TRYMBPIETM 31: The Ancient Tree’s Deep shade (25)

Chi Qingzhou did not respond to Qu Feng.

He was overwhelmed by the emotions infused by the vengeful spirits and was now acting purely on instinct.

Before losing control, he had considered leaving Qu Feng to Xing Shuangzhan to vent his anger. But now, in Chi Qingzhou’s eyes, Qu Feng was nothing more than a lavish buffet—delicious and nutritious. He would never let this opportunity go.

After devouring the divine ghost essence in his hands, Chi Qingzhou smacked his lips in satisfaction. His ruby-red eyes locked onto Qu Feng, his entire being radiating a single emotion—hunger.

Qu Feng’s scalp nearly exploded!

That gaze frightened him so much that if he were a Buddha, he would have ascended to Nirvana twice over. For the first time in his entire life, or rather, his entire existence as a ghost, he understood what it meant to regret.

For decades, he had committed countless evil deeds, all for the sake of wealth, power, and immortality.

He had chosen the treacherous path of a ghost deity because if he succeeded, he would gain unparalleled authority, becoming a revered and worshiped existence among the people—lofty and transcendent.

Yet now, decades of scheming were on the brink of collapse.

With just a few bites, Chi Qingzhou had devoured nearly a third of the ghostly essence Qu Feng had cultivated over fifteen years. The resentment he had used to deceive the clan’s sacred grounds had also been partially dispelled, and the bloodline’s ancestral power had begun attempting to lock onto his existence.

What terrified him even more was that the strange power tearing him apart did not originate from the Pu Luo clan’s sacred grounds, nor did it have the slightest connection to Xing Shuangzhan.

It came entirely from Chi Qingzhou.

Chi Qingzhou was definitely not human.

He could even digest the very essence of a ghost deity—what kind of being was he?!

What had happened to him at the brink of death when he was ten years old that gave him such a terrifying power?

Qu Feng trembled in terror, his form becoming increasingly transparent, as if he were about to vanish completely.

Regret consumed him. He wished he could turn back time just a few minutes to strangle himself before he ever dared to target Chi Qingzhou.

How had he ever thought Chi Qingzhou was Xing Su’s burden?

Chi Qingzhou was clearly even more terrifying than Xing Su!

Seeing his lifelong scheming about to be ruined, and realizing that the only person who could have bought him time—Zhu Yantong—had already been sacrificed by his own hands, Qu Feng was filled with fury and unwillingness. He forcibly turned his body and fled with the wind.

At this moment, he no longer cared whether excessive movement would worsen his injuries—he could only gamble on the slim possibility of survival.

A searing pain twisted through his very soul, forcing him to let out muffled cries of agony. Every step felt like his flesh was being sliced away by knives.

Chi Qingzhou discarded the long wooden staff in his hands and stepped forward.

His shadow merged with him, plunging him into a bizarre state between life and death.

As he moved forward, his figure seemed to vanish like an erased pencil mark, only to reappear between the shifting tree shadows.

The wind rustled through the leaves, producing a rustling sound as his silhouette flickered through the shadows, rapidly closing in on Qu Feng.

Qu Feng leaped down into a narrow gully and looked up—only to see Chi Qingzhou standing before him!

His fear skyrocketed, making him tremble like a leaf. Instinctively, he took a step back.

Chi Qingzhou inclined his body slightly in a polite bow and flashed him an innocent, grateful smile.

“Thanks for the meal.”

Before the words had even faded, Chi Qingzhou lunged from the shadows, pouncing on Qu Feng!

He seized Qu Feng’s soul and ripped the divine ghost essence from his body.

Qu Feng’s agonized screams echoed through the forest. His brain felt like it was about to explode, and his mind was wiped blank by sheer pain.

NuoQi’s resentment which had been forcibly sealed within his soul, burst forth in an instant. The bloodline’s ancestral power immediately locked onto him.

The backlash came swiftly.

His soul was scorched, releasing plumes of white smoke, and the thick white mist shrouding the Yuhua Mountains gradually dissipated.

His hoarse screams grew fainter, his gaze duller. The pain reached an unbearable level—so much so that he could no longer even make a sound.

Chi Qingzhou delicately pinched the essence in his right hand and casually discarded Qu Feng’s now-ordinary soul with his left. He then focused all his attention on enjoying his delicious meal.

It tasted like spicy fish head.

It would be even better with some rice.

Eating it plain like this was a bit salty.

Chi Qingzhou swallowed another bite of essence and pursed his lips in grievance.

“Xing Shuangzhan, why aren’t you awake yet? I want some water.”

While the ordinary crew members and livestream viewers were still trapped in illusions, the masters of the rescue team had already regained their senses.

Hearing Chi Qingzhou’s words, they focused their gaze—only to see a scene of absolute horror. They were petrified.

The elder master from the Xuanxu Sect stood frozen in place, momentarily forgetting even his broken leg, retreating instinctively.

Shen Wenxu’s hands trembled violently as he held his phone, his eyes blank, his mind unable to process what he was seeing.

The agents of the Paranormal Control Bureau looked grave. Compared to Xing Su, the world-ending ghost, Chi Qingzhou seemed even stronger—more unfathomable.

They stood at the foot of the mountain, staring at the live broadcast in utter bewilderment, unsure of what to say.

During this brief moment of inaction, Qu Feng rolled on the ground twice, panting heavily. After a long pause, he finally regained some movement.

He glanced at Chi Qingzhou in fear, seeing that he was too busy being aggrieved to even look at him—a surge of wild joy filled his heart.

He could escape!

Although decades of patience and planning had gone to waste, he had a chance to survive!

Qu Feng carefully inched backward half a meter—Chi Qingzhou was still eating, his head lowered.

His joy intensified. Seizing the moment, he scrambled to his feet, his soul numbed by pain, and recklessly sprinted in a random direction.

Chi Qingzhou did not pursue him.

But after running fifty meters, the twisted joy on Qu Feng’s face froze—

Beneath the lush seven-leaf tree stood a person he could never forget.

That man wore a deep blue shaman’s robe, held a Fengdu Order in his hand, and had layers of silver and jade tassels hanging from his forehead ornament. As the wind blew, the delicate silver bells at the ends of the chains swayed gently, ringing softly.

His disciple, Zhu Yantong, knelt at the man’s feet. His soul had already twisted beyond recognition, but his eyes still burned with hatred as he grinned maniacally and mouthed the words:

“Master, I’ve been waiting for you.”

Qu Feng began to tremble once more.

The lingering joy on his face turned into a ridiculous mockery of himself—a grotesque parody.

“Qu Feng, long time no see.”

Nuo Xin smiled warmly. His face bore no trace of resentment—

Yet his boundless hatred surged toward Qu Feng, tearing off his arm without hesitation.

Qu Feng screamed in agony, nearly driven mad with terror.

He knew that for people like them, death was never the end.

It never had been.

But he had never imagined that Nuo Xin, whose coffin he had stolen, had not perished—

—and had instead returned with the Fengdu Order to exact revenge.

He scrambled to retreat, screaming and throwing himself at Chi Qingzhou’s feet, sobbing uncontrollably and constantly bowing his head.

“Just kill me! Give me a quick death! Please, a quick death!!”

Chi Qingzhou flicked his fingers, tilting his head as he looked at him, answering in a way that didn’t address the question.

“You’re such a strange person. Why would you think you could escape?”

Qu Feng froze, completely breaking down.

He grabbed onto Chi Qingzhou’s legs, mumbling incoherently that he’d rather die than live.

A long leg kicked him away. Unbeknownst to him, Xie Shuangzhan, who had finished gathering his ghost energy, returned to Chi Qingzhou’s side, his expression cold as he looked down at Qu Feng with a mocking smile.

“I told you not to upset my little contractor, but some fools just don’t listen.”

He looked down at Qu Feng, who was kneeling on the ground, his brow full of undisguised ridicule.

“Guess why I said no one wants to see the consequences of upsetting him?”

Qu Feng’s face turned ashen, slumped on the ground.

Nuo Xin, the great shaman, slowly walked over to Xing Shuangzhan and Chi Qingzhou’s side, performing the great respect of the Puluo tribe.

He thanked Chi Qingzhou: “Thank you for helping the Puluo tribe avoid the great catastrophe.”

Chi Qingzhou looked up in confusion, not understanding what this person was talking about.

He turned around and grabbed Xing Shuangzhan’s sleeve, cutely complaining: “Brother Xu, I’m so thirsty.”

Xing Shuangzhan sighed and picked him up with one hand. “Little glutton. Alright, let’s go find your friend. He should have some other food.”

After a slight pause, he looked back at Nuo Xin, “You have the Fengdu Order for revenge?”

Nuo Xin nodded. “Yes.”

Xing Shuangzhan glanced disdainfully at Qu Feng and Zhu Yantong. “Your sister is in the village, you can take her with you. Qu Feng has lost his ghostly essence. You can take him and his disciple to the underworld. After you’ve completed your revenge, the eighteenth level of hell will be waiting for him.”

Before today, Qu Feng had one foot in the ghost deity realm, and even though Nuo Xin held the Fengdu Order, he couldn’t get close to him or the ones Qu Feng protected, like Zhu Yantong.

But now it was different.

Chi Qingzhou had stripped away Qu Feng’s protection, and Qu Feng would surely pay the price for his actions.

Hearing this, Qu Feng shuddered and instinctively jumped up, only to be immediately ensnared by Nuo Xin’s resentment.

Nuo Xin pulled him toward the Road of Yellow Springs, all the while politely thanking Xing Shuangzhan.

He also set foot on the Road of Yellow Springs, leaving with a reminder for Xie Shuangzhan before he departed: “The gifts left by the elders should be with Han Lai. Please have someone destined for it take Mr. Chi to him as soon as possible.”

Xing Shuangzhan nodded. “Understood.”

Nuo Xin bowed and, without looking back, walked away.

The white mist slowly dissipated.

Xing Shuangzhan didn’t hurry to take Chi Qingzhou to find Song Yuzhi. Instead, he carried Chi Qingzhou to the side, placing him on a stone, and took the system out from Chi Qingzhou’s shadow.

The system trembled, fearfully looking at Xing Shuangzhan, not knowing what this vengeful ghost intended to do.

Chi Qingzhou also curiously looked at him.

Xing Shuangzhan patted Chi Qingzhou’s back to comfort him: “You continue eating, I’ll borrow your system for a bit.”

Chi Qingzhou obediently replied, “Alright.”

The system became even more terrified.

It tried to call out to Chi Qingzhou for help, but found it couldn’t make a sound.

Fearfully, it circled around in the air, darting about, trying to avoid Xing Shuangzhan.

Xing Shuangzhan reached out and grabbed it, pinching it into his hand.

He carried the system deeper into the forest and, without saying a word, disassembled it again!

The system once again experienced the excruciating pain of being reprocessed, terrified to the point of crying out pitifully.

When Xing Shuangzhan released it, the system quickly rushed back to Chi Qingzhou’s side, crashing into his arms, sobbing as it complained: “Host, didn’t you say you didn’t have any friends who weren’t kind? Look at Xing… Mr. Xing! He’s not kind at all!”

Chi Qingzhou blinked and responded without hesitation: “What does it matter to me whether others are kind or not?”

The system was stunned.

Wait a minute, wasn’t this host especially concerned about whether his friends were kind or not?

Xing Shuangzhan walked back and disdainfully brushed it aside: “Look at what you’ve done. If it weren’t for you, Qingzhou wouldn’t have lost control.”

The system finally noticed that Chi Qingzhou didn’t have a shadow at the moment, and the color of his pupils had strangely changed. It couldn’t help but cry even louder.

“I’m sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have done that. Wuwuwu, I’ll never dare again.”

It cried in a mechanical voice full of emotion. Chi Qingzhou, intrigued, reached out and poked at the trembling little light ball.

“Hm… Did that special mission get completed?”

The system stopped crying, glanced at the backend, and sniffled as it said, “Completed.”

Chi Qingzhou smiled: “Come on, give me a reward for the mission. Let me see how your power works.”

The system choked, wanting to say something but stopped itself. In the end, it had no choice but to comply under Chi Qingzhou’s watch.

Chi Qingzhou stared as the bad luck slowly gathered and drifted away. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow.”

The system cautiously hugged its round self, sneaking a glance at the backend, where it displayed: [Mission completed, reward issued. Final random target: Chi Shuhong.]

System: [Huh?? Who is that?]

….

Song Yuzhi snapped out of his daze and realized that the mist in the forest had appeared at some point.

The mist wasn’t as dense as it had been in the morning, but it was still enough to make him uneasy.

He anxiously craned his neck, looking into the distance, praying that Teacher Chi would return soon.

Perhaps he was indeed lucky. Not long after, vague figures began to appear in the mist.

Song Yuzhi felt a surge of joy and immediately stood up straight.

He remembered Chi Qingzhou’s previous instructions and didn’t dare to stray too far from the large tree. He nervously paced back and forth in place.

The figures in the mist slowly became clearer. Song Yuzhi froze, his eyes wide in shock.

Teacher Chi had indeed returned, but the person who had returned with him was a man he didn’t recognize.

This man was tall and handsome, dressed in a crisp ash-gray uniform suit, with the cuffs tucked into black boots. His brows and eyes carried an air of nonchalance, but his imposing presence made Song Yuzhi unconsciously think of the powerful figures he had once seen.

Chi Qingzhou was being held in the man’s arms with one hand, focused on eating something that looked like cotton candy. Its fluffy and soft appearance made Song Yuzhi stare at it for a moment longer.

The man stopped a few meters away and, without hesitation, looked Song Yuzhi up and down. “Song Yuzhi?”

Song Yuzhi instinctively stood at attention. “Yes, yes, it’s me.”

The man nodded and instructed, “Lead the way. Let’s go meet Qingzhou’s friend.”

Qingzhou?

Such an intimate way of addressing him.

Song Yuzhi instinctively felt intimidated by Xing Shuangzhan and didn’t dare ask further questions. He quickly moved away from the large tree and went ahead to guide the way.

Without Qu Feng and his apprentice secretly causing trouble, Song Yuzhi moved more smoothly through the clan’s land, reaching the mountain peak in just over three minutes.

Panting and holding his knees, Song Yuzhi lifted his head, only to see a familiar young man sitting on a dragon brain tree not far away.

He wore a long purple robe typical of the Puluo clan’s great shamans, with the chest wide open, revealing a solid chest and firm six-pack abs.

Deep purple, bright purple, and light purple interwove in dazzling patterns on the satin-like fabric. The sleeves and hem were layered and complex, creating a luxurious appearance.

Silver and jade pendants adorned the collar and cuffs, and a silver scorpion-shaped headpiece with sapphire-inlaid eyes gave it an exotic, alluring feel.

He turned his head and smiled gently at Song Yuzhi.

“We meet again, Mr. Song.”

Song Yuzhi had never seen Ah Lai dressed like this before. His face instantly turned red, stammering, “L-Long time no see, Ah Lai, hello.”

Ah Lai didn’t respond to Song Yuzhi. After greeting him casually, he lightly jumped down from the dragon brain tree, passed by the blushing Song Yuzhi, and headed straight to Chi Qingzhou.

He smiled at Chi Qingzhou, who was being held in Xing Shuangzhan’s arms, and his voice softened by eight degrees.

“Zhouzhou, long time no see. I’m glad you’re even healthier than I expected.”

Chi Qingzhou lifted his head from the source and looked at Ah Lai, his eyes instantly lighting up.

“My good friend Alai, long time no see. You look like you’re about to become a ghost deity.

Ah Lai chuckled, “After all, I need to be the only friend of yours who becomes a ghost deity, so I have to put in some effort, right?”

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head and thought for a moment, then nodded with certainty: “Mhm!”

Ah Lai gaze flickered, unable to resist reaching out to pat Chi Qingzhou’s head.

Xing Shuangzhan took a step back, brushing aside Ah Lai’s hand, coldly saying, “Talk, but don’t be so touchy.”

Ah Lai glanced at Xing Shuangzhan and scoffed softly.

He couldn’t be bothered to argue with Xing Shuangzhan and instead asked softly, “Zhouzhou, is this salty? Didn’t Xing Su get you any water to drink? I have some white rice-flavored ones, do you want some?”

Chi Qingzhou blinked: “Yes, please.”

Ah Lai took out another pure source that the elders of the Puluo clan had left for him and handed it to Chi Qingzhou, allowing him to eat it along with his meal.

Chi Qingzhou thanked him, took the small source with his left hand, and happily ate a bite.

Ah Lai shook his head and smiled: “Zhouzhou, you don’t have to thank me. It’s the elders of the Puluo clan and I who should thank you. If it weren’t for your help three years ago, we wouldn’t even have known where the roots of the disaster that struck the entire Puluo clan were, let alone how to survive it.”

Chi Qingzhou looked at him in confusion.

He didn’t understand what his good friend was talking about.

Ah Lai seemed to realize something: “My bad, I forgot that you might not remember what happened three years ago.”

Three years ago, Ah Lai had not yet reached a high level of cultivation and, logically, he should not have been disturbed.

But on a full moon night, Chi Qingzhou, under the leadership of the great shaman Geng, had suddenly woken Ah Lai, who had been asleep in his coffin.

Ah Lai had to do something big, and during his calculations, he found clues about the catastrophe facing the Puluo clan.

The Puluo clan had predicted this potential disaster that could lead to their destruction thirty-five years ago. However, no matter how careful they were or how hard they tried to find it, they could never pinpoint where the calamity would occur.

Fifteen years ago, the great shaman Nuo Xin had died, and many suspected that Qu Feng was the root cause of the disaster.

He died an innocent death, holding the Fengdu order, and naturally, he wanted to return to the clan and warn them.

But as soon as he left the underworld, he unknowingly entered a place from which he couldn’t escape.

He didn’t know where it was, only that it was a place without daylight, with the only source of light coming from the Zhou Tian^[1] Star Plate embedded in the ceiling.

He was trapped there for fifteen years, unable to even make a dream visit, and had no way of returning to the underworld.

His sister, the great shaman Nuo Qi, was also stripped of her power, permanently used to suppress her sanity, and had gone mad for fifteen years.

It wasn’t until Chi Qingzhou smashed Qu Feng’s altar that Nuo Xin finally returned to the clan.

During these fifteen years, all the dead and living great shamans of the Puluo clan had been scrambling to deal with this disaster.

Ah Lai even chose to die five years ago in order to have the strength to fight in a critical moment.

Unfortunately, in the end, they still found nothing.

Watching the destruction closing in was enough to drive any shaman insane.

When Chi Qingzhou said he had clues, they immediately called Ah Lai back, not caring about anything else.

Chi Qingzhou only made two requests at that time:

First, that if a slow-paced variety show focusing on tourism wanted to do a program three years later, and if he was a guest, the Puluo clan must not refuse, regardless of which place near Ling County the production team chose.

Second, that the production team’s guests had to include Ah Lai’s fated person,if that person wasn’t there, they had to bring them by force.

“He is the key for me to enter the clan at any time,” Chi Qingzhou explained.

The Puluo clan was at a point of no return, so of course, they wouldn’t refuse these conditions.

They didn’t doubt Chi Qingzhou’s arrangement.

The older shamans could not predict matters that involved them too deeply, but by paying enough of a price, they could still figure out how to bring Song Yuzhi here.

Ah Lai deliberately left the coffin, made some arrangements, and sent the notes he had written earlier to Song Yuzhi’s greedy assistant.

As expected, three years later, the note was handed to Chi Qingning, and Song Yuzhi, chasing after his so-called “soulmate” and “first love,” arrived at Yinping Village.

Song Yuzhi was completely stunned, his face full of confusion.

He stared dumbfounded at Ah Lai’s, unable to say a word.

Ah Lai, however, didn’t mind his gaze and simply curved his lips at Chi Qingzhou.

“If it weren’t for Zhouzhou’s reminders and arrangements, if Qu Feng’s ritual had succeeded, the entire Ling County would have turned into a ghost realm.”

Alai shook his head: “I don’t know either. You never told me the specifics. You only said that you had everything arranged, and if it succeeded, you would get what you wished for, but you might lose a few years of memory; if it failed, you would just die and your soul would vanish.”

With over four hundred thousand people in the combined tribes of Ling County, they would have all turned into wandering souls in a single night.

“Hm… The bloodline of the Puluo clan is indeed strong. To resist, a powerful ritual would be necessary,” Chi Qingzhou pondered, then asked, “What was the big thing I had to do three years ago?”