73 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

Chapter 73 During his frantic escape, Ghost Lamp accidentally swam in the wrong direction and dived underwater. Excitedly, he followed a glimmer of light, but ended up emerging through a water membrane and bumping straight into a group of bewildered demon cultivators, including Red Carp Spirit who was preparing to leave. Red Carp Spirit screamed in fear as she looked at the person who had fallen before her. “What is that thing?” “It looks like a human.” A puddle of water spread out on the ground. The nearly invisible figure lying before them made everyone nervous, fearing it was some monstrous creature from the third coffin. As they warily eyed the figure, another person, emanating a menacing aura, tumbled through the water membrane above. He roared ferociously upon seeing the demon cultivators, causing everyone's heads to spin. “This is bad—it's the monster from the coffin! Run for your lives!” Panic ensued as everyone scattered in all directions. A few unfortunate ones were caught and devoured, their bodies bursting like overripe tomatoes. Terrified, Red Carp Spirit's pupils dilated before she fainted, collapsing from the stone corridor into the abyss, her fate unknown. The little snake demon, watching this unfold, immediately reverted to her original form, a small green snake about a dozen inches long, and quickly hid in a corner, disappearing from sight. Ghost Lamp, who had fallen and was now dizzily climbing to his feet, witnessed the monster's gruesome feasting. Terrified, he dropped back to the ground, playing dead. As a ghost cultivator, lacking any living aura, he could stay unnoticed as long as he remained still. Once the creature had finished its grisly meal, all that was left on the ground were patches of blood; hardly any demon cultivators had survived. Peeking cautiously, Ghost Lamp saw the monster turning away to leave. He exhaled in relief. “I never imagined there would be such a terrifying creature in this tomb—far scarier than being a ghost.” He rose and looked at the bloodstains, shaking his head. “Not even a trace is left.” Turning towards the direction he sensed his lantern's presence, he was relieved to see it was opposite the monster's path, sparing him the need to chase after it. Meanwhile, White Fan, holding a lantern and murmuring to herself, was hurrying along the stone corridor. The corridor seemed endless, as if she would never reach its end. “Where does this lead? Am I destined to be trapped in this hall forever?” As she complained, the stone corridor began to morph. Tiles flew up, blending with the pathway to widen it, as rows of puppets lined up along the sides. Startled, White Fan hesitated, initially wary of a fight. But after waiting and seeing no movement from the puppets, she cautiously stepped forward to investigate. Stepping onto the gray stone floor, she observed the unmoving puppets. The red crystals embedded in their chests were intact, signifying they were in standby mode. The road continued to pave itself as White Fan walked on. Upon stepping on the final stone slab, she found herself before a solitary, floating stone temple, small and still. As the stone doors slowly opened, an overwhelming sense of decay and centuries-old stillness emanated from within. Inside, there was nothing except a small stone coffin lying quietly, unlike the imposing Seven Star Coffin. It was ordinary and peaceful, likely untouched since it was first sealed. Suppressing her tremors, White Fan gently pushed the stone coffin open. Contrary to its appearance, it opened easily, surprising her as she recalled the heaviness of the Seven Star Coffin. Inside was a near-terminally decayed skeleton. White Fan noticed writing on the coffin lid—characters she recognized from the outside world. “Yesterday is today; we meet again after eons of reincarnation.” As White Fan finished reading, the skeleton crumbled to dust. “What on earth was that? Just one sentence, and I got goosebumps!” She rubbed her arms, preparing to leave, unaware that a wisp of spirit from the coffin had settled on her. Exiting the stone temple, everything outside returned to normal. The puppets had disappeared, and when White Fan turned back, the stone temple was nowhere to be found. “Definitely encountered something supernatural—this place is too eerie. I need to get out of here.” Hastily, she backtracked, only to bump into the approaching Ghost Lamp, almost mistaking him for a wandering ghost. “What are you doing here?” Startled, Ghost Lamp, almost dispersing from fright, shuddered upon hearing the sudden confrontation. “You scared me! Finally, I found you.” “What do you want from me?” “Please, return the lantern to me.” Ghost Lamp spoke earnestly, bowing respectably. Holding the lantern, White Fan remembered the spirit hiding within it and pondered. “I already started refining the lantern—it can't be returned now. Didn’t I give you a stone?” “I’ll give it back.” He presented the previously given black stone to her, but White Fan decisively refused, believing in the principle of not relinquishing what she had claimed. “I don’t want it back. Keep it. I won’t recognize any takebacks.” Sidestepping Ghost Lamp, she started walking away, only to have him pursue her, pleading desperately. “Master, this lantern is my original body. The refining process nearly annihilated me. That’s why I’m asking for it back.” Halted by his words, White Fan wondered if Ghost Lamp’s true form was indeed this lantern. “You say this is your original form?” “Yes.” “You’re not lying?” White Fan’s expression turned solemn, her gaze piercing through the indistinct figure. “Absolutely not. If you don’t believe me, let me try to re-enter it.” Her expression remained skeptical. If this lantern was indeed his true form, she needed to be cautious. This ghost, with his smooth talk, couldn’t be trusted easily. However, since the lantern was only half-refined, she calculated it would deter any escape attempts. “Alright, I’ll let you try. Don’t think about any tricks.” “I swear, I won't.” Gradually dissipating, Ghost Lamp had no intention of causing trouble, especially with his body half-refined—a scenario beyond his expectations. Original forms held minimal significance for cultivators, valuable only to demon or ghost cultivators, the kind White Fan evidently belonged to. Setting the lantern before her, she watched Ghost Lamp expertly slip inside. The lantern instantly glowed green, eerie but somehow pleasing to White Fan, who smiled mischievously. “How is it now?” “I need time to recover within the lantern. My form is unstable, and I must visit an area abundant in yin energy to fully restore.” “Take your time, but deal with these wandering spirits first. Their presence is unsettling.” “Understood.” The surrounding white mist-like entities were remnants of vengeful spirits, fragments of souls slowly nurtured in the tomb's conducive environment. Harmless to the living, they merely caused a chilling sensation when passed through. Ghost Lamp floated before White Fan, his formerly flickering lantern now emitting a soft, firefly-like glow in the night. This was an act of summoning spirits. The wandering vengeful spirits around them seemed to respond to an invisible call, slowly drifting over and merging into the lantern. Countless tiny spirit fragments converged, and as the green light gradually dimmed, Ghost Lamp let out a contented sigh. White Fan frowned, saying, “Stop making those strange noises.” Ghost Lamp chuckled in response, prompting an immediate reaction from White Fan, who forcefully slapped the lantern, “Behave yourself. Pull another stunt like that, and I’ll refine you completely. You’ll learn the true meaning of 'disappear.'” “I understand, Master, I understand. I won’t dare do it again. It’s just that I absorbed quite a lot—I haven’t been this full in ages.” “Hmph.” Retracting her hand, White Fan allowed the lantern to follow, heading back the way they came when Ghost Lamp urgently called out, “Master, we can’t go that way!” “Why not?” “Because I just encountered a monster over there. Almost all the demon cultivators were killed. We should avoid going that way.” “Did you also see the monster from that coffin?” “Not only did I see it, but it also chased me mercilessly and even bit my neck.” White Fan turned to him, “And you managed to survive?” “I’m already dead. That monster only feeds on flesh and blood, and as a ghost cultivator, I’m just leftover yin energy.” Ghost Lamp spoke with lingering fear, remembering the long chase through the water. Meanwhile, He Yiman finally glimpsed the main hall in the distance. The human cultivators trailing her also saw it, growing excited. “We finally see the main hall! Hurry up, or we’ll miss our chance to get the Dao Fruit.” “But that woman up front doesn’t seem in any rush. Won’t we be exposed if we catch up to her?” “Who knows! We’ve followed her this far; she probably already knows we’re here.” He Yiman clutched her flute and glanced back. She had sensed someone following her and now confirmed it: they had indeed stopped when she stopped. --- Previous Chapter Table of Contents Next Chapter