Chapter 82: Ghostly Fire
"Hey," Lu Xiu tapped Jiang Hong, "Time to cast the spell, or do you want to watch longer?"
"Ah, right, right." Jiang Hong snapped back to reality and said, "But casting the spell, it won’t cause any serious consequences, right?"
"I don’t know," Lu Xiu replied. "Just do your thing, I’ll handle any problems."
Jiang Hong: "Is there some kind of big boss in that palace? It looks so intimidating."
Lu Xiu: "I've never interacted with the lower dimension, but it's okay. Go ahead."
Filled with apprehension, Jiang Hong activated the formation and said, "Old Sun, be careful, okay?"
Old Sun turned its camera toward the distance, seemingly lost in memories and didn't respond to Jiang Hong.
"Old Sun!" Jiang Hong called out, "I'm about to cast the spell!"
Snapping back to reality, Old Sun said, "I'm here, I'm here! The spiritual energy!"
Jiang Hong: "..."
As soon as the formation was activated, a bizarre scene unfolded. Unlike any previous gathering of spiritual energy, this time space itself seemed to twist eerily. The spiritual energy tonight was more abundant than ever, and the Jingguang Liuli emitted a brilliant light as if breaking free from Jiang Hong’s control.
The next moment, all the ghostly fires in the world rushed towards the vortex's center!
"Wait... not so much, no no no!" Jiang Hong, having activated the formation, found it uncontrollable and exclaimed, "Just a little bit is enough, just a little!"
"Who dares to be so presumptuous!" A voice thundered, shaking heaven and earth, "Dare to usurp the guiding light?! Withdraw immediately!"
"This is bad," Jiang Hong turned to look, and Lu Xiu said, "Quick! How much longer?"
The ghostly fires flew towards the vortex, and all the ghosts on the ground and ethereal figures in the sky turned toward the small clearing on the top of Yin Mountain. Suddenly, Jiang Hong and his formation became the target of everyone's attention!
Startled by the shout, Jiang Hong felt like a caught thief, nervously saying, "I... I didn't mean to, just borrowing a bit! I’m doing this for world peace..."
However, in the palace, a gigantic figure seemed to emerge, resembling a giant.
The giant held a several meters long staff, with a purple-red flame floating above it, starting to rotate.
The giant was as massive as the ancient god Jiang Hong had seen before, dressed in magnificent robes, resembling an emperor, holding a bronze bell in his right hand. Palaces manifested a path in the sky, and the giant swiftly walked along that path.
"Focus on your task!" Lu Xiu quickly stepped off the platform, leapt into the sky, and instantly transformed into a black dragon, aiming to intercept the ancient god-like giant.
Immediately, the giant raised his right hand, ringing the bronze bell he held.
"Boom—" the sound was deafening, sweeping across with its waves, causing the black dragon to tumble in the air!
The moment Jiang Hong heard the bell, it was as if he had been punched in the back of his head. He felt himself floating, numb to any sensation. At that moment, a term came to his mind:
Astral projection...
It was true astral projection. Jiang Hong's sense of touch vanished instantly, and he felt himself lift off the ground, floating as if in zero gravity.
"Ah ah ah—" Jiang Hong screamed. He turned his head and saw another "himself" on the ground, already collapsed.
"Lu Xiu!" The only thing Jiang Hong could do was to yell, "Save me! Save me!"
The black dragon tumbled in the air, nearly experiencing astral projection, but the dragon's soul was incredibly strong. In that moment of soul and body separation, Lu Xiu forcefully willed his soul back into his body.
The black dragon turned and breathed out dragon fire!
However, the towering ancient god rang the bronze bell again, creating a storm-like sweep. This time, Lu Xiu's soul was instantly blown away, and Jiang Hong was also carried off by this invisible force.
"It's bad... The array is losing control! Lu Xiu!" Jiang Hong turned and saw the black dragon falling straight down in the distance, its soul expelled from the body by the bell's sound and taking human form, flying towards him in the tempest.
Jiang Hong was still connected to his body by a thin line, emitting golden-red light, maintaining the link to his physical form.
This was an incredible out-of-body experience! Jiang Hong's mind was filled with panic. Oh no, he had provoked something he shouldn't have... Wait! What about the array? The array! It's going to explode!
The spiritual power was reaching its limit, but the floor-sweeping robot had rushed into the center of the array to help stabilize it.
"You mere insects, utterly audacious!" the ancient god roared.
While Jiang Hong was drifting in the wind, Lu Xiu's soul flew over, wrapping his arms around him. Lu Xiu's soul was surrounded by strange, golden glowing runes, like chains.
"What should we do?!" Jiang Hong exclaimed.
Lu Xiu: "I don't know! Can you get back into your body?"
Jiang Hong: "What in the world is that?!"
Lu Xiu: "The Soul Falling Bell! It's a magical artifact... But let's not talk about that now. I'll try to get back to my body to stop him from using the Soul Falling Bell!"
Jiang Hong: "Who is he exactly?"
Lu Xiu: "Don't know, maybe Yan Luo or the Grim Reaper?"
Jiang Hong: "Nobody told me that using bone phosphorescence light would have such serious consequences—ahhh!"
Lu Xiu: "I didn't know either before we provoked him. But don't you think it's kind of interesting?"
"Interesting my foot—" Jiang Hong cried against the wind.
Held by Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong was flown back to the mountain's peak. The giant ancient god rose too, radiating a purple-black light from his black robe, majestic and towering. With the Soul Falling Bell in his right hand and a staff in his left, he had noticed the array on the mountain top. Jiang Hong's soul had left his body, and while the array was still drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the ghostly fires around the Pure Light Colored Glaze had been released.
"Where's Old Sun? Old Sun!" Jiang Hong shouted, "Run! Don't stay here!"
The spiritual power began to gather into a storm, a sign of the array losing control. The floor-sweeping robot quietly stayed in the center of the array. This time, unexpectedly, it lasted longer. Without Jiang Hong's intervention, a small halo appeared above the Tmall Genie's camera, continuously drawing in spiritual energy.
"Forget about Old Sun for now! I'll try to get back to my body!" Lu Xiu said. "You find the right moment to lie back in your body. As long as he doesn't ring the Soul Falling Bell again, it's fine!"
Saying this, Lu Xiu placed Jiang Hong on the mountain and then flew towards the black dragon that had fallen to the ground.
Jiang Hong exclaimed, "Hey, hey, hey, you're leaving just like that?!"
Jiang Hong ran to the front of the array. The ancient god floated in the air, his hair and beard bristling, terrifying like Yan Luo from folk tales. His eyes, with deep dark pupils, spewed purple flames.
"Who dares disturb our lower realm's spirit return..."
"Ah, yes, yes, sorry..." Jiang Hong stuttered, "I didn’t know, are you guys having a team-building session? I didn't mean to disturb... Wait, let me get back into my body and then I'll talk to you..."
Jiang Hong hurried back to his body, only to see the ancient god raising the staff in his hand, flames bursting forth and sending a spark racing towards him.
At that moment, the spiritual energy suddenly reached its limit. The floor-sweeping robot's halo absorbed the abundant spiritual power, ending its absorption process, and slowly turned its camera towards the giant ancient god, as if struggling to discern what was happening.
"Don’t get burned by the soul-refining fire!" A hoarse shout came, "Jiang Hong! Move!"
Then, a streak of golden light appeared.
"Feng Gui, little brat!" a voice shouted, "Back off!"
Immediately, the golden light first reached Jiang Hong, then, like a boomerang, whizzed out and struck the ancient god's staff!
The ancient god roared in rage as the staff slipped from his grasp, the flames dissipating in the air.
The Pure Light Colored Glaze suddenly brightened, absorbing the fireball flying towards Jiang Hong, but in an instant, the staff lit up again. The ancient god, seemingly terrified by the loss of his staff, swiftly turned and dived to retrieve it.
The next moment, Lu Xiu appeared; the black dragon flew in, its claws glowing with golden light, pouncing on the ancient god's back, grabbing his head, shoulders, waist, and right hand, spinning him in the air. Just as the ancient god reclaimed his staff, the Soul Falling Bell slipped from his grip in the sudden assault and flew away.
"Ah!" Jiang Hong, just waking up in his body, hurriedly stood up, shouting, "What happened?"
Jiang Hong's first thought was to retrieve the Pure Light Colored Glaze and control the array. Fortunately, the array stabilized, and the Pure Light Colored Glaze flashed, returning to normal.
Simultaneously, the black dragon, now Lu Xiu again, hurled the ancient god far away, shouting, "Jiang Hong! The bell!"
"Let's run! What?" Jiang Hong, just pocketing the Pure Light Colored Glaze and looking around for Old Sun to escape with him, saw the Soul Falling Bell shrinking mid-air to the size of a palm, "clang" dropping at his feet.
Jiang Hong: "???"
Picking it up, Jiang Hong watched as Lu Xiu landed while the ancient god, wielding the staff, charged at him.
Jiang Hong exclaimed in shock, "Ah! Ah! Ah..."
Immediately following, Lu Xiu grasped Jiang Hong's arm, while Jiang Hong held the handle of the bronze bell, facing the ancient god.
The ancient god suddenly stopped in mid-air.
Jiang Hong: "What's... happening? Is this bell, could it be for invoking spirits...?"
"Don't shake it!" the ancient god shouted, startling Jiang Hong.
Lu Xiu said, "Let's negotiate. If you lose the Soul Falling Bell, you'll definitely fail your mission when you return."
The ancient god let out a frustrated grunt. At that moment, a robot vacuum cleaner emerged from behind a rock and said, "Jiang Hong! Don’t be afraid of him. With the Soul Falling Bell in your hand, he can’t do anything to you!"
Jiang Hong: "It's... it's okay, right? I actually didn’t..."
Jiang Hong almost blurted out, "I actually don't have any spiritual power to activate this magical artifact," but Lu Xiu, standing behind him, quickly wrapped an arm around his neck and covered his mouth.
Jiang Hong: "Mmmph... Huh?"
The ancient god's face darkened further. Hovering in mid-air, his eyes flamed briefly before returning to human-like pupils. He first turned to look at the robot vacuum, then suddenly fixed his gaze on Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong.
Jiang Hong signaled Lu Xiu with his eyes, and Lu Xiu released his hand.
"Should we return it to him?" Although Jiang Hong was unsure of this being's origins, he seemed at least demigod-like. Despite accidentally acquiring the artifact, he felt it was not right to keep it, fearing the being's wrath if provoked.
After pondering, Lu Xiu said, "You must promise not to trouble us again."
The ancient god paused for a moment before saying, "Spare you, I shall. Return the Soul Falling Bell and the Soul Refining Flame to me."
"Wait," said Old Sun, "The Soul Refining Flame has entered the Pure Light Crystal; it belongs to us now. It's just a spark, after all."
"The Soul Refining Flame must not fall into mortal hands!" the ancient god declared coldly.
Old Sun retorted, "I refuse to return it. What will you do about it? If you have the ability, come and take it yourself! Jiang Hong! Don’t be afraid of him! If he approaches, activate the Soul Falling Bell! With the bell in hand, he won’t be able to get near you!"
As Lu Xiu was about to speak, Old Sun, seeming experienced and unyielding, left no room for negotiation.
Jiang Hong spoke softly, "Isn't it inappropriate? Shouldn't you at least give them a way to save face?"
Old Sun let out a very disdainful "Hmph", and Jiang Hong asked, "Do you two... know each other?"
Old Sun didn't reply, but as a robot vacuum cleaner, his appearance lacked a bit of imposing presence.
"About this..." Jiang Hong said, "I'll return the Soul Falling Bell to you, but I promise not to use the Soul Refining Flame for evil... just share a bit with me. Or, if it's really difficult for you to explain, a bit of Bone Phosphorus Light would also be acceptable."
As the standoff continued, the ancient god said, "Return the Soul Falling Bell to me first."
Lu Xiu: "First, promise not to harm us."
The ancient god spread his hands. Jiang Hong glanced at Lu Xiu, who was also undecided. Jiang Hong thought that someone had to make a move. Looking at the ancient god, he didn’t seem like a villain. Besides, they had originally not interfered with each other, and it was they who had provoked them. It seemed fair to make amends.
"Do you know the purpose of the Soul Refining Fire?" the ancient god asked in a booming voice, adding, "This is no trivial matter. It can refine ghosts into nothingness. You, a mere mortal, what use could you possibly have for it?"
"Oh!" Jiang Hong suddenly said, "If that's the case, why did you use this fire against me? What if it had seriously burned me? Wouldn’t I be completely dead then?"
The ancient god, now at a loss for words, replied, "How was I to know your origin? Moreover, the fire released by the Purgatory Staff was but a spark, intended only as a punishment for you, not to burn you to ashes."
"Alright then." Jiang Hong remembered there was indeed only a small flame at the time. He stepped forward and handed over the bell. However, as soon as he let go, the Soul Falling Bell flew back into the hands of the ancient god.
"There, it's done," said Old Sun, "We're even."
The ancient god gazed at Jiang Hong and said gravely, "Fine, but you must not use this bit of Soul Refining Fire for evil. Otherwise, the underworld will surely send envoys to apprehend you and bring you to justice."
At that moment, the distant sound of a rooster crowing broke the silence, heralding the break of dawn as a pale light began to appear in the east.
The ancient god, no longer entangled with them, turned and flew towards the palace in the sky.
With a distant toll of the Soul Falling Bell, ghosts from all directions surged like a tide, vanishing into the fog. The mirage-like palace slowly rose again as the colossal wheel of the earthly pulse began to turn.
The second bell toll saw the mist start to retract towards the base of the palace, the spirits being pulled back with it.
"Phew..." Jiang Hong, utterly exhausted, leaned against Lu Xiu. Soon, both of them sat down, quietly watching as the lower dimension once again separated from the human world.
With the third bell toll, the mirage-like illusion in the sky thinned and completely vanished, leaving the sunlight to bathe the earth.
Chapter 82: Ghostly Fire
"Hey," Lu Xiu tapped Jiang Hong, "Time to cast the spell, or do you want to watch longer?"
"Ah, right, right." Jiang Hong snapped back to reality and said, "But casting the spell, it won’t cause any serious consequences, right?"
"I don’t know," Lu Xiu replied. "Just do your thing, I’ll handle any problems."
Jiang Hong: "Is there some kind of big boss in that palace? It looks so intimidating."
Lu Xiu: "I've never interacted with the lower dimension, but it's okay. Go ahead."
Filled with apprehension, Jiang Hong activated the formation and said, "Old Sun, be careful, okay?"
Old Sun turned its camera toward the distance, seemingly lost in memories and didn't respond to Jiang Hong.
"Old Sun!" Jiang Hong called out, "I'm about to cast the spell!"
Snapping back to reality, Old Sun said, "I'm here, I'm here! The spiritual energy!"
Jiang Hong: "..."
As soon as the formation was activated, a bizarre scene unfolded. Unlike any previous gathering of spiritual energy, this time space itself seemed to twist eerily. The spiritual energy tonight was more abundant than ever, and the Jingguang Liuli emitted a brilliant light as if breaking free from Jiang Hong’s control.
The next moment, all the ghostly fires in the world rushed towards the vortex's center!
"Wait... not so much, no no no!" Jiang Hong, having activated the formation, found it uncontrollable and exclaimed, "Just a little bit is enough, just a little!"
"Who dares to be so presumptuous!" A voice thundered, shaking heaven and earth, "Dare to usurp the guiding light?! Withdraw immediately!"
"This is bad," Jiang Hong turned to look, and Lu Xiu said, "Quick! How much longer?"
The ghostly fires flew towards the vortex, and all the ghosts on the ground and ethereal figures in the sky turned toward the small clearing on the top of Yin Mountain. Suddenly, Jiang Hong and his formation became the target of everyone's attention!
Startled by the shout, Jiang Hong felt like a caught thief, nervously saying, "I... I didn't mean to, just borrowing a bit! I’m doing this for world peace..."
However, in the palace, a gigantic figure seemed to emerge, resembling a giant.
The giant held a several meters long staff, with a purple-red flame floating above it, starting to rotate.
The giant was as massive as the ancient god Jiang Hong had seen before, dressed in magnificent robes, resembling an emperor, holding a bronze bell in his right hand. Palaces manifested a path in the sky, and the giant swiftly walked along that path.
"Focus on your task!" Lu Xiu quickly stepped off the platform, leapt into the sky, and instantly transformed into a black dragon, aiming to intercept the ancient god-like giant.
Immediately, the giant raised his right hand, ringing the bronze bell he held.
"Boom—" the sound was deafening, sweeping across with its waves, causing the black dragon to tumble in the air!
The moment Jiang Hong heard the bell, it was as if he had been punched in the back of his head. He felt himself floating, numb to any sensation. At that moment, a term came to his mind:
Astral projection...
It was true astral projection. Jiang Hong's sense of touch vanished instantly, and he felt himself lift off the ground, floating as if in zero gravity.
"Ah ah ah—" Jiang Hong screamed. He turned his head and saw another "himself" on the ground, already collapsed.
"Lu Xiu!" The only thing Jiang Hong could do was to yell, "Save me! Save me!"
The black dragon tumbled in the air, nearly experiencing astral projection, but the dragon's soul was incredibly strong. In that moment of soul and body separation, Lu Xiu forcefully willed his soul back into his body.
The black dragon turned and breathed out dragon fire!
However, the towering ancient god rang the bronze bell again, creating a storm-like sweep. This time, Lu Xiu's soul was instantly blown away, and Jiang Hong was also carried off by this invisible force.
"It's bad... The array is losing control! Lu Xiu!" Jiang Hong turned and saw the black dragon falling straight down in the distance, its soul expelled from the body by the bell's sound and taking human form, flying towards him in the tempest.
Jiang Hong was still connected to his body by a thin line, emitting golden-red light, maintaining the link to his physical form.
This was an incredible out-of-body experience! Jiang Hong's mind was filled with panic. Oh no, he had provoked something he shouldn't have... Wait! What about the array? The array! It's going to explode!
The spiritual power was reaching its limit, but the floor-sweeping robot had rushed into the center of the array to help stabilize it.
"You mere insects, utterly audacious!" the ancient god roared.
While Jiang Hong was drifting in the wind, Lu Xiu's soul flew over, wrapping his arms around him. Lu Xiu's soul was surrounded by strange, golden glowing runes, like chains.
"What should we do?!" Jiang Hong exclaimed.
Lu Xiu: "I don't know! Can you get back into your body?"
Jiang Hong: "What in the world is that?!"
Lu Xiu: "The Soul Falling Bell! It's a magical artifact... But let's not talk about that now. I'll try to get back to my body to stop him from using the Soul Falling Bell!"
Jiang Hong: "Who is he exactly?"
Lu Xiu: "Don't know, maybe Yan Luo or the Grim Reaper?"
Jiang Hong: "Nobody told me that using bone phosphorescence light would have such serious consequences—ahhh!"
Lu Xiu: "I didn't know either before we provoked him. But don't you think it's kind of interesting?"
"Interesting my foot—" Jiang Hong cried against the wind.
Held by Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong was flown back to the mountain's peak. The giant ancient god rose too, radiating a purple-black light from his black robe, majestic and towering. With the Soul Falling Bell in his right hand and a staff in his left, he had noticed the array on the mountain top. Jiang Hong's soul had left his body, and while the array was still drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the ghostly fires around the Pure Light Colored Glaze had been released.
"Where's Old Sun? Old Sun!" Jiang Hong shouted, "Run! Don't stay here!"
The spiritual power began to gather into a storm, a sign of the array losing control. The floor-sweeping robot quietly stayed in the center of the array. This time, unexpectedly, it lasted longer. Without Jiang Hong's intervention, a small halo appeared above the Tmall Genie's camera, continuously drawing in spiritual energy.
"Forget about Old Sun for now! I'll try to get back to my body!" Lu Xiu said. "You find the right moment to lie back in your body. As long as he doesn't ring the Soul Falling Bell again, it's fine!"
Saying this, Lu Xiu placed Jiang Hong on the mountain and then flew towards the black dragon that had fallen to the ground.
Jiang Hong exclaimed, "Hey, hey, hey, you're leaving just like that?!"
Jiang Hong ran to the front of the array. The ancient god floated in the air, his hair and beard bristling, terrifying like Yan Luo from folk tales. His eyes, with deep dark pupils, spewed purple flames.
"Who dares disturb our lower realm's spirit return..."
"Ah, yes, yes, sorry..." Jiang Hong stuttered, "I didn’t know, are you guys having a team-building session? I didn't mean to disturb... Wait, let me get back into my body and then I'll talk to you..."
Jiang Hong hurried back to his body, only to see the ancient god raising the staff in his hand, flames bursting forth and sending a spark racing towards him.
At that moment, the spiritual energy suddenly reached its limit. The floor-sweeping robot's halo absorbed the abundant spiritual power, ending its absorption process, and slowly turned its camera towards the giant ancient god, as if struggling to discern what was happening.
"Don’t get burned by the soul-refining fire!" A hoarse shout came, "Jiang Hong! Move!"
Then, a streak of golden light appeared.
"Feng Gui, little brat!" a voice shouted, "Back off!"
Immediately, the golden light first reached Jiang Hong, then, like a boomerang, whizzed out and struck the ancient god's staff!
The ancient god roared in rage as the staff slipped from his grasp, the flames dissipating in the air.
The Pure Light Colored Glaze suddenly brightened, absorbing the fireball flying towards Jiang Hong, but in an instant, the staff lit up again. The ancient god, seemingly terrified by the loss of his staff, swiftly turned and dived to retrieve it.
The next moment, Lu Xiu appeared; the black dragon flew in, its claws glowing with golden light, pouncing on the ancient god's back, grabbing his head, shoulders, waist, and right hand, spinning him in the air. Just as the ancient god reclaimed his staff, the Soul Falling Bell slipped from his grip in the sudden assault and flew away.
"Ah!" Jiang Hong, just waking up in his body, hurriedly stood up, shouting, "What happened?"
Jiang Hong's first thought was to retrieve the Pure Light Colored Glaze and control the array. Fortunately, the array stabilized, and the Pure Light Colored Glaze flashed, returning to normal.
Simultaneously, the black dragon, now Lu Xiu again, hurled the ancient god far away, shouting, "Jiang Hong! The bell!"
"Let's run! What?" Jiang Hong, just pocketing the Pure Light Colored Glaze and looking around for Old Sun to escape with him, saw the Soul Falling Bell shrinking mid-air to the size of a palm, "clang" dropping at his feet.
Jiang Hong: "???"
Picking it up, Jiang Hong watched as Lu Xiu landed while the ancient god, wielding the staff, charged at him.
Jiang Hong exclaimed in shock, "Ah! Ah! Ah..."
Immediately following, Lu Xiu grasped Jiang Hong's arm, while Jiang Hong held the handle of the bronze bell, facing the ancient god.
The ancient god suddenly stopped in mid-air.
Jiang Hong: "What's... happening? Is this bell, could it be for invoking spirits...?"
"Don't shake it!" the ancient god shouted, startling Jiang Hong.
Lu Xiu said, "Let's negotiate. If you lose the Soul Falling Bell, you'll definitely fail your mission when you return."
The ancient god let out a frustrated grunt. At that moment, a robot vacuum cleaner emerged from behind a rock and said, "Jiang Hong! Don’t be afraid of him. With the Soul Falling Bell in your hand, he can’t do anything to you!"
Jiang Hong: "It's... it's okay, right? I actually didn’t..."
Jiang Hong almost blurted out, "I actually don't have any spiritual power to activate this magical artifact," but Lu Xiu, standing behind him, quickly wrapped an arm around his neck and covered his mouth.
Jiang Hong: "Mmmph... Huh?"
The ancient god's face darkened further. Hovering in mid-air, his eyes flamed briefly before returning to human-like pupils. He first turned to look at the robot vacuum, then suddenly fixed his gaze on Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong.
Jiang Hong signaled Lu Xiu with his eyes, and Lu Xiu released his hand.
"Should we return it to him?" Although Jiang Hong was unsure of this being's origins, he seemed at least demigod-like. Despite accidentally acquiring the artifact, he felt it was not right to keep it, fearing the being's wrath if provoked.
After pondering, Lu Xiu said, "You must promise not to trouble us again."
The ancient god paused for a moment before saying, "Spare you, I shall. Return the Soul Falling Bell and the Soul Refining Flame to me."
"Wait," said Old Sun, "The Soul Refining Flame has entered the Pure Light Crystal; it belongs to us now. It's just a spark, after all."
"The Soul Refining Flame must not fall into mortal hands!" the ancient god declared coldly.
Old Sun retorted, "I refuse to return it. What will you do about it? If you have the ability, come and take it yourself! Jiang Hong! Don’t be afraid of him! If he approaches, activate the Soul Falling Bell! With the bell in hand, he won’t be able to get near you!"
As Lu Xiu was about to speak, Old Sun, seeming experienced and unyielding, left no room for negotiation.
Jiang Hong spoke softly, "Isn't it inappropriate? Shouldn't you at least give them a way to save face?"
Old Sun let out a very disdainful "Hmph", and Jiang Hong asked, "Do you two... know each other?"
Old Sun didn't reply, but as a robot vacuum cleaner, his appearance lacked a bit of imposing presence.
"About this..." Jiang Hong said, "I'll return the Soul Falling Bell to you, but I promise not to use the Soul Refining Flame for evil... just share a bit with me. Or, if it's really difficult for you to explain, a bit of Bone Phosphorus Light would also be acceptable."
As the standoff continued, the ancient god said, "Return the Soul Falling Bell to me first."
Lu Xiu: "First, promise not to harm us."
The ancient god spread his hands. Jiang Hong glanced at Lu Xiu, who was also undecided. Jiang Hong thought that someone had to make a move. Looking at the ancient god, he didn’t seem like a villain. Besides, they had originally not interfered with each other, and it was they who had provoked them. It seemed fair to make amends.
"Do you know the purpose of the Soul Refining Fire?" the ancient god asked in a booming voice, adding, "This is no trivial matter. It can refine ghosts into nothingness. You, a mere mortal, what use could you possibly have for it?"
"Oh!" Jiang Hong suddenly said, "If that's the case, why did you use this fire against me? What if it had seriously burned me? Wouldn’t I be completely dead then?"
The ancient god, now at a loss for words, replied, "How was I to know your origin? Moreover, the fire released by the Purgatory Staff was but a spark, intended only as a punishment for you, not to burn you to ashes."
"Alright then." Jiang Hong remembered there was indeed only a small flame at the time. He stepped forward and handed over the bell. However, as soon as he let go, the Soul Falling Bell flew back into the hands of the ancient god.
"There, it's done," said Old Sun, "We're even."
The ancient god gazed at Jiang Hong and said gravely, "Fine, but you must not use this bit of Soul Refining Fire for evil. Otherwise, the underworld will surely send envoys to apprehend you and bring you to justice."
At that moment, the distant sound of a rooster crowing broke the silence, heralding the break of dawn as a pale light began to appear in the east.
The ancient god, no longer entangled with them, turned and flew towards the palace in the sky.
With a distant toll of the Soul Falling Bell, ghosts from all directions surged like a tide, vanishing into the fog. The mirage-like palace slowly rose again as the colossal wheel of the earthly pulse began to turn.
The second bell toll saw the mist start to retract towards the base of the palace, the spirits being pulled back with it.
"Phew..." Jiang Hong, utterly exhausted, leaned against Lu Xiu. Soon, both of them sat down, quietly watching as the lower dimension once again separated from the human world.
With the third bell toll, the mirage-like illusion in the sky thinned and completely vanished, leaving the sunlight to bathe the earth.
