Only then did the soulless Corpse Ghost go still. Its head lay on the ground face-up, revealing a wrinkled face, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and a pair of hollow eyes. The bun atop its disheveled hair marked it as from before the Qing Dynasty at least.
Wang Ya stared grimly at the Corpse Ghost’s vacant eyes, kicked the head into the darkness, and spat hatefully, “The Conceal Qi Blood Talisman was wasted! Its eyes can see people!”
Huang Qi asked tremulously, “What happened?”
Wang Ya said, “We can only fight our way out!”
Old Tang gritted his teeth. “Wang Ya, lend the ancient bronze coin to A’qi again. Name your price.”
Wang Ya refused outright. “No!”
Old Tang said, “I’ll rent it. I guarantee it’ll be returned to you intact.”
The Azure Vines around Zhang Qingshui flared with green light, illuminating the surrounding ten meters and revealing figures in the darkness. About a dozen Corpse Ghosts crouched like monkeys amid the coffins ahead, glaring at them with pairs of pitch-black eyes devoid of whites. These Corpse Ghosts wore ancient cloth garments, decayed beyond recognition, with tattered patches exposing black skin wrinkled like crocodile hide, adorned with Talisman Patterns. Though ages had passed, the patterns remained vivid. Their hands and feet bore sharp nails about half an inch long, piercing through their shoes and leaving gouges on the coffin boards when they scratched.
Illuminated by the Azure Vines’ glow, the dozen Corpse Ghosts retreated like the tide, vanishing back into the darkness.
Sweat poured down Old Tang’s forehead. He said to Wang Ya, “Wang Ya, consider this Old Tang begging you. I owe you a favor, alright?”
Wang Ya shot Old Tang a sidelong glance, then fixed her eyes on the gathering Corpse Ghosts. “Is Huang Qi’s life that important?”
Huang Qi said, “Martial Uncle, I can take care of myself. Don’t worry about me.” Though she said this, her voice trembled.
Old Tang added, “Wang Ya, if A’qi dies here, won’t your three hundred thousand go down the drain?”
Wang Ya glanced at Old Tang, then at the expressionless Zhang Qingshui. She pulled the ancient bronze coin and Ghost Collecting Bell from her pocket, strung the coin onto the bell, and handed it to Huang Qi. “After we get out, remember to wire five hundred thousand to my account.” She then explained how to use the Ghost Collecting Bell on Huang Qi. “These Corpse Ghosts were probably sealed alive in coffins with curses while they lived and refined into this form. To deal with them at once, either collect their souls or smash their heads.”
Huang Qi nodded. “Wang Ya, thank you.”
Wang Ya ignored Huang Qi, narrowed her eyes toward the darkness, took a deep breath, steadied herself, and prepared to unleash the Yellow Springs Other Shore Art.
Zhang Qingshui called out, “Wang Ya, wait—the array-breaking incantation!”
Wang Ya unleashed the Yellow Springs Other Shore Art too quickly; by the time Zhang Qingshui spoke, a faint red glow emanated from Wang Ya’s body, and her eyes turned red.
Zhang Qingshui warily backed away several steps, keeping her distance from Wang Ya.
Old Tang also pulled Zhang Qingshui back a few steps.
Wang Cheng’an exclaimed, “Wow, Yaya, you’re blooming again!”
As a sense of loss and melancholy surged in her heart, Wang Ya entered a wondrous state. Wang Cheng’an, Old Tang, Zhang Qingshui, and Huang Qi around her blurred into haziness. The Myriad Coffins Array, once pitch black and impenetrable, now lay clearly before her. She saw the thick Yin Qi condensing throughout the grand formation, the black Evil Qi rising from the coffins, and the faded Talisman Patterns weathered by decay. She even saw Corpse Ghosts lying in tightly sealed coffins. To her now, these Corpse Ghosts resembled nutrient-rich supplements, though she had little interest in them.
She stood in place, enveloped by inexplicable emotions: sadness, loss, longing—yet she knew not for whom. She felt rootless, and standing here was like returning home or filling a void in her heart. Was it because of the Leaf Demon? Or the emotions and memories left in her body by the Flower Demon? She wasn’t at the point of desperately unleashing the Yellow Springs Other Shore Art yet, so why did she want to? Was it for the power it brought, or because answers lay here? Wang Ya didn’t know.
Wang Ya walked slowly into the Myriad Coffins Array.
Old Tang whispered, “Follow her!” He gripped his Tang Dao, paper person guarding his side, trailing about two meters behind Wang Ya.
Zhang Qingshui and Huang Qi followed closely behind Old Tang.
Wang Cheng’an watched Wang Ya walking gracefully between the coffins in astonishment. “Huh, Yaya got prettier.”
Huang Qi, Old Tang, and Zhang Qingshui followed silently, vigilant of their surroundings while gazing at Wang Ya’s proud and elegant back.
If Wang Ya had been pretty before in face and figure alone, now she exuded an enchanting allure from within. Like the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flowers blooming profusely by the Yellow Springs Road, she was bewitching, seductive yet aloof and pure, radiating a captivating aura that made everything else mere backdrop. Walking through the Myriad Coffins Array, she was like a queen strolling leisurely; the terrifying coffins were her prostrate subjects, to be casually extinguished if they dared disrespect.
The watchful Corpse Ghosts trailed far behind Wang Ya, seemingly afraid to approach the aura she emitted.
Wang Ya walked forward about ten meters and stopped. She stared ahead for a long while, then slowly turned, her gaze falling on Zhang Qingshui. “Zhang Qingshui.”
Zhang Qingshui’s brows lifted, her back straightening involuntarily; even her fingers, calculating the formation’s path, paused.
Huang Qi and Old Tang looked at Zhang Qingshui in horror, then at Wang Ya, eyes full of worry.
Wang Ya softly uttered two words: “Break the array!” She glanced at Zhang Qingshui’s pinched fingers and looked away to survey the Myriad Coffins Array.
