The whispers of the vengeful spirits grew closer, thickening the air with a stench of rot and a chilling pressure. Chen Jing gripped her peachwood sword in one hand and a talisman left by her grandfather in the other, barely daring to breathe.
"Lucifer!" Chen Jing hissed, her voice urgent. "This isn't the time for posturing. Get your flames going!"
Standing beside her, Lucifer's usually stoic expression betrayed a flicker of inner conflict. Black flames danced in his hands, but their faint tremor revealed his unease toward the amalgamated creatures encircling them.
"Foolish mortal," Lucifer growled through clenched teeth, trying to reclaim a semblance of authority. "I am determining the optimal moment to strike, not acting recklessly."
"Optimal moment?" Chen Jing swept her flashlight around, the grotesque figures of the vengeful spirits nearly enclosing them. "You mean right when they're about to maul us?"
The shapes of the spirits grew sharper, each twisted face brimming with venomous hatred and insanity. They opened their mouths, chanting an ancient incantation in guttural tones. The sound reverberated through the room, scratching at Chen Jing's psyche like nails on a chalkboard.
"Are these things reading my mind? Why does it feel like they know exactly what I'm thinking?" Chen Jing tried to lighten the atmosphere with a quip, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her fear.
"Their chants target the soul directly," Lucifer said icily, his gaze fixed on the encroaching figures. "It's a unique form of spiritual attack employed by Eastern spirits."
"Spiritual attack? Then why do you look more freaked out than I am?" Chen Jing shot him a sideways glance, using humor as a shield against the growing dread.
Lucifer furrowed his brow and said nothing. With a swift motion, he hurled the black flames forward, forming a crescent-shaped barrier that temporarily repelled the spirits.
"Finally, something useful!" Chen Jing exhaled in relief, but her reprieve was short-lived. The spirits paused only briefly before surging forward once more, their movements unyielding.
"Why don't they seem scared at all?" Chen Jing swung her peachwood sword wildly, barely fending off one spirit's lunge.
"These are reinforced amalgamations, nearly immune to basic exorcism methods," Lucifer said grimly, a hint of urgency creeping into his voice. "Their core is powered by Beelzebub's corruptive energy. To destroy them, we must strike at the source."
"And where's the source?" Chen Jing panted, her eyes darting around in search of an opening.
Lucifer's gaze locked onto the stone coffin at the center of the room. His voice dropped into a deadly serious tone. "That coffin."
"You've got to be kidding me! You want me to mess with that thing?" Chen Jing's eyes widened, and her grip on the talisman nearly faltered.
"You have no choice," Lucifer retorted coldly, flinging another wave of black flames to fend off the spirits. "These creatures will resurrect endlessly unless the summoning circle is destroyed."
Taking a deep breath, Chen Jing clenched her teeth and nodded. "Fine. You hold them off, and I'll go for it!"
Lucifer didn't respond, only casting her a brief, steely glance before unleashing an even larger burst of black flames, creating a temporary barrier around them.
"Go now!" he barked.
Chen Jing gripped her peachwood sword tightly and charged toward the stone coffin. The spirits, sensing her intent, turned their attention to her, their distorted forms lunging with alarming speed. Though Lucifer's flames intercepted several, a few managed to break through his defense.
"Don't let me die horribly!" Chen Jing shouted, teeth gritted as she hacked at the spirits with her sword. Golden light flared from the talismans she flung, pushing some of the spirits back, but their numbers were overwhelming.
At last, she reached the coffin and raised her sword, slashing at the talismans plastered across its lid. With a sharp, piercing wail, the talismans burst into ash.
The room trembled violently as if the very ground beneath them had come alive. The spirits' chants escalated into a deafening cacophony. Chen Jing stumbled, barely keeping her balance.
"Lucifer! What now?" she screamed, panic rising in her voice.
Lucifer fought his way to her side, carving a path through the spirits with a fiery slash. His cold gaze settled on the coffin. "Open it. It's the only way."
"Are you insane? Opening this thing could release something worse!" Chen Jing glared at him, her voice tinged with desperation.
"If we don't, we'll die here regardless," Lucifer said with unnerving calmness, though his eyes glimmered with something unspoken—perhaps doubt, perhaps resolve.
Taking a shaky breath, Chen Jing muttered, "Fine, but you'd better—"
Before she could finish, the runes etched into the coffin flared to life, and a massive shockwave sent them both tumbling backward.
Chen Jing scrambled to her feet, her gaze locked on the coffin as its lid began to slide open. "You've got to be kidding me."
"It's too late now," Lucifer muttered, his black flames reigniting as he stared at the dark, ominous figure emerging from within.
A deep, rumbling laugh echoed from the coffin, accompanied by the ominous buzz of countless flies.
"Welcome… to my domain…" croaked a chilling voice. A pale, rotting hand slowly extended from the darkness within.
Meanwhile, at the amusement park's dilapidated entrance, a lone figure in a faded Taoist robe stood hesitantly under the moonlight. It was none other than Xuanqing Zhenren, the self-proclaimed master exorcist.
With a worn-looking backpack slung over his shoulder and a cheap compass in his hand, Xuanqing glanced around nervously before sneaking inside.
"Perfect, no one's around to bother me," he muttered, a sly grin spreading across his face.
He held up the compass, which immediately spun erratically. "Hey, hey, stay steady, little guy! If you don't behave, I'm skipping dinner tonight!"
After a few impatient taps, the needle settled, pointing toward the right.
"Bingo!" Xuanqing's grin widened as he strode forward eagerly. But after only a few steps, his foot landed squarely on an old soda can, producing a loud crunch.
"Dammit!" he cursed, kicking the can into the bushes. The can hit a plastic skeleton lying on the ground, which rolled until it came to a stop at his feet.
In the moonlight, the empty sockets of the skull seemed to stare directly at him.
"Ahhh!" Xuanqing jumped back, nearly tripping over his own robes. Once he realized it was just a prop, he huffed indignantly. "What are you looking at? You're not scaring anyone with that cheap plastic!"
He picked up the skull, inspected it briefly, and then tossed it aside. "No spiritual energy at all. Useless."
As he ventured deeper into the park, his compass occasionally twitched, leading him toward the haunted house.
"Ha! This place is practically begging me to find a jackpot," he muttered, pulling out a small porcelain bottle. Unscrewing the lid, he sprinkled a circle of red powder on the ground.
"Blessed prosperity powder—custom enchanted! Let's see you bring me some good luck tonight!" He dusted off his hands, looking smug.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through, scattering the powder—and a generous amount of it—directly onto his face.
"Cough! Cough! Who the hell cranked up the wind?" he wheezed, rubbing his eyes. "Are you trying to ruin my day?"
As he straightened up, a faint, childlike giggle echoed from the shadows nearby.
"Hehehehehe…"
Xuanqing froze, his hand tightening around his compass. "Great. Just my luck."