Louis Ox was sleeping with his eyes closed beside me. The car had already left the city, and it seemed I was in trouble again. That painful phone call just now—the Taoist sounded furious. Thinking back, besides the sword hanging in Kevin Chiu's home, there were quite a few Taoist artifacts.
"Sigh, I'll deal with it when I get back."
I muttered to myself and sped up. It was early morning, and the traffic on this road was heavy—lots of big trucks and people heading to Universal Temple. I couldn't drive very fast.
Louis Ox woke up and started smoking again, looking very silent. I tried chatting with him a few times, but he only responded with "Oh" and "Mm," so I stopped and focused on driving.
By the time we reached a transfer station, it was already noon and we'd only covered 100 kilometers. We randomly picked a place to eat. I checked my wallet—less than a thousand yuan left—and everything at this station was expensive.
Louis Ox barely had any money, so we could only find a relatively cheap spot to eat.
"By the way, Mr. Chiu, do you keep in touch with Sonny Four often?"
I nodded and smiled. Louis Ox just kept his head down and ate.
"This tastes like shit. Everything here costs three times as much as outside, and it's still disgusting. Not even fit for pigs."
Luckily, even though I was possessed, I had no sense of taste. But Kevin Chiu was still human, so I had to force myself to eat the food.
After lunch, we set off again. The sky was overcast, threatening rain. Louis Ox offered to drive so I could rest. I insisted on driving, but he wouldn't budge, so I had no choice but to sit aside.
I never felt tired or sleepy, but this was Kevin Chiu's body—I couldn't let him get exhausted. I closed my eyes, pretending to rest.
"Mr. Chiu, is Sonny Four really dead?"
I just grunted in response, saying nothing. Louis Ox kept driving.
By afternoon, we reached another transfer station. I suggested we drive through the night—I'd take a shift, then Louis Ox, and we'd arrive early in the morning. He agreed.
At the transfer station, after eating, Louis Ox got in the car and immediately fell asleep. I drove on—over three hundred kilometers left. The town below Universal Temple was pricey, but when I visited with my cousin last time, I saw there were cheaper options.
We'd probably arrive around one in the morning. I'd get a room, then head to Universal Temple. Sonny Four would temporarily knock out Kevin Chiu while I met with Master Jianyun and Master Richard Ming to explain everything. The next day, I'd bring Louis Ox up, use some ritual to distract him, and hopefully keep his life undisturbed.
All the plans were already set in my mind. I let out a cold, sinister smile.
"Boss, that smile of yours is seriously creepy."
Sonny Four was already sitting behind me. He always came out at night.
I didn't say anything. By now, Louis Ox was awake—it was past eight in the evening, and we'd entered the mountain roads. The car crawled along, the winding path hard to drive.
Louis Ox swapped seats with me again, and I closed my eyes to rest. After all, we wouldn't reach the town below Universal Temple until after one. When I arrived, I couldn't sense any ghost aura at all.
The closer we got to Universal Temple, the worse I felt. My Ghost Soul seemed agitated, so I quickly withdrew the ghost threads I'd released.
I felt a little better. That strange sensation left me uneasy. I sat quietly, thinking about the intensifying feeling—what was it? It rose from deep inside, and I couldn't help but shiver.
"What's wrong, Mr. Chiu? You don't look so good."
Louis Ox asked. I smiled and shook my head.
"It's nothing, maybe just the wind. My head hurts a little."
I was feeling worse and worse, thinking back to that initial discomfort. Something was wrong. Suddenly, a chill ran through me, goosebumps rising as I shivered.
"Mr. Chiu, are you alright? The weather's so gloomy today, maybe you caught a chill. Hang on, I'll speed up a bit."
I nodded without saying anything. We entered the cement road to Universal Temple. It started to drizzle, so the car slowed down. Oddly, last time I came, there were plenty of people heading to the town by Universal Temple even at night, but tonight, not a single car was in sight.
Suddenly, I remembered—it was fear. What my Ghost Soul sensed at first was fear, a deep, bone-chilling terror, the kind that even ghosts dread.
That wave of fear hit again, clearer than ever. It was past eleven now; I checked the road sign—forty kilometers to go. We'd arrive earlier than expected, probably a little after midnight.
Behind me, Sonny Four was shivering nonstop. I turned to look—he was curled up, his teeth chattering.
"B-b-boss, I feel awful. Something terrifying is here."
Sonny Four was even more sensitive than I was. I had the Spirit Snake Shedding Skin wrapped around me, plus a mass of ghost aura inside for support, so I was slightly better off than Sonny Four.
I didn't know what was happening at Universal Temple, but this power was definitely unusual. Even over a hundred kilometers away, it made me, a ghost, feel fear.
At 12:10, we reached the town below Universal Temple. I clutched my chest, struggling to breathe under the crushing pressure. Sonny Four was slumped over, unable to speak, trembling with raw terror.
Louis Ox supported me as we parked the car. The town was pitch dark. I stared in shock—a row of inns, but only one house had its lights on. We knocked at several doors, but no one answered. Finally, at the lit house, someone opened up.
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"Oh my, why are you coming at this time of year?"
The innkeeper looked exhausted, eyeing us with annoyance. We paid a hundred yuan for two rooms. I told Louis Ox I needed to rest and went straight to my room.
We learned from the innkeeper that Universal Temple had been closed to outsiders for a month, supposedly for meditation and scripture lectures. The gates were shut tight, and it would be at least another half month before reopening.
"Did something happen at Universal Temple?"
I thought for a moment, then slipped out of Kevin Chiu's body. He staggered, and I caught him, laid him on the bed, and covered him with a blanket.
"Sorry about that."
I said. Sonny Four was in bad shape, so he returned to the ash urn. I released a little Yin Energy to disturb Kevin Chiu's soul so he couldn't wake up. Then I left, carrying Sonny Four's urn. I tried to fly, but my legs and body trembled—I stared in shock.
I raised my hand, letting gusts of Yin wind blow from my palm, swirling around Sonny Four's urn. I slipped into a deserted alley and set the urn on the ground.
"Sonny Four, hang in there. I'll go check the mountain first."
I said, then took off running. I couldn't fly—running was my only option.
I ran up the Heavenly Staircase toward Universal Temple, trying to coexist with the force that filled me with fear. No matter how many times I tried, it was impossible. That force seemed to say "no way," and it left me frustrated.
Ten minutes later, I saw the mountain gate of Universal Temple. In front of it crouched a stone statue—shaped like a dog, but with a lion’s mane, powerful limbs, and diamond-shaped scales covering its body. The beast was lying low, watching.
I planned to go straight into Universal Temple and find Master Richard Ming or Master Jianyun. But as soon as I set foot on the steps, a deafening roar shook me, leaving my head spinning.
Still, I stepped up to the gate of Universal Temple. Powerful gusts of wind blasted me, golden light flaring around the statue. The pressure hit me head-on, forcing my legs to bend.
I braced myself against the force and moved forward, step by step.
"Hey, you little ghost—are you looking to die? Take one more step and you’re finished."
A commanding voice rang out—it was the statue. The Golden Howler stirred, coming to life, eyes snapping open as golden light burst forth. My skin crackled under the energy.
The beast rose, gazing at me lazily and yawning.
"Making it this far is impressive, but don’t go any further, or I won’t be so polite."
The beast spoke, and I looked at it sincerely.
"Please notify Master Richard Ming that Ethan Zhang is here to see him."
"No."
I stared at him in shock, speechless.
"Kid, who do you think I am? You want me to deliver a message? I'm not a guard dog. Get lost, or I'll eat you."
The beast opened its mouth as it spoke.
"Qingyuan, don't be afraid. His power suppresses your ghost aura, but only by breaking through this fear will you never be afraid again."
Spirit Snake's voice echoed in my mind.
"That guy's power is terrifying for ghosts, but we're no pushovers."
Yin Ghost laughed. In an instant, I drew the ghost weapon from my back.
"Oh? Kid, you want to fight?"