Chapter 463: Chapter 399: Human Skin Coat
The next second, as if struck by an invisible force, Cheng Cha’s mouth slightly opened, his facial expression froze, and his body stiffened, immobile.
From Yang Xiao’s perspective, he could clearly see Cheng Cha’s eyes, where even his pupils had disintegrated. This was the power of the Human Bone Staff, directly attacking a person’s spirit.
At this moment, Cheng Cha appeared to Yang Xiao as nothing more than a soulless husk. In his own hands, the Human Bone Staff could only revert people to their childhood, or at most turn them into idiots, but in the hands of the person on stage, it actually managed to evaporate a person’s soul.
As the disintegrating Blood Moon slowly restored itself, a phantom appeared behind Cheng Cha. Now, Yang Xiao could truly discern the real appearance of the Ginseng Essence—a white, rotting flesh with three children sewn together inside. Due to the passage of time, the skin of the three children had grown together, bound by several rusty chains.
This wasn’t a Ginseng transforming into an essence, but a man-made disaster. Presumably, the Old Shan Batou had held some sort of ghastly ritual in the dark, seeking so-called good fortune, akin to mountain worship rituals, burying three living children in the most vibrant part of the mountain’s ley lines.
Over time, accumulated resentment gave rise to something bizarre, bringing a calamity upon the town.
In an instant, the sound of something tearing through the air filled his ears. Countless Joss Paper Money descended from the sky, and a large red coffin surrounded by numerous ghosts charged towards him. This time, Yang Xiao saw clearly: the Fierce Ghosts surrounding the large red coffin were of various forms—green-faced, fanged zombies; double-headed female ghosts wearing Red Embroidered Shoes; the Rotten-Faced Taoist with an Ancient Sword; and even a headless general over ten feet tall clad in Tiger Head Armor. This phalanx was menacing, a genuine ghastly procession, much stronger than the funeral procession Yang Xiao had summoned with Joss Paper Money.
It would seem that the ghosts here had all been enlisted by the woman in red. No wonder she had managed to stand against eight, all of whom were formidable figures.
The next second, the head of the coffin slammed into Cheng Cha, sending him flying, and then rolled directly over his body. In a flash, flesh and blood flew in all directions; he burst like a water-filled balloon, creating a scene even more horrific than what had happened to Mi Shu.
Turning his gaze away, Yang Xiao took a deep breath, the smell of blood heavy in his nostrils. However, they had no time to hesitate. Two teammates had died tragically, and behind him on the layered steps, seven or eight ghostly figures stood or kneeled, having paid an unprecedented price to arrive at this point.
"Whichever of us survives, remember to go to Yun Qi City. Look for the Yang Family at the Ru Lin Academy and deliver a message." Yang Xiao had promised Cheng Cha this, and he did not wish to break his word.
"So you are from the Yang Family of Yun Qi City; no wonder you’ve made it this far." Tong Han couldn’t help but sigh.
"You know them?"
"Not personally, but the Yang Family of Yun Qi City is quite renowned in the world of martial arts. The family has several Great Confucian Scholars of the current era. They specialize in ancient texts and formations, and the Ru Lin Academy they founded is famed in the world of martial arts. Each year, the Patrol Defense Office, the United Federation, the Chamber of Commerce, and various powers send a select group of outstanding youths to Ru Lin Academy for further study. They have substantial insight into the predicaments faced in the Nightmare World. It is said that the overall survival rate increases significantly if you encounter disciples of the Yang Family in the Nightmare World. Seeing it today proves the saying true." Tong Han spoke with a tone full of regret; the teammates on this mission were of high caliber, but unfortunately, evil prevails.
Looking up, he saw the Blood Moon had solidified above them; time was almost up.
"Good luck," Yang Xiao said, heading toward the last step. At this moment, he no longer felt nervous; in fact, he was somewhat relaxed.
Whether alive or dead, this nightmare was over for him.
"Good luck," Tong Han replied.
At the Ninth Level, Yang Xiao climbed for several minutes, falling down three times before finally standing up at that very moment and letting out a breathe of relief.
In front of him was a platform made of White Jade Stone, with the woman in red and the eight masters besieging her all within sight.
It was only upon standing here that Yang Xiao could finally see the woman in red’s attire clearly. The red garment she was wearing was not his own Underworld Robe; the material and luster were clearly different. The woman’s red garment seemed more delicate and had a richer texture.
The more Yang Xiao looked, the stranger and more engrossed he became, until he spotted a familiar mark at the collar of the red garment.
It was a peculiar, triangle-like pattern, and it struck a chord in his memory. He had seen this mark before, on the character card from the Ghost Script—his character card!
Recalling the peculiar feel of that character card, Yang Xiao shuddered; he understood that the card was cut from the red-dressed woman’s garment—this was not just any piece of clothing, but human skin!
It was skin that had been replaced!
One thing led to another and Yang Xiao remembered the scene that had unfolded in the apartment; he had worn the Underworld Robe so long that a piece of his own skin was replaced by the robe, and as for the original owner of the robe, the red-dressed woman, her situation was even more severe—her entire skin had been replaced by the robe!
Now, the robe in his hands was once the skin of the red-dressed woman, and as the robe continued to replace, soon his entire skin would be exchanged. By then, all that would remain on him would be the skin of the red-dressed woman.
At that time, would he still be himself?
"What’s wrong with you?"
The shout from Tong Han behind him interrupted Yang Xiao’s thoughts; he steadied his mind, knowing now was not the time to consider these matters.
One step.
Two steps.
He walked step by step towards the red-dressed woman, his destination was beyond the White Jade Stone platform—the Nine-Story Demon Tower. Somehow, he felt drawn to it, as if all the secrets he wanted to know were hidden inside this tower. All he needed to do was to get close and push open that door.
But just as Yang Xiao approached the stone platform, what was meant to happen, happened; he stopped in his steps as the Blood Moon above dispersed, and a halo enveloped him.
"Yang Xiao!" Tong Han shouted loudly.
Yang Xiao turned his head and, upon seeing that Tong Han wasn’t affected, he let out a slow breath of relief, thankful it wasn’t the worst outcome.
Noticing the dimness in Yang Xiao’s eyes, Tong Han fell silent, but only for a moment, before she again put on a determined face, "If you’re not content, I can stay and keep you company. We can all be here together."
Yang Xiao shook his head, his voice hoarse, "You go, please."
"Alright, do you have any last wishes?" Tong Han wasn’t one to dawdle; time was running out, and she wished to do something for Yang Xiao.
Yet Yang Xiao’s eyes turned red, and he was on the verge of crying out at her words, "Dead without having spent all my money."
Hearing this Tong Han also paused for a second, then nodded very seriously, her gaze resolute as if making an oath, "Rest assured, I’ll help you spend it."
Yang Xiao: "...No need to trouble yourself, help me divide the money into three parts. Take one for yourself, another for my brothers at the Patrol Defense Office, and the last part for Boss Liu of the Script Club. Urge him to finish all the scripts. I won’t be around to revise them, have him find a reliable author for the job. Don’t worry about the cost; just one thing, he must not change my story or freely create romantic pairings between characters. Otherwise, I won’t let him off even as a ghost. I’ll haunt him with face basin knocks and slide into his bedding at night."
Tong Han nodded earnestly, "Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s done. Anyone who dares to alter a single word, I’ll wipe out his entire family."
Taking off the pouch from his back, he placed it beside him, along with the joint-heart lock that was hidden at his chest, leaving these for Tong Han.
After both of them turned around, Yang Xiao left one final message, "Miss Tong, good luck."
