A Tiger in a Strange Land Should Not Antagonize the Dogs

Before he knew it, dawn had arrived.

Wu Tao had been busy all night, and as he looked at the talismans scattered all over the floor and bed, he stretched lazily with satisfaction.

"Ahh…"

But halfway through his stretch, his smile froze.

His eyes locked onto the talismans, and his expression quickly turned grim.

He snatched one up for a closer look.

Then grabbed several more, only to sigh in frustration, rubbing his forehead.

"Tsk…"

"Damn it, I forgot—most of my cultivation is restricted by the laws of this world. Drawing talismans here isn’t just about skill; they need spiritual energy from heaven and earth!"

"Spiritual energy, spiritual energy…"

Muttering to himself, Wu Tao paced back and forth for several minutes before his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Right! If I use untouched red clay to trace the talismans, that should do the trick!"

With that thought in mind,

Wu Tao quickly dressed, gathered everything he needed, locked his door securely, and hurried out of the city.

This place was dominated by industrialization.

Even the most rundown areas were tainted by mundanity, devoid of any trace of spiritual energy. Even the dilapidated Taoist temples reeked of vulgarity.

His only option was to search for red clay in the wilderness outside the city.

Fortunately, Wu Tao was already familiar with the area and had always prepared for emergencies. Navigating out of the city was effortless, and he even had a rough idea of where to find the clay.

Before dusk even fell,

he had already reached a hillside outside the city, digging fervently at the base of the slope.

His small shovel worked tirelessly, scooping up clay one load after another.

Despite the grueling labor, he was unusually motivated today. Though he felt the hardship, the thought of soon crafting his doppelgangers and living a peaceful life filled him with energy, elevating his spirits.

With another forceful scoop, he couldn’t help but shout out loud:

"Eighty!"

"Eighty!"

Each swing of his shovel wasn’t just digging up clay—it was securing an extra life!

Every scoop meant eighty more lives. If not for the lack of better tools and a bigger bag, he’d have leveled the entire hillside!

As his bag neared full, Wu Tao finally stood up, satisfied, ready to take a short break.

But the moment he straightened,

he realized something was wrong. The darkness wasn’t the issue—it was the red ghost standing right beside him, staring intently!

Their eyes met.

Wu Tao instantly sensed trouble.

He grabbed his bag and bolted!

The ghost reacted just as swiftly, twisting its face into a grotesque snarl and lunging at him with outstretched claws!

Its attack was ferocious, its expression horrifying!

Whether in terms of sheer lethality or psychological terror, this ghost was no ordinary foe—it was even more terrifying than a Blood Wraith!

A true ancient menace!

Luckily, Wu Tao was a seasoned escape artist. Hoisting his bag, he sidestepped effortlessly, dodging the ghost’s face-ripping strike.

After the first exchange,

the ghost grew even angrier, its twisted face contorting like a wrung-out rag as it shrieked into the night—far scarier than any horror movie specter!

Wu Tao was inwardly cursing, burdened with a bag of life-saving clay.

He never expected to face danger so soon after arriving in this world!

And not just any danger—a one-in-a-hundred-million crisis!

Without hesitation,

Wu Tao slung the bag over his shoulder and sprinted like hell, chanting to himself:

"Run!"

"Endure now, and peace will follow!"

"Retreat a step, and the skies will clear!"

"Sure, I could kill it easily, but what if it has a whole family of vengeful spirits? Aunts, uncles, cousins—endless trouble!"

"That’s a risk I can’t afford!"

Before the ghost could react,

Wu Tao was already a blur, his feet practically smoking from speed—truly a master of escape!

Seeing its prey slipping away, the ghost gave chase, soaring through the night sky, cold winds howling as it closed in!

"Hiss… hiss…"

The eerie sounds behind him only made Wu Tao run faster.

His legs were a spinning blur, yet the ghost kept gaining ground, fueling his frustration as his curses echoed across the wilderness:

"Damn it!"

"The laws of this world suck! I can’t even use my full power without risking collapse! I’m running as fast as I can, and you’re still chasing me? What’s your problem?!"

The more he ran, the more humiliated he felt—like a man being chased by a pack of wild dogs.

The ghost, too, grew increasingly furious.

What kind of human was this? Already sprinting like the wind, yet still yapping nonstop!

As Wu Tao’s complaints continued, the ghost’s face twisted further in rage. Suddenly, it let out a howl into the night, like a wolf’s cry!

A few eerie wails later,

ghosts of all shapes and sizes emerged from every direction, popping up like prairie dogs, all converging on Wu Tao. Their shadowy figures blotted out the sky, and for a moment, the moon itself seemed to darken.

Wu Tao glanced back—and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Holy shit!"

"Are you guys having a ghost convention or something? A marathon?! We’ve got no grudges! I’m just digging some clay—what’s it to you?!"

Wu Tao kept up a steady stream of tactical apologies with his mouth, but his feet never stopped moving for even a second!

The monsters chased after him through the air, swallowing clouds of dust from the outskirts as they pursued.

He’d spouted plenty of sweet talk,

but in the end, it was utterly useless!

Instead, the monsters only roared louder the longer they chased him, attracting countless shadowy figures along the way. Before he could even escape the outskirts, Wu Tao’s trail was swarmed by a horde of shadows—at a glance, there were at least a thousand, rivaling a rampaging beast tide!

And so it went—

a dirt-covered man sprinting for his life, with a tsunami of black dust surging behind him!

...

Night deepened.

Perhaps due to yesterday’s cleanup, not a single wraith had been spotted so far today. The patrol on the city walls relaxed slightly, and some even began murmuring among themselves.

Atop the gate,

Captain Xu Rong stood in silent vigilance, her gaze fixed on the distance without the slightest flicker of disturbance.

It wasn’t until Li Weiwei’s indignant retelling that she finally turned with mild surprise.

“You’re saying he not only survived but also barricaded himself inside with eight or nine iron doors?”

Li Weiwei nodded.

“Exactly! That guy is infuriating. We went out of our way to escort him, and he repaid us with such heartlessness. Though, at least he seems to know how to keep himself safe—even if he went way overboard, it’s not entirely a bad thing.”

Xu Rong gave a slight nod.

“Mm.”

“As long as he’s unharmed, we can rest easy knowing we’ve kept our citizens safe.”

Li Weiwei smiled admiringly.

“If the captain’s at ease, then so am I. The quiet tonight must be the heavens rewarding you for caring so much about the people!”

The lighthearted remark eased the tension just enough.

For once, Xu Rong’s stern expression softened slightly.

Her eyes turned back to the wilderness beyond the walls, now carrying a faint glimmer of hope.

But the next instant—

her pupils trembled violently, and her face hardened with grave intensity!

Such a severe expression was rare for the captain, and Li Weiwei froze in confusion before following her gaze.

There, in the distance…

a rolling tide of black mist blotted out the sky, teeming with countless malevolent spirits!