Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 797: Chapter 597: "Robbery

"It’s Old Taoist Niu Bizi, no, it’s those Demons!"

From the black hair, it can be determined that this person is not the magician disguised as the "Ancestor," a Great Grandmaster, but a disciple of that Great Grandmaster. It seems that the Demons captured by the Earl Mansion were not dismembered and executed, but were secretly imprisoned instead. The so-called live dismemberment was nothing more than false information released.

This person is still alive, and they have the Divine Turtle Shell in their hands. If the Divine Turtle Shell is used as a token, perhaps the truth behind this incident can be extracted from him. As of now, they have yet to figure out what exactly the Earl Mansion is conspiring behind the shadows; this passivity is intolerable.

However, it’s far from easy to accomplish this under the vigilant eyes of numerous "Priests"; they need to create an opportunity and buy time.

Of course, the priority is to ensure this person remains alive.

The Priest who knocked down the Green Ghost strode forward, raising his whip to deliver a fatal blow. In a moment of desperation, Gong Banlan threw herself onto the Green Ghost, shielding it as the whip landed squarely on her back.

But Gong Banlan’s recklessness brought about an unexpected effect. The Ghost-faced Priest who whipped her visibly panicked, retreating and shivering peculiarly, even losing his grip on the whip. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Following that, an accident happened. The nearby Priests, who had originally gathered to beat and torment the Green Ghost, suddenly switched targets and turned on the Ghost-faced Priest who had injured Gong Banlan. In no time, whips, swords, and even flaming charcoal basins were furiously directed at the Ghost-faced Priest.

The Ghost-faced Priest was beaten to the ground, scurrying in disarray, yet even so, he clenched his teeth and didn’t let out a single sound.

Yang Xiao and his companions watched in horror. This wasn’t a game; these people were clearly determined to kill. Given that those present were likely the direct descendants of the Earl Mansion, blood-related and closely tied, why would they resort to such ruthless acts?

"Tonight, we are the chief priests, and they are the subordinate priests. It is a grave taboo for subordinates to harm superiors, especially during this imperial Nuoyi Ceremony in the palace!" Nalan Shuo’s voice sounded from the chaotic crowd, obviously worried that someone might lose their composure and make a mistake.

"Don’t get hurt, avoid injuries; shedding blood during the martial nuo is a bad omen!" The shout from Xiang Fengchen behind them served as a reminder to everyone.

The injured Gong Banlan gritted her teeth and struggled to her feet, still intent on continuing the chase. The whole ceremony revolved around the central stage, with Lantern Priests directing them in the innermost circle. The central stage itself was surrounded and concealed by thick curtains, hiding something unknown within.

At this moment, the seemingly dying Ghost-faced Priest found the strength to push through several people, charging straight towards the curtains in front of the stage. He burst through the gap torn open by the Green Ghost, entering the space behind the curtains. Shortly after, agonizing screams echoed from within, filled with despair, just hearing them could plunge one into extreme terror.

The screams lasted less than 10 seconds before abruptly ceasing. Before Yang Xiao and the others could recover from their shock, the next volley of drum beats ensued.

"Dong!"

"Dong!"

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

This was the third round of drumming tonight.

The drum sound was exceptionally dull, completely different from the previous two; each beat felt like a hammer striking directly at the heart, suffocating.

At the same time, the Priests who had been beating the Green Ghost seemed to sense something and stopped their actions, no longer attacking the Green Ghost.

"Dada dada..."

A series of footsteps echoed behind the curtains shrouding the central stage. Shadows flickered behind the plain curtains, someone was moving. Not just one person, but at least six or seven. The shapes of these shadows were bizarre, their heads disproportionate to their bodies. Yang Xiao’s first reaction was Ghosts.

In the next second, a succession of ghostly figures emerged from the gap torn by the Green Ghost. The moment Yang Xiao saw these "Ghosts," his mind buzzed, and the reaction of the others was similar, for these suddenly appearing "Ghosts" were dressed exactly like them!

There were nine of them, and likewise, nine "Ghosts" emerged, each one aiming at a counterpart dressed just like them.

"Keep an eye on the teammate in front, one to one; don’t get switched out!" Xiang Fengchen shouted, "They are the ’Robber’!" freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Yang Xiao also realized it. Steward Wu had mentioned that after the third round of drums, the ’Robber’ would appear. Nalan Shuo had explained that this ’Robber’ did not represent a specific thing but was a catch-all for any mishap that might occur during the exorcism ceremony.

Yang Xiao had previously considered several hypotheses in his mind, but he hadn’t anticipated a group of impostors dressed just like them would emerge.

Dressed similarly, Yang Xiao couldn’t determine if these entities were human or Ghosts, and these figures did not attack them but merely followed them, preventing them from approaching the "Green Ghost."

Whenever Yang Xiao ran past the "Green Ghost," trying to get close, he would be blocked by the one whose appearance and stature were nearly identical to his own.

This scene confused Yang Xiao. Not attacking people, nor the "Green Ghost," what exactly were these figures trying to do?

However, Yang Xiao also realized something due to the presence of these "Ghosts": they couldn’t get close to the battered "Green Ghost," thus failing to confirm its identity and communicate with it, effectively wasting this opportunity.