In the foggy and dim light, a ghostly figure in Taoist robes appeared before me again.
He is still a blood-avenging ghost, but the color of his blood deepens even more, nearing a qualitative transformation into blue.
Without hesitation, I raised the Four Rules Mirror! The copper light flashed abruptly, and a stinging heat was felt in my hand as the ghostly figure just managed to collapse...
Gradually, ghostly figures began to appear in layers upon layers of mist.
Just like before when we dispelled those ghosts, it seems to have disturbed the ghosts throughout this entire area...
"Retreat... Retreat..." Old Gong croaked.
Retreat, that is the passage we came through earlier. There are talismans inside, which prevent ghosts from taking shape and from passing through.
Old Gong will also temporarily dissipate.
How can we retreat? What's the way out?
Going back is not an option, so we must pass through...
The hesitation beforehand allowed Yang Ghost Jin to get ahead, which led to the predicament we're in now.
There must be a way through here. We can't afford to waste too much time, or Yang Ghost Jin will get further away...
The ghostly figures become increasingly numerous, on the verge of revealing themselves completely.
I widened my eyes, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck me! I reached out and grabbed Viscid Firefly's arm. I stepped forward abruptly and plunged into the fog.
Viscid Firefly let out a shout of surprise, and Old Gong let out a dry howl of fear as well.
The Four Rules Mirror suddenly swept outwards, forcing the still-unformed ghosts to retreat.
Taking three steps as two, we stopped in front of a cabinet!
The fog became exceptionally thick.
At least a dozen figures appeared around the cabinet instantly, all wearing Taoist robes, their dead faces staring at us.
However, they kept a distance of about a meter, not getting any closer.
Viscid Firefly panted heavily, her arm quivering slightly.
"Xin yo... it's about to break..." Old Gong's temples were throbbing.
"Master... ghosts eat ghosts too; we were too reckless..." His expression was one of lingering fear.
"No... not right... these things have come... are they talismans? I'm still... myself..." Old Gong gradually lost his sense of self.
My heart rate slowed down, and I released Viscid Firefly's hand.
Similarly, I felt confused as well.
The reason we dared to run to the front of the cabinet was because I thought that the Gao Tian Taoist Temple wouldn't put people in a place full of ghosts just to kill them. If they were going to cultivate a good vessel, the books in the cabinet must be useful.
As expected, the area around the cabinet is safe.
But there are no talismans here...
Without talismans, how could they suppress the ghosts?
By some strange coincidence, I looked up and saw something.
A protruding face staring directly at me, this angle made the two faces on either side of him appear very blurred and indistinguishable.
That protruding face seemed unusually dignified...
The face's range just encompassed the cabinet.
"That's Gao Tian Taoist Temple..." I whispered.
Old Gong came to his senses, following the direction I was looking at, he lifted his head and looked up.
Viscid Firefly tightly pursed her lips, relying entirely on me.
Drawing my gaze back, I looked forward in the direction we were headed.
According to common sense, if we keep going forward, we should eventually exit this place.
However, the next set of cabinets is still a bit far from us.
At this moment, Old Gong suddenly let out a light exclamation.
"This isn't a Taoist."
He stared directly at the side.
My gaze followed, and suddenly I realized something was amiss.
Sure enough, among the dozen or so ghostly figures, there was one that wasn't a Taoist. His attire suggested he was a executioner, and his bald head stood out oddly among the others.
However, his eyes were usually empty and hollow.
"The people of that year..." I muttered.
Just then, an eerie scene unfolded.
The ghost of the executioner slowly retreated...
My pupils shrunk slightly.
Where is he going? They should all be surrounding us here, shouldn't they?
In the next second, I felt something was wrong.
The executioner's hollow eyes seemed to have suddenly gained consciousness.
I also saw a few thin blood vessels appear around his neck, wrapping around his throat.
My face instantly became serious.
Without time for much thought, the executioner had retreated several steps, about to blend into the mist.
"Stay in place and don't go anywhere!"
I lowered my voice to the absolute minimum, only for Viscid Firefly and Old Gong to hear.
Without hesitation, I took a step forward.
Two ghostly figures beside me instantly raised their hands to grab my shoulders! With one hand holding the Four Rules Mirror and the other holding a half-foot copper sword.
The copper sword pierced through one ghost, causing it to collapse and dissipate. The Four Rules Mirror illuminated and scattered another ghost.
The remaining ghosts surrounding the cabinet moved in unison towards me.
I quickly caught up to the executioner, who had turned around and was now moving forward rapidly, not by himself, but as if being carried by some force.
The silence around me reached its peak, it was impossible for me to describe the sense of terror that accompanied the quietness.
At the moment those ghosts were about to approach me, I used the Four Rules Mirror to illuminate them again!
A slight crackling sound, along with a tingling pain in my palm.
The ghosts were pushed back, but my palm seemed to be burned, and the pain was incredibly intense...
My breath was heavy.
It's not that I didn't use talismans.
In this environment, using talismans not only doesn't work but also unnecessarily wastes energy.
When I first entered, I used a few spells, which left me with a significant amount of mental exhaustion. I haven't recovered much yet.
Fortunately, I have practiced Daoist law for some time, so my endurance to the Four Rules Mirror is much stronger.
If it were any other time, with so many blood-avenging ghosts, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold onto the mirror.
In a flash, I had moved over ten meters away, and more ghostly figures were approaching me.
However, they stopped short of getting too close.
The executioner's speed of floating was even faster, as if being pulled back.
I was about to speed up when suddenly, the executioner vanished...
What I saw before me was just a cabinet...
My face changed instantly.
The reason I came out was because I was certain that it was Yang Ghost Jin who was collecting them!
Earlier, Yang Ghost Jin mentioned that using the Four Rules Mirror could deal with all kinds of ghosts.
And with the appearance of the executioner, I can be sure that a significant portion of Huangsi's group from that year must have died here!
Once Yang Ghost Jin collects all the souls, he will definitely leave quickly.
I must quickly meet up with him! In order to ensure the safety of Viscid Firefly and myself, we need to leave together.
But why did the executioner vanish?
"Yang Ghost Jin!?" I roared in a low voice.
The environment here is relatively quiet, so if I shout like this, Yang Ghost Jin will definitely notice me. As long as he responds slightly, I can find him!
As a result, my voice echoed and re-echoed throughout the place, but there was no response at all...
The executioner disappeared so close, Yang Ghost Jin should be nearby, right?
My heart was pounding, and I broke out into a cold sweat.
What's going on with Yang Ghost Jin?
Is he intentionally ignoring me?
Didn't he need me to use the Four Rules Mirror to help him go down safely?
Either something has happened to him and he can't respond, or...
This probability is extremely small, and just a moment ago, he had already retracted the executioner.
That means... he wants to leave us behind?!
My heart raced, and I focused all my attention on my ears, on the sound.
The ghostly figures around me slowly approached once more...
