Volume Eight: Judgment of Hell Chapter Two: The Death of the Ghostly Outsider

Yaoguang sat on the stool, her brow furrowed in thought over the death of the Ghost Mother of Blue Porcelain.

“Phoenix, we’ve received a report—an unidentified body was found by the riverside in the western outskirts. Tianyou is already there,” Xuan Chen said as he entered.

“Let’s go, to the scene.” The police car sped through the city and stopped by an unnamed creek on the western edge.

“What’s the situation, Tianyou?” Yaoguang approached and asked.

“The deceased is male, dressed in a black robe. Estimated age around sixty,” Tianyou replied.

“Let me see.” Yaoguang stepped forward and examined the body. “Guishu? How could it be him?” She regarded the corpse, then gave a cold, mirthless laugh. “He was one of the ones who slipped through the net back then. I didn’t expect him to die here. Well, that saves me the trouble. Let’s see what we can find at the scene.”

“There are footprints and tire tracks around, matching those at the first crime scene. It’s a remote area—no surveillance nearby. The body was discovered by a child who came here secretly to swim. The boy was badly frightened; we’ve arranged for someone to take him home,” Tianyou recounted.

“The cause of death is unclear. No obvious wounds on the body, but the skin is bluish pale. It appears he died from excessive blood loss. What puzzles me is that there are no visible injuries,” the coroner added. “This body needs to be taken back for further examination.”

“No soul, no spiritual essence, no spiritual consciousness. Just like the Ghost Mother of Blue Porcelain—his soul was stripped away,” Yaoguang said.

“Phoenix, I just checked the area. There were traces of magnetic disturbance, very faint and dark in color, but too weak to capture,” Huo Mingkun reported, rubbing his eyes gently.

“Alright, I understand. Let’s head back and assist with the autopsy,” Yaoguang said.

“This is getting more and more interesting. What exactly is the Ghost Sect up to?” Yaoguang mused. “I know Guishu well. He was a fugitive from the 803 case—sinister, ruthless, did much for the Ghost Sect, and earned considerable merit. By now, he should have been one of their elders, enjoying his twilight years in their world. How did he end up dead here in such a strange manner?”

“Could he have been sacrificed too?” Jiang Yun wondered. “I examined the body carefully. No external injuries, his facial expression so lifelike he seems merely asleep. If not for the bluish pallor, I wouldn’t have connected him to death. Also, notice how he was laid flat on the riverside, a black cloth beneath him, his clothes neat, and his exposed skin spotlessly clean—as if wiped down. This suggests whoever dumped him here treated him with respect. He wasn’t discarded carelessly.”

“Jiang Yun, your analysis is correct. I’m starting to smell the stench of conspiracy. The Ghost Sect must have grand designs this time, to sacrifice someone of such high rank. This shows how seriously they’re taking this operation. I dare say we’ll be receiving more reports yet,” Yaoguang paused. “Still, we have no leads. The Immortal Envoy is tracking outside but has found nothing. Without a clue about the Ghost Sect’s movements, it’s impossible to discern their motive. It’s maddening.”

“Let’s check the autopsy results first,” Xuan Chen suggested.

In the autopsy room, Guishu lay silently on the table. Yaoguang gazed at him, memories flashing before her eyes. “Guishu, how arrogant you once were—you declared you would make me, Phoenix, a prisoner of your Ghost Sect, that you’d skin me alive, subject me to all your cruelties, grind my soul to dust, make me beg for life and find death impossible. But ten years have passed. I, Phoenix, have become a deity; you are nothing but a cold corpse. Isn’t it ironic? I imagine your soul must still fiercely yearn for something, but rest assured, Guishu—I will make sure you know that my existence will forever be your Ghost Sect’s nightmare. Every blood debt will be repaid a thousandfold. Until I utterly destroy you, I, Phoenix, will not return to the divine realm.” She smiled icily at the corpse.

“Phoenix, we’re beginning. The deceased is male. Judging by the symphysis and skin elasticity, he was about sixty. Estimated time of death is around ten hours ago—roughly midnight. No signs of restraint on the limbs, no open wounds, no blunt force trauma to the head,” the coroner announced and began the dissection. Yet as the scalpel cut, no blood flowed. “Phoenix, there’s no blood in this corpse. In all my years, I’ve never seen this,” the coroner continued. “The stomach and intestines are empty—no food residue, so he hadn’t eaten before death. His organs show natural degeneration, no other damage. It’s incredibly strange.”

Yaoguang stepped forward, inspecting the body. “So, all his blood is gone.”

“Yes. It’s as if every drop was drained. At the scene, I wondered why his skin was so pale,” the coroner replied.

“Let me take a look.” Yaoguang scrutinized the body but found nothing out of the ordinary. Pondering, a sudden idea struck her. “Lele, shave all his hair off. I think we’ll find something.”

“Alright.” The coroner, Lele, swiftly shaved the deceased’s head. “Phoenix, come see—look.”

Yaoguang leaned in to see several tiny needle pricks on the scalp, as if made by the finest needles. “Lele, open his skull. I’m certain he has no brain matter left.”

“That can’t be,” Lele said skeptically, then began to cut. “Phoenix, you were right—there’s no brain tissue. How did you know?”

“Run toxicology and other tests. His blood and brain matter were drained,” Yaoguang instructed. “Also notify forensics to examine his hair. Some traces can’t be washed away.”

“What’s going on?” Xuan Chen asked.

“The Ghost Sect once bred a mutated species of vampire bat—large in size, with needle-like teeth sharp enough to pierce straight through the scalp into the brain cavity. To put it plainly, Guishu was devoured by a vampire bat. Let’s wait for the lab results and convene a meeting,” Yaoguang said.

“Alright.” Xuan Chen and the others followed Yaoguang out.

“Let’s summarize what we have so far,” Yaoguang said.

“I’ll start with the crime scene. The body was found by a small river in the western outskirts, laid on a black cloth, clothes neat. The victim’s body and garments were washed before being dumped; the site itself was cleaned, clearly indicating respect from whoever disposed of him. There were footprints and tire marks matching those from the first dump site, so we can conclude the same person is responsible. No surveillance yet, but we’re still searching. Some small red dots were found on the body—tests show they contain human blood, likely animal droppings. Fine hairs found in the victim’s hair have been identified as mammalian,” forensics reported.

“We’ve canvassed the surroundings—no surveillance, sparsely populated, and nothing breakthrough yet. We’re still working on it,” the technical team added.

“I’ll summarize the autopsy. The file is available, but key points: the body contained very little blood, and most of the brain matter was missing. This isn’t due to natural or pathological atrophy—it was drained. We found pinprick-like holes in the scalp. Trajectory analysis shows these were not straight down but arced, piercing from the scalp directly into the brain cavity, extracting brain matter. Toxicology showed an anesthetic not of medical origin, but biological. Mammalian saliva was detected in the scalp and cranial cavity. After confirming with Phoenix, we believe the deceased was drained of blood and brain matter by a mutated vampire bat—huge in size, razor-sharp teeth, and anesthetic saliva. When it bites, the anesthetic spreads through the blood, inducing instant paralysis and a sleep-like state. The bat then feeds, which explains the lack of wounds and the death-like sleep,” Lele, the coroner, explained.

“To my knowledge, the Ghost Sect did raise a breed called the Hellblood Bat, massive and deadly. We encountered and exterminated some ten years ago during the crackdown, but it seems they’ve bred a new, more aggressive strain. I must emphasize: in investigating this case, if you find any trace of the Ghost Sect, report to me immediately—do not act alone. All field officers must work in pairs at minimum, never alone. I’ll soon mark everyone with protective talismans: first, for your safety; second, so I’ll know instantly if you’re in danger. I repeat: this case involves the Ghost Sect. Stay vigilant. The Heavenly Sword unit must not lose a single member. That is an order. Dismissed,” Yaoguang said.

“Yes.” The team dispersed. Yaoguang sat wearily at her desk, lighting a cigarette and rubbing her temples. A sense of crisis gnawed at her. She felt certain that these two murders by the Ghost Sect were no accidents, nor mere internal strife, but part of a meticulous plan. Yet what was the Ghost Sect scheming? There had to be a vast conspiracy at play, but she hadn’t even glimpsed its edges, let alone found a way to break it. It was truly vexing.