Chapter 099: Bystanders Beware!

Chapter 099: Bystanders Beware!

Bai Ran scoffed, "I bet you didn’t expect the malevolent version of me to be like this."

Before his words faded, Bai Ran ignited ethereal blue ghost flames in his hand. With a swift wave, the flame rocketed towards Chi Shen like a missile.

Chi Shen stood unmoved, smiling serenely as the ghost flame narrowly missed him and crashed into the house behind, causing the aged stone-built residence to crumble.

As bricks and rubble rained down, Li Xu, who had taken cover nearby, instinctively shielded his head. Fortuitously, he had chosen a spot behind some trees and debris, so while he was unharmed, he ended up coughing from the dust inhalation.

Gazing at the stone house that had withstood over two decades, then at Bai Ran, and back at the house again, a look of shock spread across his face. He wondered if Chi Shen really could handle this.

The ghost's techniques are akin to a bazooka – that's not right!

Seeing his first strike miss, Bai Ran's expression darkened. He sneered, "This second time, you won't evade so easily."

Bai Ran clutched at his neck, from which blood flowed. As it pooled, eerie blue ghost flames ignited on the surface. Ghostly energy around him surged like wildfire fanned by wind. Darkness enveloped everything, muffling all sounds. The faint light from the kitchen vanished, leaving only the four of them in that space.

The sinister aura of ghosts affected this small area. Chi Shen understood; he had witnessed the world's hue shift briefly when controlling the ghostly aura from Ji Xing Chen No.2 that night.

A ghost capable of creating such a space was indeed powerful. Yet, Chi Shen didn't retreat. He even smiled, like an elder watching a novice child, saying appreciatively, "Impressive."

Outside the haunted house, Yuan Yi Ping and Xu Jia Yuan felt the tremor of the house collapsing. Both stabilized themselves against trees, exchanging puzzled looks.

"What happened?" Xu Jia Yuan asked worriedly, "Did Chi Shen and Li Xu do something?"

Yuan Yi Ping looked skyward, feeling the energies and said, "It came from the haunted house."

Although they were trapped by the ghost's illusion, the sky remained unchanged.

Xu Jia Yuan pondered, "It might not be Chi Shen and Li Xu. They wouldn't take action without reason. What could have happened? Did someone else go there?"

"We can't delay any longer," Yuan Yi Ping said, rolling up his sleeve with one hand and reaching for a knife in his pocket with the other.

Xu Jia Yuan gritted his teeth and extended his hand, "Brother Yuan, use my blood!"

They had initially believed that Chi Shen and others were safe. Their distance seemed far, so there was no rush to resort to violent methods to break the formation. They hadn't brought powerful artifacts with them. Earlier attempts to disrupt the formation were ineffective, so they hoped to find the formation's core and use standard techniques to dismantle it.

In reality, they had found about ten potential cores, but Xu Jia Yuan had ruled each out. Now, they couldn't afford to search slowly.

Drawing symbols with blood, using the fierce aura within, could break the formation – a viable method.

But they rarely used it. Leaving their blood behind could be used against them. If they always relied on blood-drawing, they'd deplete their vital essence. Thus, they only used this method in emergencies.

Xu Jia Yuan seldom had, but he'd seen Yuan Yi Ping do it many times. Each instance left him marveling at Yuan's resilience.

"It's fine; I won't need much—" Yuan Yi Ping placed his knife on his arm, which bore various self-inflicted scars. To a casual observer, they might seem like past suicide attempts. Few would guess they were from saving others.

As he was about to cut, he paused, his attention diverted to something.

There stood a red candle, oddly out of place. It burned silently, its ethereal blue flame steady despite the wilderness breezes.

"Brother Yuan!" Xu Jia Yuan exclaimed, "That's it! That must be the formation's core! This ghost-trapping formation, made from ghostly energies mixed with Qi Men techniques, would have its core where the energy is strongest. That candle is it!"

Yuan Yi Ping replied dryly, "Don't get too excited. Its mere presence here is strange. Anyone... should be able to tell something's off with it."

Xu Jiayuan had already darted over, reaching out to grab the candle. But just as his fingers neared, the flame snuffed out.

——

"Shen Shen, don't overexert yourself." After witnessing Bai Ran's displayed strength, Xu Xiuyin felt a sense of relief. Her earlier shock was alleviated by Bai Ran's reassuring words. She realized that, under these circumstances, Bai Ran becoming a ghost might be the best outcome for her.

"He's a ghost, and so am I!" Gui Lian burst forth from Chi Shen's pocket at that moment. Despite shivering under Bai Ran's oppressive aura, he still sought to assert himself, exclaiming, "We're both ghosts! Who fears who? He doesn’t even look scarier than me!”

Xu Xiuyin regained her composed demeanor. She paid no mind to Gui Lian, saying instead, "Ran Ran, in his bitterness toward you, committed suicide, and the ghost he became is indeed more formidable than an ordinary one. Now, after feeding him flesh and blood and using the ghost-nurturing technique I learned from the Bai family, even though the time was short, Ran Ran is now an exceedingly powerful specter."

With a tender gaze, she said, "Shen Shen, do you realize? The moment you entered here, you stepped onto the banquet I prepared for Ran Ran. Are you feeling... a bit dizzy? How are your legs?"

From the side, Li Xu deduced something, whispering, "I knew there was something off about that spot when I tripped earlier. Chi Shen's intentions are truly sinister!"

After saying this, he cautiously glanced towards Chi Shen's group to ensure no one was paying attention to him. Once assured, he relaxed and looked back at Huang Lingling and the woman in the floral dress, feeling a sudden sense of comfort.

It never occurred to him, nor did he ever notice, that he now felt more at ease around ghosts than living humans.

Upon hearing Xu Xiuyin's words, Chi Shen felt the need to respond. He shifted his feet and took two steps in her direction, demonstrating through his actions, "Seems like there's no issue."

Xu Xiuyin momentarily showed a blank expression, likely from being shocked too many times that evening, her surprise no longer visible. She questioned, "How is this possible?"

"I get it. This 'leg immobilizing' setup targets the living, doesn't it?" Chi Shen suddenly remarked.

Xu Xiuyin hesitated for a moment, admitting, "Yes..."

"You're not among the living; you're a ghost!" Bai Ran was quick to respond, laughing, "I wondered how you escaped that haunted old mansion unscathed. It's clear now; you haven't been human for a long time!"

"Oh dear, you caught me," Chi Shen jested, playfully touching his face with a smirk.

He peeled away half of his facial skin, revealing a chilling skeletal structure. As Xu Xiuyin looked on in horror, Chi Shen casually reattached the skin to his face.

An enticing ghostly aura seeped from the cracks in Chi Shen's skin. Ji Xingchen beside him twitched slightly as if wanting to act but ultimately refrained.

The act of peeling his face was brief, and his expression never changed; he continued to smile gently.

Xu Xiuyin, terrified by the display, stumbled and fell backward, her trembling gaze shifting between Chi Shen and Bai Ran before she screamed, "Ran Ran, eat him up!"

"Don't order me around," Bai Ran retorted coldly. The eerie green ghost fire in his hand burst forth, exploding into fragments of flame that darted towards Chi Shen.

"You know, if you're to be a ghost, you should look the part. Even ghosts have their own aesthetic."

All of the ghostly flames erupted on the low wall behind Chi Shen. Seeing the danger, Li Xu stopped snacking and immediately dashed towards another wall.

Just as the ghostly flames burst, Bai Ran felt a bloom of ice form around his neck.

It was a flower shaped by an overwhelmingly dense aura of darkness.

It seemed Chi Shen did nothing.

But the thorny flower, manifested from Chi Shen's dark aura, had already pierced Bai Ran's throat.

"You were wrong about one thing; my smile wasn't out of deceit."

Chi Shen, who had quietly moved to his side, said gently, "I wanted to leave you with some pleasant memories, so you wouldn't only remember my terrifying visage. That wouldn't be good."

Chi Shen sighed, "I too wanted to leave a lasting, positive impression in the heart of a ghost."