Cultivating immortality relies on spatial abilities; defying fate to become the protagonist.

Chapter 35 Ghostly Shadows
"Hui Rui City?! Could it be that they've come too?" The blue-robed cultivator Gu Jiachen exchanged a glance with the man beside him before changing the subject.

"Fellow Daoist, how is my tenth brother?" Gu Jiachen asked.

Gu Shihan reached out to check the pulse and found that the body already had a pulse, so she guessed that the ancestor Gu Yanli had successfully possessed her body.

Gu Shihan said calmly, "It's alright! He should wake up in a while. May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?"

“Fellow Daoist, thank you! My tenth brother is named Gu Jiahui. He did this to save us… He could have easily escaped with his life…” Gu Jiachen said with a sorrowful expression.

Gu Jiarong and Gu Jiachen took the pills and continued to meditate to recover their bodies. On the other side, Gu Yanli finally took control of his body. Perhaps because they were of the same Gu family bloodline, he was quite comfortable using this body.

However, Gu Jiahui has no memory of him at all, so he can only pretend to have amnesia for a period of time.

Gu Yanli opened his eyes, and Gu Shihan explained his identity and his relationship with the two people.

"Tenth Brother, you're awake?!" Gu Jiarong quickly came to his side.

Gu Yanli, no! Gu Jiahui now looked at the unfamiliar man and said, "I'm sorry, I don't seem to remember you. My consciousness is a little weak!"

"What? Tenth Brother, you don't remember me? I'm Gu Jiarong, the seventeenth brother, and he's Gu Jiachen, the thirteenth brother. Thirteenth Brother, Tenth Brother has lost his memory! Has his soul been damaged?" Gu Jiarong asked in a panic.

Gu Shihan paused for a moment before speaking, "Ahem, everyone, this fellow Daoist's soul has indeed been corrupted by the ghostly shadows. Fortunately, his soul is relatively strong, so he only suffered some damage and lost his memory. In severe cases, he could become mentally impaired. This is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

Seeing the three interacting well, Gu Shihhan transmitted her voice, "Ancestor, you should go with them! Now I am a disciple of the Five Flowers Sect and will not return to the Gu family. Gu Jiahui's identity is perfect for you!"

Gu Jiahui remained silent for a long time before saying, "Alright! I will fight for a place in the Gu family, so that you will have a place to stay if you want to come back in the future."

"Alright! We'll part ways here. The items in this storage ring are specially selected for you; you'll find them useful!" Gu Shihan secretly slipped a storage ring into Gu Jiahui's hand.

"Gentlemen, could you please tell me the purpose of your visit?" Gu Shihan thought for a moment and then asked directly.

“Fellow Daoist, a senior member of our Gu family accidentally obtained two Heavenly Nether Pearls here. Heavenly Nether Pearls are the main ingredient for refining Soul Pills. Soul Pills are extremely rare in the Spirit Realm, which is why we have come here…” Gu Jiachen said after thinking for a moment.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, does anyone else know about the Heavenly Nether Pearl?"

"There shouldn't be any at the moment, but every branch of the Gu family has sent people. We didn't expect this trip to be so dangerous; we almost lost our lives," Gu Jiarong said with lingering fear.

"I see! Please make yourselves at home, farewell!" Gu Shihan clasped her hands in a fist salute and prepared to leave.

Gu Yanli, also known as Gu Jiahui, reclaimed the storage magic treasure of his body's original owner and took out a communication talisman from it, saying, "Fellow Daoist, this is for you. I don't plan to continue training. I need to find a place to heal my injuries. I'll leave Yangqi Mountain Range now. Contact me if anything comes up!"

"Okay! Take care!" Gu Shihan received another message from the Gu brothers and quickly left.

"Tenth Brother, are you alright? Let's leave Yangqi Mountain now." Gu Jiarong helped Gu Jiahui up, and the three of them left immediately without stopping.

"Hanhan, are you just going to let your ancestor leave like this?" Xingbai asked.

"Hmm, he's a member of the Gu family. The Gu family is his root. Let's go and search for the Ghostly Shadow!" The man and the fox wandered around the forest and obtained two more Heavenly Nether Pearls.

As dusk fell, the Yangqi Mountains grew increasingly cold and gloomy.

Gu Shihan found a cave and planned to spend the night there. Around midnight, the sky seemed shrouded in thick fog, obscuring both stars and the moon. Everything was dark and silent. "Xingbai, don't you think it's too quiet?"

"This is definitely unusual! The Yin energy seems very strong. Hanhan, hang another Crimson Sun Jade, or we can go into the space!" Xingbai whispered.

As the human and the fox were talking, a series of soft sobs suddenly echoed from the woods. The fox's spirit, which had been projecting its energy outwards, witnessed a scene that startled Gu Shihan.

A green will-o'-the-wisp flickered, followed by a dozen or so cultivators.

These cultivators were clearly being controlled; they were listless and had blank stares.

"Ding dong, random mission activated! Destroy ghosts and shadows, save people, and your Fate Change Value will increase by 30; abandon the mission and your Fate Change Value will decrease by 50."

Gu Shihan frowned. This random task was really random enough. Did she not have a choice?
Okay! If we don't want to become cannon fodder, then so be it. We'll just do missions without becoming cannon fodder!
"Hanhan, something's wrong with those people. What should we do? Should we save them or not?" Xingbai asked.
"Xingbai, we must save her, but how can we do it in a way that allows us to save her and escape unscathed!"

"Let's follow them and see where the will-o'-the-wisps are headed? I have a feeling this is being manipulated. Could these ghostly figures be kept by humans too?!" Gu Shihan muttered to herself.

The man and the fox concealed their presence and lagged far behind the group. After traveling for about half an hour, the group in front stopped.

Xingbai quietly checked and said, "There's a valley ahead, surrounded by mountains on all sides. It's probably the legendary Ghost Cry Forest."

Gu Shihan and Xing Bai continued forward and found three corpses, who had been dead for less than a few days, in a pile of rubble.

They can no longer be called corpses, because all that remains are skin and bones; the essence of flesh and blood has been lost.

After turning a corner, they saw three identical corpses on a hillside, even their robes were the same.

Gu Shihan discovered that as long as she turned in one direction, she could see three identical corpses.

"Xingbai, what happened?" Gu Shihan was bewildered and waved her hand to burn it all away.

"Hanhan, do you have anything to ward off evil spirits? Give me some, this place is making me feel scared!"

"Xingbai, you... are good!" Gu Shihan took out two strings of Buddhist prayer beads, put one on Xingbai, and wore one on herself.

Wearing the Buddhist prayer beads seemed to lessen the chilly feeling, so it seems to be quite effective.

Suddenly, a cold wind arose, and the pedestrians who were just there vanished without a trace. Had they lost track of them? Had something in the shadows discovered their presence?

Gu Shihan steadied herself, chose a direction and headed forward. She didn't know how long she walked, but it seemed that she and the little white fox were the only people in the area.

"Xingbai, we're lost! We can't find the exit!"

Gu Shihan launched a fireball, which produced a "squeaking" sound. The darkness seemed to dissipate somewhat, and the moonlight shone down.

Pairs of lush green eyes opened on every tree and weed, and when a gust of wind blew, they emitted mournful, ghostly cries, and rushed towards Gu Shih-han without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)