âWhat kind of bizarre entry requirement is this...?â
âOh, right. This is a demonic sect. Never mind, then. Anythingâs possible!â
âCould it be that every disciple theyâve "dealt with" is buried in this so-called Yin Spirit Institute?â
The moment the jade coffin was carried through the instituteâs gates, a bone-chilling cold enveloped Su Lingâer, despite the ten-thousand-year-old Warm Jade beneath her.
The surrounding yin energy felt like countless ghostly hands, caressing herâthe fresh sacrificeâthrough the walls of the coffin.
âIâm doomed, Iâm doomed!â
âThis is so terrifying!!!â
âShould I just "wake up" now?â
âNo... If Wang Xiediâs plan fails because of me, then wouldnât I have faked this illness for nothing?â
âI have to endure it!â
âBesides...â
âErm...â
âItâs actually a little bit thrilling... and Iâm a little expectant...â
âYes!â
âThis is all for the righteous path!â
âFor the salvation of all living things!!!â
A heroic sense of purpose swelled in Su Lingâerâs heart, but she quickly calmed down.
âBesides, judging by the looks of it, this wonât be over any time soon.â
âMaybe... I can "revive" at the most critical moment?â
âAnd Iâm their "Holy Daughter," after all. I should be important to this sect. They wouldnât really send me to my death, would they?â
âThey probably... wouldnât, right?â
Her heart pounded with uncertainty; she actually had no confidence at all.
But things had already come to this. For the great cause of righteousness, she could only grit her teeth and persevere.
After the procession entered the Yin Spirit Institute, they didnât see the expected pavilions and terraces. Instead, a narrow, damp path came into view.
The path was flanked by sinister, dense fog and rows of tombstones. Within the swirling mist, countless ghostly figures seemed to flicker.
Indescribable whispers echoed through the air, making oneâs hair stand on end.
Peeking through a hole in the coffin, Su Lingâer saw a stone tablet by the road inscribed with four blood-red words: "Path of Eternal Slumber."
Lin Qingfeng was still at the very front, speaking in a profound and mysterious tone.
"This path tests oneâs Dao heart. All that you see along the way are illusions."
"Guard your original intentions and follow me. Remember, do not look back, and do not answer any calls!"
In reality, he was saying this specifically for his little junior sister, because no one else cared. They just wanted to hurry up and start grinding this new buildingâs instance!
But Ji, who was walking beside the jade coffin, muttered under his breath:
"Itâd be great if the ghosts in here werenât illusions. We could catch them and put them to work!"
Lying in the coffin, Su Lingâer had been shivering, wondering if this was the legendary "Yellow Springs Road" from the storybooks.
But the terrifying atmosphere was instantly shattered by her senior brotherâs comment.
âSeriously?!â
âYou people are truly inhuman!â
âTheyâre already dead, and you still want to make them work?!â
âTheyâre nothing but souls, and youâre still thinking about exploiting them?!â
âDo people have to slave away for your Guixi Sect from birth until after death?!â
âYou have no humanity at all!â
âThis demonic sect... I wonder which is crueler to ghosts, them or the legendary Ghost Spirit Sect?â
Just then, a completely different sound drifted from the depths of the path ahead.
DEE-DA... DEE-DA... DEE-DA...
At the end of the path, a deep, dark cave entrance appeared, swallowing the entire funeral procession.
After a brief moment of darkness, when Su Lingâer peeked out from the hole again, she was shocked to find that the scenery around them had been completely transformed!
The ordinary disciples who had been following behind had all vanished!
Looking around, only the Eldest Brother, Ji, Shi Gandang, and a few othersâthe core demons, in her eyesâremained.
Even the ape-like spirit beasts carrying the coffin had been replaced by Guixi Sect disciples at some unknown point.
âThis... doesnât seem to be anywhere within the Guixi Sect anymore!â
âCould it be like that Demon-Locking Tower, an independent space conjured out of thin air by some profane art?!â
Just as she was reeling in shock and suspicion, the blare of a suona suddenly exploded in her ears!
DEE-DA DEE-DA, DEE-DEE DAâ!
DEE-DA DEE-DA, DEE-DEE DAâ!
The melody, distant at first, was right upon them within a few breaths.
The tune... was the extremely festive "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix"!
However, woven into this lively and jubilant melody was a mournful counterpoint.
Sorrow hidden within joy.
And within that sorrow, there was a hint of something sinister!
On their side of the procession, the mournful wail of the xiao flute had not yet faded.
But from the opposite direction, the festive yet sinister sound of the suona was already overwhelming.
The two completely different types of music intertwined and clashed on the narrow path in this desolate wilderness.
Lying in the jade coffin, Su Lingâer carefully moved closer to the peephole, observing the outside world through the tiny opening.
She saw the dense fog ahead continuously parting and dispersing to the sides.
At the edge of the fog, a long, blood-red procession came into everyoneâs view.
It was a bridal sedan, carried by eight bearers, as red as fresh blood.
Red lanterns hung all around it.
As the bearers walked, the lanterns swayed back and forth, the candlelight within flickering like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
Through the peephole, Su Lingâer stared intently at the sedan bearers dressed in red and the guests thronging around the sedan.
Every one of their faces was as pale as paper, completely bloodless, and all wore the exact same eerie smile.
Their bodies swayed stiffly from side to side as they performed a bizarre dance.
And through the gaps in the swaying red silk curtains, one could vaguely see a bride in the sedan, her head covered with a red veil.
The chilling and oppressive aura they emitted...
...made Su Lingâerâs heart palpitate, even through the walls of the coffin.
She couldnât help but recall a story she had once heard from a storyteller in Anhe City.
The Red-White Clash.
This is what the feng shui master had said:
The so-called "Red-White Clash" originates from red and white affairsâweddings and funerals.
When a wedding procession and a funeral procession meet by chance under specific feng shui conditions...
...the yin and yang energies collide. This is considered an omen of great misfortune, likely to attract vicious ghosts or bring about sudden disaster.
As the saying goes, "When red and white collide, the malevolent aura soars!"
The feng shui master also said that the "White Malice" is often a young man who drowned, filled with extreme resentment.
If he encounters the "Red Malice"âa woman who died violently on her wedding dayâan even stronger malevolent energy will be triggered.
âBut...â Su Lingâerâs mind was in turmoil.
âYin energy?â
âIâm a living person, where would I get yin energy from?â
âBesides... the White Malice is supposed to be male, but Iâm female! It doesnât match at all!â
She couldnât make any sense of the situation before her.
However, what she was about to see would confuse her even more.
She was shocked to discover that her own funeral procession, far from stopping, had actually started to... to "dance" along with the rhythm of the "Red Malice" opposite them?!
âThey started "dancing"?!â
âWait!â
âWhat are you all doing?!â
âThatâs clearly a procession of ghosts over there!â
âAre you trying to collide with them?!â
âNo, no...â
âIâm not the "White Malice," so whatâs the point of you crashing into them?â
âCould there be some other aspect of this Red-White Clash that I donât know about?â
She shifted her gaze in suspicion, and in the next second, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
...
Meanwhile, in the party chat.
Lin Qingfeng looked at the red procession opposite them, and a brilliant, devious idea instantly sparked in his mind.
âAnyway, weâre the White Malice in charge of carrying the coffin.â
âPerfect!â
âLetâs do something even more epicâthe coffin dance!â