69: Chapter 69 Trap Alley Gambling House

The Bowl-Playing Ghost and the Begging Ghost scrambled up from the ground in a panic, not even daring to wipe away the mud and bloodstains on them. Bowing and scraping, they scurried ahead to lead the way.

The group followed close behind the two ghosts, turning into a narrow, cramped alley.

Towering walls stood on both sides of the alley, with wild grass growing rampantly atop them. As the evening breeze swept across the grass tips, it rustled, sounding as if someone were whispering in the shadows.

The high walls blocked out the daylight, keeping the alley in perpetual gloom. The air was heavy with a chill, several degrees colder than outside the alley.

After walking for about half the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the path ahead suddenly came to an end.

A bottomless cliff stood before them, with black mist roiling at its base, thick as ink, obscuring everything.

Only gusts of eerie wind swirled out from the abyss, howling and roaring, mingled with shrill ghost cries that pierced the eardrums and sent a chill through the heart.

The Bowl-Playing Ghost stopped and turned around, wearing a fawning smile on its face: "My lords, this is the first trial of Trap Alley—the Cliff of Severed Souls."

"In the past, countless Cultivators arrived here, and upon seeing the dead end of the cliff, they would lose heart and turn back."

"But little did they know that the moment they took a step, hidden arrows would fire from the courtyard walls on both sides, instantly turning them into hedgehogs, leaving not even a corpse intact."

The Begging Ghost chimed in hurriedly, its tone fearful and urgent: "Exactly, exactly! The secret to this trial is to never turn back; you must walk straight ahead to pass safely!"

Niu Fei frowned deeply, stepped forward, and leaned over to peer down the cliff. The black mist, carrying a pungent, rotting stench, rushed toward him and hit his nostrils. He instinctively turned his head and furrowed his brows, filled with caution.

"Walk straight ahead? There is an abyss of ten thousand feet below. One wrong step and you'll be smashed to pieces. Isn't that just throwing your life away?"

The Bowl-Playing Ghost waved its hands repeatedly, its tone extremely ingratiating: "My lord, rest assured! This cliff is merely an illusion. The ground beneath is solid. Just walk forward with large strides; there is absolutely no danger of falling!"

Qiu Chuanxing silently sheathed his short blade and lifted his foot, intending to go forward: "I will scout the path first."

"Wait."

Wu Xi spoke calmly, his soft words stopping everyone in their tracks.

He walked slowly to the edge of the cliff and crouched down. His fingertips lightly touched the ground; the bluestone slab was cold and hard, feeling very real.

He picked up a pebble and threw it toward the bottom of the cliff. The stone fell into the black mist without a sound, as if it had vanished into thin air.

Seeing this, the Bowl-Playing Ghost immediately chimed in: "Look! I told you it was an illusion. The stone passed straight through without any obstruction!"

Wu Xi ignored it, rose slowly, and his gaze swept over the bluestone slab beneath his feet like a cold blade.

Suddenly, he lifted his foot, gathered his strength, and stomped hard on an ordinary stone slab beside him.

Crack! A crisp sound erupted, and the stone slab collapsed in response.

The next instant, the whistling sound of objects piercing the air exploded densely! Countless black crossbow bolts shot out from hidden compartments in the courtyard walls on both sides, as dense as a downpour, completely covering the spot where the Bowl-Playing Ghost had just been standing.

The sound of thwack-thwack was incessant as the crossbow bolts embedded themselves deep into the bluestone, sending stone chips flying.

The Bowl-Playing Ghost was terrified to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, collapsing onto the ground with a thud. Its face was ashen, and its whole body trembled like chaff. If Wu Xi had been a split second slower, it would have already been shot into a sieve by the volley of arrows.

The Begging Ghost was equally terrified, its teeth chattering as it spoke incoherently: "H-how… how could this be? The trials in the past were never like this!"

Ling Muxue sneered coldly, her red robes gleaming with a cold light in the gloomy alley: "Two idiots, being played for fools and yet remaining oblivious, even acting as guides for others."

Wu Xi gazed at the roiling black mist at the bottom of the cliff, his tone calm and waveless: "The cliff is real."

As soon as he said this, the two ghosts were instantly dumbfounded.

"The stone just now didn't pass through an illusion; it was swallowed by an evil entity hidden in the black mist." Wu Xi pointed toward the abyss. "This is not an illusion; it is a genuine Cliff of Severed Souls. To step into the void is to be lost forever."

The Begging Ghost's face turned pale, and it asked stutteringly: "T-then… how are we supposed to get across?"

Wu Xi did not answer; he walked straight to the edge of the cliff. The mountain wind whipped fiercely, blowing his robes until they fluttered, his hem hanging out over the edge of the cliff, a sight that made the others tremble with fear.

Jiang Jiye exclaimed in alarm: "Wu Xi! Be very careful!"

Jiang Yuehong was even more terrified, squeezing her eyes shut, not daring to look directly.

Everyone thought he was going to jump down, their hearts hanging in their throats. Unexpectedly, Wu Xi suddenly turned around and, gathering his strength, kicked the high wall on his left fiercely.

Boom! The loud noise shook the alley. The high wall collapsed with a roar, dust flying everywhere. When the dust gradually settled, a flat stone path was revealed, and at the end of the path stood a dark wooden door.

The Bowl-Playing Ghost and the Begging Ghost were completely stunned, standing frozen in place with looks of disbelief.

The two of them wandered here every day, yet they had never known there was this hidden path to survival.

Wu Xi raised his hand to brush the dust off his clothes and spoke indifferently: "The traps and mechanisms of Trap Alley are never in plain sight."

"The more it looks like a desperate dead end, the more it actually hides a chance of survival; the more it looks like a smooth, safe path, the more it often hides a deadly trap."

The group followed his words and walked along the small path to the dark wooden door. This wooden door was ancient, thick, and heavy, with no lock or handle, its entire surface smooth, exuding an eerie silence.

The Bowl-Playing Ghost leaned in to examine it for a moment and whispered: "This should be the second trial. The older ghosts have a rumor that once this door is pushed open, inside there are mountains of gold and silver, treasures everywhere, and even Spirit Pills that can help one's cultivation skyrocket. However..."

Before it could finish speaking, Niu Fei was already impatient. He rolled up his sleeves and prepared to step forward: "What's with all the dilly-dallying? It's just a wooden door; watch me smash it open with one punch!"

After saying this, he clenched his fist, the veins on his arm bulging, and struck directly toward the wooden door.

"Don't move!"

Wu Xi reached out in time to press down on his wrist, forcibly stopping him.

Niu Fei was stunned, turning his head in confusion: "Why stop me?"

"Look here." Wu Xi signaled for everyone to look at a corner of the wooden door.

The group leaned in to look closely and saw a thin, fresh, and glaring scratch on the door, with a few drops of dark red blood congealed beside it, not yet completely dry.

Qiu Chuanxing's brows furrowed tightly, and he subconsciously gripped his short blade: "This mark... it seems to have been left recently."

"Outsiders have already been here before and have touched this door." Wu Xi's tone was steady.

"Then where are the traces of the person who came?" Jiang Jiye looked around, but the surroundings were empty and deserted.

Wu Xi did not answer. He bent down to pick up a withered branch and slowly extended it toward the wooden door, pushing it gently.

Creak— The wooden door slowly opened inward.

Golden light burst forth from inside the door, dazzling and eye-catching. Mountains of gold and silver were piled up on the ground, and jade bottles and pills were arranged here and there. A rich Spiritual Qi rushed toward them, refreshing and invigorating.

Niu Fei's eyes went straight in an instant, his breathing heavy, the greed in his eyes surging as he lifted his foot to rush inside.

"Stop."

Wu Xi pulled him back again, signaling to the ground with his eyes: "Look down."

Niu Fei looked down and saw a pool of dark red blood spread on the ground at the doorway. The bloodstain wound and extended inward, but suddenly cut off halfway. It was as if that visitor had vanished into thin air after stepping inside the door.

He immediately gasped, instinctively taking two steps back. The greed in his heart faded instantly, leaving only full-blown wariness.

Ling Muxue walked forward slowly, a playful smile in her eyes as she surveyed the glitz and glamour scattered inside the door: "Interesting, using peerless wealth as bait to specifically fish for the greedy people of the world."

She lifted her slender finger slightly, and a wisp of blood-colored Sword Qi shot through the air, precisely striking a gold ingot nearby.

Puff! The gold ingot turned into fly ash in an instant, dissipating into nothingness.

Immediately after, all the gold, silver, jewelry, Spirit Pills, and jade bottles inside the door turned to ash inch by inch, and a golden mist drifted and scattered everywhere.

After the dust settled, the inside of the door was empty, with only a black wall standing there. Inscribed on the wall was an enormously large character for "Greed," its strokes sharp and fierce, implicitly containing an evil intent that bewitched the human heart.

"If there is greed in the human heart, it will be absorbed and devoured by this door, the Divine Soul destroyed, and the bones left with nothing," Ling Muxue said calmly.

Wu Xi gazed at the "Greed" character on the wall, his expression deep and calm.

He clearly perceived that an invisible force of bewitchment was spreading from the character, quietly invading everyone's mind and constantly magnifying the hidden desires and obsessions in the depths of their hearts.

Just as everyone's minds were gradually being gripped by greed, the jade pendant in Wu Xi's bosom suddenly hummed and vibrated.

A cold, mechanical voice sounded in his Sea of Consciousness: "Warning: Greed detected... Concentration 37%... Beginning to devour..."

Immediately after, a coquettish and lazy female voice rang out; it was the Tentacle Lady: "Heehee... finally woke up."

"The desires on you are light, elegant, and have a unique charm; that big guy's obsession is intense and overbearing, so spicy it makes the tongue go numb; the Red-Clothed Sister's desires are unruly, sweet, and intense, like honeyed wine; and that timid girl, her desires are bitter and lingering, with an endless aftertaste."

With the Tentacle Lady awake, the invisible desires were immediately held in check for the most part.

Wu Xi felt a little more at ease. With the Tentacle Lady by his side, such mind-disturbing illusion traps in Trap Alley were nothing to fear.

"Let's go, continue forward."

Wu Xi put away the jade pendant and took the lead in walking through the wooden door. The others followed closely behind, not daring to be even slightly careless again.

Passing through the black wall, the path ahead turned into a long, narrow passageway. At the end of the passage stood an ancient mirror, ten feet high, its surface as clear as water. This was the third trial of Trap Alley—the Mirror of Heart-Illumination.

This mirror could reflect the deepest obsessions and desires in the human heart. Anyone who entered the mirror would be drowned in illusions, lose their original heart, and be trapped in the mirror forever.

White light suddenly bloomed from the mirror's surface, enveloping the entire area. Everyone instantly fell into the illusions within the mirror.

Niu Fei saw himself ascending to a high position, sitting on mountains of gold, surrounded by beauties, and worshipped by ten thousand nations. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, reaching out to touch the glory of the illusion;

Qiu Chuanxing saw his sect safe and sound once more, the master and disciples reunited, the years peaceful. His eyes were dazed as he stepped closer to the mirror surface;

Ling Muxue was in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, looking down on the heroes of the world, with all the strong people of the world bowing down to her in submission. The killing intent in her eyes was boiling;

Jiang Jiye saw her parents alive again, the whole family reunited. Tears slid down her cheeks, her heart filled with attachment;

Jiang Yuehong returned to her homeland, the warmth of human life, away from the dangers of ghosts and monsters. A long-lost, peaceful smile appeared on her face.

Even the Bowl-Playing Ghost and the Begging Ghost were deeply trapped within it. One fantasized about ruling over all ghosts and being mighty; the other fantasized about endless delicacies and having its fill without worry. Both walked step by step toward the mirror surface, their minds completely swallowed by greed.

It looked like everyone was about to step into a place of no return.

The cold, mechanical voice sounded again: "Warning: Greed detected... Concentration 70%... Critical value reached, devouring with full force!"

"So many delicious things... nom nom... nom nom," the Tentacle Lady's light, laughing words fell.

The mirror surface instantly vibrated violently, and spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly. With a loud bang, the ancient mirror shattered with a roar, turning into shards all over the ground.

The white light dissipated, and the illusion was broken. Everyone suddenly came back to their senses, panting heavily, their backs already soaked with cold sweat, looking at the mirror fragments all over the ground with lingering fear.

The illusion just now was too real; they were only one step away from sinking into it forever.

Qiu Chuanxing raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and sighed deeply: "That was close! I almost lost my original heart."

The Bowl-Playing Ghost and the Begging Ghost also woke up instantly. Looking at Wu Xi's calm and composed appearance, they speculated inwardly.

There was a back door behind the mirror. The group entered, and about an hour later, the path ahead suddenly opened up, and a bright light rushed toward them.

A bustling street market spread out before their eyes. Shops stood on both sides, with restaurants, teahouses, brothels, and gambling dens arranged here and there. The sounds of peddling along the street, the clamor of laughter, and the clinking of gambling chips intertwined. It was a scene of heavy traffic and endless streams of people, looking exactly like a lively and prosperous town.

But upon closer inspection, it was eerie everywhere. The pedestrians on the street all wore stiff smiles, their eyes hollow and devoid of spirit, like marionettes, walking mechanically and repeating words, with no aura of living people at all.

The Bowl-Playing Ghost pointed toward the magnificent, pitch-black pavilion at the end of the street market, its voice carrying a hint of fear: "My lords, that pavilion is the core of Trap Alley—the Gambling Den."

The pavilion crouched at the end of the street like a dormant beast. The red lanterns in front of the door swayed in the wind, the light and shadow flickering on and off, and a deep, unfathomable, and cold aura slowly began to permeate the air.