33 No Grave Land
The rain has stopped, and the sky, which has been washed clean, is gradually brightening. The locust trees near the village are dripping with morning dew, and the air with the smell of mud is refreshing.
Hua Lang had just entered the village and had only taken a few steps when he saw Xie Hanjing coming towards him.
Having also been out all night, Hua Lang's clothes were splashed with mud and the edges of his shoes were stained with cinnabar, while Xie Hanjing's clothes were neat and tidy, and even his hair was not a mess at all.
Before Hua Lang could accuse him, Xie Hanjing asked first, "Master, are you leaving the village?"
"It was a bit noisy outside last night, and I couldn't sleep, so I went out for a walk," she changed the subject and asked cryptically, "By the way, I met someone on the street. From the back, they looked a bit like you. Were you out last night too?"
Hearing this, Xie Hanjing was slightly puzzled. He shook his head and said, "Last night, I was selecting the entrance to the secret realm with Senior Brother Wang and didn't leave. When did Master see that person?"
Seeing Xie Hanjing's puzzled expression, Hua Lang even found Wang Shuiyi to corroborate his testimony. She didn't look like she was faking it. Without revealing any of her thoughts, she said,
"It was still dark at the time. I guess I made a mistake."
But her heart skipped a beat. If it wasn't what Xie Hanjing said, then that three-tailed white fox, could it be that she was really seeing things?
Xie Hanjing keenly sensed her uneasiness. He looked at Hua Lang's tired face and said, "Master, you haven't slept all night. Are you thinking about Luoshui Manor?"
Hua Lang didn't say yes or no, but just sighed softly.
Seeing this, Xie Han was shocked and continued, "The disciples who were patrolling this morning said that the demonic aura in Luoshui Manor has completely disappeared. Master, you may not have to worry about the demons borrowing your passage anymore."
Hua Lang raised his eyebrows in surprise. "It disappeared. Is this true?"
Xie Han nodded in surprise, "There is indeed no demonic aura."
Hua Lang's eyes lit up. As long as there were no demons, Qing Lai would not wipe out the family. As for the other strange things in Luoshui Manor, they were just trivial matters!
The atmosphere suddenly became much more relaxed. The two returned to the house, changed clothes and had breakfast, and then the sky became completely bright.
The sky cleared up and was as blue as a mirror. The rising sun was dazzlingly bright.
The damp ground, steaming with wisps of mist, left a trail of footprints as everyone went out, talking and laughing. After all, once today was over, they would no longer have to stay in this desolate village.
"We're about to go to the Luoyin Secret Realm. I originally thought I wouldn't have the chance to catch up with the first group, but thanks to Master Hua Feng's help, I'm sure I'll be able to grab the spiritual herbs planted at the entrance to the secret realm!"
"Yes, yes. My friends who set up barriers in other places weren't so lucky. Come to think of it, I don't know what Master Hua Feng's two disciples did to deserve to be punished along with us."
"Hush, those two are influential figures in the outer sect. Although they look like gods, one is as cold as ice. Look, he hasn't even spoken a word to us in all these days. The other one is even more terrible. He has a weird temper and offended many people when he was in the outer sect. These two will be punished as soon as they enter the inner sect. They are definitely not people to be messed with!"
"It's not that exaggerated..."
"You still don't believe me? This time, Master Hua Feng came down the mountain in person just to keep an eye on them. He's afraid that they'll kill us all in a rage!"
The young disciple shuddered, "I suddenly don't really want to go to Luo Yin Secret Realm anymore."
When the others heard him say this, they all laughed out loud.
Hua Lang was trying to hold back her laughter so hard that she looked up and secretly glanced at Xie Hanjing, who was walking beside her, still as still as a mountain, and Yan Rong, who was sick but still gritting her teeth in anger.
Hmm…it really fits the stereotype perfectly!
They were joking all the way, and just as they reached the village entrance, Hua Lang's sleeves felt heavy, as if something was hanging on them.
She looked down and saw a corner of black, uncovered fur sticking out from the wide cuff, with small dewdrops hanging on the tip of the fluffy fur.
——It’s Coal Ball that’s back.
Hua Lang's spirits lifted. She pulled Xie Hanjing over and handed him the coal briquettes in her sleeves, saying, "Come, take this with you when you go to the secret realm."
Xie Han was puzzled, "Master, don't you want Coal Ball to follow you?"
"Of course not."
Hua Lang made up an excuse, "After all, there are many wonderful encounters in the Luoyin Secret Realm, and opportunities are rare. If Meiqiu can advance to the Earth Level by following you, it will be a great fortune."
After saying this, Hua Lang took out the remaining spirit storage stones, put them in a bag, and handed them to Yan Rong on the other side, admonishing her, "Opportunities are determined by heaven. Don't try to force yourself. Remember this."
Yan Rong, who was angry, was a little dazed when he passively took the bag stuffed into his hands. After a moment of confusion, he was about to speak.
Xie Hanjing was the first to speak, interrupting him, "Master, aren't you going to the west of the village with us?"
Hua Lang's gaze instantly returned to him. She shook her head and said, "I won't be needed for the rest of the barrier. After you finish building the barrier, don't linger. Hurry and rush to the Luoyin Secret Realm. You must also take good care of your junior brother along the way."
This separation was hasty and simple, but time waits for no one. After realizing that it was useless to try to keep him, Xie Hanjing could only say, "Master, I will be back soon. Please rest well these few days and don't worry too much."
Why are you still talking about me? Hua Lang nodded indifferently and said, "Just focus on your single main story. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be the best tonic for her."
After watching the group leave, Hua Lang followed the thin traces of coal ball's demonic power and walked to the other side.
The grass is light in color and spreads sparsely on the ground. In the vast plain, the demonic power is cut off here.
But the place was flat, with only a few swaying locust trees rising from the ground. The traces of the new grave that Hua Lang wanted to find were gone like morning dew rolling into the soil.
Hua Lang looked at the area again and indeed saw no new graves. To be precise, there was not a single grave.
That’s right, neither here nor in the places she and Wang Shuiyi had visited in the past few days, they had seen a single grave!
Logically speaking, there should be some wild graves near this village, but all the graves, along with the huge coffin from yesterday, mysteriously disappeared in the vast plain, leaving no clues at all!
“Chirp, chirp, chirp.”
The noisy bird calls caught Hua Lang's attention. She looked up and saw a few sparrows flapping their wings and circling above the locust tree in front of her.
The birdsong was so intense that it was almost too loud to ignore.
The locust tree in front of him had lush green branches and leaves and looked quite old. As Hua Lang approached, his feet sank slightly into the thick pile of leaves underneath.
She took a look and found no snakes, insects or bird nests on the tree. She couldn't find any clues for a long time. When she was about to turn around, she stopped again.
Hua Lang looked at the fallen leaves on the ground that were turned up as she walked.
I don’t know if it’s because of the heavy rain last night, but these fallen leaves look very fresh.
Hua Lang kicked, and under the thick fallen leaves, there were green leaves everywhere. He turned it down again until the tender green grass underneath was revealed, but he didn't find any dead leaves.
The birds in the treetops are still fighting for territory.
wrong……
There's something wrong with this tree!
Hua Lang turned her head suddenly, squatted down, picked up a branch and started digging the soil under the tree.
Normally, the weeds under a tree would be extremely sparse due to insufficient light and resources. However, the weeds under this tree were clearly covered with thick fallen leaves, yet they were still lush and green.
The young leaves that fell to the ground looked equally strange.
Moreover, it is not the breeding season, but the birds gather here. This behavior seems like... a competition for new territory!
Unless… there are no trees here!
Soon, the soil dug out by Hua Lang was covered with the red color of cinnabar.
The missing coffin should be under the tree!
Before Hua Lang could make a move——
"Oh, Immortal, you are so disobedient."
A deliberately lowered tone suddenly sounded behind Hua Lang!
Hua Lang was startled, but when she looked up, she saw an even stranger scene - several locust trees in the field seemed to have spread their legs and gathered towards Hua Lang!
They were like a wall, tightly trapping Hualang.
Standing in the only gap was Yu Song!
Yu Song raised his hand to block out the sparse sunlight. In the shadow, his face lost its innocent look and looked sinister instead.
Hua Lang stood up. She looked at Yu Song and keenly noticed the change in his aura. She said slowly, "Yu Song? Or should I call you... Yu Hu?"
Yu Song did not refute her words, but laughed darkly. After the laughter dissipated in the wind across the field, he said softly, "You are really too curious."
Hua Lang stared at him intently, "You have both spiritual and demonic energy. What on earth are you?"
Only the bloodline ability of the celestial fox can make a tree grow overnight. The white fox last night was probably not Hua Lang's illusion. There is actually a second celestial fox in this world!
Yu Hu sighed softly and shook his head, his tone becoming increasingly strange, as if he were enduring pain, yet also indulging in pleasure. "No, we are all mortals, doing all this just to allow the true 'God' to return."
"'The real God', what is that?" Hua Lang couldn't help but frown upon hearing the strange words.
Yu Hu's limbs became increasingly rigid, and a "hehe" sound emanated from his throat, as if a mouthful of blood was stuck in his throat. "Of course... it's, it's the true god who protects Luoshui Manor!"
Then, he actually stretched out his hand to Hua Lang, his fingers pale and bloodless, "Come and join us..."
Hua Lang was shocked by his sudden change without any warning, but she always felt something was wrong, until a strong sense of crisis swept over her -
"What did you do to those Qinglai disciples?!"
Yu Hu raised his head and smiled. His smile seemed to want to tremble, but because of the stiffness of his body, his smile ended up swaying from side to side. The two moles on his face were finally exposed to the sunlight.
"Of course, I invite you all to dedicate yourselves to God together!"
After saying this, his body suddenly exploded as if it could no longer bear it.
The head flew out along with flesh and blood, and when it passed through Hua Lang's sight, Hua Lang even saw the obsessed smile on the blood-red face!
A locust tree, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, took the opportunity to pull itself out from between his shaking remains. In a blink of an eye, the treetops grew lush and green, completely blocking the last gap.
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