WBICDPH Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Divine Concealment, Ghostly Ambush

Everything in the world exists for a reason, and each has its own unique way of surviving.

Humans, for example, possess spiritual roots, giving them a sensitivity to spiritual energy far beyond that of any other living being. The demon race, on the other hand, is born with inherited bloodlines and is the only race capable of sensing primordial ancient qi.

As for ghosts, their exclusive and mysterious ability is known as a ghost domain.

Ghosts are born from the obsessions of the dead. When that obsession is strong enough, it condenses into a special kind of “domain,” whose purpose is to store prey and protect the domain master’s soul core.

Such domains may take the form of the ghost’s former dwelling, a scene deeply etched into its memory, or, in more unusual cases, the place where its corpse is trapped.

In short, a ghost domain carries the very core obsession that gives rise to the ghost. It can be said that, at the same cultivation level, a ghost is invincible within its own domain. Without a higher-level suppression, those who enter the domain find it extremely difficult to defeat its master, and those outside the domain, lacking high-tier magical artifacts, are almost incapable of even locating the entrance, let alone breaking the domain to rescue someone.

Ghost domains are dangerous, yes—but they are also the best way to uncover the domain master’s obsession, resolve its resentment, and guide it toward release.

After being dragged into the wind and snow by the ghost, Lin Jin immediately realized the situation he was in. He frantically rummaged through his memory, pulling up the lessons his elementary school tutor had once taught him, and rapidly reviewed all that information in his head.

Soon, the howling wind and biting cold vanished. It felt as if a pair of massive hands had grabbed him and thrown him somewhere. After a brief moment of weightlessness, Lin Jin stumbled forward a few steps before finally feeling solid ground beneath his feet.

A flame flickered and curled through the air, nearly scorching Lin Jin’s hair.

Startled, Lin Jin jerked and quickly clamped a hand over the puppy’s mouth.

He understood what Qiuqiu meant—why bother going along with her so slowly? Why not just set everything on fire and burn this ghost to ashes?

Qiuqiu’s method was simple, brutal, and effective, but Lin Jin couldn’t allow him to be so willful.

He released the puppy’s snout and explained softly,

“No. This young lady may be a ghost, but she hasn’t harmed me, and she likely hasn’t harmed anyone else either. Our primary goal isn’t to destroy her. It’s to find out what happened to the missing flower girls, and in the end, resolve her obsession and send her out of the ghost path and into reincarnation. Do you know why? Because we can’t—”

Lin Jin went on and on, lecturing the puppy at length. Xiao Lanqi rolled his eyes, completely uninterested.

If someone is in the way, kill them. The best way to solve a problem is to eliminate the one who caused it in the first place. Why make things so complicated?

This lord is willing to magnanimously use his Crashing Cloud Azure Flame to burn a mere low-level ghost for you, and you’re still unhappy? Truly ungrateful! Fine—when you get scared senseless by some little ghost later, don’t expect this lord to help you again!

Of course, Lin Jin had no idea what was going on in the puppy’s mind. He continued rambling, having already progressed from reincarnation to moral ethics.

Xiao Lanqi finally snapped and rewarded him with a slap.

“Shut up!!!”

Lin Jin, having been smacked squarely across the face by a puppy, shut his mouth with tears in his eyes. The ghost domain grew quiet once more, broken only by the sound of Lin Jin’s footsteps and the faint rustle of the ghost’s skirt dragging along the ground ahead of him.

Eventually, the young woman stopped, bringing Lin Jin to a halt at a certain spot.

Though this body of Lin Jin’s body was physically weak, his sensitivity to spiritual energy far exceeded that of ordinary people. He could clearly feel that the spiritual energy fluctuations here were far more active than before. He could even faintly hear the sound of the wind.

This seemed to be…

“Is this the exit from the ghost domain?”

The ghost remained silent. She slowly turned toward Lin Jin, raised her hand, and gently swept it through the air. A blast of icy wind rushed into the darkness, making Lin Jin shiver.

The wind was coming from directly in front of him. Anyone with basic common sense knew that going against the direction of the wind would lead to the exit and back to the outside world.

But Lin Jin still hadn’t found any clues, nor had he discovered the whereabouts of Liu Fuxin. He felt he couldn’t just leave like this.

With that thought, Lin Jin looked back at the ghost.

She seemed to sense his hesitation and grew visibly anxious. She stepped forward as if wanting to touch him, but after a brief pause, withdrew her hand again.

Then she opened her mouth, as though trying to say something to him—but before any sound could come out, a large amount of blood suddenly surged from her mouth.

Lin Jin’s heart jolted. He instinctively took half a step back, and the ghost, as if afraid of frightening him, hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands.

But the bright red blood couldn’t be contained. It seeped through her fingers, flowed down her chin and neck, and finally stained the front of her clothing.

The stench of blood grew heavier. Lin Jin stared at the ghost, at a loss, until drops of blood fell onto the ground. The ghost seemed to be startled by something, quickly retreating two steps before instantly dissolving into smoke and vanishing from sight.

Lin Jin still hadn’t recovered. He raised the small spirit lamp, looking at the ground where both the ghost and the bloodstains had disappeared, then toward the direction from which the cold wind was pouring in, hesitating for a moment.

And just as he stood there in confusion, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him:

“Young Master Lin?”