Chapter 213: Chapter 213: The Path of Immortality is Endless, But Life is Finite

As Elder Jiang’s hand reached out, he felt a chilling aura lock onto him. The owner of that aura was warning him not to touch its heart.

Elder Jiang flexed his fingers in mid-air a few times before casually retracting his hand.

"Just tired. Needed to stretch a bit."

’I’m just stretching, that’s all,’ he thought. ’No designs on the Ghost Heart whatsoever.’

Having scared off Elder Jiang, the ghost turned its back to Lu Wu and refused to speak.

How do you placate an angry ghost? Waiting for answers online, urgent!

’A true heart isn’t so easy to accept, I guess.’ A flash of inspiration struck Lu Wu, who was on the verge of becoming a heartbreaker. She picked up a roasted rabbit and offered it over.

"My mistake. This is an apology."

"Be careful not to burn your mouth."

The fragrant roasted rabbit was right in front of it. The ghost couldn’t ignore it.

It took the offering. A large mouth opened on its pitch-black face, and it bit off half the rabbit, chewing fiercely as if venting its anger.

It even chewed the bones, which made a loud CRUNCHING sound. The more it chewed, the more fragrant it became.

Soon, the ghost’s eating slowed considerably.

Wisps of black gas began to separate from its body, slowly peeling away like silk being pulled from a cocoon. Though the process was slow, it was persistent—like a drop of water wearing through stone.

The rich aroma of the roasted rabbit drew the gazes of the other ghosts, which all converged on the one who had received special favor. They began to launch attacks of pure resentment at it.

’If having our hearts trampled could get us a roasted rabbit, we’d be willing too!’

The Ghost King closest to Lu Wu tilted its head, deep in thought. Then, before Lu Wu could react, it snatched its Ghost Heart back, threw it viciously to the ground, and stomped on it several times.

As if that wasn’t enough, it then started jumping up and down on it.

The force was so great it made one’s own heart palpitate in fear.

Lu Wu was terrified the heart would shatter. Fortunately, it was surprisingly resilient, merely getting covered in a layer of dust.

Having done all this, the Ghost King looked at Lu Wu with pitiful, expectant eyes.

’Human, my true heart has been trampled on too. It’s my turn for a roasted rabbit, right?’

Lu Wu was speechless.

’That’s just brutal.’

To prevent this ruthless ghost from literally pouring its heart out to her, Lu Wu quickly handed over a roasted rabbit.

Having received its roasted rabbit, the Ghost King sat down calmly and began to eat.

Compared to the smaller ghost’s crudeness, the Ghost King ate much more elegantly. It tore off a rabbit leg.

The golden-brown skin of the roasted leg was still glistening with oil. Where it was torn, the meat was a tender pink, succulent and fragrant.

The Ghost King took a small bite from the side of the leg.

It knew humans feared its kind, so it tried to act a little more human.

But the moment the meat entered its mouth, it discovered that the aroma, which had helped it regain its sanity, was nothing compared to the flavor of the rabbit itself.

The rabbit, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, carried a faint, smoky aroma. The piquant spices and the fresh taste of the meat slowly melded together with each chew.

Such a delicacy made the Ghost King unconsciously start eating with much more force.

Its large mouth opened wide, and the entire rabbit disappeared into its bottomless maw. It was gone in just a few bites.

HIC!

The Ghost King let out a hiccup, and the black gas around its body began to disperse as well.

Standing beside the Ghost King, Lu Wu thought she could see a humanoid figure within the shroud of black gas.

And the same scene was unfolding with every ghost that was eating a roasted rabbit.

The Ghost Energy dissipated at different rates, depending on how fast each ghost ate.

"Boss Lu, please continue roasting rabbits for these ghosts."

"I suspect these ghosts are actually some kind of being that has been corrupted by Ghost Energy."

Elder Jiang, who had been observing thoughtfully, sent a voice transmission to Lu Wu. She glanced sideways to show she understood.

She had been thinking the same thing.

The supply of rabbits was plentiful. The "tool people" were no longer fighting over who got to eat first; instead, they had wordlessly gathered to help Lu Wu prepare the rabbits.

One after another, roasted rabbits were set up on spits around the fire, where the Glazed Fire danced and stretched.

Beside the fire, the ghosts waited quietly.

As a large number of roasted rabbits were consumed, the ghosts began to reveal their true forms.

They were human.

Or more accurately, they had once been human.

Zhang Yue, who was handing seasonings to Lu Wu, cried out in astonishment.

"They’ve become ghost spirits."

If she wanted to, she could even form contracts with the ghost spirits before her.

But Zhang Yue knew that these ghost spirits would not choose her.

Once the Ghost Energy fused with their bodies was dispelled, their new, clear faces showed reminiscence and bitterness for the past, as well as gratitude toward Lu Wu.

"Boss Lu, thank you."

"Your roasted rabbit is delicious."

One of the ghosts stood up and bowed to Lu Wu.

Everyone watched as his body gradually dissolved into motes of light and vanished from the world.

This was... deliverance.

"You are the Ghost Clan."

It was Elder Jiang who had dug up some ancient records from the depths of his memory.

"It has been a long time since we heard that name."

The Ghost King chuckled. Compared to the other ghost spirits that were dissipating, his body was still stable. He continued to eat the roasted rabbit in his hand in a slow, deliberate manner.

"So, there are still people who remember us."

The Ghost King’s clear, cold voice was tinged with the sorrow and weariness of ages past.

"What is the Ghost Clan?"

Lou Xiaotian asked curiously. None of the many Divine Spear Sect disciples had ever heard the name before.

"Legend has it that long, long ago, the West State was a wild and untamed land. An ancient clan lived there, with the surname Ghost."

In those days, demon beasts ravaged the lands of the West State, and ghosts plagued the world.

The Human Clan living in the West State suffered immensely, almost as if they were livestock being raised as food for demonic and evil creatures.

It was then that a Cultivator was born into the Ghost Clan. Through great perseverance and great fortune, he grew into a powerful being. He protected the Human Clan, giving them the space to survive and multiply.

Ghosts are not ghost spirits; they cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation and can only slaughter endlessly.

To turn the tide for the Human Clan, that Cultivator led the entire Ghost Clan in a counterattack against the ghosts.

Their powerful assault greatly reduced the number of ghosts.

Unlike demon beasts, which returned to the earth upon death, the ghosts seemed endless. It wasn’t until later that the Cultivator discovered these ghosts were all living beings that had been corrupted.

He poured all his effort into the task and finally found the source of the Ghost Energy. He then led his clansmen to seal it away.

From then on, ghosts vanished from the West State, and the Ghost Clan disappeared from the world.

Their rise and fall spanned only a few short years. Compounded by some gaps in the West State’s history, many came to believe the Ghost Clan was merely a work of fiction.

Later, as Sects rose and Taoist Skills clashed, no one spoke of the Ghost Clan anymore.

Even the records in the Divine Spear Sect only contain a few scant words mentioned offhandedly by the Divine Spear Cultivator who suppressed the Ghost Gate back then, which were jotted down by the sect’s founder.

"So what happened after that?"

Why did the Ghost Clan disappear so completely?

And why, when they reappeared, had they themselves become ghosts—creatures that generations of Divine Spear Sect disciples were tasked with eliminating?

The crowd’s confusion made the Ghost King fall silent. He looked at them, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce through the long river of time, back to a buried past.

"The path of cultivation may be endless, but a lifetime is not."

Peeling back the Ghost King’s youthful and gentle appearance revealed a visage etched with the ravages of time.

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