Chapter 56: The Wraith Ghost

  The Ninth Master pushed me away, but instead of the anger I had imagined, his face showed a faint sadness. He looked me up and down and sighed: "Our Quanzhen Sect seems to be thriving, but who knows that by the time of Xiaohai's generation, there are only six disciples left, two of whom have already passed away. It's getting harder and harder for Zhao Yiming to find suitable disciples. What if we old guys all pass away, will the Quanzhen Sect disappear in our hands? Finding a disciple who can cultivate the Golden Elixir is not easy, especially in this polluted world where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has become so thin. Perhaps only someone with Xiaohai's extraordinary physique can revive the Quanzhen Sect. But you see, Xiaohai has entered the Purple Mansion, which means he will face great tribulations. I'm afraid Xiaohai will end up like his second brother..."

  It wasn't until later that I found out the so-called Second Master was actually a disciple of Ninth Master, who had been collecting students for over a thousand years. The Quanzhen Sect had flourished and produced countless extraordinary individuals, but by modern times, especially since the Republic era, all sects had begun to decline. In my generation, there were only six true disciples of the Quanzhen Sect. My eldest master brother and second master brother had already died during the war against Japan. Ninth Master was desperate to refine a Nine-Turn Rebirth Pill to save his life, but unfortunately, it didn't work out. This means that in our generation, there are only four disciples left, with the youngest of my three other master brothers being over 40 years old. Their fate is almost sealed, which is why Ninth Master placed all his hopes on me.

  I asked the master, why in ancient times there were always people who became immortals and achieved enlightenment, but as time approached modernity, they became fewer and farther between, to the point where from the Qing dynasty onwards, almost no one appeared. The master told me that this is because the space between heaven and earth is limited, just like a bucket of water. In the past, when there were only 100 people drinking from it, everyone could drink their fill, but now with 10,000 or even 100,000 people drinking, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is becoming increasingly scarce, while the population is growing exponentially. Whether or not one cultivates the Tao, they are all drawing upon this spiritual energy, so nowadays it's very difficult for those who cultivate the Tao to achieve great accomplishments. This is why there are no longer any immortals or enlightened beings appearing. Therefore, innate talent has become a very important thing. Moreover, modern people's physical constitution is becoming increasingly unsuitable for cultivating the Tao, which is also the reason why all the sects are declining. However, good physical constitution is not something that can be found in just anyone; it's like finding a needle in a haystack, with only one person out of millions possessing it.

  When Ninth Master said this, for a moment, Master Shu Zu and the three Masters Bo as well as Master Fu all fell silent, ultimately turning into a sigh. Even Master Fu didn't stop Ninth Master, letting him stuff the Nine Revival Soul Pellet into my mouth. Originally, I wanted to refuse because this Nine Revival Soul Pellet was too precious, and I couldn't afford it. However, Ninth Master just stretched out his hand, and I unexpectedly had no room for resistance, and my mouth was pried open. The Nine Revival Soul Pellet slid into my belly, and suddenly I felt like there was a ball of fire burning inside, and I involuntarily let out a moan: "Master Bo, there's a ball of fire burning in my belly, it's so painful——"

  "It's normal, the medicine is taking effect. Just close your eyes and don't think about anything, the medicine will naturally stay in the Heavenly Wheel. When you encounter danger, it can save your life. But remember, don't disappoint Master's kindness, you must make the Quanzhen Sect prosperous." Ninth Master's words became heavier and heavier, I also felt the burden on my shoulders becoming heavier. But soon I didn't have the mood to think about these things, that fire was burning in my body, I even felt like I was going to melt. Actually, I didn't see it, at this time I was like a cooked shrimp, red and transparent."

  My transformation was imperceptible to Zhang Jianhua and Zhang Qianqian, because when they entered, Wu Shifu's Five Senses Seal deceived all their senses. In reality, in their eyes, we were just like statues nailed there, motionless and silent, although it felt strange, but they didn't dare disturb us, only wondering about everything. Otherwise, Master's words and actions would have scared them off. Besides, this is a matter within the sect, not convenient for outsiders to know.

  I don't know how long it took, but my consciousness suddenly shook violently and became completely clear. At this moment, I finally regained my senses, just like I had been dead earlier, without any knowledge or perception. The first thing I did when I opened my eyes was to sit up straight, panting heavily. The feeling earlier was really terrible, as if I had been completely overwhelmed. After that, I didn't know anything else. However, seeing me wake up, Master and the others let out a sigh of relief. The power of this Nine-Turn Soul-Recovering Pill is not something just anyone can handle. If you can't digest it, there will be problems. In my case, I was basically half-crippled. But as they expected, I managed to pull through. My body has almost fully recovered, and my consciousness has completely returned. Not only that, but it seems to have become even stronger.

  As I slowly came to, I was a bit dazed. The strange sensation in my body was indescribable, but I could feel it clearly. With a sudden movement, I flipped over and got out of bed. Not only did my body recover, but it also felt stronger than before. There was no buzzing in my mind, nor was there any slight tearing sensation in my head. Without needing to be told, I knew I had fully recovered. As soon as the thought occurred to me, I suddenly opened my Heavenly Eye, and indeed, I didn't feel anything unusual. Moreover, activating my Heavenly Eye easily allowed me to see through the wall.

  "Master - Ninth Master Uncle, I'm completely healed, and it seems like I've become even stronger than before -" I excitedly didn't know what to do, only showing off my muscles in front of Master and Master Uncle, as if this was the only way I could think of to show off.

  "Xiao Hai, don't be slow to thank Ninth Master, remember what Ninth Master said. No matter what, you must revive the Quanzhen Sect. From now on, it's up to you." My master, except for a hint of relief on his face, became even more serious, an expression rarely seen. How could I dare to slack off? Without thinking, I suddenly knelt down in front of Ninth Master: "Master, rest assured, Xiao Hai will surely remember your teachings, work hard to cultivate, and make the Quanzhen Sect flourish..."

  Jiushi Bo helped me up, patted my shoulder and didn't say much, but instead changed the subject to what happened after I finished. I didn't dare hide it, so I told them everything that happened last night in detail. The masters all furrowed their brows, exchanged glances, and finally Shifu Zu spoke up: "It must be a vengeful spirit."

  "Master Shibo, what is a Yaoguai?" I knew I shouldn't have spoken up, but I couldn't help myself.

  However, it's clear that Master Shu and the others are very tolerant of me, and don't mind my chatter. Moreover, Master Shi explained to me: "Xiao Hai, have you heard of the term 'for tiger make ghost'? The so-called ghost is a kind of powerful demon or monster that is possessed by a strong practitioner, in other words, it's a lackey. There are many kinds of ghosts, some are vengeful spirits or malevolent spirits, but according to what you said, most of the ones you've encountered are probably original ghosts from the underworld."

  The original ghost is a kind of ghost, born in the underworld, belonging to the spiritual body. This has to do with the underworld, which legend has it that King Yanluo opened up the underworld and became the master of hell. However, the underworld had existed long before that, and reincarnation had also been around since ancient times. No one can trace its origins, and it can only be attributed to the cycle of heaven's reason. These original ghosts are the indigenous people of the underworld. Later, King Yanluo led his 18 ministers and millions of dark soldiers in battle, establishing the underworld. However, the netherworld is vast and boundless, and the underworld only occupies a small part of it. It is an independent existence that has its own realm, apart from the yin souls, there are countless original ghosts, each with their own forces. In fact, the so-called "original ghost" is just a general term, and the original ghost is also divided into many kinds.

  Experience indeed grows with age, and Master Shu's words opened my eyes to a whole new world. I had no idea such things existed. As I thought about it, I heard Master Shu hesitate for a moment: "The vengeful spirit you mentioned can bewilder people. If I'm not mistaken, it should be something called the Heart Ghost. This Heart Ghost doesn't have any other abilities, but it's skilled at bewildering people's hearts. It can read people's inner desires and even many cultivators are often deceived by it. With just one glance, a person can become lost in themselves and completely follow its ideas."

  "It's just like hypnosis——" asked tentatively, but was met with a chuckle from the master: "Not bad, it's indeed similar to hypnosis. The Taoist sect also uses this method, but the heart demon directly targets the yuan Shen. However, the heart demon won't devour the essence and soul. It seems that there is still a mastermind behind the ghost, as most of those who devour the essence and soul are involved in evil rituals."

  So that's how it is. I turned my head to take a look at Wang Jing, and my heart was somewhat hesitant. However, the Fifth Master seemed to have seen through my concerns, and only smiled faintly: "It's no big deal, the Heart Demon confuses one's mind, it's just a thread separated from the main body. As long as we pull out this thread, it'll be fine. The Heart Demon itself doesn't store yin energy, it belongs to the yin-yang body. It's indeed very difficult to find it in the mortal world, and we still need this girl to serve as bait."

  As the voice fell, Wu Shi Bo waved his sleeve, and the five-awareness talisman instantly turned to ashes and dissipated. Everything came back to life. Zhang Jianhua and Zhang Qianqian stared at us with a stunned expression on their faces, but unfortunately, no one paid attention to them. Jiu Shi Bo walked up to the bedside, looked Wang Jing up and down, and simply stretched out his hand to lightly touch Wang Jing's brow. Suddenly, Wang Jing let out a cry of surprise and woke up from her coma. Still in a daze, she was searching for the location of the dark soldiers, but didn't see them. Since Shi Shu Zu and the others arrived, the dark soldiers had already left on their own, no longer needing to stay and protect me. So all Wang Jing saw were a few Taoist priests, which made her breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that the Taoist priests must have chased away the ghost.

  "Little girl, we need to find the puppet ghost and uncover the true culprit behind the scenes in order to save more people, so I'm afraid you'll have to go through some hardship." Master Shu's words were calm but firm, leaving no room for Wang Jing to refuse. This was an instruction to Wang Jing, not a request for her opinion. As soon as he finished speaking, Master Shu reached out and touched Wang Jing's forehead: "I've planted a Li Huo Shen Lei in your mind, and once you find the puppet ghost, you'll be able to recover your spiritual consciousness on your own. Don't worry too much, everything will pass."