〈Ghost Fu Qu〉 completed?

Yang He could clearly feel the coffin becoming restless, not because of the Three Mountains Goddess, but because Nezha had discovered Madam Yin was approaching.

[Spiritual Vision: 38.6 points]

His Spiritual Vision surged, and the Three Mountains Goddess's gaze was fixed intently on Yang He.

Yang He looked around. On the ground, arms made of lotus root blocked their path forward, and the Three Mountains Goddess was likely hidden among them.

His pupil ghost opened, noticing the intensely chaotic yin qi emanating from the lotus root arms.

"The Three Mountains Goddess seems to be... quite injured?"

This was Yang He's first time acting as a Lotus Root Harvester. He had encountered the Three Mountains Goddess before, and her aura had never felt this weak.

"It must be Madam Yin's doing. The Three Mountains Goddess has already suffered a severe blow."

"My child～～"

The Three Mountains Goddess's call echoed again, and Yang He felt an itch spread across his body.

He glanced sideways and saw that lotus seeds had taken root and were sprouting within his skin. He realized he had fallen into the Three Mountains Goddess's trap.

Pfft.

A sharp pain erupted from his shoulder, and a tender lotus bud immediately grew.

Yang He received feedback from his pupil ghost: a third ghost had entered his body, yet he couldn't find where the Three Mountains Goddess's true form was hiding.

The other soldiers were unaffected by the Three Mountains Goddess. To them, the malevolent spirit had merely called out a few times before disappearing.

Yang He, however, calmed down, contemplating the gains and losses.

Li Feng sensed something amiss. "Daoist Yang, we can't be far from Qing Lake. As long as we can contact Immortal Venerable Taiyi..."

He was also at his limit. Even if he abandoned the coffin, he wouldn't have the strength to face the Three Mountains Goddess.

"The Three Mountains Goddess won't let me near Qing Lake."

Yang He looked towards the mountain path and tried to take a step forward. As a result, his internal organs throbbed with pain, and the lotus roots had already begun to burrow into his bone marrow.

He realized the Three Mountains Goddess wanted to escape Qing Lake.

Hungry Ghosts also possessed an instinct for avoiding disaster. Understanding that staying put meant certain death, it had chosen to hide within the young Daoist Initiate.

Yang He licked his lips, a bold idea surfacing in his mind.

It didn't matter if he died in the Lore World. At most, the Ghost Lotus would be in a deadlock. The gains from his actions might even compensate for the losses.

"Li Feng."

Without further pleasantries, Yang He swallowed another ten Great Replenishing Pills.

"You all continue escorting the coffin. Remember not to look directly at Qing Lake. As for me... hehe, I plan to have a little chat with the Three Mountains Goddess."

Yang He's yang fire surged. It did not slow the growth of the lotus roots; instead, the sprout on his shoulder had already formed a flower bud.

He turned and left. The Three Mountains Goddess within him also stopped causing trouble.

"Daoist Yang!"

Yang He leaped, then hugged the copper coin sword, doing his best to protect his vital points, and tumbled down the muddy slope.

His body was covered in bruises, and he felt several broken ribs upon landing.

But Yang He wasn't worried at all.

The Three Mountains Goddess hadn't expected Yang He to be so reckless.

"Aaaaahhhhh!!!!"

In this desolate wilderness, there were no other children of a similar age. To evade Madam Yin, the Three Mountains Goddess could only hope that Yang He would survive and get down the mountain.

Pfft, pfft.

Lotuses grew all over Yang He's body, but his smile became increasingly unrestrained.

He crashed into a giant boulder on the mountainside. Just as he was about to hit it, several slender hands actively cushioned his fall. The sound of cracking bones was incessant.

"Found you!"

Yang He narrowed his eyes. His pupil ghost had locked onto a root near his lower back. If nothing unexpected happened, that root was where the Three Mountains Goddess's true form was located.

He remained calm, noticing that the surroundings were already covered in black hair.

In the distant forest, a towering woman was slowly climbing the mountain. The rain within a hundred-mile radius was caused by her.

The yin qi swept out like waves, covering grass, trees, rocks, and stones with black hair.

Madam Yin's second avatar was slightly inferior in strength, possessing the level of a Fierce Ghost, but the oppressive feeling was not as terrifying as before.

The Three Mountains Goddess's movements abruptly ceased.

Yang He controlled his body as he rolled towards the mountain path. The Three Mountains Goddess, sacrificing more than a dozen arms, managed to pull Yang He onto a relatively flat open space.

"My child～～"

"Wait～ Wait～～"

Yang He's lips curled up. He gave a middle finger and, disregarding the Three Mountains Goddess's threats, got up and limped towards Madam Yin.

The Three Mountains Goddess had no choice but to obediently choose to lie dormant.

Yang He suppressed his distracting thoughts, controlling the pupil ghost to appear behind his head, while the ghost hand attached to his flesh was ready to strike.

Madam Yin arrived a thousand meters away, paying no mind to Yang He.

Yang He looked back, "Logically, the coffin should have arrived at Qing Lake by now. I wonder if the condition for the Ghost Lotus to be completed is Nezha's resurrection."

He took a deep breath, no longer resisting the erosion of yin qi. The Great Replenishing Pill he had taken earlier was depleted, and his yang fire was slowly extinguishing.

The vitality of his internal organs began to cease, and the characteristics of corpse transformation spread throughout his body.

The Three Mountains Goddess, not understanding the situation, found Yang He on the verge of death and, fearing Madam Yin would notice, became even more desperate to conceal her presence.

"Die!"

Yang He raised his copper coin sword and thrust it directly at the roots.

The Three Mountains Goddess was in a dilemma. If Yang He were to rip open his abdomen, she would be exposed to Madam Yin. She could only extend her arm to block him.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.

As soon as her arm touched the copper coin sword, the hundred or so copper coins could not bear the load, and the two red ropes almost snapped. Fortunately, Yang He had tempered the yin artifact beforehand.

Yang He hadn't expected the copper coin sword to be effective.

The ghost hand turned semi-corporeal and merged into his own body, grabbing the lotus root and trying to directly pull the Three Mountains Goddess out.

The moment the Three Mountains Goddess exposed her aura...

Madam Yin stopped in her tracks.

The Three Mountains Goddess was so terrified that she was actually being overpowered by two weak ghosts. Yang He seized the opportunity and used his copper coin sword to sever her exposed arm.

"Ahhhhh!!"

Amidst piercing screams, Yang He completely suppressed the Three Mountains Goddess.

Immediately, the Potential Ghost felt a tremor, allowing the lotus root to burrow into its flesh and blood. Before long, the roots replaced the blood vessels, and the ghost hand became vibrant.

Yang He's expression was subtle. Grandmaster Taiyi had mentioned that Potential Ghosts needed to undergo "grafting" for cultivation.

He seemed to have stumbled upon success, having integrated the Three Mountains Goddess into his ghost hand. The Potential Ghost was now equivalent to the first yin meridian derived from the pupil ghost.

"Not a loss. I'm truly a genius. Achieving immortality and enlightenment is just around the corner."

"It's just a shame about my identity as a Daoist Initiate. I don't know if I'll be able to complete the Lore afterward. Logically, the coffin should have already reached Qing Lake."

Yang He's pupils dilated with shock. He saw Madam Yin pick up his now-cold body.

Then she gently placed it on a rock by the roadside.

Yang He's consciousness scattered as he watched Madam Yin disappear into the fine rain.

[Lore 'Ghost Lotus' completed. Generate permanent character?]

"It seems Nezha's resurrection didn't cause any trouble, but Grandmaster Taiyi only just retrieved the coffin? Why so quickly."

"Confirm."

Yang He closed his eyes, awaiting his return to the Main World.

He also longed for the so-called permanent character.

"Huh?!"

Yang He opened his eyes. He was still in the Lore World, which was filled with black hair. The system prompt had not taken him back.

"Hehehe."

"Disciple, what was your name again?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Quick, come up and meet your master!!"