Chapter 196 Awakening to a New Life

Achan helped Bai Xiuming stagger into the temple. After only a few steps, the person beside her began to slide down, pulling her down to sit on the ground, with only his upper body resting against her.

In the darkness, Achan touched his face and patted it hard: "Wake up, do you have any medicine to heal your wounds?"

After a while, she felt the person in her arms move his arm. She groped and grasped his hand, in which was a medicine bottle and a jade pendant.

Achan didn't know what the jade pendant was, so she put it aside first. Then she opened the medicine bottle, poured out the only pill inside, and stuffed it into Bai Xiuming's mouth.

After giving him the medicine, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. She gently touched his cheek with her fingers, then slowly moved them down, pressing her fingertips lightly on his neck for a moment before moving to his chest.

The wound there was deep and uneven; the demon had intended to rip out his heart when it struck.

Achan took a deep breath, her fingers still trembling slightly as they touched Bai Xiuming's skin.

The reason for choosing Mount Onikaku is because of Arama's ability to control demons.

She knew Huangwu's weakness: being near the Ghost Gate would strengthen her ability to control ghosts, and if it backfired, Huangwu would surely die.

Without Huang Wu, a severely injured Bei Yan and a mediocre Bei Huai are not a threat; they are no match for Bai Xiuming.

She had planned everything perfectly, but she couldn't have foreseen that Bai Xiuming would still come despite being severely injured, nor could she have predicted that after Huang Wu's death, Yu Gui would break the seal of the Ghost Gate.

She deeply regretted gambling with Bai Xiu's life. When she chose to give him up, she should have let him go.

Ah Chan held the silent man in her arms. He used to be very warm, but now his body temperature was lower than hers.

Just then, a ghostly wailing sound drifted in, seemingly both near and far, and the hairs on Achan's arms involuntarily stood on end.

A bone-chilling cold slowly seeped into the temple, almost engulfing everyone inside.

Suddenly, the jade pendant on the ground emitted a buzzing sound and bursts of white light, dispelling the chill.

Achan looked at the jade tablet. The gate to the underworld had opened, and the yin energy here was incredibly dense. This jade tablet was so effective against yin energy that it must have been specially prepared by Bai Xiuming.

In the faint light emitted by the jade pendant, Achan saw the character "Shang" on it, which was very likely a talisman to ward off evil spirits.

Bai Xiuming and she were probably thinking the same thing. If she hadn't exposed Huangwu's weakness, this jade tablet would have been the one to deal with Yu Gui.

With the talisman to ward off evil spirits and the knife by the door, we should be able to get through tonight safely, right?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when the talisman suddenly cracked. Before Achan could even process what had happened, the ghostly wails that had been lingering outside the temple gate had vanished without her noticing.

The moment the talisman shattered completely, the sound of dragging chains and the clear sound of horses' hooves reached Achan's ears.

There are many ghosts coming this way.

She even saw a gray silhouette outside the temple gate.

The outline was humanoid, yet not human. It was over two meters tall, with thin, long arms that reached its ankles, and equally slender legs that walked step by step toward the dilapidated temple.

Just as the thing reached into the temple gate, the knife that Bai Xiuming had stuck in the doorway flickered silently, its outline split in the middle, and then disappeared.

But this is not the end, but the beginning.

More and more gray silhouettes appeared in Achan's sight; these were evil spirits that had crawled out of the gates of hell and had been suppressed for many years.

While her attention was entirely focused outside, Bai Xiuming's body, which she was holding in her arms, suddenly began to heat up. At first, Achan did not notice, but gradually, the temperature of his skin became almost scorching.

The swarming demons were shredded by countless flashes of sword light, which enveloped the entire dilapidated temple, leaving not a single one untouched.

Suddenly, music rang out outside—a cheerful folk tune, accompanied by chaotic footsteps and laughter. The tireless demons that had rushed toward the temple gate began to flee in all directions.

In a corner of the temple, out of Achan's sight, a thick layer of white frost had formed on the roof beams. Although she couldn't see it, the yin energy was so dense that it felt like being on a cold winter night.

This yin energy was even more concentrated than the yin energy brought by Huangwu's demon-controlling technique, and it instantly took away all the warmth.

Achan's heart sank to the bottom. This gate of hell was suppressing evil spirits that were even more powerful than the ghost-controlling one, and there might be more than one.

Several ghostly figures appeared silently outside the temple gate. When Achan looked up, the first thing she saw was a ghost dressed as a scholar.

The ghost emanated a bluish light and looked no different from an ordinary person. It carried an ancient zither on its back and was smiling at Achan.

The scholar held the hand of a five- or six-year-old child, who was only wearing a bib and was bare-handed and barefoot.

The child was gnawing on something in his hand. When Achan looked closely, she discovered that it was a piece of blue ghost arm.

To the left of the scholar stood a female ghost emitting a bluish light, dressed in a wedding gown and covered with a red veil.

Behind them, several ghostly figures craned their necks, staring greedily in Achan's direction.

The female ghost leaned close to the scholar's ear, seemingly communicating in ghost language. To Achan, it was just a mixture of piercing screams and laughter.

As the female ghost stopped speaking, the scholar spoke up: "Bai Xiuming—Bai Xiuming—"

The name called out was none other than Bai Xiuming's.

These powerful demons were naturally after the blood and gore that they craved most.

As soon as the sound rang out, the knives at the temple gate lit up, humming incessantly, their blades gleaming with a sharp, silvery light, as if ready to rush forward and sever the heads of those demons at any moment.

The little devil being held by the scholar seemed to be enraged by the knife. He reached for the hilt, but before his hand even touched it, his claw was sliced ​​into countless pieces, and he let out a piercing wail.

The ghosts behind the scholar stepped forward one after another, trying to draw their swords and rush in. They all failed, but unlike the previous evil ghosts, they did not disappear. Instead, the parts of their bodies that had been cut off quickly regenerated.

After repeated failed attempts, the female ghost seemed to lose patience. She took a step forward and reached out to grab the temple door.

A ripple spread across the temple entrance, faintly enveloping the dilapidated temple—a barrier erected by Bai Xiuming's sword.

The appearance of the barrier did not stop the female ghost and the scholar; they seemed even more excited, muttering to themselves while watching the people in the temple and occasionally glancing warily at the barrier above.

They didn't seem to be in a hurry to rush in, but rather attacked the barrier systematically, as if they were waiting.

At this moment, Achan finally noticed Bai Xiuming's abnormality.

His body temperature was still rising, the heat emanating from him dispelling the surrounding yin energy, and under her fingertips, the wounds on his body were healing.

Achan suddenly realized that Bai Xiuming might be advancing in rank.

Not only her, but all the evil spirits that had surrounded them had already noticed.

Their attack speed gradually increased, and the barrier supported by the knife remained stable, but Achan noticed that the body temperature of the person in her arms was starting to drop, which meant that his blood energy was declining and his internal energy was being consumed.

Achan looked at the knife at the temple entrance. What was supporting the barrier was not the knife, but Bai Xiuming's inner energy, which was connected to the knife.

This will have only one result: nothing will be able to get in until his inner energy is exhausted.

He will not only fail to advance, but may also be worn down and die here, all for her sake.

Large tears fell onto Bai Xiuming's face. As Achan bent down to wipe away his tears, the golden inner core appeared silently.

Achan raised her head and looked at the still bright and dazzling inner core.

That place contains my father's demonic energy, life force, and memories.

For the sake of those memories, she decided to inherit her father's demonic aura in human form.

Achan never regrets her choices; once she makes a decision, she never looks back.

Her body had begun to adapt to the demonic energy. If nothing unexpected happened, she should have already allowed the demonic energy to invade her internal organs and then started trying to transform her body into a demon.

It might take a long time, but she believes she can succeed.

Before successfully transforming into a demon, she would bid farewell to those she knew and leave the capital and the Great Xia with Hui Niang. She could go to the wilderness first and then continue searching for A Mian's whereabouts.

She had planned her future carefully; she wasn't going to waste her life on it.

She never imagined that Bai Xiuming might die in front of her.

She gave up Bai Xiuming, but Bai Xiuming chose her with his life; she was always the one he favored.

At this moment, Achan clearly realized that none of her plans were as important as the person in front of her being alive.

She reached out and grasped the inner core, closed her eyes, and focused all her attention on it: "Father."

"Father—"

The inner core throbbed rhythmically at Achan's calls, perfectly matching the frequency of her heartbeat.

The inner core in his hand vibrated more and more violently until he could no longer hold it. Suddenly, the inner core transformed into countless golden rays of light, and a massive demonic aura exploded in the dilapidated temple in the wilderness. A huge nine-tailed fox condensed from the demonic aura and rushed out of the temple gate.

Outside the mountain god temple, where Achan couldn't see, there were evil spirits everywhere, and the evil spirits emitting a blue light were not just the two at the temple gate.

In the Gate of Hell, almost all the evil spirits gather, waiting for an unprecedented feast.

Until the Nine-Tailed Fox appeared, its enormous figure rolled in with a dense demonic aura. The surrounding ghosts and monsters scattered and fled, and those who were slow were instantly burned to ashes by the demonic aura.

Only a few fourth-tier evil spirits remained, still unwilling to give up. They fought the nine-tailed fox, consuming its demonic energy and their own ghostly energy.

Achan sat on the ground, her arms wrapped around Bai Xiuming's body, quietly watching the temple entrance. The nine-tailed fox would occasionally appear there; it was so large that she could only see its golden fur and sometimes its tails sweeping past.

The evil spirits did not reappear at the temple entrance. Bai Xiuming's body temperature began to rise, his blood and qi surged, and his internal energy churned. When it reached its limit, his bones made cracking sounds, and his exposed skin developed countless cracks like shattered porcelain, which then quickly repaired itself.

His heartbeat was like a drum, each beat louder and stronger than the last.

Outside the temple, the screams of evil spirits echoed. The female ghost in the wedding dress fell to the ground engulfed in golden flames, her ghostly body twisting and struggling in the flames before vanishing into nothingness.

Then, the second, the third...

Just as the third flame had burned out, the sky outside suddenly brightened.

The crimson dawn spread across the sky almost instantly, carrying a vibrant life force and dispelling the thick fog that shrouded Ghost Cry Mountain.

Light shone into the dark and gloomy mountain god temple. Achan lowered her head. The man in her arms was covered in bloodstains on his body and face, but beneath the bloodstains was smooth and fair skin, without even a scar.

It was not yet dawn; it was a strange phenomenon in the heavens and earth that occurred after Bai Xiuming successfully advanced.

Outside the temple gate, the flames fell one after another on the fourth and fifth days, and then there was no sound. The heavy yin energy had completely dissipated at some unknown time.

As the last flame died down, a much smaller nine-tailed fox, radiating a golden aura, gracefully entered the temple gate under Achan's watchful gaze.

It walked up to Achan, sat down, and its nine tails swayed gently behind it.

Achan's gaze followed it. She tentatively reached out her hand, but it passed right through it.

"Father," Achan called softly.

It did not respond, but simply looked gently at Achan, who was suddenly in tears.

"Father." A-Chan's vision blurred, her voice choked with sobs, almost breaking, "I'm sorry, Father."

I didn't choose you; I chose the person who likes me very much.

Whether the nine-tailed fox understood Achan's words or not, it tilted its head and leaned forward to lick Achan's face.

Its body was formed from demonic energy and was not a physical entity, yet Achan seemed to feel a warmth.

When she was very young, she was very envious when she saw other fox cubs being licked by their parents on Qingyu Mountain. She always thought that one day her father would come to find her and lick her fur too.

Although she no longer has beautiful fur, and her father is long gone, she has still fulfilled her wish, right?

The tears on Achan's face did not disappear, but instead increased. The nine-tailed fox stood up and circled around her twice in a hurry, encircling her and Bai Xiuming with its body. Its nine tails gently patted Achan's body and head, as if to comfort her and tell her not to cry.

Outside the temple, the red sun, hidden in the morning glow, broke free from its restraints and revealed its outline.

This was an extraordinary omen; in an instant, a radiant glow illuminated the sky, bathing the heavens and earth in gold.

It's like a new cycle is about to begin.

Achan was also bathed in a golden glow by the sunset. The eyelashes of the person in her arms trembled slightly, and then she opened her eyes.

When Bai Xiuming opened his eyes, the nine-tailed fox glanced at him and then stood up.

It lowered its head, rubbed its face against Achan's face reluctantly, and its body gradually began to fade into the background.

Achan knew that the demonic energy was about to dissipate. This was the last time she would see her father in her life.

She gazed at that figure with reluctance, barely daring to blink.

The nine-tailed fox stirred, lowered its head and touched its forehead to Achan's. Before the figure disappeared, Achan suddenly heard a man's voice in her mind: "My Achan, you've grown up."

His beloved Ah Chan, after a long period of time, has finally grown up and can leave her parents to live her own life.

The sound disappeared, and the nine-tailed fox's figure vanished as well. In the next instant, a massive life force surged into Achan's body.

With the demonic energy dissipated, the life force within the inner core became Xi Jing's final gift to his daughter.

Such an impact caused Achan to lose consciousness instantly. In her inner world, the eight-tailed fox that had also lost consciousness gradually shed its original form, transforming from a fox into the human form that Achan had taken.

She lay on the ground, sleeping peacefully, and when she woke up, a new life would begin.