Chapter 153: Fusing Ghosts (5)

The slaughter continued, claiming lives one after another. Taking the brunt of it were the researchers, as both specters harbored a deep, unyielding hatred toward them. It seemed that the act of imprisoning spirits within the bodies of Awakened ones was a sin beyond forgiveness.

Ming Rurou, naturally, was among those targeted as a researcher.

Fortunately, however, whenever those ghost-slaves attempted to erode her flesh, a surge of red energy would well up from her lower abdomen and rush through all her limbs and bones. That mysterious energy easily incinerated the freshly parasitic red eyes or yellow book pages.

*Little blood reservoir! You really do have a special constitution!*

Feeling the diminishing red energy within her body, Ming Rurou muttered to herself inwardly. At that moment, she held a bottle of Wu Zuei’s blood in one hand and a specially crafted golden weapon in the other, using magnetokinesis to clear a path as she fled all the way toward the hotel where Wu Zuei was staying.

As for why she didn’t just use a spatial singularity to escape?

Within the domains of the two specters, space had become as rigid as a sheet of iron. Other than possessing a bit more magnetokinesis, a five-star Awakened individual was no different from anyone else right now. Opening a spatial singularity was nothing more than a pipe dream!

On the other side, Wu Zuei, who was in deep seclusion inside the hotel, remained unaware of the drastic changes sweeping through Yanjing City. Days of intense cultivation had brought his realm to the very edge of a breakthrough. Right now, he had no spare attention to inspect his surroundings, for this breakthrough was exceptionally perilous, far surpassing any ordinary cultivation technique.

After executing his visualization technique this time, Wu Zuei perceived that the blue figure residing within his sea of consciousness was seemingly cast into a boundless universe. Darkness completely enveloped the blue figure, leaving not a shred of light in the vicinity.

Aside from the radiance emitted by the blue figure itself, everything else was devoured by the surrounding darkness. In a daze, Wu Zuei felt as though he had entered the interior of that blue figure.

The surrounding darkness began to close in on him, and the blue light on his body gradually dimmed, as if about to be thoroughly consumed. Loneliness, dead silence, emptiness—all sorts of negative emotions flooded Wu Zuei’s heart. The boundless darkness shrouding him brought with it an endless sense of bewilderment.

In an instant, a cascade of thoughts rushed over him.

Terror of death!
Judgment of good and evil!
Confusion about the path ahead!

Wu Zuei found himself lost in the terror of the unknown.

Just then, two faint sounds echoed within the boundless darkness.

*Dong—*
*Clang—*

The toll of a bell and the beat of a drum flashed and vanished.

The familiar sounds reminded Wu Zuei of Wuxiang and Jingqing, who had already transformed into the Dao. The bell and drum pointed out a direction for the bewildered Wu Zuei.

The departed had known no fear; why should the living fear death?
Aid the good to propagate goodness, and eliminate the evil to practice introspection!
Never forget your initial aspiration, and you shall achieve a successful culmination!

Wu Zuei snapped back to clarity instantly, and the negative emotions surrounding him were swept away in a single breath. At this moment, the blue radiance upon the body of the blue figure had become extremely dim. Wu Zuei did not know what would happen if the blue light vanished entirely, but it certainly boded no good!

Thus, Wu Zuei strived to visualize his entire self within his heart. As he began his visualization, the blue light seemed to receive sustenance; the blue figure rapidly solidified, and the blue radiance progressively resisted the erosion of the surrounding darkness, beginning to grow in strength.

Amidst the pitch-black void, the blue figure grew increasingly dazzling...

Resembling a majestic blue sun hanging high in the firmament!

As Wu Zuei struggled to emerge from the boundless darkness, the small drum tied to his wrist and the large bell around Xiao Ke'ai’s neck flew out of their own accord. Hovering high above the hotel, the two artifacts resounded with rhythmic beats of drums and tolls of bells.

A golden barrier enveloped the perimeter of the hotel, and those red eyes and yellow book pages that attempted to force their way in shattered immediately upon impact with the barrier.

The manifestation of a human-domain field immediately drew the attention of the two specters: the red eyes and the black leather book. The phantom projections of the two entities began to drift gradually toward the hotel.

***

Ming Rurou finally reached the hotel where Wu Zuei was staying just before the energy in her lower abdomen was completely exhausted. The golden barrier did not obstruct human entrants, but all the ghost-slaves pursuing Ming Rurou were blocked entirely on the outside by the golden barrier.

At this moment, Ming Rurou looked rather battered. Although the red energy eradicated the ghost-slaves parasitizing her, the wounds inflicted during their intrusion had soaked her white lab coat in blood, and many of those cuts were still bleeding.

The people inside the hotel had fled in panic as soon as the specters appeared. Therefore, after the golden barrier manifested, no one had yet discovered that this place was safe. Ming Rurou was the first human to enter.

With unsteady steps, Ming Rurou made her way to the elevator and pressed the button for the floor where Wu Zuei’s room was located.

Inside Wu Zuei’s room, Xiao Ke'ai was squatting opposite Wu Zuei, waiting anxiously. Ever since Wu Zuei began his cultivation, she had been unable to perceive his aura or energy fluctuations. Even peering into his body to check on him was now beyond her capability.

While malevolent specters raged outside, she was deeply worried about her parents. Yet someone had to keep watch over Wu Zuei; otherwise, if a specter were to break in right now, wouldn't Wu Zuei be as good as dead in his current state?

It wasn't until the simultaneous ringing of the bell and drum that the golden barrier enveloped the hotel.

Only then did Xiao Ke'ai let out a sigh of relief. Just as she prepared to leave and confirm the safety of her parents, a soft knock sounded.

*Tap, tap—tap—*

Hearing the commotion, Xiao Ke'ai instantly snapped her gaze toward the door. With her perception, she detected no specters whatsoever at the entrance. Instead, she sensed the magnetokinetic fluctuations characteristic of an Awakened one—and those fluctuations felt somewhat familiar!

Xiao Ke'ai leaped onto the doorknob, swung her body, and pulled the door open, whereupon a blood-soaked Ming Rurou tumbled headfirst into the room. Gazing at the figure she knew all too well, Xiao Ke'ai could not help baring her teeth, her tiny claws itching with eagerness.

*How dare you try to snatch my master from me?!*

The blue light radiating from Wu Zuei flashed across the corner of Xiao Ke'ai’s vision.

Xiao Ke'ai, who had originally intended to claw Ming Rurou’s face to shreds, lost all inclination to do so upon seeing Wu Zuei still trapped in an unknown state. With an extra wounded person on their hands, Xiao Ke'ai could no longer leave. Moreover, since Ming Rurou had managed to enter, others might be able to get in as well.

Xiao Ke'ai certainly did not want anyone disturbing Wu Zuei while he was undergoing his breakthrough. In her perception, Wu Zuei was currently radiating blue light all over, and his magnetokinetic fluctuations had long since surpassed the five-star level. Yet for some unknown reason, he still showed no signs of waking up.

Inside Wu Zuei’s sea of consciousness, the original darkness was now on the verge of being completely dispelled by the blue light. Only at the very edges of his sea of consciousness did a few patches of darkness linger, making a last, desperate struggle.

Where the darkness had already vanished, a murky yellow river flowed beneath the blue figure. The river seemed to encircle the entire sea of consciousness, and from time to time, an unknown black substance drifted upon its surface.

Wu Zuei was still persevering...

Glancing at Ming Rurou, who was still bleeding, Xiao Ke'ai decided that for the sake of their shared sisterhood—or rather, their shared status as his dependents—she locked the door and began searching for medicine to treat her. Rummaging through Ming Rurou’s carry-on bag, Xiao Ke'ai unexpectedly discovered quite a few vials filled with Wu Zuei’s blood.

Xiao Ke'ai shot Ming Rurou a sideways glare and stowed the vials away within her own fur.

*You stole my master, and you still want to take advantage of him? In your dreams!*

Soon enough, Xiao Ke'ai finished applying medicinal ointment to Ming Rurou’s wounds and then tossed her casually onto the floor by the bedside.

On the bed? Out of the question!
Let alone merely being injured, even if she were dead, she wouldn't be allowed on the bed!

Xiao Ke'ai squatted back down opposite Wu Zuei, resuming her vigil for his awakening.

***

*Bang, bang, bang!*

Not long after, violent knocking—or rather, pounding—echoed on the door.

Xiao Ke'ai perceived a large crowd gathered outside the threshold, among them quite a few Awakened individuals. Judging by the sheer force with which they battered the door, they certainly didn't need any help. Extending ten sharp claws from her soft paw pads, Xiao Ke'ai entered combat mode.

Having spent time as a low-level investigator, she was all too familiar with the darkness of human nature. Although she was well-protected by her certain someone of a master while at Wu Zuei’s side, that did not mean Xiao Ke'ai was truly naive; her innocence was always reserved for only a select few.

*Crack!*

The door was directly cleaved open by an outside Awakened using a magnetokinetic blade, and a crowd surged in, following the trail of blood left by Ming Rurou.

A blue cat, a man seemingly still immersed in cultivation, and an unconscious woman who had lost too much blood.

This bizarre tableau was the first sight that met the intruders.

"Get these two out of the way! If those ghost-slaves break through the golden barrier, use them to stall the specters' attacks. Didn't they say this place is the top floor? How do we get to the rooftop? If we can get our hands on the treasure atop this hotel, we'll be safe!"

A burly man with a fierce, scarred face, who looked like a bodyguard, barked orders at the group behind him. The reason he acted so domineeringly was precisely because he was the sole peak five-star Awakened among the group, and one of the few capable of inflicting actual damage on those ghost-slaves.

One person in the crowd shoved a woman in a suit toward the leading brute and said viciously, "Aren't you the lobby manager of this hotel? How do you get to the rooftop? Speak up!"

Simultaneously, two other men stepped toward Wu Zuei and the unconscious Ming Rurou on the floor, evidently intending to drag the pair away. As for Xiao Ke'ai, who sat nearby eyeing them with hostility, they paid her no mind at all; nobody would ever suspect that an adorable blue fluff-ball possessed any lethal capability.

*Splat—*

Two arms instantly flew into the air.

The blood-stained blue fluff-ball standing guard in front of Wu Zuei used practical action to teach the intruders a lesson:

Cuteness... does not mean a lack of lethality!

It took quite a while for the two men who had attempted to drag Wu Zuei away to realize that their arms had just bid them farewell.

"Ah—!"
"Aah—!"

Only then did their delayed screams of agony erupt.

"A magnetokinetic lifeform! Now that's a rare treasure!"

The leading brute’s eyes lit up as he looked at Xiao Ke'ai. The number of magnetokinetic lifeforms could be counted on one's fingers; they were special entities existing somewhere between humans and specters. Coupled with their acute sensitivity to various energies, many people coveted their abilities.

Institutes and numerous research corporations eagerly sought to unlock their secrets, which kept the bounty price on magnetokinetic lifeforms consistently exorbitant. Yet their constitutions were utterly bizarre; while taking on diverse forms, they could also ensure that they remained completely undetectable by any means until they made a move.

Unless they chose to expose themselves of their own accord, discovery was an absolute impossibility.