Ch 194: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

The small village was called Willow Village. When the old woman arrived, she suddenly fell silent. She no longer muttered about revenge, but her expression remained blank and confused.

The night was deep, and the village was completely dark and silent. In such a poor place, people were unwilling to spend money on candles, so everyone was accustomed to going to bed early.

However, Shen Yunxuan could see the thick resentment lingering above the village and hear the cries of women filled with hatred. The old woman was not the only one who had been persecuted—many other women had been abused and driven to their deaths in this village.

Years ago, a vengeful female ghost had returned to take the lives of the villagers. At that time, a passing Taoist master happened to witness it and, without even asking questions, immediately destroyed the ghost, scattering her soul completely. At the villagers’ request, the Taoist master then set up a Resentment-Capturing Formation in the village.

From that moment on, any spirit filled with resentment that appeared in the village would be captured by the formation, bound tightly so they could neither reincarnate nor harm anyone. Over time, their hatred only grew stronger, until they were reduced to soulless, tormented wraiths.

Shen Yunxuan gazed at the many trapped spirits in the sky. They struggled, they suffered, and the more hatred they bore, the more deeply they were bound. Their very cries were filled with despair.

The only reason the old woman had managed to escape was that her mind was in shambles. She did not even understand what she was doing, so she had not been recognized as a vengeful spirit. Instead, she had wandered away like an ordinary ghost, narrowly avoiding the same fate.

Seeing this, the ghosts accompanying Shen Yunxuan—Madam Li, Wang Shi, and others—had their eyes turn red with rage.

“The old woman was able to meet the Master—this must be Heaven’s way of punishing this evil place!” Wang Shi exclaimed.

They firmly believed that encountering Shen Yunxuan was their destined opportunity for justice. And for the old woman to have accidentally escaped and found Shen Yunxuan must also be the will of Heaven.

“The people in this village deserve to die!”

Dong Yue, burning with fury, turned to Shen Yunxuan. “Captain Shen, what’s the plan?”

Time was running out—there was no chance to take things slow. If they only took partial action and then left, the villagers would become wary and increase their defenses, leading to even more women suffering in the future.

Shen Yunxuan decided to go big. After all, she would be leaving soon—what could they do to her even if they suspected something?

Without hesitation, she flew above the village, took out over a dozen jade stones, and crushed them, scattering the fragments into various locations around the village outskirts, embedding them in the ground.

As the last jade stone was placed, the formation activated—sealing off the entire village. No one could escape.

Then, in a voice imbued with spiritual power, she declared, “The sins of Willow Village are too numerous to record. Today, judgment shall be passed, and divine punishment shall descend.”

“Divine punishment shall descend—”

“Punishment—”

Her voice echoed in the minds of every villager, whether they were asleep or awake, instantly jolting them into alertness.

The village chief, wide-eyed with terror, turned to his wife. “Did you hear that? Who’s speaking?!”

His wife’s face was pale with fear. “I heard it! It said ‘divine punishment’ and ‘judgment today.’ Could it be the ghosts coming back for revenge?”

“Shut up!” The village chief slapped her across the face, his voice harsh. “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll throw you out for the men to use!”

The village chief’s wife curled up into a ball, trembling violently, too afraid to even sob.

The chief hurriedly got out of bed, put on his shoes, and rushed outside. As he ran, the terrifying voice rang out again, repeating, “Divine punishment.”

Fear surged through him. He had struck his wife earlier not only to silence her but also because he feared she might be right—what if the ghosts had really come back? He could still vividly recall the last time a vengeful ghost had nearly wiped out the village. He had barely escaped with his life back then—what if it happened again?

The same panic spread throughout the village. People poured out of their homes, their heads snapping upward—only to see Shen Yunxuan hovering in mid-air, her figure illuminated by the moonlight. She looked like a celestial being, yet her cold, expressionless face filled them with terror.

The village chief was the first to be targeted. With a mere flick of Shen Yunxuan’s hand, he was lifted off the ground like a kite with its string cut, slamming into a large tree.

The villagers gasped in horror.

Before he could scramble to his feet, Shen Yunxuan seized him again, pinning him against the tree. Studying his features, she coldly recited,

“Li Sangeng, village chief of Willow Village. At the age of twelve, you assaulted your cousin. At fourteen, you raped your aunt. At fifteen, you engaged in adultery. At sixteen, you married. At eighteen, you beat your wife to death. At twenty, you married again…”

Li Sangeng’s eyes widened in terror as he screamed, “Who are you?! Stop pretending to be a deity! Our village is under the protection of Taoist Master Li! You dare oppose him?”

Shen Yunxuan remained unfazed, listing his crimes to the very end before throwing him aside. “Your sins are unforgivable. You shall die a brutal death.”

Next, she grabbed his great-uncle and pinned him to the tree. “Li Niu—abducted and enslaved eight women, abused them, then sold them to fellow villagers… Your sins are unforgivable. You shall die a brutal death.”

“Liu Da—assaulted his stepmother and half-sister, threatened them into silence. Unable to endure the humiliation, they drowned themselves… Your sins are unforgivable. You shall die a brutal death.”

“Chen San—known for his cruelty, inflicted relentless suffering upon others… Your sins are unforgivable. You shall die a brutal death.”

“Lin Feng—framed and falsely accused innocent people, leading to their deaths… Your sins are unforgivable. You shall die a brutal death.”

Her cold, emotionless voice echoed everywhere. It didn’t matter whether villagers had come outside or hidden in their basements—even those who covered their ears could hear her words clearly.

Every sentence ended with “You shall die a brutal death,” like an inescapable curse, sending the villagers into a frenzy of fear.

Panic-stricken, they scattered in all directions, desperately trying to escape. But with the village sealed, there was nowhere to run.

However, when the villagers reached the entrance of the village, they discovered that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t escape. It was as if an invisible barrier was in place, bouncing them back every time they attempted to cross. There was nowhere to run!

No matter where they fled, Shen Yunxuan could effortlessly retrieve them when she moved on to the next judgment. Even those hiding in underground cellars were instantly found and dragged out.

Some villagers collapsed in despair, kneeling on the ground, kowtowing and wailing, “Please, have mercy, Master! I won’t dare anymore! Spare my life!”

Others, consumed by fear, screamed and waved kitchen knives in self-defense. The village chief, having gathered a group of men, shouted fiercely while brandishing weapons, “We are under Taoist Master Li’s protection! You’d better not act recklessly!”

“Taoist Master Li won’t let you off for this!”

Shen Yunxuan finished judging every criminal in the village and, with an indifferent tone, declared, “Divine punishment shall befall you!”

With a wave of her hand, she knocked unconscious the truly innocent and tossed them outside the village. Those who deserved punishment but not death were hoisted up by vines and hung from the large trees.

The remaining villagers were thrown into panic, their terror-stricken faces glancing around frantically while wildly swinging their weapons.

Once the culprits were suspended, Shen Yunxuan made a gesture, and Gao Lang, Dong Yue, and the others quickly opened fire at them. Bullets struck arms, hands, and legs—never fatal, but excruciatingly painful. Some fainted from sheer agony.

“What is this?! Let me go!”

“Don’t shoot me! Please stop! I won’t do it again, I swear!”

“Judge Master, I was wrong! I know my sins now! Please have mercy!”

Their cries for mercy filled the air, but Shen Yunxuan remained unmoved, her demeanor divine and untouchable. Those who had been sentenced to death trembled violently, some collapsing to the ground, their legs giving out as they urinated in fear.

None of them understood what guns were, which only made them more convinced that this was truly divine retribution. They believed Shen Yunxuan and her team to be celestial enforcers of judgment. Some even began to call her Judge Master.

The ones suspended in the air were bleeding profusely from multiple gunshot wounds, their blood dripping down and staining the ground beneath them. The gruesome scene sent chills down the spines of those watching.

Then, Shen Yunxuan turned her gaze toward the remaining villagers.

Li Sangeng felt a chill crawl up his spine. He pointed at Shen Yunxuan and snarled, “If you dare harm us, Taoist Master Li will avenge us!”

Shen Yunxuan’s response was to simply raise her hand and trace a circle in the air. The villagers who had gathered together suddenly found themselves encircled by raging flames.

“Ahhh! Fire!”

“Run! Get out of here!”

They desperately tried to escape the fire, but the barrier repelled them each time, bouncing them back into the flames. In their panic, their clothes caught fire, and they tumbled to the ground, rolling frantically to extinguish the flames. Some even stomped on their burning companions, kicking them away to save themselves. One man tripped and fell straight into the fire, screaming as he burned, only for others to shove him aside in desperation.

Chaos erupted as agonized screams filled the night sky.

The once sorrowful wailing of the tormented female ghosts had disappeared. Shen Yunxuan lifted her gaze to the bound spirits in the sky and whispered, “Do you hear it? The ones who tormented you are now suffering their own punishment.”

A sudden gust of wind howled through the village, rustling the trees violently as if the spirits were responding.

Shen Yunxuan flew toward the locust tree at the village entrance. Using her spiritual power, she forced the buried remains of infant corpses to the surface. Then, repeating the process at several other locations, she uncovered even more tiny bodies.

With the unearthing of the infants’ corpses, the Resentment-Capturing Formation collapsed in an instant. Countless vengeful spirits surged into the air, blocking out the moonlight. The eerie cries of ghosts echoed through the village.

Then, the spirits dived downward, phasing through the bodies of those trapped in the fire. The villagers’ screams of agony intensified. The first to succumb bled from all seven orifices before dropping dead. As soon as his soul emerged, it was torn to shreds by the vengeful spirits before he could even attempt to flee.

Li Sangeng and the others were paralyzed with fear, their faces drenched in tears and snot.

“Help! Please, save me!”

“Judge Master, have mercy! Spare me! Spare me!”

“I was wrong! I was truly wrong! Please don’t—ahhh!”

“Don’t kill me! Don’t—ahhh!”

These men, who had ruled the village with cruelty, treating women as playthings, now found themselves engulfed in unimaginable horror. The fire ring closed in, setting their clothes and bodies ablaze.

The vengeful spirits were relentless. Like blades, they slashed through the villagers’ bodies, whispering mournful cries into their ears. Some ghosts went even further—peeling their flesh off in strips, inflicting the agony of lingchi (death by a thousand cuts).

Li Sangeng, the worst offender with the most blood on his hands, attracted the most vicious spirits. He tried to kill himself, but the spirits wouldn’t allow it. Overwhelmed by sheer terror, his eyes bulged grotesquely before his heart suddenly burst—he was literally scared to death.

The old woman’s ghost suddenly regained clarity. With tears streaming down her face and hatred burning in her eyes, she charged into the flames, grabbing Li Sangeng’s soul. She slammed him against the ground again and again, before beginning to devour him bite by bite.

His screams were the most wretched of all.

The other men, witnessing his fate, were so petrified that they clung desperately to life—even though staying alive only prolonged their suffering.

They had nowhere to run.

Shen Yunxuan and her team silently observed the scene, their hearts weighed down with sorrow.

These vengeful spirits were no longer whole—they had been corrupted by the formation, leaving only their hatred behind. Each of them had once been a living, breathing woman, but they had been reduced to nothing more than ghosts of suffering.

Even though justice had been served, it did not erase the agony they had endured.

Facing such a tragedy, Shen Yunxuan was powerless. She had done all she could.

Suddenly, a fierce wind howled through the village. Sand and debris whirled violently in the air.

A voice rang out from the distance, growing louder as it approached.

“Who dares destroy my formation?!”

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆