Gu Yi had already noticed that the evil spirit clinging to Principal Hao’s back possessed no independent consciousness; meaning, every move the spirit made was being controlled by that thin, sharp voice. This sparked an idea in him: delay the fight, find an opportunity to strike down the evil spirit in one blow, and rescue Principal Hao first.

He relied on the element of surprise. When he had palmed Bai Ru’s demon-subduing rod behind his back just moments ago, he had been constantly worried that the owner of that voice might detect his intentions. Thankfully, their movements had been cautious and deliberate, and the voice seemed not to have noticed a thing.

Taking advantage of the powerful momentum generated by Bai Ru’s shove, Gu Yi shot forward. The demon-subduing rod extended from his hand, emitting a faint silver glow. His Insightful Eye could clearly track every single movement of the evil spirit.

Simultaneously, the evil spirit behind Principal Hao also raised its claw-like hands, reaching toward the side of Principal Hao’s neck, right where the major artery lay. Just as its spectral claws were about to graze Principal Hao’s neck, Gu Yi’s demon-subduing rod managed to dart in and block the path between the claw and the throat. The moment the spirit’s claw neared the tip of the rod, it recoiled sharply, as if seared by fierce fire.

Gu Yi gave the evil spirit no time to react further. The demon-subduing rod, brushing past Principal Hao’s neck, thrust directly toward the evil spirit’s head. Realizing the incoming object was beyond its current capacity to handle, the spirit quickly dodged backward.

Gu Yi was preparing to capitalize on this moment to take down the evil spirit, but unexpectedly, Bai Ru, behind him, suddenly cried out, “Watch out!” She burst past him and launched a flying kick beside his body. A pained shriek, “Awooo,” followed, and in the darkness, a dark, shadowy mass was sent flying by Bai Ru’s kick.

Gu Yi was startled and realized something was amiss. He felt something approaching from the other side of his body, ready to strike at any moment. Judging by the scream, it sounded like a cat’s cry. Could it be that black cat?

To prevent an unexpected strike, Gu Yi had to switch tactics. He reached out with his other hand, grasping Principal Hao’s arm—now not far from him—and violently pulled him forward. At the same time, Bai Ru was not idle; she had maintained full combat readiness behind him. When the dark shadow lunged at Gu Yi, she reacted instantly, intercepting it for him.

But the fight wasn't over. By now, even Gu Yi could hear rustling sounds coming from all directions. Gu Yi roared, “Bai Ru, hold him!”

Bai Ru understood that the “him” referred to Principal Hao. She rushed forward quickly, reaching out to catch Principal Hao as Gu Yi pushed him toward her. Gu Yi immediately released his grip on Principal Hao, his figure flashing behind the principal. He focused his Insightful Eye on the junction point where the evil spirit attached to Principal Hao’s back, swinging his silver-gleaming demon-subduing rod toward that connection point.

Bai Ru shielded Principal Hao with her arms and swept her leg, kicking away a rotting corpse that was about to leap at them. Illuminating the area with the flashlight strapped to her, she saw it was merely a mostly decomposed pig carcass.

Gu Yi’s demon-subduing rod made contact with the point connecting the evil spirit and Principal Hao. Principal Hao’s body shuddered, and he immediately went limp in Bai Ru’s arms. Seeing this, Bai Ru instantly slapped a Spirit-Calming Talisman onto his chest with one hand. Gu Yi, seeing the talisman affixed, turned his wrist, and the demon-subduing rod stabbed toward the evil spirit’s chest like a sword.

“Watch your footing!” Bai Ru suddenly called out.

Gu Yi already sensed something strange beneath his feet, but at this moment, he couldn’t spare attention for things around him; his entire focus was on annihilating the evil spirit before him. He knew that eliminating one now meant the unknown opponent would have one less helper, and the technique of controlling animal corpses was at best minor harassment. Weighing the risks, he chose to attack the evil spirit.

The evil spirit was clearly severely wounded. In Gu Yi’s sight, the dense black mist that had characterized it had thinned considerably, reduced to little more than a faint, wispy haze, incapable of maintaining its form.

His staff strike finally dispersed the evil spirit, but just then, he felt a sharp pain in his leg. A dog, almost entirely stripped of flesh, had clamped down on his calf.

Gu Yi grunted in pain, his wrist dropping the rod to smash down onto the dog’s head.

Bai Ru heard his grunt and knew something was wrong. Supporting Principal Hao with one hand, she prepared to reach for Gu Yi with the other, but Gu Yi shook his head. “I’m fine, leave me be.”

With that, he tossed the demon-subduing rod back to Bai Ru, bent down himself, and pried the dog—still latched onto his leg—off before tossing it aside. Bai Ru steadied Principal Hao with one arm and caught the demon-subduing rod with the other, deflecting the animal skeletons that lunged at her and Gu Yi.

Truth be told, the opponent’s strategy of using animal corpses to attack them was, at best, an advantage in sheer numbers. If they had been facing them head-on, the actual effect wouldn't have been particularly devastating. However, the timing of the attack had to be acknowledged as perfectly executed.

Gu Yi flicked the dog’s head off and straightened up, throwing out several Fire Talismans. The flames rapidly engulfed the few snarling, lunging corpses nearby. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he stepped back two paces to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Bai Ru.

“How are you?” Bai Ru asked, concerned.

Gu Yi ground out, “Nothing.”

Bai Ru glanced around. She noticed only a few swaying animal corpses standing not far ahead, with many more lying still on the ground. It seemed not all the bodies had been reanimated. Clearly, someone was manipulating these rotten corpses. Strangely, the remaining ones weren't rushing forward but simply standing still, seemingly waiting for orders.

Taking advantage of this lull, Bai Ru checked Principal Hao’s condition. His eyes and mouth were tightly shut, his breath shallow, barely clinging to life, appearing ready to die at any moment. She couldn't help but sigh with sorrow.

Gu Yi took a deep breath and raised his voice coldly, “Listen here, whoever you are, wherever you’re hiding, you had better show yourself now. Otherwise, when we find your lair, things won't look good for you.”

His voice echoed repeatedly in the empty sewer, projecting forward. After a prolonged silence, that thin, sharp voice suddenly sounded again: “You think this is over?”

As the voice spoke, Gu Yi suddenly noticed that the air had taken on a faint bluish tinge; deathly energy began to permeate the surroundings. In the blink of an eye, both he and Bai Ru saw that behind the group of standing animal corpses, a shadowy human figure had appeared.

Whether Gu Yi or Bai Ru looked, all they could make out was a dark, human-shaped silhouette, appearing to be about the size of a seven or eight-year-old child. The features were indistinct, but they both felt a sense of deep decay about it.

Bai Ru’s tension immediately spiked. She whispered, “The main culprit?”

Gu Yi hesitated for a moment. “Doesn’t look like it, but close.”

“When I come out, you will regret it.”

On the vaguely defined face, the area around the lips subtly moved, as if speaking, yet the childish voice that emerged was cold in tone, creating a profound sense of dissonance and an eerie atmosphere.

The small, dark shadow did not advance toward them but merely stood there, perhaps waiting for them to approach. This stalemate was unsustainable, especially since Bai Ru was supporting Principal Hao and Gu Yi was injured in the leg, rendering both unable to move quickly.

Gu Yi slowly retreated two steps with deliberate calm. Bai Ru instantly understood his intention, biting her lip in acknowledgment; she knew there was no other choice for now.

Gu Yi steadied himself and suddenly spoke, “How would we regret it? What in the world are you that I can’t even tell?”

The small shadow trembled, and with a wave of its hand, a gust of sinister wind blew directly toward them out of thin air. At that moment, Bai Ru spun around, instantly transferring the still-unconscious Principal Hao, whom she held close, into Gu Yi’s arms. She gripped the demon-subduing rod tightly behind her back. The rod immediately reacted to the sinister wind, emitting a glow that neutralized most of the wind’s power. However, some residual energy scraped past both their arms, causing an immediate, bone-chilling pain.

Both sucked in a sharp breath, but at that moment, Bai Ru ignored the bodily pain. She spun again, facing the small dark shadow, and charged forward with a swing of the demon-subduing rod.

Gu Yi was not idle either. Supporting the still-unconscious Principal Hao with one hand, he flung several Fire Talismans with the other toward the stationary animal skeletons standing not far ahead, intending to clear a path for Bai Ru.

The flames instantly reduced the skeletons to ashes, and Bai Ru had already reached the small shadow, the silver light on her demon-subduing rod pulsing continuously, poised to strike the shadow’s head.