Chapter 2, The Night Words of the Old Crow, The Red Robe Transforms the Banner

With a loud bang, a red light suddenly erupted from the hand of the person in the coffin, shattering the black aura into pieces. The surging wave of energy pushed the standing youth back five or six steps, causing him to stumble and fall in front of the grave beside the person in the coffin. The man in black, Mi Luo, failed to strike but instead laughed heartily, "So much talk, after all this time, aren't we still going to fight?"

This silver orb is a unique magical treasure of Daoist Yin Xiao, known as the Thunder-Commanding Silver Pearl. It was crafted by Daoist Yin Xiao using a large amount of silver, lead, mercury, tin, platinum, and the essence of Eastern Sea gold, refined in a cauldron through the method of talismanic magic. After undergoing the ritual of the Five Thunder Rites, it can deliver a blow exceeding a thousand jun and can also release the accumulated lightning, possessing numerous magical properties for dispelling demons. Daoist Yin Xiao has refined a total of four of these pearls, and one is also in the possession of Hetu, the senior brother of Mi Luo. During the duel between Kong Tong and Hetu, this pearl caused considerable trouble for them. Now, seeing Mi Luo throw this pearl, Kong Tong, who was already on the verge of collapse, felt her mind shatter. With great effort, she formed a spell with her hands while simultaneously biting her tongue, spraying a mouthful of blood mixed with her true essence onto the red banner in front of her.

The youth was unsure whether the words of the man in the black robe were true or false, and could not help but turn to look at the person in the coffin. The pallid face of the person in the coffin remained expressionless, and he calmly said, "Miro, you are simply talking nonsense. The Mouchazhu is merely cold in nature; consuming it would at most lead to a buildup of cold ice in the abdomen. How could it possibly absorb all the vital energy from the body? Furthermore, if I wanted to obtain the pearl, why would I need to resort to such a cruel method as disembowelment?"

The ghostly flames flickered in the graveyard of the mountains, and the old crow spoke human words. This was an utterly astonishing event for the young man. As he gasped in surprise, his palms were already drenched in cold sweat, and his mind was in a state of confusion, unable to comprehend what the old crow was saying. However, the figure in the red robe within the coffin remained unfazed, not even glancing at the old crow. He merely raised his head slightly to gaze at the sky and said calmly, "What a method that relies on the six senses; I did not expect you and the books to find this place so quickly."

"Good old ghost, I never expected that this tattered red robe of yours is such a treasure." Mi Luo chuckled repeatedly, pointing his short staff to the sky. "Wait a moment," at that moment, the person in the coffin suddenly shouted, "Think carefully about where this place is before you make a move against me."

"Kongtong old ghost, if you give me the Mouchazhu now, I might spare your life." Mi Luo's magic was extremely sinister, and he was not at all as pedantic as many righteous sects. As he laughed wildly, his hands did not pause; before the black flames had dissipated, a spinning silver sphere was already thrown from his hand, striking the six-sided red banner that was about to fall.

The strange sound was actually made by a completely black-winged crow

A shadow darted out from the flickering ghostly lights, abruptly stopping on a nearby broken monument. The dry and peculiar voice emanated from this shadow. The resolute and brave young man turned to look, but upon seeing it, he could no longer contain himself, and a sudden wave of bone-chilling cold surged within him, prompting a startled exclamation of "Ah!"

The tone of the person in the coffin suddenly became extremely eerie, causing the young man to feel a chill in his heart, and he instinctively took a step back. However, the person in the coffin raised a hand and threw a bead over to him. The young man caught it reflexively, and the person in the coffin coldly looked at him and asked, "Can you do it?"

Miro was taken aback and asked in return, "Where?"

"It seems that all this effort was not in vain; you may have this treasure first." As the youth brought the pearl to his mouth, a barely perceptible joy flickered in the grayish-white pupils of the person in the coffin.

"First, place him in a situation of certain death, then use secret methods to conceal the treasure of the Miaocha Pearl, and have this wild child consume it. By the time it happens, even if this wild child collapses before our eyes, we would never suspect that the Miaocha Pearl is within him. Old ghost Kongtong, your plan is quite good. After the appearance of the man in the black robe, the old crow had already been startled and flew away with a caw. Compared to the sound of the old crow, the voice of the man in the black robe could be said to be a hundred times more pleasant. However, the youth only felt that the situation was becoming increasingly eerie and strange. Suddenly, the gaze of the man in the black robe fell upon him, and he shouted, "Ignorant child, do you not value your life? Why don’t you throw the item in your hand to me? If you swallow it, that pearl will take root in your belly, and at that time, it will drain all your vital energy. Then, once this old ghost has recovered, he will cut open your belly to retrieve the pearl and escape."

Amidst the pitch-black graves, the radiant bead, just a foot away from the boy's face, illuminated it in a deep azure hue. Moreover, only a few feet away stood a figure draped in a scarlet robe, with eyes as pale as ash, emerging from a coffin. Everything appeared inexplicably eerie, yet the more bizarre it became, the more resolute the boy was in his determination to consume the bead. He had never encountered such a wondrous bead before and felt that the figure in the coffin intended to harm him, but it would be a mere gesture, requiring no elaborate effort to waste such a precious bead.

The youth hesitated as he looked at the person in the coffin: "What is it?"

After a fierce clash with Mi Luo, the face of the person in the coffin turned increasingly pale. However, upon hearing Mi Luo's cackling laughter, the person in the coffin merely responded with a cold smile. With a squeeze of his left hand, the red robe he wore suddenly flew out, splitting into six pieces that fell on either side of the coffin, encasing both him and the youth within. At that moment, the youth realized that the blood-red robe wrapped around the person in the coffin was actually six blood-colored banners. As soon as these six banners were summoned, a brilliant red light surged around the graveyard, and the youth felt an overwhelming heat. The dozens of golden threads, resembling electric snakes, shot from the short staff in the black-robed man's hand, and upon contact with the red light, they instantly shattered into fine golden sparks. In an instant, the red light intensified, and the blood-colored banners seemed to grow with the wind, slowly rising to become enormous banners measuring twelve to thirteen feet. The sound of "crack, crack, crack" echoed, resembling the growth of bones, as the dense red light suddenly coalesced into a ghostly face with two horns, four eyes, and sharp fangs, hovering above the head of the person in the coffin as if it were a solid entity.

"You have fallen victim to my senior's Soul Corrosion Spell; this place of extreme darkness is most unfavorable for you. I did not expect you to hide here," the old crow said in his peculiar tone. In the western sky, a dark mist had risen, thick as ink, swirling in the night sky like a black dragon. The person in the coffin stared indifferently at this dark mist. In an instant, the mist swept down, and a fierce wind arose. When the wind subsided, the youth saw a gaunt man standing in the arena, his face bearing a hint of pride and mockery, his entire figure concealed within a pitch-black robe. In his right hand, he held a white short staff riddled with holes, entwined with golden patterns, intricate, obscure, ancient, and intimidating.

"Go!" The six-sided red banners blazed with brilliance, yet the zither had already reached the limits of its power. The black flames, sharp as arrows, dissipated into nothingness upon contact with the red light of the banners, producing only a series of popping sounds. However, the zither felt as if it had been struck by lightning, its spirit shaken violently, and the six-sided red banners swayed chaotically, as if the recently formed ghostly face was about to be shattered.

How ridiculous, how ridiculous, the dignified Dharma King of the Lankao Temple has actually fallen to the level of deceiving mountain children... Suddenly, amidst the chaos, a voice like this emerged, long and distant, as if someone were reciting softly from afar, yet the voice sounded as if it were muffled by a layer of crumpled paper, the tone inexplicably dry and strange

"You wouldn't be unfamiliar with Mount Shu, would you?" The person in the coffin pointed to the distant, vaguely visible dark mountain and sneered, "This place is less than a hundred miles from the gate of Mount Shu. If you intend to kill me, are you not afraid of being discovered by the disciples of Mount Shu? Moreover, you must have seen the Kunlun's Lidi Flame Light Boat just now, right?"

Do not mention to anyone on hetushu.com that you have encountered me, and do not tell anyone that you have consumed this pearl

How can one still live with ice in their belly? Although the person in the coffin claims not to require cruel methods, his words are undeniably cruel and venomous. The youth suddenly felt his entire body stiffen, yet the figure in the black robe did not engage in a war of words with the person in the coffin. With a cold laugh, he waved his left hand, and a stream of black mist surged directly toward the youth

The beads in his hand shimmered with a radiant glow, casting fleeting lights and shadows across the youth's face. However, upon recalling the dragon boat and the girl who had been taken away, the youth no longer hesitated. He lifted his head and nodded firmly at the person in the coffin.

"Old Ghost Kongtong, so this is the scheme you have in mind." Mi Luo's eyes twinkled as he began to laugh, "No wonder you didn't run towards your sect, but instead hid in this place, causing my senior brother to be unable to catch you. But after all this time, you have been sitting in the coffin; you must be at the end of your strength, your lower body is probably rotting away, and you can't even get out of the coffin, can you? Even if the people from Mount Shu and Kunlun discover you, what of it? By the time they arrive, I will have already killed you and left. So, how about this: as long as you can stand up from the coffin, I won't make a move. If you can't stand up, then don't waste your breath." After saying this, he waved his short staff, and the fine holes on the staff emitted a series of ghostly howls. Suddenly, the sky was filled with rolling black waves, and a gigantic black claw flashed, transforming into countless streams of black flames pouring down.

The trapped beast struggles! Mi Luo let out a cold laugh, suddenly floating into the air. Just as the ghostly entity burst forth, the continuously spinning silver beads emitted a startling crackling sound. Strands of silver lightning spiraled out, instantly transforming into dazzling pillars of electricity the thickness of a child's arm. Within a radius of one mile, the electric light surged and flashed, resembling an electric net, densely interwoven and crashing down upon the ghostly entity and the red banner.

In an instant, the red banner erupted with a series of explosive sounds, and the ghostly figure hovering above the head of the kongtong transformed into a tangible form, charging forth with blazing flames, striking towards Mi Luo