240: Chapter 240: The Ghost Behind It

The equinox flower was in his hands.

Xiao Ran put the jade bottle into his Storage Ring and let out a long breath.

The price of that shot was too high.

He couldn't just fire off shots like that whenever he wanted anymore; it was too difficult.

Xiao Ran made up his mind and checked the item in his hand.

The jade bottle felt warm to the touch, and the equinox flower lay quietly inside.

He slumped down at the edge of the pit, panting heavily, with every part of his body aching.

The wound on his back was still seeping blood, the gunshot wounds on his left shoulder and thigh burned, and the side effects of the blood burning pill gnawed at his Meridians like countless ants, causing waves of throbbing pain.

"Luckily, I have the Holy Body."

Xiao Ran fished out a handful of healing Medicinal Pills from his Storage Ring and stuffed them into his mouth, not caring about the variety, chewing them into a mess before swallowing.

The medicinal power dissolved within him, and the wounds stopped bleeding and scabbed over at a visible rate.

"I'll rest for a bit, then leave quickly."

He muttered to himself, bracing his knees to try and stand up.

Just then, a rustling sound came from behind him.

The sound was very light, like something crawling on the sand.

But in the deathly silence of the hall, it was exceptionally clear.

Xiao Ran froze and slowly turned his head.

The sight he saw made his blood nearly freeze.

The corpses he had shattered were reassembling.

Broken bones flew up from the ground, piecing themselves together one by one as if pulled by invisible threads.

Fractured bones healed, shattered skulls closed up, and the eerie green ghost fires flickered back to life in their eye sockets.

The Long Halberds flew back into their hands from the ground, and their damaged battle armor repaired itself automatically, while the blood-rust remained unmoved.

One, two, ten, a hundred...

In less than ten breaths, the Yellow Spring Army in the hall, which he had slaughtered into pieces, had all been resurrected.

They lined up neatly in a square formation, Long Halberds pointing to the sky, their ghostly fires staring at him in unison.

The blood-red light lit up again, like over a thousand lanterns being ignited simultaneously in the darkness.

Xiao Ran's scalp tingled.

"No way... again?"

How the hell am I supposed to play this!

He instinctively gripped his sword hilt.

Then he realized the sword was already broken, with only a fragment remaining in his hand.

He tossed it aside, pulled out the last spare longsword from his Storage Ring, held it across his chest, and stared warily at the corpses.

The corpses didn't move.

They just stood there, staring at him with their empty eye sockets.

The Long Halberds were held high, but they didn't thrust.

They seemed to be waiting for some command, or perhaps they were intentionally leaving a path for him.

A path leading to the deepest part of the hall.

Xiao Ran narrowed his eyes and looked along that path.

At the end of the path was a throne.

After the mist in the depths of the hall dissipated, he could clearly see the massive throne built from skeletons.

In the eye sockets of the skulls on the backrest, dark purple flames burned silently.

The dried corpse on the throne lowered its head, and the gems on its crown emitted a faint, eerie light.

The place where Venerable Huangquan fell.

"So... it's not the equinox flower that resurrected them, but something else."

Xiao Ran had an idea of what was going on.

He looked back at the pit.

The yellow spring qi in the pit was still surging, but it wasn't as violent as before.

The faces in the mist were no longer roaring; instead, they looked at him calmly, their gazes filled with an indescribable expectation.

"There's something inside."

Xiao Ran had a suspicion.

Venerable Huangquan, Peak Body Integration Stage, just one step away from Undergoing Tribulation.

How could there be only one equinox flower at the place where he fell?

Those Legacies, relics, and Cultivation Techniques must be hidden in the deepest part of the hall.

And someone was guiding him there.

Xiao Ran took a deep breath and, dragging his injured body, walked step by step toward the throne.

...

Xiao Ran walked through the corridor formed by the square formation of corpses.

To his left and right, over a thousand corpses remained motionless, their Long Halberds held straight, the tips passing over his head and bringing a gust of cold wind.

With every step he took, he could feel those empty eye sockets staring at him.

He didn't stop walking.

He passed through the formation and stepped onto the stairs leading to the throne.

The stairs were paved with skulls, with skulls of various sizes embedded in every step.

Stepping on them, the bones made a creaking sound, as if they would shatter at any moment.

Xiao Ran walked to the front of the throne, stopping about ten feet away from the dried corpse.

"Is anyone going to say something?" he said.

His voice echoed through the hall, but there was no response.

Just as he thought the dried corpse would not react further, the surrounding air suddenly became heavy.

On the throne, the dried corpse slowly raised its head.

In its empty eye sockets, the dark purple flames flickered violently.

The flames ignited from within, burning brighter and brighter until they filled the entire eye sockets.

The dried corpse's mouth opened, emitting a raspy, aged voice, like the sound of wood that had been dried for ten thousand years rubbing together.

"You've finally come."

"After waiting for so long, a member of the Human Race has finally come before me."

Xiao Ran was taken aback.

Obviously, this was the first time Venerable Huangquan had seen a living person.

"Descendant, you have already proven your worth."

"The equinox flower has five petals, but only one is real."

"You were able to wake up from the illusion, survive the siege of the Huangquan Legion, and make it here."

"It shows you are qualified to inherit my Legacy."

Xiao Ran looked up at the dried corpse.

"What Legacy?"

"The Yellow Springs Dao."

There was a hint of pride in Venerable Huangquan's voice.

"I spent five thousand years cultivating the Dao, refining my Divine Soul with yellow spring qi, and creating the Huangquan Legion with Undead Arts."

"My Cultivation Techniques, Magic Treasures, and Legacy are all here. As long as you pass the trial, they are yours."

"A trial?"

"Yes, the final trial."

"What you just experienced was merely an appetizer."

The corner of Xiao Ran's mouth twitched.

"An appetizer? Almost being chopped into mincemeat is called an appetizer?"

"What trial?"

"The Road of the Yellow Springs," the voice said slowly.

"A road leading to death. Walk through it and return alive, and you shall have everything of mine."

Xiao Ran fell silent.

To be honest, he was a bit tempted.

But just hearing the name, he knew the trial would definitely not be simple.

However, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.

"Bring it on!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the dried corpse on the throne raised its hand, pointing a skeletal finger at Xiao Ran.

A streak of dark purple light shot from the fingertip and entered Xiao Ran's forehead.

Xiao Ran felt his world spinning, then everything went black as he lost consciousness.

...