I used folk talismans to ward off the evil spirit.

Chapter 50 The Gourd Achieves Great Success, Su Tie's Extraordinary Skill

At Zhao Chen's command, everyone quickly moved towards him.

Zhao Yuan grabbed Zhao Jing's arm, shielding his grandson behind him, his eyes fixed on the gray mist outside the courtyard gate.

"Hehehe—"

A sharp laugh came from the mist, and three human skin lanterns floated out first.

Following closely behind was a group of ghosts, appearing and disappearing in the air, emitting sickening wails.

Several vampire bats hung upside down at the edge of the mist, their scarlet eyes staring at the living people in the courtyard.

"Zhao Jing, take the old man inside and close the door!" Zhao Chen shouted without turning his head, and with a flick of his right hand, a palm-sized bronze mirror appeared in his palm.

The mirror was ancient and simple, with cloud patterns engraved along its edges, yet it reflected no image whatsoever. This was his destined artifact, the [Mirror of Oblivion].

"Zhou Xia, Tao Li, Liu Qing, Yi Jing, use firearms and stun guns to disrupt them! Hong Tao, Zhang Ming, follow me and hold them off!"

Zhao Chen quickly assigned tasks, taking the lead by raising the "Forgetful River Mirror" and activating it with his blood essence, aiming it at the direction where the monsters were most concentrated.

The mirror suddenly lit up, and an invisible ripple spread out from it, sweeping across the entire courtyard like a wave.

The three human-skin lanterns paused simultaneously, their eerie flames flickering erratically, as if they had forgotten what they were supposed to do, and began to spin in place.

The ghosts stopped wailing and floated aimlessly in mid-air, seemingly devouring each other.

The vampire bats flapped their wings and collided.

"Brother Chen, beautiful!" He Hongtao shouted, pulling out a dusty gray stone, which was his natal artifact, [Shattered Mountain Gravel].

He gripped the stone tightly, its sharp edges piercing his palm, drawing blood. A heavy sense of oppression erupted, causing even the ground to sink slightly.

Zhang Ming took out a palm-sized bronze lamp from his bosom. The wick ignited without a flame, flickering with an orange-yellow light. It was his natal artifact, the Soul-Burning Lamp.

As the light shone, several ghosts that had gotten too close screamed and retreated.

He Hongtao rushed toward the nearest human skin lantern and swung his "Shattered Mountain Gravel" down hard.

With a muffled thud, the lantern dented and fell to the ground with a scream.

Zhang Ming aimed the "Soul-Burning Lamp" at the group of ghosts, and the orange flames swept across the area, instantly turning seven or eight ghosts into wisps of smoke.

But the good times didn't last long.

"Hmph, a mere trick."

A cold snort came from the mist, and three figures emerged from the fog.

The leader was dressed in a black robe and held a soul banner that was about ten feet long. A large group of ghosts rolled and wriggled in the black mist.

Two ghost cultists followed behind him, each holding a small banner, exuding a sinister aura.

The leader waved the Soul Banner, and a stream of dark energy swept across, instantly dispelling the disorientation caused by the "Mirror of Oblivion".

The human-skin lantern and the ghost re-locked onto their target, letting out an even more mournful howl.

"The Mirror of Oblivion?" The man in black glanced at Zhao Chen, his tone dismissive. "Interesting."

The two people behind them waved small banners simultaneously, and dozens of ghosts surged towards the group like a tide. Vampire bats also flanked them from both sides.

"Captain, let me disgust them!" Zhou Xia shouted, biting her fingertip and letting a drop of blood fall onto the "Yin Maggot Gu" in her palm.

The stench spread, causing several vampire bats to stagger and shriek as they retreated, even slowing the ghost's attack.

But Zhou Xia herself couldn't help but gag, while Tao Li and Liu Qing next to her covered their noses and burst into tears: "No... this thing can't tell friend from foe..."

Sun Yijing took out a "Divine Chicken Talisman" and threw it at the vampire bats that pounced on her.

The talisman burned in the air, turning into a small flame. The bat's wing was singed, and it screamed and dodged away.

Tao Li also threw out a string of "strange and dreadful" words.

The purple light needle shot towards a human-skin lantern, piercing it and leaving a few faint white spots, at least making the lantern pause for a moment.

Several people fired simultaneously, but the effect was minimal. The man in black robes and the monster showed almost no fear, only the two ghost cultists were somewhat hesitant.

He Hongtao swung "Shattering Mountain Gravel" at a vampire bat, but the bat nimbly dodged and bit his shoulder instead.

He screamed in pain and smashed a stone on the bat's head, splattering its brains, but a piece of flesh was also torn from his own shoulder, and blood flowed freely.

Zhang Ming activated the "Soul-Burning Lamp" to burn away the ghosts, but the flame grew weaker and weaker, and his face became paler and paler.

Taking advantage of the moment, three ghosts pounced on him. Zhang Ming screamed, the bronze lamp slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, its flame flickering and about to go out.

"Zhang Ming!" He Hongtao tried to save him, but got entangled by a human skin lantern.

Zhao Chen gritted his teeth, spat out his essence blood, and activated the "Forgetful River Mirror" once more. A fine crack appeared on the mirror's surface as he poured all his Yin energy into it.

The ripples spread, and all the monsters and the two ghostly cultists simultaneously fell into a trance.

"Quick! Help them inside!" Zhao Chen shouted.

He Hongtao struggled to his feet, grabbed Zhang Ming, and ran towards the main room. The group stumbled and rushed into the main room.

Zhao Jing had already left the door open, and after everyone had gone in, Zhao Chen was the last to enter, and he slammed the door shut.

"Hang up the 'Unusual Trick' sign!" Zhao Chen panted heavily.

Sun Yijing took out a spare "Guibulu" from her pocket and hung it by the window. A faint, clear light shone.

The group of ghosts rushed to the front of the house, but suddenly lost their target and wandered around aimlessly.

"That piece of junk again!"

Outside the door, the man in black robes sneered, raised his hand and grabbed, a palm formed of black energy directly tore off "Ghostly Prohibition" and crushed it.

The light went out instantly.

"Captain, is your mirror still usable?" He Hongtao leaned against the wall, his shoulder still bleeding.

Zhao Chen glanced at the cracks on the "Forgetful River Mirror," gritted his teeth, and nodded: "Yes."

"Then let's do it again, let's fight him to the death!" He Hongtao gripped "Shattered Mountain Gravel".

Zhang Ming barely managed to pick up the "Burning Soul Lamp," but only a tiny ember remained on the wick.

The others loaded their guns, knowing it was useless, but none of them were willing to put them down.

Zhao Jing hid behind his grandfather, his gaze fixed on the "Gourd that Swallows Monsters" in the main room.

Thinking of the descriptions of the talisman, he gritted his teeth and grabbed the gourd in his hand.

The man in black robes commanded an elite-level ghost, which squeezed through the door and halfway into the main room, heading straight for Zhao Chen.

Zhao Chen raised the "Forgetful River Mirror" and was about to activate it.

Suddenly, Zhao Jing behind him supported the "Gourd of Devouring Ghosts" and pointed the gourd's mouth at the ghost.

The gourd's belly bulged slightly, and a weak suction tugged at the ghost. The elite ghost swayed, its movements a beat slower.

"It's that damn thing again!" the man in black robes roared, raising his hand and sending a burst of black energy through the door, striking the gourd in Zhao Jing's hand.

Zhao Jing was so frightened that he shrank back, and the gourd flew out of his hand, crashing to the ground and rolling twice.

At that very moment, a sharp sword aura descended from the sky.

"Boom!" The sword light pierced through the mist like a bolt of blue lightning.

The man in black robes turned around, raised the Soul Banner to block, and a massive number of ghosts surged out, but the power far exceeded his expectations.

The black mist on the soul banner was torn apart by the sword light, the ghosts were all destroyed, and several cracks appeared on the banner.

The man in black robes grunted and flew out, crashing into the wooden rack in the courtyard where gourds were drying.

"Transcendent...Transcendent Realm!" A Ghost Cultist exclaimed in terror.

Su Tie strode in, holding a bronze sword. The sword was covered in verdigris, yet it exuded a suffocating aura.

His robes fluttered in the wind as he looked at the fallen man in black robes, his tone indifferent: "The Ghost Cult has some nerve."

The man in black robes struggled to his feet, a trickle of black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief: "You are... Su Tie? You've advanced to the Transcendent Realm?"

"Today is the perfect day for a breakthrough." Su Tie swept out with his sword, the sword light turning into a blue ribbon, severing both arms of the black-robed man.

The soul banner landed, and the black mist quickly dissipated.

The other two Ghost Cultists turned to run, but were struck in the back by the sword light, fell to the ground, and could not get up again.

Su Tie sheathed his sword and turned to walk towards the main hall.

The room was a complete mess.

He Hongtao and Zhang Ming were both injured, and Zhou Xia was bandaging them.

Zhao Chen leaned against the wall and forced a smile at Su Tie: "Boss, if you had arrived half a minute later, you could have been collecting our corpses."

Su Tie glanced at everyone, his gaze finally settling on the gourd on the ground.

Zhao Jing picked up the gourd. The gourd's belly glowed with a warm yellow light, and something inside was gently thumping.

"You accepted it?" Su Tie asked.

Zhao Jing nodded, his voice trembling slightly: "It...it inhaled a little bit."

Su Tie raised an eyebrow, took the gourd and shook it, hearing a faint knocking sound inside.

He returned the gourd to Zhao Jing, saying, "Keep it safe."

Zhao Jing carried the gourd back and suddenly felt that the small gourd was quite heavy.

Zhao Yuan walked out from the corner, patted his grandson on the shoulder, said nothing, his gaze fell on the gourd, and his eyes were a little red.

Su Tie took out his phone: "Fulu Village, the Ghost Realm overlaps. One Refinement Realm cultivator and two Fusion Realm cultivators from the Ghost Soul Cult have been brought under control. Call an ambulance; someone is injured."

After hanging up the phone, he glanced at the gourds scattered in the yard and sighed, "These days, even gourds have become strategic resources."