The Red Flame Burns the Soul and the Mist Disperses to Dawn
The black fluid beneath the locust wood stake had gathered into a turbid stream half a foot high. The outline of the black-robed figure became increasingly clear in the red light. Beneath the tattered black robe, the exposed skin was covered in dark brown corpse spots. The scar under his left eye moved as if alive. With each contraction, tiny corpse insects emerged from the scar and quickly burrowed into his palm. He looked down at Su Mo's shrunken corpse on the ground, a low laugh like the chirping of insects emanating from his throat. Black energy surged in his palm, pressing the remaining fragments of Su Mo's soul into the incantation on the locust wood stake.
"Zhao Yu's evil core fragment is hidden in the third curse pattern on the pile." Chen Yan's voice trembled, but he held the compass tightly, pointing the needle at the bottom of the locust wood pile. "The Red Sun Fire must burn along the curse pattern to attract the yang energy in the fragment. We must not let him complete the soul curse first!"
Su Nian untied the copper box at her waist, and the crimson flames within suddenly surged, illuminating her eyes with a red glow. Just as she was about to step forward, the earth beneath her feet suddenly shook violently. Several black vines, entangled with corpse insects, emerged from the ground and coiled around her ankles. They were the vine corpse ghosts she had left behind, following her scent. Their eye sockets were no longer filled with scattered corpse insects, but were filled with black juice. The vines at their joints had grown as thick as arms, and with every step they took, they left bubbling black marks on the ground.
"I'll block it!" Chen Yan suddenly pressed the compass to the ground. The compass needle snapped and the cinnabar in the dial instantly seeped out, drawing a simple soul-soothing formation on the ground. "You only have half an incense stick of time. If the Red Sun Fire leaves your body for too long, it will devour your soul!"
The cinnabar array had barely formed when the vine corpse ghosts at the front crashed into it. Its vines lashed fiercely against the array's front, and the red light from the cinnabar flickered violently. Chen Yan groaned, and black blood flowed from the corners of his mouth. He had already absorbed too much evil energy, and forcing the soul-suppressing array to activate now was already a spent force. But he still reached into his backpack and pulled out the last handful of glutinous rice, scattering it on the array. The rice instantly turned red when it met the cinnabar, temporarily forcing the vine corpse ghosts back half a step.
Su Nian didn't look back. Her hand, gripping the copper box, turned pale. Crimson flames flowed from her fingertips onto the mahogany dagger, instantly transforming the faint flames into a crimson gold. She stepped on the black liquid and charged forward. The black-robed figure finally looked up at her. The black energy in his palm condensed into a sharp claw, clawing at her chest. Those claws were covered in corpse parasites, and anyone who touched them would likely be instantly swarmed into her internal organs.
At the critical moment, Su Nian suddenly leaned sideways, and the red sun fire on the dagger grazed the black-robed man's arm. With a "sizzle", a gap was burned in the black robe, and the skin underneath instantly carbonized, emitting a foul-smelling black smoke. The black-robed man roared in pain and swung his claws to attack again, but Su Nian, using the momentum of his sideways movement, leaped onto the locust wood stake, aimed the dagger at the third curse rune, and stabbed it fiercely!
Crimson sun fire spread along the incantations, and the blood-colored incantations on the locust wood stake began to flicker violently, as if resisting, yet also responding. Seeing this, the black-robed figure rushed over like a madman. The black energy in his palms transformed into chains, wrapping around Su Nian's wrists and trying to pull her off the stake. Su Nian felt a piercing chill on her wrist as the black energy climbed up her arms, stiffening her skin wherever it passed, as if frozen.
"I found the fragment!" Su Nian gritted her teeth, feeling a burning sensation at her fingertips. A hint of golden light shone from the spot where the dagger had pierced her. It was a fragment of the evil core! Just as she was about to pull the fragment out, the black-robed figure's other hand suddenly grabbed her neck and lifted her into the air. Black liquid dripped down his sleeves and onto her face, causing her excruciating pain.
"Do you think you can break my soul curse with just this little bit of yang energy?" The black-robed man's voice sounded like the hissing of countless insects. "A hundred years ago, Zhao Yu didn't kill me. Today, you youngsters can only serve as nourishment for my soul!"
The black energy in his palm surged, and was about to penetrate Su Nian's seven orifices when he suddenly heard Chen Yan's shout from behind: "Su Nian! Take the talisman!"
Out of the corner of her eye, Su Nian caught a glimpse of a yellow talisman flying towards her. On the talisman paper, a red sun fire rune was painted in cinnabar—it was Chen Yan's final soul-calming talisman. He had actually transferred all his yang energy into it. She jerked her head aside, grabbed the talisman with her free hand, and pressed it against the black-robed man's face.
The yellow talisman instantly ignited upon encountering the black energy, and crimson sunfire spread across the black-robed man's face. He let out a shrill scream, and the grip on Su Nian's neck loosened slightly. Su Nian seized the opportunity to thrust the mahogany dagger deeper into the locust wood stake. Her fingertips finally touched a fragment of the evil core. With a firm push, the fragment, scorching with yang energy, landed in her palm. Without hesitation, she pressed the fragment against the black-robed man's soul curse!
"boom--"
The crimson sun fire collided with the yang energy of the evil core fragments, instantly erupting in a blinding light. The blood-red incantations on the locust wood stake began to break, inch by inch. The black-robed figure's body twisted violently in the light, and countless corpse insects emerged from his body, only to turn to ash upon contact with the light. He tried to retreat, but the black liquid beneath his feet began to evaporate. The locust wood stake, under the impact of the yang energy, slowly cracked, and from within came the sobs of the wronged souls suppressed a century ago, a cry that sounded like cheering, yet also like mourning.
Su Nian fell from mid-air and landed heavily on the ground. She watched the black-robed man's body gradually dissipate in the light. The scar under his left eye first turned into black gas, then his limbs and torso, and finally only a faint wisp of soul was left, which was completely burned to ashes by the red sun fire.
When the last trace of black air disappeared, the locust wood stake snapped, the black juice in the ground evaporated rapidly, and the surrounding mist began to dissipate. Su Nian supported himself on the ground and sat up, turning to look in the direction of Chen Yan. The cinnabar array had long been shattered. Chen Yan lay on the ground, a broken vine stuck in his chest. His face was as pale as paper, but he gave Su Nian a weak smile and pointed to the sky. "Look, the fog has dissipated."
Su Nian crawled over and took Chen Yan's hand. His hand was cold, and in his palm was still clutching half of a broken compass. She looked up at the sky. The originally thick black fog was fading, revealing a gray sky. In the distance, she could even see a faint trace of morning light.
She remembered that before she set off, the elders in the tribe said that the fog in Meixi Town had not dissipated for a hundred years.
Su Nian stood up and walked to the remains of the locust wood pile. She picked up the fragment of the evil core—the yang energy on the fragment was already weak, but it still carried a hint of warmth. She then walked to the places where Su Mo, Old Gu Master Chen, and the two unnamed cousins had disappeared, and buried a handful of the red flame ash poured out of the copper box at each place.
The wind blew in from outside the town, carrying the scent of earth, but no longer the stench of decay or the chirping of insects. Su Nian glanced back at the empty Meixi Town. The wooden houses on the streets were still dilapidated, but there was no trace of the vine corpse ghosts anymore. The black mud on the ground gradually returned to its normal color.
She clutched the copper box tightly, turned, and walked out of town. The sun finally broke through the clouds, falling on her, stretching her shadow. Seven people had come behind her, but only one had left. Meixi Town, a ghost town where the souls of the wronged found peace for centuries, was also etched in her bones and blood.
From then on, there was no more Meixi Ghost Town in the world. Only a story about the Red Sun Fire, the fragments of the evil core, and seven young people remained, passed down from generation to generation in the tribe. At the end of the story, it would always be said that when the fog dissipated, someone used his soul to exchange for dawn.
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