Chapter 572: The Use of Firefly

Under the illumination of the torchlight, one could see that before them was a stone wall piled up from loose rocks and debris, with a dark, pitch-black hole the size of a dog door left in one corner.

It was precisely near that hole that leaves of Green Flame Grass were scattered all over the ground.

Duan Rong's eyelids twitched slightly; he could sense that behind this wall was the space where the ghost infant was hiding, and that was also where the mature Green Flame Grass grew.

Because he could smell a thick, strange odor just by standing here; it was the scent of a large quantity of Green Flame Grass leaf sap.

Duan Rong's gaze tightened, and suddenly, he kicked the stone wall piled up from loose rocks and debris directly, knocking it down.

With a clatter, the loose rocks rolled all over the ground!

The fragile stone wall collapsed with a boom!

The light from the torch immediately shone into the space behind the stone wall; it was a long, narrow space with a depth of about over one zhang.

At the very back of the long, narrow space, the blue-black ghost infant was crouching there, its eerie, bloodshot eyes looking with some terror at Duan Rong standing there—or more accurately, looking at the blood-red Red Bridal Veil in Duan Rong's hand!

The place where the stone wall collapsed was very narrow, and as Duan Rong stood there, he had almost completely blocked it off.

The ghost infant shrank its body in fear toward the corner, but its pair of wicked eyes remained fixed on the Red Bridal Veil in Duan Rong's hand.

Seeing that the ghost infant Evil Spirit was so afraid of the Red Bridal Veil in his hand, and that it even shrank back when he had come to its door, Duan Rong immediately felt a bit more confident.

It seemed his assumption was correct: the Red Bridal Veil of the "Ghost Bride" Evil Spirit was indeed a sharp weapon for restraining the ghost infant Evil Spirit.

Before, when the Red Bridal Veil suddenly floated out and the ghost infant fled in terror, Duan Rong had already seen that it was the Red Bridal Veil that scared the ghost infant away, but he still found it hard to judge exactly how much the ghost infant feared this Red Bridal Veil.

At this moment, seeing the situation before him, it was clear that the deterrent effect of this Red Bridal Veil on the ghost infant was even more powerful than he had anticipated.

And since this Red Bridal Veil belonged to the "Ghost Bride" Evil Spirit, it meant that what the ghost infant truly feared was the power of the "Ghost Bride" Evil Spirit.

However, regarding the entanglement between the "Ghost Bride" Evil Spirit and the ghost infant, Duan Rong had no time to ponder it now; his cold gaze swept over the stone wall near the ghost infant, and the wall deep in the long, narrow space was actually covered in mature Green Flame Grass.

Moreover, Duan Rong was stunned to discover that from where he stood, all the way to the depths of the space, both the stone walls and the ground were smeared with pale green sap; it was clearly crushed Green Flame Grass leaves...

A thick, strange odor permeated the long, narrow space, and the moment he kicked down the stone wall piled with loose rocks, Duan Rong's breathing even stalled slightly.

Because the smell was too pungent!?

Although the scent of Green Flame Grass leaves themselves was very faint, it was unbearable when the entire space was coated in it! And it seemed to be fresh, just-smeared sap...

Duan Rong did not know why this ghost infant would do such a thing.

What was the purpose of this ghost infant Evil Spirit smearing its hiding space with the sap of Green Flame Grass leaves?

To Duan Rong, although this question was puzzling, it was not the most urgent issue; the purpose of his trip was to obtain three stalks of mature Green Flame Grass.

But those mature Green Flame Grass stalks were all growing in the depths of this long, narrow space, which was near the ghost infant.

If he wanted to obtain the Green Flame Grass, he had to go deep inside and get close to the ghost infant.

A flash of hesitation crossed Duan Rong's eyes. He remembered the lip-print kiss mark of the ghost infant on the back of Jiang Hanyan's neck.

What exactly was the evil nature of that ghost infant's kiss? He could not fully know yet. But it was clearly nothing good; Jiang Hanyan had rubbed the skin on her neck until it was raw and bloody, yet the ghost infant's kiss remained completely undamaged.

In the depths of that long, narrow space, the few stalks of mature Green Flame Grass closest to him were about a meter and a half away from the ghost infant huddled in the corner.

That is to say, if he could deter the ghost infant Evil Spirit with the Red Bridal Veil in his hand from a distance of about a meter and a half, he could safely obtain the Green Flame Grass.

But if the distance were too close, turning the ghost infant Evil Spirit's fear into rage, the ghost infant could also launch an attack on him at any time. Perhaps it would also leave a ghost infant's kiss on him.

Although he did not know what that meant, Duan Rong did not want to try it at all.

It was not just evil, but also extremely disgusting and nauseating!

Just thinking about the possibility of being kissed by such a thing, and having a kiss mark left behind, gave him goosebumps all over.

Duan Rong decided to test the ghost infant first!

He held the torch and stepped into the long, narrow space.

While walking in slowly, he held the blood-red Red Bridal Veil in front of him.

The moment the ghost infant Evil Spirit saw Duan Rong walking in while holding the Red Bridal Veil, it let out a strange cry of terror and kept curling its body backward, but its body was already pressed against the stone wall; there was nowhere left to retreat.

After walking two steps, Duan Rong stopped there, observing the changes in the ghost infant's expression.

Seeing that the ghost infant was only trembling, he took two more steps!

And then, two more steps!

By now, the ghost infant's body was trembling like chaff; the closer the distance, the more the ghost infant could feel a certain evil aura from the Red Bridal Veil!

That aura was terrifying and familiar, having long since seeped into its marrow!

Duan Rong noticed that the ghost infant's reaction was becoming increasingly intense, and he hesitated, afraid that taking another step would enrage the ghost infant!

Extreme fear would bring extreme rage!

And Duan Rong could feel that he had almost pushed the ghost infant's fear to the limit!

But those few stalks of mature Green Flame Grass closest to him were only five or six steps away.

If he used his movement technique at this distance, he could obtain the Green Flame Grass in a flash, but at the same time, he would enrage the ghost infant and cause it to attack him!

Duan Rong stood there, feeling quite caught in a dilemma.

He watched the ghost infant for a while, then took another half-step forward; sure enough, as soon as he moved, the ghost infant let out a hiss!

It was a hiss, not a strange cry!

The ghost infant's body stopped trembling, and it looked at Duan Rong with a ferocious expression.

Duan Rong's heart jumped, and he immediately stepped back half a step; seeing Duan Rong retreat, the ghost infant's expression calmed down slightly.

Duan Rong stood there, his thoughts churning.

The Green Flame Grass was within reach, and he really did not want to give up. But he also did not want to enrage the ghost infant; the ghost infant's speed was bizarre, and with his level of skill in Capture, he still could not prevent the ghost infant from climbing onto his body.

As long as the ghost infant climbed onto him, he would likely suffer a ghost infant's kiss just like Jiang Hanyan!?

In Duan Rong's current Spirit Sea of clarity, there was still one Soul Piercing Needle!

The Soul Piercing Needle had a miraculous effect on the main body of an Evil Spirit; this was something verified at the side of the pool.

But Duan Rong found it difficult to discern the location of this ghost infant Evil Spirit's main body for the time being.

The main body of the "Ghost Bride" Evil Spirit was the mass of thick darkness beneath its feet, but there was no darkness at all beneath the feet of this ghost infant.

Then where exactly is the main body of this Evil Spirit?

Only by finding the location of its main body could Duan Rong use the Soul Piercing Needle to attack it and buy himself time to obtain the Green Flame Grass.

The Ghost Infant and Duan Rong stood in a standoff; because Duan Rong had retreated half a step, the ferocity on the Ghost Infant's face receded, and it looked at the Red Bridal Veil in Duan Rong's hand with a terrifying expression once again.

Duan Rong stood there, sizing up the Evil Spirit Ghost Infant, finding it difficult to determine for a moment where its Evil Spirit main body was.

Suddenly, the look in Duan Rong's eyes shifted.

Soul Piercing Needle—although he only had one left! He couldn't risk it! But he could use Firefly Bewilderment!

Firefly Bewilderment was a Divine Soul Illusion one tier higher than the Soul Piercing Needle, though while this Firefly Bewilderment was powerful against humans, its effectiveness against Evil Spirits would have to be verified before he could know for sure.

He might as well test it on this Ghost Infant!

Thinking of this, Duan Rong's mind stirred, and a spark of firefly-like light appeared before the Ghost Infant's eyes; however, the Ghost Infant was staring fixedly at the blood-red Red Bridal Veil in Duan Rong's hand, and as for that fleeting spark of light, it acted as if it hadn't seen it at all.

The moment the firefly-like light appeared, it flickered past and submerged into the space between the Ghost Infant's eyebrows.

Duan Rong's eyelids twitched. "Failed?!"

The firefly-like light had burrowed in from between the eyebrows, but that was not the Evil Spirit's main body.

As a Divine Soul Illusion, Firefly Bewilderment clearly did not use the same method against humans as it did against Evil Spirits. Duan Rong couldn't even be sure if it was useful at all.

Because regarding this aspect, there was simply no precedent!

However, Duan Rong felt that Evil Spirits also possessed consciousness, and since they had consciousness, they should be susceptible to Divine Soul Illusions! This logical chain should be sound.

The key point was, where exactly was this Ghost Infant's Evil Spirit main body?

Duan Rong had achieved the thirteenth layer of the Womb Treasury Sutra, and he could use Firefly Bewilderment at most three times a day.

He had already tried once just now, so he had two chances left.

Duan Rong's mind stirred, and a spark of firefly-like light appeared before the Ghost Infant again; this time, the Ghost Infant's eyes moved, and it clearly noticed the strange spark of light before it.

The moment the firefly-like light appeared, it darted into the Ghost Infant's chest and vanished.

The Ghost Infant was startled, reaching out its withered, charcoal-black little hand to touch its own chest.

A flash of disappointment crossed Duan Rong's face. Failed again!

The Evil Spirit's main body was not in the Ghost Infant's chest either.

A flash of indignation appeared in Duan Rong's eyes! He only had one chance left to use Firefly Bewilderment!

It wasn't in the space between the eyebrows, nor was it in the chest!? The Ghost Infant's body was so small! Where else could the Evil Spirit main body be? Could it be on its buttocks?!

A sudden light dawned in Duan Rong's eyes!

He remembered something!

The Ghost Infant's Kiss! Since the Ghost Infant's Kiss was so evil, then the Evil Spirit's main body? Right! Was it the lips!?

Duan Rong suddenly stared at the Ghost Infant's lips and indeed discovered that the Ghost Infant's lips were as black as ink, a color far deeper than the greenish-black of its skin. It was just that Duan Rong hadn't thought in this direction before, so naturally, he hadn't noticed this difference.

The next moment, a spark of firefly-like light appeared before the Ghost Infant again.

This time, the Ghost Infant's vigilance had risen greatly; it looked at Duan Rong with annoyance, as it was almost certain that Duan Rong was the one playing tricks! Otherwise, that strange firefly-like light would never have appeared repeatedly.

But the speed of the firefly-like light was too fast; the moment it appeared, it submerged into the Ghost Infant's lips.

The instant the firefly-like light submerged, the Ghost Infant was stunned, instantly turning as if petrified.

It worked!?

Duan Rong felt a surge of joy, bit the torch in his mouth, and instantly exerted his movement technique, covering the distance of five or six steps in a flash.

When he returned to his original spot, he was already holding three mature Green Flame Grasses, all of which had bloomed with emerald-green, flame-like flowers.

Duan Rong flipped his hand, and the Black Jade Box was already in his grasp; he placed the three mature Green Flame Grasses into the Black Jade Box and closed the lid.

After finishing this, Duan Rong looked up and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He saw that in the depths of the narrow space, the Ghost Infant was staring fixedly at him!

Had Firefly Bewilderment already worn off!?

Duan Rong could be certain that just a moment ago, Firefly Bewilderment had controlled the Ghost Infant, causing it to petrify instantly. Otherwise, he could not have safely harvested the mature Green Flame Grasses!

But clearly, Firefly Bewilderment had now worn off! This meant that the duration of Firefly Bewilderment only lasted for a moment.

If he had hesitated even slightly just now, he would have missed the opportunity to harvest the Green Flame Grasses!

And it was fortunate that he had kept the Red Bridal Veil in his hand the whole time; if he had relied on Firefly Bewilderment controlling the Ghost Infant and put the Red Bridal Veil away, he feared he would have already been struck by the Ghost Infant's Kiss!

At this moment, the Ghost Infant was still looking at the Red Bridal Veil in Duan Rong's hand with a vigilant gaze!

Duan Rong put the Black Jade Box into his pack, held the torch in one hand and the Red Bridal Veil in the other, and slowly retreated backward.

Seeing Duan Rong slowly retreating outward, the Ghost Infant's nervous and fearful expression eased significantly.

Duan Rong retreated out of the narrow space, and a heavy weight lifted from his heart!

He had finally obtained the mature Green Flame Grasses!

The Red Arrow Flower was relatively easier to obtain; there was some at the Central Altar! In this way, as long as he walked out of this God-Demon Relic safely, Lv Qingzhu could be saved!

Duan Rong walked out of the narrow space, then held the torch and the Red Bridal Veil, and walked toward the exit.

He knew that with the Red Bridal Veil in his hand, the Ghost Infant would not attack him!

After walking a few steps, Duan Rong turned his head and glanced behind him, only to see a pair of bloodshot eyes watching him from the darkness.

He knew the Ghost Infant was watching him from the depths of the darkness!

This time, not only had he obtained the mature Green Flame Grasses, but he had also verified the effectiveness of the Divine Soul Technique Firefly Bewilderment against Evil Spirits, accumulating experience for dealing with Evil Spirits later within the God-Demon Relic.

Firefly Bewilderment was useful against Evil Spirits! But like the Soul Piercing Needle, one had to find the Evil Spirit's main body to launch an attack!

However, the effectiveness of Firefly Bewilderment against Evil Spirits was far weaker than the Soul Piercing Needle!

The lethality of the Soul Piercing Needle against Evil Spirits even far exceeded Duan Rong's expectations.

Of course, Firefly Bewilderment also far exceeded his expectations, though it was a case of one being positive and one being negative.

Firefly Bewilderment could only control an Evil Spirit for a moment! It could be described as extremely lackluster and disappointing!

Duan Rong had a feeling that the ghost infant Evil Spirit was clearly far weaker than the "ghost bride" Evil Spirit, and yet Bewilderment could only control the ghost infant for a brief moment; if it were used against the "ghost bride" Evil Spirit, the effect would likely be even worse.

Clearly, the Soul Technique presented completely different effects when used against humans versus Evil Spirits.

As Duan Rong walked through the pitch-black space, he kept watch on the movements around him, but this did not affect his thinking.

He felt that the reason the Divine Soul Illusion Bewilderment performed poorly against Evil Spirits was because the thoughts of an Evil Spirit were singular; Evil Spirits only possessed negative thoughts such as resentment, terror, and anxiety, whereas the Bewilderment technique was designed for humans and contained a more comprehensive mental structure.

When the comprehensive structure of the Bewilderment technique encountered the singular thoughts of an Evil Spirit, most of its efficacy collapsed, which was why it could only control the ghost infant for a moment.

(End of this chapter)