Chapter 065: Reinforcements

The arms growing from the belly of the Crimson Fiend sprouted with terrifying speed, leaving me no room to escape.

I had only just realized what was happening, clutching at my waist and trying to dart away, but those dozen or so arms not only blocked every avenue of retreat, they closed in with chilling precision. One withered, deathly pale hand gripped my throat, pinning me against the stone pillar just as I had pinned the Crimson Fiend moments before.

With me subdued, all the arms latched onto different parts of my body, immobilizing me utterly.

The Crimson Fiend let out another series of sinister chuckles and strode over in just a few steps. I had seen disgusting things before, but never anything quite like this fiend. If I suffered from trypophobia, its head alone would have rendered me powerless; I would simply collapse at the sight.

Countless eyes spun and darted about its head. No matter where their gaze had wandered before, now every single one was fixed on me, making me feel as though I were surrounded by a nest of venomous serpents.

The Crimson Fiend brought its head close, and I squeezed my eyes shut, instinctively turning away. The next instant, I felt something cold, wet, and strangely soft sliding from my neck across my cheek.

It withdrew, leaving a trail of icy dampness on my skin.

This fiend saw me as a delectable treat!

How could I resign myself to dying in such a place? Yet no matter how I struggled, I couldn’t break free from the arms that sprouted from its abdomen. Even my Yang blood seemed to have no effect on it.

Apparently bored with its sport, the Crimson Fiend extended its two primary hands and caressed my face as tenderly as if handling a precious treasure.

Slowly, its thumbs pressed down on my eyeballs.

It exerted pressure, little by little, the swelling pain making me scream aloud.

The louder I screamed, the more feverish its laughter became. It was in no hurry to gouge my eyes out; it was savoring the process.

It was enjoying itself, while I was wracked with agony, certain it would crush my eyes at any second.

“Amitabha!”

At that very moment, a solemn chant echoed in my ears.

The Crimson Fiend’s maniacal laughter ceased, replaced by a piercing scream. Suddenly, all restraints vanished from my body. I staggered forward, took two or three steps, and finally regained my footing.

Relief flooded my eyes most of all; the pain was gone.

“Ah…” I let out an involuntary sigh of pleasure, slowly opening my eyes to see the world clearly once more.

And the first thing I saw was not the twin fiends, crimson and white, nor Uncle Li—but a shirtless, bald man, his right shoulder and thigh swathed in thick bandages.

He stood with palms pressed together at his chest, repeating the same familiar Buddhist refrain: “Amitabha.”

“Yu Nie!”

I was not the least surprised by his appearance.

Hearing my shout, Yu Nie didn’t turn his head but said, “Benefactor Jiang Huai, let us first join forces to defeat these twin fiends; we can speak of everything else afterward, agreed?”

Before I could reply, Yu Nie added, “It’s not that your righteous arts are powerless—it’s that both the Crimson and White Fiends possess forty-nine evil souls each. To truly destroy them, you must scatter every last one!”

If you’ve ever played those arcade classics—like Three Kingdoms or King of Fighters 97—you’ll know the feeling. Back then, a single coin bought you four credits, one life per credit. Every life was precious; you played each one with utmost care, hoping to clear the game on a single run.

But the day I stole ten yuan from my grandfather to buy credits, with over forty lives, I ran wild in the arcade, all caution forgotten.

Now, the twin fiends were like me with forty credits—especially the Crimson Fiend. I had already been within its grasp, and now, not only had I been rescued, but Yu Nie had destroyed several of its evil souls, leaving it seething with rage.

Yet Yu Nie seemed not to regard it as a true opponent. He turned and, as he passed me, clapped a hand on my shoulder.

I looked at his gentle eyes, set in a face otherwise fierce and intimidating.

“The Crimson Fiend attacks the body, the White assaults the mind. Against them together, we have no chance. We must split them up and defeat them one by one.”

He pointed at the White Fiend. “Leave the White Fiend to me. The Crimson is yours.”

As he moved past me, I twisted to call out, “Hey—”

He grinned. “We’ll talk afterward.”

So be it. As he said, once we dealt with the twin fiends and captured Uncle Li, I’d have all the time in the world to learn what was going on.

Yu Nie was already entangling the White Fiend. I turned to face the Crimson Fiend once more.

Drawing blood from my finger, I traced symbols of righteous law into both palms and began my incantations.

This time was utterly different from before; I no longer doubted my own power. My confidence had returned.

Clearly, it had been the White Fiend’s influence clouding my mind, making me believe my arts were useless—so much so that I had simply given up and waited for death.

Now, with that meddling gone, how could I fear the Crimson Fiend?

If I remembered correctly, when I first pinned down its head with my incantation, I had already struck at its fate.

Now, at least six of the eyes on its head oozed foul, bubbling black fluid.

The Crimson Fiend writhed in agony, and seeing me standing before it, it funneled all its rage upon me.

My waist throbbed painfully, likely swollen, but even if I had to grit my teeth through a broken back, I would not falter now.

“Heaven’s wrath upon evil! By righteous law, be destroyed!”

I lunged at the Crimson Fiend, leaping into the air like a soaring eagle.

Both my palms struck out simultaneously, one aimed at its brow, the other at its chest.

The Crimson Fiend opened its gaping maw, its tongue transforming into a black serpent wreathed in fiendish energy, lunging for me. The arms from its belly clawed desperately at my wrists.

I widened my eyes, seized the moment, and twisted aside, dodging the clutching arms.

With my left hand, I seized the serpent tongue of the Crimson Fiend, and with my right, I delivered a precise blow to the serpent’s head.

With a hiss, the serpent dissolved into a wisp of green smoke and vanished.

I let out a cold snort, gazing at the Crimson Fiend with disdain.

“Let’s see how many lives you have to spare!”