Chapter 101: Continous Mission XI
Tian Lei didn’t take his eyes off the darkness ahead.
"Do not look back," he said quietly.
Not as advice—more like an order.
Yuxin froze. "...That’s exactly the kind of thing people say before ghosts show up."
"Correct."
She made a small noise and kept her eyes forward, veil trembling a little as the sound around them changed—deeper now, a low pulse that seemed to hum through their bones.
The walls closed in, cliffs leaning overhead like giant teeth. Moonlight thinned to thin silver strips. Every sound was loud—the crunch of their steps, the rustle of her robes, the slow drip of unseen water.
Then—
crrrrk.
A thin crack ran across the cliff above, stone shifting with a slow groan.
Tian Lei stopped. His sword was already in his hand.
"Contact," he said.
Something pulled away from the cliff.
It didn’t fall or jump. It just stopped pretending to be stone.
It landed on the path like spilled ink and rose on long, crooked limbs. Its body was made of shadow, its face a smooth white mask with empty holes for eyes.
Yuxin snapped her fan open with a sharp flick. "Haunted-cave scale is now an eight."
The thing twitched—then lunged.
Fast.
A blur.
Steel flashed.
Tian Lei’s sword cut through it in one clean swing.
SHHKT—!
The creature burst apart into black smoke and brittle shards that scattered across the stone, hissing like burnt flowers.
Yuxin blinked. "...Well. That just happened."
The hum broke.
It became voices.
Not words—just the sound of something aware of them now.
Shapes slid out of the cliff cracks above—eight in all, crawling along the walls and ceiling like spiders, masks glowing pale like bits of stolen moonlight. Their limbs bent at strange angles as they closed in.
Yuxin twirled her fan into a reverse grip, eyes bright. "Guess we found what killed the gatherers."
"Spirit husks," Tian Lei said calmly. "Moon-tier. Artificial."
Her grin widened. "Perfect. I was afraid tonight might be boring."
The husks screamed—sharp and hollow, like broken flutes—
—then all eight leapt at once.
Tian Lei moved.
Tian Lei moved.
He wasn’t rushing. He was precise.
His sword cut through the air with a faint glow. The first husk leapt at him—
and was gone.
SHHHKT!
The creature exploded into black smoke and sharp fragments before it even hit the ground.
"Seven," Tian Lei said.
The rest dropped down around him in a storm of claws and pale masks. Stone cracked under their weight. Dust rose around them.
Yuxin jumped back, her robes flaring, and flicked her fan.
THWMP—
A burst of wind shot out and slammed two husks off the cliff. They screamed as they fell, masks spinning before shattering far below.
"Five," she called.
One husk lunged at her from behind—
Tian Lei was already there.
His sword flashed three quick times.
Tak—tak—tak.
The husk broke apart into black vapor.
He turned.
Another husk came at him low, crawling like a twisted wolf. It split into three copies and attacked from all sides—
Tian Lei’s eyes narrowed.
He swung once.
SHHKKT.
All three copies crumbled into dust at the same time.
"Two," he said quietly.
A sharp, angry hum filled the air. The last two husks dropped from the ceiling, their masks glowing pale.
Yuxin pressed her fan to the ground. "Burst bloom."
FWOOOM—
A cyclone of blade-like petals shot out and tore through them midair. They screamed and dissolved into ribbons of shadow.
Silence followed.
Black smoke drifted away on the cold wind. Broken stone and the faint smell of burnt flowers were all that remained.
Yuxin brushed dust off her sleeve. "That was... refreshing."
Tian Lei sheathed his sword. "They were waiting for us."
"Which means..." She tapped her fan on her lips. "Something’s controlling them, deeper inside."
Tian Lei nodded. "We keep moving."
They stepped into the narrowing dark. The cliffs closed around them like the jaws of something alive.
The path narrowed until they had to walk single file.
Loose stones crunched under their boots, echoing too loudly in the still air.
Yuxin’s fan stayed half-open in her hand now, not as a prop but as a weapon. Her usual playful smile was gone.
"Do you feel it?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," Tian Lei said.
The air ahead felt heavy, like thick cloth draped over their senses. Their footsteps grew muffled. The moonlight that had trickled down from above was gone now. The only light was the faint glow of Tian Lei’s sword.
They rounded a bend.
The cliff walls opened into a hollow basin—wide, cracked ground, and dozens of stone pillars jutting out like broken teeth.
And there, in the center, they saw it.
A cluster of pale shapes lay scattered across the stone. Human shapes.
Yuxin stepped closer and crouched down, lifting the edge of a cloak with her fan. It crumbled into dry flakes.
"Scouts," she murmured. "Or what’s left of them."
Tian Lei crouched as well. He touched the ground.
Cold. Too cold.
A faint ring of symbols had been carved around the bodies—rough, jagged lines that pulsed with a dim white glow.
"Sealing array," he said.
"Someone set this up?" Yuxin asked.
"Yes. And left it running."
A low rumble passed through the stone, making the pillars shake.
Yuxin stood and took a step back. "I’m guessing that’s the part where it wakes up."
The glowing lines brightened. The air thickened.
The bodies began to rise.
Not stand—float.
Their limbs dangled loosely as they lifted from the ground like marionettes, pale eyes flickering open one by one.
Yuxin’s voice was quiet, sharp. "Those aren’t husks."
Tian Lei’s hand went to his sword. "No. Reanimated cores."
The figures opened their mouths.
A single, shrill note split the air like glass.
Tian Lei drew his blade.
"Stay behind me."
The note cut off.
Then the figures moved.
They didn’t lunge like the husks.
They slid—jerky and smooth at the same time, as if the air itself was dragging them forward.
Yuxin took a quick step back, fan raised. "Creepy. Very creepy."
Tian Lei didn’t answer.
The first one blurred forward.
He met it head-on.
SHHHKT—!
His sword tore through its chest.
The body split—but didn’t fall.
Instead, it stuck to the blade, skin stretching like wax.
Tian Lei yanked the sword free with a sharp twist. Black fluid splattered the stone and hissed like acid.
"Don’t let them touch you," he said flatly.
Yuxin nodded quickly and flicked her fan. A blast of wind struck the creature and hurled it into a pillar. The body hit, cracked, and folded in half with a sound like snapping sticks.
It kept crawling.
"Okay," she muttered. "Horrifying."
Three more came at Tian Lei.
He stepped in—precise, fast.
A short cut at the knee—
a stab through the chest—
a clean slice through the neck.
Each one fell apart, black fluid splashing out and eating small pits into the stone.
Yuxin jumped as one appeared right behind her, silent and sudden.
She slammed her fan down.
THWMP—!
A tight burst of wind exploded outward and flattened it to the ground. Tian Lei was there instantly, his blade coming down like an executioner’s strike.
The thing split clean in two.
"Four left," he said.
The last four moved together. Their bodies bent and twisted, bones cracking loudly as they crawled along the ground like insects, eyes glowing white.
Yuxin sucked in a breath. "Oh, that’s new."
Tian Lei’s expression didn’t change.
"Stay behind me."
They surged forward.
He met them in a blur of steel.
One clean swing took the first.
He spun, slicing through the second’s spine.
Yuxin threw her fan, a disc of whirling air carrying it.
It sliced across the third’s face, shattering its head like brittle porcelain.
The last one leapt over them both, landing behind Yuxin—
Tian Lei turned and threw his sword.
It struck straight through the thing’s chest.
The body froze, spasmed—then fell apart into chunks of dry black flesh.
Silence again.
The glowing symbols faded, flickering out like dying embers.
Yuxin stood still for a moment, breathing fast.
Then she let out a shaky laugh. "Okay. That was worse than husks."
Tian Lei walked over, pulled his sword from the ground, and wiped it clean. "Core puppets," he said. "Someone made them. Which means the controller is close."
Yuxin twirled her fan back into her hand. "Then let’s go find them."
Tian Lei gave a short nod.
They stepped past the broken remains and headed deeper into the basin, toward a dark tunnel yawning at the far side.
The air grew even colder as they approached.
The tunnel swallowed them.
Cold wrapped around them like wet cloth. The air was still—too still. No echoes, no dripping water, not even the sound of their own footsteps for a moment.
Then their steps came back, but... off.
Half a second late.
Like the stone was thinking about it first.
Yuxin slowed, eyes darting around. "Okay. Fun question: how do we know this isn’t all just an illusion?"
"We don’t," Tian Lei said. His tone didn’t change.
"...Cool." She gripped her fan tighter.
The passage narrowed, twisting downward. The stone walls had turned smooth, almost polished, like something had worn them down from the inside out. Here and there faint scratches covered the surface—claw marks, carved symbols, and long grooves like something had been dragged.
They went on in silence for several minutes.
Then the tunnel opened into a wide chamber.
And stopped.