Shi Lang followed behind the two ghosts. After a sharp left turn in the valley, Old Ghost Li came to a standstill. He said, “Young man, you should follow, Young master Min, I cannot go any deeper.”
The terran did not understand why this pompous guy was not moving forward. Young master Min said, “Do not mind him. The territory of my older siblings is not to be violated by anyone below the Ghost Lord level.”
Shi Lang nodded and followed the young ghost calmly. He could sense that the temperature of this place was getting colder as he moved forward. For a change, the young man was confused if that young lady from the Seven Birds sect had sent him into a trap.
He frowned as he thought, why have they not yet reached their destination? At this moment, a voice reached his ears, “Xiao Min, why have you bought a human here?”
The voice was monotonous, sending chills down Shi Lang’s spine. However, Xiao Min was not affected. He turned around calmly and said, “Big Sister Ai, this young man wants to deal with the humans from Lost Bird Sect. He broke through five natural arrays in mere seconds. I wonder if the rest of you would like to talk to him. Also, he has a lightning talent.”
A figure materialized before Shi Lang. It was a girl with wet hair and clothes sticking to her body. She had a complete body like Xiao Min. However, her body was almost tangible. Shi Lang could tell from the spirit breath she had. The lady ghost observed the young man before her with great scrutiny.
Shi Lang did not move, nor did he move his spiritual energy to cast any barrier to prevent the lady from looking at him. The female ghost said, “Hmmm, a young human, able to achieve such profound cultivation, sure is a genius. However, why should we become your tool of revenge? You might be able to fool Xiao Min, but it is difficult to get through to me.”
Shi Lang cupped his fists and said, “I have no intention of pushing you all into a dangerous situation. Honestly, I came here to hunt a guy with injured meridians. The clue led me to the Lost Birt Sect.
After I came here, I found that it was not just one person but the entire Lost Bird Sect leaning to such shady means to stabilize their cultivation. Even if they do not end up in tribulation for their karma, they will not last long. Their methods will lead humanity to end up in a swamp.”
The lady ghost scoffed and said, “Do you wish to play hero in this situation? The hero who saved humanity?”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “I took a heavenly oath to kill all the demonic cultivators I can. I intend to keep that oath intact.”
Surprised, the lady chuckled as she remarked, “Why would you take such an oath?”
Shi Lang gazed at her but did not reply. He was not yet sure to trust these ghosts completely. The lady ghost also did not push him. She only sneered, “Fine, come along.”
Shi Lang followed her for a few minutes before they arrived near a dying willow tree. The terran had to circulate his spirit energy to keep warm. He could not believe the amount of Yin spirit Energy concentrating here.
It was as if he had walked into the core of a glacier and he was a normal human. His body was strong enough to give him the advantage over the climate conditions, but he found it failing for the first time. The lightning attribute of his spiritual energy was helping him, too.
The lady ghost watched him from the corner of her eye and said, “Elder Brother Yun, Eldest Sister Lin, we have a guest. Please come out and have an audience with him.”
Shi Lang was mentally preparing himself when he heard a voice, “It is fine, Xiao Ai. We have seen him since he entered the valley. He is fine, but we will not be making any moves. Ask this guy if he is willing to face the people from the Lost Bird Sect on his own.”
Shi Lang replied before Ai could say anything, “Seniors, I will do my best to deal with those people. You all do not have to show up. However, I hope you can help me protect the Rejuvenating Ghost Tulip.”
Xiao Ai turned her neck to look at him reflexively, and even Xiao Min was gazing at him with great interest. Shi Lang did not know if it was a good thing, but he had no choice but to go ahead and let them do what they wished. Two ghost emperors locked onto him, and he would not be able to put up any resistance even if he wanted to.
Xiao Ai asked, “What do you need the rejuvenating ghost tulip for?” 𝒐𝔳𝗅xt.𝓒𝐎𝕞
Shi Lang shook his head and replied, “I do not need it. It is just that the person I am looking for is after this herb. He is a traitor to the righteous side and has killed many experts with the cooperation of the demonic cultivators.”
The ghosts were surprised, but then Xiao Ai asked, “What does this have to do with us?”
Shi Lang sighed and said, “Senior, ghosts are also spirits. Have you never heard of Demonic spirits these damned people use to harm others? Demonic spirits do not have a will of their own. They are just puppets to the demonic cultivator who captures them and instills them with unfounded hatred and negative emotions by having them witness bloodshed and casting illusions on their minds.”
Xiao Ai sighed and said, “You humans are very articulate.”
Shi Lang shook his head calmly and replied, “I am only stating the facts. If the higher-ups of the Lost Bird Sect knew about your existence, they would also come over and capture you. Is that not why you guys stay hidden in here and helplessly watch your people get taken away by them? You hide them in the arrays to avoid getting noticed, but these people break the arrays, and they capture the people. I know that you people are not alive in humane terms, but as long as you are beings with consciousness, no one in the world has the right to bother you and oppress your freedom.”
Xiao Ai seemed to have taken a deep breath and said, “You are the first human in countless years who has not shown me any repulsive behavior. On the contrary, you address me as a Senior. Young human, you have put all of us on a pedestal, so if we could not even take a stand for our own sake, how will we deserve this title?”
Shi Lang smiled faintly, and the lady said, “Very well, we will guard the Rejuvenating Ghost Tulip. However, we will only do it from a distance. You will be alerted as long as someone appears to harvest the herb. Till then, you can stay here. Those humans all go to the Silver Mirror Lake. They hardly take a turn here.”
Shi Lang nodded and said, “Thank you for letting me stay here.”
Xiao Ai shook her head and said, “You can pay us back by telling the recent developments outside the valley. It has been ages since we have stepped out.”
Shi Lang nodded and told them some stories he had heard on the way. The ghosts were all old, and they had a deep understanding of the human world. It turned out that Shi Lang was learning many things from them in return for telling stories.
…
Days passed quickly, and Shi Lang had been cultivating under the dead willow tree. He could tell that the Ghost Emperors were living inside this willow tree, and they had created that this tree was dead. On the contrary, this tree and the ghost emperors have reached a consensus and developed a co-dependant relationship.
While the tree allowed them to live in its body, it was given a share of the Yin energy, making its spirit evolve slowly every day.
Shi Lang could not help but ponder on the delicate balance of the world. He even thought it would be better if humans and the demonic cultivators died and left the place barren and thriving with natural beauty and serenity.
As he was cultivating, Xiao Ai appeared beside him, saying, “Seven people are entering the valley, and they are seeking the Tulip. One of them is quite talented and managed to capture Old Li.”
Shi Lang opened his eyes and said, “It is time I got to work.”
He stood up, and his joints issued crackling sounds. The terran was going to kill these people and even more, he intended to use them for a deeper purpose. He took out his spear and said, “Senior Ai, I will be going ahead. See you in a bit.”