Chapter 52

The cave entrance had already been filled with fallen soil and rocks!

These men, lured by wealth and momentarily blinded by greed, entered the underground chamber, experienced much, and were ultimately abandoned and died a tragic death. The hatred and resentment in their hearts were indescribable, and their shattered souls were constantly wailing and howling as they staggered and wandered madly in the cave.

At this moment, among those killed by the undead bones, some had not been bitten and infected with the corpse poison, and their souls were slowly beginning to peel off from their bodies...

When a person dies a tragic death, due to the fear, shock, cowardice, anger, and unwillingness intertwined at the moment of death, the soul does not leave the body immediately. It only leaves gradually when the person realizes they are dead. If a ghost officer is supposed to come, but if the yin energy in the place is too strong, or there are other special circumstances such as the location being a煞位 (sha wei) that blocks yin and cuts off yang, the ghost officer will not appear for a while.

This place was just such a situation!

However, some souls remained in the body, which would gradually turn into zombies. The soul hidden in the body, stubborn and fixated, would lose its nature as the corpse poison eroded it, eventually becoming an undead, no longer part of the cycle of the three realms.

With some of the dead souls appearing, the remaining corpses could also transform at any moment!

At this moment, the souls of those who had been crushed to death were also changing, twisting and coiling, gathering yin energy, and their wailing and crying became more and more distinct, gradually taking on a human form... If this continued, they would surely turn into vengeful ghosts!

Eighth Master, entangled in karmic ties, naturally did not want to deal with the vengeful ghosts. Even if he wanted to, he was too injured to do much. However, he could not ignore the zombies, as a full-scale transformation would be a big problem!

"Baor, bring me all the peach wood stakes!" Eighth Master called out, struggling to prop himself up. "Place the peach wood stakes in the ground according to the formation I taught you, then tie red strings in the middle, forming a circle with three stakes. Place the remaining incense and candles in three piles outside the circle... Bite your finger and drip blood on them; I might need it later."

After saying this, he pushed Baor, urging him, "Go quickly, go quickly, or it will be too late!"

Baor, knowing the severity of the situation, hurriedly went to find the peach wood stakes. Eighth Master, meanwhile, used one hand to grab glutinous rice to pull out the poison from his wound, and with the other hand, he struggled to support himself against the wall, slowly moving to the pile of corpses in the cave.

At this moment, several corpses in the pile had already begun to change. Green decay veins were spreading across their skin, their bodies gradually becoming shriveled and dry, hair sprouting all over, and their teeth slowly protruding from their lips... Their fingers occasionally twitched and spasmed.

Eighth Master did not dare to delay, quickly taking out the last few talismans and lighting them to set the corpses' clothes on fire. However, the fire was not very strong. These corpses were newly dead and not easy to ignite, and their clothes were soaked in blood, which would not burn fiercely.

Smoke rose, carrying a foul smell, choking them.

"Master, there's some oil, there's some oil!" Baor called out, pointing to a small pool of incense oil that had somehow gathered on the ground. Eighth Master laughed and quickly went over, grabbing the ash and sand soaked in the incense oil and throwing it into the fire.

The oil helped the fire to burst into flames, the intense heat reaching the cave ceiling and walls, making a sizzling sound, and the corpse oil flowed everywhere!

As the flames rose, the ghosts and wandering spirits immediately sensed it. Most of the ghosts quickly escaped through the walls, but the vengeful ghosts that were transforming remained unmoved, only wailing in place...

"I died so unjustly~ so unjustly~ I don't want to die~ I don't want to die~"

The sound, like a death chant, surged in waves, impacting the mind. Eighth Master immediately realized, "The wailing and resentment have begun, and soon will be the thoughts of revenge... Baor, quickly place all the peach wood stakes!" He also struggled to get closer to Baor, "I'll tie the red strings!"

Baor quickly increased his speed, placing all the peach wood stakes in the ground before Eighth Master arrived, then helped the master sit in the circle. The two of them wrapped the red strings around the stakes and connected them, forming a complete Thousand Stakes and Ten Thousand Threads Yang Locking Formation.

At this moment, the voices of the vengeful ghosts had changed, some laughing and some muttering, "Who killed me..."

"Why am I here..."

"I still have a wife..."

As they muttered, they began to circle in the cave, as if thinking, recalling, and desperately searching for their lost memories!

Eighth Master pulled Baor to sit beside him, and the two of them mixed the incense and wax they found: "This formation can protect us from the ghosts for a while, but if the ghosts' resentment is too strong, we need to use the incense and wax to help—there's only enough material for three times, and I can only perform the spell three times. This time, we really have to leave it to fate!"

Baor, who had never understood the difference between life and death, nodded in a daze, "Oh, leave it to fate? What should I do, Master?"

Eighth Master divided the mixed incense and wax into three piles outside the circle, "Baor, just add a drop of blood to each pile—remember, use your middle finger, which connects to the heart meridian!" Baor immediately followed the instructions, biting his finger and dripping blood into the incense and wax.

As the two of them waited quietly for the vengeful spirits to transform, the flames burning the corpses gradually weakened, the fire flickering weakly—this master of yin-yang from the Republic of China era did not know that the burning would consume the oxygen in the cave, and the carbon dioxide alone could take their lives before the ghosts transformed!

Both felt dizzy and drowsy, but Eighth Master still tried to stay alert, though the drowsiness grew stronger, and his eyelids became heavier. Unconsciously, he slumped over—just then, a cold, icy chill suddenly swept through the cave!

The souls of those who had died unjustly had turned into vengeful ghosts!

The vengeful spirits wailed, the cold wind howled, turning the cave into an icy tomb. However, Eighth Master held Baor, determined to stay in the circle, waiting for the vengeful spirits to attack—just as the spirits were about to rush toward the circle—

Suddenly, a graceful figure appeared in the cave, looking like the female ghost from the Buddha hall!

The female ghost immediately stopped the vengeful spirits, said something, and the spirits quickly howled and disappeared into the cave walls. She then bowed to Eighth Master:

"Master, thank you for freeing me from the Buddha hall's confinement. I am deeply grateful! I have been entrusted by the Second Young Master to come and help, guiding the vengeful spirits to their enemies, as a way to repay your kindness... I bid you farewell, Master, hoping you will turn misfortune into good fortune and never meet us again!"

"You? You are..."

The female ghost smiled tenderly, "We? We are the Second Young Master and me! Master, in this state, I won't make things difficult for you, as we have a bit of a debt of gratitude. Now, the Second Young Master and I are leaving Kunshan Fort to live our own lives. I hope you won't come to disturb us again!"

Eighth Master finally understood that the relationship between the Second Young Master and the female ghost was not just a simple case of being bewitched, but a mutual affection. Although the path of love is difficult for humans and ghosts, few can easily let go of it. After this incident, the two of them planned to leave Kunshan Fort and live in seclusion, showing their deep affection.

What a talented Second Young Master, his acting skills were no less impressive than the First Young Master's!

Watching the female ghost disappear into the cave wall, Eighth Master sighed and recited:

"You were born before I was born, I was born when you were old;

You regret I was born late, I regret you were born early;

You were born before I was born, I was born when you were old;

Regret not being born at the same time, wishing to be with you every day.

I was born before you were born, you were born when I was old;

I am far from you, you are far from me;

I was born before you were born, you were born when I was old;

Transform into a butterfly to seek flowers, resting on the grass every night."

The recitation was not about words, but about letting the female ghost go.

Baor, not understanding the meaning of his master's words, asked, "Master, are we just letting the female ghost go and seduce the Second Young Master? Uh, didn't you say..."

"Human and ghost cannot be together, right?" Eighth Master coughed slightly, "I understand, but times have changed. Let's put it aside for now..." He patted Baor's head, "Our priority now is to get out of this underground chamber."

"Get out? Why don't you try divination?" Baor laughed, "Of course, if you trust me, I can do it too..."

"Ha! Your skills are not enough!" Eighth Master laughed, "Forget it, I'll use my old life to figure out how we should..."

Suddenly!

The ground beneath them began to shake violently, throwing them to the ground!

The entire cave began to collapse! This shaking was much more intense than before, like a stormy sea, causing the entire cave to tremble violently!

The stone walls collapsed! The earth cracked! Rocks rolled everywhere! The mountains wept!

A huge crack opened in the ground, several meters wide, with the surrounding walls trembling and collapsing, large rocks falling and almost hitting them!

Eighth Master looked up and saw several finger-width cracks in the cave ceiling, about to collapse. Looking around, he saw a cold breeze coming from a crack in the ground, which seemed to be a way out—his heart racing, he quickly picked up Baor and rolled toward the crack, shouting, "Baor, we'll go this way!"

They were still a few meters away from the crack when the ground shook violently again, the crack narrowing, and showing signs of closing. In a panic, he threw Baor toward the crack...

Almost simultaneously, the crack began to close!

Baor, small and narrow, was thrown into the crack, rolling down the slope for several dozen meters—when he landed, he quickly got up and saw that the crack above had narrowed to the size of an arm!

He called out anxiously, "Master, Master!"

From above the crack, he heard Eighth Master's cheerful voice, "Baor, don't worry about me, escape on your own! I have a way out, and I'll meet you later!"

"But..." The ground shook again, throwing Baor to the ground!

Baor could no longer hold back, crying and scrambling to his feet, reaching out to the wall, crying, "Master, I can't bear to leave you!"

"You have to leave!" The crack had narrowed to a thin line, and Eighth Master's angry voice came through, "Go to Kunlun Mountain's Wanmang Peak, find my master Plum Blossom, and join the Five Wheel Sect..."

Rumble~

With a loud noise, the crack closed!

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