Chapter 1247: Leading the Way

War, captives, and torture—these words fit together perfectly.

"What else? What else?" Dong Rui was more interested in the remains of the Sky Demon than in the Ghost King.

"There's also a Bright Well in this cave dwelling, where those strange, giant remains are buried."

Dong Rui's eyes lit up immediately: "Where is the Bright Well?"

"I... I can't explain it clearly," said the dismembered ghost. "But I know the location. They passed by with cages a few times, and I saw the entrance to the Bright Well."

Dong Rui was about to say, "Take me there quickly," but before he could, He Lingchuan spoke first:

"Who was the original owner of this cave dwelling? How long has it been empty?"

The dismembered ghost stammered, "I... I don't know."

"Our primary target is the Ghost King. After we deal with it, it won't be too late to return and explore the cave dwelling."

As soon as He Lingchuan spoke, Dong Rui, despite his eager expression, remained silent.

The dismembered ghost also reassured him, "Don't worry, we'll pass the Bright Well soon."

Only then did Dong Rui relax.

He Lingchuan then told the ghost ape, "Pick up the cage and let it lead the way."

The ghost ape was about to grow larger when the dismembered ghost said, "This cage blocks off aura; I can't sense anything from inside."

In that case, it had to be released.

Dong Rui suppressed his impatience: "How can we be sure you're not controlled by a soul lamp, or that the Ghost King didn't deliberately leave you here to trick us?"

"In the Ghost King's eyes, I'm just a tool and a plaything for venting anger; I can never leave this cage, so I'm not qualified to have a soul lamp made from me." The dismembered ghost gave a bitter smile and said to Fu Liushan, "You're a Celestial Master; you can test if my soul aura is missing."

"That's easy enough." Fu Liushan took out a piece of yellow paper, dipped it twice in some solution, and then stuck it to the open cage door. "Blow on it twice."

The dismembered ghost leaned closer and blew two breaths onto the yellow paper.

The yellow paper fluttered slightly, changing color to a strange rainbow hue.

Fu Liushan carefully picked it up, examined it closely, and then nodded: "There's indeed no missing part; no soul lamp has been planted."

"I didn't lie to you, did I?" The dismembered ghost looked eagerly at them.

He Lingchuan nodded, so Fu Liushan first chained it before releasing it.

The chain was a relic of the black-robed ghost, capable of binding ghosts and harming people.

Drifting out of the cage, the dismembered ghost reverted to the size of a normal human.

It took a deep breath, wiped its eyes, and said, "Eighty years! I'm finally leaving this place."

Only those who have known true despair can truly appreciate the preciousness of freedom.

"Lead us to the Xuanlu Ghost King, and then you'll be free."

"Alright, alright." The dismembered ghost floated out of the dark room, leading the way. "Follow me."

The three followed the dismembered ghost through the underground palace. Along the way, malevolent auras drifted, and they encountered attacks from evil spirits and corpse puppets four or five times.

Each time, the dismembered ghost immediately cowered and trembled in inconspicuous corners, never approaching the battlefield.

Their opponents were ferocious, especially one worm-like corpse puppet that could self-detonate, splattering the narrowest passages with gruesome colors. The bursting fluid, when it splashed onto skin, could cause swelling and decay within two to three seconds, a corrosive effect comparable to the acid poison that once disfigured Dong Rui.

However, with their combat experience from Mian Village, the three handled these creatures with ease, navigating the journey without major mishaps.

What surprised He Lingchuan, however, was that the Ghost King still commanded so many corpse puppets.

Fu Liushan wiped the thick sludge from his staff, also bewildered: "It makes no sense. Where does it get so many corpse puppets?"

He Lingchuan asked Dong Rui, "Could this Ghost King be one of your colleagues?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Dong Rui glared. "Rather than a Ghost King, it's more likely the original owner of this cave dwelling."

Fu Liushan also added, "Although these corpse puppets are bizarre in appearance, what's truly rare is that they still retain a trace of vitality, allowing them to be possessed by spirits."

In the real world, even the most powerful spirits can usually only act by possessing living beings. Well, undersea wood and certain willow trees are exceptions.

If these corpse puppets were completely dead and stiff, the Ghost King's subordinates wouldn't be able to control them in battle.

For example, when He Lingchuan killed Nangong Yan in the past, the Ghost King's clone possessing him couldn't remain and had to reveal itself and flee.

"What's the reason for this?" Dong Rui rubbed his hands eagerly. "I really want to catch a few of these corpse puppets and dissect them right away!"

This underground palace was practically his dream laboratory, not only filled with tools but also with test subjects running everywhere.

He Lingchuan had to reassure him, "Alright, alright, I'll set aside some time for you later."

Passing a certain dark chamber, they also saw a massive cauldron, at least a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) tall, with its lid half-ajar and exceptionally intricate patterns engraved on it.

It was a stone cauldron, now covered in dark green moss.

Ling Guang glanced at it twice, then exclaimed in surprise, "A Jade Stone Cauldron!"

After saying that, he wanted to jump in and investigate.

He Lingchuan pulled him back. "Watch out for ambushes."

Ling Guang was usually a steady monkey, but even he had moments of carelessness.

"I heard that ancient immortals had various types of cauldrons, unlike today's monotonous ones," Ling Guang scratched his cheek. "It seems this is true. This is a Jade Stone Cauldron, also known as a Primordial Cultivation Cauldron, capable of growing elixirs."

He Lingchuan asked in wonder, "Elixirs can grow?"

Finally reaching a blind spot in He Lingchuan's knowledge, Dong Rui gave him a side-eye: "How ignorant. So-called ancient miraculous elixirs could run on legs and fly without wings. Is it strange, then, that they could grow like living things?"

He Lingchuan touched his nose. "We'll come back to look at it later."

Ling Guang had calmed down and regretfully said, "It's too big to take. Besides, it's been in the subterranean evil aura for so long that it's no longer usable."

It's fine as an artifact, though.

The group then passed through another underground corridor and heard the sound of rushing water.

There was an underground current here, surprisingly large in volume, with mist swirling. Standing by the bank for just a moment made their clothes damp.

Where there's a current, there's air flow.

"Where does this current lead if we follow it upstream?"

The dismembered ghost blinked. "I don't know, I haven't been there."

He Lingchuan nodded and quietly released an eyeball spider here.

The group continued forward and soon came to a fork in the path.

Just as the ghost ape poked its head to the left, the dismembered ghost stammered anxiously, "Don't, don't go left! Watch your head."

A trap? They observed carefully and only then noticed several hidden cracks above. "What are those?"

"Head-severing stones," said the dismembered ghost. "Once those massive stones overhead drop, this path will be completely blocked."

"Is this a mechanism designed by the Ghost King?"

"I... I don't know."

"Where does it lead?"

"I haven't been there," the dismembered ghost corrected. "They never took me that way."

The path ahead narrowed again, with tightly closed stone doors often appearing on both sides.

Dong Rui asked the leading ghost, "What's behind those doors?"

The dismembered ghost could only shake its head: "I don't know either; I've never seen them opened."