Chapter Thirty-Two: Summoning the Soul-Divine Prisoner of Lost Spirits(An author skilled in the art of writing)

"Is there any chance you might have been mistaken?"

Qu Hanchen listened to Xi Chunxue’s resolute tone. Although he hadn’t known her long, he had gleaned a bit of her character. Xi Chunxue wasn’t the sort to speak rashly.

"If we could be mistaken, then why do these ghosts avoid you?"

Xi Chunxue looked up as the eerie blue ghostly flames drifted by. Grotesque and hideous spirits wandered everywhere—nearly every kind described in the Book of a Hundred Ghosts could be spotted here.

There were honest and docile underworld ghosts, their shapes barely distinguishable from the living, their bodies tinged a verdant green, their lower halves dissolving into mist, huddled in a corner of the cell—these were the most common ghosts in the netherworld.

There were also mischievous "Dangling Shoe Ghosts," childlike in form with swollen heads, their bodies a dark purple, making slapping footsteps around the cell and occasionally blowing cold air on the back of Xi Chunxue’s neck.

Yet, there were no truly malevolent, man-eating ghosts here—only the Five-Strange Ghosts pursuing Duan Lingqi could be considered anything close.

Xi Chunxue was not naive enough to believe that this prison held no evil spirits; their absence simply meant the ghost wardens had no intention of harming them, only detaining them.

The ghost wardens, of course, obeyed the envoys of the underworld, and those envoys in turn took orders from the Judge of Ghosts in this northern ghost city. That meant, for now, the judge had no intention of doing them any harm.

It also meant that waiting would eventually yield results.

The plan Xi Chunxue had explained to Duan Lingqi earlier was not a desperate measure, but the product of careful thought.

Yet, waiting passively left one at the mercy of others, without the initiative or a say in one’s own fate. Xi Chunxue had already suffered from such passivity once—she would not allow it to happen again.

"Because..." Qu Hanchen shrank back, gingerly glancing at the spirits lurking in the shadows, their forms sometimes illuminated by wandering ghost-lights. These ghosts drifted aimlessly around the cell.

But as Xi Chunxue had pointed out, not a single ghost dared come near him; even Xi Chunxue herself sometimes had a Dangling Shoe Ghost blow on her neck.

"You're no longer the person you once were. From the moment you saw him, your life was forever changed," Xi Chunxue said, fixing her gaze on Qu Hanchen’s uncertain eyes.

"But I really don’t know what to do," Qu Hanchen replied, scratching his head in distress. He truly had no idea how to summon a ghost.

"Then listen carefully: I’ll say a phrase, and you repeat after me," Xi Chunxue said, closing her eyes slowly. In her mind, a towering pavilion appeared. She entered, following its halls until she found an ancient tome.

She opened it gently.

Xi Chunxue’s eyes opened slowly, their brightness now dull and vacant, her lips murmuring softly.

"Noble Lord of the Earth’s Nine Pacts, your horns curl and twist..."

"Noble Lord of the Earth’s Nine Pacts, your horns curl and twist..." Qu Hanchen echoed.

"Thick-backed, blood on your thumb, chasing men, clattering and clanging. Three-eyed, tiger-headed, body like a bull..."

Almost unconsciously, Qu Hanchen adopted Xi Chunxue’s solemn, reverent tone. As he spoke, a chill wind swept up from beneath his feet, shooting straight to the crown of his head.

Unbeknownst to him, strange, intricate black patterns began to swirl across his soul’s surface.

"Return, wandering soul!"

Suddenly, Xi Chunxue’s clear eyes darkened, her head dropping lifelessly, but her voice rang out, sharp and commanding.

A ghostly blue flame happened to drift by, obscuring Qu Hanchen’s view of her strange transformation, but he shouted with her all the same.

"Return, wandering soul!"

The wind roared to life, sending the gathered spirits in the cell tumbling, their anguished wails echoing in terror. Even the One-Eyed Ghost, who had been chasing Duan Lingqi, panicked and floated up to the ceiling, clutching its head and banging it repeatedly.

It was as if something dreadful were about to emerge from the depths.

The four eyeless ghosts who had been chasing Duan Lingqi scattered like headless flies, one even blundering near his mouth—Duan Lingqi, not missing the chance, bit down hard.

"Hey, I caught it! What do I do now? Damn it!" Duan Lingqi shouted excitedly in Xi Chunxue’s direction, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the eyeless ghost slipped away.

The shimmering ghostly flames swirling in the cell’s air were snuffed out by the fierce wind.

With his dragon’s eyes wide, Duan Lingqi could see nothing in the utter darkness. The green-glowing ropes binding him were the only remaining source of light.

"Kid, what’s happening?!" Duan Lingqi shuffled toward Xi Chunxue’s position, his tone harsh as he addressed Qu Hanchen.

"Hard to say," Qu Hanchen’s voice replied from the shadows.

"Just tell me what’s happening—what’s so hard to say?" Duan Lingqi huffed impatiently.

Qu Hanchen didn’t answer.

"Why are you growing fur?" Duan Lingqi had never regarded Qu Hanchen as quite human. Since he got no reply, he didn’t care, but as he approached where Xi Chunxue should be, he suddenly felt a soft, furry brush against his cheek.

It was surprisingly fluffy.

"Hmm?" Duan Lingqi raised his head just as a foul-smelling liquid dripped onto his head from above. Drawing on his experiences in East Ruins Mountain, he knew—it was saliva.

Only a large beast could drool so much, and so pungently.

Then, three yellow-brown vertical pupils glowed in the dark, staring coldly down at Duan Lingqi, who lay bound by the green-glowing ropes like a worm.

He took a deep breath and then exhaled quickly. The stench of saliva filled his nose, nearly making him retch.

"Are you a new inmate too?" he forced a genial smile, looking at the ghostly creature, its three eyes agleam but its true form hidden.

Unfortunately, this ghost was not friendly.

Suddenly, sharp teeth bit into his lower back, hoisting his entire body off the ground, then flinging him upward.

Thud.

Duan Lingqi crashed down hard, gritting his teeth in pain.

But what unsettled him most wasn’t the fall—it was the sensation of his demon soul leaking out from the wound where he’d been bitten.

Not even in his fights with the ghost wardens and the Ox-Head had this happened.

"Who summoned me?"

A deep voice reverberated through the darkness. Then, a ring of ghostly blue fire lit up, illuminating a monstrous apparition: its body twisted into nine segments, a single horn atop its head sharp as a chiseled blade.