Volume 12: Invitation to Hell Chapter 46: Shadowless Butterfly

Back in their lodging, everyone rejoiced for a while before discussing the plan for visiting the Ghost Market tonight. Their primary target was Die Wuying.

"What do you plan to do if you find Die Wuying?" Xuanchen asked.

"Buy her, then destroy her," Yaoguang replied with utmost crispness.

"Just that?" Chu Tianyou asked.

"What else did you expect?" Yaoguang retorted.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door, and Three-Eyes stepped inside. "Exalted One, I have insider information. Die Wuying will appear tonight."

"Sit down. Yuner, get him a chicken leg. Let's eat and chat," Yaoguang said with a smile.

"Thank you." Three-Eyes accepted the chicken leg and hot water handed over by Jiang Yun. He took a sip of the water, but left the chicken leg untouched in its bag.

"Eat up. There's plenty more," Yaoguang smiled.

"Right." Three-Eyes cast a grateful glance at Yaoguang, opened the wrapper, and took a fierce bite. "Exalted One, what are you planning to do about this Die Wuying?"

"Buy her, cripple her cultivation, and hand her over to the police department," Yaoguang answered simply. "As the culprit behind the hell invitation case, where else does she think she can run?"

"Exalted One, Zhu Qinghuang can no longer be saved, and Die Wuying knows this better than anyone. Even if we find Shang Liyie, the chances are slim. Zhu Qinghuang is Die Wuying's fatal weakness; you can start with Zhu Qinghuang," Three-Eyes finished his chicken leg, wiped his hands with a tissue handed to him by Jiang Yun, and did not forget to offer Jiang Yun a grateful smile.

"Alright, I get it. Your task today is to help me pinpoint which tent Die Wuying is in."

"Understood. Then I'll take my leave first. Exalted One, I will wait for you at the Ghost Market." With that, Three-Eyes departed.

After Three-Eyes left, the others continued chatting for a bit. When they turned to look at Yaoguang, she had already fallen asleep. Everyone else then lay down to rest as well.

When Yaoguang woke up again, it was already one o'clock in the morning. Tonight's Ghost Market had been open for an hour.

Startled, Yaoguang leaped out of bed. Seeing her awake, Jiang Yun said, "Master, Three-Eyes sent word that yesterday evening was the first batch, and tonight should be the last. Rest easy; going there at seven o'clock tomorrow morning won't be too late."

Yaoguang nodded, but her stomach let out a loud rumble. "I'm hungry! Time to eat," she muttered, rummaging through her backpack.

She boiled some water, made instant noodles, and climbed back into bed while holding a yogurt pouch in her teeth.

Around seven o'clock in the morning, when the group strolled over to the Ghost Market, there were hardly any people left. Handing over yesterday's entry passes, they qualified as the very last batch to enter.

Following the agreement, the group split up to search. Without another word, Yaoguang tossed out seventy thousand yuan. Once the attendant finished counting the cash, Yaoguang led the others inside.

The moment they stepped through, the relaxed atmosphere vanished instantly. A series of powerful spiritual fluctuations permeated the space. Needless to say, this must be the center of the grand array governing the entire Ghost Market. These spiritual ripples exerted quite a noticeable impact on human bodies, the most obvious sensation being the acceleration of one's blood flow.

No wonder an entry threshold was set here. Anyone with subpar cultivation would undoubtedly be blasted right back out by these spiritual fluctuations. Besides, those with weak cultivation generally lacked wealth and had no business seeking favors from these ancient ghosts.

After adapting to the fluctuating spiritual energy, they proceeded to adjust to the profound darkness. You truly could not see your own hand in front of your face.

While the group was adapting to the gloom, a voice abruptly pierced Yaoguang's ears: "Little girl, you made quite a splash yesterday, but are you stumbling blind here today? Transactions here aren't made with eyes; they rely on spiritual perception and heavenly sight. If you can see everything, you can choose slowly and trade with anyone you like! But if you rely on spiritual perception, you trade with whoever you can sense."

Startled by the sudden voice, Xuanchen instinctively pulled out a lighter and flicked it on to illuminate the space. He found a face glaring at him with fury. In the next instant, the figure blew out the lighter and angrily hissed, "No lights allowed here! The merchants detest them. Do that again, and get thrown out."

Xuanchen hurriedly apologized, "My apologies."

The person let out an impatient "hmph" and vanished. By now, the group had fully adapted to the environment, though they could only perceive countless indistinct figures moving about.

Any one of Yaoguang's companions, picked at random, was a ninth-rank cultivator. Heavenly sight?! Unnecessary; their own vision sufficed.

Exchanging glances, they noticed each other's eyes glowing faintly in the dark like pairs of tiny lightbulbs. A shared smile passed among them.

This behavior elicited a soft murmur of surprise from the owner of the earlier voice, who muttered under their breath, "They actually have some tricks up their sleeves," before falling silent again.

The group had no leisure to waste words with the owner of that voice, having already been stunned by the sights before them.

Old ghosts truly spent too much time living in gloom; they were either psychologically warped or possessed peculiar hobbies. The scenes unfolding before their eyes were utterly bizarre and so offensive to the eyes that one genuinely wished to gouge them out!

Yet what could they do? Even worse, the intrinsic nature of spiritual entities made them acutely sensitive to the gazes of others. The moment you looked at or sensed one, it instantly knew it was being perceived.

Consequently, an even more spectacular scene ensued: they all turned in unison to stare directly at Yaoguang's party. Yaoguang's forehead was covered in dark lines, while crows seemed to be cawing across the minds of her companions...

Yaoguang made a gesture of helplessness and began scrutinizing each presence here. The depressing thing was that she had no idea what Die Wuying looked like, making it practically impossible to search for her directly.

However, what presented itself to their eyes was simply too much for Yaoguang to bear. If you had no prior contact with a merchant during its lifetime, it would manipulate your brain to project whatever image it wished you to see. This entire expanse could be described in four words: a ghastly spectacle.

Ghosts most commonly appeared as they had at the moment of their death, unless they were cultivators capable of shifting into forms of their own preference. Even so, this was merely a form of illusion cast by manipulating your brainwaves to trick your eyes.

Jiang Yun was on the verge of a breakdown. "Master, I never paid much attention before, but looking at these old ghosts today, I finally understand what 'individuality' means! Most of these old ghosts still retain the characteristics of the eras they came from—whether it's their clothing or hairstyles, at first glance, I can't tell if I've walked into an opera house or onto a period drama film set."

"That's not even the main issue. The problem is their bizarre tastes; most of their projected forms are frozen at the exact moment of their deaths. It's too hair-raising," Huo Mingkun chimed in. "This is far more terrifying than the Ghost Market in the city."

"Whose appearance right before death is ever pleasant? Besides, you can tell some of them died unnatural deaths, which makes their appearance even more ferocious. Look at that one carrying its own head—was it decapitated?" Chen Haixu wasn't particularly surprised; having spent so many years in the Ghost Sect, he had seen every bizarre thing imaginable.

"Just endure it. What else can we do? Let's find our target. Don't split up this time; the merchants here are at least century-old ghosts. Be careful and stay together," Yaoguang instructed before leading the group deeper into the market.

After walking around for a while, the entities stopped paying attention to Yaoguang and her group. After all, plenty of people here could open their heavenly eyes; there was no need to fixate on a single party.

Through observation, Yaoguang discovered that the entities here did not display goods on stalls like vendors outside. To acquire what you desired, you had to negotiate and communicate with them one-on-one. Fortunately, there were no time restrictions here, unless the entities chose to leave on their own accord.

According to the rules, they would not remain past 11:00 AM. Yaoguang checked the time; schedule-wise, they were still in good shape.

After searching for a while without finding anything, a voice suddenly sounded beside Yaoguang's ear: "Exalted One, in the very last corner."

It was Three-Eyes. Yaoguang turned her head and caught sight of a pair of fiercely gleaming eyes, prompting a momentary flicker of surprise. This Three-Eyes possessed a cultivation level that could not be underestimated.

"Thank you," she replied briefly, leading the group toward the far corner. There, she discovered rows of tents. Approaching the very last tent, a man dressed in black stepped forward to block her path.

Yaoguang looked him over and asked, "How much?"

"Twenty thousand per person," the man in black replied coldly.

Yaoguang pulled thirty thousand yuan from her pocket, stuffed it into the man's hand, and said, "Don't let anyone else in." Signaling the others, she lifted the curtain and stepped inside. The moment she entered, a powerful wave of array fluctuations washed over her.

"Sit," a female voice echoed through the dim space. The voice was melodious yet laced with icy allure.

Without standing on ceremony, Yaoguang accurately located a stool in the darkness and sat down.

"What do you want to know?" the female voice asked.

"Die Wuying, you've given me quite the chase," Yaoguang's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Hehehe, you know me?" Die Wuying giggled, her voice sounding like a courtesan from a pleasure house; if heard by a man, it might well melt his bones.

"The hell invitation case, over twenty victims—you've achieved quite the prominent reputation in the mortal realm. You've even gathered a multitude of blindly devoted fans," Yaoguang sneered.

"Who are you, and how do you know?" Die Wuying's giggle persisted.

"Police. Do you believe it?" Yaoguang took a puff from her electronic cigarette and stared intently at Die Wuying. The latter wore a white garment, her shoulder-length hair draped casually behind her, featuring an oval face and delicate facial features. To be honest, Die Wuying was quite beautiful, yet her aura radiated a heavy ghastly chill and murderous intent. Yaoguang could clearly perceive another soul entity residing within Die Wuying's body that did not belong to her.

"Police?! Hahaha, then you've got some nerve. Coming here, aren't you afraid of dying in this place?" Die Wuying said.

"Die here?! That remains to be seen—whether you people actually have the capability," Yaoguang said with total indifference.

"So you came specifically looking for me?" Die Wuying laughed.

"Not just you. You all," Yaoguang replied.

"Us? There's only me here," Die Wuying glanced around, feigning utter confusion.

"Your lying skills leave much to be desired. As a Demon Princess, your proficiency in deception is truly subpar," Yaoguang smiled.

"You know quite a lot, don't you?" Die Wuying chuckled.

"Zhu Qinghuang is about to have his soul scattered, and as for you, how many more days can you hold on? Playing dumb here is quite pointless," Yaoguang shook her head speechlessly, unceremoniously stripping away Die Wuying's facade.

Die Wuying intended to keep up the act, but upon hearing those words, she immediately dropped her flirtatious courtesan expression. Glaring at Yaoguang with frost-bitten gloom, she spat, "I underestimated you after all."

"Plenty of people have underestimated me. What number are you?" Yaoguang mocked with a scoff.

"You're quite blunt, aren't you?" Die Wuying took a deep breath and asked.

Yaoguang glanced at her without answering directly: "You came to the Undercurrent Ghost Market specifically to find the Nether Night Ghost Market—to put it bluntly, to find your master, Shang Liyie. Putting aside whether you can even find Shang Liyie, supposing you do, can you guarantee she will step in to help you? As far as I know, Shang Liyie is no longer the ghost cultivator she once was; she has stepped onto the righteous path. Even if you find her elderly self, are you certain she will assist you? In truth, you know the reality of your situation quite well, don't you? Both you and Zhu Qinghuang have reached a dead end." Finishing her sentence, Yaoguang took another puff of her cigarette and looked at Die Wuying with a mocking smile.

Die Wuying's complexion shifted from icy gloom to pitch black. "Did you come to find me just to provoke me?" Her voice had turned razor-sharp.

"Provoke you? Hehehe, you overestimate yourself," Yaoguang smiled, continuing, "I could simply take you back to face justice, but you wouldn't agree, and dragging you back by force isn't my style."

"Then what do you want?" Die Wuying demanded.

"A transaction with you," Yaoguang stated.

"What do you want?" Die Wuying asked.

"A spell duel with me. If you win, I will step in to help you both. If you lose, I will escort Zhu Qinghuang into reincarnation, while as for you, I will strip away your cultivation and take you back to face your crimes. Do you agree?" Yaoguang proposed.

"You help me? How could you possibly help me?" Die Wuying wore a look of utter disdain.

With a cold chuckle, Yaoguang retrieved a box from her garments and cracked it open a fraction. A surge of potent spiritual energy billowed out. With a flick of her finger, a wisp of that spiritual energy drifted into Die Wuying's nostril. Die Wuying's eyes instantly flashed with astonishment and greed as she reached out.

Just as her hand extended, Yaoguang snapped the box shut, stowed it away, and tucked it back into her pocket. Die Wuying's hand froze mid-air.

"Well? Can this millennium-old reishi mushroom solve your problem?" Yaoguang smiled.

Die Wuying could no longer remain calm. A millennium-old reishi mushroom was no longer merely a fungus; it was a celestial herb. With this, not only could Zhu Qinghuang's soul be preserved, but Die Wuying could also extend her own lifespan by another century. This meant they could remain together for another hundred years.

"Don't believe her!" The moment Die Wuying stood frozen in a daze, a black shadow drifted out from her body, hissing in a ghastly tone.

"Zhu Qinghuang, I never thought much of you back then, and you're still nothing but trash now. Die Wuying is a dignified Demon Princess, yet you've dragged her down into such a plight. You are truly despicable and shameless," Yaoguang castigated him without holding back.

"You're courting death!" Zhu Qinghuang snarled, lunging forward to attack. With a wave of her arm, Yaoguang batted Zhu Qinghuang right back. "Zhu Qinghuang, I'm warning you, if you push your luck again, I'll cripple you right now. Killing you lot takes zero effort. If it weren't for Die Wuying's sake, do you think I'd even bother speaking to you?"

Having taken a slap from Yaoguang, Zhu Qinghuang was filled with disbelief. He was a spiritual entity, yet this woman had struck him with solid physical force! Catching the ferocious glare in Yaoguang's eyes, Zhu Qinghuang flickered and retreated back into Die Wuying's body.

"Have you made up your mind?" Yaoguang looked at Die Wuying.

"Fine. I agree," Die Wuying nodded.

"Good. Refreshing," Yaoguang nodded in satisfaction.

Die Wuying whistled toward the entrance. Several figures filed in, and just like before, a pact was struck and signed by both parties.

"I'll wait for you at the spell arena at eleven tonight," Yaoguang said before turning to walk out.

"Master?" Seeing Yaoguang emerge, Jiang Yun stepped forward and asked, "How did it go?"

"Tonight at eleven, a spell duel with Die Wuying, so we can bring her back fair and square. Let's go, we're heading back first." With that, Yaoguang led the group back to their lodging.