Chapter 1285: Walking with a Ghost

"This withered tree is refined from Yang Wing Wood. It looks pitch-black as if burned by fire, but in fact, it nurtures divine flames within and burns itself. If you, fellow Daoist, have something of extreme yin to counteract it, you can temporarily suppress it, and I can escape," said the Ghost Shaman.

"Oh, how do we break the Soul-Locking Box?" Han Li asked again.

"This item was originally meant to prevent my soul from escaping, used to collect and refine my remnant soul. Later, I paid a great price to modify it slightly, turning it into a vessel to hide my soul. Now it is connected to my spirit. If opened rashly, this remnant soul of mine might not withstand the yin winds a few times and would dissipate into nothing," the Ghost Shaman said with a bitter laugh.

"Then it's simple. Soul-Devourer, put away the Soul-Scattering Sand first," Han Li said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Soul-Devourer waved her hand, and the golden sand wrapped around the withered tree's roots flew back, swirling in her palm before being absorbed into her body.

"I've always said I would compensate you but never did. Today, it happens to be the right time," Han Li said, looking at the scene and smiling.

The Ghost Shaman was baffled, not knowing whether Han Li's words were directed at him or someone else.

Then, a silver light flashed on Han Li's shoulder, and a small silver flame figure jumped out, rubbing its hands with a joyful smile. It leaped onto the black withered tree and clung to it like an octopus.

"This is..."

The Ghost Shaman sensed the aura of the Essence Flame Firebird and immediately felt uneasy.

"Don't worry. This is Essence Flame Fire, an extreme yang substance. The Yang Wing Wood is just the right tonic for it," Han Li said with a laugh.

"Please ask the little one to be extremely careful and not harm my corpse..." After saying this, the Ghost Shaman's white aura converged and retracted into the Soul-Locking Box, falling silent.

Han Li smiled, gave some instructions to the Essence Flame Firebird, and let it transform into a blazing silver flame that engulfed the Yang Wing Wood.

The devouring process was not fast; it took over half an hour, during which Han Li and the others took the opportunity to rest.

Finally, the Essence Flame Firebird withdrew its silver flames, reverted to the small silver flame figure, staggered and jumped onto Han Li's shoulder without a word, lay back, and melted into Han Li's body.

The withered tree on the white sandbank had vanished, leaving only a black corpse and a black square box on the ground.

Han Li signaled to Soul-Devourer with a glance, and she immediately waved her hand. The previously collected Soul-Scattering Sand reappeared and rushed over to envelop both the corpse and the Soul-Locking Box.

"Ghost Shaman, fellow Daoist, forgive me for being cautious," Han Li said with a smile.

"It is a blessing to ally with such a cautious friend," the Ghost Shaman's voice came from the Soul-Locking Box, his tone calm without any resentment.

"Then I'll trouble you to guide the way," Han Li said casually as he put away the corpse and the Soul-Locking Box.

"Of course, of course," replied the Ghost Shaman.

...

Seven days later.

The high sky was covered with thick clouds, pressing down very low, and the air was filled with an unpleasant smell of decay.

Han Li and his two companions walked through a black mountain range with undulating peaks and jagged rocks. Scattered bones could be seen everywhere along the way, and when the wind blew, patches of greenish phosphorescent flames rose.

They reached a towering cliff, walking close to the mountain wall on one side, while on the other side was a bottomless abyss filled with rolling mist and a stench.

"Uncle, do you really believe that guy's nonsense? Even Soul-Devourer said she didn't detect any soul fluctuations. Why bother walking this mountain path? Couldn't we just fly over that cliff?" Gold Boy complained via telepathy.

"The Netherworld cannot be judged by common sense. What Soul-Devourer didn't detect may not be absent. Besides, in this matter, the Ghost Shaman has no reason to deceive us," Han Li replied telepathically.

"Right. In the past few days, the Ghost Shaman's directions have been correct, helping us avoid almost all Nether Ghost Cities and saving us a lot of trouble," Soul-Devourer added.

She glanced at the road ahead; the winding path extended over a thousand zhang before being completely obscured by thick fog, making it impossible to see anything.

"Ghost Shaman, fellow Daoist, why does this ghost python dwelling on the Soul-Losing Cliff, despite having the strength of a Da Luo level, stay here instead of dominating a region?" Han Li asked.

"I'm not sure either. The ghost python's origin is quite peculiar. It is said that in life, it already had the potential to become a true dragon, but to help its young withstand heavenly tribulation, it was struck dead by seven consecutive heavenly tribulations. After death, its resentment persisted, and it continued to cultivate in the Netherworld, eventually becoming even stronger than in life. It has always lingered on the Soul-Losing Cliff, relentlessly pursuing and killing anything that flies overhead. However, those who pass along the mountain path are not attacked as long as they don't provoke it," the Ghost Shaman's voice came from a pouch hanging at Han Li's waist.

"The sky above the Soul-Losing Cliff is covered with clouds all day. If someone enters and stirs the clouds, the scene resembles the descent of heavenly thunder. Perhaps that's why the ghost python attacks," Han Li said after a moment's thought.

As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of light suddenly lit up in the high clouds, as if someone was passing through.

As the sea of clouds rolled, although no thunder sounded, the scene indeed resembled the appearance of heavenly thunder descending.

"Not good. Don't approach the cliff edge. Stick close to the mountain and move quickly..." the Ghost Shaman's voice sounded again.

Han Li and the others' expressions changed slightly. They quickly sped up, hugging the mountain wall as they rushed forward.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

At that moment, a thunderous, muffled sound came from the abyss below the cliff. Han Li and the others felt the entire mountain beneath them shake violently.

Then, the thick fog that perpetually filled the abyss beside the cliff suddenly churned wildly, and a massive figure shot up from within, charging straight toward the cloudy sky.

Han Li saw a black "wall" rise from the abyss and crash into the sea of clouds, stirring up chaos in the atmosphere. On that wall, diamond-shaped scales dozens of zhang in size could be faintly seen, scraping against the cliff and sending up large sparks.

Only when it fully plunged into the sea of clouds did Han Li see its full form—a black-scaled giant python over a hundred thousand zhang long, with a single horn on its head and two eyes like lighthouses emitting green light.

"This creature's cultivation has increased again; it's now comparable to a late-stage Da Luo," the Ghost Shaman remarked in admiration.

"What? Just a ghost creature, and it can cultivate to such a level?" Gold Boy said incredulously.

"In the Wildlands, there are rebellious true spirits; why can't there be some incredible existences in the Netherworld? This creature is probably older than me. Let's go. Leave quickly before it attacks us," the Ghost Shaman urged.

Han Li and the others had not stopped and now accelerated their escape.

After finally crossing the cliff and reaching the other side of the mountain, Han Li couldn't help but look back. He saw a black head as large as a mountain peak rising proudly in the clouds, its green eyes fixed on them.

But for some reason, the ghost python ultimately did not attack them and allowed them to leave the Soul-Losing Cliff.

"Ghost Shaman, fellow Daoist, tell me honestly: what is your relationship with this ghost python? Why didn't it attack us?" Han Li asked, still uneasy.

"This... I really don't know. Although it resides in my Yanluo Domain, I have always kept my distance and never interacted with it," the Ghost Shaman replied.

"Forget it. If we encounter such beings again, we'll take a detour," Han Li said.

"Alas, I suggested a detour earlier, but we took this route to avoid the cities," the Ghost Shaman sighed.

...

Time flew by, and another month passed.

In the western border of the Yanluo Domain, the mountains had disappeared, replaced by a vast ghostly marsh covering tens of millions of li. As far as the eye could see, there were only shoals and swamps, covered with miasma and emitting a putrid smell.

On the eastern edge of the marsh was a jagged, elongated shoreline, with a protruding peninsula only ten thousand zhang in area but extending several thousand zhang into the marsh.

At the tip of the peninsula, a tall young man stood looking up at the sky.

The man was Han Li.

Above the marsh, at an altitude of just a thousand zhang, hung a thick, colorful cloud layer, quite beautiful to behold.

"Uncle, what are you staring at? Still thinking about that bride ghost?" Gold Boy, standing not far behind him, teased with a wink.

"Gold Boy..." Han Li frowned and scolded.

"What's wrong, Uncle? Not to criticize you, but you're not exactly handsome. That bride ghost, though a specter, is no less beautiful than any fairy maiden. It's rare for her to take a liking to you, thinking you look like a refined scholar. But you, not only did you reject her, you even cut her down with one sword. Too heartless. Soul-Devourer, don't you think so?" Gold Boy was unafraid, hands behind his back, speaking in a worldly manner.

Soul-Devourer stood by without responding, only covering her mouth and chuckling.

In truth, the bride ghost, though a specter, was extremely troublesome. Her ghostly maze-like illusion techniques were superb. Even with Han Li's spiritual eye technique and Soul-Devourer's spiritual sense, they were trapped for three whole days.

In the end, Han Li had to rely on the Ghost Shaman's guidance to find the sedan chair she used to set up her formation, forcing her true form out and cutting her down with one sword. Only Gold Boy found the whole thing amusing.

Over the past month, such incidents had occurred more than once, making Han Li sigh at the countless oddities of the Netherworld.