Chapter 30: You Startled the Ghoul!

One thing nudged at his nostril. Hui turned away, vaguely brushing it away. Zhubi, not but

Chilly arms caught his arm and drew it away from him.Up to date from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Huis eyes snapped open. His yanked his arm away from the ghoul and instinctively kicked it. The ghoul fell again, arms flailing.

Leaping to his toes, Hui raced on the ghoul. His sword slid from its sheath with a whisper. He swung on the ghouls knees with each arms, that means to interrupt or dislocate.

The sword bit by putrid flesh and slashed bone. The ghoul flopped to the bottom, legs severed on the knee.

Hui blinked. He checked out his sword, then again on the ghoul, then at his sword once more. Rattling.

The ghoul clawed towards him, mouth open, hungry. Strings of drool dripped down its jaw. Hui glanced at it, then again at his slab of slate.

He pointed on the ghoul. You wait right here, alright?

Digging a claw into the sandy earth, the ghoul hauled itself towards him. It let loose a horrible grunt, half a struggling breath, half a groan.

Good speak. Grabbing the slate block by one finish, Hui dragged it into the cave. The ghoul crawled slowly after him, barely a hair slower than he might transfer.

Finally, Hui reached the chamber on the finish of the tunnel. Letting out an exhausted breath, he dropped the slate block, then kicked and pushed it till it blocked off the top of the tunnel. Simply as he laid the ultimate kick on the block, the ghoul arrived.

Time for the primary check! Hui crouched on the opposite aspect of the block to look at the ghoul.

Dragging itself, legs trailing darkish blood behind it, the ghoul reached the block. It clawed towards Hui, however stiff arms couldnt attain over the block. It bumped its head in opposition to the block as soon as, then once more, once more, its arms clawing uselessly on the slate.

Ah! It does work! Hui cheered, delighted. Within the previous days, they might at all times make the brink of a morgue additional deep, as a result of if the lifeless rose, their stiff limbs wouldnt permit them to breach the deep threshold. Im not robust sufficient to chop the ground of this chamber deeper, however I can use the block to, in essence, elevate the brink!

Hui hopped over the block. The ghoul clawed slowly towards him, yellowed tooth bared. Sidestepping nimbly round to its rear, he grabbed it from behind and hefted it over the block. It plopped down on the opposite aspect and laid there, surprised, for a second, then started to crawl towards him as numbly as earlier than.

Alright, one ghoul captured! Time to go seize some extra!

Skipping alongside, Hui left the cave behind and headed out into the abandoned secret realm.

Darkness descended slowly over the key realm when Hui returned for the ultimate time, kiting two ghouls after him. He paused on the caves entrance and gazed up into the sky. Thick clouds obscured any solar that may have existed. Not a single glowing orb or patch of sunshine stood out within the sky.

This secret realm I already suspected it, however it actually isnt part of the principle world, is it?

A hand swiped for his neck. Hui ducked and danced backward, out of the ghouls attain. He jogged into the cave, ghouls following obediently.

From outdoors, one thing shrieked, the identical shriek hed heard earlier. As earlier than, it reduce off abruptly. Hui halted once more, simply an immediate, not lengthy sufficient for the ghouls to catch up. As he walked, he peered into the fog uselessly. It didnt get nearer, did it?

On the far aspect of the brink stone, 5 ghouls bumbled about in varied states of liveliness. The crawler bumped his head repeatedly in opposition to the stone, whereas two of the walkers stumbled into it or him alternatively. One other of the walkers stumbled towards the again wall, unaware that her toes scraped in opposition to stone with every step, whereas the ultimate ghoul slumped numbly in opposition to a wall, eyes dim. The ultimate ghoul sat up at his method, and the back-wall ghoul likewise spun round to face him.

Hui stood on the far aspect of the brink stone and waited, watching the final two ghouls method. They reached for him, pale arms clawed.

Hui ducked round behind them and kicked as soon as, spun, kicked the opposite one. Virtually in sync, the 2 ghouls tripped over the brink stone and into the cavern correct.

his seven ghouls, Hui nodded to himself. That is in all probability sufficient to check loss of life qi. He sat cross-legged, dealing with the ghouls, and entered a state of meditation. Cautiously, he despatched a thread of qi towards the undead.

The second his qi touched the ghouls, it vanished. Hui frowned. Did I lose monitor of the thread? Am I not concentrating arduous sufficient?

Hui lifted a leg and kicked the shrieking ghoul away. It stumbled again, lips painted crimson with blood. It rushed at him once more, however earlier than it might attain, he ducked, flipping the lady ghoul over his head and into the shrieking ghouls face.

Thrown off his neck, she flailed randomly and caught onto the shrieking ghouls shoulder. Her white eyes locked onto the blood on the shrieking ghouls mouth, and he or she lunged.

Oh. Oh expensive. Thats a bit spicy for this poor disciples delicate eyes.

The shrieking ghoul shrieked and slashed the lady ghoul to ribbons with its black claws. It wiped its mouth and approached Hui once more, slowly, eyes narrowed.

Hui hesitated. He lowered his sword. If its an undead cultivator, it might need intelligence. Elder brother, kindly take heed to me. This poor disciple solely needs to check loss of life qi. We have now no quarrel. In reality, this disciple is even keen to supply his blood in return for the chance to

The shrieking ghoul launched at him, darting throughout the room.

A lot for that. He parried its blows, barely capable of sustain with the ghouls velocity. With a forceful slash, he parried the ghouls hand upward and managed to land a blow on its physique, just for the sword to bounce off its pores and skin. Laborious! Is it a body-cultivating undead? Or possibly it was earlier than it died?

The chilly in his chest unfold deeper into his physique with each movement. The longer he fought, the sooner the ghoul moved.

They parted. Hui wiped sweat off his forehead and shook his head. Two copies of the shrieking ghoul wavered earlier than him, two photographs overlapping, separating, overlapping once more. Hes not transferring sooner. Im poisoned and drained, and hes an inexhaustible monster.

Zhubi hissed in his ear, involved.

Im advantageous, Hui replied. He pressed a hand in opposition to his chest. The blood wouldnt cease flowing. His limbs felt heavy. The world shifted round him, wobbling gently off its axis. Looks like a depressant, an anti-coagulant, and a few form of delicate hallucinogenic? Fuck. I have to cleanse my blood. If I might sit nonetheless and meditate for a minute, Id be advantageous, however elder brother right here isnt going to let me, is he?

He reached into his robes and drew out the second talisman, the one which felt like hearth. Xixing mentioned theyre weak to fireside. I wish to copy this one like I did the wind talisman, butits my poor little life at stake right here! Faking my loss of life will do me no good. Elder brother ghoul wont cease making an attempt to eat me simply because I died!

Dammit. Im throwing away my greatest probability to check loss of life qi however theres no use finding out it if I die within the course of!

He pointed the talisman on the ghoul, then hesitated. The ghoul slashed with its claws. He darted to the aspect, considering. Its claws grazed his arm, drawing contemporary blood.

The opposite assault washed off him with out hurting him. My sword bounced off his pores and skin. Hes an undead, so qi is weak in opposition to him, and his pores and skin poses as a pure armor on prime of that. This talisman represents my solely hearth assault and my solely probability at victory. I dont know what the ultimate talisman does, and theres no assure itll impact the ghoul. My swordplay is missing, to not point out my fatigue and the ghouls poison. I’ve to verify this hits residence!

Hui glanced at his bleeding arm. He sheathed his sword. Smearing the knuckles of his bleeding arm with the blood on his chest, he held out his fist to the ghoul. Right here! You need blood? Take it!

The ghoul lunged. It grabbed his arm with each arms and stuffed his hand into its mouth. Sharp tooth bit into Huis flesh.

Hui winced. He opened his hand and pointed the talisman in the back of the ghouls throat. Activate!

Fireplace blasted by the ghoul. Its chest and neck glowed with mild from the within out. The hearth hit the underside and bounced again, roaring previous Huis hand and into the ghouls cranium. He yanked his hand out, a second too late. Pink, seared pores and skin blistered earlier than his eyes.

The ghoul reached for him. Eyes burned out from the within, bones rattling in its pores and skin, it lurched a step ahead, then let loose a black, sooty breath and collapsed.

Hui drew the blood-red drugs from his sleeve and tossed again two of them. The cuts sealed over, and his blistered hand started to heal. The stays of the opposite ghouls clawed towards him, those that hadnt died within the blast of wind. Exhausted, Hui drew his sword. As they got here for him, he sliced their heads from their necks, one by one. One by one, the ghouls eyes went darkish, and so they fell nonetheless.

Wobbling, Hui backed up till his again hit the wall, then slid down it. Slumped over, he made a halfhearted try and flow into his qi. The ghouls venom lulled him down towards sleep.

Im on the appropriate aspect of the brink stone. I ought to be okay.

Until one other undead cultivator

Id be screwed anyhow.

Hui shut his eyes and gave in to sleep.