Cataclysm Chapter 116: The Roofless Crypt 08

Chapter 116: The Roofless Crypt 08

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Kou Xuanling had raised the lantern in his hand and walked through the dark corridor, asking Zhang Qiudao, “Why did you bring me here?”

Zhang Qiudao stood behind him, half-hidden in the shifting shadows. He replied, “I heard that the source of the resentment was likely hiding in the basement, so we should find the source and seal it first.”

Kou Xuanling turned around, the lantern hanging in front of Zhang Qiudao. With a wary look, he asked, “Where did you hear that from?”

“The ghosts in the house. As long as you make a deal with them, they’ll tell you everything they know. They’re very greedy.”

Kou Xuanling smiled briefly. “Ghost stories shouldn’t be trusted. How do you know the ghosts are telling the truth? They’re greedy, and if there’s a benefit, they’ll rush in. But if you offer them something, and they can’t make a deal, they might fabricate a reason to get what they want. After all, you have to verify the authenticity of what they offer.”

Zhang Qiudao paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. “You’re right.” No sooner had he spoken than he saw a tall, black figure suddenly appear behind Kou Xuanling. “Old Kou, there’s someone standing behind you.”

Kou Xuanling, holding the lantern, turned sideways and saw the black, thin figure standing a meter behind him. The figure stood silently, watching him without saying a word. Kou Xuanling felt there was no intention to harm him—could it be that the figure had something to ask for? He inquired, “Who are you?” Stepping forward, he had just planted his foot when another identical black figure suddenly rushed out from the side, colliding with Kou Xuanling and choking him by the neck, lifting him off the ground.

Everything happened in an instant, leaving no time to react. The lantern rolled onto the ground, casting fractured light and shadow. Kou Xuanling grabbed the ghost’s hand that was choking him, trying to pry it off but couldn’t. He struggled for air, glancing at Zhang Qiudao, who stood nearby, arms crossed, watching without any intention of helping. His expression was cold.

Kou Xuanling stared at Zhang Qiudao in disbelief. “You—you’re not Zhang Qiudao!! Who are you?”

Zhang Qiudao bent down and picked up the lantern that had fallen to his feet. Some liquid, either kerosene or corpse oil, spilled out, but thankfully, there was still half left. He opened the glass cover and adjusted the wick, making the flame burn brighter. He looked at Kou Xuanling, who was being choked, his feet off the ground but maintaining a calm expression, and at the still black figure standing there, silently intimidating. Stepping back, he leaned against the wall, his gaze falling on the lantern’s bright flame.

He said, “There’s a legend about the mirage ghost in the sea, born from shipwrecked souls. The mirage ghost is skilled at creating illusions, turning into familiar faces to fool others. It plays with people until their fear breaks them, then consumes their brains and organs. Their actions are despicable.”

The ‘Kou Xuanling’ lost all fear and surprise, stopping his struggle and asking in confusion, “How did you figure out I wasn’t real? My illusion should have been enough to deceive you into believing it was true.”

“If you’d impersonated Zhang Qiudao, maybe I would’ve believed it, though just barely. But why impersonate him? You turned into me, then made me impersonate ‘Zhang Qiudao.’ Were you overconfident, or just foolish?” The glass of the lantern reflected a faint image of the person in front of him, revealing it to be Kou Xuanling’s own face. Upon seeing his own face return to normal, Kou Xuanling touched it and said, “I knew it—my face is still the best.”

The ‘Kou Xuanling’ (now revealed to be the mirage ghost) scowled, “Barely? If I hadn’t wanted to see you turn into someone else and had changed into you to play with you, you would never have recognized me. Stop talking big!”

Kou Xuanling replied, “Your illusion didn’t fool me. Do you know why?”

The mirage ghost asked, “Why?”

“Because from the beginning, I knew you were fake. The moves you used when we fought were exactly the same as mine.” If Kou Xuanling hadn’t recognized this, he would have been killed without any injustice. At the start, the mirage ghost had indeed transformed into Zhang Qiudao’s appearance to deceive him, but because their fighting styles were identical, Kou Xuanling had been on guard.

As expected, the fake Zhang Qiudao later invited him to the old house’s basement, where he ambushed him. The mirage ghost created an illusion, making him believe he was Zhang Qiudao, while the ghost changed into Kou Xuanling’s appearance. The ghost lured him into the dark corridor of the basement, played with him, and then intended to consume him.

Kou Xuanling raised the lantern, casting light on the scattered bones in the corner. These bones all belonged to those who had been deceived and consumed by the mirage ghost—unwitting intruders who had entered and met their end. The so-called mirage ghost had originally been the lingering resentment of shipwrecked souls, unwilling to reincarnate. These souls had fused together, forming a shape resembling a giant clam. Skilled at creating illusions, they often appeared in the sea, which is why they were called mirage ghosts.

In ancient times, when ships crossed the sea and encountered mermaids, or sailors met sea monsters in foreign legends, or ships wrecked and crew members died in maritime disasters, it was actually the work of mirage ghosts. Ensnared by the illusions created by the mirage ghost, the victims believed they were in a peaceful haven or a golden cave, walking on solid ground, when in fact they were slowly being engulfed by the sea. If someone happened to pass by, they would see the ship slowly sinking into the water, with the crew members seemingly asleep, wearing smiles on their faces. Once the crew’s bodies touched the water, the mirage ghost would tear open their chest and head, devouring their internal organs and brain.

Once exposed, the mirage ghost no longer pretended. “I thought I had deceived you, Tianshi.” It pried open the hand of the evil ghost that had been choking Kou Xuanling’s neck, jumped to the ground, and changed its appearance from Kou Xuanling to Zhang Qiudao, then to other Tianshis, including Chen Yang and Mao Xiaoying. It said, “Your companions all believed me, without suspicion.”

Hearing this, Kou Xuanling was shocked inside, though his expression remained calm. “You’ve seen others?”

The mirage ghost nodded. “I’ve seen them. They all believed me, without suspicion. Except for you. I shouldn’t have turned into your image to toy with you. No one knows themselves better than they do. That was my mistake, which is why you saw through me. You didn’t feel fear, and without fear in your organs and brain, you’re not worth eating. Now you can leave. I won’t eat you.”

Kou Xuanling drew his peachwood sword. “If you won’t eat me, then I will kill you.”

The mirage ghost laughed loudly. “Let’s see if you can even find me.” Kou Xuanling swung the sword at him, but it passed right through the mirage ghost, who said, “Since I’m a mirage ghost, I naturally don’t have a physical form.” As soon as those words left its mouth, the mirage ghost disappeared into the corridor, vanishing without a trace.

Kou Xuanling gripped his sword tightly, finding the situation troublesome. He still had no clue where the source of resentment was, and now a mirage ghost had appeared. Unless he found the real body of the mirage ghost, no matter what he did, he wouldn’t be able to hurt it. In fact, he could very well be constantly entangled until he was killed in turn. The creature could transform into anyone familiar—or unfamiliar—and it was nearly impossible to defend against.

“By the way,” the mirage ghost suddenly reappeared at the exit of the corridor. “Aren’t you looking for the source of resentment? In the sixth building, you can find what you’re looking for. But now, it’s up to you whether you can leave.”

With a snap of its fingers, countless ghostly hands suddenly broke through the walls on either side of the corridor. The mirage ghost laughed triumphantly. “Goodbye.”

Kou Xuanling swung his peachwood sword, severing the ghostly hands that had grabbed him from behind, but countless other ghostly hands continued to break through the walls, ceiling, and floor, grabbing at his limbs. Even with his skills, he was momentarily hindered.

Suddenly, two ghostly hands seized his ankles. Just as Kou Xuanling was about to cut them off, a hand grabbed his right arm, and the peachwood sword was snatched away. His ankles were dragged, and his upper body lost balance, causing him to fall backward and slam into the wall. Countless ghostly hands locked around him, squeezing tighter and tighter, as if trying to break his ribs and crush his internal organs, pulling him deeper into the wall.

The peachwood sword had been taken and thrown to the ground. Bound and weaponless, trapped in danger, Kou Xuanling’s mind flashed with an idea. He bit his tongue, disregarding the pain, and spat blood. All the ghostly hands that touched the blood began to corrode, turning to white bones, and the corridor was instantly filled with the howls of ghosts. His feet were freed at that moment, and he used his toes to push the peachwood sword, sending it spinning across the ground to land in front of him. With his left hand making a quick gesture, he broke free from the ghostly hands, grabbed the falling sword, and slashed at the hands holding his upper body.

Kou Xuanling flipped backward, landing smoothly on the ground. He thrust the peachwood sword into the stone floor. The stone tiles beneath the sword cracked open like tofu, easily sliced through. Holding the sword with his left hand, he wiped his tongue’s blood across his forehead and inscribed a symbol onto the sword’s blade. He chanted, “Heaven and Earth, the root of all energies. … Ghosts and demons tremble, JingGuai loses its shape… Golden light, appear swiftly, shield me!”

With the incantation, golden light erupted. The ghosts howled in fear, thunder rumbled, and the very earth trembled. The world’s power and dignity were evident, asserting its authority.

“Heaven overturns, Earth falls!”

In an instant, the sky and earth shook, sand and stones flew, and the ghosts howled and screamed. The ground split open, centered around Kou Xuanling and the peachwood sword. The cracks formed a web-like pattern, spreading across the entire corridor. Every fissure was filled with thunder and lightning, scorching the ghostly hands in the walls. The corridor soon returned to calm, the ghosts that had fled quickly escaping, while those that had been too slow were burned to ashes.

Kou Xuanling sheathed his peachwood sword, sighing, “The golden light incantation combined with the Heaven and Earth Overturning technique really works well.” Normally, he would use the Five Thunder Talisman, channeling a lightning strike through wood to perform the Heaven Overturning technique. This time, using the golden light incantation, its power was just as strong as the lightning strike.

“The sixth building?” Kou Xuanling lifted the undamaged lantern, walking toward the corridor’s exit while pondering what the mirage ghost had said about the sixth building. “Let’s go check it out.”

Meanwhile, as Mao Zhen spread his arms, leaning against the door, two ghostly hands suddenly burst through the door panel, grabbing his head and pulling him back. Chen Yang, reacting quickly, removed the long whip coiled around his waist and wrapped it around the ghostly hands. The yang energy from the copper coin on the whip burned the ghostly hands into white bones, but they still didn’t release their grip. The sound of stone-bottomed shoes scraping the ground grew louder, signaling that the Axe Ghost had discovered where they were hiding.

Chen Yang shouted, “Daoist, now!”

Zhang Qiudao drew his Seven-Star Sword and sliced through the two ghostly hands holding Mao Zhen, and the three of them fled the door just as the door was split in half by a giant axe. The Axe Ghost appeared in the doorway, furious upon seeing the four of them. Chen Yang flipped over a nearby table and threw it at the Axe Ghost, buying them some time, but the Axe Ghost easily chopped the table in half.

Chen Yang yelled, “Jump out the window, run!”

Mao Xiaoying pushed open the window, coming face-to-face with a lantern made from a human head, each of them observing each other’s physiognomy. The head lantern quickly reacted, swinging itself out and letting out a scream, “The Tianshi is here!!”

Mao Xiaoying cursed under his breath, realizing that the head lantern’s scream had drawn the attention of other head lanterns. They all turned toward him, whispering to one another. The whispering of a single head lantern sounded like the flapping of mosquito wings, barely audible from a distance, but when a group of them whispered, it became a buzzing sound like a swarm of mosquitoes. Soon, the entire ghostly residence was aware that four Tianshis had appeared at the sixth building.

Mao Xiaoying yanked the head lantern in front of him and threw it at the Axe Ghost behind him. The axe swung down, and the head lantern’s scream was abruptly silenced. He shouted, “The ghosts from other places are all coming!”

Chen Yang jumped onto the windowsill, seeing a large number of ghosts flooding into the entrance of the fourth building, including the nameless female owner of the house in front. Zhang Qiudao joined them as well, though he didn’t see the ghosts from the unmarked tombs. This only made him more worried. He said, “The ghosts from the unmarked tombs are elusive, often appearing suddenly from the walls, the ground, or the ceiling. It’s hard to defend against them, and they’re a nuisance.”

Chen Yang asked, “The ghostly hands that appeared earlier?”

Zhang Qiudao nodded. “Those were the ghosts from the unmarked tombs.”

Chen Yang said, “Let’s jump down, go to the first floor, and escape. The ghosts won’t reach us as quickly; we should run before they do.”

Mao Zhen, dealing with the Axe Ghost alone, called out while jumping, “We can’t leave the sixth building. If you leave now, it will be hard to find him again. He will definitely come to the sixth building, so we should wait a while. We can hide in the basement for now.”

“The basement?” Chen Yang turned back, using his copper coin whip to entangle the Axe Ghost’s axe before being pulled toward it. He quickly repeated the same move, lifting the Axe Ghost’s hood. The whip loosened, transforming into a copper coin sword, and Chen Yang gripped the hilt tightly, stabbing the sword into the Axe Ghost’s skull.

The Axe Ghost let out a horrific scream, swinging its axe at its own head, slicing off half of its skull. Chen Yang landed lightly on the ground and looked back at the scene, muttering, “Now I finally understand why his head is so small.” With that, he jumped down, saying, “Let’s go to the basement.”

The four of them entered the first-floor window, with Mao Zhen leading them to the basement entrance. During this time, the others questioned how he knew the way so well. Mao Zhen replied, “I told you before I was locked up for twenty years and only recently escaped. I was buried in the sixth building’s basement tomb.”

Outside, a swarm of ghosts wandered toward them, and the Axe Ghost from the third floor was also running downstairs. The malicious ghosts imprisoned in the surrounding houses smelled the presence of living souls and the scent of revelry, scratching at the walls, making shrill, nauseating noises.

As the four ran around the corner, they collided with someone, just as they were about to reveal their Taoist instruments. They found themselves face-to-face with Kou Xuanling. Seeing Chen Yang and the others, Kou Xuanling exclaimed in surprise, “You’re really here?!”

Chen Yang wasn’t sure what he meant by that but grabbed him and said, “We’ll talk later. For now, let’s hide.”

Mao Zhen led them into the basement as the ghosts outside kicked open the door to the sixth building, releasing more malicious spirits. They shut the door behind them, taking refuge in the basement.

After Chen Yang had caught his breath, he immediately asked Kou Xuanling, “What did you mean by that? Did someone tell you our whereabouts?”

Kou Xuanling nodded, then shook his head. “I encountered the mirage ghost. After seeing through his scheme, he told me the source of the resentment was in the sixth building and asked me to come look for him. He also said he had been around you all, but none of you recognized him. So, I figured he might be leading you to the sixth building. That’s when I ran into you.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang and the others cast suspicious glances at Mao Zhen. Mao Zhen had been staring at the familiar corridor in the basement. When he came back to his senses, he heard what Kou Xuanling had said and noticed the suspicion in their eyes. He immediately spoke, “I’m not the mirage ghost. Even if I were, it wouldn’t make sense for me to know so much about myself.”

Seeing that their suspicions weren’t eased, he continued, “I really was buried in the sixth building’s basement tomb for over twenty years. My connection to my physical body was severed. I always thought I was dead, but if it weren’t for the fact that a living soul came here, I would’ve long taken you to see my corpse.”

Chen Yang suddenly said, “He’s not the mirage ghost.”

Kou Xuanling asked, “Why? How can you be so sure?”

Chen Yang said, “When he fought the Axe Ghost just now, he used Taoist magic. If he were the mirage ghost, he definitely wouldn’t have used Taoist techniques.”

Kou Xuanling suddenly understood, “I see. But ghostly words in a haunted house can’t be trusted. What if he’s just imitating it to deceive us?”

“You’re right about one thing—the ghostly words can’t be trusted,” Chen Yang said, turning away from Kou Xuanling and adopting a defensive posture. Zhang Qiudao and Mao Xiaoying simultaneously pointed their Taoist instruments at him. Chen Yang added, “So, you’re the mirage ghost!”

Kou Xuanling’s expression stiffened, then shifted to one of confusion. “Why?”

“Why do I suspect you?” Chen Yang said. “Because you didn’t ask Mao Zhen who he was. When you saw him and heard his explanation, you didn’t show any of the expected confusion.”

Kou Xuanling was still puzzled. Zhang Qiudao spoke up, “Before this, all the Tianshis who entered didn’t know Mao Zhen. So if you were the real Kou Xuanling, you wouldn’t know him either.”

‘Kou Xuanling’ suddenly looked enlightened. “I see.” He gave a strange smile using Kou Xuanling’s face. “Caught red-handed. I’ll play again next time.”

Zhang Qiudao, standing closest to him, tried to grab him, but his hands passed straight through his body. Turning around, Zhang Qiudao furrowed his brow. “An illusion?”

The mirage ghost spoke, “The source of the resentment really is in the sixth building. He didn’t lie to you.” He pointed at Mao Zhen, his smile growing more twisted. “But do you really trust him? Ghosts speak nothing but lies, and good children shouldn’t believe them. Also, do you really trust the people around you, believing they’re your former companions and not ghosts disguised as them?”

With that, he quickly vanished before the group’s eyes.

 

 

 

This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.