Liao Fei Xing gasped for breath, and his sword struck the monster's arm, chopping it off instantly.
"You have no conscience! I clearly told you to leave at the cave entrance. It's your own fault for falling into the pit, and now you're blaming it on me."
Liao Fei Xing's anger rose, and he shook the Faltering Moon Sword fiercely, almost splattering Gu Ling Ling with the monster's blood.
"And what about you? I was standing still. Why would I fall down? I even thought you pushed me."
Indeed, it was strange. She had been standing steadily, but suddenly felt a push and fell. She almost fell to her death with Da Bao. Speaking of Da Bao, Gu Ling Ling's heart skipped a beat. She looked around, and where Da Bao had fallen was now empty, with no sign of him.
Gu Ling Ling was about to run out when she immediately crouched down, realizing that the monster was being drawn away by the three people, so Da Bao should be safe now. Although that kid didn't speak, he actually had a lot of thoughts. Venturing out carelessly might backfire.
"You are talking nonsense!"
"Too much talk."
Glancing at the frustrated Liao Feixing, Rongrong seemed much calmer in comparison. Although she was as disheveled as anyone else, her bloodstained clothes added to her powerful aura. Turning around and standing in front of Gu Lingling, she swept her sword across the monster's legs, causing it to fall to the ground, in stark contrast to its previous stubborn state.
"Rongrong, be careful! Can't you be of any use, Gu Lingling?!" Liao Feixing's hand rose and fell with the sword, slicing the monster into several pieces as blood and flesh spilled all over the ground.
The vines suddenly became excited, even the vines in the distance kept squirming and coming closer. The monster's blood was instantly absorbed from the ground, and the vines climbed onto the monster's fragments, devouring the disgusting flesh.
After consuming the carcass, the fruits on the vines actually grew by a ring. Gu Lingling hadn't noticed it before, but now, next to the fruit, she clearly saw the vessels resembling blood vessels, allowing her to almost see the murky green monster blood that had been absorbed a while ago.
"I'll cheer for you. Is it... over now?"
Gu Lingling blinked, barely believing that they had narrowly escaped danger.
Suddenly, a sharp whistle echoed at the sealed cave entrance, causing the cave to resonate. Their eardrums felt as if they were being hammered and stabbed by a silver needle.
The piercing whistle, though chaotic, contained a certain pattern, causing the thin mist of the monster's soul that had dissipated from its body to suddenly reassemble.
"Ghost demon..."
Liao Feixing staggered and straightened his body, still covering his ears, his expression gradually becoming serious.
Once a person dies and becomes a ghost, no matter how useless they were in life, once they become a ghost, they have the capital to seek justice and revenge for themselves. As for powerful monsters, they are even more relentless. But due to the cycle of the heavens, when a monster dies, its soul disperses. Unless it encounters a special convergence of qi, or someone artificially collects its soul.
And the current situation obviously falls into the latter category.
The monster's soul, freed from its physical constraints, faded a shade, and the gray edges around it seemed to resemble burning gray flames, somewhat unreal.
But its bloodshot pupils, no longer murky, exuded ferocity.
Without taking a step, the entire cave trembled, and the powerful killing intent and ghostly aura emanating from it made it difficult for everyone to keep their eyes open.
Gu Lingling had no experience dealing with monsters, but she did have some methods for dealing with ghosts, and the intense aura was already forcing everyone to act without hesitation.
While Gu Lingling threw out her talisman, Liao Feixing and Rongrong simultaneously wielded their swords in harmony, causing sparks to fly when the two swords clashed, a technique used to agitate their weapons' sword qi.
The monster ghost made no attempt to dodge, allowing the talisman and swords to strike it. Unexpectedly, the triple attack had no effect, only enraging the monster ghost, causing it to increase in size.
This situation seemed familiar to Gu Lingling. Even though she wasn't particularly talented, her knowledge came in handy. She had previously studied a lot about ghosts and monsters, and it was proving useful now.
"Stop! We can't attack this monster ghost!" Liao Feixing and Rongrong had exchanged blows several times, and every time they hit the monster ghost, it increased in size. "Liao Feixing, stop! Your Moonfall Sword has killed it twice, intensifying its grudge. Your attacks will only make it stronger."
Monster ghosts are sure to have an intense grudge, unlike ordinary vengeful spirits. Their souls also thrive on resentment, and now the monster ghost was intentionally seeking their attacks to increase its grudge. Soon, it would not only be able to effortlessly kill them but also bring harm to the human realm.
"Why should we listen to you?"
Although Liao Feixing protested, he and Rongrong stepped back as instructed.
"Because I am right!"
When has Liao Feixing ever argued like this?
The three of them took cover behind the fruit. The monster ghost, seeing that they were not attacking, became impatient. However, it seemed to be wary of the fruit and did not dare to attack it. It merely circled around the fruit, unable to harm them. During this process, Gu Lingling took the opportunity to throw a few talismans, causing the monster ghost to shrink considerably.
Just as Gu Lingling was secretly relieved, the sharp whistle sounded again, but this time, it was aimed at them.
As if struck by lightning, Gu Lingling found herself unable to move, and the same fate befell Liao Feixing and Rongrong. Liao Feixing, with his advanced cultivation, was about to break through to the next level, so his aura was much stronger than Gu Lingling's and Rongrong's.
His slim, fair fingers could no longer grip the Moonfall Sword, but he struggled nonetheless, his forehead veins bulging due to the struggle against the whistle.
Their auras were starting to suffer damage.
"Liao Feixing! Suppress your aura!" Rongrong, who had always been tense, finally showed a different expression. Gu Lingling had previously thought that it was a one-sided crush for Liao Feixing, but now it seemed that Rongrong also had some feelings for him. How strong these feelings were or whether they were simply the bond between comrades, it was hard to say.
At the same time, a figure dressed in black stepped out from the darkness in the cave, their entire face obscured by a hat. Only a mouth blowing a whistle could be seen.
This was no ordinary wooden whistle, but a bone whistle.
In the cultivation world, bones were considered malevolent, and any tool or instrument that touched a bone carried an air of malevolence.
The sharp whistle caused Liao Feixing's aura to go into disarray, and with no more resistance, he was on the verge of having his meridians reversed, causing damage to his aura and soul.
Finally giving in, he let go, and the Moonfall Sword fell to the dirty ground.
Seeing the Moonfall Sword lying on the ground, the monster ghost, with a tinge of victory in its ugly face, approached them slowly, under the continuous sound of the whistle.
Using its sharp nails, it arrogantly lifted Liao Feixing's cheek, leaving marks with a slight pressure on his fair face.
But just as the monster ghost was taking pleasure in tormenting Liao Feixing, a white light flashed, and the oppressive aura on Liao Feixing vanished instantly. Along with it, the monster ghost, engulfed in grudge, also disappeared.
Split in half by the white light, the monster ghost's crimson eyes remained wide open. Before it could react, it dissipated completely into thin air.
Once the monster ghost disappeared, the piercing whistle also stopped.
Because a man wearing a white robe appeared in front of everyone.
The man, dressed in a flowing white robe with no wind, held a sword in his hand, the blade emitting a cold white light, with faint traces of cold sharpness, making people feel a chill.
The man was handsome, but he exuded the same coldness as his sword. His beautiful eyes seemed uninterested in anything, like a cold moon, looking down on everything in the world, yet nothing could escape his gaze.
Clearly, his facial features were as gentle as if they were washed by spring water, making people inexplicably drawn to him, but the aura surrounding him made people step back.
His beauty was conflicting.
"Master!"
"Subordinates greet the Master."
With these two salutations, the suppression of the atmosphere dissipated, and several people regained their freedom. Liao Feixing and Rong Rong respectfully bowed when they saw the man.
It turned out that the man was Luoyun Zhen. It was no wonder that Gu Lingling was surprised. As a cannon fodder, in the original work, Gu Lingling had never seen Luoyun Zhen before she died. Even when her identity was revealed in the end, she had only seen him once, after which Luoyun Zhen had killed her as if crushing an ant.
In the original work, Luoyun Zhen was cold and resolute, showing a hint of warmth only when he met the female lead in his cold, out-of-this-world eyes.
"Master, hello."
Gu Lingling was stunned for a while before abruptly saying hello, which prompted Luoyun Zhen to pay more attention to her. That one look seemed to contain something. It's uncertain whether it was an illusion, but Gu Lingling felt a hint of shyness in his gaze.