Long, long, long.

Danger! Danger! Danger!

The moment that wicked aberration transformed into Chen Huangpi’s true form, the brass oil lamp was so horrified it nearly lost its mind. Those bizarre gold-and-black marks were now madly coursing over the yet-unformed placenta. It couldn’t discern what those things were—only that the strange characters emerging from Chen Huangpi’s body, resembling birds, flowers, fish, and insects, were also gold and black. It couldn’t read those words. Only Chen Huangpi and the Abbot could understand them.

“Hurry, kill it! Kill it!” The Death-seeking Ghost shouted almost in unison with the brass oil lamp, both gripped by terror. Though it wasn’t as ancient as the lamp, the Death-seeking Ghost was a creature born of the Yin Soil and Yellow Springs, and it sensed that strange, transforming placenta was a stillborn—lifeless the moment it formed, for reasons unknown. Yet now, that dead fetus was growing, defying every law of life and death. Not even in the Yin Soil of the Yellow Springs did such a thing exist.

In that split second—a thousand thoughts in the blink of an eye—Chen Huangpi, the instant they shouted, went mad, desperately summoning the vital essence between his kidneys. His mightiest technique was the Slaughter of Demons by the Grand Duke. The vital essence between his kidneys surged like a dam breaking, drawn out by Chen Huangpi until it ran dry.

More bizarre still, as if sensing his murderous intent—or perhaps for some other reason—the newly solidified temple between his kidneys flung open its doors with a thunderous roar. Billowing black smoke poured forth, instantly dyeing the vital essence within the temple pitch black.

Not only that, even the mutated idol began to move. Its massive arms, like ancient beams and pillars, lifted high and came smashing down viciously upon the aberration. At the same time, a jet-black sword energy, keen and peerless, carrying the intent to destroy evil, slay demons, and annihilate all wickedness, struck mercilessly at the aberration.

The aberration had taken on Chen Huangpi’s true form, but that did not mean it possessed his miraculous power. Chen Huangpi and the mutated idol attacked together.

In the next moment, waves of force rolled out, tearing the earth asunder. The ground split open as if the mountains themselves were collapsing. All the surrounding buildings were instantly reduced to dust. The other aberrations fled in a frenzy, not knowing what had happened—only that the great demon god and the great evil had slain one of their own.

A guttural roar erupted from the gaping maw on the mutated idol’s chest, so powerful it twisted the very air. Shockwaves blasted away all the dust and smoke. There, in a pit a hundred meters wide and unfathomably deep, the ever-shifting aberration finally revealed its true form: a shard of mirror, no larger than a fingernail. Once whole, now only this fragment remained, its destruction utter and complete.

Yet even so, the mutated idol’s fury was unquenched. With a massive hand, it seized the shard along with a clump of soil and tossed everything into its mouth, chewing and swallowing it in a single gulp. Still, its rage was unbridled. It turned its gaze upon Chen Huangpi—but was stunned to find not a trace of him. Chen Huangpi had long since fled, leaving the idol to rage alone.

The mutated idol threw back its head and howled skyward, its enormous blue-black body striding off like a god or demon in pursuit.

At this moment, the brass oil lamp was on the verge of madness. It activated its Dog-Taming Scripture, transforming into a great hound and, with Chen Huangpi in tow, dashed wildly toward the exit.

“Chen Huangpi, don’t scare me!” Just now, after Chen Huangpi unleashed that terrifying sword energy—enough to slay a god—he suddenly seemed grievously wounded, let out a pained groan, and collapsed. It was worse than that: Chen Huangpi’s transformation into an aberration had resulted from the Yin-Yang Unification and Spirit-Transmuting Technique seizing control of the Death-seeking Ghost’s body, with black smoke clinging to every bone, making escape impossible. Now, however, the bones were all falling away, and soon Chen Huangpi’s true self was exposed—deathly pale, curled up in agony.

The brass oil lamp was frantic. “Ghost, check on him for me—I’m too scared to look…”

The Death-seeking Ghost’s voice was dry, “He’s stopped breathing…”

“I didn’t see it, so it didn’t happen! Huang Er, what do we do?”

“Go back, go back!” The lamp’s eyes blazed with fire. “Chen Huangpi was raised by the Abbot like a precious son. The Abbot won’t let him die. Besides, what is this? Dying all of a sudden for no clear reason? His life isn’t that fragile—not even true fire can harm him. Once we get out of this cave, I’ll use the Divine Light of Escape to return.”

“Ghost, that mutated idol is coming after us! Go hold it off!” As soon as the words left its mouth, a thunderous roar erupted behind them—the idol was barreling toward them in a frenzy.

“Me? Hold it off?” The Death-seeking Ghost sounded incredulous. As long as the Soul-Capturing Register remained intact, it was immortal. But the mutated idol was wreathed in demonic flames and black smoke with every movement—obviously connected to Chen Huangpi. Even the Yellow Peril was beneath its notice. Having swallowed a god, it could easily destroy the Soul-Capturing Register.

Yet could the Death-seeking Ghost refuse? It still pinned its hopes on Chen Huangpi one day regaining his conscience and taking it back to the Yin Soil of the Yellow Springs to restore its true form. If it did nothing, the Abbot would surely find another way to send it back.

“Huang Er, make sure Chen Huangpi knows what I’ve done for him!” With a furious roar, the Death-seeking Ghost’s body grew to a hundred meters tall, transforming into a colossal skeleton and blocking the mutated idol’s path. Its bones interlocked like fish scales, forming a chainmail armor. Its eyes were enormous, black as ink and red as blood.

“Summon the Yin Fiends!” The Death-seeking Ghost’s voice was inhuman, resonating with the same hellish tone as the writings of the Underworld. Yellowed mist welled up from nowhere. Clenching its hands, the mist coalesced into a massive weapon, like a battle standard, its tip cold and jagged.

The mutated idol, blocked, flew into a rage, slamming its fists down as if ringing a great bell. The earth shook and mountains trembled.

“Hurry, faster!” The brass oil lamp felt the shockwaves of their battle. It didn’t look back or care. Something unknown had happened to Chen Huangpi, but his true form was now fully exposed. Every aberration in the cave could sense his aura. Though the Death-seeking Ghost held the rear, an aberration blocked their way ahead.

This one was entirely white—skin, hair, robe—all pale as snow. Dressed like a scholar, he held a book in his hand. “The Master said: Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?” His voice was strangely enchanting. The lamp felt a wave of happiness, even wanting to stop and converse.

But in the next instant, true fire blazed in its eyes. “I curse your ancestors!” A torrent of true fire erupted, reducing the aberration to ashes.

The brass oil lamp was no ordinary object. Aberrations never frightened it; only in the presence of gods did it feign death, for gods all coveted its lamp oil, unaware of Chen Huangpi’s mysteries. Aberrations, on the other hand, would harm Chen Huangpi, and that it could not allow.

Yet more aberrations blocked the path, drawn by the scent of living flesh. Still, the lamp did not slow, only increased its speed. Light flared inside it, its lamp oil burning furiously. This was not the Divine Light of Escape, but a power innate to itself—once split into thousands of fragments and now reunited in this single vessel.

“I am the Divine Lamp of the Nine Underworlds. Do you aberrations dare block my way?” The lamp shot forward like a streak of light, reaching the aberrations in an instant. But in that fleeting moment, its flame flickered out as if blown by a gust of wind. Then, ghastly green flames rose from within—cold as the netherworld, with no heat, eerie and unnatural, setting the very air ablaze and filling the cave.

It was not merely fire, but a dragon of flame. Pillars of emerald fire devoured all aberrations in their path, the air filled with their wailing screams. Like evil spirits, they struggled to escape, but spectral, maimed arms reached out from the flames, dragging them back in.

“Return!” The lamp’s voice was icy. Instantly, the ghostly fire withdrew into its body. In the blink of an eye, it resumed its former benign appearance—lamp burning bright, gleaming gold, as harmless as could be. This was the side of itself Chen Huangpi had always known. He treated the lamp as a companion and friend, and it regarded him as its only family, never willing to let him see its sinister side.

Ahead lay the cave’s mouth—dawn seemed to be breaking. “How could it be so quick? Is time inside different from outside?” The lamp was puzzled but gave it no further thought.

“Ghost! Time to go!” Though it looked down on the Death-seeking Ghost, it could not leave it behind after it had shielded Chen Huangpi from the idol’s wrath.

The next moment, the Soul-Capturing Register in Chen Huangpi’s robes emitted a chill. The Death-seeking Ghost’s battered form materialized—bones broken, even its skull cracked. Though its essence was unharmed, its condition was worse than ever.

“Tell Chen Huangpi I earned my merit,” it said, then plunged into the register.

The lamp said nothing, never once pausing. With a leap, it sprang from the cave.

But as it emerged, terror overtook the lamp’s eyes. Even within the cave, it had sensed that dawn arrived too quickly. Never, in all the tens of thousands of mountains, did day and night shift ahead of time.

Now, it saw clearly: outside, it was still night. The red moon still hung high in the sky, yet it emitted a searing brightness—the light of the sun. Then the lamp stared in stunned disbelief as a massive disk, like a millstone, rose behind the red moon, climbing higher and higher. That radiance came not from the red moon, but from the colossal sun ascending behind it.

In this moment, sun and moon shared the sky; night and day blurred together. The brass oil lamp could no longer tell them apart.