Chapter 1745: Ghostly Creature

After a night had passed, everyone woke up and gathered together early the next morning.

Seeing the group staring blankly at each other, Jing Teng's expression became somewhat unnatural. "I don't have any human food here; you'll have to figure it out yourselves," she said.

Being either demons or ghosts, they naturally had no human food. In fact, to some extent, it could even be said that humans were their food.

Wei Suo, on the other hand, looked longingly at Zu'an. He only had a few stale steamed buns in his own travel bag, while his boss had more provisions.

Zu'an paid it no mind. From his Glazed Pearl, he produced a large pile of exquisite pastries, distributing them to Qiu Honglei and Wei Suo. These had been provided by the Righteous Sun Sect during their time on Mount Zi. Due to Zu'an's special status, his meal standards were the same as those of the sect leaders from the major sects. It had to be said that the Righteous Sun Sect truly lived up to its reputation as the foremost Daoist sect. The pastries were all incredibly exquisite and delicious, and more importantly, they were made entirely from valuable spiritual herbs and elixirs, greatly benefiting cultivation. However, after the great battle on Mount Zi and Wang Wuxie's death, it was uncertain whether the Righteous Sun Sect would even continue to exist.

Just then, he noticed Jing Teng's eyes involuntarily glancing his way, her nostrils seemingly twitching, and her lips subtly pressing together. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Would you like some?" he asked.

Jing Teng's eyes lit up, but she still said indifferently, "We don't need human food. However, considering your kind offer, I'll accept it." With that, she took a piece. She had already sensed the essence of spiritual medicine in the pastry. As she put it in her mouth, a refreshing sensation indeed melted within her.

"Is it delicious?" Zu'an asked with a smile.

"It's goo—" Jing Teng began, her face slightly flushed, then changed her tone. "It's barely acceptable."

"Do you want more?"

"It's not strictly necessary."

"Then never mind."

"Fine, I'll have another taste."

...

When she had a moment, Qiu Honglei tugged on Zu'an's sleeve and whispered, "A'Zu, are you interested in her?"

Zu'an chuckled softly. "I just think she has too many secrets. Building a good relationship with her might be beneficial later on." He recalled Mi Li's words from last night—how she'd been curious if a man would get chafed when being intimate with a vine demon. *Tsk, tsk*, what a perverted old pro.

Hearing him say that, Qiu Honglei bloomed into a flower-like smile. "Then I'll cooperate and help you well in the future," she said.

Zu'an was perplexed. *How could she help with something like that?*

After breakfast, the group exited the cave. Jing Teng extended her hand, and a wisp of light floated out of the cave, forming into a jade pendant necklace. Zu'an uttered an exclamation of surprise. He released his ki to investigate for a moment, finding that the aura of the cave had vanished without a trace. Instead, the jade pendant in her hand felt strangely familiar.

"Is this jade pendant the blessed grotto-heaven from last night?"

Qiu Honglei and Wei Suo were both startled; they had never witnessed such a technique.

"Indeed," Jing Teng replied. Having just enjoyed their fine provisions, she was in a relatively pleasant mood and didn't mind answering some of his questions.

Zu'an was somewhat curious. "If something so small were stolen, it would be a huge loss."

Jing Teng glanced at him, then, right in front of him, put the necklace around her neck, tucking the jade pendant between her breasts. "I don't believe anyone could steal it without me noticing," she stated.

Everyone was dumbfounded. Placed in such a spot, it truly was impossible to steal.

Then she said to Xiao Ying, "We're heading out now. This forest won't be able to block the sunlight anymore, so you should go inside first."

"Understood," Xiao Ying bowed. "Thank you, Grandma." She then curtsied to Zu'an. "And thank you, Young Master." After speaking, she transformed into a wisp of smoke and entered a porcelain jar, which was clearly her urn. Jing Teng flicked her sleeve, instantly tucking the jar away.

Zu'an's expression was odd. The woman's every gesture made her seem more like a legendary immortal cultivator than a demon.

At this point, Qiu Honglei asked, "Miss Jing, you just said the forest wouldn't block the sunlight anymore. Do ghosts in this world also fear sunlight?"

Jing Teng was a little surprised; the woman's tone had become so much more pleasant. She originally didn't want to engage with her, as their interaction yesterday had been rather unpleasant. But then she thought that they might need their strength along the way, so she explained, "Indeed, sunlight is the ultimate embodiment of strength and yang, making it the bane of many spirits. However, some spiritual entities, if powerful enough, have their own ways to resist the erosion of sunlight."

Zu'an asked curiously, "What level of combat power does Miss Xiao Ying possess among spiritual entities?"

As Jing Teng led them out of the forest, she replied, "She's insignificant, only slightly better than some low-intelligence wandering spirits."

Zu'an secretly felt a pang of pity for Xiao Ying, thinking how truly pathetic it was for her to be so weak. Still, she was quite pretty. If her talents in certain other areas were also considered, her combat power might not be low...

His old face flushed, and he quickly composed himself. "Miss, don't worry. We're not afraid of even the most powerful spiritual entities. Honglei is a light-element cultivator, and she naturally has a suppressive effect on evil entities. Plus, I also have a skill that can deal with evil spirits." His Grand Primordium Scripture had a purifying effect, and he had been quite adept at dealing with undead creatures.

Qiu Honglei nodded. "Indeed, if ghosts fear light, then it will be easy."

Wei Suo puffed out his chest, originally intending to say that he wasn't weak either, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn't come up with any ability he had that could deal with ghosts. He instantly wilted like an eggplant hit by frost.

Jing Teng frowned slightly. "Don't be careless. Ghosts are not that easy to deal with. They are not like those low-level undead creatures that can be easily countered by certain skills. Those ghosts often possess various special skills that can catch you off guard, leaving you no time to resist."

Zu'an was taken aback. "They have abilities like that?"

"Indeed, many ghost abilities are impossible to guard against," Jing Teng said, her expression growing somewhat solemn. "For example, they can trap you in illusions, make you go mad and fight each other, drag you into water, or even seal your skills..."

Cold sweat broke out on Wei Suo's forehead as he listened. *What terrible karma led me to this place?* he thought.

After a brief overview, she continued, "If you don't use the correct method, even if you manage to defeat a ghost, it will quickly revive and return."

"Revive?" Zu'an frowned. "Ghosts can revive after being eliminated? That's unreasonable. How can you fight them then?"

Jing Teng explained, "Actually, it's not quite 'revival.' Ghosts often possess an 'immortal' attribute. They typically reside within an object or another entity. As long as that host object remains, they cannot be truly destroyed. To eliminate them, you must destroy their corresponding host. Many ghosts' hosts are their remains from when they were alive. Only by destroying their remains can they be completely eliminated. Additionally, some ghosts reside in an item they possessed in life. That item must be destroyed. Finding the corresponding item is not a simple matter, which is why ghosts are so difficult to deal with. Particularly powerful ghosts might reside in a series of related items. Unless you find and destroy all of them, they will continuously regenerate from them."

Wei Suo couldn't help but ask, "So, when a ghost is eliminated, does it suffer no ill effects at all? Like becoming weaker, for instance?"

Jing Teng shook her head slightly. "There's almost no lasting effect, though it does cause the ghost pain. They'll instinctively sense your strength and might choose not to provoke you further. However, many ghosts become what they are due to powerful obsessions, so it's more likely they'll fight you to the death."

"Then how can we fight them?" Not only Wei Suo, but Qiu Honglei and Zu'an also changed their expressions. If the opponent simply hid their host, they would be completely invincible.

Jing Teng explained, "Ghosts have a characteristic: they cannot stray too far from their host, or they will easily turn to dust and vanish. So, if you encounter a ghost, its host must be in the nearby area."

Only then did Zu'an breathe a sigh of relief. That was more like it; the laws of heaven wouldn't truly create an unsolvable entity.

"Furthermore, some more powerful ghosts can move freely with their hosts. They have merged with their host, and if you are strong enough, it becomes easier to kill them once you defeat them directly. However, ghosts who can cultivate to this realm are very difficult to defeat head-on."

Zu'an chuckled. "Compared to ghosts who hide their hosts in unknown places, I'd rather encounter these more powerful ones. They're simpler, more direct, and straightforward."

Jing Teng initially wanted to caution him, but recalling their encounter last night, she realized he had reason to be confident and said nothing more.

"Is Xiao Ying's hometown also in Zhichuan?" Zu'an asked, also inquiring about the direction of Zhichuan.

"Yes, it was precisely because she was from my hometown that I saved her," Jing Teng replied, pointing in a direction as she spoke.

Zu'an said in a deep voice, "Walking like this is too slow. Let's fly directly."

"Don't!" Jing Teng's expression changed. She was about to stop him when he already produced two fiery wheels and shot straight into the sky.

Hearing Jing Teng's cry, Zu'an's heart tightened. Almost simultaneously, he suddenly felt the once-calm air above boiling, instantly transforming into countless incomparably sharp spiritual qi blasts that shot toward him.