Children Are Afraid of Ghosts

Xu Xian chuckled and didn't expose him. He simply looked at the grey sky outside the mountains and said meaningfully, "The road is long. From here on out, only the ghosts know what we'll run into..."

Lu Yuan was noncommittal.

Yes!

It had changed.

Everything had changed.

As they saw with their own eyes, the Dark Era was dim and lightless, inevitably breeding despair and desolation.

Just as it was now, the people sitting silently in this valley had dejected expressions. Among those thirty-odd faces, not a single one could manage a complete smile.

Since the start of their ascent to the heavens, many of them had died.

They could also easily imagine how many people had once died on this wasteland because of that Death Spirit Tide.

Likely countless.

By now, they finally understood Xu Xian's intentions and the things Li Taibai had done.

Sealing the Sky Gate wasn't to cut off Fanzhou's fortune or deny people longevity; it was simply to prevent Fanzhou from being swallowed by these monsters.

But clarity through hindsight is always late. Like regret, it comes when it's too late, and there's nothing left to be done.

The surviving old Taoist and Bai Ze were actually grateful for their past failure. Otherwise, they would have been the eternal sinners of Fanzhou.

They didn't blame Xu Xian, only themselves. They had cultivated for a lifetime without a shred of merit, priding themselves as the finest in the mortal realm while being nothing more than frogs at the bottom of a well, ignorant of the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth.

Of course,

Not everyone thought that way.

Among the survivors, there were still those who cursed Xu Xian in their hearts, blaming him for not telling them the truth.

Even though they wouldn't have believed such a story before seeing it with their own eyes.

That was just human nature—selfishness.

Blaming others felt better than the discomfort of self-reflection.

Lu Yuan swallowed several immortal plants, and his complexion improved significantly. He glanced at the high peak outside the formation where the girl still stood in the wind and asked, "Who exactly is that woman?"

Xu Xian said lazily, "I asked, but she didn't say."

Lu Yuan speculated, "A descendant of the Li family?"

"Maybe," Xu Xian responded ambiguously. He paused and asked back, "Weren't you born in the Ancient Immortal Era? Have you seen her before?"

He specifically emphasized, "This person is not weak!"

Lu Yuan scoffed. "Cangming is so vast. Nine Heavens, Ten Lands, three thousand provinces, and so many planes—there are countless experts. How could I remember them all? Besides, even if I had seen her, she's turned into this ghastly state. How could I possibly recognize her?"

"True," Xu Xian agreed for once.

He had finished regulating his breath, so he stood up and said, "Hurry up and rest. I'll go keep watch. We likely have a very long road ahead."

The group nodded in agreement, but Tu Sisi, who still had some energy left, took the initiative to say, "How about I go instead? You've exerted yourself the most these past few days."

Xu Xian waved his hand and refused gently. "Forget it. If you go, I'm afraid someone could sneak right up behind you without you even noticing."

Tu Sisi knitted her brows, looking a bit displeased.

However,

It was the truth.

It was said that among the nine mortal stages, starting from the nascent soul stage, each stage was a world of its own. This was even more true for tribulation transcendence and the Immortal Realm; the difference between immortal and mortal was immense.

The gap was no less than that between a packhorse and a qilin. Moreover, in this place, an immortal might only be the starting point of the Dao.

Didn't that Ancestor of the East Desolation say he was an Immortal King, yet he was still suppressed in the lower realm?

Speaking of those guys, they were indeed extremely strong.

They were the first to ascend, smashing four massive craters before heading west and crushing everything in their path.

Many people even teased Bai Ze about why his ancestor had left him behind.

Bai Ze remained silent throughout.

Xu Xian took a step forward, leapt onto a high peak, sat cross-legged, and looked into the distance.

He said he was keeping watch?

Naturally, he was lying.

With the little book spirit around, what need was there for a sentry? He just wanted some peace and quiet, and to see if he could approach the red-clad woman to communicate...

The wholesome kind of communication!

As soon as Xu Xian came out, the little book spirit that had been keeping watch in the sky flew over, shrank behind Xu Xian's shoulder, peeking out with half its head, and said neurotically, "Master, you're finally here. I'm so scared."

Xu Xian rolled his eyes helplessly. "I mean... is that really necessary?"

The tiny book spirit said firmly, "Really, believe me. She can really see me."

Xu Xian responded via divine sense, "If she sees you, she sees you. What can she do?"

The little book spirit explained, "You don't understand. My former master said that when I'm not actively revealing myself, only three kinds of people can see me."

Xu Xian had truly never heard the little fellow mention this, so his interest was piqued. He hurriedly asked, "Oh? Which three kinds?"

The little book spirit listed them one by one. "The first kind is you, my master, the one bound by the contract."

"The second kind are Dao Realm experts at the absolute peak, transcending the Immortal Emperor and able to travel freely through reincarnation and time."

"The third kind..."

The little book spirit paused for effect.

Xu Xian pricked up his ears and pressed, "What is it?"

The little book spirit stole a glance at the red-clad woman, swallowed hard, and whispered in his ear with unnecessary caution, "The third kind aren't people. They're wraiths."

Xu Xian frowned slightly and repeated softly, "Wraiths?"

He wondered if they were the kind of wraiths he imagined—skeleton monsters from games or lingering soul bodies.

The book spirit explained solemnly, "A wraith is a dead person wandering the world of the living."

Xu Xian was stunned. He said speechlessly, "That's news to me. Weren't the ones chasing us earlier all living dead?"

The book spirit countered, "They weren't. Those ones were swallowed and assimilated by darkness. Their original life form was stripped away, like replacing their blood with the breath of darkness. Even those death spirits have simply lost the ability to think, but essentially they are still alive, and their souls are still in their bodies."

"Oh? How are wraiths different?"

The little book spirit continued, "Wraiths are people who have already died, but because their lingering obsession is too deep—deep enough to overturn the cycle of life and death—their body perishes and their soul falls, but reincarnation won't accept them because of that obsession. So they remain in the world. In the vernacular of Fanzhou, they can also be called ghosts..."

After saying that, it didn't forget to emphasize, "Living ghosts!"

Xu Xian glanced at it. If they weren't living ghosts, what else could they be called? Dead ghosts...

However,

Hearing the book spirit say this, Xu Xian felt it actually made some sense.

The concept of obsession, much like karma, was profound and mysterious; it really was hard to explain clearly.

Perhaps it really could transcend life and death.

Moreover,

Tears often welled up in this person's eyes, but because of her body as a dark creature, they were held there without falling. Perhaps she really did have some painful matter or unfulfilled wish.

Xu Xian analyzed, "She isn't your master, and she certainly isn't a peak expert of the extreme path."

"Mhm, mhm." The book spirit nodded vigorously.

Xu Xian concluded, "So, she really is a wraith."

The little book spirit agreed completely. "That's why I'm scared!"

Xu Xian was amused. "You're a sword spirit, and you're afraid of ghosts? The two of you are practically half of the same kind."

The book spirit was displeased. It placed its hands on its hips and said pridefully, "So what? Even children are afraid of ghosts, okay?"

Xu Xian: "..."

If you're a child, then what am I? An embryo?

Xu Xian conceded, "Fine!"

Suddenly,

The book spirit, which had been acting prideful just a moment ago, abruptly shrank back like a soldier fleeing in a rout.

Xu Xian turned around and saw the woman in the bridal gown appear before him almost like she had teleported. It gave him a fright, making his heart thump.

"Uh..."

She looked down at the youth, tears still in her eyes, and said, "This formation..."

Xu Xian: "..."

He waited...

After three breaths,

She said, "...Not... bad."