Chapter 63: The Frightened Li Xin

"Very well, tonight I’ll see what tricks you think you can play," Li Xin sneered coldly. In this day and age, she only believed in science. As for what Yang Fan called a wraith, she was convinced it was utter nonsense. In her mind, this murder case was the work of a particularly cruel killer.

"Let me ask you a question," Yang Fan looked at her.

"What is it?" Li Xin frowned.

"Is your body still untouched?" Yang Fan inquired.

"Don’t you think it’s shameless to ask a woman something like that?" Li Xin’s face twisted with disgust, her tone tinged with anger. With a question like that, she saw Yang Fan as nothing more than a lecherous creep.

"If your body is intact, then tonight you’ll be the wraith’s first target. Otherwise, it won’t come for you," Yang Fan’s expression didn’t change, his tone remained calm.

"Then tonight I’ll see for myself what kind of ghost this wraith of yours really is," Li Xin replied, then turned and left.

Yang Fan shrugged, saying nothing more. He returned to his dormitory to rest, and at the same time, he reforged his Spirit Suppressing Talisman. In truth, he had deliberately arranged for Li Xin to patrol the girls’ dormitory that night, using her to lure the wraith out.

Li Xin was in her twenties and still pure; the accumulated yin energy made her the wraith’s natural target. If he could absorb this wraith, Yang Fan’s soul power would grow. With his soul power strengthened, he would be able to use his spiritual sense, and eventually, even his divine mind.

Time slipped by quickly. After evening classes, the students returned to their dorms to sleep. The lights in the girls’ dormitory were left on all night, to offer some comfort against their fears. Many students had gone home; only those from distant places remained. The girls crowded into rooms together, unwilling to sleep alone.

That night, Li Xin arrived at the girls’ dorm, patrolling each floor, determined to see whether this so-called wraith would appear. Her presence reassured the students. Her hand rested on her waist, ready at any moment to draw her gun.

Yang Fan patrolled the first floor, waiting for the wraith to show itself. He concealed his aura, not wanting the wraith to sense he was a cultivator.

As the night deepened, with no sign of the wraith, Li Xin grew impatient and drowsy. She decided to go home to sleep—after all, she couldn’t stand guard here all night. When she reached the third floor, she saw Yang Fan coming up.

"Hey, where’s this wraith you talked about? Tell me, where is it?" Li Xin stared at Yang Fan, sneering. "There’s no such thing as a wraith in this world. What else do you have to say?"

Yang Fan’s gaze fixed on her, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes, but he said nothing.

Seeing him silent, Li Xin grew even more annoyed. "What, cat got your tongue?"

Suddenly, Yang Fan grinned with a strange, unsettling smile and lunged at her.

"Don’t come any closer, or I’ll shoot!" Li Xin’s face changed as he charged, and she quickly drew her pistol.

But Yang Fan didn’t flinch. He kept coming.

Unable to bear it, Li Xin kicked at him with all her strength.

But the next moment filled her with terror. Yang Fan caught her foot and yanked it violently backward. The force left her no chance to resist, and she pitched forward.

Bang!

A gunshot shattered the quiet of the girls’ dormitory, sending students screaming in fright.

Li Xin stared at Yang Fan in shock, her eyes full of disbelief. The bullet had passed right through him without so much as a drop of blood.

This eerie scene made her scalp prickle with fear. As she watched in horror, Yang Fan’s appearance twisted and contorted, morphing into a hideous, menacing ghost.

"Aaaah!" Li Xin shrieked in terror.

A chill engulfed her, creeping into her very bones. She felt death closing in and was gripped by dread.

Just as despair overwhelmed her, a figure dashed up the stairs—it was Yang Fan.

Channeling his spiritual power, he hurled the Spirit Suppressing Talisman at the wraith, its energy surging forth.

"Who are you?" The wraith recoiled in fear as Yang Fan wielded the talisman, retreating rapidly.

Freed from the chilling grip, Li Xin stood frozen, almost out of her wits with fright.

Ignoring her, Yang Fan charged at the wraith, his talisman glowing with power, intent on suppressing it.

"Boy, you’d better remember this!" Not daring to face Yang Fan, the wraith leapt from the third floor in a desperate bid to escape.

Seeing this, Yang Fan pursued without hesitation, jumping down after it.

"Aaaah!"

Li Xin screamed as she saw Yang Fan leap from the third floor.

After landing, Yang Fan followed the wraith’s trail, eventually chasing it into the school’s restroom. There, the talisman caught up, binding the wraith and preventing its escape.

"A mere mid-stage Qi Refiner dares attack me? You’re courting death!" the wraith roared in fury, trapped by the talisman.

"You’re nothing but a soul now—what threat could you pose?" Yang Fan sneered, "Just accept your fate as my nourishment."

"You’re not strong enough to kill me. The Spirit Suppressing Talisman can bind me, but it can’t destroy me!" the wraith mocked.

A smirk curled on Yang Fan’s lips. "If I were just an ordinary Qi Refiner, that might be true. But unfortunately for you, I have another way."

As he spoke, Yang Fan’s aura shifted. He opened his mouth, unleashing a devouring force that surged toward the wraith.

Feeling itself being drawn in, the wraith’s eyes filled with terror. It struggled against the talisman, but to no avail.

"Who are you?" it cried out.

Yang Fan ignored the plea, focusing on his incantation as the wraith was drawn closer, shrinking as it went.

The wraith felt its strength rapidly draining away, being consumed.

"No! Don’t!" it screamed, but in the end, it was entirely devoured.

After absorbing the wraith, Yang Fan immediately began refining the stolen power, circulating his incantation to assimilate it. He was practicing a forbidden technique—the Soul Devouring Art—designed to absorb the souls of cultivators, strengthening one’s own spirit.

With the wraith fully refined, Yang Fan’s soul power increased significantly. Now, he could sense a wider area around him.

"What did you just do?" Li Xin had arrived at the restroom door, staring at him in astonishment.

"Nothing much. I just killed the wraith," Yang Fan replied calmly.

"That thing was really a wraith?" Li Xin gulped, still trembling with fear.

"See for yourself—is there a wraith behind you?" Yang Fan glanced at her, then spoke.

"Ah!" Hearing there might be a wraith behind her, Li Xin screamed and immediately rushed behind Yang Fan, clutching his arm tightly.