The trio collaborated with uncanny synergy. For a moment, the scholar tree branches were unable to gain any advantage on them.
The mass of branches shuddered violently, coalescing into a single, roughly humanoid black wooden figure. Faceless and utterly silent, it radiated an eerie, unnerving aura.
"Careful! This should be that Twin God!" Lu Changxue warned urgently, her non-human senses screaming at the immense power radiating from the wooden form. This was the culmination of the branches, yet its power vastly surpassed their scattered origins.
This was likely the core, the true entity.
The wooden figure tilted its head slightly, seeming to appraise Yun Jianyue. Faceless, its still posture facing her direction was profoundly unsettling.
Yun Jianyue felt locked onto.
Like a deer grazing on an open plain, suddenly aware of a stalking predator fixing its gaze.
The wooden figure blurred, leaving only a faint afterimage in its wake.
In that lightning-fast moment, Yun Jianyue tumbled to the side with surprising agility, simultaneously swinging her chainsaw upwards towards the spot she had just occupied.
The grinding snarl of chain ripping through wood sounded!
Only then did the others see it—Yun Jianyue had struck the wooden figure.
They hadn't even seen it move! How did she do it?
Zhou Benxin stared at her, stunned. Yun Jianyue's hands trembled slightly with the strain, yet her tone was light, almost flippant: "Call it... women's intuition?"
"RUN!"
Lu Changxue's eyes widened. She shot towards Yun Jianyue like a lightning bolt.
Zhou Benxin's expression froze, words dying in his throat.
Behind Yun Jianyue, stood another identical wooden figure.
They had forgotten—the villagers had always worshipped two blocks of wood. They were the Twin Gods.
It was too late.
As an unnatural chill swept over Yun Jianyue's back, the wooden figure she had initially struck clamped powerful hands onto her chainsaw, preventing her from pulling it free.
Trapped, helpless—
Suddenly, a blade, cold as winter moonlight, flashed!
BOOM!
A massive crash. Yun Jianyue turned to see the figure behind her cleaved cleanly in two. The pieces slammed heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Standing amidst the settling haze, blade held poised, was a figure of exquisite, almost otherworldly beauty. His face possessed an ageless quality, blurring the lines between youth and maturity.
"Si Wuming?" Yun Jianyue had to admit it. Damn. He had managed a spectacularly cool entrance again.
Without hesitation, Si Wuming slashed his blade back towards Yun Jianyue!
Yun Jianyue didn't flinch.
The blade passed her harmlessly and landed squarely on the first wooden figure. It too split in half with a heavy thud.
The two severed figures writhed grotesquely on the ground, wooden limbs scraping together as if trying to reassemble.
A black leather boot came down with brutal force on the pieces.
CRUNCH!
The shattered wood became fine splinters and dust.
Yun Jianyue: Damn it all! How infuriating—and he succeeded again!
"People! Get to work!"
Cai Zeyu's voice rang out from a dozen meters away. Seven or eight individuals wearing Spirit Bureau insignia charged forward, tackling the aftermath with practiced efficiency.
Lu Changxue, finally processing events, drifted over and began violently shaking Yun Jianyue. "Why didn't you run?! What if this show-off king hadn't shown up?! You would've been finished! You'd be a ghost like me!"
"She really couldn't run away by then," Zhou Benxin interjected meekly, trying to be fair.
"Stop shaking me!" Yun Jianyue felt queasy.
"Why didn't you dodge when the show-off king raised his sword? What if he was aiming for you?!" Lu Changxue continued her frantic shaking, expression bordering on madness.
Yun Jianyue weakly raised the chainsaw. "Stop... shaking..."
The chainsaw whirred menacingly. Lu Changxue instantly let go.
Then, another shriek: "WHEN DID YOU PICK THE CHAINSAW BACK UP?!"
Zhou Benxin timidly raised his hand. "I saw. The show-off king picked it up and slipped it back into her hand."
Si Wuming, the aforementioned show-off king, calmly sheathed his straight sword (Tang dao). Apart from a faint flush coloring the tips of his ears, he looked completely composed and utterly serious, showing no sign of having committed such mischief.
True to their professional reputation, the Spirit Bureau team efficiently handled the scene within an hour. Even specialized police units arrived to assist in detaining the villagers involved in the sacrificial ceremony for interrogation.
As for our trio...
"Hold still! Just a picture! I've lived over thirty years, first time seeing such a lucid fierce ghost!"
"She helped save people! Have you ever seen a life-saving fierce ghost? Nope, me neither!"
"Move! You're blocking my ghost shot! This is going on my social feed!"
The Spirit Bureau team crowded around Lu Changxue, their bodies bristling with ghost-subduing talismans and spirit-inhibiting tools. Their sheer proximity and the power radiating from their gear left Lu Changxue trembling violently.
Not one of the seven or eight acted remotely professional. Phone camera flashes snapped away nonstop as if determined to get their fill of ghost photos.
"Stinky baby... eep..." Lu Changxue whimpered pitifully.
Yun Jianyue stepped forward. With swift efficiency, she pulled two Spirit Bureau members aside and, in a move faster than their eyes could follow, grabbed Lu Changxue and stuffed her back into the jade pendant.
The abruptly interrupted photoshoot drew annoyed looks from the agents.
"Hey girl, don't be stingy. Just a few photos..."
Yun Jianyue said nothing. She simply flipped the chainsaw switch.
*Whirrrrr—* The noise filled the tense air.
Instantly, the Spirit Bureau agents found the ground fascinating, the sky enthralling. No one dared utter another word of complaint.
The footage from their drones earlier had been crystal clear: this seemingly delicate flower wielded her chainsaw to slice through scholar tree branches like butter. Those were extensions of a nascent evil god! None of them, trained in the esoteric arts, could guarantee one clean blow.
"Regulations understood? Good. Let's go. Time for debriefing." Cai Zeyu stepped in smoothly, prompting Yun Jianyue to shut off the chainsaw.
Zhou Benxin pointed at himself. "Me too? Not the regular police station?"
Cai Zeyu took in Zhou Benxin's impressive build and instinctively took a half-step back before regaining his composure. "Yes. You fall under our jurisdiction. The villagers are for the police."
Yun Jianyue reached out and snagged the gawking Du Minghao. "Coming? Will you handle my ghost bestie again, while Cai Zeyu grills me?"
Du Minghao looked horrified. "Why me?! They're all standing around! Last time was overtime! Why is the extra workload always mine?!"
The familiar drill resumed in the makeshift interrogation area:
Du Minghao: Grudgingly questioning the trembling soul in the pendant.
Cai Zeyu: Facing Yun Jianyue across a table.
Another agent: Taking detailed notes from Zhou Benxin.
All three were cooperative, answering everything truthfully and exhaustively.
However, Cai Zeyu stared down at Yun Jianyue's statement, his brow deeply furrowed in disbelief.
"There was... another evil god? And handsome? You fell into his lap? Groped his chest muscles? Then cut off his hair?!" Cai Zeyu read aloud, incredulous. "No wonder he tried to choke you... wait, that's not the point!" He shook his head sharply. "The point is," he tapped the report, "According to our year-long observations in Xianyin Village, there's only one half-finished evil god here – the Twin Gods! There's no other evil god!"