Chapter 24: Baozi Revitalizes the Cultivation World (24% complete)
After the brief interlude, the ghost musician picked up his pipa, and the music blended into a melodious tune that drowned out the chaotic sounds and became the dominant music. In the center of the banquet, dancers gracefully danced to the music. If you looked closely, you could see a few men and women with stiff limbs mixed in, but few people paid attention to the stage, allowing them to take advantage of the chaos.
Su Xiaoyao, who is tone-deaf and has no musical skills, makes a living by hiding in a corner and occasionally observing the ghost musician's expression.
Fortunately, the Ghost Musician has lived in the secret realm for tens of thousands of years and now only deals with his work. He has no fun in playing tricks on people, so he turns a blind eye to the fact that he has managed to get through by skirting the rules.
Compared to the cultivators around him, including Su Xiaoyao, who were playing instruments to save their lives, he focused more on his pipa, and soon he was playing with such passion and complete absorption that he was completely absorbed in it.
With her heart at ease, Su Xiaoyao looked around and spotted Jun Huilian and his companion among the guests. She took a deep breath, glanced at the ghost musician's pale face (which had not yet fully recovered from its ghostly transformation), and continued whistling. She then waved her freed hands towards the banquet, feeling quite excited to meet an old friend in a foreign land.
Jun Huilian responded to her.
"That musician played quite well. Before he died, he was a music cultivator who was obsessed with music. He didn't want to be reincarnated and made a deal with Old Xu." Jun Huilian revealed the ghost musician's life in one sentence.
“If he’s willing to be recruited, we can let him compose rhythm game music.” Jun Feibai was very happy. He was very interested in the game mode of falling rhythm drum beats. Aggressive beasts usually like to catch moving targets.
Jun Huilian acted even faster than he said. While the guests chatted and laughed and the beautiful music mingled, he tried to add some programs to the system on his own. After finishing, he looked up with satisfaction: "No problem. The notes are struck by gathering spiritual energy. Too heavy, too light, too fast, or too slow won't work. It's just like when I was learning to refine weapons, I was carefully controlling the heat and spiritual energy."
"I'll give them a beginner's guide, teaching them how to circulate their spiritual energy for one cycle before using it, which will help increase their spiritual energy," Jun Feibai offered to share the burden.
At the banquet, everyone harbored their own thoughts. Maids moved about the restaurant, serving wine and dishes to the guests, perfectly meeting everyone's needs. The delicate peace lasted until the white-faced man appeared at the city gate.
The pale-faced man's cold gaze swept over everyone present. He sneered and walked straight to the golden throne. He didn't dare to sit down, but stood in the position closest to the throne. When he caught sight of Jun Huilian, his pupils darkened, showing some apprehension.
"The celebration is about to begin, but my master has said that there are limited spots available, so it all depends on your sincerity and determination," he said arrogantly, clearing his throat.
"I'll go!" A burly man in the guest seats stood up first, took out a long sword that gleamed with cold light from his Qiankun bag, "Although this demon-slaying sword is only of superior grade, it is most suitable for ghost cultivators to use. Moreover, it contains a light-dispersing talisman, which can help ghost cultivators move in broad daylight. I hope the city lord will accept it."
The pale-faced man waved his hand, signaling the maid to put away the demon-slaying sword, and then rubbed his fingers together, his face showing a thoughtful expression.
The burly man was not as bold as he appeared; he stared intently at the pale-faced man, whose forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.
As the saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. Those who have been to the secret realm say that if your name contains the character "ghost" or a character that sounds like "ghost" when you enter the city gate, you have a high probability of getting a white card that symbolizes a VIP. Once you enter the city's restaurants, seats will be arranged according to the compatibility between your constitution and the ghost cultivator. Those with white cards have an absolute advantage. Not only can they avoid danger and not have to worry about offending ghosts like others, but they also have a chance to "trade" with the city lord.
The so-called gift offering is actually exchanging treasures for protection. The higher the grade of the item, and the more suitable it is for ghost cultivators to use, the more favored it is by the elusive city lord of the City of the Dead.
Danger often comes with opportunity. The more dangerous the secret realm, the more people want to venture in. Although most people don't know who the master of this secret realm is, the ability to support such a large-scale illusion and collect countless ghosts must mean that he is a powerful ghost cultivator.
Those who get the white token didn't get in by chance; they all bought previous guides at a high price and prepared in advance. Some even started planning as soon as the secret realm closed last time, familiarizing themselves with the general process of the secret realm and illusion.
The burly man was one of them. He reluctantly took out a high-grade spiritual weapon, just to take a gamble.
The pale-faced man looked him up and down with a half-smile, and after piquing his curiosity for a while, he took out a lucky bag-shaped item and handed it to him: "This is a return gift from my master."
The burly man was overjoyed and took the item, tucking it into his pocket as if it were a precious treasure.
With him taking the lead, the other cultivators gritted their teeth and gave gifts, not daring to give inferior items, and at the very least, they all gave mid-grade treasures.
Watching their precious gifts flow out like water, only to receive a crudely made lucky bag in return, they could only console themselves that those outside the white card category didn't even have the right to give gifts. They had already taken the lead, constructing a secret realm with such a vast illusion. The owner of the secret realm must have hidden something good. As long as they explored the depths of the secret realm, they wouldn't lose money.
Once the cultivators understood, they carefully put away their lucky bags and secretly compared the differences between their bags and those of others.
Apart from the NPCs, only the two people on the right side of the throne remained motionless throughout the entire banquet.
The pale-faced man glanced over, wondering what was so special about the two.
Jun Huilian lifted her eyelids, misinterpreting the probing look in his eyes: "And you're asking for gifts?"
She gestured with her chin toward the untouched dishes in front of her: "These steamed buns are for you."
Just as the pale-faced man was about to lash out, he suddenly remembered that what she "saw" shouldn't be steamed buns, and his expression changed repeatedly.
He snorted and flicked his sleeve: "How dare you put something like this in front of my master? My master won't accept it!"
“I didn’t say it was for your master, I said it was for you. My lord has worked hard guarding the city all day and must be hungry.” Jun Huilian tapped the table and looked at the maid beside him. “Take it to him.”
The maid pursed her lips.
This was her food ration that she had saved for a very long time. Everyone in the world who remembered her had died, and no one would burn offerings for her anymore. She couldn't bear to eat the last bun left, so she used it as a way to quench her thirst.
Her precious food rations were given to a dead ghost, sob sob sob sob sob.
The pale-faced man stared warily at Jun Huilian.
There's something wrong with this person. He can't figure out the other party's background, and his own strength is limited, so he doesn't dare to offend him for the time being.
Once the celebration begins, he'll be dead no matter who she is, so he'll just lie low for now.
He knew that the shriveled buns were the food that the not-so-bright female ghost cherished every day. Since the female ghost didn't have the intelligence to do anything, she symbolically took a bite out of it.
Come to think of it, it's been a long time since he's had any real food, and he's starting to miss it. But does this steamed bun taste like this?
The pale-faced man took a couple of bites and suddenly stopped. His sinister gaze turned stiffly towards them, as if he wanted to pin Jun Huilian and the maid to their seats. But he didn't have time to move. He threw a "Watch them" to the guard next to him and hurriedly left.
"What a temper! Is he a ghost? Is he trying to burn himself to death?" Jun Feibai was baffled.
"It probably won't catch fire."
"What happened to him? He looked terrible just now." It's amazing that he could tell "worry" from a face covered in white powder.
Jun Huilian said calmly, "You probably have an upset stomach."
The offerings that had been stored for ten thousand years did not have the same time-stopping effect as the food stored in her specially made Qiankun bag.
The ghost maid tilted her head, used her rusty brain, and understood the meaning behind her words, her face flushing with embarrassment.
Jun Huilian didn't see Xiao Tingyuan and Jiang Yun at the banquet. He noticed that Su Xiaoyao had replaced a group of musicians and was nowhere to be seen, so he opened the system panel to check her location.
The three mission takers unknowingly gathered together again, seemingly being chased by something. They moved very fast, and at a fork in the road, the three of them ran in different directions.
Inside the restaurant, there was singing and dancing, a scene of peace and tranquility, while outside, there were howling ghosts and wailing lurking danger. Only when the celebration officially began did the divided scenes inside and outside slowly merge into one.
When the time came, the pale-faced man still hadn't returned, so the ghost musician had to go over and announce it for him, sending all the guests outside the restaurant.
He recited the white-faced character's lines in a measured tone, without any pauses: "You all come with your own wishes, all for the sake of the Ghost Immortal. The time has come. Whether you can see the Ghost Immortal or not depends on your own fortune. Please."
“These guys are obedient, but they’re not very bright. They still need to be taught before they can work.” Jun Feibai frowned and reconsidered the pre-job training for employees.
"Selling yourself to Xu Buhui and following the rules for ten thousand years, it's normal to become dull-witted. It's already good that you haven't dissipated." Jun Huilian glanced back at the restaurant, concealing the thought in his eyes.
Logically speaking, even the fiercest ghost should have dissipated after a thousand years of cultivation. The fact that these ghosts have lived for so long means that Xu Buhui must be hiding something good.
We chatted as we walked outside, and only after we got outside did we realize that it was already past midnight.
In the dead of night, the moonlight peeks through the clouds, thick fog hangs in the air, and a chilling atmosphere pervades the city. Countless ghosts shed their normal appearances, eerie ghost flames flicker around them, their faces turn bluish-black, and their forms become increasingly bizarre.
The elegantly dressed maids passed by the hesitant guests standing outside the door. The illusion vanished, and the shadows twisted and distorted in the darkness, replaced by hideous and bizarre demons.
Bathed in the moonlight, they were finally free from their constraints, and they stared at every foreign face with a mocking gaze.
The ghost musician remained stationary, his figure flickering a few times as he moved to the front of the procession. Holding a pipa, he gently plucked the strings, playing an eerie melody that drew in gusts of cold wind. Low moans and sharp shrieks echoed along with the ghostly music through the chaotic streets, like the sounds of the ghost realm.
The desolate City of the Dead has completely entered another world. The magnificent scene inside the restaurant is all a facade. The Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts is the real feast of the ghost realm.
Jun Huilian mingled with the crowd and joined the Hundred Ghosts. The long procession circled the city and finally stopped at an altar.
Not many cultivators died before the sacrificial ceremony. She observed the white-card cultivators coming out of the restaurant and noticed their tense expressions, realizing that this was the most dangerous place in the secret realm.
The demons knelt before the altar, but something seemed to have gone wrong, creating a brief lull in the process.
After a while, the ghost musician put down his pipa, went up to the altar, and lit three incense sticks by hand.
His stiff face couldn't make exaggerated expressions, but everyone could feel his resistance.
"The time has come and we can't delay any longer. He's performing the sacrifice in place of the White-Faced One." Jun Huilian said in surprise, "A spoiled bun is that powerful? The White-Faced One hasn't returned yet?"
Jun Feibai blinked: "A spoiled bun isn't scary, but a bun that's been spoiled for ten thousand years is a different story."
Jun Huilian looked at the hanged ghost not far from them and marveled at its destructive power.
The hanged ghost was very perceptive of her gaze; even while kneeling and kowtowing, he would turn his head to look at her.
To prevent her tongue from falling to the ground while she was kowtowing, she wrapped it around her neck three times. When a pair of lifeless, completely white eyes saw that it was her, they smiled happily, and the corners of their open mouths turned up in a smile.
This scene was somewhat comical, making her terrifying appearance seem harmless.
However, this is only what it appears to be.
When the ghost musician finished her ritual and mumbled "sacrifice animals to the heavens" in broken sentences, her harmlessness was suddenly replaced by malevolence. With a flick of her purplish-black fingernails, she tore apart a small ghost on her right, and then opened her blood-red maw at a cultivator.
Jun Feibai reacted quickly and went back to his old ways, holding the talisman and letting it stick to every evil spirit that tried to approach.
Some people noticed their unusual behavior and tried to steal the talisman, only to find that this would lead to their deaths even faster than dealing with the evil spirits.
The ferocious demons attacked indiscriminately, including the cultivators.
The demon that had devoured its own kind was even larger and its soul more substantial, but Jun Huilian noticed that it avoided some people.
It was the person who received the lucky bag in the restaurant.
Soon, she wasn't the only one to notice this; more people reached out to their fellow human beings. They snatched the white cards, found them useless, and continued tearing at other things on their bodies.
The lucky bags in the illusion cannot be stored in the Qiankun Bag, so the holder has no choice but to protect the treasure from harm.
Some people had their lucky bags stolen and were attacked and torn apart by evil spirits when they weren't paying attention, while others lost their lucky bags but were still not coveted by evil spirits.
"Ha, serves you right for being so stingy!" The burly man he had met at the banquet panicked for a moment when he lost his lucky bag, but then realized that the evil spirit next to him still ignored him. After realizing the reason, he said smugly.
Some people couldn't stand his arrogant attitude and drew their knives to slash at him. The burly man dodged and ran towards the altar, cursing.
"Instead of wasting time killing me, you should kill more ghosts! Opening the Ghost Immortal's Abode beneath the altar requires five thousand offerings; even if all the people died, it wouldn't be enough!"
The number of five thousand sacrifices was chilling, and only after realizing that killing each other was futile did they turn their weapons on the demons.
Jun Huilian spotted the familiar double-bun hairstyle with hairpins in the crowd. Su Xiaoyao, Xiao Tingyuan, and Jiang Yun had reunited, both bearing some injuries, indicating that things hadn't gone smoothly before the celebration. The three of them had barely managed to kill a demon by working together. Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, the voices of the three systems sounded simultaneously.
Watch out behind you!
They reacted following the prompts from their respective systems.
The three systems, who had been secretly competing, reached a consensus: each would be responsible for the security of one side, thus ensuring that their respective hosts would not be attacked from both sides.
The three people and their three systems worked together with increasing synergy to deal with a cultivator who thought they were easy to bully and wanted to pick on the weak.
"Jiang Yun!"
Just as the man threw a talisman at Jiang Yun, Su Xiaoyao quickly threw out a heavy object.
The lightning strike talisman was swallowed whole by the potion cauldron. Su Xiaoyao shouted, "***, *******! Ten points, exchange that talisman for me!"
When outsiders are present and trigger system-related words, her voice is automatically muted.
The medicine pot readily consumed the low-grade Crimson Fire Talisman, then spat out a burst of Crimson Fire with mid-grade power, striking the cultivator's face directly.
Xiao Tingyuan was taken aback.
He also had a pot that produced mid-grade Crimson Flame from swallowing a low-grade Crimson Flame Talisman.
"Guaranteed not to have the same style as others"?
He fell into doubt.
Could it be that Su Xiaoyao and he were both mission takers, and coincidentally, both were one-fifteenth of those whose photos were misleading?
But is it really that much of a coincidence? Besides, the pot that Su Xiaoyao threw out has a unique shape and is not in the same category as his big iron pot at all. There shouldn't be such a big difference between 100 points and 100 points for a blind purchase, right?
"Brother Pot! Bite him to death!" Su Xiaoyao shouted encouragement for the pot of medicine.
Seeing the potion pot that could wreak havoc and even flank, and thinking of the cracked iron pot in his own warehouse that only spewed out garbage, Xiao Tingyuan fell silent.
Although they are both pots, putting the two pots together like this could be considered a case of staged accident.
Could it be that the potion pot is just a high-grade spiritual artifact of Su Xiaoyao, and just happens to have similar characteristics to the magical pot produced by the system?
He wanted to ask 1314, but then remembered that it had said that mission takers should not expose themselves, so he figured he wouldn't get any answers from it.
Xiao Tingyuan kept his guess to himself and planned to test Su Xiaoyao later.
The potion cauldron is ineffective against incorporeal evil spirits, but it is very effective against cultivators whose cultivation is suppressed, charging ahead with the spirit of a lone warrior holding the pass.
With it clearing the way, they could catch their breath and focus on dealing with the evil spirits.
Those engrossed in the battle had almost no concept of time; they didn't realize a whole night had passed until dawn.
"The Ghost Immortal's Abode! The mansion is open!"
No one can observe the total number of enemies during the battle, except for those who have the help of the system and the most leisurely Jun Huilian.
Neither the humans nor the ghosts who have survived to this day are small fry that can be easily dealt with. In the end, the battle dragged on for an extremely long time, giving the few who already knew that the Ghost Immortal's Mansion was about to open ample time to approach the altar.
Those who survived rushed frantically toward the dark mansion that appeared on the altar, none of them wanting to perish as superfluous sacrifices on the endless battlefield of ghosts.
Jun Huilian and Jun Feibai were among the first to enter. As soon as they entered, they saw a familiar face, and hatred almost materialized as it shot towards them.
You deserve to die!
The white-faced demon, after being transformed into a ghost, exuded a resentment far exceeding that of all the evil spirits outside the altar.
He was inside the mansion, while the monk landed right at the main gate.
The fact that the pale-faced man did not launch an attack suggests that he could not leave the mansion.
"Xiao Ye! It's so good that you're all alright!" Su Xiaoyao arrived right after, and she was overjoyed to see familiar faces.
The encroaching eerie aura sent a chill down her spine. Turning around, she met a pale-faced man with dark eyes that gleamed with a cold light.
Jun Huilian silently took a step back: "Yes, we got in by burning spirit talismans."
As she spoke, Jun Feibai's talisman automatically locked onto the only large ghost present, which turned to ashes before it even got within five steps of the white-faced man.
"Ah." Jun Feibai put away the remaining talismans, his brows furrowing.
Su Xiaoyao thought he was worried because the talisman didn't work, so she quickly said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we'll take down this BOSS together!"
Jun Feibai frowned not because of this, but because he had wasted a mid-grade spirit talisman. In his eyes, there was a big difference between consumption and waste.
Jun Huilian didn't correct him; instead, he led Jun Feibai to hide to the side, showing no intention of making a move.
More and more cultivators gathered, and after three hundred people entered and rested for a long time without anyone else entering, they knew that this was all the surviving cultivators.
The monks gathered outside the gate, and no one dared to trespass into the mansion.
The pale-faced man's strength far surpassed any of theirs. The only way to survive was to join forces. However, there were too many people, and no one was willing to take orders from a stranger.
Jun Huilian swept past Su Xiaoyao and the other two, and then assessed the white-faced man's strength once more.
After eating the steamed buns, the white-faced BOSS's action rate decreases and his rage value doubles, making it a very difficult challenge for the mission takers.
With a thought, she took out a steamed bun from her storage bag, tossed it high into the air and caught it, giving the pale-faced man a provocative smile.
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