Chapter 24

Sitting on the prison altar, Tushan Yi watched the strange transformation happening to Xie Chaoyun with detached eyes. She no longer pretended to be weak but transformed back into a beautiful woman.

After the Dragon Qi and Meritorious Golden Light dissipated, a ghost body directly facing Daoist arts found it very hard to remain stable. She had a “heart’s knot”—once catalyzed, it was easy to fall into the path of a Ferocious Ghost.

The shooting flames devoured the little paper doll. When she heard the dragon’s roar, Tushan Yi abruptly looked up, a look of disgust flashing in her eyes. The demonic energy, which had been forced down, swelled again, surging forward like a raging tide! It transformed into the Dharma manifestation of a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox and crashed violently into the dragon that was lunging at Xie Chaoyun! After the dragon’s silhouette shattered, another sword talisman radiating an aura of cold sharpness arrived. Tushan Yi expressionlessly took the new blow for Xie Chaoyun.

She recklessly squandered the last vestiges of her demonic energy, seemingly uncaring of the backlash from the seal and the talismans.

And as demonic energy clashed with Daoist arts, the “Ghost Wrath Qi” on Xie Chaoyun grew denser. The instincts belonging to a Yin Ghost gradually usurped reason, slowly spreading toward the cave’s exterior. Precisely at that moment, the four sprinting Yellow-Scarf Divine Soldiers burst into the chamber. They thrust their blades and halberds forward, slashing at the ghostly Xie Chaoyun!

“Heavenly Constellation Divine Power: Scatter Beans to Form Soldiers?” Tushan Yi stared for a moment, then laughed bizarrely.

Yellow-Scarf Divine Soldiers were guardian divine generals of immense strength, tasked with subduing demons. Yet the realm of the summoned soldiers was tied to the caster’s Daoist depth; once their spiritual energy was exhausted, they would revert to talisman beans. Xie Chaoyun wasn’t a cultivator, but she had resided within the Soul-Nourishing Wood for a millennium. As a ghostly entity, she naturally formed baleful energy over time—the longer the time, the higher her power level. She could even transform the entire region she occupied into a Ghost King’s Ghost Domain, followed by thousands of Ghost Soldiers.

At that moment, the sound of wind and thunder suddenly erupted over Southern Mountain.

The spreading miasma diffused in all directions. Soon, not just the mountain with the Fox Immortal Temple, but also the nearby towns and villages were enveloped in the foul fog, instantly cut off from light and sound.

Inside the cave.

Fu Juan’s expression was haggard, the weariness between her brows deepening. Her fingertips pressed hard against the wheelchair handles. She said in a low voice, “The Yellow-Scarf Divine Soldiers can’t hold on. Once the millennial Ghost King forms a ghost domain, all life on Southern Mountain will turn into ghosts.”

Jiang Yiguang, hearing this, lowered her head. She looked at Fu Juan seriously, waiting for her next words.

The System’s quest directly targeted the “Millennial Nine-Tailed Fox,” but she only realized after arriving how much this broken System had tricked her. The greatest crisis wasn’t the Nine-Tailed Fox at all, but this seemingly righteous Xie Chaoyun! She knew her own limits and didn’t feel there was any chance of winning.

Fu Juan asked, “If we use the ritual altar to set a seal, it can’t hold for too long. Has there been a reply from the Xuanzhen Dao Court?”

Wang Xuanming shook his head. The magnetic field was chaotic within Southern Mountain; his phone had no signal, and they were completely cut off from the outside world. The message they’d sent before entering the mountain might have been received, but who knew when they would arrive at Southern Mountain? “Are you okay?” Wang Xuanming asked with concern.

Fu Juan didn’t reply.

Jiang Yiguang glanced sidelong at Wang Xuanming, finding him genuinely annoying. If the subsequent events followed the plot, wouldn’t that mean he would appear alongside Fu Juan? If she wanted to break free from the shackles of fate, that meant entering the main storyline… Jiang Yiguang’s temper wasn’t exactly good; the more she thought about it, the worse her mood became. Even her fear of the unknown faded considerably. As she kicked forward, she accidentally struck the cave wall—the pain shooting up from her toes made her flinch and gasp sharply.

But the next moment, the red runes appearing on the cave wall caught her attention.

Those seal characters were directly carved onto the rock face, sketching out a series of strange patterns. They resembled the “Devil-Subduing Incantation” she’d seen in Daoist scriptures, yet faintly, she felt they were different. They lacked the righteous majesty of Xuanmen spell talismans, instead exuding an ominous aura, as if casting one into the deepest hell.

“Fu Juan?” Jiang Yiguang had no choice but to consult the “expert” in this area.

Hearing Jiang Yiguang gasp, Fu Juan had already turned her head in her direction. She stared intently at the runes on the wall, then her expression changed. She said coldly, “Devil-Refining Incantation.” This was an evil curse used by some wicked Daoists to nurture and refine ghostly entities, a twisted version of the “Devil-Subduing Incantation.” Though the name differed by just one character, the effects were like heaven and earth.

Jiang Yiguang also felt a sense of foreboding upon hearing Fu Juan’s words. Perhaps because the curse on the wall clashed with the talismans she wore, the once-hidden characters gradually revealed themselves, extending into the dark cave. There were no signs of weathering or erosion on them; they clearly hadn’t been carved by a Daoist of ancient times. Who was behind this? What was their purpose? Jiang Yiguang felt as if she were enveloped in an impenetrable fog.

“This spell is incredibly fierce… whoever carved it had no small Daoist attainment,” Wang Xuanming said, his voice trembling slightly. This step into an unknown whirlpool similarly filled him with dread. Yet despite that, he still drew his ritual sword and tried to destroy the runes on the wall. However, a current of energy rose out of thin air, meeting the tip of his blade. A sudden surge of immense force bore down on the sword like a mountain, forcing Wang Xuanming back several steps as he gasped heavily for breath.

Fu Juan said, “I once read in a book that the ‘Devil-Refining Incantation’ requires a ‘trigger.’ As long as the ‘trigger’ isn’t destroyed, the spell won’t disappear. If that senior turned into a Ferocious Ghost under the stimulation of the Devil-Refining Incantation, then she must have had considerable contact with the ‘trigger.'”

Wang Xuanming couldn’t help but ask, “Could it be the Nine-Tailed Fox?”

Fu Juan didn’t confirm or deny. Although they absolutely had to enter the mountain this time, she had to admit their actions had been far too reckless and careless. The originally intended helper had suddenly become the greatest enemy. This proved that neither Merits nor Dragon Qi were reliable; her previous understanding had been shattered. Merits could be worn down over the long years, but what about Dragon Qi? It was backed by Dragon Veins.

Listening to their conversation, Jiang Yiguang’s mind began to wander. The first thing she thought of wasn’t the “Nine-Tailed Fox,” but Xie Qingdu, who shared a bloodline with Xie Chaoyun and even bore a slight resemblance to her. Don’t “triggers” usually involve blood relatives? That’s how it was written in novels. Maybe the “original” state of this world was the same? But even if it really was Xie Qingdu, they were trapped inside the cave and couldn’t get out. Realizing this, Jiang Yiguang let out a heavy sigh.

According to the System, she wouldn’t die, but it never said she wouldn’t be crippled! Lying in a hospital bed, relying on others to feed and care for her… that image was far too miserable and wretched. Jiang Yiguang couldn’t bear to think any further.

Shen City.

Lu Yaotiao was the type who couldn’t sit still. Upon learning Jiang Yiguang had headed to Southern Mountain, she had desperately wanted to go with her. But in the end, Jiang Yiguang had dissuaded her. She didn’t go out but lounged idly on the sofa, watching the news. When she heard the newscaster’s crisp, standard pronunciation, she abruptly turned her head to look at the video screen, her eyes widening.

Southern Mountain enveloped in foul fog. Southern Mountain Town had lost contact.

Southern Mountain… wasn’t that where Jiang Yiguang had gone?

Lu Yaotiao shot to her feet. The movement was so violent that her knee hit the coffee table, sending ripples across the water in her glass.

Just as she was frantic with worry, the doorbell and her phone rang in quick succession.

When she clearly saw the three characters “Xie Qingdu,” Lu Yaotiao’s expression froze on her face, like a statue.