Ghosts

Chapter 40: Ghosts

That world was exactly the same as when he had left it last time, as though the entire world had been frozen at the instant of his departure. The only difference was probably the Immortal Sword that had pursued him.

The Immortal Sword had vanished without a trace.

Su Yun cautiously surveyed his surroundings as he moved swiftly toward Uncle Qu's corpse.

Before that Immortal Sword sensed him, he had to obtain what he wanted from the Immortal Diagram before Uncle Qu's body, then leave this place!

His time was exceedingly short. He had to race against every second; there could be no delay!

He flew to Uncle Qu's corpse, bowed deeply to him, then raised his hand and pressed his palm against the translucent Immortal Diagram!

At once, clouds parted and mist rolled within the Immortal Diagram, and his inner heart was reflected upon it!

Within the Immortal Diagram, sunlight poured down over mountains and rivers. Suddenly, towering mountain ranges rushed toward him, and he saw a white ape leaping through the forest like it was flying.

The white ape halted atop a mountain and breathed toward the sun. The sunlight above its head actually gathered together, forming a fireball about a foot across that rose and fell with the ape's breathing.

As the white ape breathed, it loosened its muscles and bones. The muscles across its back seemed forged from iron, and it possessed more than twice as many muscles as a human!

It had more than twice as many tendons in its back as well, and they were even thicker!

"Though a white ape's body is strong, it still cannot compare to a true dragon!" Su Yun thought.

The white ape's heavenly tribulation came without warning. This was not a lightning tribulation like those of the Crocodile Dragon or The Whole Village Eats, but Thunder Fire. Balls of heavenly fire rolled down from the sky and bombarded the white ape.

It was called Thunder Fire because the fireballs exploded the moment they reached the white ape, erupting with thunderous booms.

When a fist-sized ball of Thunder Fire exploded, its flames could sweep across an area of nearly an acre. It was immensely terrifying!

The white ape fought the Thunder Fire tribulation atop the mountain. It too was undergoing tribulation and transformation, evolving toward a Golden Ape!

Its posture and movement techniques secretly corresponded to the Ape Master's Art from the Immortal Ape Qi Cultivation Chapter!

As Su Yun watched the white ape undergo tribulation, he compared it against the Ape Master's Art. Everything he had previously failed to understand or comprehend suddenly became clear, no longer hindered in the slightest!

It was practically the same as having a white ape undergoing tribulation teach him hand in hand how to cultivate the Ape Master's Art. It was even far more profound than the teachings of a famous master like Qiu Shuijing!

Su Yun rapidly gained enlightenment. Every move the white ape used to resist Thunder Fire was crystal clear. He could even see the rise and fall of its muscles, the opening and closing of its great tendons, and even the way its qi and blood flowed!

Especially its qi and blood—when compared against the first half of the Immortal Ape Qi Cultivation Chapter, it brought him tremendous gains!

The Ape Master's Art had six moves. The first was White Ape Hanging Tree, the second was Leaping Across an Ancient Ravine, the third was Scooping Up the Moon from a Well, the fourth was Old Ape Hugging Bell, the fifth was Capturing the Heart Ape, and the sixth was Ape Lord's Sword Flick.

Su Yun compared these six moves to the mental cultivation method from the first half, then recalled the scene he had just witnessed of the white ape breathing and turning sunlight into a fireball. He could not help but suddenly understand!

He had connected the upper and lower halves of the Immortal Ape Qi Cultivation Chapter!

"So that's how it is!"

Su Yun's gaze flickered. He had studied the Old Sage Classics under Mister Wild Fox for six years. Though his achievements had not been great, the reason the Old Sage Classics were difficult to learn was precisely because they were obscure.

Over the past six years, he had learned the Old Sage Classics from beginning to end, yet had never found any use for them. But after coming into contact with the New Sage Absolute Arts of the outside world, he discovered that understanding the New Sage Absolute Arts had become incomparably easy!

He had picked up Great Furnace Transformation and the Immortal Ape Qi Cultivation Chapter with astonishing speed!

"The most wondrous part of the Ape Master's Art is its final move, Ape Lord's Sword Flick! I wonder whether this move can deal with that Immortal Sword?"

The moment this thought crossed Su Yun's mind, a streak of sword light suddenly appeared within the Immortal Diagram!

The sword light flashed past. The white ape undergoing tribulation assumed the posture of Ape Lord's Sword Flick and, with a clang, flicked the Immortal Sword.

"Did it block it?" Su Yun was both shocked and delighted.

The next moment, the white ape split cleanly into two halves.

Su Yun's scalp prickled as he turned and fled wildly. In that fleeting glimpse, the white ape's internal structure had also imprinted itself upon his mind when it was cleaved apart.

"This is a fine opportunity for Investigating Things to Gain Knowledge. I can understand the white ape's bodily structure, imitate it with qi and blood, and strengthen the Ape Master's Art. But that sword strike is too terrifying!"

He sped away like wind and lightning, racing desperately along the stone bridge toward the Heaven Gate!

A ringing sound came from behind him. The Immortal Sword was crying out as it tore through the air in pursuit!

"This sword seems faster than before!"

The sword light pressed down upon Su Yun so heavily that he could see nothing before him. He simply closed his eyes. Sensing the Immortal Sword accelerating, even faster than when he had come here last time, made his scalp go numb.

"With the transformations of Flood Dragon's Chant and the strength of the Ape Master's Art, I can definitely escape alive!"

Su Yun activated his qi and blood. His legs instantly became incomparably thick, like those of a violent ape. He crouched, sprang, and ran as swiftly as flying.

When he reached the broken bridge, the youth leaped into the air. In midair, he transformed from ape to flood dragon, twisted and lunged forward, and jumped into the Heaven Gate!

Behind him, the Immortal Sword flashed past!

Su Yun returned to his body and wiped his forehead. It was covered in cold sweat.

The bonfire was still burning, though its flames were weaker than before.

Su Yun added more firewood. The firelight shone over his face as the youth still trembled with lingering fear over what had just happened.

"Even Ape Lord's Sword Flick could not block that strike! That strike was even faster than last time!"

Su Yun steadied himself and stared dimly at the bonfire. If he could not block that strike, then he could only sneak into the Heaven Gate in secret and could not explore what exactly lay within that world.

That world had to conceal countless secrets.

More crucially, how fast would the Immortal Sword become the next time he entered?

"Uncle Qu's body is there. Aside from Uncle Qu, could there be other people..."

He shook his head and cast those thoughts from his mind. A white ape must undergo a Thunder Fire tribulation to evolve into a Golden Ape, and a Crocodile Dragon must undergo a lightning tribulation to evolve into a flood dragon. Then what can humans evolve into? If humans evolve into that form, what tribulation must they undergo?

Were Uncle Qu and the others from Tianmen Town searching for the next form of human evolution?

Had these elders undergone tribulation?

His thoughts ran wild as he guarded the fire, adding wood from time to time.

Just then, a cold laugh came from outside the door. "Venerable Sage Gong really did hide something delicious here!"

Su Yun's heart jolted. The door to the west wing was blown open by a gust of sinister wind, and the flames of the bonfire beside him immediately turned a bleak green!

The youth shivered violently several times from the cold. "Something demonic has entered!"

The bonfire's flames streamed backward, then suddenly began to spin. The green flames stretched higher and higher, as though they were about to set the roof of the wing room ablaze.

The firewood in the bonfire burned away at a visible rate, about to turn to ash!

Su Yun hurriedly and frantically threw firewood into the blaze, terrified that the bonfire would go out.

Yet the newly added wood would not ignite no matter what!

Those green flames seemed to possess no heat at all!

The sinister wind blowing in from outside grew fiercer and fiercer. Just as the bonfire was about to burn out, an incomparably bright flash of lightning suddenly streaked through the west wing, dazzling beyond measure.

A thunderclap followed the lightning. Then the bonfire returned to its normal color, and the wood Su Yun had added crackled as it began to burn.

Flower Fox, Li Xiaofan, and the others were awakened by the thunder. Looking around, they saw everything was normal and felt bewildered. Suddenly, the sound of a heavy object striking the ground came from the courtyard of the Venerable Sage Temple.

Su Yun stood and moved to the window, pushing it open a crack to look. A huge head the size of a small mountain had fallen into the courtyard of the Venerable Sage Temple. It was pitch-black, and he had no idea where it had fallen from.

Flower Fox also leaned over. When the two saw that head, they exchanged a glance, both horrified.

Su Yun comforted the little foxes. "It's all right, it's all right. The snow crushed the eastern wall."

The three little Fox Demons believed him without question and fell back into a deep sleep. Hu Buping made babbling sounds in his sleep. The little fox curled up, hugged his tail, and seemed to be having some wonderful dream.

Su Yun whispered, "Second Brother, we're out of dry firewood. Guard the fire for now. I'll go to the east wing and bring back some firewood."

"Be careful!" Flower Fox said solemnly.

Su Yun quietly rose, pulled open the wing door, and walked out. Behind him, Flower Fox silently closed the door.

In the courtyard of the Venerable Sage Temple, that enormous head suddenly swayed. Su Yun jumped in fright and hurriedly stopped. Flower Fox watched from the window, his heart nearly leaping into his throat.

That strange head moved again, but made no further motion.

Su Yun cautiously circled around it.

Suddenly, he inadvertently saw an enormous figure moving beyond the temple wall. He hurriedly looked up and saw a giant more than ten zhang tall, far taller than the main hall of the Venerable Sage Temple, pacing outside the temple!

The giant seemed to have its eyes covered and could not see its surroundings. It stretched out both hands and groped around everywhere.

Su Yun looked closely, and his heart filled with horror. There was no head on the giant's neck!

It paced outside the temple as though it were searching everywhere for its own head!

Su Yun became even more careful as he silently headed for the east wing. At that moment, a black palm reached over from outside the temple and blindly felt along the temple wall.

It was about to touch Su Yun when he hurriedly opened the east wing's door and entered, quietly closing it behind him.

The huge hand groped outside the door for a moment before moving elsewhere. Su Yun swiftly picked up a bundle of firewood, quietly opened and shut the door, then made his way along the wall toward the west wing.

At that moment, one huge hand blocked his path from the front, while another stood behind him, trapping him between them.

Su Yun gritted his teeth and darted over to that enormous head.

The huge head that had fallen from the sky was still moving, making heavy huffing sounds.

He held his breath and headed toward the west wing, only to see its firelight gradually weakening.

Su Yun hurriedly quickened his pace. Just then, the two huge hands finally groped their way to the center of the courtyard. They felt around that enormous head, then grabbed its tangled hair and lifted it up.

The head had originally smashed face-down into the courtyard. Once lifted, it immediately shook from side to side like a rattle-drum before finally opening its eyes.

Those eyes were as large as bathtubs and flickered with green light.

Su Yun turned around and found himself face-to-face with the enormous head.

Without a second thought, Su Yun slapped the dry firewood. Two sticks flew out, and he flicked his fingers in rapid succession. With a move of Ape Lord's Sword Flick, the two sticks let out piercing whistles as they tore through the air and struck both eyes of the giant head!

The giant head cried out in pain. Outside, the headless body held the head in one hand while its other hand fumbled wildly over its neck, seemingly trying to rub its eyes, only to find there was no head on its neck.

Su Yun immediately rushed toward the west wing, and Flower Fox swiftly opened the door.

Suddenly, the neighing of horses rose outside the temple, along with the sounds of hooves stamping the ground.

Someone shouted, "Uncle, there's firelight ahead! Those little bastards who killed Yuan Wu must be hiding there!"