A bone-chilling agony exploded from the depths of his Spirit Sea, as if a red-hot iron stake had pierced through his skull.
Gu Xuan’s body arched violently, like a shrimp pulled from water, his back slamming hard against the damp, cold well wall, yet he could not squeeze out a single sound from his throat.
Under the intense pain, his consciousness was instead honed to be incomparably sharp.
That dilapidated hall named the Demon Suppression Hall was currently announcing its existence in his Spirit Sea in a tyrannical and unreasonable manner.
It was not a gift, nor a divine miracle, but a cold, ancient contract that followed some unknown rule.
It appeared at the moment of his near-death, forcibly dragging him back from the road to the underworld, yet it greedily demanded a price.
“Refinement… progress 5%…”
Every pulse of the Blood-Colored Runes was like a heavy hammer striking his Soul.
But simultaneously, a cold and pure power was being drawn out, thread by thread, from the chained, residual body of the Spook Ghost through an invisible connection, slowly infusing his entire body.
The deep, bone-visible wound on his left shoulder saw the curled flesh begin to writhe and heal at a rate visible to the naked eye, and the stiffened knuckles, once cold from blood loss, gradually regained a sliver of strength.
He understood.
This was a transaction.
Exchanging the Soul Essence of a ghost for his own vitality.
He had no right to refuse; from the moment this hall appeared, he had been bound to this mad chariot.
Above the well opening, rustling sounds rose again, interrupting Gu Xuan’s thoughts.
Dirt and gravel trickled down. The Rotten Bone Specter, which was only half a body left, driven by instinct, managed to grip the edge of the well with its bony arms.
It had lost its head and could not see, but it could precisely sense the aura of its other half emanating from this Ku Jing.
A thick, foul miasma poured down like a waterfall, making Gu Xuan gag repeatedly.
He knew this thing possessed a deep Resolve. If it wasn't dealt with completely, it would linger here forever, until it tore him at the bottom of the well to pieces or trapped him to death.
Escape?
The moment this thought arose, the face of Little Bean, smeared with mud yet still clear, flashed before his eyes.
The child’s desperate yet pleading gaze before being dragged away was like a poisoned barb, deeply piercing his heart.
He could not run anymore.
Gu Xuan took a deep breath, enduring the intense pain in his mind, and slowly clenched the sharp-edged Sui Tao Pian in his hand.
The moonlight was pale, casting two chilling glints into his eyes through the well opening.
He did not choose to climb up directly to fight head-on.
His body, weakened by excessive blood loss, was still frail, and although the Spook Ghost’s lower half was incomplete, its strength was far beyond that of a mortal.
He needed an opportunity, a chance for a killing blow.
Using the uneven cracks in the bricks and stones of the well wall, Gu Xuan climbed silently, like a gecko.
His movements were slow, every exertion pulling at his wounds, but he gritted his teeth, channeling all the pain into the coldness in his eyes.
He did not climb out of the well opening, but stopped about a meter below it, completely hiding his slender body in the shadow cast by the broken wall.
He could clearly hear the "cackling" sound of the residual body crawling at the edge of the well opening—the sound of bone joints grinding against the ground.
The time was not yet right.
Gu Xuan regulated his breathing, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he deliberately let out a suppressed, painful cough.
This cough was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up monstrous waves!
The movement of the half-body instantly froze, then twisted around at an angle that defied common physics!
The rotten spine emitted a grating "creak," and it "sensed" the fresh, living flesh and blood aura!
“Hoo… hoo…”
Without vocal cords, it emitted a low growl like a wild beast.
Using all four limbs, it lunged madly toward the well opening like a distorted spider!
Now!
Just as those pale arms were about to reach into the well opening, Gu Xuan in the shadow exploded forth like a leopard!
He poured the last of his strength into his right arm. The Sui Tao Pian in his hand sliced through the air, carrying a shrill whistling sound, hitting the precise spot where the residual body’s neck had been severed!
That was the fatal old injury where this soldier’s throat had been cut by a blade in life!
“Eeeaaargh—!”
A piercing shriek, unlike any human sound, finally erupted from the residual body’s chest cavity.
It was no longer a silent Spook Ghost; the intense pain forced out its final wail.
The entire residual body convulsed violently as if electrocuted, its bony arms flailing wildly in the air, unable to advance an inch further.
Simultaneously, the Demon Suppression Hall in Gu Xuan’s Spirit Sea shook violently!
The eyes of the ancient beast head on the closed bronze hall door suddenly lit up with red light, and the door boomed open inward!
An irresistible, terrifying suction erupted from within the door, like a great whale inhaling, instantly engulfing the residual body struggling at the well opening!
Only a wisp of dissipating black energy remained in the mid-air.
【 Refinable: Rotten Bone Specter （ Complete 】
【 Initiate complete refinement? 】
Cold Blood-Colored Runes materialized before Gu Xuan’s eyes, carrying an unquestionable majesty.
“Yes!”
Gu Xuan didn't even speak aloud, merely forming the thought in his mind.
In an instant, an indescribable, intense pain swept through his entire Soul!
If the previous feeling was merely needle pricks, this was being thrown into a purgatory made of ten thousand steel needles!
Countless chaotic, tyrannical, and venomous memory fragments were forcibly poured into his mind along with the Spook Ghost’s Soul Essence, threatening to completely tear apart and crush his will!
His knees buckled, and he fell heavily to the ground, bracing himself with both hands, his knuckles turning white from excessive force.
He bit down hard on his lip, the sweet, metallic taste of rust filling his mouth. Blood streamed down the corner of his mouth, yet he didn't let out even a muffled groan.
He knew this was the most critical moment; if his will collapsed, he would be swept away by this torrent of memory and become a complete lunatic.
The Refinement lasted for a full half an hour.
When the last wisp of black energy was completely swallowed by the Demon Suppression Hall, the door slowly closed, and the world-destroying agony receded like the tide.
Gu Xuan lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, his entire body soaked in cold sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of water.
After an unknown amount of time, he slowly raised his head.
The world was different.
The dim night sky was now incredibly clear in his eyes.
The gnarled texture of the distant withered tree, the cracked lines in the dirt on the ground, even a spider weaving a web in the corner of the wall—everything was perfectly visible, as if it were daytime.
This was not the strangest part.
He discovered he possessed a brand new sense.
He could “see” a faint, almost imperceptible cold aura lingering in a small dirt pit beneath a pile of rubble three *zhang* away.
That aura shared the same origin as the previous Spook Ghost, but it was much weaker.
That was the lair where it hid its residual body!
Immediately following this, a fragmented memory scene, not belonging to him, unfolded clearly in his mind.
It was a night of torrential rain on a muddy battlefield, where the towering city walls collapsed under the impact of giant beasts.
He, or rather, this Spook Ghost in its former life, was an ordinary city defense soldier whose spine was crushed by a falling boulder.
In the final moments of his life, he looked up desperately at the sky.
A Crimson rift, piercing the entire firmament, hung across the horizon like a scar that could never heal.
Behind that rift, countless indifferent eyes seemed to be looking down upon this earth, which resembled purgatory.
Gu Xuan slowly stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
He looked down at his palm, which had regained some color, and then looked up at the night sky, which was empty now but had contained the rift in the memory.
His gaze changed completely at that moment.
The previous fear, confusion, and despair were replaced by a brand new emotion.
It was a chilling calm, and an awareness born from the apex of the food chain... a realization.
“So… the living can also eat ghosts,” he murmured softly, a sinister curve forming on his lips.
The hunger was still intense, but this time, it was not the emptiness of the stomach, but a craving originating from the depths of his Soul.
The Demon Suppression Hall within him roared silently like an awakened ancient beast, urging him to find the next prey.
He turned around, no longer looking at the Ku Jing, and began walking toward the village.
His steps were steady, each one as precise as if measured by a ruler.
The newly acquired power flowed slowly through his meridians, repairing his broken body and changing his very essence.
The night wind swept through the ruins, emitting a mournful sound, as if playing a dirge for something about to arrive.
The killing intent in Gu Xuan’s eyes was no longer simple hatred, but the calm and greed of a hunter regarding his prey.
This dawn was destined to be anything but peaceful.