Each Harboring Ghostly Intentions

By the pool.

Elder Hong wore a heavy expression as he slowly hauled up the silver net that had ensnared Ning Yao.

As Ning Yao drew closer to the surface and came into clear view, he felt a secret sigh of relief upon seeing that her limbs were intact.

Only then did he dare to exert real strength, having pulled with such caution until now.

"Splash!"

As Ning Yao's slender, swan-like neck broke the surface and she gasped for air, the two Pulse-Opening Realm leaders who had retreated earlier at the first sign of trouble returned, looking somewhat awkward.

"Elder Hong."

Xu Rui, the original owner of the silver net, offered a sheepish salute, his face full of shame. "I thought the Dark Giant Python was about to burst out and kill us, so I left in such a hurry that I forgot to bid you farewell."

The masked man merely gave a dry laugh, offering no explanation at all.

"You two are certainly quick-witted."

Elder Hong gave them a look that didn't reach his eyes before turning his gaze back to the still-shaken Ning Yao.

He stroked his chin, pondering for a moment before saying, "Miss Ning, if you tell me truthfully what you saw at the bottom of the pool, and once I confirm your words are not false, I will use you to trade for one of our Dark Ghost members who is currently imprisoned by your Seven Great Families."

"I can also guarantee that you will see your parents again with your virtue intact."

Every eye turned toward Ning Yao.

Pulled from the bottom of the pool, Ning Yao's wet, raven-black hair draped over her shoulders. Her extreme fury made the delicate veins on her snow-white neck stand out with startling clarity.

She gasped violently within the silver net, her drenched, exquisite figure appearing quite alluring.

The predatory gazes of several Dark Ghost cultivators wandered over her most enticing features, making her feel an indescribable sense of discomfort.

Upon hearing Elder Hong's promise, a flicker of hesitation appeared deep within her still-angry eyes.

"You know I will verify this, so please, do not lie to me."

Elder Hong reminded her with a smile.

Ning Yao gritted her teeth, her voice trembling as she spoke the truth. "The Dark Giant Python you spoke of has been pinned to the bottom of the pool by this Phoenix Bone. Its flesh and blood have been devoured, leaving only bones that match the Phoenix Bone."

"The Phoenix Bone is still lodged in its skull. That monster... Ouyang Duanhai is also at the bottom of the pool, waiting for something in front of the Phoenix Bone."

"Besides him, Pang Jian is also alive, hiding in the shadows at the bottom of the pool!"

Ning Yao held nothing back, revealing everything she had seen.

She knew full well that these people from the Dark Ghost, having risked such great danger to wait this long, would never let the matter rest.

In other words, these Dark Ghost members would eventually go down, and they would see at a glance whether she had spoken the truth.

Sure enough.

After hearing her description, before Elder Hong could even speak, Jin Yang took a deep breath and shouted, "The skeleton of a Dark Giant Python is an extremely precious spiritual material. If that Dark Giant Python wasn't merely a low-level fourth-rank beast, but had reached the fifth rank, its massive skeleton would be worth a fortune!"

"If it is only Ouyang Duanhai..." Elder Hong's eyes brightened bit by bit as he nodded with a smile. "No matter how strange he has become, his original cultivation base is still too low. I should be able to handle him."

"How about this!" Elder Hong glanced at Xu Rui and commanded, "You are in the Pulse-Opening Realm and can stay underwater for a long time."

"You will be the first to descend into the pool. You don't even need to sink to the very bottom; as long as you can see the situation there and confirm it is as this girl says, you can come back up and tell us."

Xu Rui, who had just returned, wore a bitter expression. He sighed, "I can just arrange for a subordinate to go."

"The pool is too deep. Anyone who hasn't reached the Pulse-Opening Realm will run out of breath before they even reach the bottom." Elder Hong shook his head, insisting that he go.

Jin Yang frowned, looking at him with a dark expression as well.

Unable to defy the two of them, Xu Rui grumbled inwardly but complied, sinking into the pool and diving down at a sluggish pace.

At the bottom of the pool.

Clinging to the shadows against the rock wall, Pang Jian had been watching the movement above. He immediately saw Xu Rui descending and noticed him looking around, silently observing the scene below.

The closer to the Phoenix Bone, the brighter the pool water; the further away, the darker it became.

Pang Jian, huddled in the dark, could see Xu Rui descending near the Phoenix Bone, but Xu Rui could not see him.

Furthermore, before Xu Rui had even fully reached the bottom, he swam back to the surface with impatient haste.

Pang Jian understood that Xu Rui must have learned the situation at the bottom from Ning Yao and had come specifically to verify it.

Next, the powerful experts of the Dark Ghost, like Jin Yang, would likely descend into the pool one after another.

The Phoenix Bone, the humanoid monster of unknown status, and the impending influx of Dark Ghost experts disrupted Pang Jian's composure, forcing him to consider his next move with great caution.

Whether to return to the stone door and retreat from the Blackwater Pool, or to continue watching from below, became a choice he had to make.

Just as he was hesitating, he saw many tiny, sparkling white lights emerge from the bone that the Phoenix Bone had driven into the giant python's skull, gathering like fireflies.

The humanoid monster, which had been waiting for so long, saw the deep red light in its eyes brighten by several degrees, resembling two blood-colored lamps underwater.

"It's coming!"

Seeing this, Pang Jian, who had intended to retreat, chose to take the risk and decided to stay and watch a while longer.

He threw the cloth bag he had snatched from Ning Yao toward the stone passage behind the stone door, then pushed the door shut until only a barely perceptible crack remained.

Having finished all preparations, he gripped the Dragon-Patterned Spear and waited in the depths of the pool for the coming transformation.

He had already made up his mind.

Should the situation become too dire, he would immediately abandon the operation and slip away through the stone passage.

On the surface of the water.

Xu Rui broke the surface with a splash. After catching his breath, he waved and shouted to Hong Tai.

"That girl didn't lie! It is exactly as she said—the Dark Giant Python has been slain by the Phoenix Bone!"

"At the bottom of the pool, there is only Ouyang Duanhai, who has undergone a mutation. As for that brat named Pang Jian, I didn't see him; he must be hiding in the shadows."

Hong Tai's eyes lit up. He laughed heartily at Jin Yang and said, "Our long wait has not been in vain!"

Jin Yang wore no smile. Instead, he glanced at his gloved hand and said, "I hope everything goes smoothly from here."

Hong Tai coughed twice and said, "There shouldn't be any major issues. We only need to finish off Ouyang Duanhai to obtain the remains of the Dark Giant Python."

"You..."

He looked at the masked man. He had intended to call him by name, but suddenly remembering that Ning Yao was still nearby—and having already given his word—he changed his tone. "Those in the Pulse-Opening Realm can remain underwater for extended periods. Follow me to kill Ouyang Duanhai."

He swept his gaze over the others and frowned, adding, "As for the rest of you, stay outside and keep watch. Monitor the situation both inside and outside the valley."

The Dark Ghost followers in the Qi Refining Realm loudly acknowledged the order.

With a series of splashes, Hong Tai, Jin Yang, the ever-masked man, the captive Ning Yao in her silver net, and the black-and-white patterned python all descended into the Blackwater Pool.

In the blink of an eye, only the group of Qi Refining Realm practitioners remained on the banks of the Blackwater Pool.

"A Dark Giant Python from the Fifth Realm, slain by a shard of Heavenly Phoenix bone. Clearly, the Phoenix Bone that chose its target will now condense Phoenix Marrow from the python's flesh and blood."

Hidden in the shadows, unseen even by Hong Tai, a mysterious woman gazed at the pool water and spoke softly.

"These Dark Ghost fools—have they never wondered why a Dark Giant Python would appear in such a godforsaken place?"

"Can they not see that the Dark Giant Python was imprisoned in the Blackwater Pool? Have they truly never considered how terrifying the creature must be that could capture a Dark Giant Python from the eternal darkness of the Fifth Realm?"

She whispered to herself, then issued a command through her thoughts.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Numerous "Spirit Sha" she had refined slithered through the grass, approaching the Blackwater Pool undetected before suddenly pouncing on the Dark Ghost practitioners left behind.

Not a single Dark Ghost practitioner in the Qi Refining Realm was spared; all were possessed by the Spirit Sha.

In a very short time, the eyes of all the Qi Refining Realm Dark Ghost practitioners turned hollow and vacant. They stood by the pool like inanimate objects, their conversation ceased.

The woman, who had been hidden for so long, drifted gracefully toward the part of the Phoenix Bone protruding from the water, her figure wreathed in a hazy blood mist.

She stepped lightly onto the Phoenix Bone, looking down from the height at the pool water below, watching the figures of Hong Tai and the others gradually fade from view.

Even an existence as powerful as her could not see clearly into the depths of the pool. She was in no rush to drive the Spirit Sha-possessed practitioners down; instead, she waited patiently.

She did not fear Ouyang Duanhai, whose heart was being eroded by the Phoenix Marrow, nor did she fear the Xisui Realm Hong Tai, nor the new Phoenix Marrow about to coalesce.

The only reason she dared not act rashly was that she was uncertain whether the true master who had captured the Dark Giant Python and "kept" it in the Blackwater Pool was still around.

"Finally, they've arrived!"

Deep in the shadows of the pool, Pang Jian watched as Xu Rui, who had been there before, appeared alongside Jin Yang, the masked man, and Hong Tai, who had been hunting Zhou Qingchen.

Seeing Hong Tai again, he felt a pang of regret for Zhou Qingchen. He suspected that the young master of the Zhou Family, who had been a decent man, had likely met a tragic end at Hong Tai's hands.

"If I can survive this, and if I ever have the chance in the future, I will slaughter every Dark Ghost practitioner involved in this affair."

Just as Zhou Qingchen might have, Pang Jian silently swore an oath in the frigid pool water.

He had not interacted with many people; he had spent these years hunting in the mountains, trading his prey for the daily necessities required for him and his sister to survive.

After the upheaval in the Cenji Mountains, he had been "hired" by Ning Yao with a bag of silver coins. Of all the noble family disciples he had encountered, none had looked at him with respect; none had treated him as an equal... as a human being.

—Except for that young master of the Zhou Family.

Although Zhou Qingchen had his own selfish motives, he had always treated Pang Jian with courtesy. He had extended an olive branch early on, expressing his willingness to welcome Pang Jian into the Zhou Family, and had even persisted in his offer after Pang Jian admitted his talent was lacking.

For his sake, Zhou Qingchen had even been willing to forgo the potential spiritual materials within the "Indeterminate Ferry" to help that Gray Ape regain its freedom.

Pang Jian, a man who clearly distinguished between kindness and enmity, recognized only Zhou Qingchen as a true person during this expedition in the Cenji Mountains.

He thought that since the young master of the Zhou Family had already been harmed, the only thing he could do was to avenge him in the future.

For now, he did not believe he possessed such power.

As he thought, Pang Jian observed those descending and noticed that the high-ranking Jin Yang suddenly looked toward the very base of the Phoenix Bone, his eyes fixed on the shimmering white, glowing specks within the bone.

Jin Yang seemed to recall something; his face was suddenly filled with ecstasy and disbelief.

Before even sinking to the bottom of the pool, Jin Yang pointed at the humanoid monster, signaling Hong Tai and the other two to help him strike it down.

This powerful Dark Ghost expert of extraordinary background seemed to know that the Phoenix Bone would undergo a change, and he had recognized the origin of those mysterious glowing specks.

Under Jin Yang's constant signaling, Hong Tai and the two leaders naturally grasped his intentions.

They hesitated, wavering over whether to strike at Ouyang Duanhai immediately, only to see Jin Yang lunge toward the base of the Phoenix Bone.

Ouyang Duanhai, who had remained motionless for so long while waiting for the Phoenix Marrow to take form, had his deep, blood-red pupils instantly lock onto Jin Yang.

He charged at Jin Yang abruptly.

It seemed that whoever dared to touch the Phoenix Marrow would be the first to die by his hand.