Hedonist Prodigy

Chapter 84: The Woman Raising Little Ghosts

Jiang Feng felt a jolt in his heart. Without any hesitation, he kicked out, but his foot only met empty air. The shadow slipped away like an eel, leaving behind a chill as it vanished behind him.

From start to finish, Jiang Feng couldn’t see clearly what that shadow was; he only caught a whiff of a decaying smell. He took a sharp breath, deciding against entering the tomb chamber. Instead, he followed the direction where the shadow had disappeared, striding forward.

He didn’t know how far he chased, but when he finally heard footsteps, Jiang Feng stopped. Soon, the footsteps grew closer, accompanied by voices.

Jiang Feng leaned his head to listen; it was indeed the three tomb raiders. He heard the fat man say, “Boss, did you notice that we’ve walked this path before?”

“Are you sure you didn’t see wrong?” the man with a dull face replied in a low voice.

“I wouldn’t make a mistake. Look, there are still our footprints on the ground,” the fat man insisted.

“Damn it, are we running into a ghost wall?” the short man exclaimed.

“Stop saying useless things. The structure of the tomb passages is a bit strange; we probably took a wrong turn. Keep quiet and follow me,” the dull-faced man instructed.

As their footsteps drew closer, Jiang Feng prepared to hide, not wanting to be discovered. However, in just a few breaths, the footsteps faded away from his ears.

Jiang Feng was momentarily stunned and immediately chased after them, running for several dozen meters without hearing the footsteps again. At that moment, he entered another tomb chamber.

This tomb chamber was identical to the one he had seen earlier, except that there was no stone coffin inside; it was empty, devoid of anything.

Seeing this, Jiang Feng cursed under his breath. It appeared that the path he had taken was indeed correct, but he had inadvertently been misled by that shadow. Now, surrounded by darkness, he had no idea where he was. There was no way to retrace his steps.

Just as he was contemplating whether to enter the tomb chamber, a sudden gust of wind rushed from behind him, and something came crashing down towards him. Jiang Feng reached out and caught it in his hand; looking down, he realized it was a c0rpse.

This c0rpse belonged to no one other than the short man. Just minutes ago, he had heard the short man speaking; it hadn’t been long at all since he had turned into a lifeless body.

Jiang Feng recalled the shadow he had spotted outside the first tomb chamber and felt a sense of foreboding. If nothing was amiss, this short man was likely killed by that shadow.

This realization filled Jiang Feng with a sense of crisis. If he was correct, that shadow had intended to kill him as well; he had narrowly escaped, and perhaps because of this, it had gone after the three tomb raiders instead. The c0rpse tossed to him was likely a warning.

In a situation like this, a normal person would probably be terrified out of their wits, but Jiang Feng understood that the more bizarre things became, the more it indicated that this unknown ancient tomb harbored something strange. Otherwise, that shadow wouldn’t act this way.

He had no ties to those three tomb raiders; the death of one meant nothing to him. After rummaging through the c0rpse, he found a small military flashlight and, discarding the body, strode into the tomb chamber.

Just as he stepped inside, he heard two clicks behind him—the door to the tomb chamber had closed.

Jiang Feng glanced back with a cold smile, turning on the flashlight to investigate.

Only then did he realize that this tomb chamber was not empty; on the right side stood a small stone base, similar to what he had seen in the previous tomb chamber. There must have been a stone coffin here before, but it had been moved away by someone.

Jiang Feng walked towards the stone base, but after just a few steps, he suddenly felt the ground give way beneath him, and he fell straight down. Below was a small passageway, and he didn’t know how far he had slid. In a flash, Jiang Feng shot out, finding himself in another tomb chamber. 

In this chamber, there was still no coffin, but there was a large water pool. Jiang Feng shone his flashlight over it, and even though he was usually bold, his expression changed. The water in the pool was dark and murky, and it wasn’t deep; he could see the bottom at a glance. There, countless c0rpses lay submerged, piled upon one another, emitting a nauseating stench.

A c0rpse-rearing pool? A thought flashed through Jiang Feng’s mind. Indeed, this pool was a c0rpse-rearing pool, and these bodies must have been stolen from this grave. He couldn’t help but wonder who was so twisted as to create a c0rpse-rearing pool here.

Just as he was stunned, Jiang Feng noticed a figure sitting by the edge of the pool. The figure was coldly watching him, with eyes sharp as an eagle’s, giving off an extremely uncomfortable feeling. The figure was completely wrapped in a black robe, with hands and feet hidden, but it was still evident that it was a woman—a very old woman.

The old woman stared at Jiang Feng with a fixed gaze, her voice chilling as she said, “You really have some guts. Aren’t you afraid of dying?” 

Jiang Feng sneered coldly, “Why pretend to be mysterious? If you can kill me, just do it. If you can’t, then I’ll kill you.” 

“Hmph, young people are indeed audacious. I want to see what tricks you have up your sleeve.” As she spoke, the figure flashed, and a foul wind rushed towards him. 

Jiang Feng furrowed his brow and threw a punch. The old woman twisted in mid-air, dodging his punch, and cackled, “You do have some skills; no wonder you dared to come in here.” 

After twisting, the old woman revealed her hands. Her body was extremely emaciated, and her exposed hands resembled eagle claws, with long, thin fingers and dark, blue-black nails reaching for Jiang Feng’s neck. 

Jiang Feng realized her nails must be poisonous, so he stepped back two paces to avoid her frontal attack. In a flash, he appeared behind her and kicked out. 

With a loud “bang,” the old woman was kicked away, crashing heavily to the ground. “With such little skill, you think you can kill me? That’s just a dream,” Jiang Feng said coldly. 

“Chatter… chatter…” The old woman gasped, her mouth emitting a sound that resembled both crying and laughter. Accompanied by that strange sound, the c0rpse-rearing pool began to make a splashing noise, as if something in the pool was trying to crawl up. 

Jiang Feng’s expression changed slightly, realizing something was wrong. No wonder he had felt an overwhelming aura of Yin when he climbed the mountain earlier, and the news had reported that those who went up the mountain often returned with a strange illness. It seemed this old woman was behind it all. Without a doubt, this grave was her rearing ground for c0rpses. 

However, the old woman’s cultivation was not high; currently, she could only command some ghosts to scare people and couldn’t kill anyone. But even so, it was enough to deal with ordinary folks. Jiang Feng didn’t know what was strange about the c0rpse-rearing pool, but he understood that if something truly came out, he might very well perish here tonight. 

Without any hesitation, he charged towards the old woman. No matter what, he had to kill her first. Seeing him rush over, the old woman stumbled and tried to flee, but suddenly, a hidden door in the sealed tomb chamber opened. The old woman moved to rush inside. 

She was fast, but Jiang Feng was faster. At the moment the old woman was about to disappear, he reached out with a big hand, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her up.

The old woman let out a piercing scream, her voice a harsh and grating sound. She opened her mouth and spat a mouthful of black Qi towards Jiang Feng. The sound made Jiang Feng’s mind momentarily agitated, and caught off guard, he nearly inhaled the black Qi. His expression turned cold as he shouted angrily, “Shut your mouth, or I’ll kill you!” 

A flicker of fierce resentment flashed in the old woman’s eyes as she looked at him defiantly, her voice hoarse as she said, “If you kill me, you won’t be able to leave either. You will definitely accompany me to the grave.” 

“Do you really think I would accompany you to the grave?” Jiang Feng sneered coldly, his fingers tightening sharply. 

The old woman winced in pain and said, “Stop! Just stop! I can take you out.” 

“No need. Do you really think I can’t get out?” Jiang Feng had no intention of taking her words to heart. No matter what her motives were for staying in this ancient tomb, her practice of raising little ghosts had already made her detestable. If she remained in the world, she would eventually become a disaster. 

“I see your skills are extraordinary; you must come from a prestigious background. You’re here to find the Spirit Suppressing Seal, right? I know where it is. As long as you promise not to kill me, I will tell you where the Spirit Suppressing Seal is. Otherwise, even if I die, I will never tell you where it is!” The old woman felt Jiang Feng’s murderous intent and finally understood that if she angered him, he would definitely kill her. 

“Spirit Suppressing Seal?” Jiang Feng repeated, and then said, “Where is the Spirit Suppressing Seal? Take me there.” He didn’t know what the Spirit Suppressing Seal was, but since the old woman spoke of it so seriously as a bargaining chip for her life, it surely wasn’t an ordinary item. It might even be the greatest secret of this ancient tomb. He didn’t care that he didn’t know what it was; now that he knew of its existence, he naturally wanted to have it in his hands. 

The old woman continued to speak, “If you don’t let me go, how can I take you there?” 

Jiang Feng replied coldly, “I can let you go, and you can play your tricks if you want. Just don’t blame me for not warning you; if you do, you won’t even know how you died.” 

The old woman glared at him with resentment and said, “Since I’ve told you, I won’t play tricks.” As she spoke, she led Jiang Feng out of the tomb chamber. Jiang Feng followed closely behind her, his flashlight beam locked on her. As long as she dared to make a single move, he would definitely kill her at the first opportunity. 

After walking for about ten minutes, Jiang Feng and the old woman entered another tomb chamber. This chamber should be the main burial chamber of the ancient tomb; it was extremely spacious and solemn, but not luxurious. Jiang Feng wasn’t sure if it was originally like this or if all the burial items had been taken by the old woman. However, he wasn’t interested in those things. He scanned the surroundings and asked, “Is it here?” 

“That’s right, it’s here.” The old woman made a sound and said, “The Spirit Suppressing Seal is in that stone coffin. If you want it, just take it.” 

“You take it for me.” Jiang Feng was not going to take her words at face value. 

The old woman’s expression changed as she said, “You’re too greedy; this won’t end well for you.” 

Jiang Feng sneered, “Hurry up, or I’ll kill you.” 

The old woman snorted and stepped forward slowly. After pushing open the stone coffin, Jiang Feng immediately sensed that the Yin energy inside had intensified. Then he saw the old woman reach in and pull out a square redwood box, saying, “Inside this is the Spirit Suppressing Seal. Take it and get lost; never show up in front of me again, or even if I become a vengeful spirit, I won’t let you go.” 

After saying this, she casually tossed the redwood box towards Jiang Feng. He reached out and caught it, feeling its weight in his hand. When he opened it, he found a copper seal inside. The seal was not large, about the size of a coin, square in shape, and emitted a ghostly green glow all over.

Jiang Feng took a glance and felt something was off; the copper seal was simply too small. He gently brushed his fingers over it, faintly sensing that there were characters engraved on the seal. Just as he focused his gaze, his heart suddenly raced, as if an invisible hand had gripped his crown tightly, trying to peel away his soul. He immediately sensed that something was wrong; before he could react, a cold wind rushed towards him, swirling around his neck. 

Jiang Feng hastily stepped back, throwing the Spirit Suppressing Seal at the old woman. Upon seeing the seal flying towards her, the old woman retreated like she had seen a ghost. Observing her reaction, Jiang Feng felt even more unsettled. Without mercy, he flashed forward and delivered a powerful punch directly to the old woman’s heart. 

With a soft crack, the old woman’s heart was shattered, and she fell backward onto the ground, her face contorted as black blood oozed from her features. In a hoarse voice, she muttered, “Greedy people never meet a good end.” After uttering those words, her body twitched a few times, and a pool of black sludge flowed out from her small, frail body, which disintegrated into nothingness in an instant. 

Jiang Feng paid no mind to the old woman’s last frantic actions. He tore off a piece of fabric from his clothing and wrapped the Spirit Suppressing Seal in it before picking it up. When he had first held the seal, he felt a strange sensation as if his soul was being stripped away. Moreover, when he threw the seal at the old woman, she hadn’t even dared to touch it. Could it be that this Spirit Suppressing Seal could devour souls? 

After a moment of thought, Jiang Feng felt that there was a high possibility of this being true. The old woman’s cultivation method clearly leaned towards ghostly practices, and souls inherently belonged to the dark attribute. That was why she dared not approach the Spirit Suppressing Seal; otherwise, she would easily have her soul devoured, leaving her spirit scattered. 

If that were the case, then this Spirit Suppressing Seal was undoubtedly a spiritual artifact! Just thinking about it made even Jiang Feng, who had seen all sorts of rare treasures, unable to suppress his excitement. He never expected that such a thing as a spiritual artifact could exist on Earth. 

Suppressing the urge in his heart, he didn’t dwell on it any longer. He picked up the redwood box and placed the Spirit Suppressing Seal inside. This item was far too peculiar; regardless of whether it was as he imagined, it was undoubtedly not an ordinary item. Without making any further delays, he turned and walked out. 

Not long after, Jiang Feng heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He thought it was the remaining two tomb robbers, but upon listening closely, he realized that it was not just two people coming…