Chapter 249
Chapter 249
Hearing Li Guang’s voice, the Ghost Elder shuffled around with great difficulty, turning himself bit by bit.
But his body was so severely hunched that he could not raise his head at all.
“This little old man did not know the Flying General had arrived and failed to welcome you from afar. Forgive me, forgive me.”
Although the “old ghost” before him looked as if he might dissolve into smoke at any moment, Li Guang showed not the slightest neglect.
Instead, he dismounted and gently supported him.
“You are too courteous, Ghost Elder.”
“I have come today to…”
Before Li Guang could finish, the Ghost Elder sighed with the weight of countless years.
“There is no need to say it, General. I understand your purpose.”
“Why else would anyone come to this little old man’s Two Realms Mountain? You want to return to the mortal realm.”
“But who could have troubled the General to escort them personally?”
Li Guang concealed nothing. He recounted what had happened and introduced Hua Jiunan and the others one by one.
The Ghost Elder was exceedingly humble, bowing and saluting again and again.
His body, already nearly folded in half, bent even lower.
“My lowly countenance is unworthy of honored eyes.”
“This little old man was born ugly. I hope I have not frightened your honored selves.”
Looking at the old ghost before him, Hua Jiunan suddenly felt as though he were facing a simple, honest old farmer.
A man who had labored all his life until the weight of living bent his back.
A man who felt inferior to everyone he met and bowed his head without even realizing it.
At the thought, Hua Jiunan hurried forward.
He carried over the skull of some unknown creature and set it on the ground as a stool.
“You have worked hard, Elder. Please sit and rest.”
The Ghost Elder looked so strange that Chen Daji had not dared approach him.
Now that Hua Jiunan had stepped forward, he finally edged closer.
“Are you hungry, Elder? I’ve got spicy strips. Want to try some?”
As he spoke, Chen Daji circled the Ghost Elder.
“What did you spend your whole life doing, old sir? How’d you get worked into this shape?!”
“When you lie flat to sleep, can you still bend yourself straight?”
Eighth Master Chang could no longer endure this idiot. His tail smacked Chen Daji hard across the backside.
“Are you stupid, little bastard?!”
“You think you can straighten a hunchback by hand?!”
“You’re more likely to snap him in half!”
Although they had only just met, the Ghost Elder’s abilities allowed him to sense the kindness in Hua Jiunan and his companions’ hearts.
He sighed and spoke slowly.
“Is it not good to be alive? Why must your honored selves force your way through Two Realms Mountain?”
“Heed this little old man’s advice and go back.”
“You have accumulated hidden virtue and bear no sinful karma. Endure a few years, and you will naturally be able to reincarnate.”
“Why insist on fighting until your souls scatter into oblivion…?”
Chen Daji did not understand. Scratching his head, he asked,
“Old sir, I heard Ghost Kings aren’t strong. Why would Challenging the Ghost King make our souls scatter?”
“Fatty Zhao and I… well, maybe we can’t beat one, but we’ve got Baldy.”
“Huh? Where’d Baldy go? Come out and show the old sir how fierce you are.”
At that moment, little Wuxin was desperately tugging Hua Jiunan backward by the sleeve, trying to move away from the Ghost Elder.
His normally rosy little face had turned deathly pale and was filled with awe.
Even his tightly shut eyes strained to open.
“Namo Amitabha Buddha.”
“Big Brother, it’s dangerous here. Wuxin is scared. Let’s go.”
The Ghost Elder made an effort to raise his head toward Wuxin and said softly,
“This little old man has lived for endless ages, yet this is the first time I have seen one so compassionate and so ferocious…”
“How hateful! How lamentable!”
“Even though the little monk is a corpse-liberated Ghost Immortal, he remains far too weak to force his way through Two Realms Mountain.”
“Please heed this little old man’s advice and go back!”
With his mother’s life at stake, how could Hua Jiunan retreat?
“Elder, what if Wuxin and Uncle Snow Corpse join forces, with all of us helping them? Would even that not be enough?!”
The Ghost Elder never straightened his back, so none of them could see his face or expression.
He slowly turned toward Hua Jiunan and seemed to notice the command token bearing the name “Ge” at his waist.
Though startled, he still shook his head.
“Your honored selves are all good people, and General Li Guang accompanies you. Why would this little old man deceive you?”
“Ah! Do you know how many Ghost Kings dwell within Two Realms Mountain?”
Without waiting for Hua Jiunan to answer, the Ghost Elder continued,
“There are three hundred and sixty-five great Ghost Kings, corresponding to the number of stars in the celestial cycle.”
“Every great Ghost King commands ten lesser Ghost Kings, and every lesser Ghost King commands one thousand Ghost Soldiers.”
“If so many yin deities attacked at once, not merely your honored selves, but even the Celestial Master on duty in Lingxiao Palace would find them exceedingly difficult to withstand.”
Chen Daji was completely stupefied.
“O-Old sir, are you saying Challenging the Ghost King isn’t a one-on-one duel?”
“Every ghost big brother in the mountains piles on at once and gang-kicks the few of us?!!!”
The Ghost Elder said nothing, merely nodding in silence.
“Holy shit! That’s freaking ridiculous?!!!” Chen Daji cried as he dropped onto his backside.
General Li Guang smiled bitterly in resignation.
“The Emperor of Fengdu established this rule precisely to prevent those with profound cultivation from crossing freely between yin and yang and disrupting the Three Realms.”
“If it were not extraordinarily difficult, why would so few have succeeded from ancient times to the present?”
Hua Jiunan had not expected this either. He pondered for a moment, then determination filled his face.
He turned and bowed deeply to Eighth Master Chang and the others, then handed little Wuxin over to Chen Daji.
“Hua Jiunan will remember your friendship for the rest of his life!”
“Given the present situation, even sacrificing your lives to help would change nothing. Please go back.”
“I must walk the rest of this road alone!”