Summon the Soul

Lin Mo pinched the little bat's head, lifting it to eye level. Man and bat stared at each other, wide-eyed.

He had pretty much finished his interrogation and couldn't think of anything else to ask for the moment.

Looking at the light gradually fading outside the window.

It was about time for dinner, so Lin Mo prepared to go downstairs to eat.

Casually tossing the little bat into an empty glass, Lin Mo stood up and stretched. He shuffled to the door in his slippers, just about to head down and find something quick to eat.

But as soon as his hand touched the doorknob, he paused.

He raised an eyebrow, then leisurely walked back to the living room and nestled back into the sofa.

Because his food delivery was coming up.

Before long, a series of footsteps echoed from the hallway, drawing closer. There was more than one person.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, the footsteps stopped right outside his door.

The person outside seemed just about to raise a hand to knock.

Click.

The door unlocked itself.

Liu Zheng and the other three, carrying bags of various foods, froze in unison with their hands still suspended in mid-air.

It opened just like that? Old Bai scratched his head, a bit confused.

What are you standing there for? Come in, I've been waiting for you for ages.

Lin Mo's lazy voice drifted from inside the room.

Liu Zheng was the first to react. He pushed the door open and walked in, followed by the silent Xia Zhi, Old Bai, and Shouzhen, who was dressed in a cyan Daoist robe.

Oh, how does the little Daoist have so much free time to come over?

Lin Mo teased the little Daoist as usual.

An unnatural blush rose on Shouzhen's fair face. He bowed meticulously and said, Greetings, Layman Lin. This humble Daoist heard that you will be performing a soul-summoning ritual tonight, so I came specifically to observe. I hope to gain some enlightenment, and I pray you do not mind.

Your Quanzhen sect doesn't seem to engage in soul-summoning, right? But it's fine. Maybe after watching, you'll want to quit the Quanzhen sect, so I'm more than happy to have you.

...

Shouzhen was choked by these words, unable to utter a single syllable for quite a while. He could only turn his head helplessly and cast a pleading look at Liu Zheng.

Liu Zheng was busy arranging the takeout food on the table. Without looking up, he said, Why are you looking at me? I just mentioned it in passing, and you insisted on coming. You'll have to endure the teasing yourself.

Beside them, Xia Zhi couldn't hold back and the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile.

Alright, stop teasing him. Liu Zheng pushed a steaming box of grilled fish to the center of the table. When are we setting off?

No rush, it has to be later. Lin Mo pointed to the sky outside the window, which hadn't completely darkened yet.

The Yang energy hasn't fully dispersed yet. The little Daoist should know the reason behind this.

Shouzhen nodded immediately and took over the conversation with a serious expression, Exactly. Nightfall brings Yin, and only when Yin energy is at its peak can one communicate with the netherworld. If one wishes to set up an altar and summon spirits, it is best done during the hours of Hai, Zi, and Chou.

Liu Zheng didn't know much about these mystical things. He took out his phone to calculate the time, So that's between 9 PM and 3 AM?

Correct, Shouzhen replied.

Then we'll set off at eleven. But little Daoist, how did you become so pedantic? Lin Mo made the final decision, then looked at Shouzhen again.

Old Bai smiled and said, Don't mention it. That old Daoist Chunzhenzi said Shouzhen had been tainted by too much of the mortal world's aura, so he punished him by making him recite scriptures for three days and three nights. He came out talking like this.

Lin Mo waved his hand. That's fine, I can help him get tainted by the mortal world again. No wonder Mister doesn't like Quanzhen; clearly living in the human realm, yet pretending to be detached from the mortal world.

Hearing this, Shouzhen froze for a moment. He turned his head to look at Lin Mo, and a new thought sparked in his mind.

--System: It's me, your beloved System.--

At midnight, the city was still asleep, but a group of people stood beneath the overpass.

The air was filled with the damp smell of grass, mixed with a faint scent of blood—the lingering odor from the car crash site dozens of meters above.

Because the accident happened on the overpass, they could only perform the soul-summoning on the accessible ground directly beneath it.

Smear this on, and you'll be able to see.

Lin Mo shook a small glass bottle in his hand containing thick cow's tears, handing it toward Liu Zheng.

However, Liu Zheng waved his hands repeatedly, wearing an expression that said he finally had a chance to show off. What era is this? Who still uses traditional cow's tears?

Saying this, the three of them tacitly pulled out small pill bottles from their pockets, each pouring out a blue capsule and swallowing it directly with some mineral water.

Only Shouzhen didn't take the pill.

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. Oh? Has Yanhuang Awakening evolved to the point of ascending via pills? Is this stuff reliable?

It's not a pill. It's a specially made biological agent that temporarily activates the visual persistence frequency band, allowing us to see things outside the regular light spectrum.

Liu Zheng pointed to his own eyes and explained.

They are specifically used to deal with ghosts and monsters. We have a complete set of countermeasures and equipment systems internally.

Lin Mo nodded and put the cow's tears away.

Technology changes lives, and it also changes metaphysics.

He didn't ask any more questions and held out his hand to Liu Zheng.

Liu Zheng understood and handed over a sealed evidence bag.

Inside the bag were a few strands of hair.

Just then, Shouzhen, who had been silent, finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He looked at the empty grassy area around them, then at Lin Mo's empty hands, his face full of confusion. Layman Lin, didn't you say you were going to set up an altar and perform a ritual? But... where is the altar? Where are the magical tools?

Lin Mo was amused by his earnest appearance and patted his shoulder with the back of his hand.

Young man, setting up an altar to perform a ritual means borrowing power to cast spells. That is low-level magic!

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of frivolous showing off. High-level magic focuses on words spoken, laws follow. Do you understand what prestige is?

Saying that, Lin Mo tore open the sealed bag, pinched Billy Chen's hair between his fingertips, and casually tossed it upward in the direction of the overpass.

Soul, come!

Seventy-Two Divine Arts—Soul Pursuing!

There were no talisman papers, no peach wood swords, and certainly no animal sacrifices.

In an instant, a bone-chilling coldness explosively radiated outward with Lin Mo at the center!

The green grass beneath their feet instantly condensed a layer of white frost, and everyone's breath turned into heavy white mist.

As Heaven and Earth open, the three-seven airflow turns...

Lin Mo chanted in a low voice, his tone sounding as if it came from the deepest netherworld, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

In the Spirit Vision that Liu Zheng, Shouzhen, and the others had just activated, they witnessed an unforgettable scene.

Countless nearly transparent chains shot out explosively from Lin Mo's body! Those chains were silent, yet they carried a momentum that seemed to tear through space. They pierced straight through the thick reinforced concrete bridge deck and accurately plunged into the site of the car crash above.

The next second, the chains suddenly pulled taut and began to drag backward.

A hunched, twisted, semi-transparent figure, tightly bound by the chains, was forcefully dragged out from the bridge structure and pulled right in front of the crowd.

The soul's limbs were broken at bizarre angles, and its body was severely deformed, clearly still maintaining the tragic state of the moment of death. Its entire face was a chaotic blur, with no discernible features, only a mass of bewildered and agonizing aura constantly churning.

This state of death can be said to be quite gruesome.