Chapter 1243: Ghost Maze

The black-robed ghost's eyes were filled with resentment and indignation, but this time its target was not Fu Liusheng and the others. It used its last bit of strength, uttering, "Fifteen li southwest, the entrance to White Stone..." Before it could finish speaking, it vanished on the spot.

Dong Rui shrugged and said to He Lingchuan, "I take back what I just said. It seems King Xuanlu was still unable to prevent his subordinates from betraying him."

"Even ghosts know what's good for them," He Lingchuan replied, turning southwest. "If he is unjust, his subordinates will be disloyal. Every action has its consequence; perhaps it was fate."

The sun was setting in the west, and dusk was approaching. Amidst the vast forest, the three moved forward, following the black-robed ghost's final guidance.

After walking less than seven li, the three saw the "White Stone" the black-robed ghost had mentioned. It was a sheer cliff on a half-peak, its face appearing as if it had been cut, directly facing them. It stood out because it was entirely white and seemed to glow softly under the sunlight.

"A jade wall?" Dong Rui cupped his hand over his eyes. "It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a jade wall. If its purity is high, such a large piece would be incredibly valuable." He had never seen an entire cliff made of jade before. However, the jade wall was slightly yellowish on its surface, likely from prolonged exposure to wind and sun.

What surprised the three most was that there was a huge gash in the jade wall, which stood on the half-peak. Cliffs weather into all sorts of shapes and landforms, but the gash in this jade wall looked as if something had been thrust into it, forming a seventy-five-degree angle with the ground. It was like a soft cake stabbed by a knife, leaving an irreparable wound.

In He Lingchuan's opinion, this strike was filled with murderous intent and immense power. If this gash was indeed naturally formed, he could only marvel at the uncanny workmanship of nature's creative force.

"Let's go." With such an obvious landmark, it was unlikely they would mistake it. The three set off towards the white jade wall, but after walking little more than ten zhang, their paths began to diverge as they continued forward.

Fu Liushan walked increasingly to the west. As a Celestial Master, he had volunteered to lead the way, easily dealing with any minor ghosts along the path, so He Lingchuan and Dong Rui let him. He looked at the two and said naturally, "Come on, where are you two going?"

He Lingchuan immediately felt something was wrong. "Where are *you* going?" he asked.

"To search for Xuanlu," Fu Liushan replied, looking perplexed. "Is there a problem?"

"Isn't the white jade wall over there?" He Lingchuan asked, pointing. "Why are you heading west?"

"No, that's not right..." Fu Liushan looked to the west, then at the direction He Lingchuan was pointing, paused, and asked Dong Rui beside him, "What about you? Which way do you see the white jade wall?" Dong Rui also pointed west: "That way." Only He Lingchuan saw the white jade wall in the southwest.

How could three people standing together, looking at the same landmark, perceive two different directions? If ordinary people encountered such a strange thing in the deep mountains and old forests, they would start to feel uneasy.

Dong Rui also felt something was wrong and immediately shifted his finger southwest: "But I trust him more."

"Well, I'll be. It's a ghost wall," Fu Liushan's expression subtly changed. "That scoundrel Xuanlu knew we were going to the White Stone Wall and deliberately misled us." Sure enough, their actions and words had been observed all along. The black-robed ghost told them to head towards White Stone, so King Xuanlu used an illusion to divert their sight, creating a false sense of direction.

Though the error was only a dozen degrees, the deviation would grow larger the further they walked. As long as they couldn't see the true location of the White Stone Wall, they wouldn't find the ghost king's lair, or even be able to leave this vast forest. Living people dared not collect food and water in the Howling Forest; they had to carry everything with them.

"This illusion is so realistic, I didn't even notice it," Fu Liushan mused. "How do we find the true direction?" This was the ghost king's territory, and using the forest to interfere with their judgment couldn't be more convenient.

"Just follow me," He Lingchuan said, turning his head southwest. Fu Liushan didn't see the flash of red light in his eyes. "I can see through the ghost king's illusions."

"Are you going to explain it?" Fu Liushan was gradually getting used to this person's peculiarities.

He Lingchuan jumped down from the high ground and led the way southwest. "This is also a natural gift," he said. It was an unconvincing answer. Dong Rui and Fu Liushan rolled their eyes in unison.

They had no choice but to follow He Lingchuan. Such vast, desolate mountains naturally had no established paths. The weeds were taller than a person, their edges as sharp as blades, capable of cutting open a face if one walked into them.

Dong Rui chose a lazy method: he summoned his ghost ape, which grew large to clear a path. Wherever it walked, tall grass and bushes were flattened, making it much easier for them to follow. Fu Liushan watched its majestic back and clicked his tongue, "Your spirit beast isn't just an ordinary demon, is it? I feel like it resembles those corpse puppets a bit."

Dong Rui scoffed, "Those unsightly abominations aren't worthy of comparison to my Number Seventeen."

"Number Seventeen?" Fu Liushan asked, surprised. "Do you have many spirit beasts? Are you a Beast Tamer?"

Dong Rui replied vaguely, "Something like that."

As the two were chatting, there was a rustle in the nearby bushes, and something shot through a few leaves, heading straight for Dong Rui. He was talking with his mouth open; if it hit accurately, it would go right through him. He Lingchuan had been paying attention to his surroundings and casually drew his Fusheng Blade.

With two *ding-ding* sounds, those two things were knocked away by the Fusheng Blade. Dong Rui looked down and saw two yellowish needles, somewhat resembling porcupine quills, longer than a middle finger, sharp at the tip, and with tiny barbs. If struck by them, even if not in a vital spot, it would likely be a painful ordeal.

The ghost ape also sensed something was wrong, let out a furious roar, and with a huge leap, went to tear through the grass to confront the enemy. The creature also fired at it, but the ghost ape was thick-skinned and tough; as long as it guarded its eyes, the quills couldn't pierce its skin or armor.

The enemy was exceptionally agile, and the tall, long-limbed ghost ape chased it everywhere. Finally, the ghost ape grew annoyed, pulled out its purple-gold staff to use as a grass-parting stick, poked around in the bushes a few times, and then suddenly threw the staff like a fisherman spearing a fish. A squeal came from the bushes; it had hit its mark.

When the ghost ape lifted the staff, the three finally saw a creature impaled on it. It was no more than four feet tall, somewhat resembling a lemur, with most of its gray fur fallen out. Its tail, however, was longer than its head, the color of a withered branch, and had two small holes at the tip. He Lingchuan had personally seen the quills launch from the tip of its tail, aiming directly for the ghost ape's eyes. Of course, they hadn't succeeded.

"Lingying!" Dong Rui clapped his hands with delight. "Excellent, excellent! I've always wanted to get a rare specimen to experiment with..." A Lingying was a very rare type of demon; even the well-informed Dong Rui had only seen its depiction in ancient texts.

No sooner had he spoken than the ground behind him and Fu Liushan suddenly indented slightly. Something silently emerged from beneath the earth and shot a red cord towards Dong Rui's back. This creature lay flat on the ground, short and broad, but covering a large area.

A grey shadow immediately shot from Dong Rui's shoulder, swift as an arrow, and pierced through the large creature with a *whoosh*.