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墨書 Inktalez
“Roar—”
He let out a beastly roar that shook the heavens and rattled the ground. I stood frozen, my heart pounding, staring at him without blinking.
His sharp claws elongated from his fingertips, reflecting a cold glint in the moonlight. With a swift motion of his hand, I instinctively closed my eyes. The fierce wind struck my skin like a blade, and I heard a loud bang behind me as five deep scratch marks were left on the indented wall.
“Roar—”
Another roar echoed, causing my whole body to tremble. I desperately conjured a barrier in my mind, but my right wrist's skin split open on its own, and the bright red blood flowed out, further fueling the Half-Demon's thunderous roar. Through the slightly opened gap, he lunged at me but was blocked by the barrier.
I immediately felt my body relax, my legs turned to jelly, and I stumbled back several steps before falling to the ground. My knowledge of Half-Demons was limited to anime; I knew that once they went berserk, their strength was immense. Even though the conjured barrier could hold for a while, it trembled violently.
It wouldn’t last long.
That thought crossed my mind when suddenly Tao Wu appeared in front of the barrier. She had fought with the Half-Demon before, and now she was directly attacking.
I had no idea fighting was like this; it was a dizzying spectacle. The surrounding walls shattered, dust flying everywhere. I curled up inside the barrier, watching Tao Wu struggle against him, worry gnawing at my heart, but there was nothing I could do to help.
“Jun Chong, hurry back.”
Nervously hugging my arms, I suddenly felt something cold wrap around me from behind. Instinctively, I tried to struggle, but a large hand pressed down on me. “It’s me. Stay here and don’t go out.”
My heart settled instantly. I knew that as long as that man was there, there was no need to fear any crisis because I believed in him.
"It's been a long time since I've seen the Lord fight, and he's still so ruthless. Sigh!"
A voice suddenly echoed beside me, causing my heart to jump. When I turned my head, I found Taotie sitting on the ground outside the barrier, just like me, except he was tied up with ropes.
Seeing me look back, he grinned at me. "Miss Anxin, don't be afraid. I won't harm you."
With a yelp, I saw a small white head poke out from his arms, then it jumped down and reached out its claws toward the barrier. My heart leaped with joy. "Tian Yuan!"
"Anxin, woo woo, Anxin." Tian Yuan patted the barrier with its paws, its watery eyes looking pitiful. I quickly retracted the barrier, and it dashed into my arms, rubbing against me vigorously.
"Tian Yuan, where have you been? I was so worried about you."
"It's all his fault!" Tian Yuan pointed an angry paw at Taotie. "He wanted to eat my inner core! Luckily, I was smart enough to escape."
"Oh come on, I told you it wasn't me who wanted to eat it."
"You and that Half-Demon are in cahoots! You captured me just to dig out my inner core for him. What's the difference?" Tian Yuan exclaimed indignantly, looking mournful. "Fortunately, the Lord tied him up; otherwise, I would have been in trouble."
I frowned and stroked Tian Yuan's fluffy fur. "What happened?"
"I panicked and ran away. On the way, I encountered that Half-Demon." Tian Yuan pointed at the disadvantaged Half-Demon and continued, "It should have been fine to fight him, but he ambushed me and captured me, tying me up and demanding that I hand over my inner core to the Half-Demon. They're in league together."
"My little ancestor, for heaven's sake! I was trying to save you! If I really wanted your inner core, why would I wait until now? I originally planned to keep you around to confront that Half-Demon; who knew I'd make a mistake again?"
Taotie suddenly clung to my legs tightly, startling me.
"What do you want to do?"
Taotie’s round face was unable to hide his panic. "Miss Anxin, please save me! I've really messed up this time, and I'm definitely going to die. You have to help me."
"Me?" I pointed at myself, and seeing him nod vigorously only left me more confused. "I'm just an ordinary person; how can I save you? The one who can help you is right there!"
I gestured toward Jun Chong. Compared to me, Jun Chong was the real savior! I really didn't understand why so many people came to me for help.
Taotie turned back, still shaken, glancing at Jun Chong, who had already captured the Half-Demon. When he saw Jun Chong smile at him, he trembled like a frightened animal and clung tightly to my legs.
"Please say a few good words for me in front of the Lord. I'm just greedy for food; who knew that every time I indulged, trouble would follow? I thought the Lord's reminder today was just to throw me off balance. It wasn't until I went to find the Half-Demon that I realized he had already betrayed me. Now the underworld knows I've been slaughtering humans in large numbers. Although it's classified as normal death, I've heard that the King of Hell has ordered a thorough investigation. I don't want to be locked up again; if that happens, I will really die. I'm willing to offer my soul; please save my life. The Lord cares about you; if you plead for me, he will surely agree."
"Is the person you're working with the Half-Demon?" I shook my head, feeling it wasn't quite right. "There must be someone else involved."
"Yes." Taotie continued to cling to my legs, crying and sniffling.
"The Half-Demon is the guardian of the Ghost Bus, blocking anyone who poses a threat to it. You and that kid sought out the Ghost Bus on the second night; if it weren't for that woman’s interference, the Half-Demon would have surely torn you apart. I don't know who he works for; he appeared as soon as I arrived in this city and told me he could let me taste human delicacies without being discovered by the underworld. After not having indulged in fine food for a long time, I agreed."
"Do you know why they are using the Ghost Bus? Is it really going to the underworld?"
Taotie nodded. "The Ghost Bus enters the underworld so it won't raise suspicion. However, I've noticed that not many people die, but there are always many ghosts on board. They leave this road after midnight each night on the Ghost Bus, but I don’t know where they come from or if they are indeed heading to the underworld."
"If it's going to the underworld, we can just sneak onto the Ghost Bus tomorrow night."
Jun Chong had bound the Half-Demon with chains; I didn't know what kind of chains they were, but the Half-Demon was immobilized and his demonic aura was gradually dissipating. He slowly transformed back into a small, pale boy and collapsed onto Tao Wu.
I watched as the boy furrowed his brow. "His appearance here today to attack me must be the arrangement of that person behind him. It won't be so simple for us to board the Ghost Bus."
"Making such a big fuss is just his way of forcing me to enter the underworld sooner. Since that's the case, why not play along with his intentions?"
Jun Chong's lips curled slightly, a smile dancing at the corners, but his gaze was as cold as frost. I could sense that he knew the "he" he mentioned, and their relationship was not good.
Could it be that man in black?
Jun Chong walked over to me, kicked Taotie away from my feet, and then stepped on him, bending down slightly. "Release the seal first, or I'll kill you."
"Y-yes."
Only then did Jun Chong lift his foot. Taotie scrambled up from the ground, muttering something under his breath. A pure white orb of light rose from above his head, gradually growing larger from tiny particles until it formed a sphere the size of a head.
Suddenly, Taotie's body swayed and fell backward. Instinctively, I grabbed Jun Chong's sleeve and asked, "He won't die, will he?"
"No," Jun Chong explained. "The second layer of the seal is indeed his soul, but in reality, it's just something hidden within the soul—it's the hardest to extract. As long as the soul is in danger, the seal will change. Unless he willingly gives it up, any soul leaving its body is considered to be in danger. I’m only releasing what's inside without harming his soul. But from now on, he will be at my disposal; if he disobeys, I can destroy his soul at any time."
As he spoke, I noticed a flicker of resentment in Jun Chong's eyes—not anger from being sealed but a frustration at being manipulated and forced to comply.
"Who exactly sealed your body in this way?"
As I asked this question, I felt a chill beside me; Jun Chong's aura suddenly turned icy, and there was an unmistakable malice hidden in his deep-set eyes.
He stared at the flickering orb ahead and said slowly, word by word, "My older brother."
I was taken aback, thinking I must have misheard. Just as I was about to ask, Jun Chong moved toward the glowing orb.
His slender fingers gradually extended into sharp claws, slowly entering the interior of the orb. With a forceful tug, I saw a thread even purer than the orb itself rising along Jun Chong's hand, drilling into his arm and up to his cheek, finally sinking into his brow.
The Sealing Spell on his cheek contrasted with his fair complexion, appearing even more translucent. It flickered but did not vanish like last time.
I recalled Shizui mentioning that the Sealing Spell was a curse sealed within Jun Chong's body. When it backfired on his soul, it manifested as those patterns. As long as the Sealing Spell completely disappeared from his face, all seals on his body would be lifted.
However, this time the Sealing Spell merely flickered without any noticeable change. I thought it had failed, but Jun Chong had already withdrawn his hand. The orb re-entered Taotie's body, and he stirred, slowly opening his eyes.
Jun Chong stepped back, the pure white thread still swirling around him. He closed his eyes as if meditating. I dared not approach and stood quietly to the side. When he opened his eyes again, I felt that his tall figure seemed even clearer.
"Jun Chong?"
I tentatively called out, and Taotie rose from the ground, bowing to Jun Chong. "Congratulations, Lord, on breaking the second seal."
I was stunned. Was it really that simple this time? Last time we had nearly been trapped by the Ghost Gate!
A smile appeared at the corner of Jun Chong's mouth as he moved his lips and then took my hand. "Let's go back."
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