The tall, russet-brown gate behind them slammed shut with a bang.
The sudden noise startled the novice disciples, who had only just entered.
"What are you dawdling for? Enter the Inner Observatory!"
Elder Jiu Li strode forward, flicking his sleeve. A barrier, like transparent flowing water, dissolved. Within the corridors and pavilions, the otherwise empty Daoist observatory had a somber, aged hue. But beyond the door, a blinding, rippling vortex opened, seemingly connecting to another realm.
"Enter!"
Seeing their stunned immobility, Elder Jiu Li was the first to flash inside.
The other disciples no longer hesitated and followed, their figures instantly swallowed by the intense light.
Zi Ying had intentionally taken care of the Ghost Infant along the way. Being clever, she knew he was guarded and wouldn't approach freely. Instead, she kept a moderate distance, offering guidance on direction and position, and warning him of dangers when he needed it most.
The Ghost Infant, unwilling to be outdone, managed to keep pace with the group thanks to Zi Ying's help. With a leap, he darted inside.
Danya narrowed her eyes, her gaze, like vast, rippling blue waves, swept over Gu Junshi. After a moment of thought, she too entered.
Fang Rui, seeing that most people had already gone, but the couple remained standing at the original spot, no longer waited and followed her senior brother Danya.
Floating in the air were specks of shimmering, iridescent light, like floating green and blue lanterns. The Daoist observatory's wind-swept periphery was now empty of people. Deep within the earth's core below the abyss, this observatory, like a level in a game, had become far too perilous and strange.
An inexplicable sense of unease settled in his heart. Liu Jiang Fusheng tightly grasped Gu Junshi's hand, ensuring she stayed right by his side.
"Let's go."
As they stepped into the light portal for the transfer, Gu Junshi looked at his tall, slender back ahead and asked in a casual tone.
"Husband."
He replied quickly, "What is it?"
Her eyelashes were half-lowered, her gaze filled with meaning, and she softly inquired, "Are you afraid of ghosts?"
Liu Jiang Fusheng suddenly turned his head. He stared at her uplifted face, his complexion visibly paling.
Was he afraid of ghosts?
The answer was likely yes.
Because of his past experience with death, he had once feared that silent, echoing darkness.
Closing his eyes, that sense of being imprisoned and enclosed, that "blackness," could drive him mad.
It was only much later that he slowly grew accustomed to this fear.
Yes.
Not fearless.
But accustomed.
Similarly, specters, which represented death, also made him uncomfortable.
Once, out of curiosity, he had looked at a book titled "Human World Annals" on Gu Junshi's bookshelf. A scene depicted within, of a hundred ghosts parading at night, had given him nightmares for several consecutive days.
His entire impression of ghosts came from that.
Although he knew he was no longer an ordinary mortal, he had only been a cultivator for three years. How could he completely erase over a decade of his mortal life?
"You are afraid."
Gu Junshi's eyes held understanding, and she stated this matter-of-factly, her tone devoid of emotion.
Liu Jiang Fusheng immediately offered a weak denial, "I'm not afraid."
But Gu Junshi had already seen through him.
She clasped his hand in return, walked a few steps ahead of him, and turned her head slightly, "Once we go in, you can just close your eyes, and I'll guide you through this part."
What did she mean?
Before he could comprehend her words, she was already pulling him forward with determined steps.
The light suddenly flooded his eyes, blurring all his vision. He could only feel himself being pulled, his feet following her steps, moving forward one by one.
Though he could hear nothing, he seemed to hear her footsteps, strong and steady, "da, da, da," leading his way.
After a while, the intense light gradually faded. Liu Jiang Fusheng's eyelids fluttered, and suddenly he heard a shrill scream.
"Waaah—"
"What is that thing—Ah, don't come near—"
"Elder, save me—"
Elder Jiu Li retorted impatiently, "Are you calling the soul? Stop your pathetic wailing, and hurry over here."
As Liu Jiang Fusheng was stunned, he instinctively tried to open his eyes, but a cool, gentle hand covered his eyelids more quickly. Through the narrow gap between her fingers, he seemed to catch a glimpse of a scene from the underworld.
His body stiffened.
"Husband, close your eyes."
He heard his wife's soft instruction by his ear.
He pursed his pale lips, feeling slightly stiff but also a little reassured, and obediently closed his eyes.
Gu Junshi withdrew her hand and watched him silently.
Perhaps his abilities had grown stronger, but before his memories returned, he was fundamentally still the delicate husband she had married.
His reliance on her stemmed from his entire emotional anchor after losing his memory. The Gu Junshi at that time didn't understand, and even the current her didn't quite understand.
However, she had learned to cherish him a little more.
Turning her head, the scene before them truly deserved to be described as terrifying enough to "scare oneself wet."
Crumbling walls, ruined halls, dense fog condensed in the dome, and mournful cries echoed.
"Wuwu~"
Blood-red, solidified blackness. The disciples in front, having not paid attention, were now involuntarily squeezed into a "crowd," struggling to escape.
A hundred ghosts parading at night, lingering spirits.
Most souls after death were not a pretty sight, with broken limbs, ferocious faces, bloated or shriveled bodies. The greater a cultivator's power, the more tragic their death appearance.
Coupled with the surrounding resentment and Yin energy, the term "grotesque" was insufficient to describe their distortions and current "make-up."
Before them unfolded a complete tableau of a ghost feast, an Avici hell. The number of ghosts had exceeded the capacity, filling the passages. They could only stand along the walls, pressed to the sides.
Zi Ying, terrified, hid behind the Ghost Infant. This time, she wasn't pretending.
Some ghosts had half their eyeballs dangling, no nose, no mouth, their features shocking. Some had their skulls split open, their brains smeared on their hair, a mixture of white, red, and yellow... these things wouldn't kill people outright, but they would certainly nauseate them to death.
Fang Rui, no longer waiting for Liu Jiang Fusheng, hunched her narrow shoulders and tried to move closer to her senior brother Danya. The other disciples finally broke through the encirclement, clutching Elder Jiu Li's clothes and screaming in terror.
Pale ghosts chasing after them blew Yin energy at them, playfully lifting their hair and clothes, and chuckling sinisterly.
Fang Rui suppressed the tremor in her voice, "Why are there so many ghosts in the cultivation world? Why do these ghosts linger in the Spiritual Realm instead of entering the Netherworld?"
Elder Jiu Li was also not entirely clear about the reasons. If it weren't for the special nature of this land, he wouldn't have known that such a large number of ghosts lingered in the Spiritual Realm without dispersing.
He explained, "This Crossing Life Daoist Observatory was originally the observatory of the Crossing Life Daoist. He once established a contract with the Netherworld to accumulate merit by saving fierce spirits and wandering souls. He has been dead for a thousand years, but this observatory still retains a trace of his divine consciousness, which nourishes it. Thus, when night falls, the spiritual pressure strengthens, making ghosts visible to the naked eye."
"Besides the Crossing Life Daoist, who else can save wandering souls?" Zi Ying asked.
Danya replied, "As everyone knows, the eminent monks of Maha Chan Zhi also possess this ability."
"This matter was reported long ago, but it seems my words were of little consequence. How long has it been, and yet the stewards and directors have not responded," Elder Jiu Li sighed.
"Then, will they, will they harm people?" a disciple asked, trembling with fear.