Chapter 192: Mountain Ghosts
Wu Shun and Ding San didn’t dare hesitate. They fled as fast as they could, lightning flashing and thunder roaring around them.
Bolts of lightning struck the ground, the earth cracking and splitting.
The thunderclouds above were dissipating, but the electrical energy on the ground intensified, sparks dancing everywhere, illuminating the desolate landscape.
Shi Hao, Sha Lingshan, Plum Blossom Lady, Peach Blossom Lady, and Little Emerald looked up at the swirling white clouds above, the lightning contained within, like a swarm of snakes, a terrifying sight, as if the sky itself was about to collapse.
The sound of approaching footsteps, and they quickly hid, pressing themselves against the cliff face, using the rocks and trees for cover.
A group of purple-clad warriors hurried past, their gazes also fixed on the sky above.
After they were gone, the four, and the small doll, continued their journey.
Unfamiliar with the layout of this underground realm, unable to navigate by the usual landmarks, they stumbled through the darkness.
They passed through several chambers that seemed to be living quarters, then a dense forest of strange, twisted trees.
Although they encountered several people along the way, they managed to avoid them.
Reaching a darker area, the lightning above seemed further away.
And there were no purple-clad warriors here.
Shi Hao frowned, “There must be some kind of pattern to this place, but wandering around blindly like this isn’t getting us anywhere.”
Sha Lingshan, waving her fan gently, said, “The Poisonous Sunflower Sect must be planning something. Let’s wait and see what happens.”
Shi Hao nodded, “If there’s no other option…” He suddenly turned his head.
Sha Lingshan, her fan pressed against her chest, also turned, following his gaze.
Plum Blossom Lady and Peach Blossom Lady, seeing them both staring at the wall, exchanged glances.
Little Emerald flew towards the wall, “Young Master, there’s a crevice here. It looks like someone went inside.”
Shi Hao approached the narrow opening, almost invisible in the dim light. He had sensed someone watching them, his Primordial Energy extending outwards, alerting him to their presence.
He focused his Primordial Energy, peering into the crevice, “There seems to be a passage on the other side.”
Sha Lingshan said, “But it’s too narrow. If someone’s waiting on the other side, they can attack us the moment we emerge.”
Little Emerald said, “I’ll go and check.” She flickered and disappeared into the crevice.
After a moment, the sounds of fighting came from the other side, followed by a flicker of movement as Little Emerald reappeared, “Young Master, there were two people there… or maybe ghosts. I knocked them unconscious.”
Shi Hao asked, “People or ghosts?”
Little Emerald said, “They looked like ghosts, but they were weak. There’s a passage there, but I don’t know where it leads.”
Shi Hao said, “Let’s go and see.” Using the bone-shrinking technique of the Nine Yin Demonic Transformations, he slipped into the narrow crevice.
The passage, about ten feet long and winding, led to a small chamber where two figures lay on the ground… perhaps they really were ghosts.
They were incredibly small, like children, no taller than an adult’s waist, their ears pointed, their skin dark, their hair so short that their scalps were visible, their appearance grotesque.
They held fish spears as long as their bodies, their eyes closed, unconscious.
The rustling sound of fabric, and Sha Lingshan, struggling to squeeze through the narrow passage, emerged.
Shi Hao had used the bone-shrinking technique, but Sha Lingshan, not having learned it, had to rely on her flexibility, the final stretch proving difficult.
Shi Hao pulled her through.
“That was tight,” she said, looking at the two small, unconscious figures, “I sensed someone watching us from the crevice, but…” She paused, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Plum Blossom Lady and Peach Blossom Lady, with Shi Hao’s help, also emerged, their clothes covered in dust.
“Are they… dwarfs?” Peach Blossom Lady asked.
Shi Hao, looking at the passage leading downwards, said, “Let’s go down. Be careful.”
Sha Lingshan brushed the dust from her robe, her movements still graceful. She smiled, “These two and the purple-clad warriors are clearly not allies. And this passage seems to have been built in secret. This is becoming more and more complicated.”
They descended into the passage.
A small brazier, filled with burning oil, provided a faint light in the darkness.
As they rounded a bend, a small figure emerged from the shadows, then, seeing them, screamed and fled.
Shi Hao whispered, “After them!”
They gave chase, emerging from the passage into another cavern.
A volley of small, metal darts, fired from hidden crossbows, whizzed towards them.
Sha Lingshan stepped forward, waved her fan, and a powerful vortex of energy appeared before them, drawing the darts inwards.
The metal darts, pulled towards the center, twisted and merged, forming a ball of scrap metal that clattered to the ground.
She had used the Unfettered Demon’s Boundless Art and the Violet Vortex Blade Technique.
Before the reunification of the Night Charm Demonic scriptures, these two techniques had been separated. Even Sha Lingshan hadn’t been able to learn them both.
It was only after Shi Hao’s appearance, and the restoration of the complete scriptures, that she had been able to master them.
The Unfettered Demon’s Boundless Art was a seventh-rank technique, easily mastered by Sha Lingshan, now a fourth-rank expert.
And with her higher cultivation, its power was even greater.
Shi Hao, having also learned the technique, knew he couldn’t achieve such effortless control, drawing those darts together and crushing them with a mere flick of his wrist.
Small figures, holding crossbows, hid behind pillars and rocks. They stared in disbelief as the darts they had fired were transformed into a ball of scrap metal.
As the metal ball hit the ground, they scrambled back in fear.
As they retreated, their small figures flickered, becoming translucent, like ghostly flames, their expressions filled with terror.
“Who are you?” an old voice, tinged with surprise, asked, “You’re not those Daoists?”
Shi Hao realized they had been mistaken for the purple-clad warriors.
After all, they had emerged from the passage near their base.
This also indicated the extent of their fear of those warriors.
The small figures flickered, becoming more and more translucent, like will-o’-the-wisps.
Shi Hao lowered his voice, “We’re not Daoists. We stumbled upon this place. What’s going on here?”
A short, wizened old man with a white beard, leaning on a walking stick, emerged from behind a rock.
He sighed, “Follow me,” and slowly shuffled away.
Shi Hao, Sha Lingshan, Plum Blossom Lady, Peach Blossom Lady, and Little Emerald, who had materialized on Shi Hao’s shoulder, followed him.
Shi Hao noticed that this old man, although short and hunched, was different from the others.
The others had dark skin and, when afraid, would become translucent, flickering like green flames, their appearance more like ghosts than humans.
This old man, however, although small and his back severely hunched, looked human.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” the old man asked, “You’re not with the Shen Ting Sect. Why did you come from that direction?”
Shi Hao said, “They attacked us. Then the ground shook, and we fell into a chasm. We were trying to find a way out when we found that passage.”
The old man sighed, “That passage… it was originally just a small hole, used by the mountain ghosts to spy on those Daoists. The tremors widened it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to get through.”
They followed him through another passage and arrived at a large cavern with a giant tree in the center, where several small figures were busy working.
Here, there were also women, as small as the men, but their skin was a darker yellow, their hair long, their ears less pointed, their clothes simple hemp garments.
Seeing them, both men and women scurried away, their fear evident.
Sha Lingshan said, “These are the mountain ghosts? I’ve heard of them in stories, but I didn’t expect them to look like this.”
The white-bearded old man shook his head, “They’re not actually ghosts, but victims of a demonic ritual. Their ancestors were sacrificed by a powerful demon. Thousands died. But an immortal from the Taisu Immortal Pavilion interrupted the ritual.
“Although the ritual was stopped, those who were sacrificed became… ghost-like, their souls fading. The immortal, taking pity on them, used a magical weapon crafted from the ‘Houtu’ divine crystal to create new bodies for them.
“She had hoped to give them a chance to live, and unexpectedly, they were able to reproduce, creating a hidden community here in the mountains. They are the mountain folk of this region.”
Shi Hao, a thought striking him, asked, “Was that immortal from the Taisu Immortal Pavilion… the Holy Jade Immortal?”
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