Chapter 48

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

Without wind, the jade bells shifted from a faint tremor to violent shaking, their ringing growing increasingly loud.

"The black mist! Those black mists are moving again!"

Huang Ying cried out suddenly, her voice laced with terror.

The stagnant souls and deathly aura, previously frozen by Murong's death, seemed to awaken under the influence of the bells, stirring back to life and surging toward them once more.

Murong's horn had shattered upon his death, but the Four-Response Bells exerted an even greater influence over the wandering spirits.

Zhu Huan and Wu Ming realized this simultaneously. Both leaped forward to seize the bells, yet they were still a fraction of a second too late!

The black vapor rolled and swept forward, instantly swallowing everyone's vision. Complete darkness descended in a flash, so absolute one could not even see their own hand before their face, let alone the Four-Response Bells.

The fox felt as though her entire body had plunged into an icy cave, an instant, bone-chilling cold making her shiver violently. She looked around frantically to find Xie Chang'an, only to hear a succession of screams piercing the black mist. Overwhelmed with anxiety, the fox shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Xie Chang'an! Xie Chang'an, where are you?!"

She had no idea why her first instinct was to search for Xie Chang'an. Logically speaking, though the two had traveled together, they were ultimately mere acquaintances brought together by circumstance, bound only by mutual utility. Xie Chang'an's goal was the brocade robe, while she wanted to play the predator and kill Zhu Huan when the opportunity arose. They had simply shared a temporary absence of conflicting interests.

Yet the moment the black mist surged, her mind immediately turned to Xie Chang'an, convinced she might hold a solution.

"Shut up."

The fox's tail was hoisted by an unseen force mid-air and tossed over a shoulder.

Yu Cui opened her mouth to snap back, but suddenly realizing who had grabbed her, she swallowed her complaints and hastily wrapped all four limbs around the person.

However, the deathly qi grew heavier by the second. Her hands and feet grew numb, robbing her of her strength. The entire fox slid down Xie Chang'an's arm, cursing the recently deceased Murong in her heart.

The man must have captured and refined every single soul in the entire Zhaogu Realm; otherwise, how could there possibly be such a thick, unyielding blanket of black mist? If this continued, not even a descending immortal could hold out.

"Zhu Huan, isn't this your territory? Think of something, quickly!"

Wu Ming's frantic voice rang out. He was undoubtedly attempting to disperse the deathly qi as well, but to no avail.

Zhu Huan practiced the vow of silence and never spoke, naturally offering no reply.

The fox had already begun to gasp heavily.

The oppressive deathly qi cut off all vitality while devouring the life force within them.

She could even feel her spiritual energy being continuously sucked away by the surrounding deathly qi.

These wandering souls harbored deep obsessions and intense hatreds. Once condensed into the black mist of death, even with Murong's horn to command them, he had constantly had to guard against a backlash.

Yet the Four-Response Bells seemed to be an existence far more formidable than the horn. The deathly qi grew increasingly dense and heavy, as if it understood how to bully the weak. Rather than immediately attacking Xie Chang'an and the others, it prowled the crowd, lying in wait for someone whose mind had already cracked under the pressure.

Within the black mist, a pair of invisible eyes quietly snapped open, roaming about before—

Locking onto a target.

"Master, save me!!!"

Everyone recognized that voice. It belonged to Huang Ying.

Earlier, whenever she spoke, her voice had been like pearls falling upon a jade plate—crisp and melodious.

At this moment, however, it sounded agonizingly wretched and tormented. Her elongated, trembling tail-end echoed with the torment of unimaginable tortures.

Xie Chang'an and Zhu Huan acted almost simultaneously!

The former gripped her Sealing Brush and slashed a few rapid strokes toward the source of the sound.

A fierce gale suddenly erupted!

The fox was nearly blown away, barely managing to bite down tightly onto Xie Chang'an's sleeve. Even so, the gale plastered all her fur flat against her body, making it impossible to keep her eyes open.

Under such a tempestuous wind, even the thickest deathly qi was bound to be scattered.

Meanwhile, Zhu Huan darted toward Huang Ying, flinging his prayer beads to suppress the mass of black mist that was swallowing her. Transforming his palm into a blade, he thrust his bare hand directly into the black mist—

After a piercing shriek, the deathly qi shrouding Huang Ying vanished into thin air.

Wu Ming materialized a lantern, its light revealing the upper half of her body drenched in blood, while her lower half had already been reduced to bare white bone.

Huang Ying's mouth moved soundlessly, unable to produce a voice. She could only gaze at her master, her eyes brimming with tears in a silent, pleading entreaty.

Begging only for death.

Zhu Huan sighed soundlessly, placing a hand upon the back of her neck and giving it a gentle twist. A bone snapped.

The deathly qi had been temporarily dispersed, but there was no telling when it might return. Everyone instinctively crowded closer to the lantern light. Few survivors remained—only Xie Chang'an and the fox, Zhu Huan, and Wu Ming. Anyone with even slightly weaker cultivation would never have survived until now.

Wu Ming wore a look of gloating schadenfreude.

When Zhu Huan had made his grand entrance at the beginning of the birthday banquet, surrounded by blooming flowers and dazzling splendor, look at him now—reduced to a solitary figure.

Xie Chang'an cast a quick glance around. Zhe Er, disguised in the purple maid's robes, was also still present. Though her complexion was somewhat pale and she carried injuries, she was largely unharmed.

The other person scanned their surroundings with a calm facade, evidently searching for Xie Chang'an as well.

Their eyes met, and Zhe Er gave a slight nod, though she did not come over to speak.

The fox's teeth ached fiercely. No longer able to hold on, she dropped from Xie Chang'an's body. The latter's sleeve already bore two deep, wet punctures from the fox's bite.

"Did someone just touch the Four-Response Bells?"

It was a redundant question.

Once restored, the Four-Response Bells had been left casually by Zhu Huan beside the lotus platform where he sat. No one had touched them; everyone had seen clearly when Zhu Huan and Wu Ming had lunged for them at the same time.

"Where is this? Are we still in Weiguang Heaven?"

The fox posed two more questions.

No one offered an answer.

Growing restless, she began clicking her claws together in divination, only to calculate that they were running in circles with their future entirely uncertain.

"It feels like we've been trapped inside the Four-Response Bells! We need to find a way out!"

Just as impatient as she, Wu Ming carried his lantern and inspected the immediate vicinity.

He carefully noted his bearings and paces, only to discover that no matter how he walked, he could never break past a distance of roughly three zhang.

North, south, east, west—it was all the same.

Seeing that no one was paying her attention, the fox first went to tug on Xie Chang'an's sleeve.

"Chang'an, Chang'an, did you hear what I said?"

Ignoring her, Xie Chang'an spun the Sealing Brush in her hand, staring down at the tip as if pondering something.

Losing interest instantly, the fox swept her gaze across the rest of the group, finally landing on the purple-robed maid standing beside Xie Chang'an, and promptly recognized him.

"You're actually not dead?!"

Zhe Er twitched the corner of his mouth in response.

The fox was intensely curious about his experiences after they were separated, but knowing this was no time for idle chatter, she forcefully reined in her urge to question him further.

Nearby, Wu Ming had already produced several magical artifacts, testing them in all four directions multiple times, only for every attempt to end in failure.

Believing his own cultivation to be formidable—having weathered seas of blades and flames—he felt utterly clueless upon being trapped here, not even knowing who their enemy was, let alone how to find a way out.

If someone had intentionally used the Four-Response Bells to trap them, they should have appeared by now to state their terms.

Yet no one showed.

The fox was anxious, but seeing Wu Ming even more agitated, she couldn't help but chuckle.

Wu Ming turned his head darkly, glaring at her. "What are you laughing at?"

The fox replied, "I'm laughing at your lack of composure. Isn't that it?"

Wu Ming sneered, "Yu Cui, do you really think that by latching onto some wandering ghost of unknown origin, you've earned the right to bark at me? Don't forget your injuries haven't healed yet."

The fox sneered right back. "If you and Murong hadn't teamed up to ambush me, how would I have been injured in the first place? You think you're worthy? Murong is already dead—want to go keep him company?"

With both old grudges and new hatreds flaring up, the two stood at daggers drawn.

How could Wu Ming endure this? Burning with rage, he raised a hand and lunged straight at her.

Without waiting for him to reach her, the fox leaped backward into mid-air, instantly transforming into a tawny-clothed woman whose hair matched the shade of her fur. She whipped a soft lash woven from her own hair toward Wu Ming, and the two immediately broke into a fierce fight.

After all, the fox was still nursing old wounds and quickly fell into a disadvantage. Refusing to entangle herself further with Wu Ming, she twisted her body, reverted into a fluffy-furred fox, and crashed straight into Xie Chang'an's arms, whining pitifully:

"Chang'an, he's hitting me!"

Since blows had already been exchanged, Wu Ming had no intention of letting her escape. Thinking it was the perfect opportunity to take the fox's life and dig out her inner core to aid his cultivation, he pressed his attack, lunging directly at the fox now tucked into Xie Chang'an's embrace!

A long sword and a vajra pestle intercepted him from the left and right simultaneously.

The former came from Zhe Er.

The latter belonged to Zhu Huan.

Xie Chang'an was in the middle of a critical train of thought, knowing Zhe Er would help block the attack, so she hadn't rushed to move herself. However, she hadn't expected Zhu Huan to intervene as well, prompting her to spare him a glance.

Wu Ming's voice dropped chillingly. "This is a private grudge between me and the fox. Are the two of you determined to meddle?"

Zhe Er said, "Since my friend allowed the fox close, it means she intends to protect her. Are you certain you want to make enemies with all of us?"

He appeared to have suffered severe injuries, leaving his voice wrapped in an unshakeable, lazy huskiness.

The casual opening exposed his gender, yet under the present circumstances, no one cared.

Wu Ming disregarded Zhe Er; the ones he truly guarded against were Zhu Huan and Xie Chang'an, whom he had fought during the banquet.

"Zhu Huan, I had no idea when you struck up a friendship with this fox," Wu Ming said, a sudden realization dawning on him. "Ah, is it because of this female ghost? What kind of past connection does she share with you? Could she possibly be an old flame of yours?"

Zhu Huan looked at him, his expression unreadable, betraying neither joy nor anger.

Wu Ming had originally intended to hurl even harsher insults, but taking in the current situation—which clearly favored a four-to-one standoff—even his hot-headed nature recognized discretion as the better part of valor, forcing him to retract his hands with a sullen scowl.

"I have a method that might break this predicament," Xie Chang'an said suddenly, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

She turned to Zhu Huan. "But it might require your help."

Without a second thought, Zhu Huan nodded immediately, not even bothering to ask what kind of help she needed.

Such an intimate, unquestioning trust had no business existing between two people who could hardly be called acquaintances. Finding it peculiar once more, Xie Chang'an gave him a few extra assessing looks.

Noticing her gaze, the corners of Zhu Huan's mouth curved upward slightly, a faint trace of gentleness blooming across his features.

Peering out from her hiding spot, the fox grew deeply alarmed at the sight and snapped angrily, "Xie Chang'an, answer me honestly—am I still your favorite little pet?!"

Xie Chang'an: "......"