### Chapter 332: Ripping Evil God to Shreds
The sudden voice shattered the silence in the dilapidated house, like a rock dropped into a still pond. Actually, Bai Yu and the Dragon Lady had sensed each other’s presence and were inching closer, but both had a tacit agreement to keep quiet and wait for the other to make the first move.
The entire afternoon had been a mix of chatting with Zhao Mingyue about her past and discussing the formation laid out by someone mysterious.
The three of them spent half the day scratching their heads, trying to figure out the purpose and strength of this formation. In the end, they had to call in some external help—Chen Yunshi. After sending her a picture, they finally understood the situation.
This formation was indeed impressive! It was specifically designed to fend off Evil Gods, requiring them to set up talismans in several key corners of the house to create a barrier that could trap an Evil God inside. According to Chen Yunshi, they had indeed found the items needed to activate the formation in those corners.
The power of this formation was quite high. In comparison, the set of formations used by the Gatekeeper was like child’s play.
Even Bai Yu was somewhat restrained by it, but since she wasn’t a complete Evil God, the effect was limited.
Given the intricacy of such a formation, the identity of the one who laid it must be something serious.
Both Bai Yu and the Dragon Lady, along with Zhao Mingyue, focused their gaze on the doorway, where they saw a petite figure appearing, dragging a box along.
The newcomer wore a black coat that concealed nearly her entire body, topped off with a hood that made it impossible to see her face clearly—only that she was a girl, and quite young at that.
Black leather gloves adorned her hands, each set with a dark red gemstone. Bai Yu felt the familiar aura of an Evil God radiating from them—something akin to Evil God bl**d. They seemed highly resistant to the curses of Evil Gods.
If all went well, this girl’s black coat was likely plastered with talismans identical to those on the door. Those talismans were meant to ward off the malevolent thoughts and curse power of Evil Gods.
One must admit, this girl certainly came “prepared.” This ensemble was far more useful and professional than those reflective outfits the Tianfa Sect wore. As long as she could withstand the curses of Evil Gods, the threat posed by them would be significantly diminished.
It was safe to say this young lady suited their mental image of a “exorcist” better than the Gatekeeper did.
The three examined the girl, while she scrutinized them in turn.
She glanced at the twisted iron chains on the floor, which had been yanked apart, and then at the now-open door.
Her gaze skimmed over the Dragon Lady and Zhao Mingyue, finally landing on Bai Yu, as she perceived Bai Yu as the greatest threat.
The girl beneath the hood wore a serious expression, struggling to distinguish if the little girl sitting on the bl**d thread bench was a wicked spirit or an Evil God. The only certainty was that this body was an embryo of an Evil God—and apparently not even her true self.
But that wasn’t the main issue; it was the aura surrounding Bai Yu.
An aura is a mysterious thing. When your power reaches a certain level, you can sense it emanating from your opponent.
To the girl, Bai Yu appeared to be a terrifyingly powerful bomb concealed under a cute exterior, and it was in an active state, ready to explode at any moment, obliterating her to smithereens.
It was like a black abyss, sitting silently there, giving off an impression that it could s*ck the very soul out of you.
With a heavy breath, she stood frozen under Bai Yu’s gaze. Her instincts were practically screaming at her to run from this monster, or she would certainly d*e!
To Bai Yu and the Dragon Lady, the girl felt like just another mildly stronger human; there was nothing threatening about her at all.
After a tense silence lasting over ten seconds, Zhao Mingyue waved her hand, breaking the stalemate, “Um, hi there! What brings you here? This is my house, though I haven’t been back for many years. I just popped in to take a look and deal with some troubles here—like that creepy thing upstairs.”
She claimed her territory first and then made it clear that she was aware of the issues here, implying they didn’t need to worry.
Zhao Mingyue sensed that the girl didn’t seem like a bad person; her actions appeared to thwart the arrival of an Evil God to wreak havoc on the mortal realm.
It would be a pity if miscommunication led to Bai Yu killing the girl.
“You live here?” The girl’s voice was slightly raspy but still demanding. She made no move to enter, her fingers hovering over the button on her box, ready to spring into battle.
“Of course! This used to be called Ping Shan Village but was later renamed Eternal Life Village. Most people here have the surname Zhao. Mine’s Zhao, too. I’m Zhao Mingyue, and my dad is Zhao Chunji. If you don’t believe me, you can ask around in the village below.”
“This place has been abandoned for so many years. You must know something, right? Why would you come back? It’s extremely dangerous here!” The girl seemed to ease off her animosity just a little.
“Of course, I know. The four Evil Gods around here—two are dead, and two have fled. The rest are just weaklings; even the believers have been wiped out. What’s there to fear?”
The Dragon Lady stood up and approached the girl. “Since you’re here, you might as well stay. We have some questions for you.”
The girl’s expression changed slightly. As she took a step back, she felt something looming behind her. Whipping around, she found several strands of dark red bl**d thread, each thick as an arm, blocking her only escape route.
“Don’t rush off; really, we just have a few questions. If you answer them well, we won’t make it difficult for you.”
The Dragon Lady stood in the doorway, and at that moment, the girl noticed her aura was equally terrifying. It was clear she was a living person, but looking solely at her bl**d and presence, she resembled the type who could rip red garments asunder.
She couldn’t understand why three monsters had appeared at once.
“Sit down, don’t be scared. We just want to ask you a few things,” the Dragon Lady said, returning to her chair formed from bl**d threads by Bai Yu. “First, why are you here, did you set up these formations, and who did you learn from? The Gatekeeper or some other organization?”
The girl glanced at the bl**d-thread chair beside her, then after a moment’s thought, took a seat. First, she stole a glance at Bai Yu, who was still resting her chin on her hand with her legs crossed, silent as ever. Then she turned her gaze to Zhao Mingyue, who was whispering into Bai Yu’s ear, her eyes becoming just a tad strange.
“Yes, I set up these formations. You could tell that without me saying so. I just want to trap that Evil God upstairs. As for my identity, don’t worry; I’m not one of those useless Gatekeepers nor could I be one. I learned all of this by myself.”
“Wow, a self-taught genius who can learn this much at such a young age!” Bai Yu exclaimed, “You sound pretty young, what are you—twenty?”
“No, I’d say I’m older than all of you,” the girl replied as she pulled off her hood, revealing a young face that looked like it belonged to a student—barely twenty, really.
“My name is Li Qingtang, and I’m thirty-five this year. If you all are here for that Evil God upstairs, I think we can cooperate. Don’t worry; I won’t interfere with your decisions. Just let me know if you need anything, provided we k*ll that Evil God. No other uses for it!”
Li Qingtang saw through them; they were also after the Evil God. Their interests aligned, so there was no need for animosity.
Looking at their faces, they didn’t seem like the Gatekeepers who meant to exploit Evil Gods and ghostly doors.
“You’re Li Qingtang!?” Zhao Mingyue jumped up, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Her words snagged everyone’s interest, even the Dragon Lady frowned, “What? You know her?”
“Um…I can’t say I know her, exactly…” Zhao Mingyue hesitated, still looking at Li Qingtang and trying to ask, “Hey, Miss Li, can I ask if you know a person named Li Tianan?”
The moment Li Tianan’s name dropped, Li Qingtang’s expression shifted. It wasn’t necessarily good or bad—it was complicated.
“Li Tianan? Of course, I know him. He’s my husband.”
Li Qingtang let out a sigh, and from her tone and expression, it was clear she had only “disappointment” left in her feelings towards Li Tianan.
The Dragon Lady glanced between Li Qingtang and Zhao Mingyue, raising an eyebrow, “There’s a story here! Isn’t Li Tianan your store manager?”
“Uh, Sister Li, Li Tianan is my boss. I was working at his shop until recently. Can I ask what happened between you two?”
“Ah, he said I was dead, right?” Li Qingtang huffed.
“Uh, yes. That’s about right.”
“He’s so irresponsible! I knew he would say that! If it weren’t for him, my daughter would never have gotten into trouble!”
As soon as Li Qingtang finished her lament, a strange rumble emanated from upstairs.
Bai Yu glanced at her watch—it was exactly 7 PM.
Outside, night had completely fallen, the only light source in the house was from two white candles they had unearthed in the corner.
“I’m afraid we don’t have time for your stories. Let’s deal with that thing upstairs first,” the Dragon Lady announced, standing once more. She could feel her heart racing.
She had waited for this day for a long time, believing that only after completing all the tasks of the sc*m Game and surviving could she expect this day to come.
This Evil God held exceptional significance for her—a matter that needed resolution.
This event was not merely about devouring an Evil God to boost her strength; it was much deeper than that.
The disturbances from the second floor grew stronger, as if something was about to emerge.
“I was also a student of the same teacher as Li Tianan. He was my senior. Not long after our teacher’s d*ath, we got married. However, after that incident, I left his side to fulfill my late teacher’s unfinished wishes.”
Li Qingtang spoke quickly, “Eternal Life Village is my last stop. When I arrived here just over a week ago, it was already cleared out, but while I was checking for any omissions, I discovered this place.”
“I don’t know the name of the Evil God here, but I can assure you it’s definitely not one of the four major Evil Gods of Eternal Life Village. I had a run-in with her the night before last, and her curse powers are tied to her bl**d. You can’t get injured fighting her, and you cannot let her bl**d splash on you!”
“Be extra careful! If you’re tainted by even the slightest bit of her curse power, she can control your bl**d and deepen her influence over you.”
Simply put, even a tiny bit of cursed power would lead to a total catastrophe; if she could control even a drop of your bl**d, she’d stack the curse power to absurd levels.
The three understood her well. As they went up to the second floor, they could see the ghostly door expanding, the aura of the bl**d God emanating freely, visibly corroding the formations Li Qingtang had laid out—as if those formations didn’t even exist.
Li Qingtang’s expression changed drastically. She realized her formations wouldn’t hold for long, but she hadn’t expected them to be breezed through so easily by the bl**d God.
“You should go downstairs and find a place to hide. This being is beyond your capabilities,” the Dragon Lady advised.
It was obvious Li Qingtang had fought the bl**d God through the ghostly door, meaning they were separated by two worlds. If she couldn’t handle it, there was no way Li Qingtang could take on the bl**d God’s true form.
“Alright, then I’ll leave this to you! I’ll go set up some formations below!” Li Qingtang declared, full of confidence, and was off at a moment’s notice.
The Dragon Lady’s eyes were fixed on the ghostly door, unknowingly her body began to shift to her dragon form.
Just as the bl**d God was about to break through from the ghostly door, the Dragon Lady suddenly remembered something, hurriedly pulling out a container filled with black mist from her pocket.
This was something Chen Yunshi had given her; initially, Chen Yunshi was supposed to come, but opted out since she probably didn’t want to get entangled in any of this, hence passing it along.
To quote Chen Yunshi, this was a type of divine bl**d, akin to the skin shed by reptiles, which she had swiped from Qian Mu without him knowing.
After pouring this onto her hands, it would allow her to physically attack the Evil God’s true form, which held significant importance for the Dragon Lady.
Her physical body was strong, but 98% of her attacks were physical—vulnerable to Evil Gods. With this, she could finally rip the Evil God to shreds.
“You damned thing, haunting me in my dreams, telling me how you’re going to devour me!”
“Just watch me rip you apart today, piece by piece, and eat you whole!”
Bai Yu noticed that Dragon Lady’s gaze was turning rather intense, reminding her of the days during the sc*m Game.
It seemed that when it came to this shadowy aspect, the Dragon Lady wasn’t as unfazed as she appeared.
