Chapter 234

At this point, what is loaded into the host's brain is no longer their former self, but a Year Yang similar to them yet utterly different. The host's body will soon be drained dry by the Year Yang, like firewood burned to ash.

So, Weiba is also dangerous? Xing asked.

Weiba objected, correcting: "How dare you speak like that, little girl! What do you mean 'also dangerous'? I'm the most dangerous of the lot!"

Huohuo timidly looked at Xing and whispered: "Weiba…has been subdued by Lord Han Ya on my tail, sealed, so it won't harm anyone."

Upon hearing the two words "seal", Weiba's fur visibly bristled, temper flaring: "Seal, seal, seal… pah, I'll eventually make you rip that seal off."

Huohuo, looking aggrieved, muttered: "You think… I want to stay with you?"

Ignoring their bickering, Han Ya continued with a deadpan expression: "The trouble is, Year Yang is not a flesh-and-blood mortal thing, hard to exterminate. Therefore, before repairing the Creation Crucible, the Ten Kings Office intends to erect a Binding-type Heterodox Array in this ruined garden to imprison these demons."

Since the array is not yet complete, to ensure your safety, Han Ya will still send you away.

The good news is there are no ghosts running wild in Tranquil Garden; the bad news is extraterrestrial parasitic creatures are running amok everywhere… obviously becoming more terrifying.

——

Naruto.

It seems this Year Yang was forcibly sealed; neither side is happy about it. Luwan gave Huohuo a lazy glance, "You have a dangerous Year Yang sealed inside you… wait, this Huohuo is very like you, Mingren?"

"Me?" Mingren blinked, pointing at himself.

"Right, Huohuo is also a Year Yang jinchuriki." Luwan mused, "Year Yang can possess a human body; though I've never seen that scene, it should be similar to when you, Mingren, initially lost control of the Nine-Tails' power."

"Haha! That's true enough." Mingren scratched his head and laughed, "But that Nine-Tails guy is far more hot-tempered than Weiba." Compared to that, the Year Yang called Grandpa Weiba, though it looks fierce and its relationship with Huohuo is a bit awkward, actually hasn't done anything dangerous to her.

"Heh, who knows?" Luwan spread his hands, smiling helplessly, "But Weiba claims to be among the most dangerous Year Yang; if that's true… I don't believe he initially lacked the intention to possess Huohuo."

"As things stand, the possession attempt failed, and we don't know the details, but the Ten Kings Office's willingness to take in such a timid little girl as a judge likely has something to do with the Year Yang inside her."

——

On the way out of Tranquil Garden, the two followed closely behind Huohuo. But suddenly Gui Naifen, hearing some unknown noise, let out a scream of "Ghost! Ahhhhh——!!!"; which frightened Huohuo so much she couldn't move.

She turned around, her whole body shaking like a sieve, teeth chattering violently: "Waaahhh~ How, how, how, what happened?"

"Don't, don't be afraid!" Xing comforted.

"No, no, I'm not scared… I just can't stand steady… By the way, Miss Gui Naifen? Miss Gui Naifen——" Huohuo looked behind Xing; the whole courtyard was empty, and Miss Gui Naifen was gone!

"... No, I wouldn't have lost her, would I…"

Huohuo told Xing not to wander off, and they set out to find Gui Naifen together. But as Xing passed through a narrow bamboo path and arrived at a secluded courtyard, turning around, she discovered Huohuo was also missing.

Just as Xing was about to turn back, the wooden door behind her creaked shut. She looked around; the courtyard was empty except for a pile of old flower pots and junk, with only an ancient mirror standing alone in the center.

"This is… a mirror? It looks kinda creepy."

Xing rubbed her eyes, stepped closer to the mirror, and raised a hand to greet the girl inside who looked exactly like her.

After realizing her action was a bit foolish, Xing gave an embarrassed smile, preparing to turn and leave—when, at that very moment, the "Xing" in the mirror suddenly reached out and grabbed her, pulling her inside!

——

Record of Ragnarok.

Seeing Xing being pulled into the mirror world by a "ghost", Shakyamuni put his palms together, closed his eyes, and began to softly chant something.

"Shakyamuni, I didn't expect you to care so much about Xing's safety—have you started praying for her blessing?"

Zeus chuckled; although Shakyamuni usually acts weird, rebellious like a teenager, as the god who loves humanity most, his compassion still showed at this moment.

"Huh? Old man, what nonsense are you spouting?" Shakyamuni opened one eye, "I'm praying for the 'ghost' that snatched Xing—asking that it not be beaten to death by her on the spot."

"After all, even a ghost with a bit of sense wouldn't provoke someone who can resist Phantom Mist head-on."

"Hard to say." Year Yang lacks a flesh-and-blood body; even if Xing is capable, how would she act against something intangible? And given a body like Xing's… once possessed, heh… Hades, the god of the underworld, smiled meaningfully.

"Hey hey, are you treating Xing's Star Core as mere decoration?" Shakyamuni patted his chest, "Xing's here… is already full! Even if Year Yang possesses Xing, it definitely won't last long, and besides, do you think the Ten Kings Office is just for show?"

"Compared to those two Ten Kings Office employees… Hades, you god of the underworld seem much more 'of the living world'."

——

After Xing regained consciousness, she found herself in a sealed space that resembled Tranquil Garden, yet upon closer inspection it was somewhat different.

Xing wandered around this space several times, each loop bringing her back to the start like a wall ghost. After careful observation, she keenly examined the paper figures on the nearby walls and finally found the correct path.

But at the same time, a gloomy voice echoed from midair.

"Hehe, it seems you've noticed—here, all paths lead to a maze…"

"Come on, lost soul, yearning to leave? If you want to, come find me."

Following the voice's direction, Xing arrived at an open courtyard where four or five clusters of flickering ghostly fire suddenly appeared, gathering around her.

"Hiss, you have a special scent on you—you are…" the voice trailed off, "I've heard the whispering leaves of Tranquil Garden; they say a powerful fleshly body is approaching…"

"They say that person bears the aura of having battled Phantom Mist… you are… the one who drove away Phantom Mist…"