Chapter 1249: Stepsa Huating

In fact, as they approached the cave entrance, they could see a light emanating from further within—it was likely moonlight filtering down from the celestial dome.

Here, there was no need for luminous spores; the light from the Bright Well illuminated the space behind the door almost completely, with only a few protruding rocks impertinently blocking the light.

He Lingchuan muttered, "It looks quite simple."

With that, he winked at Dong Rui with his left eye.

The One-Armed Ghost didn't understand, so he asked them, "The Ghost King has already escaped to the surface. Are we still pursuing?"

"Yes, pursue!"

"Wait!" Dong Rui had been looking back at Crystal Mountain, unable to resist his curiosity, and finally said, "Let me get a sample first."

"We don't have time..."

Before He Lingchuan could finish speaking, Dong Rui shot a gray light towards the One-Armed Ghost, which immediately pierced its body.

It startled, its phantom form trembling. It instinctively turned, only to see the gray light zip through the air, drawing an arc before neatly entering a hole on Crystal Mountain.

It was a living creature: Dong Rui's bat demon puppet.

The group watched it enter Crystal Mountain through a tunnel, and then—it burrowed into the belly of a celestial demon.

Dong Rui chuckled, "I was right! This hole was indeed carved from its belly!"

He Lingchuan said with a stern face, "The Ghost King is getting away! This specimen isn't going anywhere; can't you collect it later?"

"A few breaths won't make a difference," Dong Rui rubbed his hands together. "Fresh flesh and blood!"

This would be the freshest sample he had ever obtained, proving extremely valuable for future research.

"Are you done?" He Lingchuan asked him every five breaths.

The three humans, two monkeys, and one ghost all waited expectantly.

When he asked for the fourth time, the small gray shadow suddenly reappeared, then flew back into Dong Rui's hand along the tunnel within Crystal Mountain.

It carried a large piece of tissue in its mouth. He Lingchuan wasn't sure if it was membrane or flesh, or from what strange part of the body it came.

But Dong Rui took it, smiling with immense satisfaction: "Fresh!"

He Lingchuan irritably asked, "Can we go now?"

"Yes, yes," Dong Rui carefully placed the soft tissue into a wide-mouthed bottle containing a suspicious transparent liquid. "Alright, let's go."

The One-Armed Ghost, already impatient from waiting, led them into the ceremonial gate.

As it did, it explained, "This place is called Busha Courtyard. It's actually the passageway between the main gate and the ceremonial gate."

They looked around. Although closer to the surface, it seemed colder here than in the depths of the underground palace.

He Lingchuan suddenly asked, "Is the main gate still intact?"

"No, it was broken long ago," the One-Armed Ghost floated forward without looking back. "Quickly, out through the main gate, and we'll be on the surface!"

It moved too fast. Fu Liushan tugged on the chain, "What's the rush? Slow down!"

The One-Armed Ghost was already standing in the shadow behind a rock. Fu Liushan's pull was far from gentle, yet he couldn't move it.

He felt as if he were pulling on a wooden stake driven into the ground.

The One-Armed Ghost had always appeared like a flickering candle in the wind, its soul flame seemingly ready to extinguish at any moment. Why had it suddenly solidified?

It revealed half of its face from the shadows—large eyes, gaunt cheeks. The light cast on it made it look ghastly pale and eerie.

"Aren't you in a hurry?" the One-Armed Ghost said impatiently. "What kind of incompetent Celestial Masters are you? Don't blame me if you can't catch the Ghost King!"

Its tone of voice was no longer the same as before.

Dong Rui chuckled, "You seem more anxious than we are."

The One-Armed Ghost stared intently at the three, then opened its mouth: "My enemy is within arm's reach; I wish I could devour his flesh and sleep on his skin!"

"Perhaps the Ghost King didn't escape at all?" Fu Liushan stared at it. "Thinking about it now, the Ghost King didn't forget to eat all the souls in the cages before leaving. How could it have missed its enemy's descendants? Are your cultivation levels higher than its, or how else could you have hidden right under its nose?"

The One-Armed Ghost looked unjustly wronged, as if unable to defend itself: "You, you all..."

But this expression lasted for only about three or four breaths. The wronged look on its face slowly disappeared, its mouth curving into a slow smile, revealing sharp teeth.

"You're right," it hissed. "That short-lived ghost was, of course, swallowed by me in one gulp, along with the other caged ghosts!"

The Ghost King? Fu Liushan raised his Many-Treasures Pestle, its tip once again transforming into a sharp spike.

"Its persistence was meaningless; in the end, I still ate it," the Ghost King cackled twice, patting its belly. "You... will be the same!"

The One-Armed Ghost had suffered for over eighty years, yet never got its revenge, ultimately becoming nourishment for its enemy.

Such pain and despair were Xuanlu Ghost King's favorite seasoning. It made for a truly satisfying meal.

"Do you think yourselves clever?" the Ghost King said sinisterly. "If you were truly clever, how dare you follow me into an immortal's trap?"

Behind the rock, there was actually a tiny hole, barely thicker than a strand of hair, through which a faint, ethereal glow shone in, also as thin as a hair. This small mechanism had been invisible to them when they stood outside the ceremonial gate earlier.

The Ghost King raised a hand and pressed against the light.

Although it was currently a soul form, blocking such a faint beam of light was still within its power.

Immediately after, the ceremonial gate behind He Lingchuan and the other two suddenly slammed shut.

With the light source gone, Busha Courtyard plunged into darkness, with only a trace of moonlight remaining ahead, indicating the direction of the main entrance.

Dong Rui cried out, "Oh no! A trap!"

"Busha Courtyard, with its deadly steps, was not originally meant for you," Xuanlu Ghost King laughed loudly. "It's your honor to die in a trap personally set by an immortal!"

Its laughter echoed in the secluded and enclosed space.

It had already moved beyond the boundary. By all accounts, two decapitating stones should have descended consecutively from above in the next second, separating these individuals from it.

Once they appeared, all escape techniques would be rendered useless.

Afterward, Busha Courtyard, now transformed into a secret chamber, would activate its mechanisms automatically.

The original owner of this immortal's abode was even more adept at torture than it. Even if only a few mechanisms remained, there were still four or five steps capable of flaying any living creature inside, separating flesh from bone.

It was a pity that the decapitating stones' sealing effect was too good; at that time, it wouldn't be able to hear the wails and screams from inside the chamber, which would diminish much of its enjoyment.

However, that didn't matter. It was about to acquire the Rashomon Armor!

These fools, did they think they could ward off malevolent energy and thus dare to chase it into its underground palace?

This place had always been a point of no return!

When it first moved into the underground palace, it had cleared away many scarred celestial demon remains here, which showed how formidable the immortal's trap was.

Even celestial demons couldn't escape this place; what special abilities did these few possess?

Although the light was dim, it could still discern their expressions.

Fu Liushan's expression changed dramatically. With a raise of his hand, he threw two yellow talismans and simultaneously charged forward.

His talisman-throwing skill was excellent; the flimsy yellow papers flew through the air almost as fast as arrows, instantly transforming into two blazing fireballs upon release.

Xuanlu Ghost King's response was to reach out and swat away the two large fireballs, as if batting two baseballs.

Its right hand.

Its "severed" right arm instantly regenerated.