Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 117: The Hidden Immortal E

The moment Fang Xiu appeared, the massive evil spirit immediately turned its body.

It dragged its bloated body along the ground, slithering like a diseased tadpole more than anything else, if not for its viscera-like body dragging behind it.

Cen Ling lightly leapt onto its head and casually hoisted Bai Sui up with him. The uppermost pair of eyes on the creature rolled upward to look at them, but it didn’t throw them off.

The remaining five pairs of eyes locked dead onto Fang Xiu, their lusterless pupils filled with hunger.

With the shift in focus, Cheng Songyun finally got a moment to breathe. The three retreated into a dark corner, and Cheng Songyun wearily retracted her Resentful Ghost Shield.

“Xiao Mei, explain yourself,” she said in a low voice. “What the hell is that thing?”

Mei Lan had clearly withheld information. She hadn’t looked surprised at all when Cen Ling released the seal.

“That’s the ‘Six Ghost Remnants Immortal’.”

Mei Lan was gasping too, but her eyes burned with fanaticism. “Gather six evil spirits on the verge of becoming ghost immortals, strip them of the E they were about to complete, then use secret techniques to trap them in a grand tomb and raise them like venomous bugs… This is the closest thing mortals can create to a ‘ghost immortal’.”

Timing was everything. Too early, and the evil spirits were just that, too weak to be of use. Too late, and if the ghost immortal entered the Underworld, it would become a conflict between the living and the dead.

So Zhuang Guiqu chose spirits like Li Shuo, those who were half a step to becoming a ghost immortal, as raw materials.

“…And what spread among the people became the legendary tale of ‘Zhuang Guiqu sealing six great evil spirits’.”

Mei Lan’s lips curled with a cold smile. “Zhuang Guiqu raised the cursed thing and sealed it. That he left behind a control method doesn’t surprise me one bit.”

Even Guan He found this unsettling. “How do you know all this?”

“Because I understand the Grave-Sealing E.”

Mei Lan spoke slowly and clearly. “The six ghosts of the Six Ghosts Remnants Immortal were each one step away from becoming ghost immortals. They’re deeply obsessed with completing their E and will instinctively chase after any nearby ones.”

“The Grave-Sealing E is focused on maintaining peace in the tomb. If the seal on the Six Ghosts Remnants Immortal loosens, the Grave-Sealing E is sure to prioritize containing them. That’s what makes it ‘balanced’.”

From her tone, Mei Lan was confident the spirits were only targeting them in passing. Once the Grave-Sealing E appeared, it would pursue it with everything it had.

“We have to help.”

Guan He had a thousand more questions for Mei Lan, but the problem was… that Grave-Sealing E was under Fang Xiu’s control!

And his opponent was the fully unleashed Six Ghosts Remnants Immortal, plus the two Guishan Sect members who had released it. None of them were easy to deal with.

If Fang Xiu lost, they were all doomed. Between him and a fanatical cultist, Guan He would take the crazy Fang Xiu any day.

Cheng Songyun stared at the familiar-yet-foreign figure in funeral garb and nodded. They couldn’t beat the Six Ghosts Remnants Immortal, but they could at least disrupt its allies.

Mei Lan glanced at her teammates with a twisted expression. It was hard to tell if it was sadness or satisfaction.

“I agree too,” she whispered.

……

“This thing looks so standard that it’s only missing ‘enemy boss’ written at the top.” 

Fang Xiu muttered under his corpse-hand mask, frowning as he stared down the Six Ghosts Remnants Immortal. Being watched with such hungry eyes gave him goosebumps.

The Six Ghosts lunged, extending its tendrils toward him. Fang Xiu made a quick gesture, summoning countless corpse hands from the walls to block the strike. They held out for only a few seconds before being shredded.

He massaged his forehead, his dark eyes sweeping through the gloom. The skinless people were frozen in place, twitching unnaturally, like glitched-out NPCs.

Seconds later, they dropped their human-skin bags, extending clawed fingers as they moved toward the Six Ghosts.

The Six Ghosts Remnants Immortal slowed, as if caught in an invisible web.

Even Bai Shuangying could feel the pressure emanating from the air, an unfamiliar force.

Fang Xiu looked strained, as if he was moving a newly grown limb. There was no spell fluctuation… It was a taboo. He was trying to wield a forbidden technique through the Grave-Sealing E.

An undiscovered taboo, Bai Shuangying thought, eyes widening slightly.

The Grave-Sealing E was showing power, but oddly, its aura was growing more unstable.

Meanwhile, the evil spirit opposite them carried a familiar sealing energy. Not as complex or strong as what he bore, but of the same origin.

An immortal E. A grand tomb. A seal for six ghosts on the verge of becoming immortals.

Then what about a Tower filled with countless Immortal E’s?

He felt like he’d glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.

Bai Shuangying glanced irritably toward A’Shou, wishing he could kick that Underworld surveillance device out.

The Six Ghosts Remnants Immortal shrieked. On its head, Cen Ling calmly crouched, pressing his palm to the spirit’s skull.

A flash of green light shimmered, weakening the invisible restraints. It charged forward, barreling toward Fang Xiu.

Bai Sui let out a gleeful laugh, whipping out twin daggers and calling down arcs of violet lightning…

Which were intercepted by an invisible shield.

Guan He, carrying Cheng Songyun on his back, activated the Resentful Ghost Shield while Mei Lan circled behind with the dog. She unraveled her scarf and started chanting. The scarf folded into the shape of a bird with a razor-sharp beak.

With a flash of green light, the scarf flying bird hurtled toward Bai Sui, hitting him squarely in his right shoulder and ripping through it in a spray of blood, nearly destroying his arm.

Bai Sui screamed in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Mei Lan to strike with such… cruelty. The dagger in his right hand fell to the ground, mixing in with his blood. 

Cen Ling flinched. As he turned, the evil spirit beneath him began to tremble.

He whipped around just in time to see cannonball-sized ghost fire blast it back. The host of the Grave-Sealing E had been snatched up by Bai Shuangying, who hovered midair, one arm wrapped around him and the other wielding the Peach Bone Evil, hurling more ghost fireballs.

The skinless beings swarmed upward, continuing to climb the Six Ghosts. The enormous evil spirit staggered in midair, struggling to dodge.

“Cen Ge!” Bai Sui bit down on a pill, voice trembling.

“No problem,” Cen Ling said casually. “No matter what the situation is, or whatever the taboos are, if we win, it ends.”

Bai Sui clutched his mangled arm. “But that woman…”

“I thought she was keeping secrets. Turns out she’s a traitor.”

Cen Ling sounded distracted. “Shame I brought her. She’s not family after all.”

He pulled Bai Sui close. Light particles gathered at the wound, regenerating his flesh.

Refocused, Bai Su swung his dagger, hurling purple lightning at the scarf-bird. The scarf-bird dodged the lightning while Mei Lan retreated with the dog, barely avoiding the blast radius.

For a while, the fight reached a stalemate with spells and curses clashing.

Fang Xiu’s eyes scanned from the statue of Zhuang Guiqu to the ruins, then to the abyssal pool, and finally to his “allies”.

Cheng Songyun was being carried by Guan He as she held her shield; Mei Lan was sneaking around, focused on crippling Bai Sui. They could protect themselves but not do much damage.

Bai Shuangying defended Fang Xiu, using ghost fire to suppress the evil spirit, but with Cen Ling protecting it, a fatal blow wasn’t happening. Bai Shuangying seemed strangely cautious, his gaze drifting into the shadows.

Though he didn’t remember these people, Fang Xiu appreciated the clear friend-or-foe distinction.

He didn’t recall any combat techniques. His only offensive options were illusions, ghost fire, A Single Thread to Sever Heaven, and summoning evil spirits.

He didn’t have enough cards. It wasn’t enough to win.

He thought for a moment, then asked Bai Shuangying, “What level is that bodyguard of the evil spirit?”

“Cen Ling, a member of Guishan, who is ranked among the best spellcaster,” Bai Shuangying replied.

Though not quite Zhuang Guiqu, he far surpassed Zhuang Pengdao. Precise, ruthless, clearly talented.

“Take me to the statue,” Fang Xiu hummed.

Bai Shuangying didn’t get it but obeyed. He kicked off toward the Zhuang Guiqu statue. A gust of ghostly wind blew a ghost egg off the statue’s palm, and they landed together.

Cen Ling’s expression shifted.

He whispered to the spirit, which stopped charging and began firing tendrils instead.

Fang Xiu smiled, touching the tattooed words “Guishan Sect” and “Enemy” on his arm. “No wonder the statue’s undamaged. It turns out it belongs to the Guishan. What a devout bunch.”

He dodged a few strikes, grinning wildly.

Bai Shuangying couldn’t see the point. Even if the statue offered cover, it wouldn’t change the outcome. As long as A’Shou was watching, he couldn’t act freely.

But then Fang Xiu leapt on him, throwing an arm around his neck. “Carry me, over there.”

As he spoke, ghost fire flickered from a shadow. Bai Shuangying instinctively dove, dodging the Six Ghosts’ tendrils and Bai Sui’s lightning.

He didn’t know if Cen Ling did something, but the strikes were stronger now. Dozens of tendrils raked deep scars into the floor.

Fang Xiu curled his lips and hugged Bai Shuangying’s neck tighter and pointed in a new direction. This time, when Bai Shuangying jumped, another illusion also jumped up. The two sides split into two different directions.

“Parlor tricks,” Cen Ling sneered, patting the evil spirit.

Tendrils attacked both illusions, filling the plaza with smoke and quaking the nearby pool. Cursed fog rolled in, only to be sliced apart by Bai Shuangying’s magic weapon.

With the tendrils whipping at the illusions, the battle seemed to turn into a cruel whack-a-mole game. Though Fang Xiu summoned more evil spirits, they couldn’t hold off the massive enemy.

The attacks from the enemy were too strong. Guan He didn’t dare carry Cheng Songyun into danger, so he joined Mei Lan. The three dodged around with the black dog trying to stay on the battlefield.

But Bai Sui didn’t let up. While Cen Ling pressed the advantage, he hurled purple lightning at the three from atop while looking at them with eyes full of malice.

“Bitch! Traitor!” He screamed at Mei Lan while making faces at her. “You hit a kid, you filthy orphan!”

Mei Lan ignored him, tossing Guan He a charm that made him faster. Guan He felt as if his feet were like the wind and swallowed back his doubts.

From the beginning, Mei Lan only had one goal. She was just dragging them along, buying time.

No one knew how long the earth had been shaking when the surroundings suddenly lit up.

Perhaps it was the long stretch of being pushed back that triggered something that Fang Xiu finally snapped. The wide ground erupted in ghostly flames three meters high, warping the air with heat. The three of them froze, and Cheng Songyun quickly raised the Resentful Ghost Shield to withstand the ghost fire spell.

But Cen Ling only nodded, directing the Six Ghosts to swim through the air and dive into the central pool. Even amid the flames, the pool water remained icy cold. The Six Ghosts Remnants Immortal emerged almost unscathed.

“Heh.” Bai Sui lifted his nose with disdain and looked across the flames. “That was way too eas—huh???”

Something even larger stirred within the smoke and fire.

The evil spirits summoned by the Grave-Sealing E had quietly gathered behind the statue of Zhuang Guiqu. One by one, they hurled themselves at the massive stone figure with reckless force.

Countless ghost hands linked together, forming thick chains of blood and flesh. They latched onto the protruding parts of the statue, pulling it in a specific direction.

The area that had previously been blasted by the Six Ghosts cracked with a deafening noise. Countless fractures spread and splintered in quick succession.

It all took just a few seconds.

Under the pulling of the ghost hands, the statue plunged into the pool like a battering ram. Fire and smoke offered perfect cover, and by the time Cen Ling and Bai Sui sensed danger, the statue was already about to crash down on their heads.

Cen Ling reacted immediately, grabbing Bai Sui and leaping aside. The Six Ghosts Remnants Immortal wasn’t so agile. Most of its body was still soaking in the pool. Its candied-fruit-like heads and the statue’s extended arm collided directly, smacking it deep into the water.

The outstretched stone arm drove downward like a nail, pinning the grim, fleshy mass to the bottom of the pool.

In the next moment, the skinless beings swarmed in, cramming themselves into every remaining gap. Using their bodies as sealant, they clung to the statue in a desperate attempt to imprison the Six Ghosts Remnants Immortal beneath the surface.

Fang Xiu leapt down lightly and landed atop the statue’s back.

He folded his arms behind him and beamed at Cen Ling. “Pick one—your faith, or your mount?”

This time, it was a physical seal. Their opponents had never shown brute strength. If they couldn’t move the statue by force, they’d have to shatter it.

Cen Ling’s smile vanished. Bai Sui was still in a daze and instinctively yelled, “Despicable!”

Fang Xiu, unfazed, replied as if he’d just been complimented. “Much appreciated.”

With a casual gesture, all the spirits in the chamber turned to stare at Cen Ling and Bai Sui. Outside the tomb, footsteps rustled ever closer.

Bai Shuangying retracted his gaze.

Fang Xiu’s takedown of the Six Ghosts had been smooth and unimpeded. He believed he had confirmed the Grave-Sealing E’s second taboo:

Command the earthbound demons to guard the tomb in solitude.

…Not just intruders. Even berserk evil spirits were to be eliminated.

But this taboo, like the one before—“The strong’s karma will be polluted and the sealed corpse must be rotated”—wasn’t a straightforward death taboo. Three taboos total, and only the most important one remained undiscovered.

Near the statue, the trio finally caught on. Cheng Songyun and Guan He relaxed slightly, but Mei Lan tensed up, eyes locked on Cen Ling, fists clenched.

Cen Ling stared at Fang Xiu, standing atop the statue, a faint anger flickering in his gaze. He didn’t lash out like Bai Sui. After a long silence, he slowly pulled something from his sleeve.

It was a small cup of glowing jade.

“Cen Ge?!” Bai Sui’s face froze.

“No need to panic,” Cen Ling said, eyes still on Fang Xiu. “Even the Grave-Sealing E shouldn’t run wild on sacred Guishan soil. That thing knocked over even our founder’s effigy, that’s on me for poor judgment.”

“As a junior disciple, I have to clean up the mess.”

In the ghost fire’s light, the jade cup gleamed with dazzling hues. As soon as the women recognized it, their expressions changed drastically.

Mei Lan closed her eyes, seemingly relieved. A’Shou, on the other hand, turned pale, staring at the cup in disbelief.

It was an Immortal E.

Of course, it wasn’t unheard of for one to be lost in the human world. But this group had been summoned by the Underworld to the Disaster Relief Tower. If anyone had brought an Immortal E with them, the Underworld wardens would have confiscated it on the spot.

More importantly, A’Shou recognized that particular one. She had been close friends for a thousand years with its previous owner. She herself had stored it in the Shrine of All E’s.

So how the hell had it ended up here unnoticed?

Mei Lan hadn’t lied. This trip was well worth it.

Had Cen Ling merely broken a forbidden seal, she might have made a public fuss. But with things this serious, it was no time to alert the enemy. A’Shou gritted her teeth and kept a close watch.

So did Fang Xiu.

He eyed the tiny jade cup and cautiously stepped back. The Grave-Sealing E in his body began to heat up, clearly sensing something.

Cen Ling gave Fang Xiu a contemptuous look and flicked the cup forward. Fang Xiu was hit with a wave of vertigo, as if the earth had struck him in the face. Even the ghost hands hovering over his head drooped and vanished.

Fortunately, before he could collapse, Bai Shuangying caught him by the waist and held him steady. Among the other three, only Cheng Songyun managed to stay upright with the help of her prayer beads. The other two dropped instantly.

Bai Sui cast panicked glances at the cup, furtively checking his surroundings. Even his defenses became half-hearted.

“Impressive,” Cen Ling remarked, eyeing Bai Shuangying as he advanced. “But pointless.”

“I’m just here to deal with the Grave-Sealing E. If you know what’s good for you, back off. This isn’t some ordinary skill. It works through the death taboo.”

Bai Shuangying clutched the limp Fang Xiu and unleashed another jet of ghost fire.

Cen Ling tilted the cup, and a translucent general’s armor appeared over him. Battlefield winds circled around him, instantly shattering the flame.

Bai Shuangying’s mind raced. There was no doubt, that was an Immortal E.

Cen Ling hadn’t fully guarded against him. If he struck by surprise and seized the Immortal E, it might succeed, but it would blow his cover.

And he had to protect Fang Xiu. If the Grave-Sealing E was destroyed, Fang Xiu would die.

Bai Shuangying looked down at the semi-conscious Fang Xiu and nearly chuckled. At some point, his dilemma had shifted from “Should I save him?” to “How should I save him?”

Unfortunately, A’Shou wasn’t someone easily fooled. She was too close. She had seen everything. Not even the paper figure could mask it.

“You’re clever,” Bai Shuangying muttered. “So I’ll let you handle the lying.”

…He couldn’t think of a plan, but together, they might.

He didn’t know what this feeling was, but he liked it.

Cen Ling saw Bai Shuangying standing still and assumed he’d accepted defeat. Even so, he cautiously gripped the cup tighter and approached under Bai Sui’s protection.

He stopped half a step from Fang Xiu and reached out…

Suddenly, the cup jolted in his hand, as if pulled by an invisible chain, and slipped free. Red threads surged behind Cen Ling’s eyes. His connection to the cup was instantly severed.

At that moment, the cup was only a fist’s length away.

Everything seemed to slow. Cen Ling reached for it instinctively. Bai Shuangying yanked it toward himself with fierce resolve. But…

“Ah-ow.”

Right between them, Fang Xiu suddenly lifted his head, chomped down on the jade cup, and swallowed it whole.

Cen Ling: “……”

Bai Shuangying: “……”

“It felt light.” Fang Xiu licked his lips and choked back a little tear from the corner of his eyes. “Bleh. It tastes awful.”

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