Chapter Seventy-Three: Seeking Immortal Fate (Part Three)

"Something's not right." Mo Zhuo suddenly pulled me behind him.

His eyes narrowed, and he kicked forward. A strange wail followed, and a horned wolf fell into a pool of blood.

"When did it get here...?" I hadn't even sensed its presence.

This beast... it looked like something only Xinghuo Hall would have.

Mo Zhuo walked to the beast, crouched down, and reached into its belly, pulling out a bloody orb. "Stay behind me. You can't handle this," he warned.

His rough action startled me.

"Couldn't you just use a knife?"

"The demonic energy on my blade would contaminate the demon core. This way is quicker." He shook the blood off his hand and tossed the core into a cloth bag.

The scene reminded me of ancient battlefields, where prisoners' and defeated soldiers' ears were collected as trophies.

He then caught several more hidden beasts, extracting their cores by hand, the gruesome scene causing Miss Qin to faint.

I couldn't stand it any longer.

I threw my dagger at him. "Use this. If it gets dirty, so be it. I don't want it back."

He smiled, then swung the dagger, hitting a hidden beast in the stomach, and its core rolled onto the ground.

I knelt down to clean and pick up each core, feeling like I was gathering fallen fruit...

No, this kind of déjà vu shouldn't be happening in such a creepy atmosphere.

Mo Zhuo seemed to know the exact positions of these beasts, efficiently repeating his actions. As the beast corpses vanished, the bag was almost full of cores.

"How many of these beasts are there? Didn't Xinghuo Hall get cleared out? Why are there so many beasts with demon cores?"

These beasts were likely the result of Xinghuo Hall remnants being forcibly transformed by Hong Yi to temporarily boost his forces. The thought chilled me.

"We've only killed dozens. But it's almost over." His eyes gleamed as he charged at a red glow in the darkness.

With a thud, a black mass was thrown at my feet.

Steadying myself, I saw a humanoid creature with a tumor twice the size of its body and sharp teeth glaring at me.

The face resembled... the Qin elder I saw during the day.

Another thud followed, and a similar creature, likely the Qin wife, landed beside it.

So Miss Qin was telling the truth. Her parents were possessed by evil spirits... But why did Xinghuo Hall target the Qin family?

"Hey! Don't just stand there!"

Lost in thought, I barely avoided the "Qin elder" and "Qin wife" lunging at me.

I dodged and summoned an ice lotus to attack.

The ice lotus emitted a pale blue glow, sending countless shards down. Black skin tore, blood gushing out, but quickly healing. The creature spat black gas at me.

I shielded myself with the ice lotus, channeling spiritual energy to block the gas, fingers weaving a spell to dispel it.

But the gas split into tiny streams, clinging to my clothes like they had feet, refusing to come off despite my efforts.

Suddenly, a black cloak enveloped me and I was swiftly pulled away.

The gas vanished, but Mo Zhuo, gripping his left arm, struggled to prevent it from entering his body.

He saved me?

I summoned the ice lotus, sending an icy blue light to freeze the two beasts, then ran to Mo Zhuo, concerned.

"Mo Zhuo, are you alright?" I reached out to draw the gas away, but he sternly stopped me, "Don't touch it! It's resentment energy. You'll never rid yourself of it!"

I was startled.

"What kind of resentment is so powerful? Can't I use a purification spell?"

Resentment energy, born of a ghost's unresolved sadness and anger, affects emotions and behavior, perpetuating negative thoughts.

But Mo Zhuo's resentment seemed different...

Barely enduring, he whispered, "Go... quickly..."

"Why are you saying such defeatist things? Wait, let me try a Qiongyun Sect spell to suppress it." I began casting, channeling energy into his arm.

... This is tough!

No matter how I dispelled it, the resentment energy surged back like weeds after rain, faster than I could remove it. What was this?

"Hahaha, don't waste your effort. This black gas is the resentment of fallen spirits. As long as their resentment lingers, this gas will cling like maggots to a corpse, eternally tormenting the host." That irritating voice had to belong to Daoist Lingyun.

I froze Mo Zhuo's infected arm, then looked towards the voice. Lingyun stood smugly, stroking his beard, with Hong Yi behind him.

"It's you two..."

"Qingyue girl, long time no see." Hong Yi looked somewhat frail. He still wore his robe embroidered with blazing flames, but his face was ashen.

Lingyun, with a wicked smile, bowed. "Congratulations, Lord Hong Yi. After tonight, your divine skill will be complete." He then ran to the frozen "Qin elder" and "Qin wife," curved his fingers, and drew a red orb from their heads, eagerly presenting it to Hong Yi.

Hong Yi glanced at him approvingly, laughing with his hands behind his back. "With this Fallen Spirit core, eliminating Moonshadow Sect will be easy." His eyes turned cold as he continued, "Kill the man. As for Qingyue girl, I want to entertain her personally."

Lingyun nodded obediently. "Yes."

"Oh? You think you can?" A black aura suddenly pierced through Hong Yi's chest. His black robe fluttered in the wind, and the boy's knife gleamed, casting a handsome shadow in the moonlight.

I was both surprised and delighted. "Mo Zhuo? Weren't you...?" I looked him over; there was no trace of the resentment's corruption.

He smiled casually. "That resentment is powerful, but it's barely enough to clog my demon-slaying knife's teeth."

Perhaps not expecting Mo Zhuo to be so formidable, Lingyun was completely flustered, his voice trembling. "Lord Hong Yi, this..." Before he could finish, he was shoved aside.

"You hold them off; I'll avenge you another day." Leaving these words, Hong Yi fled like the wind, abandoning the panicked Lingyun.

I pitied Lingyun a bit. "How about defecting to our side? I might consider leaving you an intact corpse."

A flash of black light, and Lingyun was beheaded before he could speak.

"Why did you act again...?" I sighed, looking at Mo Zhuo and noticing something strange.

He was hunched over, trembling violently, growling like a beast. Suddenly, he looked up, his eyes now a crimson red, staring straight at me.

The Fallen Spirit... had possessed him?

Mo Zhuo's cultivation was already higher than mine. With the Fallen Spirit now possessing him, a direct confrontation wouldn't end well...

I needed to find a way to dispel the Fallen Spirit's resentment.

Seeing that the Fallen Spirit hadn't attacked, it seemed there was still some rationality left. I tried speaking, "Why are you causing trouble in the Qin household? Do you have a grudge against them?"

I immediately regretted it.

Why would a Fallen Spirit harm people without a grudge?

I had heard that Fallen Spirits were formed from spiritual beasts or plants with spiritual essence that died unexpectedly and were driven by resentment.

Because their love was purer than humans', their posthumous hatred was also deeper, making their resentment a corrosive poison.

What had the Qin family done to make the Fallen Spirit hate them so much?

Thinking carefully, the rumors about the Qin family... Miss Qin's madness was reported three months ago... Xinghuo Hall was also eradicated three months ago, and the ghostly incidents Mo Zhuo mentioned started three months ago...

Spiritual beasts often appreciated sincere devotion, bringing blessings and good fortune to those who worshipped them.

"You must feel unjust, angry, and sorrowful, but those events are in the past. The Qin family has fallen from grace. Can't you let go of yourself?"

Perhaps no one had ever said such words to it before. The Fallen Spirit let out a wailing cry, and the black aura slowly dissipated from Mo Zhuo.

Without its core, the Fallen Spirit couldn't remain in the world. But before it vanished, it seemed to have found peace.

"Mo Zhuo, are you alright?" I went to support him, relieved to see clarity in his eyes.

Only then did I notice Miss Qin, who had woken up at some point. She stared blankly at the dead Qin elder and wife, unmoving.

"Miss Qin, take care of yourself. The Qin elder and Qin wife are already..."

"Dead?" She looked up at me and smiled sorrowfully, like a vengeful ghost.

Qin Baoxiang laughed coldly. "Are they finally dead? Finally... This is their retribution, their retribution...!" She calmly stood up, brushed off the dust, glared at the Qin elder and wife, then picked up a sword and stabbed their corpses several times.

Mo Zhuo suddenly spoke, "Even if you're not their biological daughter, did you have to go this far?"

"What? Miss Qin isn't the Qin elder's biological daughter?"

Mo Zhuo nodded, continuing, "Based on the information I have, the Qin family originally lived outside Yeliang City, raising silkworms and weaving for a living. Eight years ago, after Miss Qin prayed to the gods for blessings, they suddenly became wealthy, eventually becoming the richest family in Yeliang."

"Then why did they provoke the Fallen Spirit?" I couldn't figure it out.

"When receiving worship, spiritual beings must never reveal themselves to humans."

"Why?"

Mo Zhuo paused before continuing, "While spiritual beings can bring blessings when alive, their spirits can also be refined to heal diseases, extend life, and grant longevity."

The rest was clear without Mo Zhuo saying it.

"Hmph, so do you understand? This Miss Qin clearly owes them..."

Seeing Qin Baoxiang's expression, I grabbed Mo Zhuo's arm, signaling him to stop.

"This is someone else's business. We have no right to judge. Let's go."

If humans are greedy, even the purest things in the world will be tainted.

What Qin Baoxiang had gone through to become so indifferent, no one would ever know.