Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Entering the Mountain II [Catching Bugs]

The communicator screen displayed:

【Time: 12:04:26】

【Candidate 0104001】

【Gate 33 Entry】

【Ghost Slayer Examination Countdown: 14:55:34】

【Shared Code List: 0】

【Yin Energy Nodes within 10 meters: 0, Yang Energy Nodes: 0】

【Yin Energy Density Detected: 3】

【Intercepted Yin Energy Nodes: 0】

【Examination Rank: None】

The stone cave was pitch black, winding and twisting, the chilling air carrying a temperature that didn’t belong to the scorching summer.

Walk, walk.

Walk, walk.

Mingyue reached out to feel her way, the damp, uneven rock ceiling cold against her palm, with icy liquid trickling down.

The path beneath her feet was relatively flat, and she didn’t have to worry about kicking anything resembling a human head.

Mingyue: "…"

Mingyue’s heart was pounding like a drum. She took out a fire talisman and lit it.

As the fire talisman glowed, the orange-red light dispersed the darkness, and the flourishing yang energy blew and floated out.

Instantly, the communicator detected a change in the Yin energy density value, rising from 3 to 4.

Suddenly, a strong cold air rushed towards her, surging into her skin through the pores. Mingyue shivered violently but noticed that the Yin energy node reading on the communicator still showed zero.

Strange.She touched her left eye and felt her vision clear.

The Yin energy density here was among the most intense she had ever encountered in 20 years, yet there wasn't a single Yin spirit around? What kind of strange place was this? Mingyue waved the fire talisman a few times. The stone path was long enough—twenty minutes had passed, and she still hadn’t reached the exit.

After turning a corner, the path ahead became narrower and lower.

The light from the fire talisman, which could only illuminate the air, now climbed up to the rocky ceiling.

A burst of vibrant colors appeared in her line of sight.

Mingyue bit onto a Golden Light Divine Spell talisman, cautiously raising the fire talisman higher. Then, with a gasp, she nearly shook the Golden Light Divine Spell off her tongue.

On the rocky ceiling, there were murals!

Delicate stone carvings were filled with thick, vivid colors. The figures in the paintings were neither human nor ghost. They twisted into strange shapes, tangled together in a way that made it impossible to distinguish their limbs or tell which was the head or tail. The background was made of finely cracked, grey-black stone, with large areas of red representing fire, and lightning-shaped symbols signifying heavenly fire and justice—

Mingyue lit another fire talisman and continued to study the murals on the cave ceiling.

The images were displayed in sections.

Some of the content was familiar, while other parts were unfamiliar.

Mingyue looked on in a daze.

The Ming family’s teachings were profound. Last semester, during the written exam, she could have easily written 500 words on obscure topics like the history of the Taishan Underworld【note】. But here, looking at the cave ceiling murals, she understood no more than 10%.

That 10% was about the famous “Lu Pan’s Trial of Zhu Erdan”【note】 in the history of Yin and Yang. In history, Lu Pan traveled through the mortal realm, where he encountered the retired Ghost Slayer Pu Songling, and their story was recorded and passed down for generations.

Mingyue focused on the image of Lu Pan in his red robe with a white face. She traced the scene backward, and not far ahead, she saw ten figures dressed in black clothing, gathered in the clouds, while Lu Pan, in his red robe, knelt on the ground.

Mingyue: "…"

Who are these people?

The Ten Yama Kings?

Why didn’t they even paint a face?

The Yin energy density jumped another number, reaching 5.

For the first time since her reincarnation, Mingyue’s left eye was subjected to the densest Yin energy she had ever felt. It was comforting, refreshing—yet Mingyue had no time to enjoy it. She was focused on the murals, watching the Ten Yama Kings subdue the four judges, followed by the appearance of the ghostly officials, such as the Impermanence and Horse-faced Officers. The well-organized administrative system of the Underworld was clearly laid out.So it’s the history of the Underworld’s rise.

Mingyue continued walking forward, glancing at the murals as she went. She didn’t know what time markers divided this long scroll, but she understood that if this was real, there should be many omissions and mistakes in the history textbooks.

However, such is the way of the world—what’s recorded on paper is always edited.

No one can ever know the full, true history. Even the people involved only know part of it.

The firelight cast on Mingyue’s face illuminated the faint glint in her eyes.

At this moment, she didn’t want to care that half an hour had passed in the exam.

She didn’t want to care whether she could even find her way out of this mountain.

It didn’t matter.

If she didn’t pass, there was always next time.

Her mind and eyes were filled with the murals.

If this really is a somewhat accurate history of the Underworld, could it tell me the truth about the collapse of reincarnation over twenty years ago, and the truth about my father’s wish being granted?

Is that possible?

Unknowingly, the murals came to an end. Mingyue’s heart raced, and she furrowed her brows as she stared at the last image, unable to make sense of it.

This was a twin image.

The painting depicted a "wheel," glowing with dark light, with a strange yellow patch on it. In the upper image, the wheel is beneath the ripples of water, and in the lower image, the wheel is above the ripples.

...

What are these water ripples?

Ancient murals are static, silent images. They require reliance on the "similar images" between paintings as memory points and footholds, to spark imagination and guess the meaning of the images.

Mingyue had seen this wheel in the previous painting.

It was the tool of the Tenth King of the Underworld, the Wheel of Reincarnation, used to oversee the six realms, with boundless power.

This much was clearly recorded in the history textbooks.

Many scholars studying Yin-Yang history in the mortal world claim that the collapse of reincarnation at the end of the last century is inextricably linked to the Wheel of Reincarnation.In the previous murals, the figure of the Wheel of Reincarnation King had appeared multiple times. It was a faceless, tall, thin man in a black robe, carrying a large "wheel" on his back.

So, what’s the difference between the wheel underwater and the wheel above the water?

Mingyue sniffed and looked back, only to find the stone wall behind her was blank, with no traces remaining.

"……"

An indescribable anger burned in Mingyue’s heart like fire.

Ridiculous.

The Yin-Yang world is hard to understand.

My father, who did such a great thing, doesn't even deserve a single stroke?

Mingyue stood frozen, tears streaming down her face.

The fire talisman burned out, the light extinguished, and the stone cave was once again plunged into darkness. Mingyue stood in the dark, crying uncontrollably, her body shaking.

Her tears fell on the nightlight screen of the communicator, showing the countdown: 【14:29:02】

With a thud.

Liu Anran threw the communicator on the ground and stepped on it. Then, she looked again.

The value hadn’t changed.

Liu Anran: "……"

Ha!

This thing still shows there’s a Yang energy node within ten meters?

Damn it!

On my left is a mountain, and on my right is a river!

There’s nothing around! Where are the living people!Could it be that this Fengdu Ghost City, built to resemble the Underworld, only considers the living as “Yang energy nodes” and not ghosts as Yang energy nodes?!!

Or is there someone in the mountains or someone in the river?!

Heaven help me.

Liu Anran frustratedly punched a rock beside her, cursing the organizers a thousand times in her mind.

The communicator had already started displaying the overall ranking, meaning that among the more than ten thousand candidates in the city, someone had successfully killed or purified a vengeful soul, going from 0 to 1.

Therefore, the rankings of the others would soon appear, transitioning from nothing to something.

Liu Anran had not encountered a single ghost along the way, and now, with no points, she ranked 18,677th, feeling anxious and restless.

She was a returning student, this was her second year after graduating from Xiang University, and her second time participating in the exam. She was somewhat aware of the dangers of the hundred-school joint examination.

This Fengdu Ghost City scenic area, covering only around twenty kilometers, always had different exams each time.

For example, this was the northwest corner of the ghost city, where Liu Anran had fought with other candidates in the last exam, competing for points. She recalled that back then, this was a soft grassy lawn—

But now, the scene before her was filled with grey mountains, murky waters, and swirling Yin energy.

Not a blade of grass in sight.

A panicked mind leads to chaos.

In the twelve-plus hours of the Ghost Slayer exam, conflicts between candidates fighting over points were common. According to historical data, after 9 PM tonight, there would be a peak period when these conflicts would intensify until the end of the exam.

However, at this moment, Liu Anran decided to bring it forward.

After all, even if she formed a team, in the end, there would still be fighting.

Xiang University’s martial arts program wasn't particularly impressive, and individual combat assessments had never been as spectacular as King Emperor Jin’s. So there was no point in considering going solo, it was better to focus on accumulating points.

After seeing the 10-meter scan earlier, Liu Anran had planned to target someone isolated, to strike first and seize the opportunity. Who knows, maybe they'd have points. If not, she could always team up with them, just as a buddy.

However—

Liu Anran spat, thinking to herself, "What bad luck, I got stuck with a crappy communicator."The river on the right side flowed slowly and densely, with a mist of gray spreading over the riverbed. It was as if the river had been drenched with hundreds of thousands of tons of industrial waste, emitting a strange odor.

There were patches of dark brown water plants floating on the surface, sticky and tangled like clumps of hair.

"......"

Liu Anran crouched by the river, carefully inspecting the water. The dark clouds in the sky had cleared a little, revealing several rays of sunlight that illuminated the reflection of the water.

He then stuck a Yang energy talisman onto the iron rod, using it as a weapon, and thrust the rod into the river, stirring the water viciously!

As soon as the talisman made contact with the water, the yellow Yang energy instantly extinguished, producing a sizzling sound.

Where there’s a river, there’s Yin.

Where there’s Yin, there are ghosts.

Catching a water ghost wouldn't be bad!

Liu Anran laughed heartily, churning the river and flipping it upside down.

Five minutes later—

Liu Anran leaned against the iron rod, panting with exhaustion.

There was nothing in the river. There were only a few scraps of rotting water plants, no dead fish or shrimp, and no Yin spirits either. Only the whirlpool Liu Anran had stirred up continued to move restlessly.

Liu Anran sat on the ground, feeling that nothing was going right today.

No, the exam is just at odds with my fate.

My grades weren't good enough in undergrad.

Xiang University is a local powerhouse in Province X, and with such influence, Liu Anran only managed to secure an outside position with the Province X Ghost Slayer Association after graduation. He had done a few meaningless field assignments, just waiting for this year's hundred-school joint exam to get his certification and promotion.

Who would have thought, the journey started off badly.

If I can't get a permanent position, I can't take on high-risk missions, which means less money, and no wife either. It’s a vicious cycle.

Liu Anran felt a sense of frustration deep in his heart.

Damn it, if I fail the exam, all those relatives will start nagging again. It’s so annoying—damn it, who just slapped me?! Liu Anran, irritated, brushed off the gentle tap on his shoulder, waving it away.The force came climbing back up.

A gentle tap.

"You motherfucker—"

Liu Anran, with curses on the tip of his tongue, turned around angrily, only to come face to face with the putrid, slick face of the water ghost—

Tangles of water plants piled on its face, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be human hair. It had a greenish face, glistening with water, and its long, slippery body slithered like a green snake. It dragged itself out of the river, drenched, its body wrapped in karmic chains. As it moved, it clinked and clattered.

"Did you want to cross the river earlier?"

The water ghost’s eyes were unrecognizable. It was impossible to tell how many eyeballs were in its eye sockets; they crowded into one eyelid, looking in different directions, like black-and-white grape seeds. God knows how many people had been consumed.

Liu Anran: "..."

Liu Anran took a deep breath and demonstrated his lung capacity: "Ahhhhhh—!!!!"

"Water ghost, damn it!"

He then spat, spraying the water ghost right in the face.

The water ghost closed its wide eyelids, savoring the taste of the saliva.

"The scent of the living."

"Since you stirred the river to find me, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

It had no limbs but stood upright with its cylindrical body, completely covered in karmic chains like red collars, loops upon loops.

This was the first time Liu Anran had encountered such a fierce ghost. It scared him so much that he nearly lost his grip on the strings of his puppet technique.

Luckily, he still had the iron rod in hand.

The water ghost flicked its tail and said something shocking:

"Puppet technique?"

"Which university brat from the living realm are you?"

Liu Anran felt immense regret in his heart. Looking at the string of blood-red karmic chains on the water ghost's body, he knew it was a tough opponent. However, he couldn’t hold back and replied:

"None of your business which school I’m from!""Die!"

The water ghost clicked its tongue: "What a big mouth."

Liu Anran swung his iron rod, but the water ghost dodged swiftly. In a few moves, it had figured out the human's technique. With its long snake-like body, it baited Liu Anran into striking, causing the rod to hit with a muffled thud. Before Liu Anran could feel victorious, the flexible green snake-like body spiraled around the iron rod, wrapping around him and instantly cutting off his breath.

Liu Anran: "..."

The snake's tail tightened around his throat, and the water ghost's hair, now resembling rotting corpses, turned into wriggling maggots. They pierced into Liu Anran's skin, countless barbed needles tearing through his flesh, making him scream in agony. His scalp and face were covered in blood, the pain unbearable.

Fresh blood trickled into the filthy river.

"This is the execution exam!"

"You can't kill me!" Liu Anran struggled and shouted, trying to press the emergency spell on his communicator, but to his horror, his fingers were entangled in the water ghost's hair. The water ghost opened its massive blood-red mouth like a snake, enveloping Liu Anran's head. He was left a headless body, entirely wrapped in the dead hair.

"You can't kill me?"

"Is that so?"

"Without a life-saving charm, what are you?"

"Who knows what the underworld is doing this year? I was just minding my own business when the earthquake happened." The water ghost's throat was filled with blood, and Liu Anran could only hear the rumbling echo of its words.

He couldn't accept it, that he had met such a tragic fate only an hour into the execution exam.

But at this moment, the skin on his neck was already paralyzed, and death was just three minutes away—

It was too late.

Too late.

Liu Anran closed his eyes.

"Am I... going to die?"

The expected intense pain never came. Instead, Liu Anran only heard a dull thud, accompanied by the tearing of flesh and the water ghost's anguished wail. He was spat out from the slippery throat like trash and thrown onto the ground.

Footsteps approached. A girl crouched down, grabbed some grass, and hurriedly wiped his face as if trying to clean up the vomit.

"Are you okay?" The background noise was the water ghost's screams getting louder. Mingyue asked softly.Liu Anran: "..."

Liu Anran lay on the ground like a dead fish, his breath faint, "I'm... fine..."

In his inverted vision, he saw Mingyue's bright face.

So beautiful.

So the communicator wasn't lying to me. There really is someone.

Liu Anran thought in a daze.

He lay there, looking at the riverbank. The water ghost's body, about five to six meters long, was pierced through by a long steel fork, pinned into the river, struggling like a loach, hissing fiercely.

This goddess turned back, rushing into the river. She stepped on the water ghost's tail, like a Hercules in the flesh, ripping the water ghost off the steel fork. Before the water ghost could recover and open its mouth, she shouted again, thrusting the fork into the water ghost's seven-inch point. A fire talisman, dripping with human blood, was perfectly inserted into the water ghost’s body.

The water ghost stopped.

The meeting of Yin and Yang, stirring human blood.

Igniting endless Yang fire.

The fierce fire spread into a golden sea of flames, starting to burn from the water ghost's karmic chain. The Yin mist flailed in various shapes, struggling in the Yang fire, emitting wailing cries. It eventually ignited the entire river.

This is efficient!

This is clean!

The great laws of Yin and Yang are played to perfection!

Liu Anran sat up, watching Mingyue crouching by the river, flipping the water ghost’s body to ensure the Yang fire roasted it evenly.

Damn!

What the hell, flipping it over?!

Liu Anran: "..."

Liu Anran felt like he was about to faint from shock.

Very good.This girl doesn't have zero points now.