The surroundings were in chaos, with many stone walls and buildings destroyed in the melee, and the ground bore the marks of the Hui Shou’s trampling.
Especially the dungeon, which now bore no resemblance to its original form.
Only three or four intact street lamps remained, emitting a faint glow in the drizzle.
Weng Ping Ran tightly gripped the compass in his hand, his sweat mixing with the rainwater.
Everyone held their breath, their senses heightened, constantly alert to any movement around them, not daring to relax in the slightest.
With Lian Yi suddenly disappearing without a trace and Xie Yun’s soul remnants completely melted away, there was no trace left behind.
Nan Deng had been struggling all this while, and the giant beast had to use its tail to put him back on the ground.
Turning its head, its three red eyes scanned around, confirming that there was no immediate danger. It reverted to its rabbit head form and hopped onto Nan Deng’s head.
Hui Shou changed forms, and its evil energy subsided accordingly. Under the washing of the rain, the remnants of the evil energies of the two ghost kings had completely dissipated, and there was no trace of anything unusual.
Could it be… that Lian Yi had truly left?
Although they were both ghost kings, Lian Yi was much stronger than Xie Yun and wouldn’t fear the celestial masters present.
Nan Deng moved through the crowd and approached Weng Ping Ran.
His eyes were reddened, his face showing confusion and helplessness as he asked blankly, “Where did he go?”
Seeing that Nan Deng was unharmed, Weng Ping Ran breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at the compass in his hand.
The compass needle was still, not detecting any evil energy. He couldn’t quite understand it either.
Only Xie Yun knew the timing of the restriction’s activation. Lian Yi’s sudden death was too abrupt.
After becoming a ghost, the only thing he did was kill Xie Yun. Now, he’s disappeared again.
His actions defied reason. But there had never been a case of two ghost kings appearing simultaneously before, so ordinary experience couldn’t be applied to judge this.
Moreover, this outcome could be considered relatively optimistic; despite his single-minded pursuit of Nan Deng, the casualties caused were not extensive.
He had schemed for so long, finally turning himself into a ghost king. He accurately predicted that Lian Yi would die in the last restriction’s activation. However, he was effortlessly torn apart by another ghost king as a result.
But for now, it still wasn’t safe. Lian Yi remained a target that needed to be dealt with, as he could return at any moment.
After waiting for a long time again, Weng Ping Ran said to Nan Deng, “Why don’t you go rest first? I’ll immediately contact you if there’s any situation…”
Nan Deng shook his head. “I want to find him…”
As he was about to leave, Lin Jiu stopped him.
“Unless he shows up on his own, you won’t find him,” Lin Jiu said softly. “If you stay here, he will definitely come back.”
However, when he returned, no one knew what he would do.
They had to seize this time to prepare for the next encounter.
Nan Deng was no different; he had expended a lot of divine power and witnessed Lian Yi’s death firsthand.
As the Mountain God, he needed to quickly adjust his emotions, including his feelings of reluctance towards Lian Yi.
Listening to Lin Jiu’s words, Nan Deng calmed down slightly.
He looked up and saw Lian Yi’s cold body still standing on the steps.
Several celestial masters approached, preparing to take him away first and deal with him later.
However, it’s uncertain whether it was because Lian Yi’s soul lingered for a brief moment after death, or if his body was tainted by excessive evil energy, it shattered into smoke before it could be touched, mingling with the rainwater.
Nan Deng witnessed this scene, deeply saddened, tears pooling in his eyes which he struggled to hold back.
The rabbit head hurriedly jumped down, its body suddenly growing to two meters tall, squatting in front of Nan Deng to block his view.
It lowered its ears and embraced Nan Deng like arms, gently stroking his back.
Nan Deng leaned into it, burying his face in the thick, soft fur, unmoving for a long time.
The rain gradually stopped. Weng Ping Ran took charge of the aftermath, leaving Lin Jiu to guard Nan Deng.
“Perhaps… perhaps he’s not like ordinary resentful spirits. He hasn’t harmed anyone,” Lin Jiu pondered carefully, “But you mustn’t be soft-hearted toward him. The nature of the deceased is surely different from before.”
As harsh as these words were for Nan Deng to hear, they had to be said.
If Lian Yi turned out like Xie Yun, he absolutely couldn’t be kept. Eventually, Nan Deng might have to intervene personally to send him to Yezhang Tower.
The rabbit head stood quietly for a while, and Nan Deng looked up.
He appeared somewhat calmer, his eyes cast down. “I understand,” he said quietly.
Lin Jiu sighed inwardly. “Shall I escort you back to rest?”
The Ghost Festival was nearing its end. If there were any resentful spirits drawn by the evil energy of the Ghost Kings outside, they could be handled by the inner court’s celestial master. Nan Deng didn’t need to stay here any longer.
Nan Deng nodded, then added, “Wait a moment.”
He went over to the dungeons, carefully searching around, and finally picked up a silver Bagua ring from the ground.
Lin Jiu didn’t intervene. Since Lian Yi was no longer a celestial master after his death, his magical items could no longer be used. It was fine for Nan Deng to take it.
Nan Deng handled the Bagua ring delicately, wiping it clean with his sleeve, then wiped his face before standing up to follow Lin Jiu out.
Before leaving, he glanced around again, sadness and loss evident in his eyes.
Lian Yi had truly left. Where could he have gone? Why did he leave? Had he forgotten himself?
Lin Jiu had mentioned that as long as Nan Deng stayed, Lian Yi would surely return. Compared to seeing Lian Yi corrupted by resentment and becoming completely unfamiliar, his sudden disappearance was even harder for Nan Deng to accept.
He lowered his head, composed himself, and touched the Bagua ring in his pocket.
—
Over the next two days, numerous celestial masters searched everywhere for traces of the Ghost Kings. But unfortunately, they found nothing.
In theory, newly born resentful spirits are the most restless. They still retain many attachments and desires from their former lives. They might not immediately seek out souls to devour, but they will certainly take some action.
Yet Lian Yi seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace at all.
Initially, Weng Ping Ran thought that Lian Yi’s obsession after death was Nan Deng. But now, he began to doubt his own judgment.
“What does he really want to do?” Weng Ping Ran worried, “Unpredictable resentful spirits are probably the most difficult to deal with.”
However, Lin Jiu believed that Lian Yi would definitely come back.
Having interacted with him the most, he knew that Lian Yi would not give up on Nan Deng.
As for why he hadn’t appeared, perhaps there were reasons they couldn’t fathom.
During these two days, Nan Deng became increasingly quiet and reserved.
He would listen attentively and respond when spoken to. But his mood clearly remained low.
Often, he would stand by the window, absentmindedly holding the Bagua ring, or whispering to the rabbit head in his arms.
Weng Ping Ran was concerned and surrounded him with several celestial masters, keeping a close watch on him wherever he went.
On the third day, with still no news about Lian Yi, Nan Deng couldn’t sit still any longer.
He wanted to go out with the rabbit head, but Weng Ping Ran arrived in time to dissuade him.
“It’s safest for you to stay here,” Weng Ping Ran urged gently. “What if something happens outside?”
The inner court had made sufficient defenses and deployments to ensure that Lian Yi couldn’t approach Nan Deng immediately.
Nan Deng lowered his head, pinching the rabbit head’s ears gently, and repeated, “I want to go find him.”
Seeing him like this, Weng Ping Ran felt sorry for him and cautiously suggested, “Can you wait a few more days? The celestial masters outside have been searching for him lately.”
Moreover, in this situation, Nan Deng going out to search was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Nan Deng pursed his lips and didn’t insist further, “Okay.”
He went back with the rabbit head and locked himself in his room.
—
Early the next morning, a celestial master arrived at Nan Deng’s door and gently knocked, “Lord Mountain God?”
There was no response from inside the room for a long time, something Nan Deng had never done before.
The celestial master grew worried and quickly fetched Lin Jiu.
Lin Jiu also knocked on the door first, finding it locked from the inside.
He tried calling out a few times and then forcibly broke down the door.
The room was indeed empty, with a window on one side wide open.
Meanwhile, Nan Deng quietly made his way to a side door in the inner court.
The rabbit head peeked out from his pocket, only to be pressed back in.
Nan Deng gestured for silence, “Shh.”
Despite trying to restrain himself, he couldn’t help wanting to go out and try.
Outside the door and in the corridor, there were too many people on guard. Nan Deng didn’t want to disturb Weng Ping Ran again, so he quietly climbed out through the window.
It was already daytime, precisely when the celestial masters were changing shifts. At this time, the resentful spirits were all hiding, and the vigilance of patrols would also be significantly reduced.
Even the spell formations couldn’t stop Nan Deng as he silently approached. He suddenly heard a shout.
“Who goes there!?”
“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Several sounds rang out as the outer spell formations shattered one after another, and the celestial masters at the door were thrown aside by an invisible force, all falling to the ground.
Alarm bells immediately rang out, signaling an intrusion into the inner court.
Before Nan Deng could react, he caught a whiff of a strong evil energy.
Immediately after, a familiar figure appeared out of nowhere, almost instantaneously arriving before him.
Nan Deng stood dumbfounded, almost suspecting he was seeing an illusion.
There stood Lian Yi, exposed to sunlight. His spirit form was not translucent but retained the attire of a celestial master as if he were still alive.
However, his left eye socket was empty, emitting a continuous stream of evil energy that formed wisps of black smoke.
He quietly stared at Nan Deng, his appearance both familiar and unfamiliar.
The rabbit head jumped out of Nan Deng’s pocket, its eyes immediately turning red, ready to transform at any moment.
Nan Deng, still in a daze, held his breath and slowly reached out towards Lian Yi.
Before he could touch Lian Yi, everything suddenly went dark before him.
Lian Yi approached Nan Deng, enveloping him in his own evil energy.
The rabbit head was knocked aside. At that moment, Weng Ping Ran arrived with his men, witnessing Lian Yi’s figure flickering slightly as he and Nan Deng disappeared from the spot together.
The rabbit head spun in the air a few times before landing smoothly, only to find Nan Deng gone.
It was furious, jumping up and slamming the ground to create a small crater.
