"You are the true demon..."
Mr. Ling stared at You Su with wide eyes, both terrified and apprehensive, his legs trembling uncontrollably like chaff in the wind.
The deepest darkness before dawn had passed, and the sky was no longer pitch black, with misty whiteness brewing at the distant horizon.
You Su, covered in blood and grime, the violent evil aura wildly swirling around him, drew out the Mo Song Sword, aiming it at Mr. Ling's heart, preparing for his final judgment.
"Don't kill me... I'm begging you..." Mr. Ling seemed utterly hollowed out, pleading repeatedly in a daze, "I can give you anything, tell you anything, just don't kill me..."
You Su stepped on the wound on Mr. Ling's chest, grinding the raw flesh with his foot, as Mr. Ling curled in agony but lacked the strength to push You Su's foot away.
"Just tell me how to separate the evil spirit from the human, and I'll let you live." You Su's tone was stern, offering his final ounce of mercy.
Hearing this, Mr. Ling clung to it like a lifeline, forcing a sycophantic smile despite the searing pain in his chest:
"I know! I can save you! If you let me live, I can certainly help your junior sister and Master return to normal!"
You Su, impatient, sighed and sliced Mr. Ling's tendon with his sword, "Tell me first!"
"I'll tell! I'll tell!" Mr. Ling shouted loudly, "Give me the Qiankun Bag, and I'll show you."
You Su furrowed his brow, used the sword to pick the Qiankun Bag hidden at Mr. Ling's waist, and tossed it at his face. Mr. Ling grabbed the bag, pulled out the entirely dark Exorcism Order, and shakily handed it to You Su.
"Take it, and you'll understand."
You Su, still threatening Mr. Ling with the sword in his right hand, hesitated but reached out his left hand to take the Jade Pendant.
In an instant, a fish-headed monstrous dog suddenly emerged from the order, lunging at You Su with a vicious bite! It was none other than the Lantern Ghost!
You Su was startled and quickly slashed with his sword, but the Lantern Ghost was exceedingly agile, perching on You Su's arm to dodge the strike.
Just as it was about to bite into You Su's shoulder, it met You Su's pitch-black eyes, as if a sinner meeting a sovereign, it froze upon his arm, trembling and lowering its head.
Mr. Ling watched this unexpected turn of events with a look of astonishment.
Since childhood, he had been different from ordinary people, fascinated by these eerie creatures. The Lantern Ghost was the first evil spirit bestowed upon him by the True Lord, one he cherished deeply, to the point where he regarded it as his most trusted companion.
Yet as he watched the Lantern Ghost slowly crawling towards him, baring its fangs, his heart grew utterly desolate.
You Su, baffled by the sudden change, intended to continue questioning, but Mr. Ling absentmindedly mumbled to himself:
"It can't be saved, you can't save them... What they have inside is a spirit of such a level... Anyone marked by it can't escape..."
"Explain yourself!"
But it was as if Mr. Ling couldn't hear You Su, instead continuing to mutter the same four words like a chant:
"Divine Awakening Chuyun, Divine Awakening Chuyun..."
Even when the Lantern Ghost began feasting on him, it didn't wake him. The spilled blood stained the grass, yet he seemed without any sensation of pain, letting it gnaw at will.
You Su was puzzled, wondering why the Lantern Ghost, which had just harbored malice towards him, suddenly turned on Mr. Ling after merely exchanging a glance. Could this be the effect of the corrupted artifact? What did Mr. Ling mean by Divine Awakening Chuyun? Chuyun, as in Chuyun City?
Suddenly, Mr. Ling raised his head, and due to inertia, his eyeballs fell out, leaving empty sockets staring intently at You Su, forcing out a hoarse, grating voice:
"The True Lord has merged with the True Lord, you're all going to die! And I will crawl out from hell, to send you down! That day is coming soon, you must... live well!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Lantern Ghost opened its gaping maw and bit through Mr. Ling's neck.
You Su watched as Mr. Ling, gnawed until large sections of bone and organs were exposed, feeling that justice was served, this beast who befriended an evil spirit ultimately fell at the hands of an evil spirit.
It wasn't until Mr. Ling was devoured until only a skeletal frame remained that You Su moved toward the Lantern Ghost, cowering on the ground.
The Lantern Ghost seemed to realize its fate, making no resistance, allowing You Su to sever its peculiar fish head, then its entire body dissolved into a puddle of sticky blood, mingling with Mr. Ling's blood and seeping into the earth.
At this, everything came to an end, and You Su's mind finally relaxed.
He looked towards the brightening horizon, the sun had yet to rise, but the world was already illuminated.
At this moment, his mind was filled with many questions, but now wasn't the time to delve into them. The havoc around needed tending, and Mr. Ling's unfinished array had to be dismantled.
He felt somewhat weary, having gone through such a fierce battle, yet still needing to clean up after himself. But he also felt a bit pleased, for he hadn't broken his promise, he would protect everything of the Sect.
He wouldn't be frightened by Mr. Ling's last words, he'd find a way to rid his junior sister and Master of the evil spirits.
Even if he couldn't remove them, it didn't matter, for he had just accomplished the most thrilling feat of his life, now at the height of his triumph, You Su felt that the entire world as enemies was insignificant.
You Su picked up the bloodstained Qiankun Bag and the Exorcism Order, weighed them in his hand.
He didn't rush into jubilation, but instead pocketed this unexpected treasure, straightening up and walking into the gray mist.
...
"Where is Senior Brother?"
A young girl with hanging hair and an orchid hairpin craftily leaned on the window sill, peeking through a finger-wide hole in the paper window.
The girl, dressed in a green and pink skirt, stood on her tiptoes, her ankle slender and delicate.
She had stayed up all night, almost breaking her hand to finish the second part of The Legend of the White Snake, thinking about her carefree Senior Brother made her angry, so before her bath she couldn't resist checking on his embarrassing sleeping state to vent her frustration.
She swore she wasn't a habitual offender, only having peeked a few times, and the hole wasn't one she poked but was naturally there.
"What is he doing behind my back? Could it be... he's secretly visiting a brothel?" Ji Lingruo's face flushed instantly, stomping her foot in anger, planning to interrogate him thoroughly when he returned.
She then left to fetch hot water for her bath.
In the bathhouse.
Ji Lingruo undid her white undergarments with cloud embroidery and a thin embroidered skirt, testing the water temperature with her toes, finding it just right, she gracefully sank into the water.
She pouted her lips, growing angrier the more she thought about it. How could her Senior Brother, only an adult for two days, be so impatient? Sacrificing his path to immortality so recklessly, truly a fool overwhelmed by lust, people are indeed hard to judge by appearances.
It wasn't until the water turned cold that she realized she was too absorbed in thinking about her Senior Brother, forgetting to retrieve her clothes hanging outside.
She threw another silent curse at You Su, draped a thin bathrobe, and went out to get her clothes.
The morning breeze brushed by, though it was late summer, the water droplets on Ji Lingruo's skin made her shiver.
At that moment, the main gate of the sect residence was gently pushed open.
You Su, covered in blood and mud, slipped inside, surveying the sect with a feeling of intimacy and warmth.
Until he saw the white, jade-like body in the center of his view, both froze in place, staring at each other from afar.
"Ah!"
The girl's scream echoed through the mountains and valleys.
"Junior Sister, don't be afraid, I'm blind..."
The young man's voice was like a mosquito, then his vision turned black, and he fell to the ground.