As Zhou Huan pondered for a moment, the two spirits he had seen riding horses approached him. Suddenly, a large crowd of lone spirits surrounded him, all pointing at the two approaching ghosts, crying out, "Master Zhou, these two carry such palpable killing intent, though it hasn't yet erupted. You must be cautious. We will continue scouting."

By this time, Zhou Huan was certain these two spirits meant him harm. But were they the architects of the entire affair? Though he had seen them at the scene of every incident, he currently lacked definitive proof or had them caught in the act; moreover, they hadn't mentioned the previous deaths to him.

"Master Zhou, why do you overthink things? Today, we simply came to stir up trouble. It seems you won't be needed today. We intend to act as we please right here! Hahahaha!" The two ghosts erupted in wild laughter.

Zhou Huan inwardly rejoiced. Finally, he had found two individuals connected to this matter. Though, it wasn't he who found them; they brought this upon themselves by deliberately showing up here to cause more chaos in front of him. Zhou Huan certainly wouldn't let that pass unchallenged.

"May I ask, sirs, what is the purpose of your arrival?" Zhou Huan inquired very politely.

The hands of the two ghosts extended, one reaching out from each side, seizing Zhou Huan's throat firmly: "Why ask so many questions when you’re about to die? We came to kill. Perish!"

Zhou Huan was startled. He had no preparation. Regardless of how skilled his own techniques were, these were two unknown spirits attacking his neck simultaneously. Zhou Huan instantly knew he wanted to evade, but it was too late. He wanted to attack, but whom should he strike?

This was the first time Zhou Huan felt such frustration, the first time he was utterly at a loss. He used his hands to forcibly resist the grips on his neck, preventing their fingers from digging into his skin. After a long pause, Zhou Huan deliberately asked, "You two fellows, are you not aware of the concept of soul annihilation?"

To his surprise, the moment the two ghosts spoke, their bodies relaxed slightly. Zhou Huan then noticed they were conjoined—only their heads were separate from top to bottom; their four legs were distinct, but the rest of their forms were fused. Their arms were surprisingly symmetrical: one had a left hand, and the other a right, explaining why they could only each extend one arm earlier.

At that precise moment, Zhou Huan exerted all his strength, biting his own hand to draw blood, and smeared the contents of a talisman onto his Sky Silk Gauntlet. He immediately followed up with a heavy punch. The two spirits on horseback suddenly had their eyes blazing with fury. Both hands lunged to intercept Zhou Huan's strike, but his hand had already connected with the two ghosts—one punch to the left, one to the right. They should have felt pain.

But these two ghosts were truly novel; Zhou Huan had never seen conjoined spirits before. And they were clearly no good, always causing trouble. Zhou Huan resorted to this move only out of desperation.

If one punch had been enough to kill them, the matter would have concluded. Zhou Huan seemed to have channeled immense force, yet the two spirits showed no sign of pain. They merely felt their bodies jerk violently backward before stopping.

Just then, Zhou Huan grabbed the two doctors and lifted the mad driver, sprinting toward the crowd and the altar.

The outcome was unexpected. After taking Zhou Huan's heavy punch, the two ghosts appeared unfazed. They straightened up, brushed imaginary dust off themselves, and then simply followed Zhou Huan as he ran.

Zhou Huan intentionally maintained a relatively slow pace. It wasn't fast, but his initial burst had, he believed, allowed him to reach the crowd. He moved into the throng. Strangely, the two ghosts made no move to attack the doctors or the mad driver.

"Stop!" Zhou Huan suddenly shouted. The two spirits following him couldn't brake in time; both they and their horses crashed directly into the 'patient wall' Zhou Huan had prepared—a barrier meant to repel evil using the presence of the afflicted. The two spirits were flung far back.

Zhou Huan immediately returned to the altar: "Everyone, stay alert! Shi Bingyuan, you must hold firm and look after everyone here."

"Understood, Master. From this moment on, I shall begin the rites!" As he spoke, Shi Bingyuan pulled a telescoping peach-wood sword from his bag. This advanced item was quite novel; its exact function was unknown, though typically, anything developed through the collective study of Shi Bingyuan and the others was reliable.

Meanwhile, the two ghosts, having been knocked away, regrouped. They turned back and laughed, "Ah, Zhou Huan, you do have a few tricks up your sleeve. If not for that, you'd likely be dead already. Take a good look under your neck—what happened just now? Is there something you weren't aware of?"

"You don't need to worry about the specifics; my jawline is perfectly fine!" Zhou Huan instinctively reached up to touch his chin. He felt as if something had indeed sprouted there. Suddenly, Zhou Huan seemed to lose control, frantically searching for the object on his jaw.

Dongzi saw this and immediately yelled, "Brother, there's nothing there! Don't panic!"

But Zhou Huan wouldn't listen. He kept gasping/muttering (implied by context), continuously touching the spot, rolling on the ground, hands clamped over his chin, refusing to let go.

"Hahahaha! Pitiful, Zhou Huan, a grand master, destined to fall by my hands today! I should expedite your departure." Just as they finished speaking, the hands of the two ghosts lunged viciously toward Zhou Huan's throat. His thrashing on the ground had perhaps been too erratic.

At that instant, a silhouette flew in from nowhere. Between Zhou Huan and the two ghosts, the newcomer struck with a left kick and a right foot, followed immediately by a long stream of talismans—over thirty in quick succession.

The two spirits on horseback recoiled repeatedly until, finally, they appeared unable to keep their eyes open. Aided by this newcomer, Zhou Huan successfully regained consciousness and clarity of mind. Seeing the ghost before him infuriated Zhou Huan. He reached out, pushed aside the person shielding him, and commanded, "Tianxiong, your talismans struck perfectly. Immediately rewrite all my talismans in Sanskrit and incorporate as many Buddhist mantras as possible."

It turned out the sudden arrival was Tianxiong, who had just saved Zhou Huan.

Tianxiong hadn't been far; he had opened a shortcut outside the courtyard and entered just in time to see Zhou Huan's predicament. He launched his surprise attack, which proved highly effective.

Zhou Huan retrieved his Copper Coin Sword and a large bundle of hand talismans, preparing to banish the two ghosts.

"Zhou Huan, your apprentice dares to play dirty tricks! I will have a serious talk with you about this." Before the words were finished, the two rushed back to Zhou Huan, their hands once again locking tightly around his neck, revealing two long, beast-like fangs.

With this gesture, Zhou Huan finally understood completely: these two were not the previous figures; they were outright Jiangshi (vampires/zombies). The shadowy, black-silk energy from recent days probably originated from them—though this was still speculation.

Zhou Huan's neck was quickly throttled shut again. He struggled, pulling hard on the ghosts' hands: "If you want me dead, fine. Can you spare them?"

"That's not for me to decide. I do as my boss commands." With that, the two ghosts tried to snap Zhou Huan's neck, but Zhou Huan had a counter: another flurry of talismans. Then, Zhou Huan strained with all his might, nearly ripping the ghosts' hands from their arms. When Zhou Huan turned back, the two spirits charged again.

Having no other choice in his utter helplessness, Zhou Huan reshaped his Sky Silk Gauntlets again. While each configuration served a different function, at this moment, any setting would work against whoever came next.

"Zhou Huan, you're ruthless! Watch how my brother and I show you!" As he spoke, his face instantly transformed. It was no longer the appearance of the two women from before; the entity now exuded a distinctly old, male aura, and even its voice stretched into a long, drawn-out sound.

At that very moment, Zhou Huan realized this spirit wasn't Hu Tingting at all. This type of Jiangshi could immediately mimic the appearance of any corpse recently deceased. This realization filled Zhou Huan with a profound sense of unease.