“Jun Mo Xie’s ‘Demon Lord Jun Ye,’ they say,” Zhan Qingfeng laughed coldly. “I don’t care if you are the Lord of Evil or some Demon Lord, now that you have entered the Misty Illusionary Manor, don’t even think about leaving alive! Yu Shu, let’s retreat immediately and find the elders in our family to report this matter. This is of the utmost importance for both our Zhan family and the Illusionary Manor; there cannot be any delay…”

Zhan Yushu agreed with a thrilled excitement, his voice trembling.

There was no doubt about it: if this matter were truly factual, it would be an immense contribution!

What was the Lord of Evil’s purpose in coming to the Misty Illusionary Manor? Whatever his goal, he must be plotting something! If they could uncover this plot, the status of the two brothers within the Illusionary Manor would naturally rise sky-high, turning misfortune into fortune!

They might even take this opportunity to round up Cao Guofeng and the others entirely. Most importantly, Miao Xiaomiao would absolutely be implicated in this affair! If Miao Xiaomiao got into trouble, it would naturally become the Miao family’s responsibility…

If they followed this logical line of thought… wouldn't the two brothers become the greatest meritorious figures in the Zhan family’s takeover of the Illusionary Manor? What unimaginable glory would that be!

Just as the two brothers were deeply immersed in this ecstatic daydream, momentarily forgetting all fear and becoming smug, suddenly, the normally exceptionally dim and eerie passage brightened abruptly.

This place was the Nine Hells Soul Refining Ground, specially established by the Zhan family to temper the focus of their talents. Torches were strictly forbidden here; indeed, since this place was built, not a single lamp or trace of flame had ever appeared! Of course, the ghostly flames emanating from scattered remains were the exception!

But now, a single flame had manifested eerily in mid-air, burning quietly. Just one flame illuminated the entire passage completely! Zhan Yushu only realized at this moment that what he had been leaning against was actually a skeleton… and he jumped back in fright!

But immediately, all his attention was seized by the magically appearing, bizarre flame.

This flame drifted through the void, burning neither fast nor slow…

Not only did it show no signs of burning out, but it refused to fall, simply hovering there!

The eyes of the two Zhan brothers went wide and fixed! What on earth was happening? The sudden change before them truly exceeded their capacity for understanding!

In this previously dark and grim mechanical passage, the sudden appearance of such a miraculous flame, while illuminating the surroundings clearly, made the atmosphere even more terrifying!

This was the universal human fear of the unknown, from which few could be exempt, and certainly not the temperament of the two Zhan brothers!

Just then, a gust of cold air suddenly blew directly into Zhan Yushu’s ear from behind. Instantly, his head buzzed, his hair stood on end, and he shrieked, leaping up.

Then, a sound resembling a door opening echoed in the void—a creaking sound, as if the Gate of Nine Hells had suddenly swung ajar! The sound was incredibly clear, as if it originated from the deepest part of the soul. Both Zhan Qingfeng and Zhan Yushu simultaneously felt: a door had opened, and something terrifying—a demon god or monster—was about to step out of it… But the most terrifying part was that the door…

Existed only in the void…

The comparatively more composed Zhan Qingfeng also showed an expression of extreme terror, his body trembling uncontrollably.

To still be able to maintain a standing posture after suddenly experiencing such unexpectedly terrifying changes seemed an incredibly difficult feat. At this moment, their gazes locked onto a single direction: on the stone wall, appearing both near and far in that direction, another flickering flame suddenly flared to life. While they couldn't gauge the distance between themselves and this flame, it appeared like the sharpest needle point, emerging abruptly. Then, amidst its flickering, it gradually approached, growing larger in their pupils. “And within the stone wall behind that flame, a strange figure draped in a white robe slowly seemed to ‘pull’ himself out of the rock wall. The body emerged from just one hand to the entire flat form, and then he forcefully ‘pulled’ until his whole body was wrenched free from the stone wall!”

Yet, what was even more bizarre was that the stone wall remained perfectly smooth, without even the slightest crack. It was as if this person had materialized out of thin air…

Seeing this utterly bizarre phenomenon, Zhan Qingfeng and Zhan Yushu instantly felt ice-cold all over, their eyes wide, mouths agape, making 'huffing' sounds, yet unable to articulate a single complete sentence…

The bizarre phenomena were far from over. The white figure floated across the space without touching the ground. Although the movement seemed slow, it was visibly apparent. The two preceding lights had clearly illuminated the entire passage, making every detail visible, but no matter how hard the brothers tried, they could never discern the face of the strange white figure!

It was as if a phantom had suddenly appeared in the void!

At this moment, an unprecedented chill filled the hearts of Zhan Qingfeng and Zhan Yushu… Their jaws began to chatter rhythmically. A thought simultaneously surfaced, one that grew more frightening the more they considered it: Is there truly a ghost in this world? As the white figure drew closer, the terror in the hearts of Zhan Qingfeng and Zhan Yushu intensified!

The two men instinctively huddled together, shivering violently. They had secretly hoped to draw some encouragement from each other, but all they could feel now was the tremor of the other’s body. This only magnified the inexplicable fear in their own hearts, making them even more terrified…

“Who? Who exactly are you… playing tricks here?” Zhan Qingfeng forced a calm question, his face pale, teeth chattering audibly. His eyes were wider than a bull’s, and his face was entirely devoid of color—all of which betrayed the terror within. “Jie jie jie jie jie jie…”

An exceedingly chilling laugh escaped the mouth of the white figure. Before, when he didn’t laugh, he merely resembled a ghost; but with this laughter, his voice sounded nothing like a human’s, immediately confirming his ghostly status and nearly terrifying Zhan Yushu and Zhan Qingfeng into unconsciousness…

As the white figure drifted nearer, the previously indistinct, hazy face finally began to clear. Following another strange, eerie chuckle, a handsome face finally emerged from behind the firelight.

With sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, thin lips, and black hair, his figure was ethereal, sporting a look of cold, aloof amusement.

“Gentlemen have indeed gone through much trouble!”

This suddenly appearing young man, his black hair billowing in the firelight, smiled elegantly, speaking in a bizarre tone that vibrated slightly, neither quite singing nor reciting: “What joy is there in a cycle of reincarnation? Who knows the myriad paths of the mortal world? Since you have entered the Nine Hells of the Yellow Springs, do not look back toward the difficulties of the human road! Gentlemen, your life spans have ended; I have come to escort you on your way together!”

“No! No, no, no!…”

Zhan Yushu shrieked wildly, tears and snot streaming down his face. Suddenly, a heat rushed through his lower body, and a torrent burst forth. He collapsed onto the ground like a pile of mud, completely drained of strength, unable to utter a single word, or even form a plea; he could only keep shouting, “No, no, no,” with saliva dripping from his lips. After a long moment, he suddenly roared hoarsely, “Ghost! Ahhhhhh…!” Zhan Qingfeng, comparatively, though trembling all over, was much calmer. He looked at the handsome face that seemed too perfect for the mortal realm and asked, “May I ask who you are?”

“This seat is naturally the Soul Reaper. You are calmer than him; this seat appreciates those with courage. However…” The boy in white smiled gently, and suddenly, his head vanished! Before the two Zhan brothers, only a headless body floated in the air, yet the voice spoke clearly: “Appreciation is one thing, but the main business must be handled. You two brothers have committed numerous evil deeds. Today your time is up, and the Underworld has ordered me to arrest you… You will proceed to the Eighteenth Level of Hell to endure ten thousand tortures to partially atone for the sins of this life…”

As he spoke, his head disappeared… yet the speech continued without a head… making one wonder what organ he was using to speak?

Zhan Yushu stared with wide, bulging eyes… Beyond this action, he could do nothing else…

Witnessing such a drastic turn of events, Zhan Qingfeng’s legs were paralyzed with fright, his eyeballs nearly popping out onto the ground. His mind distinctly commanded him not to look any further, but his vision refused to turn away. For a moment, a chill swept through him, and goosebumps erupted across his entire body…

As the white figure spoke, his two feet strangely disappeared again… Then his waist vanished too, leaving only two separate sections of the body, bobbing back and forth, as mournful winds howled and sounds of ghosts crying and demons howling rose again!

Zhan Yushu could not endure such a horrifying spectacle. He groaned, his eyes rolled back white, and he slumped softly into unconsciousness, spewing white foam and convulsing uncontrollably…

Zhan Qingfeng’s eyes also started to turn white. He wanted to struggle to his feet and shout, using his own ‘Yang energy’ to drive away this ‘ghost,’ but his legs felt as soft as noodles soaked in water. Forget standing up; he couldn't even move his legs voluntarily. Even if he managed to stand, it seemed he would have no Yang energy to spare…

The two brothers seemed convinced that the beautiful youth before them, who looked too perfect for the human world, was truly a ghost… and the Soul Reaper sent to capture them. They had to believe it; the sight before them held no trace of the human world—it was too terrifying, too fantastical…

“Truly useless… to faint from this already…”

The white figure let out a sigh filled with genuine contempt, and then Zhan Qingfeng watched, dumbfounded, as his two legs suddenly ‘grew’ back with a whoosh…

Then, with another ‘whoosh,’ his waist reappeared; finally, with a snap, his head was back… The fellow seemed slightly dissatisfied, reaching out with both hands to actually adjust his head!

It seemed he might have attached it slightly crookedly when he first manifested, and if it was crooked, it wouldn't be beautiful…

Perhaps this ghost was also quite fond of aesthetics?