this moment, Xue Qian and Pang Ling also approached.
Everyone present knew that this mysterious Gentleman had come specifically for Chen Ruoqing.
Now, with her Malevolent Ghost awakening, the crisis could cause death.
Who knew if she died, whether the Gentleman would take his wrath out on the entire Ghost Tamer Headquarters?
"Gentleman, I have a way to deal with Chen Ruoqing's current state!"
Xue Qian's expression flickered and she suddenly spoke.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。