Chapter 10: Calamity
On the second floor of the Red Pool Inn, the scene before him was one of ruin. Su Xiao gripped the throat of the red-clad female ghost with one hand. As he applied force, her spiritual form began to turn transparent, as if she would be crushed to pieces in the next moment.
This was the benefit of high soul strength—being able to directly harm spiritual entities without the aid of soul-type abilities.
With a crackling sound, the red-clad female ghost was crushed by Su Xiao. For ghosts with chaotic consciousness like this, he wouldn't believe a single word they said.
A mournful wail spread out. Su Xiao took a hollow crystal shell from his storage space, and the scattered light particles around him were absorbed, all entering the semi-transparent crystal shell.
Putting away the crystal shell—an unexpected gain—Su Xiao pressed one hand against the stained wall, carefully sensing. He needed to confirm one thing: whether this place was still Winter Spring Town, or if he had entered some kind of alternate space.
As his perception spread, a layer of gray light membrane appeared in his senses. This membrane, covered in bloodshot lines, enveloped the entire Red Pool Inn, isolating the hot spring inn from the outside world.
Su Xiao tried to break through the gray light membrane with his perception. A stabbing pain appeared between his brows. The breakthrough failed, but he vaguely sensed something—the cold wind and snowflakes.
Though faint, Su Xiao had indeed sensed it, confirming that he was still in Winter Spring Town, just trapped in the Red Pool Hot Spring by that dangerous entity.
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang let out a low bark. It didn't even dare to breathe heavily, but it hadn't forgotten to search for enemies.
Bubu's method of searching for enemies was special. It didn't rely on perception but on its aura ability. By fully opening its aura's enhancement, it could apply aura effects to enemies. As the aura's master, Bubu could determine the location and aura of every beneficiary.
Bubu's meaning just now was that there were six targets in the Red Pool Inn, three of which were Amu, Baha, and Liechao.
The other three were Granny Qian and a weak aura, with the last being an unknown aura that felt elusive to Bubu Wang.
The remaining auras were ignored by Bubu Wang—they were just not-so-strong spiritual entities.
Su Xiao temporarily ignored Granny Qian, and the weak aura was probably the little boy he had encountered earlier. That could also be ignored for now. The final unknown aura was the key; this might be the dangerous entity.
"Where is it?"
Su Xiao decided to go directly to the unknown aura. Dawdling wasn't his style. He had gathered enough information; it was time to deal with this dangerous entity.
"Woof."
"Lead the way."
"Woof?!"
Bubu Wang's dog body trembled. It first put on a garlic necklace, then hung a Bagua mirror, cross, and holy spike around its neck, creating a mix of East and West. Though it knew it was useless, it provided some psychological comfort.
Fully armed, Bubu raised its dog head and walked forward with slightly stiff steps.
Crack, crack, crack~
Ice appeared on the ceiling—this was Amu's ability. Amu had encountered an enemy.
According to Bubu Wang's earlier detection, Amu, Baha, and Liechao were all on the third floor. The dangerous entity clearly intended to trap them there while dealing with Su Xiao.
The first floor of this inn was the most dangerous. The hot spring was in the inner room on the first floor. Touching the water in the hot spring meant forming a medium with the dangerous entity, leading to instant death.
This was something Su Xiao had to guard against. Even he couldn't avoid this kind of fatal inevitability. One wrong move, and he would die here, losing everything.
Following the wooden corridor, Su Xiao arrived before the wooden stairs leading to the first floor. There were over a dozen steps, with the bottom four submerged in a light red water that emitted steam—hot spring water.
Seeing the hot spring water flooding the first floor, Su Xiao understood why the dangerous entity had trapped Amu, Baha, and Liechao on the third floor. Its main target was Amu, whose ice ability could freeze the hot spring water, countering this dangerous entity.
"Bubu."
"Woof."
Bubu merged into the environment. When it came to self-preservation, Bubu was experienced. It had followed Su Xiao through countless battles against powerful enemies.
Su Xiao took a test tube from his storage space and tossed it into the hot spring water, which was about 50 centimeters deep and covered the first floor.
With a pop, the test tube shattered. A wave of cold spread, and ice expanded at a visible rate, freezing the hot spring water on the first floor. The dangerous entity was in the inner room on the first floor.
Su Xiao leaped onto the ice layer. Just as he was about to move forward, he stopped in place. This dangerous entity was insidious enough. It had the ability to flood the entire Red Pool Inn with hot spring water but didn't do so, fearing that Amu would freeze all the incoming water, making it hard to establish a medium.
Around Su Xiao now were countless water threads thinner than hair. If his perception wasn't sharp enough, even a slight touch with these water threads would mean contacting the medium, and then life and death would be in the dangerous entity's hands.
With a whoosh, the water threads around Su Xiao closed in, cutting across his entire body. Instead of dodging, he charged forward at full speed.
The Dragon Shadow Flash ability was activated, allowing Su Xiao to enter a space-penetrating state for 2 seconds. During this time, the water threads formed by the dangerous entity couldn't touch him.
With his speed fully unleashed, Su Xiao was almost gliding at ultra-low altitude. After penetrating several wooden walls, he stood before a pair of sliding doors.
The moment he exited the space-penetrating state, Su Xiao crushed a test tube in his left hand and drew his blade with his right.
The test tube shattered, and cold air gathered in Su Xiao's left palm. He ran his left hand over the blade's edge, and Dragon-Slaying Flash was instantly covered in frost, emitting fine icy mist.
Zheng, zheng, zheng.
Su Xiao slashed three times in succession. The blade cut through the incoming water threads, and the low temperature enchanted on the blade froze them upon contact, turning them into ice threads thinner than hair.
Boom!
Su Xiao's blood aura exploded, shattering the surrounding ice strips, sending fragments flying in all directions.
Su Xiao kicked forward, and the wooden door in front instantly exploded into powder, like a shotgun blast, shooting into the inner room and creating large holes in the innermost wall.
Stepping on the icy surface, Su Xiao entered the inner room. Beneath the ice was a hot spring pool surrounded by round stones. The room had a pointed ceiling with a hole at the top, allowing those soaking in the hot spring to enjoy the night view without too much snow falling inside.
The furnishings here were no different from an ordinary semi-open-air hot spring. The only exception was an altar on the inner side of the room, covered in bells tied with red strings.
Jingle~
All the bells rang, and a sharp pain shot through Su Xiao's head.
[Warning: You have been affected by a dizziness effect, lasting 3–20 seconds.]
[This control effect has been negated by the Blade Grandmaster ability.]
[Warning: You have been affected by a frenzy effect, lasting 5–16 seconds.]
[This control effect has been negated by the Blade Grandmaster ability.]
[Warning: You have been affected by a consciousness severance effect.]
[This control effect has been negated by the Blade Grandmaster ability.]
...
Su Xiao negated three types of control abilities in succession, but because he negated too many control effects at once, his brain felt a brief sense of drowsiness.
He stepped forward toward the altar. A strong sense of foreboding came from it, causing a stinging sensation on his cheeks.
He had been wondering earlier why the danger level of this entity didn't reach S-rank. Now it seemed that the dangerous entity had been hiding.
During the previous clash, because Su Xiao had negated two soul instant-death effects, the dangerous entity suffered backlash and had to retreat to its lair.
The altar and the bells tied to it were not the entity's true body. Using the altar as a medium, it was hiding somewhere.
What this dangerous entity was remained unknown. Its known abilities were threefold: first, killing through the medium of hot spring water; second, inflicting a soul instant-death effect when facing it directly; and third, binding and enslaving spirits to do its bidding.
The red-clad female ghost encountered earlier was one such spirit, as was Granny Qian. Granny Qian had crawled into a corpse, giving her a different aura.
This Red Pool Inn was practically a ghost nest. The only living person was the little boy, who had earlier told Su Xiao how to escape the inn—a very interesting little fellow.
The note left by Granny Qian asked Su Xiao to save someone, referring to that person as "her." This was irrelevant. Granny Qian was an old ghost with ill intentions. Leading Su Xiao to the second floor was meant to give the dangerous entity an opportunity, setting up layers of traps on the first floor to trap and kill him.
Su Xiao wasn't here to solve mysteries. Whatever grievances or tragic stories these ghosts had were none of his business. He wasn't that sentimental. His purpose here was to deal with this dangerous entity and reap the benefits—simple and pure.
After observing the altar for a moment, Su Xiao slashed down with his long blade, cutting off a small corner of the altar. Pain came from his forearm, and a piece of severed flesh fell from his sleeve.
Su Xiao caught the falling piece of skin with his left hand. A crystal layer spread, wrapping around his right forearm inside his sleeve to prevent blood from dripping onto the ice and contacting the hot spring water.
This ice was frozen from hot spring water. Su Xiao wasn't sure if his flesh touching the ice would form a medium. Better to be cautious. Though he had charged in recklessly, it wasn't due to a hot head.
After wrapping the piece of skin in the crystal layer, Su Xiao put it in his pocket and continued observing the altar.
His first thought was that this altar had formed some kind of connection with him. But on second thought, that was impossible. If so, the dangerous entity would have killed him by destroying the altar long ago.
Alternatively, the altar's characteristic might be that whoever damages it suffers equivalent injury. If a reckless person came here and smashed the altar, it would be a fancy form of suicide. Dealing with dangerous entities required caution and careful planning.
The altar couldn't be easily destroyed. To force the dangerous entity out, he needed another method. Su Xiao looked at the many bells hanging on the altar, then at a wooden bowl on it filled with light red hot spring water, like diluted blood.
Su Xiao's crystal-wrapped fingers pinched a bell and pulled it off. Nothing unexpected happened.
Just then, Amu, Baha, and Liechao entered the room. Amu had several arrows stuck in him, and Baha was the same, once again a running chicken.
Liechao's left hand was covered in bruises, and her neck was wrapped in bandages, the back of her neck stained red with blood—Baha's favorite attack spot.
Needless to say, the three of them had fallen into an illusion and fought each other. Amu took a few arrows, reliving the Source: Divine Village journey, while Liechao was badly injured by Baha. Baha had entered its rising phase, with its Sky Bloodline starting to exert force at the eighth rank.
"Liechao, throw this bell into the bowl."
Su Xiao tossed the bell to Liechao. As a temporary summon, she could probably exist for 15 to 30 days, but she still hesitated. She had died once before.
"Don't be afraid. As long as the water-type source isn't destroyed, your body can be reconstituted. What truly limits you is the maximum duration of the summoning contract."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Liechao approached the altar, still feeling a bit resentful. She was a Tianba warrior, Drowning Tianba, yet she was being used as cannon fodder.
"Am I cannon fodder?"
Liechao glanced sideways at Su Xiao, a faint smile on her face.
"No, you're one of us. Hurry up, don't dawdle."
As Su Xiao spoke, he signaled Amu to raise his shield. Amu formed a three-meter-wide, nearly five-meter-high ice shield, almost reaching the ceiling.
Su Xiao retreated to the outer side of the room. Baha landed on his shoulder, and Bubu Wang, with its paws wrapped in a crystal layer, stood by Su Xiao's leg, with Amu holding the shield in front.
Seeing this, Liechao's mouth twitched.
After a moment, she took a deep breath. She had to stay aloof and maintain some elegance. She couldn't argue with that black-hearted bastard. She had been "reborn" and needed to find a way out of her current predicament, to keep living in this strange world for a long time. If possible, she wanted to return to her homeland, Source: Divine Village.
"Start. We're right behind you."
"?"
Liechao almost lost her composure. After taking a few more deep breaths, she dropped the bell into the wooden bowl.
The bell fell. The moment it touched the hot spring water in the bowl, a ripple spread.
Ripple~
Water patterns appeared, and Liechao vanished. Almost simultaneously, the water patterns in the bowl stilled, as if nothing had happened.
After about five minutes, Liechao suddenly reappeared. She stumbled back a few steps, nearly falling to one knee. She supported herself on the ice with her left hand's fingernails, remembering Su Xiao's warning not to touch the ice with her body.
"What did you see?"
Su Xiao chewed on a soul crystal in his mouth. Though he had already guessed, he wanted a clearer answer.
"I saw a large mass of water. It looked like a formless spiritual entity. I scattered it, but that can't kill it—it was only a part of it. I entered its 'territory' just now. There, my combat power was weakened, and it became stronger. I barely won. Those bells on the altar—each one thrown into the water bowl lets you see a part of it. Destroy all its parts, and while you can't completely eliminate it, you can force its true body out."
Liechao's intelligence was crucial. She had uncovered the most troublesome aspect of this dangerous entity: its powerful concealment and difficulty to destroy.
There were over a hundred bells on the altar. Only by throwing each into the water bowl could one see a part of the entity. Defeating that part would shatter one bell.
To shatter all hundred bells, the entity's true body would have to be forced out.
With the blessing of her "source," Liechao's strength was in the upper echelon of this world. With cover, she could quickly kill many strong enemies. Yet even she was severely injured after dealing with just one bell.
Destroying the altar was unwise. The small piece Su Xiao had cut off earlier had regenerated within seconds.
To deal with this dangerous entity, one had to grind it down, having many strong people come here to throw bells into the water bowl one by one. This rule was set by the entity itself—it was hunting.
Understanding this, Su Xiao was confident he could handle the dangerous entity. He stepped forward, pulled off a bell, took out an ordinary Apollo, and pressed the bell into it.
In many cases, people mistakenly believe that thermal weapons are ineffective against ghost-type enemies. Actually, this is wrong.
If you encounter a vengeful spirit and shoot it, ordinary bullets indeed have little effect. RPG rockets aren't much better. This leads many to think thermal weapons are a bad choice against vengeful spirits.
But what if you fire a nuclear bomb at the vengeful spirit? In that case, forget the vengeful spirit—even Sadako would be vaporized.
Ultimately, it's just insufficient firepower, not enough energy released. With enough firepower, all evil entities are nothing.
Thus, it can be concluded that exorcism rituals and holy relics are fake. When dealing with ghosts, Apollo is the way to go. Though this method is too demonic, it works quickly.
Su Xiao activated the Apollo in his hand. After 13 seconds, he released it. The Apollo-wrapped bell fell into the water bowl and immediately vanished, just as he expected. As long as the attack's kinetic energy was strong enough, the enemy wouldn't have the energy to drag him into its hiding place.
After a few seconds, Su Xiao pulled off another bell, took out another Apollo, and repeated the process.
One by one, the activated ordinary Apollos were thrown into the water bowl. The first eight made no sound. On the ninth, Su Xiao felt vibrations under his feet, indicating that the place where the dangerous entity was hiding had been blown through.
Jingle, jingle...
All the bells on the altar began to tremble. Various signs indicated that this dangerous entity had intelligence.
'Containment'
Characters formed from red liquid appeared on the altar. Su Xiao ignored them entirely. Contain this dangerous entity? Of course not. Containing it would only yield a treasure chest; killing it would give World Source plus a treasure chest. There was no need to think twice.
Su Xiao pulled off a bell, pressed it into an Apollo, and was about to throw it into the water bowl.
With a crack, the altar shattered. Dozens of semi-transparent tentacles shot out, heading straight for Su Xiao.
Su Xiao sidestepped to dodge. Dragon-Slashing Flash was covered in light blue arcs. He thrust forward, piercing through a mass of semi-transparent tentacles before finally impaling a head covered by a bamboo basket.
Su Xiao's hand broke through the twisted semi-transparent tentacles, grabbed a shoulder, and pulled hard.
The bell woman he had encountered earlier, with a bucket-like bamboo basket on her head, was dragged out. Dragon-Slashing Flash had already pierced her head.
Su Xiao pulled out his long blade and thrust again.
Puchi.
The blade pierced the bell woman's neck. Her true body wasn't a spirit but a body of flesh and blood with a soul.
"Do you... hear... the bell sound? So pleasant... sound."
Pupils appeared in the bell woman's pale eyes, but the light in them quickly faded.
With a clatter, an old bell fell from her embrace, its sound already muffled. The bell woman fell to the ground with a thud, blood spreading beneath her like a vivid flower.
"Ah!!"
An old, mournful shout came. Granny Qian, holding a wood-splitting knife, broke through the wooden partition and staggered toward Su Xiao, her expression both angry and terrifying.
Zheng.
A slash mark passed by. Granny Qian suddenly stopped in place. A blood line appeared on her face. Her upper half of her head slid off diagonally, hitting the ground with a thud. The spirit she had stored in the decayed body was also killed by the high soul damage from a single slash.
Su Xiao flicked the blood off his blade, used the tip to pick up the old bell on the ground, wrapped his hand in a crystal layer, and grabbed the old bell.
[Tip: You have caused the 'Calamity Bell' to enter a weakened state. In 30 minutes and 24 seconds, the 'Calamity Bell' will exit the weakened state, becoming extremely difficult to completely destroy.]
Su Xiao applied force in his hand, and the old bell shattered in his grip.
[Tip: You have completely destroyed the 'Calamity Bell.' Evaluating...]
[Evaluation complete. This is an S-rank dangerous entity.]
PS: (Update is late again, so here's a 5000-word chapter.)