Chapter 145: Cremator

The moment the firefighter’s axe came down, I quickly dodged to the side and raised both hands to shield my forehead, narrowly avoiding Old Yang’s blow.

But before I could catch my breath, Old Yang swung the axe again with a backhand strike aimed at me.

This time, I didn’t dodge. Although he struck me with the blunt side of the axe on my forehead, my vision instantly went black, and I collapsed unconscious to the ground.

I have no idea how long I was out. When I came to, I found myself trapped inside an unbearably narrow space. I shot up, and the moment I grasped my predicament, my mind exploded with panic.

“Damn it, Old Yang! What are you trying to do?”

To my horror, I realized I was locked inside a cremation furnace, the door sealed tight. I pounded desperately on the glass, shouting at Old Yang to open it, but he had no intention of letting me out. Instead, he turned toward the control panel, his eyes fixed on the ignition button of the furnace.

A chill ran through me. Was Old Yang trying to burn me alive? Cold sweat broke out all over my body. I shouted desperately, “Old Yang, don’t do this!”

He stood there holding the firefighter’s axe, a twisted grin creeping across his face.

Then, as he grinned, his skin began to crack visibly, flesh flaking away in chunks until his entire face was a gruesome mess of blood and raw muscle.

Witnessing this nauseating transformation, my heart pounded wildly. Instinctively, I blurted out, “Old Yang, so you’re a ghost after all?”

He nodded slowly, then spoke in a hollow voice, “I’ve waited so long. Finally, I’ve found you.”

“What do you want?”

“Of course, to burn you alive.” Old Yang chuckled darkly. “Two weeks ago, I suddenly collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage. They rushed me to the hospital, but my vital signs were gone. The doctors declared me dead and sent me to this crematorium. Just as they wheeled me into the furnace, I came back to life.”

“At that moment, I was like you—frantic, banging on the furnace glass, begging the cremators outside to let me out. But they couldn’t hear me. I watched helplessly as gasoline was sprayed from all directions, flames engulfing my body. Do you know what it’s like to be burned alive?”

As he spoke, flames seemed to envelop him, and soon he became a charred husk.

His bloodshot eyes locked onto mine. “You’ll soon know what that feels like.”

I pounded the glass harder. “Old Yang, you want to find a scapegoat, don’t you? Because you were burned alive, you can’t reincarnate in the underworld. You need someone to take your place to pass on. But since then, no one dared come here at night, so you had no chance. Tonight, when we arrived, you disguised yourself as the security guard to lure us into becoming your substitutes.”

“How clever of you!”

“Let me out, and I’ll help you find peace. Even if you find a substitute, killing innocent people like this means you’ll go to hell to suffer first. That’s no good for you. If I help you move on, you can reincarnate directly!”

Old Yang, now nothing more than a charred figure, paused, then pondered for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Kid, don’t lie to me. I died unjustly, and my grudge turned me into a vengeful ghost. I see it now—it’s you with real power among the three of you. That big guy and the fat one are pretenders. If I let you out, you’d probably smash me to pieces. Then who would I have to cry to?”

I hadn’t expected this malevolent spirit to be so shrewd. If even Old Yang saw the fat guy as a fraud, it was clear that Zhang Wushang was an imposter.

But whether Zhang Wushang was real or not, I was barely able to keep myself safe.

I tried to think of another way to get Old Yang to free me from the furnace, but he was already walking toward the control panel. He pressed a button, and gasoline began to pour over me from all sides.

“Damn it!” I cursed, my heart pounding in my throat. I kept slamming the furnace glass, shouting, “Old Yang, open this door now, damn it!”

“Die!”

Old Yang’s charred form sneered at me, baring blood-red gums as blackened teeth began to fall out one by one.

He reached for the ignition button. My legs turned to jelly, and I could already see myself being burned to a crisp.

“I’m done for!”

My face drained of all color. Powerless, I watched as Old Yang prepared to burn me alive.

Suddenly, the crematorium’s heavy door was slammed open. The fat guy tumbled in a graceless heap, and the big guy, Da Di, roared fiercely as he charged toward Old Yang.

Their sudden arrival shattered Old Yang’s momentum. He growled at Da Di and lunged to attack, but Da Di chanted a spell and landed a devastating punch to Old Yang’s forehead.

“Palm Thunder Talisman!”

Through the glass, I saw Da Di unleash the Palm Thunder technique. I was shocked—he had learned it so quickly!

Old Yang clearly hadn’t expected it. The blow sent him flying backward.

Seizing the moment, Da Di hurriedly pressed the furnace door’s open button.

Old Yang was smart. Seeing the door open and knowing his plan had failed, he had no intention of fighting us. He turned and fled outside.

The fat guy stood at the door as I crawled out of the furnace. I shouted to him, “Stop him! If he escapes like this, he could kill many people!”

Though I knew the fat guy was a fraud, Old Yang was injured by Da Di’s blow, so he should be able to hold him off. But what happened next shattered me.

When Old Yang charged at the fat guy, he didn’t even use any magical techniques. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees, stammering, “B-Brother, don’t eat me! I’m just passing by—I don’t know them!”

Old Yang ignored him and ran straight past.

Da Di stood there dumbfounded. “What the hell is this? This is the so-called top genius from the Spirit Investigation Bureau?”

My heart pounded as I scrambled out of the furnace, ignoring the gasoline smell on me, and chased after Old Yang outside.

It was midnight, and the streets were deserted. Soon, I saw Old Yang sprinting toward the crematorium gate, then disappearing beyond.

I was startled but immediately gave chase. As I prepared to strike him with the Sanqing Exorcism Chant, he suddenly sped up as if sensing something ahead.

Across the street, two shadowy figures emerged. The dim light prevented me from seeing their features clearly.

Old Yang disregarded everything and lunged toward one of them, apparently trying to possess him.

My heart leapt. I shouted at the two strangers to step aside quickly. If the ghost possessed someone, it would be much harder to deal with.

As I yelled, Old Yang was less than half a meter from his target.

But to my astonishment, just as Old Yang was about to possess the man, the man turned calmly and casually struck out with a palm.

Old Yang screamed in agony and flew backward toward me.