Chapter 536: Chapter 317: The Youngster Regains Confidence

Screech~

The dull, heavy sound of grinding metal rang out as the elderly, weak, and infirm, confined within their cages, lifted their heads.

At the end of the long corridor, white fog permeated the air; the suffocating Yin Qi overflowed, and deep within the darkness, a pinpoint of light emerged. Those held captive, suddenly became startled – their gazes turned toward the light.

Soon, a pair of blood-red lanterns were seen, suspended in mid-air, seemingly held by invisible hands, swaying back and forth with nothing behind them.

“What tricks are these Ghost Creatures trying to pull now?”

“We’ve already been beaten up to this point, and they’re still trying to terrify us with these tricks!”

This chilling and bizarre scene didn’t frighten anyone. All those imprisoned here were exceptional prodigies of Taoism, though many felt desperate, only a few looked relatively unscathed.

“None of you should worry. Even the Ghost Immortal wouldn’t dare to kill us all.”

Despite their predicament, some remained fearless, even curious about the slow-moving lanterns composed of an unknown skin, eerily emitting an eerie red light as they drifted past.

“He wouldn’t dare to kill us all? Heh, I think he has no problem killing half of us.”

“We have underestimated the Underworld. Even if we are shattered, we were once intact in the Great Realms. Our current situation is self-inflicted.”

“Who could have expected that even the Incense for Invoking Gods bestowed on us by our ancestors would lose its effectiveness here? Is there an ancient power suppressing it? Could there be a Taoist artifact?”

Some couldn’t help but lament, feeling unjustly subjected to captivity by the Ghost Creatures.

“One, two, three…. Fourteen, we’re all present. I would like to ask, how are we going to get out?”

“You still want to leave? We should consider ourselves lucky these Ghost Creatures haven’t killed us yet.”

“If they wanted to kill us, they would have done it already. We’re all in pretty bad shape, but at least we’re alive. This proves that the Ghost Immortal is still wary of us, too afraid to make a move.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s unlikely that we’ll be released.”

“What? Are you saying we could be confined here until we die?”

“It’s hard to say.”

“Hiss~ I can’t stand it. I haven’t even been able to form the core.”

Showing no fear, the prodigies ignored the encroaching red lanterns, seemingly angering the patrolling Ghost Creatures. Behind the two lanterns, a third pair appeared, then a fourth…

Pairs of lanterns formed an endless line, like a blood-red python slithering around, exuding a chilling and eerie aura in the Underground Palace’s corridor.

The prodigies debating their escape became silent, attentively observing this unusual display.

Crack~

The spiritual light shattered, and a cage was unlocked. The double row of lanterns swept toward the unlocked cage as if they were sharks detecting blood in the water. They quickly filled the cage, leaving a spot vacant for a cold and aloof woman, who sat cross-legged, watching the eerie lanterns in front of her.

“What a lovely little girl, she makes this old man’s mouth water!”

Bathed in a sea of intertwining blood-red lights, an emaciated figure, hunched over like a decayed piece of wood, emerged without attempting to hide his avaricious gaze, fixated on the true disciple of the Ice Emperor Palace, Su Qingying.

“Are you the warden here?”

While staring at the skeletal, wizened old man in front of her – a being barely recognizable as human – Su Qingying suppressed her urge to kill and voiced her question.

When the Ghost Immortal became aware of their group and that their agreement with the Ghost Kings was rendered void, they lost any ability to negotiate. Like the other true disciples, she was thrown into a cage. She was stripped of her magic and became as helpless as a lamb awaiting slaughter.

“Heh~ Indeed I am the warden here. Normally, irredeemable souls are dumped here, but today, for the first time ever, I’ve seen living, breathing humans.”

The older ghost, with his wizened body like a skeletal silhouette emanating a sinister bloody light, reached out with a hand as thin as a tree branch. With a light tap, a drop of blood formed on the girl’s neck and dropped.

“Humph!”

With a muffled grunt, Su Qingying lost all her vitality as if the single drop of blood had drained her completely. Her beautiful face, originally rosy and radiant, instantly turned pale as newly-made rice paper, completely devoid of color.

“How delicious.”

The old ghost effortlessly gestured with a skeletal finger, beckoning the drop of blood. As soon as the blood entered his mouth, the lanterns surrounding him burst into an intense glow as if they were filled with oil.

“Ah, what an exquisite taste! Having lived this long, this is the first time I’ve tasted something so heavenly. Even if the ruler punishes me, if my soul disappears, I would die without regrets!”

“Evil ghost, what do you want? If you have issues, deal with me!”

Feeling the frail energy of the Ice Emperor Palace’s true disciple, a young male prodigy’s eyes turned blood red. He roared like a fierce beast goaded into rage.

“How dare you?!”

The other disciples from Taoism understood the precarious situation – these Ghost Creatures, while considering their status, wouldn’t hesitate even to kill them.