Gate of Space

Yan Chixia's expression shifted drastically. "Oh no, he's trying to suck out our souls! Quickly, chant the Prajnaparamita with me; keep your mind at peace and the Buddha will naturally dwell within your heart!"

With that, he began to chant aloud.

"Prajna-parami..."

An Yang ignored him altogether, casually flipping open the Diamond Sutra. One by one, yellowed pages fluttered away on the wind toward Black Mountain Old Demon, covered in incomprehensible Sanskrit characters.

Black Mountain Old Demon was still attempting to draw in the souls of An Yang and Yan Chixia when he suddenly found pages flying toward him instead. The moment they pressed against his body, they burned with a searing, fiery pain!

"What is this... the Diamond Sutra!"

An Yang abruptly wrenched free from Yan Chixia, using the immense suction force to propel himself forward. He grabbed the Xuanyuan Divine Sword and drove it with all his might straight into the skull of Black Mountain Old Demon.

Screech!

The gray robe draped over Black Mountain Old Demon ripped wide open to reveal layer upon layer of human heads packed inside. Yet before he could unleash his full might, he exploded with a deafening roar, transforming into a ball of blinding fireworks.

"Boom!"

Seeing this, the surrounding Underworld Soldiers panicked and scattered in all directions.

An Yang let out a sigh of relief, dropping heavily to the ground. He spotted a black bead resting there, picked it up, and frowned as an intense chill seeped into his hand from the object.

This bead wasn't in the original storyline!

Yan Chixia stared in a daze at An Yang, only snapping out of it when the young man walked over. A look of deep admiration crossed his face as he said, "Little brother An Yang, I never expected you to be a man of deep loyalty, and your courage and wisdom far surpass ordinary people. Dealing with both the Thousand-Year Tree Demon and Black Mountain Old Demon is entirely thanks to you. I, Yan Chixia, truly haven't misjudged my friend!"

An Yang waved a hand dismissively. "It's nothing. Brother Yan, you'd better take a look first and see what this bead is!"

"A bead?"

Yan Chixia gazed at the black bead in An Yang's palm. The moment he picked it up, he shuddered involuntarily. After studying it for a long time, he finally spoke. "Such heavy demonic Qi. This must be the Demon Core of Black Mountain Old Demon; only demons with a thousand years of Taoist practice possess such an item. It's useless to humans, but to demons and ghosts, it's an incredible treasure!"

Only then did An Yang understand. No wonder this item never appeared in the original storyline—it could only be utilized by demons and ghosts. His eyes lit up as he asked, "Can Xiao Qian use this?"

Yan Chixia looked deeply at Nie Xiaoqian and said, "Of course she can. With this bead, she won't just cast off the shackles of her original Golden Pagoda; she can use the bead as a vessel to absorb Black Mountain Old Demon's magic power. Her cultivation speed will advance by leaps and bounds until she becomes a thousand-year-old female ghost!"

Understanding what the swordsman meant, An Yang replied, "Don't worry, Brother Yan. Xiao Qian has a kind nature, and with me here, she won't harm anyone!"

Meeting Yan Chixia's gaze, Nie Xiaoqian panicked slightly, raising a hand to cover her pale face. "Venerable Taoist, I won't hurt people anymore."

Yan Chixia withdrew his gaze and turned back to An Yang. "So be it. I trust that little brother An Yang can keep her in check."

Nie Xiaoqian looked at An Yang, feeling an inexplicable shyness, and hurriedly raised her hand in an orchid mudra to shield her face.

Holding the Demon Core, An Yang asked, "How should this thing be used?"

Yan Chixia explained, "If you want to use the Demon Core as a sustenance for Nie Xiaoqian, just hand it over to her. The Golden Pagoda can be thrown away, though you're free to keep it as a keepsake if you wish. As for Black Mountain Old Demon's Taoist practice and magic power, Nie Xiaoqian herself knows how to assimilate them. Once she refines the Demon Core into a Ghost Core, she can call herself a thousand-year-old female ghost and walk about in broad daylight."

An Yang's eyes brightened. Naturally, he wanted Nie Xiaoqian to be free of her fear of sunlight. He pressed further, "How long will it take to digest this Demon Core?"

"Shortest is a year, longest is three to five years, or even ten to eight years."

"That long?"

Yan Chixia glared at him, his thick beard and upturned eyebrows making him look genuinely intimidating!

"Other people spend a thousand years cultivating that kind of Taoist practice, yet you can gain it in just a few years and still complain that it takes too long!"

An Yang smiled sheepishly, handed the Demon Core to Nie Xiaoqian, and draped an arm over Yan Chixia's shoulder to pull him toward the main hall.

"Now that all our troubles are gone, let's go drink!"

"Hiss... you're pressing right on my wound!"

Nie Xiaoqian picked up the Demon Core and cradled the earthen urn from the ground, then followed meekly behind An Yang with lowered eyes.

An Yang retrieved a sniper rifle and shot a wild boar in the woods, then used Yan Chixia's Xuanyuan Divine Sword to pry off the door panels of the side hall, hacking them into firewood. He lit a bonfire, sliced off the two hind legs of the wild boar, and began to roast them.

He had to admit, a divine sword that cut through iron like mud was something else; the efficiency of chopping firewood was exceptionally high.

He pulled out two bottles of high-proof Maotai. Originally, he had planned to use them as incendiary bombs, but he ended up drinking them instead.

After a few gulps of alcohol, Yan Chixia's mind grew hazy, and his weathered face flushed bright red.

"A-Ancestor... if Patriarch finds out you used my Xuanyuan Divine Sword to chop firewood, he'll definitely jump out of the Underworld and skin you alive!"

"Nonsense! If he were still in the Underworld, if he could see all this, how could he tolerate Black Mountain Old Demon running so rampant and almost swallowing you whole!"

"Haha... hahaha, that's true too. But you really are something, kid, actually managing to bag a wild boar in the middle of the night. None of the hunters I used to know had that kind of skill."

An Yang glanced sideways at Nie Xiaoqian and said calmly, "I didn't hunt it; it was all Xiao Qian's doing."

Only then did Yan Chixia realize the truth. "I was wondering how a scholar like you had the skill, though... I don't recall seeing Nie Xiaoqian accompany you outside."

Nie Xiaoqian looked at An Yang in surprise, doubt flickering in her eyes, but she asked no further questions.

She had already cast herself in the role of a concubine, and due to her status, the weight of a concubine was even heavier—a wife only needed to fulfill a good woman's duties, while a concubine dared not question a man's affairs at all.

Women of ancient times were simply like that.

An Yang smiled and raised his cup to Yan Chixia. "Haha, you're drunk. You better drink some more."

After three rounds of drinks, the two bottles of Maotai were already bottoming out. Both men were feeling quite woozy, especially Yan Chixia, who had never experienced the trials of distilled liquor. He had drunk a particularly large amount, likely putting away a bottle and a half entirely by himself.

Nie Xiaoqian helped An Yang upstairs, dutifully taking off his clothes and shoes, wringing out a cloth to wipe down his body, and finally lying down beside him to watch him drift off to sleep.

"Cock-a-doodle-do..."

A rooster's crow pierced the air. An Yang instantly opened his eyes, his groggy mind clearing up at once, and found that the space beside him was completely empty.

He got up, walked over to the window, and pushed it open to see a hint of dawn whitening the eastern horizon.

"Young master An Yang, what are you doing?"

Hearing a gentle voice from behind him, An Yang let out a breath of relief. He turned to see Nie Xiaoqian standing close in her white robes, and said, "I thought you'd disappeared."

Nie Xiaoqian stepped forward to lean into his embrace, whispering softly, "I won't leave."

An Yang nodded. "It's almost dawn. You should hide, or you'll get hurt."

With a calm expression, Nie Xiaoqian stood on tiptoe to give him a light kiss, then vanished on the spot in an instant.

Soon, a ray of sunlight pierced the horizon, slanting down from the other side of the mountains into the clouds, staining the edge of the sky a brilliant blood red before illuminating the earth below.

Today was the final deadline for Nie Xiaoqian's reincarnation. If she didn't pass through the cycle of rebirth now, she would have to wait another sixty years.

An Yang stood anxiously by the window, waiting until he finally saw the sunlight striking the ground. At that exact moment, the phone in his Portable Space vibrated. Characters flickered across the screen, and a cold voice that only he could hear echoed around him.

Mission successful. Obtained mission reward: item ability *1, skill point *1, physical stats point *1. The Chosen One may return to the real world at any time.

An Yang glanced around and pulled out his phone to check his profile.

Chosen One: An Yang

Physical stats: Physique: 2.2 Strength: 2.1 Speed: 2 Brainpower: 1

Unallocated stats points: 2

Mastered skills: Mastery of Combat (Intermediate) Firearms Mastery (Intermediate) English Mastery (Primary) Military Literacy Mastery (Primary) Instrument Mastery (Primary)

Unallocated skill points: 2

Item abilities: Portable Space (1 cubic meter) Skill Stealing (Pending use)

Pending item ability to draw: 1

"Draw item ability!"

"Drawing... Drawing complete. The Chosen One has obtained the item ability -- Gate of Space. Can establish an intangible spatial passage between a certain world and the real world. This spatial passage can be opened by the protagonist at any time and closed at any time."

An Yang drew a sharp breath. This ability seemed ridiculously overpowered, far surpassing Skill Stealing and Portable Space!

"Gate of Space? With this ability, doesn't that mean I can colonize an entire world?"

A line of text lit up on the phone, emitting a cold voice.

"The Chosen One may understand it that way, but the premise is that the Gate of Space merely provides a passage that can be opened at any time. You must possess the capability to colonize a world yourself."

"Uh... is it really good to crush my dreams like this?"

An Yang awkwardly wiped the sweat from his face, though he didn't take it too hard. Not having the ability to colonize a world now didn't mean he wouldn't in the future. As long as he picked the right world, his future glory and wealth would be inexhaustible!

Yet clearly, this world wouldn't cut it.

The world of A Chinese Ghost Story was overrun by demons and ghosts, with treacherous officials dominating the imperial court and the realm in chaos. Not only was development difficult, but the internal logic was fundamentally lacking. The benefits it could offer him were quite limited, making it a truly poor choice.

After a moment of thought, his worries drifted back to Nie Xiaoqian.

"System, can I bring other people back to the real world?"

"No. The system will only transport the Chosen One during transmission."

"Then what if I have Nie Xiaoqian inhabit the Demon Core, and I bring the bead back to the First World?"

The phone fell silent for a moment.

"...Yes."

"That's a relief!"

An Yang let out a breath.

"Prompt: The laws of the Portable Space are extremely incomplete and cannot tolerate all living or non-living conscious entities. It is best not to place plot characters inside the Portable Space."

"I'll just carry the Demon Core on my person, that's fine, right?"

"...Yes."

An Yang put away his phone and pushed open the door to head downstairs. Yan Chixia had yet to fulfill his promise regarding the cultivation techniques, and that would likely be his greatest harvest from this trip.

PS: Writing up to this point, I want to express my gratitude to the "Dragon Kiss Tears" tongxue. Well, I won't go into why—tongxue Dragon Kiss Tears definitely knows. By the way, this book will absolutely never go on hiatus!