"What's wrong, monk? There's a path to paradise, yet you refuse to take it."
Grimhill Cemetery had completely changed its appearance. Huge slabs of stone were piled everywhere, and the Blue Wraith before him had also transformed—his entire body was wrapped in a layer of bluish-gray substance, hard as rock, like a living part of the Stone Fortress.
Leo Yuan sat quietly on the ground, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, surrounded by the towering Stone Fortress walls.
"Looks like this time, I won't be returning from the mountain."
The Blue Wraith looked like a stone man. As soon as he landed, thunderous sounds erupted. Every step he took creaked and groaned as he approached Leo Yuan, his form merging with the Stone Fortress.
His hand, formed of piled pebbles, reached toward Leo Yuan. Suddenly, Leo Yuan spat a mouthful of blood, splattering onto the Blue Wraith. He dipped a finger in his own blood and instantly wrote a long string of Sanskrit on the Stone Fortress wall.
With a scream, the Blue Wraith howled in agony, sizzling sounds erupting as the stone on his body began to flake away. Leo Yuan pressed his palms together, and waves of Sanskrit chanting echoed.
"Trying to die together with me? Dream on. Stone Fortress..."
Thunder roared. Huge bluish-gray stones began rising from the ground of Grimhill Cemetery. Stone Fortress walls and Stone Fortress houses of the same color sprang up, ghostly energy billowing, forming the Stone Fortress.
With a pounding sound, Leo Yuan remained absolutely still, his entire body wrapped in golden light.
Those bluish-gray Stone Fortress houses began to move toward Leo Yuan, intent on crushing him, but the moment they touched the golden light, they vanished into nothing.
All around, the sky filled with ghosts, wailing as they circled the bluish-gray Stone Fortress, yet none dared approach Leo Yuan.
"I won't fall for that, monk. Let's see how long you can hold out in the Stone Fortress."
With a thunderous crash, massive fortress walls rose on all sides, forming a cage that trapped Leo Yuan. He sat quietly in meditation, the golden light around him still resisting everything nearby.
At dawn, unrest spread through the city. Overnight, a Stone Fortress had appeared in the western Grimhill Cemetery. Many who went to investigate never returned; those who got close were devoured by lurking evil spirits.
This Stone Fortress was completely deprived of sunlight, covered in a bluish-gray layer that blocked the sun of the living world. Leo Yuan's face was pale, but he continued chanting scriptures, never letting the golden light fade.
"It's been three days, monk. If you've come to your senses, give up. I'll let you go."
No matter how the Blue Wraith asked or spoke, Leo Yuan never moved.
Seven days passed. Fear gripped the city. The sudden appearance of the Stone Fortress and the disappearance of those who investigated threw everything into chaos.
At this point, the city lord could no longer sit still. He immediately sent people to find experts nearby, but those with some skill only advised them to leave as soon as possible.
On the tenth day, a monk arrived outside the city. He was handsome and resolute, carrying a Monk's Staff on his back. His arrival drew the attention of everyone in the city, but he said nothing and headed straight for the Stone Fortress.
With a thunderous crash, my eyes widened as a beam of golden light split the Stone Fortress behind Leo Yuan in two. The ground cracked, and in an instant, most of the fortress was destroyed.
Sinister laughter echoed from the surrounding woods as the monk broke into a run.
"Junior brother, are you there? If you are, answer me."
In an instant, my eyes widened. This man was Master Lucian—his arrival sent chills down my spine.
Screams erupted. The evil spirits that attacked were swiftly dispatched by Master Lucian. He reached the gate of the Stone Fortress, raised his Monk's Staff, roared, and leapt high, striking the fortress gate.
With a thunderous crash, the stone shattered and the fortress gate vanished instantly. Master Lucian rushed inside, covering his nose as wisps of ghostly energy became visible on the ground. The growing concentration of Yin energy signaled worsening danger.
"Such heavy baleful energy."
At that moment, I noticed something strange. The Stone Fortress was built from the Blue Wraith's ghostly energy, but why could ordinary people see it, and why did it seem so solid?
"The Buddha says..."
After licking the tip of his nose, Master Lucian took up his pen and began writing on the wall of a Stone Fortress house.
Golden Sanskrit characters appeared one by one, but quickly scattered. Black energy wrapped around Lucian, forcing him to swing his staff and run, as if fleeing from the swirling currents.
At that moment, I noticed something strange. The stone city was built from the Blue Wraith's ghostly energy, but why could ordinary people see it, and why did it seem so solid?
"Oh, another monk has come. Why is my place so popular lately?"
"What exactly are you? Why is your ghost domain..."
"I'm not really sure myself. My ghost domain has materialized. Ha! Monk, can you feel this immense power?"
Without another word, Master Lucian swung his Monk's Staff at the Blue Wraith. With a loud bang, the Blue Wraith's arms turned to stone, blocking Master Lucian's attack.
Man and ghost wrestled fiercely. I was astonished, and a thought crossed my mind—was I born here?
Given the situation, it was the only explanation. The baleful energy spilling from the ground was the reason the Blue Wraith's ghost domain had materialized. I crouched on the ground as the fight beside me grew more intense.
Master Lucian seemed even stronger than Leo Yuan. His Monk's Staff was agile and powerful, and the Blue Wraith was actually at a disadvantage.
By nightfall, the battle was still undecided. Lucian began to falter, while the Blue Wraith, taking advantage of the terrain, launched a fierce assault.
Huge stones hurtled toward Lucian. With no other choice, he blocked them with his staff, dodging and weaving. His goal remained to find Leo Yuan, and after a day of fighting, he had a rough idea of Leo's location.
The four stone walls trapping Leo Yuan were far tougher and thicker than the others—breaking through would be no easy task.
The scene shifted. I saw Leo Yuan, pale and weak, still resisting the baleful energy trying to consume him.
Even the moonlight in the sky couldn't penetrate the gray mist covering the area; it was dim and bleak. Leo Yuan opened his eyes, sensing something, his gaze moved with emotion.
With a cracking sound, Leo Yuan suddenly rose, swinging his prayer beads. The beads flew out with a whistling sound, accompanied by screams, as a wall split open and a figure burst in.
The Blue Wraith clutched his chest, roaring in anger at the two monks before vanishing. The shattered wall quickly restored itself.
"Junior brother, I found you. For the past few days, I've felt uneasy, so I came down the mountain and followed the trail. My instincts were right."
"Senior brother, don't worry about me. I plan to..."
Suddenly, Master Lucian pressed one hand to Leo Yuan's back and raised his other hand.
"What are you doing, senior brother...?"
With a thunderous crash, my eyes widened as a beam of golden light split the Stone Fortress behind Leo Yuan in two. The ground cracked, and in an instant, most of the fortress was destroyed.
With a splutter, Leo Yuan coughed up blood, and blood trickled from the corner of Master Lucian's mouth as well.
"Junior brother, you gathered such immense power—you were planning to die with that thing, weren't you? Master always taught us: saving a life is greater than building a seven-story pagoda. You want to save everyone in the city, but they might not need saving. I just released the power you've been accumulating so you won't die again..."
"Senior brother, since we've come here and seen this, as monks we..."
Master Lucian smiled, raising his head to gaze at the hazy moon in the sky.
"You meddle too much, junior brother. There are countless monsters and ghosts in this world. Even if you died together with that thing today, it would be a drop in the ocean. Only by spreading the Buddha's compassion and teachings can we truly make a difference. Even a small force can change many things. Death solves nothing. Stand up—since I'm here, let's destroy that thing together."
He reached out his hand to Leo Yuan, who grasped it and stood up.
The destroyed Stone Fortress began to slowly restore itself.
"Senior brother, defeating that thing won't be easy. This place has become a gathering point for baleful energy. The cloud of evil above us can't be dispersed, and it's long since gone beyond what we can resolve as humans."
At that moment, the fortress walls sank back into the ground, revealing the surrounding fortress houses. The Blue Wraith stood on the rooftop opposite the two monks, glaring at them viciously.
"Filthy monks, this will be your burial ground today."
With a whooshing sound, stones from all directions pressed down on the two monks.
"Junior brother, I'll attack—you defend me."
Master Lucian roared and charged at the Blue Wraith. With a whistling sound, Leo Yuan, controlling his prayer beads, shattered the stones with pinpoint accuracy.
With a thunderous crash, Lucian's staff struck the Blue Wraith's chest, sending him tumbling into a stone house. Clutching his chest in pain, he struggled to recover—the prayer beads had damaged his ghostly essence.
Though the baleful energy here was immense, ghosts could only absorb it slowly, never all at once.
Leo Yuan rushed over. Seeing the Blue Wraith wounded, Lucian immediately swung his staff, sending golden light streaking toward the Blue Wraith.
Leo Yuan, having completed his seals, chanted as golden light flared from his hands. Just as the Blue Wraith tried to float away, Leo slapped both palms onto his chest with a crisp double sound.