Chapter 3: Being Chased by a Ghost is a Life Tragedy

The moonlight was hazy, and the shadows of the trees swayed.

Below the deep valley, firelight blazed brilliantly. The Imperial Guards held torches that illuminated the entire dark forest; the flames flickered rhythmically in the night wind, swaying back and forth. Lying at their feet was the corpse of the old man.

The old man had already breathed his last, yet the divine artifact was nowhere to be found.

They had searched the surrounding area thoroughly, but aside from the old man's corpse, a dilapidated wedding sedan that had lost its shape, and a human-shaped pit, there was nothing else. The divine artifact had simply vanished into thin air.

A gentle night breeze blew. Everyone stood with straight backs, a sense of rigor hanging over their hearts like a taut bowstring, where a single mistake could lead to a tragic catastrophe.

A half-moon cast a dim light across the night sky, amidst the floating dust and fleeting splendor.

A fine drizzle fell.

From the depths of the dense forest, a series of light,碎 footsteps sounded. They were very rhythmic, but to the ears of the Imperial Guards, they sounded like the footsteps of a demon—ready to drag you into hell without warning, into eternal perdition.

After a long time, a cold and lonely white figure emerged from the depths of the valley. A hair stick, as dazzling as fire, loosely held up his dark hair. His white robes fluttered, the hem swaying gently with the wind. The faint moonlight filtered through the gaps between the trees, falling upon his face in fits and starts.

It was a face more beautiful than a woman's, with a countenance like peach blossoms and pupils as cold as ice. His brows were carved like blades, the thick lashes tilting upward in a rebellious manner. Beneath long, slightly curled eyelashes were eyes as deep as a pool, like two gems in the night, radiating a noble luster. His sharp gaze exuded arrogance and ruthlessness, and his rose-like lips paired with that stunning face combined into a world-shaking beauty.

It was a beauty so profound it could make one forget to breathe.

Beneath the magnificent white robes, his skin from cheeks to neck was as smooth as porcelain. Combined with his tall and slender physique, every detail proclaimed nobility and splendor.

That temperament was noble and pure.

"Where is the divine artifact?"

A cold voice, devoid of even a trace of warmth, sounded as if it had come from the abyss of the deathly underworld—hollow and desolate.

That temperatureless voice instantly transformed him from an angel untouched by the mortal world into a demon from the depths of hell.

"Reporting to the State Preceptor, the person has been found. Aside from a human-shaped pit and a broken sedan, the divine artifact is missing," one of the young Imperial Guard commanders stepped forward to report. He lowered his head, but his voice was crisp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

As the young commander's words fell, the dark forest instantly became as silent as death. Aside from the rustling sound of the night wind brushing through the trees, even the surrounding oxygen seemed to grow thin.

"And the corpse?"

After a long silence, the hollow voice spoke again, betraying no emotion.

A blood-soaked corpse was quickly carried before the man in white. Beneath the white-clad man's seemingly calm gaze lay eyes as sharp as a blade; he exuded an aura of malevolence, looking from a distance like a sharp edge of a sword, ready to wound anyone nearby at any moment.

His long, slender fingers, white as congealed fat, opened toward the corpse on the ground, instantly incinerating it into a pile of powder. The surrounding Imperial Guards did not dare to breathe; they knelt in unison, their torches swaying erratically and trembling.

The man in white slowly withdrew his hand, his deep eyes emitting a bloodthirsty light. He stepped forward lightly, shifting his cold gaze toward the large pit on the ground.

The man's features were as deep as the sea. Suddenly, a scrap of red cloth drifted before him on the wind. He struck out abruptly, and the red scrap instantly landed in his palm. His deep, pool-like eyes narrowed dangerously. He opened his palm to reveal the scrap and said in a heavy voice, "What is this?"

When the young Imperial Guard commander saw what was in the man's hand, his face instantly turned as pale as dirt. "This subordinate has failed in his duties. I beg the State Preceptor to punish me."

"This matter will be dealt with later. Go and investigate immediately. Find out which families held wedding celebrations today... and everyone else, withdraw from the valley immediately..."

"Yes!" The Imperial Guards responded in unison, their figures scattering as they quickly departed, vanishing into the dark forest in the blink of an eye.

The man in white remained standing alone in the wind, tilting his head slightly to gaze at the firmament. His deep eyes revealed a dazed expression. The fine drizzle had stopped, and the full moon had long been covered by dark clouds. A few scattered stars emitted a lonely, faint glow, a desolate and illusory light.

*Saint Race Priestess, only you can rescue me from this sea of suffering.*

*Only you...*

The man in white slowly closed his eyes and spread his arms, chanting a complex incantation under his breath. As he opened his palm, a beam of green light rose from his hand, and as he continued his chant, the light gradually transformed into a mass of cyan-green mist.

The cyan-green mist rolled and grew larger, as if something inside was constantly writhing. A strange current of air began to flow around it.

*Pop!* With a crisp sound, the green mass finally broke a pitch-black hole through the cyan-green mist. A withered, dark green hand reached out eerily from within, followed by a sinister skeleton crawling out.

The skeleton held a black scythe, its upper and lower teeth chattering incessantly, emitting a terrifying clattering sound.

"Go and find the divine artifact for me."

The white-clad youth snapped his eyes open and issued the command to the skeleton.

The skeleton's head tilted, and where its eyes should have been, two green ghostly fires flickered. In the next second, it instantly burrowed into the soil, vanishing into thin air.

***

The moon was covered by dark clouds, providing not a shred of light. The trees and the grass merged into one, like a boundless expanse that enveloped Gu Liuxi, pressing down on her until she could barely breathe. She ran continuously through the depths of the valley, yet she could not reach the end.

Running without end, spinning without end, looking around without end—she simply could not find a way out. This place was like a vast, endless ocean; no matter what she did, she could not escape, trapped within.

Her current appearance was one of utter disarray. Her wedding robes, torn by branches and wild grass, had long since become tattered. She had simply torn off the long, tripping skirt, turning it into a simple knee-length skirt.

After walking for so long, she was both hungry and exhausted, her body devoid of strength. If it weren't for the tragic, hopeful gaze of that old man before his death constantly stimulating her, she would likely have collapsed long ago.

Where on earth was this? How did she end up in this ghostly place?

*There is no way out... there is no way out...*

Gu Liuxi collapsed exhausted onto the grass, closing her eyes wearily.

*No, I can't collapse. I am Gu Liuxi! The tenacious Gu Liuxi! How can I be defeated by this predicament? I'm not tired, I'm not tired at all.*

She kept hypnotizing herself. Only after her strength gradually returned did she "whoosh" upright from the ground. Just as she was about to stand, a pit suddenly appeared beneath her feet.

The pit spread outward toward the surroundings in an eerie, automatic fashion. Suddenly, a pair of eyes glowing with a faint green light emerged from the pit, meeting her inquisitive gaze. Those dark green pupils instantly ignited with two green ghostly fires.

Just like that, Gu Liuxi found herself making eye contact with the skeleton, completely defenseless.