Chapter Forty-One: Must Return Home Safely

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Inside the Wailing Soul Cave...

Master plummeted into the depths of the Wailing Soul Cave. Surrounded by pitch-black darkness, he remained utterly unfazed. The air was filled with dreadful screeches, cries, and howls, yet Master only closed his eyes lightly and murmured, “Let the souls of the Nine Nether Sins follow the fragrant cloud banner, let the divine spirit find eternal peace atop the Lotus of Wisdom, Domain-Breaking Spell, come!”

As he finished speaking, a lotus blossomed beneath his feet, lifting him into the air. But the Domain-Breaking Spell’s power was far from spent. With the emergence of the blue lotus, a radiant white light illuminated the cave, revealing indistinct, shadowy figures circling around Master.

The restless souls within the cave seemed provoked, shrieking in anger. Ghostly claws stretched from the walls, reaching for Master, while chilling voices echoed overhead, “Heh heh! Human, you’re never leaving the Wailing Soul Cave. Surrender your soul to us, heh heh heh!”

Stepping firmly atop the blue lotus, Master formed a seal with one hand and declared, “Ha! You think a mere cave can devour me? What a fleeting dream. Today, I will obliterate you all, the cave included!”

His words were met with countless sharp ghostly claws lunging at him, accompanied by terrifying screams. Master shifted his hand seal, and at his center, a white lotus slowly emerged, enveloping him. The white radiance grew ever brighter, causing the anguished souls to cry out in panic. The voice from before shouted again, “Human! Light is forbidden in the Wailing Soul Cave. Prepare to die!”

With those words, a black shadow darted toward Master, shattering the white lotus into two. Frowning, Master exclaimed, “Impossible!”

Barely distracted, the black shadow lunged at him again. Master reacted swiftly, dodging and engaging the shadow in close combat in midair. Master sidestepped and punched the shadow in the back. Hit, the shadow staggered forward. Seizing the moment, Master vanished into thin air. The shadow, startled by Master’s sudden disappearance, scanned the surroundings in confusion—yet Master was truly gone.

Moments later, the shadow, believing Master had been consumed by the cave, turned to leave when suddenly—Master’s hand, wrapped in white light, struck the shadow’s face. Bang! With a thunderous crash, the shadow was sent flying, but quickly recovered, spinning in midair and regaining composure, clutching its face in astonishment. “You... human? Where did you just go? How—?”

Master shook his hand and sneered, “You’re not qualified to know.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than he stepped onto the blue lotus, disappearing once more. The shadow was now thoroughly terrified, dreading a fatal attack from any direction. Master, wise as ever, did not strike directly this time, instead appearing alternately to the shadow’s left and right, keeping him off-balance.

Driven nearly to the brink of collapse by Master’s repeated vanishing and sudden appearances, the shadow tried to escape. But Master feinted, appearing suddenly at the shadow’s left and throwing a punch. The shadow glanced sideways, smirked, dodged back, and a blast of ghostly energy struck Master squarely. “Heh heh, fooled you!” the shadow crowed.

But as the shadow reveled in its triumph, Master abruptly appeared behind him, delivering a wind-imbued punch. Boom! Once again, the shadow was sent flying, suspended midair. As the shadow struggled to rise, Master pointed ahead, and the white figures circling the blue lotus rushed forward, stabbing their long blades into the shadow’s spine. The shadow screamed, pinned against the cave wall, as its soul was gradually pulled into the wall by desiccated ghostly hands. In its final despair, it cried, “How could you... how could you appear behind me? No, no...”

With that, the shadow, accompanied by its agonized cries, was dragged into the wall by vengeful souls. Master took out a cigarette, straightened his clothes, and muttered to himself, “The Wailing Soul Cave—utterly tedious. Time to leave.”

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Inside the Gate of Suffering, time slipped away minute by minute. The group still hadn’t decided what to do when Senior Chu Feng was the first to break the stalemate, shouting, “It’s just a little Wailing Soul Cave, let’s deal with it!”

Everyone lifted their heads to look at Chu Feng, as if a common purpose had been reached. Elder Yaosheng Tian echoed, “I agree. We’ve seen all manner of storms and dangers—what’s a Wailing Soul Cave? Nothing to fear.”

“Right, it’s not my first time facing the cave. It’s nothing special. Sikong, you stay outside—you’re badly wounded, don’t rush in. We’ve got this. Let’s head to the Abyss of Ten Thousand Ghosts first,” added Qiyuan Ghost God.

Seeing everyone voice their resolve, Sikong Fan, struggling with fatigue, insisted, “Old ghost, that’s nonsense. How can I miss out on saving the boss as the top expert of the Celestial Immortal Sect? Let’s go!”

Sikong Fan’s words brought laughter from the group.

“Sikong, you’ve been expelled from the Celestial Immortal Sect—still calling yourself the top expert? Besides, a top expert wouldn’t look like you do now.” Qiyuan Ghost God sized up Sikong Fan.

Sikong Fan retorted, “Why not? If I hadn’t just used power beyond my own, do you think I’d be like this?”

“Hey, stop bullying Sikong. He’s right—if he hadn’t forced himself to use the Giant Immortal Technique, an endless army of ghost soldiers would have poured from that black cloud, and we’d have been worn down to death,” someone interjected.

As they spoke, a familiar voice came from behind. Everyone started, spinning around to see Master walking toward them, one hand in his pocket, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The restless wind swept his clothes back as he approached. The group stared, stunned. Qiyuan Ghost God exclaimed, “Boss... you... how did you get out?”

Master took a drag, held the cigarette between his fingers, exhaled smoke, and strode up to them. “What do you mean, how did I get out?”

“But boss, didn’t you fall into the Wailing Soul Cave?” Chu Feng asked in confusion.

Master glanced at Chu Feng and smiled, “Yes, I did fall in. But now, I’m out.”

His words silenced everyone. Elder Yaosheng Tian chimed in, “Old Tan, impressive! You braved the cave alone and came out unscathed. Respect!”

“Indeed. But as long as you’re back safe, what’s next?” Sikong Fan asked.

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Master thought for a moment, squatted down, and drew a rough map on the ground. Pointing to it, he explained, “This is Boundless Mountain, here’s the Gate of Suffering, and this is Soul Longevity Valley—the third trial we must face. I estimate the three Ghost Generals will converge here for a direct confrontation. Be alert and adapt. Sikong, your body’s not up to it, so you don’t need to join the fight.”

At this, Sikong Fan paused, unwillingly looking at Master, who gave no response but continued, “Old Monster, you take the east. Old Ghost, the west. Chu Feng, you handle the rear, and I’ll take the front. Our formation remains the same—four points, supporting each other. Soul Longevity Valley!”

With these words, Master pressed the map firmly, declaring, “What must be faced will come. This time, we’ll break through Huafeng Fortress. But remember: do your best, adapt as needed, safety first, and finally...”

Master raised his head, looking at everyone, and said softly, “Come home safe!”

With that, he stood and headed toward Soul Longevity Valley. The group watched his retreating figure, stunned at first, then smiling and falling in line behind him. Sikong Fan hurried to Master’s side, pleading, “Boss, what about me? I don’t want to stay behind. Trust me—I can fight.”

Master glanced over, noting Sikong Fan’s earnest expression, shook his head, and smiled, “That’s what I like about you. You’ll support the others, but don’t approach the center of the battlefield. Now is not the time to show off!”

He finished, pulled out a cigarette and tossed one to Chu Feng, lit his own, and strode boldly ahead. Sikong Fan watched Master’s figure and understood, happily rejoining the ranks. The others saw Sikong Fan’s cheerful face and smiled too, declaring, “Let’s all go home safe!”

Sikong Fan nodded, and once again, the group marched shoulder to shoulder onto the battlefield.

At this moment, I, walking atop Boundless Mountain, finally arrived at the Gate of Suffering. Standing at a distance, I gazed at the maze-like scene ahead and cautiously stepped inside. No sooner had I entered than I heard a groan nearby. Turning, I saw a ghost soldier sprawled on the ground, his soul nearly fading. I hurried over and asked, “Hey, wait—have you seen five people pass through here?”

The ghost soldier looked up weakly, his gaze fierce, saying nothing. I realized questioning was futile and was about to finish him off when he suddenly cried out, “Don’t! Don’t... I’ll tell you. Five people did pass by. They weren’t just human—they were like demons. Our hundred thousand brothers were all slaughtered by them. I’ve seen some truths—Lord Qingchen only sent us to our deaths. If I had the chance, I’d run.”

I listened to his story and sighed, “Ghosts were once human. You’ve just been brainwashed, consumed by resentment, turned into fiends. Better to die in battle than run away. Today, I won’t destroy you. Take care.”

In that moment, I relented, despite Master’s warning not to show mercy to vengeful ghosts. Yet I did so anyway. I stood, walked toward the direction the ghost soldier pointed, and behind me, he burst out laughing, “Better to die in battle than run away—what a joke! I’d rather not see my brothers die for nothing. Do you know what it’s like to watch those around you perish while you stand by, facing the same fate? It’s not fair, not fair!”

Frowning, I pressed on, ignoring his cries of injustice, quickening my pace to catch up with Master and the others...