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墨書 Inktalez
They donned their gear and continued onward.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, the three entered in succession. The path was narrow and rugged, made even more treacherous by the rain that had fallen the night before, causing the ground to be slippery with mud. Xie Wanjun lost her footing and began to fall backward, but fortunately, He Guannan caught her just in time; otherwise, she would have surely ended up in a muddy mess. Pei Huaizhi led the way, observing their surroundings. The air in the mountains was humid, with a lush green canopy overhead, vibrant and overflowing with life. The terrain was relatively flat with gentle undulations, clearly indicative of a hilly landscape.
The mountain was rich in spiritual energy, enveloping every corner. Such places were revered in ancient times as ideal for cultivating immortality. If it was a place sought after by humans, it was only natural that animals would be drawn to it as well. Yet after walking for some time, aside from the sound of their footsteps, there was an eerie silence around them.
An overly quiet place was undoubtedly abnormal.
Pei Huaizhi checked his brown compass periodically to determine their direction. However, this compass did not indicate geographical orientation; instead, it pointed to the location of Evil Spirits.
The edges of this compass were inscribed with strange patterns; it was not an ordinary compass but a specialized tool known as the "Wind Evil Disk," designed specifically to locate Evil Spirits. This Wind Evil Disk was extremely rare and immensely valuable—worth over a hundred million. Its high price stemmed from its lineage dating back to the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, where it was owned by shamans for ritualistic purposes. Those indicated by the compass would serve as sacrifices. Later, during the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, Spirit Master Zou Yan modified the compass for capturing Evil Spirits and named it the "Wind Evil Disk."
Evil Spirits were elusive and hard to track down; using the Wind Evil Disk made locating them much easier, especially suited for deep mountain areas like this one—its accuracy was remarkable, though its range was limited to within a hundred miles.
After walking for a while, Pei Huaizhi noted that the pointer on the Fengxie Disk indicated northeast. The black steel bead on the pointer slid over this number as he calmly stated, “Ten miles to the northeast.”
They proceeded in that direction. There were no established paths in the mountains, so they forged their own way through dense underbrush that nearly reached He Guannan's height. Xie Wanjun, caught between them, had already been engulfed by the grass. Fortunately, Pei Huaizhi occasionally stepped on lower parts of the grass to bend them down forcibly, considering Xie Wanjun's height and worried that sharp blades might poke her eyes.
He Guannan glanced around as they walked when suddenly he spotted something yellow through the thicket. Driven by curiosity, he approached for a closer look. As he got nearer, he discovered a person lying face down on the ground. He flipped the body over and was met with a dry and grotesque face that made him gag. He shouted, “Old Pei! Come quick! There’s someone here!”
Hearing his voice, both of them immediately turned back. He Guannan covered his nose and mouth while pointing at the corpse on the ground. “It’s a dead person—an old corpse.”
Pei Huaizhi approached the body; a putrid stench of decay assaulted him. He hurriedly examined the corpse's gender up close—it had long hair and appeared to be female. However, when he scrutinized her face closely, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him.
Her eyes were clouded white; her skin shriveled and yellowed, infested with maggots crawling all over her body. In places where maggots had traversed, white bones were visible beneath decaying flesh. Xie Wanjun stood some distance away from the corpse but could still smell its nauseating odor—a stench so suffocating it felt like it could choke her. Memories flooded back to her from a previous mission where she had encountered a cat rotting in filthy water, its body crawling with maggots; she couldn’t tell if what lay in that murky water was cat or maggot. Overwhelmed by this recollection, Xie Wanjun retched violently and expelled her stomach's contents onto the ground.
He Guannan watched her retch in disgust and quickly handed her some water, also offering her a nose plug. "Wearing this might help," he said with concern.
The corpse was dressed in a windbreaker and hiking boots, suggesting that the person had been climbing here. Pei Huaizhi estimated from the level of decomposition that the individual had died about three or four days ago. He Guannan rummaged through the pockets of the windbreaker and found a card that read Nanhua University, Class of 2022, School of Architectural Engineering, Guo Xin. "It's a female college student," he remarked.
"The old man said a group of people came to the village a few days ago, claiming they were going to climb the mountain. It seems they were talking about them," Pei Huaizhi noted as he checked the remaining pockets, finding only a damaged phone that wouldn't turn on. "Her companions must have encountered danger as well."
Xie Wanjun could not stand the foul stench and moved away to catch her breath. Even as she inhaled deeply, she could still smell the decay. She decided to keep her distance and took a few steps when suddenly, a contorted figure appeared in front of her.
Fortunately, the person was lying on the ground; had they been standing, Xie Wanjun would have been terrified enough to react immediately.
She approached for a closer look. The body lay face up, eyes glazed over, skin dry and darkened—no different from the previous female student. The only distinction was that this man's limbs were twisted at angles more extreme than those of someone practicing yoga, as if his bones had been broken. Judging by the size of the bones, he was male. Covering her mouth and nose, she crouched down and found another card on the corpse that read Nanhua University, Class of 2021, School of Architectural Engineering, Lin Zixu. The name sounded masculine, prompting Xie Wanjun to call for her companions. Pei Huaizhi came over and confirmed that this body was likely a companion of the female student.
Soon after, He Guannan discovered two more bodies not far away to the northwest. Their conditions were similar to those of the previous two—glassy-eyed with flesh nearly entirely consumed, leaving only skin stretched over bones.
They planned to line up all four bodies together. He Guannan suppressed his disgust as he dragged one of the corpses backward with an expression of distaste, occasionally glancing at its lifeless form in fear that it might suddenly spring back to life. After his last experience with a corpse in an ancient tomb—when it had opened its eyes and startled him—he remained vigilant whenever encountering dead bodies during missions.
After several minutes, they lined up all four corpses together. Xie Wanjun and He Guannan stood a few meters away while Pei Huaizhi moved around them, searching for any useful clues left on the bodies. All their phones were damaged; aside from the campus cards for identification, they had no other information. Xie Wanjun took photos of the corpses and their campus cards and sent the information back to their association so that someone could come retrieve the bodies from the mountain. Their purpose for coming was to deal with an Evil Spirit and recover the Azure Wind Pearl.
As they prepared to leave, a Spirit Butterfly with shimmering blue wings fluttered behind them. This Spirit Butterfly had been following them since they entered the mountain but had gone unnoticed.
They continued forward through dense underbrush until they entered a towering forest. The moment they stepped into the woods, a chill enveloped them; the dimness within felt oppressive and instilled fear in their hearts. Pei Huaizhi glanced at his Wind Evil Disk, which displayed a number 3, indicating that the Evil Spirit was very close—almost within reach once they crossed this forest.
After walking for about three hours without finding their way out, they realized they must have gotten lost; normally, they would have covered this distance much faster.
The three paused beside a tree to rest. He Guannan checked his watch and reported, "It's 5:32 PM; we've spent over three hours in this forest."
He paused for a moment and said, "Did the Second Department not search this forest when they came to inspect the mountain?"
"The Second Department only searched a small portion of the mountain. The helicopter did oversee the entire range, recording its silhouette, but that was just documentation; they had no idea about the specific conditions within the mountain." Xie Wanjun was assembling ammunition, his expression serious. "I have a feeling there’s something in this forest. We need to stay alert at all times; if we let our guard down for even a moment, it could cost us our lives."
Seeing Xie Wanjun's serious demeanor as he assembled his weapon, He Guannan also gripped his gun tightly. "Are we caught in a ghost wall, wandering in circles through this forest? Look at how heavy the aura of death is here; many have died, perhaps those spirits want to keep us here as their companions."
"Your speculation is quite reasonable." Pei Huaizhi glanced at the Wind Evil Disk and said slowly, "As we passed through the forest, I noticed some dark shadows clinging to the trees. They were just lying there, not doing anything to harm us."
The shadows he referred to were ghosts, resembling wisps of dark mist without any solid form.
Since Pei Huaizhi could see these spirits, Xie Wanjun and He Guannan could too. During their walk, Xie Wanjun had noticed those ghosts, while He Guannan, who was less attentive to what was behind him, had not. At that moment, he felt an overwhelming chill around them. Looking up, he saw numerous dark figures clinging to the trees, peering down at them. He Guannan felt a shiver run down his spine; it was his first time encountering so many spirits. It seemed that all the souls lost in the mountains had gathered in this forest.
"What about the Wind Evil Disk?" Xie Wanjun approached Pei Huaizhi.
"Northeast direction; the reading is still 3," Pei Huaizhi replied. "The Wind Evil Disk doesn’t make mistakes, which means there’s definitely something wrong with this forest."
"If this forest was artificially created..." Before Xie Wanjun could finish his thought, a strange noise echoed from above. All the ghosts fled in panic as if they had encountered something terrifying. They noticed that all the spirits were retreating southward, indicating that whatever frightened them was coming from the north. What could possibly scare away the ghosts? Pei Huaizhi decided to explore northward; perhaps they could find a way out. He glanced at Xie Wanjun, who had already raised his gun and was moving northward. Pei Huaizhi gestured to He Guannan with his hand, signaling him to follow Xie Wanjun.
The surroundings were pitch black, and the ground was uneven, making it easy to trip as they walked. The three of them turned on their flashlights and scanned their surroundings; all they could see were tree trunks and leaves. Just as they were pondering their situation, a series of "cooing" sounds came from ahead. Following the sound further into the darkness made the cooing grow clearer until it echoed directly above them. Pei Huaizhi shone his flashlight upward and saw countless Soul-Eating Beasts hanging upside down from the trees.
He quickly turned off his flashlight and whispered, "Shut off your lights; it's Soul-Eating Beasts."
Xie Wanjun and He Guannan had also seen them; the trees were swarming with Soul-Eating Beasts. They had entered into their territory. Soul-Eating Beasts fed on souls and thrived in dark, damp places. They had eight tentacles and round heads with soft bodies that were extremely sensitive to light and sound.
Their earlier conversation had disturbed the Soul-Eating Beasts, causing them to emit cooing sounds—both a warning to their companions of impending danger and a signal to intruders.
No wonder those ghosts fled so quickly; they were terrified of the Soul-Eating Beasts. He Guannan had heard of them but had never seen one in person. Now that he did, he had no idea how to deal with them. He whispered, "How do we handle this?"
"Don't make any noise or light," Xie Wanjun replied quietly. "Follow me."
Xie Wanjun moved cautiously, and the two behind her did the same, afraid that even the slightest sound would alert the beasts above. The three of them leaped lightly, one after another, each step fraught with danger. Fortunately, all three were Spirit Masters, their agility surpassing that of ordinary people. Just when they thought they would make it down safely, a shadow darted past Xie Wanjun's eyes. She had no choice but to land quickly, but as she did, her foot landed on a branch that snapped under her weight, producing a series of loud cracks that drew the attention of the Soul-Eating Beasts.
The tentacles of the Soul-Eating Beast shot toward Xie Wanjun just as they were about to touch her. Sensing imminent danger, she fired her gun, hitting the tentacle and causing it to retract swiftly. However, the gunshot awakened all the Soul-Eating Beasts in the forest, and a chorus of guttural sounds erupted around them.
In the dim light, visibility was poor; they could only rely on their instincts and experience to react. The gunshot signaled that a fierce battle was imminent. Pei Huaizhi wasted no time and threw out a Spirit Talisman, igniting the forest in an instant. "Guannan, take care of yourself," he said before rushing to Xie Wanjun's side to check if she was injured.
Even without Pei Huaizhi's warning, He Guannan would have taken care of himself. He threw out several Spirit Talisman that scattered in all directions, setting fire to trees and underbrush alike. The flames illuminated their surroundings, revealing the Soul-Eating Beasts hanging upside down from branches. Startled by both the gunfire and the firelight, they instinctively released their tentacles to attack the intruders.
Tentacles came at them in waves while bullets flew out one by one with precision, each shot hitting its mark. The sound of gunfire echoed through the forest as one Soul-Eating Beast after another fell. At that moment, a glowing Spirit Butterfly fluttered back and forth in front of Pei Huaizhi. He glanced at it and thought: This must be something Guannan raised; I wonder how it got out here? Suddenly, his gun clicked empty. He pulled out a short sword to protect himself while throwing more Spirit Talisman at the trees. Silver lightning crackled and sizzled as it struck the Soul-Eating Beasts, causing smoke to rise.
The Spirit Butterfly flew from Pei Huaizhi's side to He Guannan's. Upon seeing it, He Guannan found it delicate and lively—quite adorable—and reached out to touch it. But before he could make contact, a tentacle shot through the Spirit Butterfly's body, causing its blue glow to vanish instantly. The tentacle then revealed a pattern of sparkling symbols that extended across the entire body of the Soul-Eating Beast until it disintegrated into fine sand. He Guannan was astonished by this sight and grew curious about the Spirit Butterfly, wondering if it was Xie Wanjun's secret weapon. He called out loudly, "Xie Wanjun! Is that glowing blue butterfly yours? It's amazing! We need more of them!"
Xie Wanjun was too focused on defending herself to hear what He Guannan said clearly; she only caught the word "butterfly." Where is there a butterfly? She looked around but saw nothing. Shifting her gaze back to the incoming tentacles, she knew that if one touched her, it would burrow into her body and tear her apart within seconds—she had witnessed how a Soul-Eating Beast's tentacle had penetrated a tiger's skull and snapped its neck in mere moments.
He Guannan threw out another Spirit Talisman and pushed his palm forward; it transformed into a golden net that ensnared the Soul-Eating Beast within it. Then he formed seals with his hands as the net suddenly released spikes that pierced into the beast's body.
Pei Huaizhi combined swordplay with palm strikes; his palm transformed into several flames swirling in midair that incinerated any approaching Soul-Eating Beasts into ash. They kept coming like an unending tide; he unleashed more flames at nearby trees, causing an inferno that consumed both trees and beasts alike. Suddenly, two tentacles shot toward him; he blocked them with his short sword as they entwined in combat while also slashing at the attacking Soul-Eating Beasts with swift strikes that sent white flashes flying.
This sword was Pei Huaizhi's personal weapon; named Nongyue, it could automatically protect its master—a treasure he had stumbled upon by chance.
The trio unleashed their spells in rapid succession, depleting most of their spiritual energy. Yet still, the Soul-Eating Beasts continued their relentless assault without giving them a moment’s respite. If they couldn’t eliminate these beasts or escape this trap soon, death awaited them. He Guannan threw out his last Spirit Talisman and said grimly, "There are too many of them; we can't kill them all."
The Soul-Eating Beasts, though fond of dark and damp places, do not gather in large numbers. It is already a maximum occurrence to find a dozen in one mountain area, yet here there are thousands. Xie Wanjun, while unleashing spells, remarked, "Clearly, these Soul-Eating Beasts are being specially bred here; it seems they are raised by that Evil Spirit."
After hearing her words, Pei Huaizhi's mind suddenly cleared. "The Wind Evil Disk has been pointing northeast all along. We’ve been walking for so long without finding an exit; evidently, this forest is also the work of the Evil Spirit. Anyone who enters this forest is doomed to die—either from starvation or being killed by these Soul-Eating Beasts."
A tendril silently approached Pei Huaizhi's feet, ready to grab him. Just then, the bracelet on his wrist emitted a red glow, startling the tendril into retreat. He Guannan, witnessing this, said, "That red bracelet has protective properties."
At that moment, Pei Huaizhi turned to say something but saw the tendril nearly touching He Guannan's back. He shouted in terror, "Be careful!" In the next second, the tendril lunged into He Guannan's back. Xie Wanjun swiftly severed the tendril, but the remaining ones had already burrowed into his body. Although the tendrils inside him were not immediately fatal, their entry points carried toxins that would surely lead to poisoning upon contact.
Seeing He Guannan injured distracted Xie Wanjun, and she almost got caught by a tendril herself. She wanted to check on his condition but was blocked by an unending barrage of tendrils.
The toxin coursing through He Guannan's body caused his skin to redden and intense pain to surge through him. It felt as if countless steel needles were stabbing into him repeatedly. He rolled on the ground in agony, struggling to suppress the pain with other sensations, but it only intensified with each passing moment. At that point, he felt as if he were living in hell and soon lost consciousness from the torment.
Pei Huaizhi watched him suffer and grew increasingly worried about his condition. While remaining vigilant against the attacking tendrils, she slowly moved closer to him. When she reached He Guannan's side, she crouched down to examine his body and asked with concern, "Guannan, how are you?"
After calling out several times without response, Pei Huaizhi became anxious and frightened. She reached out to check his pulse when suddenly He Guannan opened his eyes wide; they were bloodshot as he grabbed her neck with both hands, giving her no chance to react. He tightened his grip further; Pei Huaizhi's face turned red from lack of air as she struggled in pain and desperation but could not break free—she was on the brink of death.
At that moment, a Spirit Butterfly flew down and landed on He Guannan's head. After a moment, his grip on Pei Huaizhi loosened instantly; the suffocating sensation vanished as warmth returned to his head and he gasped for air. Meanwhile, a streak of white light flashed through the forest followed by a series of explosions as Soul-Eating Beasts fell from the sky.
Pei Huaizhi was still trying to comprehend what was happening when a figure emerged from the flames before her. She looked up and found herself staring into those blue eyes she had long yearned for.
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