Chapter 772: Lingering Spirits

The two of them simultaneously stepped back.

Wu Manyue said in a deep voice, “Junior Brother Jiang, she just said she was a new disciple! And that she was your friend. That’s why we spoke with her!”

Ren Guhong decisively drew his magic artifact and said, “Junior Brother Jiang, there’s no such person among our senior disciples!”

Jiang Fan’s heart skipped a beat! This woman was neither a senior disciple nor a new disciple. Then who was she...?

“Heh heh,” a chilling, delicate laugh emanated from Liuli’s mouth. At some point, her eyes had turned completely black. Her teeth gnashed slightly, producing a grinding sound: “You bastard! You finally fell for it!”

Jiang Fan’s face changed drastically. He exclaimed, “It’s you? The female ghost?” This entity was truly persistent! He hastily activated his lightning divine ability. But because he hadn’t been prepared, he seemed exceptionally rushed. Huaxin, on the other hand, had planned this all along. With a flick of her long hair, she enveloped Jiang Fan, trying to drag him out of the teleportation array.

Ren Guhong and Wu Manyue were greatly startled. They decisively moved to help.

“Get lost! This is between him and me!” Huaxin snorted coldly, and a massive wave of dark energy erupted from her entire body, knocking both of them back simultaneously.

“Ninth-layer Core Formation perfection?” The two of them gasped.

At the critical moment, Jiang Fan unleashed his lightning power. Although it wasn’t much, it should be enough to suppress Huaxin. Unexpectedly, Huaxin was already prepared, with dense, inky dark energy condensed around her body. It neutralized the incoming lightning.

“Don’t waste your effort! You can’t escape!” She leaped out of the array, pulling hard, intent on dragging Jiang Fan, who was wrapped up like a zongzi, out.

At this critical juncture, Jiang Fan’s mind stirred. From within the Heavenly Thunder Stone, the revered, solemn corpse of a high monk, clad in a kasaya, flew out. The moment it appeared, a powerful Buddhist light radiated from its entire body. Huaxin, caught off guard by the illumination, immediately let out a pained cry. The hair wrapped around Jiang Fan instantly evaporated into large amounts of black smoke under the Buddhist light, and then all snapped. The spatial teleportation array also successfully activated at that moment.

“No!” Unwilling to give up, Huaxin’s broken long hair surged forward again. Like countless tentacles, they seized violently at his body. But it was too late. Jiang Fan had already been teleported away.

However, unexpectedly, although she failed to grab Jiang Fan, her hair snatched a small creature with innocent, wide eyes from his embrace.

Huaxin froze. “What in the world is this?” She stared in astonishment at the little Qilin, and the little Qilin innocently stared back at her.

In the white light of the teleportation, Jiang Fan also suddenly realized something was wrong and cried out, “Little Qilin! Come quickly!”

The little Qilin flipped over and quickly used its spatial evasion technique. Huaxin also reacted. It seemed Jiang Fan valued this little spirit beast greatly. How could she let it escape? Immediately, with a pained expression, she opened her mouth and spat out a blood-red, misty chain, which instantly looped around the little Qilin’s neck.

The little Qilin, using its spatial evasion technique, escaped into the white light. But the chain around its neck remained. Before it could leap into Jiang Fan’s arms, Huaxin pulled hard, dragging the little Qilin back.

“Waaah, Master, I’ve been caught by a ghost!” The little Qilin cried out in fear.

Huaxin snorted, “Give me back the Yin Marrow Tiger Talisman.”

Jiang Fan was furious. Yet, without the slightest hesitation, he took out the Yin Marrow Tiger Talisman. Compared to the little Qilin, what was such an external possession worth?

Just then, he began to spin, unable to precisely throw the Yin Marrow Tiger Talisman, nor could he guarantee that Huaxin would release the little Qilin as promised. Huaxin also noticed the problem. After calculating the time with her fingers, she stomped her foot, exclaiming, “Damn it! Your time exploring the underground world is almost up. There’s no time to come back and make a trade!” She angrily declared, “You brat! A month from now, bring the Yin Marrow Tiger Talisman to exchange for this little spirit beast! During this time, I won’t mistreat it. But if you don’t come, this little spirit beast will stay underground with me forever!”

Jiang Fan could hear her voice, but he could no longer respond. As the spinning intensified, his feet suddenly touched solid ground.

Without thinking, Jiang Fan headed towards the downward spatial teleportation array. Ren Guhong grabbed him, saying, “Junior Brother, don’t go! It’s too late! You don’t have enough time to go down and come back up. Otherwise, once the time limit is up, you’ll be trapped in the underground world for a month.”

Wu Manyue also said, “Junior Brother Jiang, since you have that dark artifact in your possession, she wouldn’t dare do anything to your spirit pet. You can rest assured for now. After a month, we’ll gather powerful cultivators and help you get it back. And we’ll destroy her while we’re at it!” Thinking that the female ghost had actually tricked both of them, Wu Manyue grew furious. First, she was tricked by Ye Banxia. Then, she was deceived by a female ghost. This trip to the underground world was truly infuriating!

Jiang Fan also calmed down. The little Qilin had a Merit God Orb within it, so it wasn’t afraid of the dark energy erosion in this place. Staying for a month wouldn’t have much impact. However, if he were trapped here for a month, that would be a huge problem.

“Alright! Let’s go up first,” he said, suppressing his anger. Once back, he would find a way to cultivate the “Heavenly Thunder Six Sections: Indestructible Blade.” By then, he would give this female ghost a long, powerful strike, sending her soul to oblivion!

The group quickly headed towards the upward teleportation array. Many people were gathered there, including Liu Qingxian and her companions.

“Xiao Fan, where did you go? We looked everywhere for you on the eighth floor but couldn’t find you!” Liu Qingxian approached him with a hint of resentment. Only then did Jiang Fan remember that he had left them a message on the seventh floor, saying he was going to the eighth. He just hadn’t expected to be hunted and forced to flee to the ninth floor, which had caused them to worry.

“I accidentally went to the ninth floor,” Jiang Fan apologetically held her hand and said, “I only went because I had no other choice. I’m truly sorry...”

Liu Qingxian covered his mouth and playfully chided, “Why are you apologizing? We should be apologizing. We couldn’t help you when you were in danger.”

Xia Chaoge also walked over. She softly asked, “Uncle-Master, are you injured?”

Jiang Fan felt a warmth in his heart and said, “I’m fine.”

Liang Feiyan stepped forward and lightly punched his chest, saying, “You rascal. Don’t go to the ninth floor alone again. If the female ghost kidnaps you, Junior Sister Liu and Junior Sister Xia will be crying their eyes out.”

Jiang Fan was speechless. He had indeed encountered a female ghost, and a very powerful one at that.

Just then, a cheerful, bell-like laugh rang out. “Senior Sister Liu, Senior Sister Xia, look what I found!”

From a distance, a girl with double flat braids and two peach blossom hair clips ran over, giggling. She wore a goose-yellow round-neck short-sleeved top and a light red wavy mini-skirt. Beneath her knee-length skirt were a pair of slender, shapely, snow-white calves. On her feet were a pair of brand-new white deerskin boots. Her face was round, her skin smooth and delicate, full of the collagen unique to young girls. Her two big, watery eyes sparkled like black gemstones. She had a delicate, upturned nose and small, red lips. As she ran, she let out infectious laughter, exuding a vibrant and energetic aura.

“What a cute little sister.” Wu Manyue couldn’t help but feel a surge of affection. She really wanted to pinch her adorable little cheeks.

Jiang Fan grew suspicious. “Isn’t she one of your senior disciples? There’s no such woman among the new disciples!”

Wu Manyue and Ren Guhong immediately became wary. They had just been thoroughly deceived by that female ghost. There were also dark entities on the eighth floor.

“Junior Brother Jiang, there’s no such person among our senior disciples!” Wu Manyue narrowed her eyes.

Jiang Fan chuckled in anger. “What a coincidence, we don’t have her among our new disciples either! These damn female ghosts, are they addicted to deception?” Huaxin snatching the little Qilin had already infuriated Jiang Fan. And now another female ghost was foolishly trying to deceive him.

“Sorry, but this anger, you’re going to have to bear it!”

In the adorable girl’s arms, a hair ornament stirred, letting out a faint murmur: “Why do I feel like this brat’s expression is off?”