The cave was vast and empty, with a faint breeze seeping in from an unknown source.
Nan Deng was trapped, unable to escape, and could only continuously curl into Lian Yi’s arms, trying to cover himself with his flame-like black aura.
His palms tingled slightly, feeling both ashamed and nervous, afraid that a resentful spirit might emerge from the stone cave at any moment.
Lian Yi kissed him, his once cold lips now warm, while his hands caressed Nan Deng’s back.
Nan Deng’s skin was fair and delicate, marked with numerous traces, and his beautiful eyes were misty, looking somewhat helpless.
Lian Yi had never treated him like this before. Although they slept together every night, they had never done anything.
Nan Deng was not used to it, but he liked Lian Yi and was willing to be close to him.
He listened to his own heartbeat, trying hard to stay alert, occasionally glancing at the stone caves on both sides.
“I don’t want to stay here,” Nan Deng whispered, his voice trembling slightly, “Can we go somewhere else?”
And why is it taking so long… Is it because I’ve turned into a ghost?
Nan Deng was too embarrassed to ask, shyly giving Lian Yi a kiss.
Lian Yi seemed to finally realize Nan Deng’s fear and nervousness. His eyes flashed, and the surroundings quickly blurred past.
When he took Nan Deng away, he also used this fast-travel method. Nan Deng closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were in another small stone cave.
This place looked similar to the previous one, with smooth stone walls and floors, lit by two lamps above. However, it was much smaller, just slightly bigger than an ordinary room, with a door-shaped entrance on one side.
In the corner of the wall was a large, irregularly shaped stone, but its surface was very clean.
Lian Yi placed Nan Deng on the stone. It was too cold, causing Nan Deng to shiver. Lian Yi then picked him up again, letting him sit on his lap.
At the same time, the rabbit head stopped.
Its eyes showed confusion as it carefully sniffed around the area, then sniffed in another direction for a long time.
Weng Ping Ran, with his subordinates, anxiously waited but did not dare to urge it.
Nan Deng had been missing for a day. Celestial masters from various places were searching, constantly monitoring for any unusual occurrences.
But so far, there was no news.
If thinking optimistically, Lian Yi might not have harmed Nan Deng. They could be together peacefully, hence no disturbances could be detected.
However, Nan Deng still had his communicator, and none of the messages sent to him were replied to, which was unusual.
There was also a more extreme possibility… Cold sweat dripped from Weng Ping Ran’s forehead as he tried to convince himself that nothing bad had happened.
Finally, the confusion in the rabbit head’s eyes turned to anger, and it hopped forward in a different direction.
At night, no residents were outside. With many celestial masters present, no resentful spirits dared to approach. A group of people followed behind the rabbit head without obstruction.
—
Inside the stone cave, Nan Deng clung to Lian Yi’s neck, the blush on his cheeks yet to fade.
It was very quiet here, not as vast, allowing Nan Deng to relax a bit.
He was very obedient, leaning against the stone wall behind him as Lian Yi pressed down and kissed him deeply.
Nan Deng’s shirt buttons had been undone, revealing his collarbone and two faint bite marks just below it.
The light flickered intermittently. The only exit connected to the outside occasionally allows a cool breeze to blow in and disperse the heat.
He sat on Lian Yi’s lap. The intimate actions made it difficult for him to control himself, letting out a muffled moan.
Neither of them had any experience. Lian Yi acted entirely on instinct, fumbling over the fabric on Nan Deng’s legs.
It was too late to refuse now, and he couldn’t push Lian Yi away either.
As Lian Yi’s fingers traced down Nan Deng’s lower back, Nan Deng buried his face, not knowing what to do.
He felt a bit inexplicably aggrieved; these things should have been done when Lian Yi was alive.
But this also meant that Lian Yi was entirely focused on him, his obsession with Nan Deng surpassing the nature of any resentful spirit.
Moreover, now that Lian Yi was only a soul, he had no more scruples.
Panting lightly, Nan Deng thought in a daze that he liked Lian Yi even if he had turned into a ghost.
Just as he had mentally prepared himself, Lian Yi’s actions suddenly stopped, and the surrounding aura slightly condensed.
Nan Deng, not understanding, steadied his breath and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Sensing something off with Lian Yi, he touched the side of his face.
Immediately after, the faint howls of resentful spirits echoed from a great distance.
Lian Yi’s eyes turned icy, his face showing irritation and impatience at being disturbed.
Then came a louder roar, different from the resentful spirits, sounding very familiar.
Nan Deng froze, his tone uncertain, “Is it Xiao Tu?”
In the distance, a large number of resentful spirits gathered, blocking the celestial masters’ path.
These resentful spirits were not high-level, nor did they know how to cooperate. So their numbers posed little threat.
They appeared suddenly as if guarding this area, not allowing anyone to take another step forward.
Xie Yun had already perished completely. If the resentful spirits were being controlled by someone, it could only be the Ghost King.
Hope rose in Weng Ping Ran’s heart: “This must be the place!”
To save time, he ordered his men to quickly clear a path without bothering to capture all the resentful spirits.
However, more and more resentful spirits appeared from all directions, charging forward recklessly.
The rabbit head, having worked hard all day, was a bit tired and wanted to take a break. It sat atop Lin Jiu’s head, waiting.
Lin Jiu dared not move. After ten minutes without making any progress, the rabbit head angrily flicked its ears and jumped to the ground.
It transformed, its thick front paw striking the ground and immediately creating a pit.
With the help of Hui Shou, the group moved forward smoothly. However, after only a few steps, they encountered another group of stronger resentful spirits, mostly level three and four.
These spirits entangled the celestial masters but could not stop Hui Shou. The giant beast’s tail swept through, devouring several resentful spirits amidst the chaos, and then it strode forward.
—
In fact, Lian Yi had already noticed the approaching unfamiliar presence.
He was too lazy to intervene personally, so nearby resentful spirits went to block it but failed.
The aura of Hui Shou was overwhelming, resembling another Ghost King, full of provocation.
Seeing the giant beast approaching, Lian Yi let go of Nan Deng, adjusted his clothes, and kissed his hand repeatedly.
Nan Deng guessed his intention and quickly said, “I’ll go check; it might be Xiao Tu looking for me…”
Lian Yi had no reaction; he only remembered Nan Deng and didn’t know who “Xiao Tu” was. Hearing this name from Nan Deng’s mouth made him somewhat displeased.
He kissed Nan Deng, biting his lips lightly.
Then, Lian Yi’s figure flickered and disappeared from the stone cave.
After he left, several strands of evil energy coalesced into a semi-transparent wall, trapping Nan Deng inside like a talisman array.
Nan Deng summoned his Bagua ring to break the wall, but it only left a shallow mark on the darkened surface.
On the ground, the giant beast halted.
A familiar figure appeared instantly before it.
It was Lian Yi.
He was enveloped in evil energy, but otherwise unchanged from before, casting a cold gaze at the beast.
Without Nan Deng by his side, the beast roared in anger and charged at Lian Yi.
Lian Yi remained unmoved, raising his right hand slightly just before the beast’s claws could strike.
An invisible force nearly toppled the beast, but it quickly regained its balance, its massive yet agile body twisting to evade.
Hui Shou retreated a few steps, its three red eyes showing caution.
Lian Yi was stronger than it had imagined, catching it off guard earlier.
Sharpening its claws, it pounced again, only to be repelled by an even stronger current of air.
Lian Yi’s expression grew increasingly impatient, his pitch-black eyes brewing with anger.
He forgot about “Xiao Tu” and Hui Shou; he should have mercilessly grabbed its tail and thrown it away.
But seeing this ugly three-eyed beast reminded him inexplicably of Nan Deng.
If he were too harsh, Nan Deng might be upset.
At that moment, Nan Deng was still in the stone cave.
He tried several times, finally breaking the evil energy wall by simultaneously using the Bagua ring and the bamboo umbrella, unleashing a divine force.
Afraid that Lian Yi and the rabbit head would start fighting, Nan Deng didn’t dare delay, entering the side exit of the stone cave.
The exit led to a long underground passage. Listening to the commotion outside, Nan Deng walked forward, passing by many similar stone caves.
When he finally found the right path, following the long stone steps to the surface, he saw Hui Shou raising its claw to strike fiercely.
Its target was naturally Lian Yi. Nan Deng’s pupils contracted; the next second, Lian Yi dodged, and his condensed evil energy struck the beast’s hind leg.
The blow was like a kick, nearly toppling the beast and leaving several pits in the ground from its steps.
Enraged, the beast was about to pounce again when it suddenly heard Nan Deng’s voice: “Xiao Tu!”
The beast turned its head, its three red eyes accurately locating Nan Deng in the distance, waving at it.
