On top of Mount Mejishi, a chilling wind blew relentlessly. Under a deadly command, the vanishing ghosts were driven out, their ghastly forms constantly changing, terrifyingly advancing towards the group of Daoist practitioners.
Amongst the faces of the mighty ghosts, Lu Yue caught a glimpse of sadness and resentment. She couldn't decide whether to sigh or feel relieved. She was the only one without Nascent Soul cultivation among the ancient artifact ghost masks. Yet she, a little consciousness residing within the mask, sometimes wondered if it was a blessing or a curse.
Today, the banner master Ding Qishan was lured to Mount Mejishi by twenty-four Nascent Soul cultivators from the Daoist Sects, using a calculated strategy. Regardless of whether he could escape or not, they, the ghost exterminators, were meant to be cannon fodder. With no one to help them, they would vanish into thin air, never to undergo reincarnation again.
Lu Yue's small ghost figure blended among the larger ones, charging forward recklessly without regard for consequences. She had long been tired of being tortured by the cruel Yin Fire every day and night, but even as a ghost, she couldn't find a way to end her own life.
She witnessed her companions, one after another, being casually pointed at by the beautiful female cultivator, frozen into lifeless blocks.
As the sword tip descended and shattered into ice fragments, Lu Yue felt a surge of icy chills followed by a sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her.
Indeed, only a powerful being like her twin sister, whom she despised, could completely separate her from the loathsome mask. With a wry smile, Lu Yue's small ghost figure made its way towards the female cultivator. Just as a flicker of recognition appeared, it was encased in ice.
While the others were shattered into pieces, the female cultivator stood motionless, protecting the ground beneath her feet.
S-s-so cold! Ghosts like her were most afraid of the cold, as beyond a certain limit, their bodies couldn't withstand it.
Looking up at the female cultivator, Lu Yue finally understood why she felt so familiar. Ah...of course! This person was her long-lost twin sister, whom she had longed to reunite with but never had the chance to call out. For the past decade, she had occasionally felt someone calling out to her from afar; it turned out to be her sister, who had finally reached the mid-stage of Nascent Soul cultivation and come to save her.
For over three hundred years, she watched as her sister effortlessly fought against Ding Qishan. Lu Yue felt like crying. Unfortunately, as a ghost, she didn't have the ability to shed tears.
"Ding Qishan, in your pursuit of this ghost mask, you have fallen to the path of demons. And dare to destroy two cities under our Daoist Sect. Do you really think we are helpless?!" a Daoist elder shouted furiously.
"Ding Qishan, what nonsense are you spouting? It was you who destroyed two cities, not us. You used the people from those cities to deceive me and bring me here. And you think you deserve to be called a righteous cultivator?" Ding Qishan retorted, his eyes filled with resentment after his most coveted artifact, the ghost mask, was completely destroyed by these twenty-four people from the Daoist Sects. He felt his vitality fading away, replaced by a sense of vindictiveness.
The dissipation of Yin Qi accompanied the fracture of the ghost mask, and on top of Mount Mejishi, a red moon hung high, casting an eerie hue upon everyone present, as if painted in countless bloodstains, sending shivers down their spines.
"You, the demon, are capable of doing anything for the sake of upgrading this ghost mask. How many lives have you sacrificed?" Elder Yu retorted, his heart filled with remorse. "Originally, our sect's grandmaster had decades of life ahead, but you vexed him until he finally coughed up blood and passed away prematurely. Do you still not understand the extent of your wrongdoing?"
"You made a mistake? Did I? Ding Qishan sneered. Up until now, with no chance of survival, he refused to believe he had done wrong. In his mind, some things needed no clarification for him to rest in peace.
"I possess the Thousand Faces Mask. With its transformation ability, no one can recognize me. So how did you manage to track me down, step by step, and bring me to this place?"
All eyes turned to the female cultivator.
"Gu Lingze? It's you? Do you admit that you liked me?" Ding Qishan's face lit up with joy, only to quickly fade. "I knew it! You liked me!"
Gu Lingze felt disgusted. "You're wrong. I have never liked you. From beginning to end, my heart has only been focused on the Dao."
Ding Qishan's expression twisted in fury. "Then how did you track me down?"
"Did you see that, Yue'er? I am your sister," Gu Lingze revealed her spiritual power, causing the ice on Lu Yue to disappear. "I know you have suffered. Today, I will guide you into the never-ending cycle of reincarnation. You will no longer suffer the torment of the Yin Fire and can start a new life!"
A drop of blood emerged from Gu Lingze's brow, which she pressed onto Lu Yue. For the first time in many years, Lu Yue, who had always felt weightless and without substance, felt a slight sense of heaviness on her body.
"Sister?"
"Yes, I am your sister." Gu Lingze couldn't hide her bitter feelings. The person who had never called her "sister" had suffered so much. "When our mother was on her deathbed, she kept mentioning you. She asked me to find you no matter what."
"Mother...?" Lu Yue felt uneasy. She had two mothers, but the one Gu Lingze mentioned must be their shared mother.
"Our mother knew you were...left at the Master's residence and was heartbroken. Less than half a year later, she passed away."
So, their mother had also died long ago. Lu Yue felt desolate. Without needing to say, Gu Lingze must have used the connection between them as twins to manipulate Ding Qishan.
"Did you avenge me?" Lu Yue asked.
Gu Lingze was momentarily speechless, facing the thirteen-year-old Lu Yue.
...to be continued!
As Lu Yue desperately fled, she felt a horrifying aura closing in from behind. She had encountered this kind of aura several times before during her time as a ghost. It was either the self-destruction of a Golden Core cultivator or a Nascent Soul self-explosion.
Among the group gathered, only Ding Qishan possessed the potential for a Nascent Soul self-explosion. Without wasting any time, Lu Yue ran as fast as she could, hoping to put some distance between them.
"Hahaha! The ghost mask is mine! Even in death, it still belongs to me..." Ding Qishan's voice reverberated as the collapsing tunnel behind Lu Yue grew near. She pushed herself to the limit, hoping to be as nimble as she was as a ghost, for that would allow her to run faster.
Unexpectedly, due to the destruction of the tunnel, moonlight seeped in. Yet, the crimson hue cast by the moon appeared eerie and unsettling. Lu Yue, in panic, darted into a newly formed black hole, trying to escape the approaching destruction.
With every step she took, the trembling tunnel behind her threatened to consume her. Lu Yue wished desperately to regain her ghost-like nature, for that would grant her the agility needed to outpace the impending disaster.
Meanwhile, the scene perplexed everyone with the unexpected appearance of moonlight in the tunnel. The gathered cultivators couldn't tell whether it was a blessing or an omen of doom. In their desperation, no one could have predicted what would happen next.
As Lu Yue moved away from the imminent chaos, suddenly, a terrifying presence assaulted her from behind. It sent shivers down her spine and made her heart race. Reacting quickly, Lu Yue mustered all her strength to run faster, her remaining hope dwindling.
"Ahaha, even if I die, I'll still possess the ghost mask...," Ding Qishan's voice echoed amidst the crumbling tunnel, the sound growing louder and closer.
With each passing moment, Lu Yue's heart hammered in her chest as her breath became shallow. She couldn't afford to slow down; she had to keep running.
Suddenly, in the midst of her frantic escape, Lu Yue stumbled upon an unanticipated opening in the wall. Without hesitation, she plunged into it, vanishing from sight.