Chapter 12: The Second Freeze

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Before dawn, an eerie chill hung in the air.

With a sudden buzz!

Gu Mo’s smooth, glowing body was suddenly pierced by a strange red light emerging from his chest. That damned Soul-Severing Mark had appeared once again!

Looking closely, the bizarre symbol on Gu Mo’s chest seemed to pulse like a breathing light, flickering on and off in a terrifying rhythm. Even the fierce ghostly flames blazing from his body couldn’t completely obscure it.

It felt as though this sinister mark, which always appeared at critical moments, possessed a life of its own!

Xiao Yulou, frail and breathless, lay on the steps, his face grave as he watched the unfolding events.

Even if Xiao Yulou wished to intervene, his weakened body would not obey.

At that moment, Gu Mo, his eyes bloodshot with madness, abruptly turned his head, his face twisted into a ghastly expression as he glared at the surrounding creatures. His mouth opened to reveal two rows of sharp fangs, exhaling chilling cold air.

“Kill! Kill!”

His icy, murderous gaze swept across the open ground, causing the leading corpse to flinch and involuntarily jump back.

Xiao Yulou on the steps also bristled with fear, helpless and tense.

Gu Mo, consumed by madness and a fierce desire for revenge, had lost all sense of friend or foe!

Perhaps only the boiling blood and pounding heart could soothe the bone-chilling cold within him.

For a moment, the terrifying atmosphere spread like wildfire.

Seeing this, Xiao Yulou, weak and gasping, felt for the first time the threat to his life.

Though Xiao Yulou wielded a divine artifact, no one could predict what Gu Mo, in his maddened state, might do.

‘What should this humble Taoist do?’

Just then, Xiao Yulou’s mind raced anxiously, silently cursing beneath his breath.

‘Who is that despicable scoundrel behind Zou Ying? How dare they use Brother Gu’s ex-girlfriend as leverage! Such a mess—how can we contain it?’

As Xiao Yulou pondered deeply, suddenly two crisp cracking sounds echoed.

Gu Mo’s entire body was gradually being frozen by a bone-chilling cold.

Xiao Yulou was dumbfounded, unable to believe what he saw.

In a flash, a black, shadowy figure burst out from Gu Mo’s back.

Spotting the new target, Gu Mo opened his fang-filled maw and stretched out his pale, withered ghostly hands toward the shadow.

“Kill! Kill!”

Before Gu Mo, in his frenzied state, could make a move, the pervasive cold instantly encased him in a translucent ice sculpture, from which tendrils of frigid air radiated.

Through the thick ice shell, Gu Mo’s blood-red eyes gleamed with an icy, dreadful gaze.

Upon closer inspection, the rounded black shadow was none other than a staggering, fluffy Greedy Spirit.

Gurgle, gurgle—

The small, dark creature wailed pitifully upon appearing, its soft fur curled and smoldering from green ghost flames licking its body.

In soul-piercing agony, the Greedy Spirit extended its long tongue to tenderly soothe its singed fur.

Glancing around, it quickly flicked its tongue and swallowed a black stone that had fallen into a deep pit.

Suddenly, with a thunderous crack!

The terrifying ice shell reignited with green ghost flames.

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After a clinking and clattering, a thick iron chain burst forth from the ice encasing Gu Mo, binding him tightly in multiple layers.

Xiao Yulou, lying on the steps, was stunned beyond words.

“Boundless Heavenly Sovereign—thanks to White Impermanence’s Soul-Binding Chain, it seems we’re safe for now!”

Indeed—

At present, Gu Mo, maddened and frozen in this strange ice, had the Queen of Hell dormant inside him, while Xiao Yulou was gravely wounded from peering into the celestial secrets.

Only the dark, fluffy Greedy Spirit and the leading corpse remained able to move.

This silly, adorable creature, with eyes like a galaxy, curiously examined everything around it.

Then, tilting its head, the Greedy Spirit spotted the underworld artifacts by the wall’s root. (Though this furry black ball seemed to lack a neck altogether.)

With a sharp whoosh, slicing the air, the Greedy Spirit sucked the three underworld artifacts back into its belly.

Of course, the dazzling silver bracelet and a photo of Li Hongyan were also drawn before it.

Seeing the bloodstained photo, the Greedy Spirit gurgled a few times, its meaning unclear.

Xiao Yulou, gasping heavily on the steps, finally spoke.

“Gre...Greedy Spirit, first extinguish the ghost flames on Brother Gu’s body!”

At these words, the Greedy Spirit suddenly remembered something, pulling a tattered black cloth from the abyssal maw with its long tongue.

With a swish, the unremarkable cloth was draped over the ice shell.

As soon as the cloth touched the ice, the blazing green ghost flames were absorbed into it.

For a moment, the small courtyard was unnervingly silent, as if nothing had happened.

Witnessing this strange scene, Xiao Yulou felt enlightened.

“Boundless Heavenly Sovereign!”

Uttering his trademark phrase, Xiao Yulou continued solemnly,

“It appears this underworld artifact is truly a bottomless pit, capable of absorbing enormous amounts of ghost flames!”

As he finished, Xiao Yulou looked politely at the leading corpse and said,

“Brother Corpse, please carry me and Brother Gu back inside.”

Without a word, the black-enshrouded leading corpse dragged its stiff body and lifted both Xiao Yulou and Gu Mo, heading toward the house...

The scene shifted; time passed unknowably.

Inside the house, lingering incense smoke curled gently, filling the space with tranquil serenity.

Before the portrait of the Three Purities Ancestor lay offerings of incense and tributes, three half-burnt sandalwood sticks releasing delicate wisps of smoke...

On a yellow meditation cushion, Xiao Yulou sat cross-legged, eyes closed, regulating his breath and energy.

Meanwhile, the leading corpse stood stiffly in a corner, staring at the block of ice.

Slurp slurp—

The Greedy Spirit was licking the massive ice block with its long tongue.

Amusingly, atop the ice shell freezing Gu Mo was a dollop of fragrant cream and strawberry jam, which the dark little creature greedily savored.

One wonders what on earth runs through the Greedy Spirit’s mind—how did it think to spread such strange treats on the ice shell?

To it, the frozen Gu Mo was apparently a giant ice cream sandwich.

Suddenly, Xiao Yulou slowly opened his eyes, flicked his sleeve, and said in a deep voice:

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“Greedy Spirit, may I see the black orb you just swallowed?”

Upon hearing this, the Greedy Spirit licked some cream, smacked its lips, then flicked out the strange black orb with its long tongue.

At first glance, the orb was about the size of a lychee, its surface emanating wisps of black smoke. Held in hand, it felt heavy, icy cold, and exuded a sinister aura—clearly no ordinary object.

Holding the orb to his nose, Xiao Yulou inhaled deeply, detecting a strong herbal fragrance.

Frowning thoughtfully, he pulled an ancient tome from his robe and began leafing through it.

After some time, the yellowed pages revealed text and illustrations that piqued Xiao Yulou’s interest.

“It’s a zombie inner core! This humble Taoist is truly fortunate!”

Elated, Xiao Yulou looked toward the leading corpse in the corner and said,

“Brother Corpse, this zombie inner core is rare indeed. While Brother Gu remains frozen, why not take it and cultivate?”

Hearing this, the stiff leading corpse hopped forward to Xiao Yulou. With a wave of his hand, Xiao Yulou tossed the zombie inner core into its mouth.

Instantly, the leading corpse trembled, dark smoke drifting slowly from its mouth and nose, exuding an eerie sensation.

It seemed that after consuming the zombie inner core, the leading corpse was undergoing an internal transformation!

Slurp~ slurp~

The Greedy Spirit continued to lick the frozen Gu Mo, then fished a bottle of cola from the abyssal maw with its tongue.

Fizz~

With nimble tongue, it twisted open the cap and poured some cola onto the ice shell.

Glug glug glug—

The cold, fizzy cola immediately bubbled upon contact with the ice.

The Greedy Spirit gleefully licked the chilled cola, its furry face showing pure delight.

Seeing this, Xiao Yulou’s face flushed with embarrassment. If Brother Gu were to awaken, he’d surely be shocked to the core!

“Greedy Spirit, quickly bite through the ice shell around Brother Gu. The longer he’s frozen, the worse it’ll be!”

The Greedy Spirit whimpered in protest, baring four rows of sharp teeth, and began gnawing at the ice shell encasing Gu Mo.

Crunch crunch—

The terrifying sound of cracking ice filled the air. Before long, Gu Mo’s stiff, trembling body was half freed.

After a while, the unconscious Gu Mo was laid gently upon soft bedding.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound echoed.

Clad in festive red attire, the Queen of Hell appeared in the scene, floating proudly in midair with a stern, glaring expression, scrutinizing everything around her. It seemed the unappointed Queen was about to make a move!

Feeling the ominous shift, Xiao Yulou’s eyes darted as turmoil stirred within him.

Before he could explain, the Queen of Hell spun her head sharply, glaring fiercely at Xiao Yulou and said sternly,

“Cola and cream? You dared keep these for yourself!”

...