The lamp attracts the resentful spirits and the life-claiming rope
The dim oil lamps flickered in the villagers' hands, casting a pale shadow on their faces, their eye sockets sunken like skulls. Foremost was an elderly woman in a blue cloth shirt. The wick in her hand crackled, sending sparks flying. The sparks fell to the ground, transforming into tiny black insects that crawled towards Su Xiao and Zhao Yu. Even more eerie, the elderly woman's feet were off the ground, her body floating in mid-air, the remains of a skeleton visible beneath her skirt—the remains of a villager who had disappeared near the volcano last month, whose body has yet to be found.
"It's the Haunted Soul..." Zhao Yu's voice trembled. He gripped the machete tightly, and the black frost on the blade thickened a little. "The man in black robe used the locust soul to lure the vengeful spirits in the town, and used the villagers' bodies to take their lives!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the old woman suddenly raised her head, black blood seeping from her hollow eye sockets. She opened her mouth and let out a sharp scream, mixed with the cries of countless people, as if hundreds of souls were struggling within her body. She lunged at Su Xiao, and the oil lamp in her hand suddenly exploded, splashing oil onto the ground and igniting a faint blue fire. Tongues of flame spread along the ground, unexpectedly transforming into chains that wrapped around Su Xiao's ankles.
"Be careful! It's a lifeline! If you get tangled, your soul will be sucked away!" Su Xiao hurriedly pulled Zhao Yu back. The Red Sun Gu transformed into a crimson flame, burning towards the fire chain. However, as soon as the flame touched the fire chain, it was engulfed by the blue flames. The fire chain only grew thicker, twisting in the air into a snake shape, and wrapped around the necks of the two men.
At that moment, a crisp "crack" emanated from the old locust tree behind them. The eyes on the trunk opened again, and the figures within the pupils became clear—it was Meng Meng and Lin Xi! Their faces were pressed against the trunk, expressions of pain, their hands struggling inside, as if trying to break free. More and more black sap oozed from the trunk, dripping onto the ground and gathering into black runes. As the runes lit up, the villagers' movements suddenly quickened, swarming around the two like puppets on strings.
"Su Xiao...save me...the tree is eating my soul..." Meng Meng's voice came from the trunk, with tears in her eyes, "The man in black robes buried the 'Soul-Guiding Altar' at the bottom of the tree. The altar is filled with our blood..."
Su Xiao was about to respond when she heard footsteps from her left. Turning, she saw a young man in a coarse cloth shirt, holding a hatchet, slashing at Zhao Yu's back. It was the young man who had delivered medicine to the old patriarch. His face was distorted, a strange grin like Meng Meng's, his eyes rolled back, clearly haunted by the vengeful spirit as well.
"Zhao Yu!" Su Xiao pushed Zhao Yu away, the flames of the Red Sun Gu wrapping around the boy's wrist. The boy let out a shrill scream, the blood vessels beneath his skin instantly turning black. He collapsed to the ground, twitching a few times before falling to the ground. But as his body came to rest, a wisp of black energy emanated from above his head and burrowed into the trunk of the old locust tree. Meng Meng's face on the trunk instantly became clearer, but his expression only deepened with pain.
"We can't kill them! If we kill them, their resentful spirits will be absorbed by the Huai Soul even faster!" Su Xiao shouted hurriedly. She looked at the villagers surrounding her, her heart filled with despair. These villagers were innocent, but now they had become evil spirits seeking her life. She could neither kill them nor escape.
Zhao Yu also realized the seriousness of the situation. He sheathed his machete and pulled out a yellow talisman from his pocket—the one Lin Xi had given him earlier, said to temporarily dispel resentful spirits. As soon as the talisman was lit, it emitted a blinding blue light. The villagers retreated, the dark aura in their eyes fading slightly, as if a glimmer of sanity had returned. But the blue light lasted only a moment before it was swallowed by the red glow from the old locust tree. The villagers pounced again, even more ferociously than before.
"The Soul-Guiding Altar... We need to find it at the base of the tree!" Su Xiao suddenly remembered Meng Meng's words. She pulled Zhao Yu and ran towards the roots of the old locust tree. The eyes on the trunk shot a red light towards the two of them. Su Xiao used the flames of the Red Sun Gu to block the red light, but the flames grew weaker and weaker, and her arms began to burn, as if fire was burning beneath her skin.
The two ran to the base of the tree and saw a black jar. Seven white candles were stuck in the jar's mouth. The candles' flames were a faint blue, casting a cold glow on the incantations on the jar's body. Wisps of black air drifted from the jar's mouth. These were the resentful spirits of the villagers. When the black air entered the jar, the jar made a "dong" sound, as if swallowing.
"That's it! Destroy it!" Zhao Yu raised his machete and slashed at the jar. But as soon as the blade touched the jar, it was deflected by an invisible force, and the blade was instantly covered with a layer of black frost, which made his palms numb with cold. Suddenly, a strange laugh came from the jar, and the voice of the black-robed man rang out from within: "You think you can win by destroying the Soul-Guiding Altar? It's too late. The Huai Soul has already absorbed enough resentful souls and will soon transform. By then, the entire Qingwu Town will become a purgatory!"
The black energy from the jar suddenly surged, transforming into countless tiny black insects that swooped down on the two. Su Xiao hurriedly opened the Red Sun Gu box, and the Red Sun Gu transformed into a crimson flame, consuming the black insects. However, there were too many black insects for the flame to stop. Several burrowed into Su Xiao's collar, and she felt a sharp pain in her neck, followed by a chill that spread through her veins. Her vision began to darken, as if her soul was being ripped from her body.
"Su Xiao!" Zhao Yu saw this and hurriedly placed a yellow talisman on Su Xiao's neck. The talisman emitted a blue light, forcing the black insects out of his body. But just as he was about to help Su Xiao, a villager hugged him from behind. The villager leaned close to his ear and let out a strange laugh, "Come die with me..."
Zhao Yu felt a sharp pain in his neck. The villager had bitten him, his teeth piercing his skin and sucking his blood. He swung his knife at the villager's back, but the villager didn't let go, biting even harder. Zhao Yu's vision began to darken, and his body grew weaker and weaker.
Su Xiao watched this scene, her heart filled with anxiety. Using her last bit of strength, she pulled the fragment of the evil core from the Red Sun Gu box and threw it towards the Soul-Guiding Altar. The fragment streaked red light through the air and landed right at the altar's mouth. The red light collided with the dark blue flames, causing a violent explosion. The altar instantly cracked, and countless black air poured out from the cracks, condensing into the outline of a black-robed figure in the air.
"No! My plan!" The black-robed figure let out a shrill cry and lunged at Su Xiao, attempting to reclaim the fragments of the evil core. Su Xiao hurriedly mobilized the Red Sun Gu's spiritual power, transforming the flames into a flaming sword, which he thrust at the black-robed figure's chest. The flaming sword pierced through the black-robed figure's body, and his silhouette began to dissipate, but a strange grin played on his lips: "It's useless... Huai Hun has awakened... You all must die..."
The silhouette of the black-robed figure completely vanished, but the old locust tree suddenly shook violently, and the eyes on its trunk emitted a red light, illuminating the entire Qingwu Town. The faces of Meng Meng and Lin Xi on the trunk vanished, replaced by a gigantic face. Its outline overlapped with the trunk of the old locust tree, its eyes the holes in the trunk, and its mouth the soul-calling altar at the tree's base. It looked eerie and terrifying.
"The Huai Soul has transformed!" Su Xiao's heart suddenly tightened. She looked at the huge Huai Soul, her heart filled with despair - they were still one step too late.
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