Volume One: The Soul-Attracting Gourd, The Flame of the Soul Lamp Chapter 18: The True Form of the Painting Immortal!

Dark clouds shrouded the moon, making the already pitch-black night even more terrifying and eerie. And on the open ground, stood a disheveled figure, like a ghost from a painting.

Gu Mo halted in his tracks, momentarily stunned; yet, after several supernatural encounters, he was no longer as frightened as before. Li Gang, on the other hand, cowered behind Gu Mo, trembling uncontrollably, fearing that the ghostly figure would claim his life.

A chilling, guttural laugh echoed from the ghostly woman, her wild hair obscuring her face as she glared viciously at Gu Mo.

Under her gaze, Gu Mo frowned and cursed angrily, "You damned thing! What are you looking at?"

The ghost in the painting was infuriated by Gu Mo’s words. "You brat, who are you calling names?"

Gu Mo sneered, meeting her gaze without flinching. "Dust returns to dust, earth to earth. The dead should go where they belong. Why linger in the mortal world?"

The ghostly woman responded with a sinister chuckle, and Gu Mo merely stood, waiting for her laughter to subside. Perhaps bored, she soon stopped.

"Listen, brat, stay out of this! We each get what we want—no matter if the King of Hell himself comes, I’m in the right!"

At the mention of the King of Hell, Gu Mo cocked an eyebrow and burst into laughter.

Irritated, the ghost snapped, "Brat, what are you laughing at?"

Gu Mo snapped his fingers, and King Yan, Jiang Jingxue, emerged from his body in a wisp of spirit. Gu Mo stepped aside, giving her center stage, and said with swagger, "King of Hell? Then you two should have a good chat!"

The ghost in the painting stared intently, sensing trouble. The sudden appearance of this female ghost suggested formidable power, though Jiang Jingxue's attire was unimpressive. With her delicate bridal robes and ornate headdress, she looked more like a ghost bride than a fearsome specter. The ghost in the painting scoffed, not believing Jiang Jingxue was the King of Hell.

A few seconds later, she snorted, "Hmph! I thought you had some skill, but she’s just a young ghost bride! If she’s the King of Hell, I’ll let her use my head as a stool!"

Gu Mo laughed instead of getting angry. "You said it yourself; no one forced you!"

The ghost in the painting cackled, her laughter sinister and unrestrained, striking fear deep into the soul. Li Gang, behind Gu Mo, broke out in cold sweat, as if his pores had opened after a rain.

Jiang Jingxue felt her dignity wounded. "Minion, finish her off for me!"

Gu Mo’s eyes widened. "What? Me? Shouldn’t you do it yourself?"

Jiang Jingxue frowned, her pale hand resting on Gu Mo's shoulder. Her silvery voice echoed in his mind, "Minion, you deal with her. I must maintain my King of Hell’s dignity."

Gu Mo was drenched in sweat. ‘Damn, I’m reduced to a thug!’

Just then, an icy chill swept through Gu Mo’s nerves. With a thunderous roar, green ghostly flames erupted from his hands.

With a clatter, the soul-binding chain was gripped tightly in Gu Mo’s grasp.

The ghost in the painting gasped at Gu Mo’s display. Terror-stricken, she stammered, "Brat, who are you really? How do you have the soul-binding chain?"

Gu Mo smirked wickedly, saying nothing. ‘If she recognizes the chain, her skills aren’t simple. I’d better be cautious.’

Seeing Gu Mo remain silent, the ghost began to worry. But with the enemy before her and her bravado already spent, fleeing was not the best option.

She gritted her teeth and decided to reveal her true form, hoping to frighten Gu Mo.

A gust of cold wind blew, scattering her long hair. Li Gang, behind Gu Mo, nearly lost control of himself in fright.

Looking closely, the ghost’s face was appallingly gruesome. The left side was breathtakingly beautiful, but the right was horribly decayed. Green, unknown fluids oozed out, teeming with white maggots. A blood-red eyeball dangled by nerves from her cheekbone. It was hideous beyond words.

Her ghostly hands nearly dragged on the ground, the nails like iron spikes, razor-sharp. One swipe would surely tear flesh from bone.

Gu Mo, seeing her true form, wasn’t terrified. Rather, his stomach churned.

He turned to the petrified Li Gang. "What kind of taste do you have? How could you kiss a face like that? Aren’t you afraid of nightmares?"

Li Gang, equally nauseated, forced a shaky smile. "Brother, I… I had no idea! Please, don’t tease me. I feel like I swallowed a cockroach!"

Each word stabbed at the heart of the ghost in the painting, humiliating her.

She snarled, "Hmph! I’ll see what you’re really capable of!"

With a flick of her hand, seven crimson silk ribbons shot from her skirt, targeting the three—two humans and one ghost.

Gu Mo quickly dodged to the left, while Jiang Jingxue stood unmoved. The ribbons fell limply before reaching her.

But Li Gang, weakened by vice and fear, was quickly wrapped into a tight, red cocoon and hoisted into a tree, swaying in the wind. Soon, an orange-red liquid seeped out, pungent and foul.

Gu Mo frowned. ‘He wet himself out of fear? Didn’t even try to dodge—truly useless!’

With the situation critical, Gu Mo took a deep breath and charged toward the ghost, clutching the soul-binding chain—his only weapon.

In a flash, he swung the chain like a serpent, lashing at the ghost.

But her form flickered, leaving only a doppelganger bound by the chain.

Gu Mo’s heart leapt with joy—she seemed weak.

But as he basked in his triumph, a shadow flashed by, and a tremendous force sent him flying. He crashed into a tree with a dull thud.

Crack!

The trunk supporting him split into countless fissures.

Gu Mo felt a sweet rush in his throat and spat out blood, his body aching as if struck by a car. He realized the chain had only ensnared the ghost’s clone.

He looked around and saw the ghost floating before Li Gang’s cocoon. Her decayed face was mere millimeters from his, her smile wicked as she spoke, "My dear, let me drain you completely!"

Li Gang, bound tightly, screamed like a slaughtered pig.

Gu Mo felt a cold shiver, realizing that if the ghost drained Li Gang’s blood, her powers would grow.

He now knew he’d underestimated her.

At the critical moment, Gu Mo staggered to his feet and ran toward Li Gang.

With a roar, three green ghost flames shot between Li Gang and the ghost.

The ghost recoiled in shock—she hadn’t expected Jiang Jingxue to intervene.

"Interrupting my feast? You court death!"

With a flick, a sharp gust of ghostly wind whipped toward Jiang Jingxue, leaving a deep gash wherever it passed—splitting grass, earth, and stone alike.

Jiang Jingxue froze in terror; her powers as the new King of Hell were not yet awakened, and she lacked combat experience, even compared to Gu Mo.

Gu Mo could only grit his teeth and leap forward.

Blood splattered, staining the ground.

Jiang Jingxue’s beautiful face was flecked with blood. She quickly caught Gu Mo, wounded, in her arms.

"Minion!"

Gu Mo, lying in her embrace, felt cold wind seep into his chest, blood spreading through his tracksuit.

He weakly raised a hand, reaching for Jiang Jingxue’s cheek, but it fell before touching her.

Jiang Jingxue burst into tears, shaking him desperately.

"Minion, wake up!"

But Gu Mo, unconscious, heard nothing.

The ghost in the painting scoffed, "All bark and no bite—this brat is only good at mouthing off!"

Jiang Jingxue, furious, was consumed with rage.

Suddenly, the soul-drawing gourd flew out of the black bundle, popping its lid and pouring a green, luminous liquid into Gu Mo’s mouth.

The inconspicuous oil lamp rolled upright and suddenly ignited with flickering green flame.

In an instant, Gu Mo, in Jiang Jingxue’s arms, seemed to defy gravity, rising to his feet. Jiang Jingxue stared in shock, utterly bewildered...