Daochenzi is a heretical Daoist who has been wanted by the Celestial Masters Association.
Third Aunt and Song Qingya came to Red Lotus Village to find his whereabouts, but unexpectedly they were killed by him using the rules of the Red Line.
Third Aunt was transformed into a zombie, while Song Qingya's soul was trapped in a special lotus seed in a muddy pond.
The chill between her brows dissipated, and so did the spirit of her Third Aunt.
Su Cheng felt a deep sense of loss. She used ghostly fire to burn her Third Aunt's body, then put the powder into a jar, hoping to one day erect a tombstone for her.
"How's it going on your end? Daochenzi has already summoned the River God over here," Mu Ling's voice came through. "They're worshipping the Ghost King as a River God, how strange."
A note from the author:
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Chapter 118
Su Cheng walked towards the dry well. "I'm almost done here."
The boning knife was raised high and slashed fiercely at the iron chain, predictably striking a protective barrier.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Su Cheng, tireless, chopped with all her might.
The semi-protective barrier cracked under the heavy blow, and finally shattered with a "crack." The yellow talisman then spontaneously combusted, turning into ashes and scattering away.
With the obstruction removed, the boning knife finally landed on the chain.
With a loud "Bang!!!", the iron chain and the large rock pressing down on the well shattered simultaneously, sending fragments flying that grazed Su Cheng's cheek, leaving several bloody marks.
As if a seal had been broken, an unstoppable chill erupted from the bottom of the well, enveloping the entire ancestral hall.
Golden light flowed through Su Cheng's body, dispelling the bone-chilling cold.
She peered into the well and saw a stark white skeleton lying at the bottom.
Without wasting any time, Su Cheng took out a grappling hook from her bag, tied a rope to it, jumped down into the well, deftly put the remains into her bag, and quickly returned by pulling the rope.
The entire process, which took less than 30 seconds, left her hair covered in a layer of frost.
Su Cheng rubbed her face, which was numb from the cold; the chill when she descended to the bottom of the well almost froze her blood.
Mu Ling's voice followed immediately. "I've been discovered. He seems to have guessed where you were, and his face looks really grim."
Then her voice suddenly paused, tinged with fear, " The Ghost King's aura has changed, I should get away..."
"Okay, come this way, I'll head to the riverbank right away."
Su Cheng quickly left the ancestral hall, and at the same time, she saw the situation on the riverbank through Mu Ling's perspective.
The river suddenly became turbulent, boiling like hot oil, and the swirling mass of weeping resentment merged into Li Yueli's body.
It transformed from a reflection in the water into a human form, its appearance obscured by thick black mist; just looking at it sent shivers down one's spine.
It ripped out the Village Chief Bai's heart, who was completely caught off guard and collapsed in shock.
Daochenzi wanted to escape, but it was too late. He held the double-headed infant statue, intending to launch a counterattack, but was slapped away.
The ghostly infant from the two-headed baby statue crawled out like a black spider, staggering into Li Yueli's arms and merging into one.
The villagers sensed something was wrong and opened their eyes to see Daochenzi lying on the ground, vomiting blood.
They stared at the familiar figure on the altar, opened their mouths but couldn't utter a sound, "She... she!"
In a panic, some villagers knelt down and begged for mercy, while others fled in disarray, creating a chaotic scene.
Li Ren and the other two were freed from their restraints. Although they didn't understand why the situation had suddenly reversed, they instinctively moved away from danger.
Li Yueli attacked Daochenzi again.
Five years of pent-up resentment finally found an outlet.
Su Cheng severed the Shared Senses and met up with Mu Ling halfway.
She quickened her pace toward the riverbank and could hear the cacophony of cries from afar.
"Why hasn't the demon been completely destroyed? We beg the River God to appear and vanquish this demon!"
"You've killed so many people, Village Chief Bai is dead too, so please let us go!!"
"I was wrong, I was wrong. I shouldn't have pretended not to see it. Please don't kill us--"
"Waaaaah, I don't want to die..."
Most of the villagers were unaware that the river god was Li Yueli, who was forced to accept offerings.
Daochenzi's explanation was that the river god appeared to eliminate the Vengeful Ghost, and the sacrificial ceremony was set up to thank the river god.
Five years ago, Li Yueli massacred several villagers, staining the land with blood and leaving a deep shadow on the surviving villagers.
At this moment, that fear was awakened; the bolder ones still had the strength to escape, while the more timid ones' legs went weak.
Villagers stumbled past Su Cheng, and Su Cheng noticed the red threads embedded in their heads or shoulders. They froze, then stiffened and returned to the riverbank...
The ceremony has begun, the "gods" have descended, and the red line forbids villagers from leaving!
Su Cheng continued forward and saw Li Yueli and Daochenzi locked in a fierce battle on the altar.
She looked around and found Hao Ruoxue running.
Hao Ruoxue was still recovering from the massive blood loss; her steps were unsteady, and she moved with great difficulty, as if she were about to faint at any moment.
Su Cheng ran towards her, shouting, " Hao Ruoxue, go back to the riverbank!"
Hao Ruoxue paused, seemingly sensing something, and began searching for the source of the sound.
Seeing Su Cheng running, she didn't hesitate for long before turning back towards the riverbank. At the same time, she also made sure to stay away from the chaotic crowd and not get too close to the altar.
Li Ren and Yaya naturally heard the call as well.
They ran faster than Hao Ruoxue, were closer to Su Cheng, and could hear her more clearly.
Li Yueli's aura Ghost King was far too powerful; fear and avoidance are natural biological instincts. However, Su Cheng's words, which went against this instinct, must have hidden a secret.
After much deliberation, the two finally turned back.
On the altar, Daochenzi's arms were torn off, and he knelt on the ground, vomiting black blood.
At this moment, he had lost all his previous arrogance and confidence, and was more pathetic than a stray dog.
He coughed up blood in anguish, "Back then... I should have made you vanish into nothingness, instead of you becoming Ghost King today..."
Five years ago, Li Yueli drowned in the river, and the river has buried countless baby girls.
The mingling of their resentments transformed Li Yueli into an extremely ferocious and vengeful Vengeful Ghost.
Killing these kinds of vengeful Vengeful Ghost filled with resentment takes a lot of effort.
To save trouble, Daochenzi, knowing he wouldn't stay in Red Lotus Village for long, opted for a sealing method.
Suppressing the remains and digging out the unformed fetus from the body to make an image would be enough to keep the village at peace.
But who would have thought he would be forced to stay in the village?
The seal has hidden dangers.
He could only resort to offering sacrifices to reinforce the defenses, preventing Li Yueli from killing anyone.
However, the offerings were not made willingly by both parties. Li Yueli's resentment accumulated day by day, and once the seal was broken, she cultivated into Ghost King!
Daochenzi tried everything he could, but he was powerless to snatch a sliver of hope from the Ghost King.
The moment his heart was ripped out, he regretted it. He shouldn't have come here in the first place, or perhaps he should have left the village before the Heavenly Dao appeared...
Unfortunately, it's too late to regret it now.
Li Yueli pulled out Daochenzi's turbid soul and stuffed it into her mouth, tearing the corpse into pieces, leaving a misty bloody haze.
She turned her head, darted away, and the kneeling villager's head fell to the ground, leaving a clean cut line on his neck, blood spurting from the severed area.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh--"
Begging for mercy was useless; only screaming remained.
The stench of blood permeated the area; corpses lay one after another, blood seeping into the soil, pooling in the low-lying areas, and flowing like streams into the river...
As the villagers died one by one, the survivors became clearer.
Su Cheng wiped the warm blood splattered on her face. The next second, a tense reminder came from her ear, "She's coming!"
She was enveloped in an extreme chill, and the stench of rotting mud filled her nostrils, causing her heart to skip a beat.
This is Su Cheng's second time facing the Ghost King.
Compared to the twins who were asleep last time, Li Yueli is dozens of times more dangerous; she is awake, filled with malice, and harboring murderous intent.
Li Yueli was almost face to face with Su Cheng. She could see its venomous and bloodthirsty eyes and its rotting and bloated features.
Golden light enveloped Su Cheng's body, and this thin membrane protected her from Li Yueli's touch.
Perhaps it was the golden light emanating from Su Cheng that piqued Li Yueli's curiosity, which is why, despite its murderous intent, it did not immediately launch an attack.
Su Cheng stiffly tilted her head back, took out the skeleton and red lotus from her bag, and said in a deep voice, "I'm the one who unlocked the seal on the well for you."
The chill lessened slightly, Li Yueli stopped sticking close to her, taking two steps back and staring intently at the bones in her hands.
Su Cheng did not lower her guard because of this; she bent down and put down the remains.
Before placing the red lotus flowers before the remains, she lowered her chin slightly and said in the manner of a mourner, "This is my Tribute; please accept it, deceased."
The murderous intent vanished the moment the words were spoken.
The remains, along with the red lotus, vanished.
Li Yueli accepted her Tribute!
Just as people take money to do things, ghosts who take things usually abide by the rules of heaven and earth, either giving something in return or sparing the person's life.
The system notification tone sounded simultaneously:
[Ding~]
[The basic quest " The Blooming Red Lotus Flower " has been completed, rewarding 2000 points. The settlement will be displayed upon exiting the instance.]
[Ding~]
[Side quest " Grand Ceremony of Sacrifice to the God " has been completed, reward 2000 points. The reward will be displayed upon exiting the instance.]
[Ding~]
[Congratulations to the owner of Apartment No. 1167, Street X, District E, for successfully completing all tasks in the special instance " Soul Heart Lotus " and earning a total of 4000 points.]
[The player will be removed from the instance in 10 seconds.]
Only after hearing the system notification did Su Cheng feel completely relieved and let out a long sigh of relief.
After accepting the Tribute, Li Yueli floated towards the villagers who were being controlled by the red thread and returned to the riverbank.
As the countdown began, Su Cheng ran onto the altar, and with three seconds left, shouted in the direction where Hao Ruoxue was hiding, "Offering! Offering! Offering!"
She then disappeared from the spot.
Those three sounds were the last clues Su Cheng left for Hao Ruoxue and the others.
The red line might be considered the end of the ritual after all the villagers have died, no longer restraining the actions of the remaining survivors.