The talisman was blood-red, as if soaked in fresh blood, with a faint black hue seeping through. Its ominous appearance was deeply unsettling. If I weren't driven to desperation, I would never consider using such an ominous, mysterious object.
"Folks, does anyone recognize this talisman?" I was at my wits' end, hoping that someone in the livestream chat might know something—maybe a blind cat catching a dead mouse.
The talisman was half a foot long and five inches wide. On the front were the words "Mysterious Arts Hidden Beyond Reality," and on the back was a depiction of a nine-tailed blood fox. The fox's tails reached toward the heavens, corresponding to the Daoist Nine Sacred Words.
Master Liu of Qingcheng Mountain: "Young friend, do not act recklessly. The talisman in your hand is not drawn by a celestial Daoist. The brushstrokes are crude, saturated with killing intent. If it's not crafted by an evil Daoist for harm, then it's a spirit talisman left behind by a sentient non-human entity."
"You're saying this talisman wasn't drawn by a Daoist, but by a demon?"
"Nearly certain. This talisman is a common invocation talisman, but it doesn't summon divine spirits—it beckons demonic entities, inviting malicious spirits or monsters to possess the user!"
I understood Liu's warning. The risks of using this talisman were extreme. Inviting a malevolent entity to intervene would deplete my life essence and likely shorten my lifespan.
"Master Liu, do you know the incantation for the talisman?" I had to prepare for the worst. If the entity outside broke in, I would sacrifice my vitality to hold out until dawn—otherwise, both Yi Yi and I would die.
"Young friend, this isn't a game, especially with a talisman of such uncertain origin."
"A blood talisman?"
"Have you heard the saying, 'Inviting the divine is easy, but sending it away is hard'?" Liu wanted to make sure I understood the stakes: "I once met a seventy-year-old lady who found a damaged deity statue on the roadside. Out of compassion, she took it home to protect it from the elements."
"At first, her health improved, but her family was plagued by misfortune. Her eldest son's business went bankrupt, her second daughter suffered a miscarriage, her youngest grandson died, and eventually, her third daughter was expelled from school for a series of bizarre incidents."
"Confused and desperate, she invited someone to investigate. It turned out the deity statue she had taken in was actually a Thai spirit idol."
"Terrified, she tried to discard the statue, but it was too late. The idol kept reappearing around her home, no matter where she sent it. She had already been bound to the spirit."
"Soon after, her eldest son jumped to his death over debt disputes, her second daughter succumbed to depression, and her youngest daughter was killed by criminals while away. Her once-happy family was utterly destroyed. That's what happens when you carelessly invite spirits."
Liu's detailed account was thorough, but his warnings fell on deaf ears. No matter how dire his examples, I had to use the talisman.
If I didn't, death was certain. If I did, there was at least a glimmer of hope.
"Enough talk! Just tell me how to use it. I'm already at the point of no return." I could hear Zhang Rong's footsteps drawing nearer. She was checking each room, and soon she'd find us.
"Master Liu!"
"Fine. I don't know if I'm helping or harming you, but I hope you won't hold this against me."
"I take full responsibility—why would I blame you?"
"Young friend, listen carefully. Focus your mind on the blood talisman, and silently chant these words."
"The five directions linger, one yard beyond.
Clearly it exists, yet darkly it's gone.
With virtue overflowing, break the five elements.
Blessings descend and enter my soul!"
I memorized the chant after reciting it once. "Thank you, Master Liu."
"Don't thank me. This isn't a normal invocation spell—I can only help you this far."
I wanted to speak more, but the footsteps outside had already stopped at the door.
"Damn it!" I grabbed Yi Yi and hid behind a shelf of urns. "It's almost dawn; I just need to stall for time."
The door creaked open. Zhang Rong crawled inside, her appearance even more terrifying. Blood dripped from the corners of her mouth, and her hair hung loosely behind her.
She moved like a predator, prowling the room. To avoid her notice, I carried Yi Yi and kept moving, circling her as silently as I could.
After five or six tense minutes, Zhang Rong disappeared from my line of sight.
"Is she gone?" Lowering Yi Yi to the ground, I peeked outside. The doorway was empty, and I started to relax—until my head bumped into something.
Looking up slowly, I saw strands of black hair hanging in the air...
"Holy shit!"
Zhang Rong had climbed onto the shelf above me. Her long hair draped downward as she grinned maniacally at me.
"Run!" I grabbed Yi Yi's hand to bolt for the door, but for the first time, Yi Yi shook free. She seemed to have seen something, running toward the other side of the urn shelves.
"Yi Yi! Come back!"
I yelled, not caring about exposing myself anymore, and was about to chase her when Zhang Rong lunged at me, baring her teeth.
"Get back!" I grabbed a nearby chair to push her into a corner. Her claw-like nails scraped at my face through the gaps in the chair, and she bit the chair leg ferociously, utterly insane.
"Yi Yi!"
I called again, but Yi Yi didn't return. Instead, the mourning hall's doors swung open.
One by one, figures I had seen before emerged—drivers, patients in hospital gowns, Wang Chunfu, Jianye, Jianbang...
"So, you were all dead..."
I finally understood. Among the passengers that night, only Yi Yi and I had been alive.
The others were pawns of the malicious entity. The ghosts were puppets; only the truly powerful spirits, like the woman in red, resisted such control.
The hall was filled with over a hundred souls, their numbers overwhelming.
"What now?" Shadows surged around me as if choking the air itself. I could only fight to survive.
Holding the blood talisman to my chest, I chanted:
"The five directions linger, one yard beyond.
Clearly it exists, yet darkly it's gone.
With virtue overflowing, break the five elements.
Blessings descend and enter my soul!"
Flames erupted from the talisman, but it wasn't enough. I gritted my teeth, offering my very life.
"Take it! Take my blood and years of life! Just grant me strength!"
The talisman ignited completely, and I bled onto it, sacrificing everything. My consciousness blurred, replaced by rage and power.
"I've summoned a god!" My eyes turned blood-red, radiating terrifying energy.
Livestream viewers watched in stunned silence as I, now possessed, faced the sea of ghosts without flinching.
"Ten Evils Formation, Yin Convergence Array? Clever, but you stand in my way." My voice, no longer my own, uttered a chilling poem:
"Before the fox came the heavens fell,
The blood-stained world shall expel the gods."
"No!" Liu's frantic message scrolled across the chat. "It can't be... How could you summon that?!"