Volume One: The Soul-Binding Gourd and the Flame of Spirits Chapter 75: Ancient Terror

Hehehehe!
A chilling, sinister laughter echoed from within the dense mist, unsettling the three figures shrouded inside, making their scalps tingle and sending waves of cold dread through them.
The source of the ghastly sound felt alarmingly close.
It is always the unknown that terrifies most!
At that moment, adrenaline surged, hearts raced, and every nerve in Gu Mo’s body was set alight. He gripped the Heaven-Measuring Ruler tightly, his brows knit in frustration, a torrent of complaints welling up within him:
'Damn! I knew this money would be hard to earn, and now ten thousand dollars has thrust me right into the eye of the storm! People die for wealth, birds perish for food—how true those words are!'
Thinking of his recent lack of rest, Gu Mo wore a sour expression.
(Didn’t this guy just spend more than ten days unconscious? How can he claim he hasn’t rested? Besides, Gu Mo’s recent earnings have been impressive!)
He glanced into the lingering mist, suspicion gnawing at him.
'Logically, as long as there are restless souls or evil spirits nearby, the Soul-Burning Lantern should react!'
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Gu Mo saw, in the milky fog, a pair of blood-red eyes suddenly light up out of nowhere!
His whole body tensed, and he drew a sharp breath, startled to the core!
Before Gu Mo could prepare himself, those eerie crimson eyes melted back into the mist, vanishing quietly…
As it stood, Gu Mo’s battle experience was pitifully scant. Though this hapless protagonist had been pursued by soul-catchers, chased by zombies, frightened by female ghosts, and used by immortals…
Yet, whenever things reached a critical point, Gu Mo would succumb to madness, fighting in a frenzy that left him unable to gain any real experience!
So, despite his encounters with various supernatural events, even a dead cat could scare him half to death at a moment like this!
In the end, Gu Mo was just an ordinary owner of a candle and incense shop.
Terrified, his eyes wide as saucers, he swallowed hard, then gently nudged the two companions behind him with his elbow.
A voice, barely louder than a mosquito’s flight, whispered forth.
“Hey~ did either of you see anything? There was a pair of eyes in the mist just now!”
The two behind him, equally baffled, scanned their surroundings warily, then shook their heads.
Catching sight of their clueless state, Gu Mo couldn’t help but roar in frustration.
“You two idiots! Shaking your heads—how am I supposed to see that? I don’t have eyes in the back of my head!”
No sooner had Gu Mo finished speaking than—shing!
A flash of cold steel shot out from the thick mist!
Gu Mo reacted instinctively, raising the Heaven-Measuring Ruler to shield his face.
A sharp clang resounded!
Sparks flew where the two weapons met.
Gu Mo felt a numbing jolt in his palm, and his tall, imposing figure seemed to sink beneath the blow.
Before him, a massive scythe struck the Heaven-Measuring Ruler with brute force. The tension in the air thickened, as dense as the surrounding fog.
Within the mist, a pair of uncanny, glowing red eyes suddenly appeared, fixed intently upon Gu Mo. They seemed capable of devouring souls; a single glance left his mind clouded.
In a split second, Gu Mo bit down hard on his tongue. The sharp pain snapped his thoughts back into clarity.
A fraction of a second later, Gu Mo swung the Heaven-Measuring Ruler, knocking aside the gleaming scythe, then brought it crashing down with force.
But to his astonishment, the ruler struck nothing—passing through empty air, missing the ghostly fiend entirely.
Whoosh—
Before Xiao Yulou and Li Hetang could turn their heads, the blood-red eyes disappeared once more into the mist…
Gu Mo’s anger flared, yet his remaining wits kept him from running after it.
At that moment, Xiao Yulou’s concerned voice reached his ear.
“Brother Gu, what’s happening?”

Gu Mo kept his brow furrowed, staring intently into the thick fog ahead.
“No idea what that thing was, but it wielded a scythe! I couldn’t land a single blow on it!”
Hearing this, Xiao Yulou’s lips curled into a faint, disdainful smile.
“So, that ghostly creature is still here, then!”
Gu Mo and Li Hetang were startled by the revelation.
“Master Xiao, you’ve seen it before?”
With an air of immortal grace, Xiao Yulou flicked his robe sleeve, speaking lightly.
“I visited Ancient Bridge Village years ago, and dealt with that thing then. I wonder if it has grown any stronger since.”
He finished, and suddenly fixed his gaze, swiftly producing a yellow talisman, shouting:
“Fire of the Three Pure Ones!”
With a thunderous roar, a huge fireball ignited above Xiao Yulou’s palm, blazing fiercely.
The intense flames drove away a large patch of mist, though the dampness in the air seemed only to increase.
With their vision expanded, Gu Mo gripped the Heaven-Measuring Ruler tightly, wary of another surprise attack.
Then Li Hetang’s voice reached them: “Master Xiao, what exactly is that thing?”
No sooner had Li Hetang spoken than a sharp slicing sound pierced the air. The terrifying scythe came swooping again—this time targeting Li Hetang!
Rip!
Li Hetang felt a cold sensation across his chest; his black jacket was slashed open by a fearsome gash.
Bang, bang!
Two bullets fired with ruthless precision at the blood-red eyes as the scythe swept past.
A bone-chilling scream followed!
Hiss—
At the same time, Xiao Yulou waved his hand, sending the giant fireball shooting into the mist, vanishing from sight.
Even with Li Hetang and Xiao Yulou reacting instantly, they still could not glimpse the ghostly creature’s true form!
The event unfolded so swiftly that Gu Mo barely had time to react—it was already over. Tense and worried, Gu Mo turned to look.
Li Hetang had discarded his split handgun and removed his black jacket. The scythe’s cut was so clean, it looked as if sliced by a laser!
If only the blade had been a bit higher…
The thought made Gu Mo’s body clench and shiver, stunned into silence. The droplets covering him—was it sweat or mist?
As he caught his breath, Gu Mo noticed Li Hetang was wearing a bulletproof vest beneath his jacket, making his earlier concern unnecessary.
Though Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou did not know Li Hetang well, nor shared a deep bond, if Li Hetang suffered any mishap on his first mission, the company’s higher-ups would hold them both accountable!
Breathing heavily—shing!
Li Hetang, now rid of his jacket, slung a tactical backpack onto his shoulders, drew a gleaming custom dagger, and held it in a reverse grip.
Suddenly, a strange scent filled the air. The surrounding mist grew thicker, and the silence became so profound that Gu Mo could hear all three heartbeats.
A few seconds later, Gu Mo, frowning, nudged backward with his elbow—only to find nothing there.
Alarmed, he glanced sideways, but neither Xiao Yulou nor Li Hetang were anywhere to be seen!
Buzz!
Gu Mo’s mind went blank.
“Shit! Where did those two idiots go? Didn’t even bother to tell me!”
Just then, something squirmed in Gu Mo’s pocket.
Gurgle, gurgle!

The gluttonous black ghost squeezed out from Gu Mo’s pocket. A quick glance at his so-called pet put him at ease. (After all, all his worldly possessions were inside the ghost’s mouth.)
As Gu Mo surveyed his surroundings, Xiao Yulou’s voice suddenly echoed from the mist.
“Ancient terror… Fede…”
The rest was swallowed up by the bizarre fog, and Gu Mo, looking in the direction of the sound, felt strangely distant.
“Damn that scruffy bastard—how did he get so far so quickly?”
While Gu Mo grumbled, the ball-shaped gluttonous ghost opened its mouth wide, rolled out its long tongue, and placed the Soul-Burning Lantern in Gu Mo’s palm.
Before he could make sense of it, with a loud boom, the lantern ignited on its own, flickering with green ghostfire.
The sight stunned Gu Mo—whatever had attacked with the scythe was indeed a demon!
With this realization, Gu Mo hefted the Heaven-Measuring Ruler, held the Soul-Burning Lantern aloft, and set off toward the direction of Xiao Yulou’s voice…
Step, step~
Gu Mo moved with utmost caution, as if walking on thin ice.
After half a minute of tense progress, he finally crossed the short span of the ancient bridge. Yet there was still no sign of Xiao Yulou or Li Hetang.
‘This is really bizarre!
Shouldn’t we be sticking together and launching a group attack?
Why am I left to wander alone?’
With a sigh of resignation, Gu Mo trudged on. After a few more steps, his foot struck something hard.
Alarmed, he held the Soul-Burning Lantern forward, ready to strike with the Heaven-Measuring Ruler if any demon appeared!
But after a second, nothing unusual happened.
Gu Mo, tense to the extreme, crouched down to investigate.
Parting the mist, illuminated by the green ghostfire of the lantern, Gu Mo found a blackened skeleton at his feet, leaning against the boundary marker at the entrance to Ancient Bridge Village.
The three blood-red characters of "Ancient Bridge Village" glowed eerily in the lantern’s green light, adding to the unsettling scene. The skeleton itself was even more ghastly!
Seeing it, Gu Mo felt his entire body go numb—a dreadful premonition surged within him.
The skeleton wore a black Daoist robe.
Several damp yellow talismans were clutched in its hand.
'Why does this Daoist robe look so familiar? Could it be that Xiao Yulou has already…'
Unwilling to jump to conclusions, Gu Mo steadied himself and gently lifted the black robe.
With a thud, two extremely familiar items rolled out from inside.
Wealth of the World, Jade Hairpin!
Seeing these two rare treasures, Gu Mo was utterly perplexed.
Xiao Yulou, in Gu Mo’s mind, was the epitome of an accomplished master—how could that sly Daoist meet such a fate, turning to bone in mere minutes?
Yet the presence of Xiao Yulou’s personal artifacts begged explanation.
Was it all just illusion?
Just like the earlier, brightly lit Ancient Bridge Village?
As he pondered, Gu Mo grew increasingly uneasy.
As soon as he raised his head, the skeleton’s skull tilted, its deep eye sockets stared straight at him.
…