Chapter 1385: Chapter 876: The Door (Part 2)
"Creak—"
A short distance ahead, the iron gate was pushed open from the inside, and dim, yellow light spilled out. A hunched figure appeared behind the iron gate.
Yang Xiao quickly walked up, greeting warmly, "Mr. Lu."
Lu Youdao’s ghost-like face seemed to have been corroded by strong acid. He nodded slightly, stepped aside, and let Yang Xiao in.
Behind the iron gate was a deep corridor. Yang Xiao followed behind Lu Youdao, unable to resist asking, "Mr. Lu, I’d like to inquire about something."
"About the Yu Yuan Sect master." Lu Youdao seemed to sense something, not turning his head.
"Yes, I want to know if this sect master has a red mark on the back of his left hand."
Lu Youdao stopped at a door, decisively shook his head, "No."
Although Yang Xiao had already known this answer, having seen the sect master himself, he felt reassured hearing it from Lu Youdao.
It seemed, then, that in Su Tingting’s prophecy, the one who killed him was neither the sect master nor someone from the Withered Bone Pavilion.
Before him was a gray door, seemingly made of marble. Lu Youdao inserted an ancient bronze key, and with the sound of old machinery locking into place, the stone door slowly opened a gap, revealing the muddled darkness inside.
This place left a deep impression on Yang Xiao. He had been to this ghostly place before.
Inside was a strange space, housing an out-of-control Resentful Eye while also imprisoning a ghost.
About half a year ago, after he and Director Nalan escaped from the Ghost Script of Fushou Manor, he was brought here and had entered through this door.
The ghost imprisoned here had a terrifying ability, drawing out what people feared most deep inside, then transforming it to crush them.
He had once seen Director Nalan’s Heart Demon here, in a mission that led to the total annihilation of the investigation squad under the director, including the team leaders.
The culprit was the Evil Mage Xiang Fengchen, who is now dead from that mission.
"Go ahead." As Yang Xiao stared blankly at the opening door, Lu Youdao’s hoarse voice came from behind, "Nalan Shuo mentioned you’re about to join the Provincial Office. Let’s see your strength now."
Confronting this ghost could gauge a person’s mental strength and their level of control over it.
Yang Xiao’s uncle, Professor Cui, was a rare Spirit Tester, able to evaluate an Angel Envoy’s mental strength and their mental acceptance and control.
Professor Cui once explained to Yang Xiao that, for an Angel Envoy, mental strength determines the foundation, while acceptance and control are talents and skills.
Simply put, mental strength sets the lower limit of combat potential, while mental acceptance and control determine the upper limit in battle.
The stronger one’s mental acceptance and control, the more deftly they can manipulate magic artifacts, gaining significant advantage in combat.
Yang Xiao took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset in just a few seconds, composed himself, and walked through the door with righteous determination.
As before, the room was pitch black.
No, to be precise, it wasn’t simply black; it was a strange, incomprehensible black substance, filling the entire room.
With a thought, the drama robe instantly adorned him. In his left hand was the Ghost Lantern, in his right, the Human Bone Staff. As the ghostly flame of the lantern kindled eerily, a ghastly green light dispelled the darkness, melting away the black substance around like snow.
Soon, circles nested on the ground lit up, resembling a shooting target, and at this moment, he stood in the center of the target’s red circle.
Simultaneously, an unsettling aura emerged. Yang Xiao knew in his heart, the ghost had arrived and already locked onto him as the intruder.
This circular target was a manifestation of the ghost’s Ghost Domain; he was now involved in a paranormal event of unknown danger.
Anyone entering this room would be locked onto by the target, appearing in its center, linked to the ghost’s ability.
The target on the ground had ten rings, while areas outside it were shrouded in a vague darkness, impervious even to the ghostly light of the Ghost Lantern.
"Creak... Creak..."
"Creak..."
Yang Xiao’s heart skipped a beat, knowing trouble was here.
He slowly turned around, and at the edge of darkness, a figure appeared in the outermost circle of the target.
At the moment he saw the figure, a chill surged down Yang Xiao’s back. The figure stood with its back to him, enveloped in a vague black mist, but the blood-red drama robe was glaringly vivid, and the figure was taller than Yang Xiao by half a head.
None other than the Opera Robe Ghost!
As feared, the specter of the Opera Robe Ghost was imprinted deep in Yang Xiao’s bones, like a rat meeting a cat. Just the sight of it made him feel powerless.
Although Yang Xiao had often fantasized about becoming strong and turning the tables to teach the Opera Robe Ghost a lesson, those were mostly dreams.
After the fantasy faded, even Yang Xiao admitted it was unrealistic.
Sure enough, this ghost was extremely terrifying. The illusion he saw last time was based on Director Nalan’s memories, but now, after the previous encounter, the ghost was beginning to try and fathom him.
It saw what lay deepest in his fears—the Opera Robe Ghost!
"Learn to confront the fear in your heart!" Lu Youdao’s voice echoed around, but its direction was indistinguishable, as if coming from all around.
