Chapter 139
Chapter 139: Then Come, Accompany Me in Eternal Sleep
As Xing Lan and Jiang Wan Sheng were about to lock horns again, Guan Zhuang, ever aware of the danger, stepped forward to mediate.
“Young Master Jiang, Daoist Shi has likely been delayed by some urgent matter,” Guan Zhuang’s gentle voice sounded, “Daoist Shi’s safety is not in question; please, Young Master, rest assured.”
Jiang Wan Sheng sneered coldly, his gaze locking onto Xing Lan’s neck, where a few conspicuous red marks were clearly visible. It was impossible to ignore them.
Who would dare leave such marks on the neck of Venerable Xing Lan? The answer was clear. What had Xing Lan done to Qing Qing?
Meeting Jiang Wan Sheng’s fiery, jealous gaze, Xing Lan remained silent, though his expression hinted at something like smugness beneath his cold demeanor.
Jiang Wan Sheng struggled to keep his temper in check, but Xing Lan’s very face was enough to provoke anyone’s anger. Before he could act, however, a sudden change occurred.
The vicious ghosts that had been slain quickly reformed, and the ones that returned were even more powerful.
The group, who had been holding an advantage just moments ago, was suddenly overwhelmed by vicious ghosts, suffering a brutal attack.
“How disgraceful,” a soft voice murmured.
The gentle, melodic tone was striking, and all eyes turned toward the source.
A woman, appearing almost ethereal, stood atop a nearby rooftop. She wore a long, flowing white gown that clung to her slender form, looking fragile enough to be swept away by the faintest breeze.
“Shi Zi Chu?!”
Hua Ting Li, bloodied and near death, nearly lost control at the sight of that face, one that disgusted him to no end. “Shi Zi Chu, you wretch! Was this all your doing?!”
The woman smiled sweetly, her expression delicate, but beneath the tenderness, a deadly coldness lurked, with malice unmistakably evident.
Xu Zhou Ye, completely losing his rationality, rushed forward, sword in hand, intent on striking down Shi Zi Chu. But before he could make it two steps, vicious ghosts intercepted him.
Shen Zhi Zhi raised her head to study the woman on the rooftop, her expression turning solemn.
This wasn’t Shi Zi Chu.
Guan Zhuang muttered a quiet prayer. “She is not Daoist Shi.”
As the words left his mouth, his eyes remained fixed on the woman atop the roof. His voice, calm yet edged with urgency, added, “She must be Shi Zi Chu’s mother.”
A vicious ghost, whose form couldn’t even be distinguished, was a terrifying prospect indeed.
“Isn’t Shi Zi Chu’s mother supposed to be an idiot?”
A foolish cultivator, perhaps too eager to speak, voiced a loud objection.
The woman on the rooftop hardly resembled a fool in any sense.
Her gentle laugh rang out, sweet and melodious, but it sent a chill down everyone’s spine.
“Kill them.”
At her command, the vicious ghosts, already difficult to manage, went into a frenzy.
Chu Zhi Rou’s magic artifacts shattered one after another.
With no time to spare for her, Chu Zhi Sheng and Xu Zhou Ye were too occupied to protect her.
As for the others, not personally connected to her, they were unwilling to get involved.
“Junior Sister Zhi Rou, be careful! Zi Yuan!”
A soft, concerned voice called out.
Chu Zhi Rou instinctively looked in that direction, but in the split second of distraction, a vicious ghost lunged at her, claws aimed at her innocent face.
“Ah!”
A scream rang out as the vicious ghost was torn apart by Zi Yuan’s sword qi.
Blood-streaked, Chu Zhi Rou now bore deep, bone-revealing claw marks on her face, as though someone had forcefully torn her skin apart.
Shi Zi Chu, covered in blood and stumbling, appeared out of nowhere.
Ye He Qi squinted his eyes.
Those who had been standing by quickly drew their weapons, rushing at Shi Zi Chu, and the vicious ghosts around them were powerless to stop them.
In the blink of an eye, Xing Lan stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Shi Zi Chu’s waist and pulling her to safety.
Jiang Wan Sheng and the others lagged behind, battling the vicious ghosts.
The woman’s gaze locked onto Shi Zi Chu in an instant.
At that moment, the attacking vicious ghosts ceased their assault.
Shi Zi Chu, clearly wounded, would have collapsed to the ground had Xing Lan not been supporting her.
“Where are you hurt?”
Jiang Wan Sheng approached in large strides, but was halted by a sword, its tip poised in front of him.
Before he could explode in anger, Shi Zi Chu gave a faint, reassuring smile, her voice gentle. “I’m fine.”
Meng Xi Yu handed over a hemostasis pill.
Xing Lan took it from her, refusing for Shi Zi Chu, then placed a rejuvenation pill in her mouth.
The pill dissolved as soon as it touched her tongue.
After a moment, Shi Zi Chu slowly spoke, her voice quieter now. “I found a soul revival array in the back mountains. When I attempted to destroy it, many vicious ghosts appeared to stop me.”
Her words, twisting the truth, drew all eyes to Chu Zhi Rou’s group.
Only they had been to the back mountains.
Countless wary and questioning gazes fell on them, and Yu Wen Wan spoke up, his voice anxious, “It wasn’t us! We had no idea about the soul revival array!”
Clan Chief Yu Wen, thoughtful, glanced at Shi Zi Chu.
No one knew for sure if the soul revival array existed in the back mountains, and they could only take Shi Zi Chu’s word for it.
But wait—Venerable Xing Lan had just come from the back mountains.
Before Clan Chief Yu Wen could inquire, Chu Zhi Rou, her face still covered in bandages, spoke up. “It wasn’t me.”
Her simple words caused a few of her healing wounds to split open again, blood starting to seep out.
“Junior Sister Zhi Rou, don’t get upset,” Shi Zi Chu’s voice was soft and full of concern. “I believe it wasn’t you.”
Chu Zhi Sheng was about to speak but swallowed his words.
Clan Chief Yu Wen, now understanding, nodded solemnly and turned to Xing Lan. “Did you find the soul revival array in the back mountains?”
“Yes,” came the cold, authoritative reply.
But that soul revival array hadn’t been destroyed by Jiu Jiu—it had been Xing Lan himself.
So what had Jiu Jiu done to end up so badly hurt?
Clan Chief Yu Wen was stunned.
It really existed?
Xing Lan’s cold voice rang out again, “I feared that the soul revival array in Water Road Village hadn’t been fully cleared, so I had Jiu Jiu handle the one in the back mountains.”
Clan Chief Yu Wen, still harboring doubts, now understood.
The woman on the rooftop, her patience clearly running thin, finally spoke. “Are we done talking?”
Her soft voice seemed almost too serene, but it rang alarm bells in everyone’s mind.
The vicious ghosts, under her command, turned their eyes toward the group, their crimson eyes full of danger.
“Then come, accompany me in eternal sleep.”
The moment the words left her lips, a crushing sense of weightlessness swept over them all.
The world spun violently, and before they knew it, they were no longer in Water Road Village.
The smell of earth and decay flooded their senses, and they realized they were deep underground.
Jun Yue Hua, holding a night luminescent pearl, cast a soft light that illuminated the surrounding darkness.
He surveyed the area, then spoke in a calm tone. “Grave goods? Is this a tomb?”
“It seems so,” Ye He Qi replied, holding his own night luminescent pearl.
“There’s a fork in the road ahead,” Chu Zhi Sheng’s voice rang out.
The group looked toward him, finding him standing at a distance, a dark passage behind him.
Clan Chief Nan Rong scanned the surroundings and spoke in a low voice, “Sixteen passages.”
With so many choices, no one dared to make a move.
The group exchanged wary glances, some casting hopeful glances toward Shi Zi Chu.
As the daughter of that vicious ghost, surely the mother wouldn’t abandon her, right?
“Why don’t we let Daoist Shi choose?”
No one knew who suggested it, but the idea gained immediate support.