As Zhang Qingxiao performed his ritual, the bronze mirror trembled violently, and a dark red vortex appeared on its surface!
Within the vortex, blurry, fragmented images emerged, accompanied by piercing screams and the sound of chains dragging.
The scene is no longer a woodshed, but a darker, seemingly boundless space, with faintly visible burning flames and distorted shadows.
Seeing this, Li Huai couldn't help but murmur:
"My goodness, there really are eighteen levels of hell. Luckily, I haven't done anything bad in my life, so I shouldn't have to suffer punishment even after I die."
Upon hearing this, Daoist Zhang Qingxiao, who was standing to the side, spoke up:
"Fortune and misfortune have no fixed gate; they are summoned by oneself. The retribution for good and evil follows like a shadow."
Luo Tianhe nodded thoughtfully. Although he was a member of the underworld, he hadn't done anything heinous, so he shouldn't have to go to hell.
Then, a woman's spirit gradually appeared in the mirror. I could vaguely make out that it was the face of the woman I had just seen in my dream.
At this moment, her face was pale and her expression was distorted. Several chains burning with green flames were piercing her collarbone and limbs, dragging her as she crawled on the ground covered with spikes and scorching gravel.
The sight sent chills down our spines.
When it comes to torment, hell is the place to be.
The woman's face was contorted in agony, and she let out inhuman screams.
"Tell me, why did you harm your own child?"
A grand and majestic voice, seemingly exploding directly into one's soul, questioned.
"No, it wasn't me, it was the Empress! The Empress wanted my son's skin as a medicinal ingredient to grant us immortality!" The woman's voice trailed off, and she cried incoherently, "You have to believe me! She told me that this way, my son and I can both become immortals."
Another burning whip lashed down, blurring her soul.
"Ignorance and wickedness. To harm one's own flesh and blood for heresy is an even greater crime, deserving of the punishment of being cast into the hell of skinning alive, where one will never be released until the sentence is served!"
In the mirror, the woman's soul was dragged into the deeper darkness, where countless blurry figures suffering the same torture could be vaguely seen. The air was filled with shrill screams that sent chills down one's spine.
At this point in the scene, the bronze mirror shattered into several pieces with a loud crack.
Master Zhang Qingxiao groaned, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth again.
Clearly, forcibly activating this damaged magical artifact to spy on the laws of the underworld had a significant backlash against him.
But that brief and terrifying image was clear enough.
I realized that the child's mother had indeed believed in cult teachings, which was why she committed such a cruel act and suffered the punishment she deserved.
The child stared blankly at the broken part of the bronze mirror, remaining motionless for a long time.
The resentment surrounding it receded slowly like the receding tide, eventually dissipating into nothingness.
The overwhelming resentment and bloodlust in his eyes gradually faded.
"Your Majesty, the medicinal ingredient, the key to longevity..."
He murmured to himself, these words were somewhat unfamiliar to him and he couldn't understand them.
Finally, he slowly raised his hand and looked down at the dried intestines on the ground.
"Send me there, to a place where there is no empress, no medicinal ingredients, and no new clothes."
Master Zhang Qingxiao nodded, formed the hand seal again, and recited the Rebirth Mantra.
This time, as the golden light fell, the child's figure quickly faded and disappeared into the air.
"Damn it, this old man and this so-called mother, they're both inhuman! Even tigers don't eat their cubs, and they treat their own children like this..."
Li Huai muttered curses.
Although he was an orphan, he despised such parents and felt extremely lucky compared to their children.
He overlooked the fact that the orphanage director was no better.
If he hadn't been pre-booked by a buyer, he probably wouldn't have lived to adulthood.
If he hadn't met us, he probably would have become a bound spirit long ago.
I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At least the soul imprint has been fully restored, so there's no need to worry about that ghostly Taoist priest coming to our door at any time.
"Master Zhang Qingxiao, are we just going to let this matter go? That ghostly Taoist priest..."
With my life no longer in danger, my mind started to wander.
Master Zhang Qingxiao originally came here to eliminate the evil Taoist priest, but a series of events completely disrupted his plans.
Upon hearing this, Daoist Zhang Qingxiao fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he slowly shook his head:
"His matter isn't urgent. Anyway, your friend has been rescued. Let's take our time and plan ahead. I'll find a few fellow Daoists and be absolutely certain that we can deal with him completely later."
I nodded. That was the Taoist priest's original plan, but Luo Tianhe was in a hurry to save the old Taoist priest, so he came ahead of time, which was indeed the best choice.
Master Zhang Qingxiao handed me the Thunder Strike Sword, which I accepted with a sense of melancholy.
Ever since leaving the Dragon Palace, I've kept the Thunderstrike Sword in the grave to suppress the Yin energy and protect the old knife. It's been a long time since I've seen it, and I really miss it.
With the Thunder Strike Sword, dealing with ordinary evil spirits is as easy as cutting melons and vegetables for me.
“Master, you’ve finally come back to find me. You don’t know how dark and gloomy that grave is.”
Lei Jijian's voice echoed in my mind. He probably hadn't talked to anyone in a long time. He was already talkative, but now he was even more like a chatterbox.
However, I had enough time now, so after listening to him ramble on about his recent experiences, I also told him about the strange things I had recently encountered.
Lei Jijian listened with awe and wonder.
He never expected that I would encounter so many strange things in just one month since I left the Dragon Palace!
Almost every day I'm either encountering ghosts or on my way to encountering ghosts.
"Alas, it's only because I'm not here that many would have been killed! With me around, you're invincible."
Finally, he said, seemingly with some regret.
I pursed my lips. Back in the Dragon Palace, I was with him, but I wasn't as awesome as he claimed. We still had to run away and escape when necessary.
"By the way, Master, are we really going to stay here for another six days?"
Lei Jijian suddenly asked.
Suddenly, I realized a problem.
The ghost bride said we could stay here for seven days, but if we stayed here for seven days, we would either starve or die of thirst!
I looked around, and this place didn't look like there was anything to eat.
Moreover, no one has come to worship at the cemetery outside for a long time, so we have nowhere to steal the offerings.
When I told Luo Tianhe and the others about this, they suddenly realized it too.
Moreover, there's no signal here, and nowhere to charge our phones when they run out of battery. If we had to stay here for a few days, we would have been miserable.
I'm currently only suffering from physical injuries, which are still quite serious, but my soul is almost completely healed. So I'm wondering if I can leave here sooner.
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