Chapter 2681

The four of them scoured the area outside the inn during daylight, seeking a way to leave the ghost city, but came up empty.

The street layout here almost matches that of Shengjing in daylight, but every place exudes distortion and deathly qi.

Finally, Liu Shuoyue and Zang Huai'an decided to team up and explore farther afield, while Jin Chen brought the visibly unwell Chu Qushan to stay at the inn.

It wasn't that they didn't want to act together; the ghost city is simply too harsh on the living—daylight's light is icy, giving no warmth, feeling as if soaked in Yellow Spring Water, the cold seeping into the bones.

The heavy yin qi constantly eroded their vitality; Chu Qushan was the first to falter, his face turning blue, lips paling, even breathing feeling laborious.

Liu Shuoyue and Zang Huai'an, though somewhat deeper in cultivation, also felt their heads grow heavy; staying here merely wasted their energy.

Dusk arrived abruptly, and the chill surged to ten times that of daytime.

Lanterns inside and outside the inn lit up one after another, casting an eerie green light that twisted and distorted the shadows.

Liu Shuoyue and Zang Huai'an returned to the inn exhausted, only to see Chu Qushan slumped weakly over a corner wooden table, a cup of tea long gone cold before him.

Chu Qushan drooped, sighing miserably; his listless demeanor made him look even more pitiable than the vacant‑stared true ghost silently drinking at the neighboring table.

The two sat opposite him; Zang Huai'an glanced around and lowered his voice: "Where's Elder Brother Jin? Why don't I see him?"

Chu Qushan, as if finding support, hurried to sit closer to them, drinking in more of the living's breath.

He whispered, "Senior Brother said he went to talk heart‑to‑heart with a new friend, so we needn't wait for him."

Liu Shuoyue fell silent for a moment, shock hard to hide: "He's made friends with a ghost here?"

The two of them, hearts pounding, stepped outside as if on thin ice, terrified of leaking their living aura.

Jin Chen, meanwhile, was unharmed—and had already blended in so quickly that he'd even made friends.

"Hmm…"

Chu Qushan nodded firmly: "Yes, it's that ghost brother named Xue Zui."

He recalled Senior Brother forcibly bringing Xue Zui upstairs, and saw nothing wrong with it.

In his view, since Senior Brother was willing to talk heart‑to‑heart, Xue Zui must be overjoyed, eager to become sworn brothers with him right away.

At that moment, the temperature inside the inn plummeted; an invisible killing intent surged forth, carrying a soul‑shaking pressure.

The main hall fell dead silent; all the ghost guests froze, heads bowed low, daring not to move.

Before them, the inn's main gate twisted, turning into a dark, gloomy passage.

Several tall ghostly figures in bright red cloaks led the way, followed by a number of ghost generals clad in tattered armor, their killing intent solidified, bearing an extraordinarily wide scarlet palanquin.

Around the palanquin hung sheer gauze curtains, red as if soaked in blood, swaying with the chilling yin breeze.

Through the thin gauze, a tall, languid figure could be seen lounging sideways inside, like the most enigmatic, mysterious specter of ordinary imagination.

"It's over… the City Lord… the City Lord has arrived!" Chu Qushan's scalp tingled, his heart pounded, and he gasped in terror, "What do we do? Senior Brother hasn't returned yet!"

Liu Shuoyue's fingertips were ice‑cold; before she could respond, the Red Cloak Leader who had come by during the day stepped forward.

A hoarse voice mixed with countless noises echoed in the main hall: "Where is Xue Zui?"

Inside the main hall, not a sparrow stirred; the ghosts wished they could bury their heads in the ground, silent as cicadas in winter.

Amid the dead silence, a trembling voice came from upstairs: "I‑I'm here! This humble one is here!"

All that could be seen was Xue Zui still wearing his veiled hat, his steps unsteady as he descended a few stairs, only to be halted a short distance away by the Ghost King's substantial killing intent.

"I‑I have… seen the Ghost King, sir."

Inside the red sedan, only the sheer gauze fluttered slightly.

The Cloak Leader shouted sternly: "You've seen the City Lord—take off that veiled hat!"

Xue Zui shuddered in fright, dared not defy, and trembling, took off the veiled hat and lifted his head.

The instant he lifted his head, a corner of the red sedan's sheer gauze curtain was lifted, and immediately an extremely light, cold chuckle came from within the carriage.

The Cloak Leader exploded in fury: "What's wrong with your face again?!"

Chu Qushan, hiding in the corner, couldn't help but sneak a sideways glance; seeing it, he gasped, then quickly lowered his head, his mind full of doubts.

How strange! When Senior Brother took Xue Zui away this afternoon, he clearly remembered the ghost's face having mostly healed—yet now, from forehead to chin, another grotesque, ferocious blood‑stained scar had appeared. The wound looked fresh, flesh turned outward and bleeding, truly horrifying.

Xue Zui wore a mournful face, spouting ghostly nonsense.

"I fell, I'm sorry—I tripped and bumped the stairs…"

The Cloak Leader: "…"

Such a feeble excuse—even the ghosts don't buy it.

Xue Zui didn't dare lift his head; his mind was full of the solemn truth Jin Chen Dage had told him.

The Lord of the Ghost City has a horrible habit: he seeks out handsome male ghosts, brings them back to the lord's manor, then flays and carves them, using their souls as ink and flesh as paper to create bizarre scrolls, trapping them forever, preventing reincarnation.

He, Xue Zui, is merely an ordinary new ghost who accidentally lingered in the Yang realm, still hoping one day to enter the Underworld for rebirth; how could he dare involve himself in such horror?

Xue Zui's mind was in turmoil; all he wanted was for Jin Chen Dage to appear quickly and save him from fire and water.

Once again, unhurried footsteps came from above the stairs.

Jin Chen stepped down the stairs one by one, his demeanor calm, as if he felt no terrifying killing intent; his gaze passed through the ghosts and landed distantly atop the scarlet palanquin.

The light silk of the palanquin's curtains fluttered silently again; this time, the figure inside sat up a bit straighter.

A bloodless, pallid fingertip probed out from behind the silk curtain and drew it aside.

In an instant, a stronger, overbearing cold ghostly pressure descended; all the ghosts in the Ke Zhan, including the red-cloaked ones and ghost generals, let out painful groans, fell prone on the ground, and their souls trembled.

Even Chu Jiu Shan and his two companions felt a buzzing in their heads, their six apertures aching as if pierced by needles, their qi and blood surging, nearly causing them to kneel.

Only Jin Chen stood firm in place; amber light seemed to flicker in his pupils, reflecting the dim red glow leaking from the palanquin, exuding an aura of grace and bearing, his brows like ink paintings.

In merely an instant, a bluish-white fingertip lifted Jin Chen's chin, icy and bone-piercing.

Jin Chen raised his eyes, and in the next instant he was brought into the red palanquin; the light silk curtain fell behind him, sealing off inside from outside.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

"Senior brother..." Chu Jiu Shan saw Jin Chen being captured, his heart burning with anxiety; he was about to rush over heedless of danger, but seeing the lowered light silk curtain sway slightly, Jin Chen turned his head and, through the curtain, gave a glance, his calm gaze stopping him.

Chu Jiu Shan's stepping foot halted abruptly; he could only nervously clench his fists and stare helplessly.

The cloaked leader also felt dazed; the man who had just been taken into the sedan by the City Lord had an appearance and bearing truly rare in the world—no wonder even the City Lord liked him so much.

In an instant, the yin wind rose again, and the killing aura gathered.

The group of red-cloaked ghostly figures and the heavy scarlet sedan chair, just as they had come, vanished eerily into thin air inside the main hall.

Ke Zhan's Main Gate returned to its original state; outside lay a deep night.

"Senior Brother." Chu Jiu Shan staggered a few steps toward the empty Main Gate, feeling weak all over.

It's over.

Senior Brother really was taken away by that terrifying Ghost City Lord!

"Chu Brother." A voice of relief sounded from the side—it was Xue Zui.

He had sneakily slipped into the corner at some point, frantically waving at Chu Jiu Shan and the two others.

Zang Huaian grabbed Chu Jiu Shan's arm, and the three walked over warily.

Xue Zui, like a thief, pulled two familiar silk pouches from his sleeve, quickly shoved them into Chu Jiu Shan's hands, and whispered, "Jin Chen Dage told me to give this to you."

Chu Jiu Shan took a look and saw it was a bag filled with ghost powder!

Liu Shuoyue's heart jolted, and she spoke sternly: "Do you know what this is?"

Xue Zui shook his head helplessly: "I don't know. Jin Chen Dage only told me to pass it along, insisting it must be delivered to you, and said nothing else, nor did he let me ask further."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuoyue relaxed a little, for if Xue Zui knew this was ghost powder used to conceal a living person's aura, their situation would be dangerous.

Chu Jiu Shan gripped the silk pouch, thoughtful, then his eyes lit up. He lowered his voice to Liu Shuoyue and Zang Huaian: "I get it! Senior Brother definitely did this on purpose! He had long planned to use this opportunity to get close to the City Lord; let's first return to our rooms and discuss further."