The Ghost Within Fufeng Tower

It was midday. The sun hung high overhead, and the scorching air was almost enough to roast a person alive.

Come to think of it, it was strange. Ever since arriving at Ancient Pool Village, Lin Yi had never seen rain. Every day brought clear skies and blazing sunshine.

Outside the Temple, beneath the shade of a tree, Gu Chenghu and the others were suffering terribly from the heat.

"Qingshan, do you have any water left? Give me some."

Since Lin Yi had a Spatial Backpack, Gu Chenghu liked to store miscellaneous items on him.

"No more, Captain. We drank it all. I'll go draw some Well Water..."

"Don't take the long way. Go to Fufeng Tower. They can supply our Militia Team with Well Water. See if you can get some ice to eat too."

"Alright..."

Fufeng Tower was not far from here. Lin Yi snapped off a leafy branch and held it over his head, then jogged there beneath the blazing sun.

At this hour, there was not a single customer eating inside Fufeng Tower.

Lin Yi found a waiter and explained why he had come.

"Please have a seat and wait a moment. I'll fetch the water right away."

Perhaps Fufeng Tower had been built in some special way, but Lin Yi immediately felt much cooler upon entering. A chilly breeze occasionally drifted in through the windows.

Just as Lin Yi was about to find a chair and sit down for a while, his heart suddenly began pounding violently.

This is... a warning from the Strange Stone?

Could there be a Ghost Spirit inside Fufeng Tower?!

Had the Ghost Spirit that once wreaked havoc in Ancient Pool Village been hiding here all along?

Lin Yi was immediately startled. This was the first time he had sensed any movement from the Strange Stone.

Though the cool breeze brushed against his face, cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

Suppressing his shock, Lin Yi collected the water and a little ice from the waiter, then hurried back to where Gu Chenghu was.

Seeing Lin Yi rush over in such a panic, Gu Chenghu raised an eyebrow.

"Captain, something felt wrong when I was at Fufeng Tower. It was chillingly cold. Didn't you say that when Ghost Spirits appear, the temperature around them may drop? Could there really be a Ghost Spirit in Fufeng Tower?"

Before Gu Chenghu could respond, Gu Shan and the others on duty with them burst out laughing.

"Qingshan, you're making too much of it. Fufeng Tower was built on prime land. They say it's warm in winter and cool in summer. Besides, there's an ice cellar beneath it. Once the ice cellar is opened, cold air naturally comes out. How could a Ghost Spirit possibly hide there?"

"That's right, Qingshan. The Temple suppresses Ghost Spirits. No Ghost Spirit would be hiding nearby..."

Lin Yi glanced at Gu Chenghu. "Captain?"

Gu Chenghu knew that Lin Yi was not one to make a fuss over nothing. He must have discovered something, so he asked, "Qingshan, tell me exactly what happened."

But Lin Yi could not explain it openly. After all, he had sensed the Ghost Spirit through his soul artifact.

Yet if a Ghost Spirit was hiding in Fufeng Tower, who knew when it would erupt? If he did not make things clear, the entire Ancient Pool Village might be plunged into danger.

After thinking it over, Lin Yi leaned close to Gu Chenghu's ear. "Captain, there really is a Ghost Spirit. I can sense Ghost Spirits at close range. When I entered Fufeng Tower, I didn't notice anything unusual at first. But when I got close to the window in the southwestern corner of the first floor, I realized something was wrong."

Gu Chenghu's eyes widened. "Really?"

"It's true. I have no reason to lie."

Though Gu Chenghu was shocked that Lin Yi could sense Ghost Spirits, Newborns possessed unusual abilities to begin with. It did not seem impossible for Lin Yi to sense Ghost Spirits at close range.

"Good lad, you've given me quite the surprise."

Gu Chenghu slapped Lin Yi on the shoulder, then had Gu Shan and the others split up to notify people.

"Although I believe you, we'll still need to use the Divine Talismans made by that old fellow Gu Yuan to confirm whether a Ghost Spirit is truly hiding in Fufeng Tower. Come on, let's go to the Treasure Vault first."

Gu Chenghu then brought Lin Yi to the Treasure Vault where Gu Yuan was.

Inside the Treasure Vault, Gu Chenghu did not reveal that Lin Yi could sense Ghost Spirits. He merely said that he might have found the Ghost Spirit's hiding place and needed Divine Talismans to investigate it.

Regarding the Ghost Spirit hidden in the village, Gu Yuan, whose afternoon nap had been interrupted, did not dare take the matter lightly. He immediately took out more than ten Spirit-Seeking Talismans worth 50 Contribution Points each.

But after seemingly considering something, Gu Yuan took out another red Divine Talisman. It looked like an upgraded version of the Spirit-Seeking Talisman.

"Gu He and I used quite a few Spirit-Seeking Talismans to search for the Ghost Spirit hidden in the village before, but we never found any trace of it. Perhaps the quality of the Spirit-Seeking Talismans wasn't high enough to locate a Ghost Spirit skilled at hiding. Take this Demigod Talisman and use it."

It was clear that this upgraded Spirit-Seeking Talisman was seemingly on the same level as the Demon Suppressing Talisman. Gu Yuan looked pained as he took it out.

After leaving the Treasure Vault, Gu Chenghu smiled. "That old fellow is usually stingy as hell. Didn't expect him to be willing to bring out something good when it really mattered."

Lin Yi then followed Gu Chenghu to the outside of Fufeng Tower.

Upon arriving, Lin Yi saw that many members of Militia Squad One led by Gu Liehai and Gu Man's Third Squad had gathered here.

Including the members of Second Team, there were nearly thirty militia members present.

Lin Yi also spotted Chang Kongkuo, the Ninth Rank player from First Squad.

He wore the Militia Team uniform, with a bow and a large saber slung at his waist. His face was cold and stern.

As fellow players in the Militia Team, Chang Kongkuo nodded at Lin Yi in greeting.

Gu Chenghu looked around and asked, "Where is Elder Gu He?"

"He went to the Temple. He'll be here soon."

Gu Man could not help asking, "Chenghu, how are you so sure there's a Ghost Spirit in Fufeng Tower?"

Gu Chenghu did not intend to reveal Lin Yi's secret, so he changed the subject. "Naturally, I have my methods. I just got a batch of Spirit-Seeking Talismans from that old fellow. Let's divide them up. Later, we'll surround Fufeng Tower in groups, so the Ghost Spirit inside doesn't escape."

Perhaps the gathering of the Militia Team had caused too much commotion, because quite a few bold villagers from Ancient Pool Village also came over from afar to watch.

After Gu Chenghu told Lin Yi to stay far away once the battle began, Lin Yi headed toward the crowd of villagers.

After all, there was safety in numbers. If the Ghost Spirit broke through the Militia Team's encirclement, he could take advantage of the chaos and run.

But Lin Yi's militia uniform was far too conspicuous. When the villagers saw him approach, many immediately backed away, as though he were some source of danger.

Lin Yi awkwardly rubbed his nose and had no choice but to return to the Militia Team.

Gu Chenghu laughed when he saw Lin Yi's reaction, then walked over and handed him a Defense Talisman worth 80 Contribution Points.

"It's yours. Once the fighting starts, remember to protect yourself."

After learning that Lin Yi could sense Ghost Spirits, Gu Chenghu naturally regarded him more highly.

Aside from the talismans made by Gu Yuan, certain special external martial arts could also harm Ghost Spirits.

However, not many people in the Militia Team had learned such precious external martial arts. There were only a little over ten in total.

Gu Liehai, Gu Chenghu, and the others then divided the Militia Team into two groups. The militia members capable of harming Ghost Spirits stood in the front row to besiege the Ghost Spirit later, while the rest stood around the perimeter to protect the villagers.

Lin Yi only had the Heavenly Star Archery Technique as an offensive method, and it could not harm Ghost Spirits, so he naturally stood in the rear.

By then, the waiters, cooks, Steward, and others from Fufeng Tower had already been brought outside and checked with talismans. None of them had been possessed by a Ghost Spirit.

If there truly was a Ghost Spirit inside Fufeng Tower, it could only be hiding within the building itself.

Soon, the militia members who had finished arranging their attack plan began to move.

Four people stepped out from the Militia Team and stood at the four corners of Fufeng Tower, activating ordinary Spirit-Seeking Talismans in their hands.

The Spirit-Seeking Talismans quickly began to burn. Streams of green smoke spiraled through the air, lingering for three or four breaths before dissipating.

Seeing this, Gu Man licked his lips and revealed an excited expression. "Interesting. There really is something here?"

Normally, after a Spirit-Seeking Talisman was used, it would transform into green smoke and track the traces of nearby Ghost Spirits.

If there were no Ghost Spirits, the green smoke would quickly disperse. If there were, it would naturally pursue the Ghost Spirit.

Yet neither case would look like this, where the green smoke seemed to have no target and merely circled through the air for several breaths before vanishing.

There was clearly something strange about this place.

Gu Chenghu then held the upgraded Spirit-Seeking Talisman. The talisman turned into a massive plume of green smoke, circled in the air, and then slipped into Fufeng Tower.

"It really is inside. I'll lead some men in to investigate first. You all set up defenses here!"

Gu Chenghu was slightly delighted. If there had been no Ghost Spirit in Fufeng Tower, he would have lost a great deal of face today.

Fortunately, after all this trouble, they had finally found the Ghost Spirit lurking in the village.

Gu Chenghu then led several people deep into Fufeng Tower. They tracked it all the way until they finally stopped before the ice cellar in the basement.

Though the ice cellar was locked, wisps of cold air still seeped out.

"You filthy thing, you still dare hide after being caught red-handed? Let's see where you can run!"

Gu Chenghu signaled for the people behind him to spread out. Then, gripping the Dragon Roar Saber, he stepped forward and kicked the ice cellar door open.

Creak!

The wooden door shattered into flying fragments.

In an instant, a black shadow darted across the ground before exploding into many smaller black shadows that rushed out of the ice cellar.

The Militia Team members behind Gu Chenghu braced themselves as though facing a formidable enemy.

The Dragon Roar Saber in Gu Chenghu's hand shone brilliantly. With a hum, it slashed at the largest mass of black shadow.

"Aah~!"

A piercing shriek came from within the black shadow.

But the black shadow did not disperse. Its color merely faded, changing from deep black to translucent.

Gu Chenghu frowned slightly. "Everyone, attack! Don't let too many of these filthy things escape!"

The others attacked together, almost all using the Blazing Sun Saber Technique as they struck at the wandering black shadows.

Outside Fufeng Tower, Gu Man, Gu Liehai, and the others also heard the commotion and immediately went on alert.

Suddenly, several black shadows shot out from Fufeng Tower's basement and fled wildly along wherever shadows could be found.

Gu Man was the first to attack. He bit his finger, drew a strange pattern onto the Clear Peak Long Sword with his blood, then slashed with his sword and destroyed a small black shadow before him.

"Is that the Spirit-Embedding Technique?"

Watching from the outer perimeter, Lin Yi felt his blood boil. It was said that the Spirit-Embedding Technique was an external martial art specialized for dealing with Ghost Spirits, though it required the user to draw patterns on their weapon with their own blood beforehand.

In a sense, the Spirit-Embedding Technique was better suited than the Blazing Sun Saber Technique for dealing with Ghost Spirits.

The battle in the basement was fierce, but Gu Chenghu had brought too few people. Before long, many black shadows escaped.

On the ground, some black shadows were driven by the Militia Team into dead ends within the shadows, then directly crossed through the sunlight.

But under the blazing sun, every black shadow passing through the light began to sizzle and smoke, letting out agonized wails as though being roasted over flames.

"Don't be stingy with the talismans! Don't let the shadows escape!"

Gu Liehai moved with agility. In a single leap, he vaulted onto a tall tree, drew the huge bow from his back, and fired several arrows in rapid succession.

Many arrows pinned the black shadows firmly in place, like thumbtacks pinning small scraps of paper to a wall. No matter how the scraps twisted and spun, they could not break free from the thumbtacks.

The nearby Militia Team members then followed up and destroyed the black shadows that could no longer move.

In the brief minute since the black shadows erupted and fled, more than thirty had been destroyed.

But several dozen black shadows were still hiding in nearby places where shadows fell.

Lin Yi noticed that Chang Kongkuo had also made his move. He was agile and quick. After locking onto a black shadow, he easily caught up to it, drew his saber, and dispersed it.

He was using the Blazing Sun Saber Technique as well.

One after another, more and more black shadows were destroyed. Every destroyed black shadow left behind a pile of Ghost Spirit Ashes.

This was called Ghost Spirit Ashes, and it had a wide range of uses. Lin Yi needed it too if he wanted to expand his soul artifact's detection range.

Good stuff. Too bad I didn't join the fight, so none of it is mine!

Just as everyone thought that this Ghost Spirit, which had transformed into so many black shadows, was about to be eliminated, a scream suddenly came from the outer perimeter.

"Aah, save me!!"

A black shadow had somehow slipped into the crowd of militia on the outer perimeter and climbed into one of their shadows.

The black shadow frantically bit and tore at the militia member's shadow. It quickly devoured the man's arm, and as the shadow arm disappeared, the militia member's actual arm vanished as well, as though it had been bitten off by a savage beast.

After consuming one shadow arm, the black shadow instantly became more solid and slightly larger.

"Holy shit!"

Lin Yi was utterly shocked by the sight.

This was the Ghost Spirit's bizarre ability?

No wonder the people of Ancient Pool Village occasionally dared to go out and kill Monsters, yet avoided Ghost Spirits like the plague.

Ghost Spirits' abilities were just too broken. If you didn't know how a Ghost Spirit attacked, it was far too easy to fall into its trap.

"We found this thing's main body! Surround it and save him!"

Gu Liehai was also somewhat shocked by what he saw. This Shadow Ghost had wreaked havoc in Ancient Pool Village before, but it had only hidden in shadows and drained several people of their vital essence.

Now, aside from consuming vital essence, the Shadow Ghost could actually devour human shadows to restore itself. A Ghost Spirit with such an ability was clearly extremely rare.

If they let this Ghost Spirit escape, it would likely be difficult to catch again.

Gu Liehai's expression turned solemn. He drew his longbow, and with three sharp whooshes, three arrows tore through the air.

The Shadow Ghost's main body on the ground was extremely alert as well. Upon sensing danger, it immediately slipped out of the man's shadow and sprinted into the distance.

Though the Shadow Ghost's main body also sizzled and smoked under the sunlight, it could clearly withstand the burning damage.

"Damn it, it's getting away!"

"Where do you think you're going!"

At that moment, beneath the blazing sun, a Divine Talisman shot in from afar and transformed into a bolt of lightning three feet long.

Crackle!

The blue lightning shone brilliantly beneath the clear sky and instantly struck the Shadow Ghost's main body.

Only a black crater remained. The Shadow Ghost's main body that had just been fleeing seemed to have been completely obliterated.