Chapter 1824: Color is a Sharp Knife Above the Word

The Ghost King suddenly turned around. "How do you know?"

The old monk chuckled, "Having finally left this cursed place, who would come back for no reason? Just now, I happened to encounter someone else. For so many years, I've never seen a living person here. If you're not chasing him, who are you chasing?"

"Where is she?" The Ghost King, thinking he was referring to Jing Teng, asked urgently.

The old monk did not answer; instead, he said, "Help me escape, and I'll tell you?"

The Ghost King sneered, "Do you think that's a fair trade?"

The old monk replied, "Simply looking at this transaction, it is indeed unfair. It depends on how important that person is to you."

The Ghost King wasn't bluffed. "I think I just heard your roar. It seems you suffered a loss at that person's hands?"

At these words, the old monk's expression immediately twisted. He had originally set a trap to use that young man's body to escape the seal, but unexpectedly, the young man had tricked him out of his most precious magical artifact instead. The key was that he still couldn't understand how that seemingly weak young man could sever his master-servant bond with the purple-gold alms bowl.

Seeing his expression, the Ghost King understood. "Tell me that person's whereabouts, and I'll avenge you on the way."

The old monk's face shifted between cloudy and clear. He realized it was unrealistic to ask the Ghost King to rescue him, so he replied, "Alright, but you must bring that person to me. I want to torture him thoroughly, making him wish for death but unable to die; only then can I vent my hatred." Having roamed the world unchallenged, he had never suffered such a great loss in his life. His hatred for that young man was extreme.

"No problem," the Ghost King casually agreed. Although he didn't understand why the monk hated Jing Teng so much, once she was captured, who would care about this "stinking crab"?

Only then did the old monk point in the direction Zu An had left. "He went that way just now."

The Ghost King's expression changed. He had just come from that direction and hadn't seen anyone. But this "dead crab" was clearly not lying, so... He flashed away, instantly rushing back.

Seeing the direction he left, the old monk's eyes narrowed. In the end, he didn't tell the Ghost King about the young man acquiring the purple-gold alms bowl. It would be most gratifying if both of them perished together.

Meanwhile, the Ghost King returned directly to the previous spot, his body swelling with black mist as he began to attack the surrounding walls. Runes flickered on the walls; some mysterious power seemed to block his attacks. This was why he hadn't done so earlier. But now, knowing the other party had likely been hiding nearby, he used attacks to gauge what lay behind the walls.

Sure enough, he quickly sensed an anomaly. Approaching a section of the wall, he formed a hand from black mist and pressed it against it. Immediately, a door opened, revealing a dark, gloomy secret passage. He sniffed at the entrance. "It's indeed her scent. Hmm, and the scent of that pretty boy too. Humph, perfect timing." A cloud of black mist, enveloped in countless skull heads, pursued directly into the secret passage.

As for Zu An and Jing Teng, they chatted endlessly like lovers along the way, as if they were beneath a blossoming tree under the moonlight, not in the depths of a terrifying tomb.

However, paths always have an end. They soon reached an exit, where a spacious room appeared before them. It was cold and damp, completely different from the previous lava area. He noticed there was almost nothing in the room except a single door with a small window, whose purpose, whether for ventilation or something else, was unknown.

Zu An asked curiously, "What's behind this door?"

"Didn't I mention earlier that many terrifying monsters are sealed deep within the tomb? A monster is imprisoned behind this one," Jing Teng replied, her expression neither happy nor sad, as if stating something commonplace.

Zu An was startled. So, those monsters were imprisoned in places like this. He couldn't help but peer closer, wanting to see what kind of entity even Immortal Lord Baopu couldn't kill, only manage to seal here.

Approaching the large door, he noticed it was made of an unknown material, covered in various profound runes, clearly related to a seal. Upon closer inspection, the small window on the door was also sealed, looking somewhat like glass, though Zu An knew it must be some other material. Fortunately, this small window was transparent. Peering inside, he saw only pitch blackness, faintly discerning two rows of what looked like crystal balls, but nothing else.

Zu An frowned. With his current cultivation, his night vision was almost as good as daytime vision, yet he couldn't see clearly inside. He couldn't help but carefully examine the two rows of "crystal balls," each about the size of a basketball, totaling roughly sixteen. He thought, "This arrangement is peculiar. Could they also be some kind of sealing mechanism?"

As he watched, he suddenly felt that the crystal balls were eerie. A brownish gas seemed to flow slowly within them. Then, one of the "crystal balls" seemed to rotate slightly. While it had only been a faint brown before, it was now completely filled with dark brown. Immediately after, the other "crystal balls" also began to show signs of rotation. Zu An suddenly felt a sense of dread, as if some immense danger was approaching. At the same time, the purple-gold alms bowl he had acquired earlier began to hum and vibrate.

Just then, a gentle small hand pulled him back a few steps. Only then did Zu An come to his senses, realizing that his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

"What were those 'crystal balls' just now?" Zu An asked, still somewhat shaken.

"Those weren't crystal balls; they were the monster's eyes," Jing Teng replied.

"Eyes?" Zu An was astonished. Such large eyes? And two dense vertical rows of them? Just thinking about it could give him nightmares.

Jing Teng explained, "You're lucky. That monster inside is sealed and has fallen into slumber to conserve energy. Otherwise, if it were awake and at full power, that brief eye contact just now would have completely destroyed your spiritual consciousness."

Zu An was speechless. He couldn't help but say, "It sounds even more powerful than the Ghost King."

Jing Teng nodded. "It is more powerful than him."

Zu An was speechless again. What exactly was going on with this great tomb? How could such terrifying beings be imprisoned here, and who could have accomplished all this?

"Let's go," Jing Teng said, taking his hand and leading him aside.

"Where are we going?" Zu An paused, surprised.

"Further down," Jing Teng said. As she spoke, a staircase suddenly appeared before them.

Zu An frowned. The staircase hadn't been there a moment ago. "Logically speaking, the deeper we go, the more terrifying the monsters imprisoned there should be, right?" Zu An asked tentatively.

"That's right," Jing Teng smiled suddenly. "Brother Zu, don't worry, I won't harm you."

"Of course, I trust you, but what's the point of us going deeper?" Zu An asked, puzzled. The Ghost King was chasing them, and he didn't know how the women above were faring.

"To deal with the Ghost King," Jing Teng said, a hint of determination in her eyes.

Zu An felt a strange sensation in his heart. In truth, both the old monk in the lava and this multi-eyed monster were no weaker than the Ghost King. So why did they have to go even deeper? Was he even worthy of such thoughts? Zu An felt a bit over his head. Not long ago, he and many others were beaten like dogs by the Ghost King. Yet now, having witnessed some truly powerful entities, he was already starting to disregard the Ghost King, much like back in his past life, before he'd experienced the real world, when he might confidently critique everything, thinking a Maserati wasn't good enough and only a Ferrari or Lamborghini would do...

At that moment, Jing Teng had already pulled him onto the staircase. As they descended step by step, Zu An felt a sense of familiarity. "This staircase feels like some kind of spatial gate," Zu An remarked, similar to the sensation he felt when traversing secret realms.

Jing Teng smiled slightly. "You could understand it that way. After all, so many powerful monsters are sealed here, so it can't be like ordinary building floors. These passages are needed to separate each level, so even if a seal on one level malfunctions, the monsters can't escape to other levels."

"These staircases are also a type of seal?" Zu An's heart stirred.

Jing Teng hummed in affirmation. "Yes, these staircases only allow humans to pass. The beings sealed here are monsters, and they cannot pass through these barriers."

Zu An faintly felt something was amiss. "But the Ghost King still escaped from here, and you..." He left the rest unsaid. Strictly speaking, Jing Teng was also a demonic being, so why could she pass through these barriers?

"The Ghost King is somewhat special," Jing Teng paused. "And I'm similar."

Zu An couldn't help but sigh. "Surely you can tell me what's going on now?" She was far too familiar with this place. The idea of a tree vine being enlightened felt far from simple.

Jing Teng hesitated for a moment. "Brother Zu, wait a little longer. You'll understand soon enough."

Countless thoughts arose in Zu An's mind, but in the end, he only uttered one word: "Okay!"

At this moment, Mi Li's voice echoed in his mind. "You've always been a suspicious boy. You didn't trust that seemingly kind-hearted old monk just now, yet this woman, despite all her mysteries, you believe completely."

"I can feel that she won't harm me," Zu An replied.

Mi Li scoffed, "Typical double standards. I think you're just captivated by her beauty. Listen to my advice: lust is a dangerous blade."