Chapter 30: A Moment Between Life and Death

This was the first time I had ever encountered a vengeful spirit, yet my understanding of such entities was that they retained fragments of memory from their former lives, were driven by overwhelming obsessions, and could manifest their ghostly forms clearly before the living. The negative emotions buried deep within their souls would be unleashed to their very limits.

The arrival of a vengeful spirit usually meant many deaths would follow.

But this one surprised me. He uttered only a single sentence, and I immediately realized he might still possess all the memories of his life, even retaining the logical reasoning of a living person.

That was truly terrifying.

A vengeful spirit skilled in corpse refinement, ghost cultivation, and even adept with spell formations...

The thought suddenly made everything clear to me.

"You must have been a mystical priest before you died," I said.

"Heh, clever boy. I was born and raised on Dragon Tiger Mountain," the spirit replied.

"Dragon Tiger Mountain!" Gu Lijinsha exclaimed.

The spirit suddenly glared viciously at her and roared, "Shut your mouth when the Commander is speaking!"

I gently squeezed Gu Lijinsha’s hand, signaling her to stay calm. The fact that this spirit was choosing to talk instead of killing us outright meant there might be a reason. Since we couldn’t escape or defeat him, perhaps we should keep our wits about us and search for a weakness.

"I merely fell in love with my junior sister, but that old bastard stripped me of my powers and banished me from Dragon Tiger Mountain. How could I not avenge this injustice?" The spirit’s anger swelled, his ghostly form expanding with malevolence until even breathing became difficult for Gu Lijinsha and me.

"Are priests on Dragon Tiger Mountain not allowed to fall in love?" I asked during a brief lull.

"Nonsense! That old bastard himself had several wives. He only punished me because my junior sister was betrothed to his precious disciple. What wrong was there in taking her for myself?" The spirit spat the words, his visage twisted and horrific.

"Did your junior sister love you as well?" I pressed, my eyes briefly flicking to the spirit tablet beside him.

"Of course she did. She was just shy, as women often are, but after consummating our relationship, there was no need for pretense," the spirit said, calming slightly.

Damn, wasn’t that just forcing yourself on her? I cursed inwardly, thinking Dragon Tiger Mountain had made a grave mistake not killing him.

"After I was expelled, I joined the forces of Marshal Xu Shiqiang in Beichuan. Though I’d lost my powers, I still understood feng shui, and quickly earned the marshal’s trust, commanding an army of my own. That year..." The spirit’s emotions surged again; he paused before continuing, "That year, Marshal Xu allied with the southern warlord and launched an attack on Jiangdong. Heaven itself granted me an opportunity for revenge."

"I led my troops up Dragon Tiger Mountain, gave the old bastard’s wives and daughter to my men, and then skinned him alive, slice by slice." The spirit threw his head back and howled.

Gu Lijinsha’s face turned pale. She’d heard of the infamous massacre that devastated Dragon Tiger Mountain, once the heart of Daoist practice. Its vitality had never recovered, not even a third of its former glory, with countless scriptures and relics lost or destroyed.

She had never imagined the perpetrator stood before us now.

After his howl, the spirit’s form stabilized. "I avenged myself, but happiness still eluded me. I had aspired to be the greatest master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, but after being crippled, that dream was gone—until I discovered the Nine Yin Corpse Resurrection Array in the Hidden Dao Chamber."

Though I remained on high alert, his words drew me in; he was reaching the critical moment, and I couldn’t help but listen intently.

"But the Nine Yin Corpse Resurrection Array required a malevolent soul as a vessel. I wasn’t about to impulsively kill myself, and though I knew a secret method to retain my memory as a spirit, it only worked for vengeful ghosts. I couldn’t be sure I’d become one."

"Heaven had not forsaken me, Wu Lin. That year, Marshal Xu was cornered by the Red Army, suffering heavy losses. He considered surrendering me to save himself, so I killed him and led eighteen hundred survivors into Mount Wu. In this Valley of Restless Spirits, I discovered a secret that allowed me to become a vengeful ghost." The spirit grew increasingly excited as he spoke.

"Did it involve betraying all eighteen hundred of your men?" I asked coolly.

The spirit’s ghostly eyes locked onto me. "How did you know?"

"A guess," I replied, glancing at the churning resentment flowing through the Eight Trigrams Array. Such overwhelming malice could only be produced by the collective wrath of so many souls.

"You are smart. Yes, I led all my men to their deaths, channeling their dying resentment into this formation. After I killed myself, I absorbed their rage and truly became a vengeful spirit," he said with a crazed laugh.

"What about Zhangjia Village?" I asked.

"The resurrection array needed nine drowned corpses, all born at the same moment as I, and plenty of groundwork. So, with threats and bribes, Zhangjia Village became my tool. Anyone who has practiced as a mystical priest knows: human depravity often surpasses even that of ghosts. Once they tasted the rewards, they became my dogs. For safety, I even raised two rat demons, though you killed the most promising one," the spirit said, strangely calm now instead of furious.

But the calmer he became, the greater my sense of danger.

"What a pity. After all your efforts to gather nine people born at the same time and place, your dream of rebirth is dashed," I said.

"Heh, but since you arrived, I've found an alternative," the spirit replied.

"Me?" I pointed to myself, every sense on high alert, goosebumps prickling my skin.

"Exactly. Do you know why I've told you so much?" the spirit asked, his form now so dense it seemed almost human.

"I don't want to know," I said, exchanging a glance with Gu Lijinsha. Suddenly, we both shouted. I sent dozens of Ghost Needles flying at the spirit, while she threw a black-glowing cord to ensnare him.

The spirit didn’t dodge, allowing the needles to pierce his form, black smoke hissing from the wounds. Gu Lijinsha’s hundred-year dragon sinew trapped him, but he only smiled.

"My resentment is too strong, and your body too weak. If I possess you now, your body might collapse. So I must vent all my rage before taking over," he cackled.

A thousand curses raced through my head. At that moment, blue runes lit up on the Eight Trigrams Array, and the spirit’s expression turned feverish.

Then, the blank spirit tablet at the center rotated and sank into the ground, only to rise again—with a woman beside it.

When I saw her, my mind went utterly blank. My mouth hung open in disbelief, rage at being deceived surging within me.

Zhang Ruyue!

How could it be her? Wasn’t she tortured into a half-corpse by the Commander? Wasn’t she supposed to return for revenge?

But now, thick corpse energy radiated from her, her eyes full of imperious arrogance. Even the vengeful spirit seemed to regard her with a hint of awe.

"You’re not Zhang Ruyue. Who are you?" I forced myself to calm down, noticing something odd. Behind my back, I signaled Gu Lijinsha to escape—she had a jade talisman for breaking formations, so there was still hope for her. But as for me, the spirit’s target, escape was nearly impossible.

Zhang Ruyue glanced at me as if I were nothing more than an ant. Suddenly, she stretched out a black, twisted claw, and an immense force pulled me toward her.

At that moment, the vengeful spirit’s energy flared, shattering the dragon sinew that bound him.

The next second, two items flew from my body—one was the ring I’d taken from Zhang Lei, the other a green pearl formed from the blood between Zhang Ruyue’s brows.

The spirit saw the ring and burst into mad laughter, slipping it onto his finger with ease.

"Possess him and devour his soul. I’ll use Netherworld Qi to help you merge with his flesh," Zhang Ruyue commanded.

"Understood." The spirit nodded and forced his way into my body. The All-Spirits Ring appeared on my finger.

"Get out!" In that instant, Gu Lijinsha bit down on her silver teeth, slapping a Soul-Calming Seal onto my back, trying to expel the spirit.

But just then, darkness crept into my vision. I raised my hand and seized Gu Lijinsha by the throat, a twisted smile spreading across my face. "Perfect—your living soul will be the sacrifice for the flood dragon spirit in this All-Spirits Ring. It will help me completely devour this body’s original soul."

"Qin... Feng..." Gu Lijinsha choked out, her eyes shot with blood, eyeballs bulging.

I found myself adrift in a world of darkness, not a single ray of light. I was so tired, desperate to sleep.

Just as my eyes were about to close, a burning sensation flared in my chest.

What was that?

The feeling was familiar, but I couldn’t remember. I couldn’t even remember who I was, or why I was there.

"Qin... Feng..." A faint voice called out.

Who was Qin Feng? My weary mind trembled.

Was Qin Feng... me?

Suddenly, the darkness split wide open, blinding light pouring in.

"Ah—!" The veins in my neck bulged, and I howled.

Immediately, a shadow began to flicker across my body.

"Flood dragon spirit, come out!" the vengeful spirit shouted. But the All-Spirits Ring on my finger only flickered weakly, then went still.

Where was the flood dragon spirit within the ring? The spirit faltered, confused.

At that moment, something seemed to emerge from the Eye of the Nether Dragon at my heart.

In the next instant, the spirit shrieked in agony.

Deep in the invisible sea of souls, a flood dragon spirit coiled around the vengeful ghost, devouring his form. In the blink of an eye, his ghostly body became transparent, as if it would scatter with the slightest breeze.