Chapter 25: Evil Camel Bells and the Protector's Wife

The woman in red, sitting cross-legged, seemed to have anticipated this. As the sword tip descended towards her head, her body split into two, with one half standing beside the other. Then, she lightly struck out with a palm.

Li Weiyi's full-strength surprise attack with his sword only severed the afterimage of her sitting on the ground, leaving a deep gash by the blood pond. Before he could react with alarm, his face stung painfully as the opponent's overwhelming palm force bore down on him. In haste, he could only muster seventy percent of his peak strength. He formed a palm seal with his left hand and met her attack head-on.

"Thud!"

Li Weiyi felt as if his left hand had struck a metal wall, and pain radiated from his wrist up to his shoulder. He was then sent flying backward, landing about three meters away. He used his sword to steady himself, regaining his balance and avoiding the ignominy of tumbling to the ground. The woman in red also took half a step back, and soil crumbled from under her feet into the blood pond.

She was surprised: "In just a few days, you've broken through your realm and opened the second spring eye of the Gushing Spring Realm. Your cultivation speed is this fast?"

Li Weiyi's left arm was sore and weak. He secretly channeled qi from the soles of his feet to heal and recover, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Qi Shanshan standing by the blood pond. She was dressed in the clothes of a White Bone Demon, with bone wind chimes hanging from her waist. Her hair was long enough to trail on the ground. Her eyes were entirely different from before; cold and aloof, they held an arrogant gaze that seemed to look down on all beings.

"You drank Golden Crow Blood... No, you're not Doctor Qi. You're the skeleton from the grave." Li Weiyi saw Golden Crow flames flowing around the red-clad Qi Shanshan, guessing she had consumed Golden Crow Blood to strengthen her body. She hadn't shed her skin to become an immortal spirit, but she possessed a different, eerie aura. Li Weiyi thought it highly probable that Doctor Qi had been possessed or devoured by her. According to legends, these undead monsters were skilled in such methods.

"White Bone Demon?" The red-clad Qi Shanshan murmured to herself, then, in an extremely calm tone, said: "I can sense your hostility, but what I want to say is, there's no need for us to fight to the death. Why don't we talk first? Perhaps we can each get what we need and achieve a win-win." Her voice was somewhat different from Qi Shanshan's before, more ethereal.

"Your strength surpasses mine, yet you propose negotiations first. It seems you have some reservations, which is why you dare not act rashly." Li Weiyi believed the red-clad Qi Shanshan feared the Dao Ancestor's Taiji Fish. But she didn't know that, even now, Li Weiyi had no idea how to activate it. So Li Weiyi was feeling a bit apprehensive inside, and could only feign composure: "But I'd like to know, what do you want, and what can you give me?"

The red-clad Qi Shanshan replied: "Aren't you asking the obvious? I want the blood in your body."

"How much?" Li Weiyi didn't understand why she said "asking the obvious," thinking she might have misunderstood something.

"A lot."

"Is half a bowl enough?" The half-bowl Li Weiyi had previously released was still there.

"No, far from enough. Besides your blood, I also want your soul," the red-clad Qi Shanshan said.

Li Weiyi understood that she wasn't truly negotiating but was toying with him. So he retorted: "Then I want your entire skeleton, will you give it?"

The red-clad Qi Shanshan's eyes narrowed, glinting with cold light. She felt Li Weiyi had no sincerity whatsoever. This descendant of an ancient clan was too rude; he had just embarked on the path of cultivation, yet he showed her no respect at all. It seemed necessary to teach him a lesson now, otherwise, wouldn't she be enslaved by him in the future?

She slowly raised her palm, her aura instantly surging to its peak: "Very well, I'll take it myself then! Li junior, summon your Guardian Wife. With your current low realm, fighting two against one shouldn't be difficult for you, I imagine."

Li Weiyi grew more confused the more she spoke. He said, "Wait a minute, you must have misunderstood something."

"According to legend, when a descendant of your ancient clan is an infant, elders from your clan travel through famous mountains and rivers, and immortal tombs and ancestral graves, to find a terrifying deceased spirit who was powerful in life to serve as your Guardian Wife, hidden within your bloodline. Could the legend be wrong?"

The red-clad Qi Shanshan was utterly perplexed, believing that since Li Weiyi's identity was already exposed, there was no need for him to conceal it. Li Weiyi felt the opponent was using a trick, deliberately uttering strange words to distract him. Therefore, he held his Yellow Dragon Sword horizontally in front of him, adopting a defensive stance, his gaze growing increasingly solemn and sharp.

The red-clad Qi Shanshan said no more. She would capture him first.

"Whoosh!" She transformed into a red blur, shooting forward like lightning.

"So fast." Despite the blessing of his scripture belt, Li Weiyi was still inferior in movement speed. He had no choice but to take out the black iron seal and strike its top with the pommel of his Yellow Dragon Sword. He then channeled two currents of hot and cold qi into it. This was a method he had researched, which greatly increased its power without harming himself.

"Boom!" Thunder roared and lightning flashed.

The red-clad Qi Shanshan was forced back, with streaks of lightning landing on her. But her red robe, which was a thousand years old and clearly extraordinary, prevented the lightning from truly harming her. Seizing this rare opportunity, Li Weiyi pursued, channeling the hot and cold qi from his body into his silver-threaded gloves. A silver glow appeared on his hands, and his strength greatly increased. He consecutively unleashed over a dozen sword strikes, each one with full force and immense power.

The red-clad Qi Shanshan fought as she retreated, cracks appearing on the skin of her arms, with blood continuously oozing out. After all, Qi Shanshan's flesh and skin were still in a mortal state, completely unable to withstand such intense clashes.

Just as the two were locked in fierce combat, unable to cease their attacks, "Clang! Clang!"

From within the tomb forest, a dense black nether mist erupted and swelled, surging forth wildly. Accompanying the mist was the dense and loud ringing of camel bells. It approached with extreme speed. In less than a breath's time, the black mist filled the sky, bone-chillingly cold, severely limiting visibility.

Li Weiyi and the red-clad Qi Shanshan both paled dramatically, sensing the danger. They were about to withdraw and separate. However, the camel bells were already ringing in their ears, as loud as thunder. Within the nether mist, the first semi-ethereal camel ghost appeared, three to four meters tall, with a stooped, withered humanoid figure riding on its back. The humanoid figure brandished a ghost flag, stirring up a biting wave of air that sent the two who had not yet managed to withdraw their hands flying backward like falling leaves.

"Thud! Thud!" Both landed on the ground, spitting out blood, clearly having suffered internal injuries.

In an instant, Li Weiyi scrambled to his feet, holding his sword in one hand and the black iron seal in the other, assuming a defensive posture, determined not to give the opponent another chance to strike. The bells hanging on the camel ghost were exceedingly strange; each jingle brought forth countless negative emotions and incessant malevolent thoughts, which he could only resist by practicing the Jade Void Breathing Technique. The red-clad Qi Shanshan's physical resilience was inferior to Li Weiyi's, and she was even more severely injured, her face deathly pale.

Slowly, she stood up, uttering a strange language: "When the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman profits."

"Zen Sea Contemplating Mist, long time no see, haha!" The figure on the camel's back, appearing both ethereal and solid, laughed loudly while holding the ghost flag.

First, a White Bone Demon appeared, and now an even more ferocious ghost? Li Weiyi had long heard some research team members say they had seen a camel caravan enter a tombstone in the grave forest. He had originally thought they were exaggerating. Later, he had also vaguely heard camel bells multiple times, but dismissed them as auditory hallucinations and didn't pay much attention. Only at this moment did he realize that these camel bells were truly ominous. Many events that happened on the ship might be related to it.

Li Weiyi looked at the seemingly endless sea of tombs and gravestones, a silent worry growing within him. Who were the people buried in these graves, and how many of them truly weren't dead?

The red-clad Qi Shanshan's eyes were icy cold: "I never expected that a wisp of your soul would survive, clinging to life within the ominous camel bells. All the events on the ship were your doing, weren't they? Using the ominous camel bells to bewitch minds, instigate killings, and collect evil thoughts to strengthen your soul?"

"You're wrong! Evil thoughts originate from within oneself, what do they have to do with the camel bells? Besides, if I didn't collect evil thoughts to solidify my soul as quickly as possible, I wouldn't even be able to leave the ominous camel bells." The emaciated figure on the camel stopped laughing, and added: "The treasure hanging around his neck, I, your King, must have it. Considering we are old acquaintances, I will spare your life today; you may leave! You are severely injured, do not court disaster."

The red-clad Qi Shanshan straightened up and laughed: "Are you trying to trick a three-year-old child? You failed to kill both of us with a single sneak attack; you can only defeat us separately. If I leave now, I would truly be courting death."

"Very well, if you wish to die, I, your King, shall grant it." The camel charged forward, as fast as a swift horse. The bells jingled, and the emaciated figure swung the ghost flag in his hand down towards her. The red-clad Qi Shanshan, being injured, dared not meet the attack head-on, and immediately retreated with a movement technique.

Strangely, the ghost flag, which was clearly swinging towards the red-clad Qi Shanshan, before it even descended, changed direction with even greater speed, heading directly towards Li Weiyi on the other side. He was incredibly cunning; his true target had been Li Weiyi all along. Li Weiyi had been cautiously vigilant. Seeing the ghost flag surge towards him like a furious storm, he immediately swung his sword. A disdainful grunt sounded from the camel's back.

"Szzzt!" It wasn't a head-on clash; the Yellow Dragon Sword, like a flood dragon, glided across the ghost flag as if coiling around it, emitting an arc of sparks. All the force was deflected. Li Weiyi had already dodged sideways, six paces away. Once he was prepared, injuring him would not be so easy.

"Yu Tuonan, what else do you people from Free and Easy Capital have besides arrogance? With just this much strength, if the two of us cooperate, your wisp of a soul might very well scatter and perish here." The red-clad Qi Shanshan's words were naturally meant for Li Weiyi, spoken in the language of Earth. Compared to the White Bone Demon, Li Weiyi now had a much stronger desire to see the figure on the camel's back utterly annihilated, to eradicate the source of evil. His intent was incredibly strong.

The figure on the camel's back was enraged and humiliated. More dense nether mist surged from the ghost flag in his hand. He used the flag's pole as a spear, thrusting it towards Li Weiyi's heart.

Just then, a bizarre scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.

"Whoosh—" The mouthful of blood Li Weiyi had previously spat out began to vaporize, turning the surroundings into a world of light red blood mist. The ground decayed and molded inch by inch.

A graceful figure in a red bridal gown, with a veil adorned with copper coins covering her head, stood within the world of blood mist, directly in front of the charging camel. She raised her delicate hand and swung it forward, from top to bottom. What unsettled Li Weiyi was that at this very moment, he was also raising his sword and swinging it down. Why did it feel as if the two of them had become one?

"Whoosh!" The semi-ethereal camel was split in two. Accompanied by a scream, the emaciated ghost figure and the ghost flag he held transformed into a wave of dark nether mist, receding like a tide and vanishing into the deep, vast tomb forest.

In just an instant, the bride vanished! Appearing from nowhere, then disappearing into nowhere.

"What just happened... A Guardian Wife?" This thought, which even he found absurd, arose in Li Weiyi's mind. He immediately looked for the red-clad Qi Shanshan, only to find that she had long since vanished without a trace.

Li Weiyi quickly rushed back to the medical tent, worried that she might have gone there.