Shen Mo’s shoulders trembled, his face instantly turning pale. Everyone else was also taken aback, looking around in shock, but they couldn’t see anyone.
Jiang Xiaosi clearly saw Shen Mo’s hands shaking. Just as she was about to approach, he suddenly sprinted forward without a word, charging through the tomb’s passageway recklessly.
“Professor!” Jiang Xiaosi quickly chased after him. Rushing blindly through a tomb like this was extremely dangerous. However, Shen Mo was too fast, and soon, she could no longer see his figure.
Luckily, there were no branching paths. The three of them ran through a couple more chambers filled with all kinds of treasures, but Jiang Xiaosi couldn’t even spare a glance. Her mind was filled with questions. Who had spoken just now? Was it a person or a ghost? And how did they know Shen Mo?
Up ahead, the light dimmed. The glow from the luminous pearls had faded, and the passageway led to an archway. The door was wide open, and Shen Mo stood at the entrance, with a faint red light emitting from inside the chamber, creating a rippling effect.
The three of them reached Shen Mo’s side and glanced into the chamber. Instantly, they all held their breath.
A massive, irregular natural crystal was suspended in the air, large enough to be as tall as two people. Its center had been hollowed out and filled with blood. A person was floating inside, their long hair twisted like seaweed, covering their face.
And beneath that blood crystal stood a man in a black robe, his hands behind his back, facing away from them. It was the same man Jiang Xiaosi had seen that day in the shop, the one who had identified himself as Mei and purchased the blood plasma.
Jiang Xiaosi suddenly realized: so this is why he needed so much type B blood—it was all being used to soak the person inside the crystal!
Shen Mo clenched his fists, his jaw trembling as he remained speechless. Shen Koudan instinctively took two steps back, standing behind Shen Mo and tightly gripping his clothing.
Jiang Xiaosi found their reactions strange. Then she looked at Jiang Liu, who seemed as though he was in a trance. His eyes were wide open, staring blankly as he slowly approached the blood crystal. He didn’t even glance at the man in the black robe, his gaze fixed solely on the person soaking in the crystal.
“Professor? Dad?” Jiang Xiaosi looked from one to the other, a sense of unease growing in her chest. Pointing a finger at the black-robed man, she shouted, “What kind of monster are you?”
The man slowly turned around. Though light was shining on him, his face was obscured beneath his hood, revealing nothing but pitch darkness, like a bottomless abyss.
“My name is Mei Xin.” he said.
Shen Mo’s body wavered, as if transported back in time.
—“My name is Mei Xin. Yutong is my family’s demon; how I handle it is none of an outsider’s concern. But I’ve heard that you’re skilled at repairing treasured artifacts. My family has a paper umbrella that’s been passed down for generations, said to be the work of an immortal, protecting my family with fortune and peace. Unfortunately, the umbrella’s ribs are broken, and its divine aura has vanished. Can I ask you to help restore it?”
Shen Mo closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were filled with murderous intent. He raised his hand and traced a half-circle in the air, as if drawing out a crescent-shaped blade from his sleeve. However, it was made only of light and mist, without any physical form. Where the blade passed, sparks fell like fireflies, creating a breathtaking scene.
Jiang Xiaosi gasped in shock. This was the first time she had seen Shen Mo reveal a weapon, the first time she had seen him exude such intense killing intent. He seemed like a completely different person.
The raised blade hid Shen Mo’s pale face, leaving only his cold, ruthless eyes exposed.
The air around them was thick with tension, as if the slightest disturbance could set off a catastrophe. Jiang Xiaosi instinctively stepped forward, placing herself between Shen Mo and the black-robed man.
“Mei Xin? More like Mei Toxic! I don’t care if you’re a person or a ghost—what’s your purpose in bringing so much blood to this ancient tomb?”
“No purpose, really. Just for fun.” His voice was still eerie and hollow, but now carried a mocking tone.
—Why did you do this?
—No reason, just for fun.
Shen Mo closed his eyes in pain. Like a lit fuse, he sprang into action, charging at Mei Xin with a speed that left others in awe. Jiang Xiaosi could only see the flickering light of his blade, unable to track his movements. Yet Mei Xin seemed to move instantaneously, his figure flickering and vanishing, reappearing in different spots. He didn’t retaliate—only dodged continuously.
“Shen Mo, it’s been so long. Why attack without even a greeting?”
Shen Mo said nothing, continuing to attack relentlessly.
“Your students were cursed. I guessed you would find your way here, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon. You always manage to surprise me.”
Shen Mo realized that Mei Xin had deliberately lured him here, but he couldn’t care less about what tricks Mei Xin was playing. He was consumed with rage, his only thought being to kill him.
Mei Xin hovered in the air, laughing with a twisted sense of humor.
“Shen Mo, you burned my golden body, destroyed my path to immortality, and shattered my soul. I will return that pain to you a thousandfold!”
Shen Mo scoffed coldly. “When you were human, you couldn’t defeat me! As a ghost, it’s even more impossible! Have you forgotten what I do?” Shen Mo’s crescent blade sliced through the air, and Jiang Xiaosi heard a sharp tearing sound.
Mei Xin’s black robe was split in two, releasing a surge of black mist from within.
“I may be a ghost now, but one day I’ll return to life! Shen Mo, mark my words—don’t let me regain my power, or I will make you relive the pain of the past!”
Jiang Xiaosi had never seen Shen Mo with such a ruthless expression. The golden light in his hands grew so bright that she couldn’t keep her eyes open.
Shen Koudan quickly rushed forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Shen Mo from behind.
“Uncle! Stop! The tomb will collapse!”
But just then, a deafening rumble echoed from above, and the chamber began to shake violently. Jiang Xiaosi had to lean against the wall to stay upright. She looked up in alarm, only to see that Jiang Liu had used all his strength to strike the blood crystal. Energy surged into the crystal, causing cracks to form across its surface.
Mei Xin was shocked. “Who are you?”
The black mist tried to lunge forward, but Shen Mo threw a handful of golden powder into the air. The black mist scattered, reforming behind Jiang Liu in an attempt to stop him from further damaging the crystal. But it was as if Jiang Liu had eyes in the back of his head. He suddenly struck back with a lightning-fast attack, hitting the small portion of Mei Xin’s spirit that had just reformed.
At the same time, the blood crystal shattered with a loud crack. Blood gushed out, filling the air with a foul stench, and the body floating inside fell heavily to the ground. The face that emerged was swollen and pale, like a corpse that had been submerged in water for too long.
“Cai Wen!”
Jiang Liu’s voice was filled with fury, his eyes burning red. It was him—the very same man, and even the wound on his chest was still visible. This pagoda tomb was his resting place! Although Cai Wen had died, his body had disappeared, only to be secretly buried here in this pre-constructed tomb. In life, he had dreamed of becoming an emperor, and in death, he sought to become the ruler of ghosts. The layout of this tomb had always seemed off—clearly, a sorcerer had manipulated the forces of nature to create it. Cai Wen’s body had been nurtured for a thousand years, and now, with Mei Xin feeding it blood, it was more powerful than even the oldest of zombie kings. If it truly came to life, it would bring disaster and chaos to the human world.
“Dad? Do you know him?”
Jiang Liu was about to say, “He’s the one who killed you and your mother!” But after glancing at Shen Mo, he forced himself to stay silent. Instead, he threw his copper coins into the air, aiming to destroy Cai Wen’s body.
Mei Xin couldn’t allow his long-standing plans to be ruined. The black mist split into several parts—one part wrapped around Cai Wen’s body and quickly fled toward the pagoda tomb’s exit, another part pulled the tomb’s self-destruct lever, and a third part lunged at Jiang Liu from behind.
It was as if the sky and earth were collapsing. A massive crack appeared at the bottom of the tomb.
“Damn it! We need to get out of here!” Jiang Xiaosi exclaimed in panic, stepping back as the ground caved in, creating a gaping black hole in the center. Crystal shards and blood were being sucked into the void below.
Jiang Liu leaped into the air, his copper coins still flying straight toward Cai Wen’s body.
“Watch out!” Shen Koudan saw that he had no foothold in the air, and with the black mist closing in on him, her heart raced. She quickly threw a blade from her sleeve.
With a clang, the blade accidentally struck the silver chain holding Jiang Liu’s copper coins. Jiang Liu hesitated for a moment, realizing that Shen Koudan’s dagger was some kind of treasure. Despite the damage to the blade, it had somehow cut through his silver chain. Before he could react, the copper coins fell into the void below. At the same time, the black mist pierced through his chest.
“You…” Mei Xin was taken aback. How could it not work? He wasn’t human? When had Shen Mo started associating with non-humans?
Jiang Liu’s eyes turned cold. With a swift motion, he clenched his hand, crushing that part of Mei Xin’s spirit into dust. But as he did, his body plummeted into the depths, chasing after the copper coins.
“Dad!”
“Jiang Liu!”
Two cries echoed out, filled with heart-wrenching pain, but were quickly drowned out by the sound of the collapsing tomb. Shen Mo had intended to pursue Mei Xin, knowing he couldn’t let him escape with Cai Wen’s corpse. But just as he was about to, he saw that Shen Koudan and Jiang Xiaosi had thrown themselves into the abyss after Jiang Liu.
“Koudan!” He leaped forward, grabbing Shen Koudan’s wrist with his left hand and Jiang Xiaosi’s with his right. His heart raced with fear.
“Dad!” Jiang Xiaosi cried into the endless darkness below.
Suddenly, another loud crash echoed above, and Shen Mo groaned. She quickly looked up, just in time to see a massive boulder, wrapped in black mist, fall onto Shen Mo’s back. Both of his hands were occupied holding onto the girls, leaving him unable to dodge or defend himself. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his grip loosened. Shen Koudan, being older and heavier, slipped from his grasp.
“Koudan!”
Shen Mo’s face twisted in pain, veins bulging, as he helplessly watched Shen Koudan fall into the void. He tightened his grip on Jiang Xiaosi, gritting his teeth as he pulled her up, barely managing to hold her in his arms. He then twisted his body, narrowly avoiding another massive falling stone. Looking up, he saw that the tomb had cracked open all the way to the fifth floor, with debris of all kinds raining down, including enormous coffins.
Suppressing his internal injuries, Shen Mo took a deep breath. Ignoring Jiang Xiaosi’s struggles, he tucked her under his arm and sprinted at lightning speed toward the exit of the underground palace. The deafening sounds of collapse echoed behind them.
“We can’t leave them behind!” Jiang Xiaosi cried, fighting to break free.
Shen Mo’s face was dark and expressionless as he moved faster than the eye could see. The passageway collapsed behind them, and when they finally reached the cave entrance, they found that the ancient wooden path outside had completely fallen apart. He was still human, after all—not a god. Even with all his extraordinary talents, he couldn’t fly out of the abyss with a girl in his arms while injured, nor could he scale a thousand-foot cliff.
The ground continued to quake beneath him. Shen Mo looked down into the bottomless chasm, then up at the sky, where clouds swirled overhead. He was at a loss for what to do. Just then, the sound of chopping echoed through the air, and a helicopter emerged from the sea of clouds.
“Professor! Are you guys okay?”
Xiao Tang shouted and waved from the helicopter. Lin Qiang, who wasn’t exactly skilled at flying, cautiously maneuvered the chopper closer to the cliff, though he was careful not to get too close for fear of crashing.
A long rope ladder was lowered, swaying back and forth in the air, but it was still too far from Shen Mo. Glancing behind him, he realized there was no time to waste. Holding Jiang Xiaosi tightly, he judged the distance and then leaped toward the ladder.
Xiao Tang watched in horror as Shen Mo seemed to miss the ladder by a fraction of an inch. He covered his eyes in fear, only to hear Lin Qiang exhale in relief. When he looked again, Shen Mo was clinging to the bottom rung of the ladder with one hand, while holding Jiang Xiaosi securely with the other, swaying precariously in midair.
Be my Patron~
✨Be a part of the story – support my translations✨
✨✨Advance chapter at Patreon✨✨
