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Immediately after, the consciousness of the ghost's arm was obliterated, and the sharp, bone-piercing pain caused the red ghost's eyes to bleed. Its gaze toward the little girl in front of it couldn't help but fill with fear.
"Wh-what... what are you?"
Clearly, the twisted shadow from earlier had left a terrifying impression on it.
Yao Yao tilted her head but didn't answer because she herself didn't know. She only remembered that ever since she was one year old, she noticed her shadow could change, especially when she was hungry.
At first, the old Taoist priest was at a loss. He discovered that feeding her was the only way to make her abnormalities disappear, so he thought she might be the reincarnation of a starving ghost.
But as her appetite grew larger and larger, the income from the temple couldn't keep up with the enormous demand.
In desperation, the old priest noticed that Yao Yao's spiritual bones were beginning to manifest. With no other choice, he used a Taoist ritual to unlock her spiritual meridians, allowing her to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on her own, hoping it would alleviate her condition.
Surprisingly, it worked.
Thus, at just over a year old, Yao Yao began learning to read and write, studying Taoist scriptures and practicing mystical arts every day to combat her increasingly outrageous appetite.
Fortunately, Yao Yao was born with exceptional intelligence, grasping concepts instantly. She could memorize the Thousand Character Classic after hearing it just once. If it had been any other child, they might have starved to death before finishing their studies.
This was also why, despite her young age, her mastery of Taoist arts far surpassed that of ordinary geniuses. After all, if she didn't learn, she would literally die.
By the age of three, Yao Yao had gained control over her shadow's transformations. When her physical body couldn't consume energy-based objects, her shadow could devour them instead.
After her shadow devoured half of the ghost's arm, a surge of energy washed over Yao Yao, causing her little face to flush with a rosy hue.
Her eyes shone even brighter as she stared at the red ghost. The books were right—the higher a ghost's cultivation, the better it tasted.
For some reason, being stared at by the little girl sent an indescribable shiver through its soul, as if it were being targeted by a natural predator.
Before it could think further, the little girl charged at it again. This time, the red ghost had none of its earlier boldness. Like a startled bird, it fled in terror.
But it was no match for Yao Yao's speed. In just a few breaths, its other arm was torn off.
Seeing its now empty arm sockets, the red ghost realized that this little demon, who had come out of nowhere, was truly going to end its existence.
This realization nearly shattered its soul. Perhaps driven by a desperate will to survive, its latent potential ignited, and its speed of escape skyrocketed.
"Team Leader, the Little Master has been inside for a while now. Why hasn't there been any movement?"
Outside the ancient castle, the members of the special operations team, wary of the red ghost's power, didn't dare get too close. But their curiosity got the better of them, and they craned their necks, hoping to catch some sign of what was happening inside.
Liu Dong, seeing his team members acting , felt his lungs burning with frustration. He wanted to yell, "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"
But since there were outsiders present, he had to maintain his composure as the leader. He said calmly, "With the Little Master's abilities, she must have already engaged the red ghost."
"Experts like her decide battles in an instant. We need to stay calm, guard the entrances, and not let even a mosquito through!"
The special operations team was a mix of old and new members. The new recruits were fired up by Liu Dong's words, but the veterans were full of disdain. They knew Liu Dong's character too well.
Seeing him , they knew he had no clue what was going on. They could only stay alert, ready for any sudden changes.
Just then, a terrified voice suddenly rang out.
"Holy crap! What the hell is that?"
The team, already on high alert, immediately turned their attention to the source of the shout. Without fail, everyone was horrified to see a disheveled head rushing out of the castle.
Its body and limbs were all gone, and the head's eyes were streaming with bloody tears.
In broad daylight, no matter how strong their hearts were, everyone was shaken by the sight.
"Stop gawking and do something!" Liu Dong, having experienced many things, snapped out of his shock almost instantly.
He couldn't help but roar in anger!
This thing must be the malevolent ghost causing trouble. Although he didn't know how it had ended up in such a sorry state, he knew they absolutely couldn't let it escape.
"R-right!" The special operations team, having undergone uniform training, acted on muscle memory.
Before their brains could fully process the situation, they hurled talismans, ink lines, and various other tools at the ghost.
Normally, these low-level talismans and techniques wouldn't be enough to deal with a red ghost of this level.
But this particular red ghost was in terrible shape. Its weakened soul couldn't even gather its yin energy properly, and in its frantic escape, it ran headlong into the barrage of attacks.
It was struck down, tumbling head over heels for more than ten meters.
"Th-this... we actually succeeded?" The special operations team was stunned.
Since when had red ghosts become so weak? This was completely disproportionate to the level of danger described in the department's records!
However, just as they were puzzling over this, a small figure burst out of the castle like a whirlwind.
Her eyes locked onto the red ghost's head like lightning.
Then, with a quick step, she appeared in front of the ghost, and in the blink of an eye, the head was in her hand.
"Hehe, I told you you couldn't escape. Why didn't you believe me?"
"H-help... help me!" The red ghost, having just regained consciousness from the talisman's stun, opened its eyes to see those pitch-black, innocent-looking eyes staring at it.
Terrified, it screamed for help without any regard for its dignity.
"A... a ghost, calling for help?"
This scene was utterly mind-blowing, and everyone present was too stunned to react.
"Shut up." Yao Yao frowned slightly at the sight of the head wailing like a banshee. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel•fire.net
Feeling that words alone weren't enough, she formed a hand seal, and threads of lightning gathered in her other palm.
This immediately silenced the red ghost. Thunder and lightning were the purest yang energy, and unless a ghost had transcended its tribulation and ascended to become a ghost immortal, it would naturally fear the power of thunder.
This little ancestor, despite her young age, was definitely a decisive and ruthless figure. If it didn't shut up, it would undoubtedly receive a few palm strikes of thunder. In its current state, even one strike would be enough to finish it off.
Seeing the ghost fall silent, Yao Yao's frown gradually eased. However, she was still a bit unhappy that she had been tricked by this red ghost.
Earlier, in its desperate attempt to escape, after losing both legs, it had chosen to self-destruct half of its body. The resulting shockwave had collapsed the exit, delaying Yao Yao for a moment.
Now, Yao Yao noticed Liu Dong and the others approaching her.
With so many people around, she couldn't sneak a bite in front of them.
Frustrated, she clenched her little fist tightly. The immense force made the red ghost's face contort in pain, as if it were about to be crushed.
Yet, even so, it didn't dare make a sound, afraid of angering this little ancestor.