Lu Yao looked in the direction of Ye Huohuo’s finger. The only skylight, which usually allowed in light, was now obscured by a dense mist.
“It’s here?”
As Lu Yao spoke, she drew a small peach wood sword from her clothes. Ye Huohuo stared in disbelief. In this place, any sharp or hard objects would be confiscated. It was a miracle that she could carry a palm-sized peach wood sword. Although the wooden sword was short, it was still remarkable. Held in the hand, the small wooden sword resembled a dagger. It wasn't long, but it looked incredibly agile.
Lu Yao’s eyes flickered upward with a hint of pride, but her expression turned severe as her gaze shifted to the skylight.
“You’d better stay back. I’m not sure I can subdue that thing, especially since we don’t have any proper weapons.”
Ye Huohuo also stood up, her posture perfectly straight, showing no signs of injury. “Alright, treat me like a delicate young girl. You just need to take care of yourself later and don’t drag me down.”
Without a peach wood sword or even talisman papers, she could only bite her finger and draw a lightning talisman on her palm.
“I’ve heard that your Wuji Sect’s lightning talismans are incredibly powerful, but are they really effective against vengeful spirits?” Lu Yao asked with a hint of disdain.
“Heh, you’re talking about ordinary lightning talismans. But this one has been modified by me. Whether it’s effective or not, we’ll know soon enough,” Ye Huohuo retorted.
The two of them stared intently at the skylight. What had been a faint mist earlier was now solidifying, clinging to the small window like spider silk.
More and more silk gathered, transforming from threads into a surface, forming a thin film like plastic sheeting. Immediately, a round object began to push its way through from the outside. The film was stretched to form the shape of a head. As the head continued to push inward, the film, with its excellent elasticity, expanded further to accommodate the upper body, and then the lower body followed.
What should have been an incorporeal spirit had, through this method, created a human form for itself. Although the human form resembled a plastic mannequin, Ye Huohuo and Lu Yao knew that this spirit was smarter than any they had encountered before.
The vengeful spirits they had seen previously either appeared directly in their ghostly form or possessed others. This was the first time they had seen one manifest a human form in this manner.
This vengeful spirit had created a shell for itself using malevolent energy. This shell not only gave it a physical form but also provided a layer of protection for its spirit body, much like wearing armor.
“Ye Huohuo, this guy is formidable. No wonder I was so terrified when I saw its eyes earlier,” Lu Yao said, still feeling a chill remembering those eyes.
She suddenly remembered something. “It hasn’t come looking for me all these days, nor did it look for you yesterday. Why is it targeting us now?” she asked suspiciously, looking at Ye Huohuo. “Did you do something tricky while my soul was out of my body?”
Ye Huohuo’s eyes flickered, and she avoided Lu Yao’s gaze guiltily. “I meant well. Last time, I helped you get rid of a black shadow, so this time I thought I’d accompany you against a vengeful spirit.”
“So it was you. Once this is over, I’m not done with you,” Lu Yao declared, holding her dagger protectively in front of them.
“Since you have spiritual awareness, you should be able to speak. Do you have any unfulfilled desires? Tell us, and we can help you!” Ye Huohuo interjected before Lu Yao could speak.
“You…” Lu Yao’s eyes widened. What was going on? The reason vengeful spirits were powerful was due to their obsessions. The stronger the obsession, the greater the spirit’s energy and, consequently, its power. If its wish was granted and its obsession removed, the vengeful spirit would be no different from an ordinary wandering soul.
“You’re kidding, right?” Lu Yao whispered to Ye Huohuo.
But Ye Huohuo’s expression showed no hint of jest.
“Ye Huohuo, you’re a jerk! You’ve set me up!” Lu Yao finally realized she had been tricked by Ye Huohuo. The idea of avenging her with a vengeful spirit was a lie; it was all to lure this vengeful spirit here.
“Lu Yao, to help a vengeful spirit attain liberation is immeasurable merit. Your vital essence is already so depleted, and you still want to use it to nourish a vengeful spirit. You’re courting death! I’m saving you!” Ye Huohuo remained unmoved.
“Why are you here? Tell me if you have any unfulfilled wishes!”
The vengeful spirit’s two blood-red eyes suddenly turned toward Ye Huohuo. Although no mouth was visible, the membrane formed by malevolent energy at the mouth area expanded and contracted as if speaking. Simultaneously, a voice, accompanied by a harsh buzzing sound like a worn-out magnetic tape, transmitted through.
“They bullied me, I want to kill them all!”
As she finished speaking, the surroundings of Ye Huohuo and Lu Yao suddenly plunged into darkness.
This was followed by a series of bizarre lights flashing past them.
“Spirit Domain!” Lu Yao said softly. “I’m going to subdue it. Don’t interfere!”
“Why not first see what it wants to tell us before making a decision?” Ye Huohuo said calmly.
“You’re still covered in bruises, and you have the energy to meddle in ghost affairs!” Lu Yao couldn’t understand why Ye Huohuo was provoking this vengeful spirit at this moment, let alone trying to help it fulfill its wish.
As the two spoke, the scene suddenly illuminated, and a blinding light flashed towards them. Neither of them were inexperienced children. Seeing the intense light approaching, they both squeezed their eyes shut. When the light passed, they opened their eyes simultaneously.
They were now in Ye Huohuo’s former dorm room, 304.
They saw Tiger directing Blue Wolf and Gray Wolf to hold down a frail girl. The girl clutched a plastic toothbrush with its tip sharpened. “You stubborn brat, won’t you comply? Then I’ll let you taste this!”
As Tiger spoke, she roughly pulled down the girl’s pants and unhesitatingly thrust the sharpened tip of the toothbrush into the girl’s lower body.
The girl, writhing in pain, opened her mouth to scream, but Fox, wearing a red dress, covered her mouth tightly with a pillow. All that could be heard were muffled whimpers, barely audible even outside the iron door.
Ye Huohuo remembered the faint sobbing sounds she had heard from other dorm rooms when she entered the dormitory building, and her heart churned.
Could it be that at that time, some other girl was also suffering such inhuman treatment?
Thinking back to herself yesterday, if that little flower hadn’t stopped her and caused a conflict with those people, if she had been subdued by them, would she have been treated like this too?
This scene not only caused Ye Huohuo to grit her teeth but also made Lu Yao clench her fists. “This fat woman, isn’t that the one in your dorm they call Tiger? She didn’t do this to you yesterday, did she?”
“No!” Ye Huohuo’s face was as dark as a storm cloud.
“You knew long ago that this vengeful spirit used to be in your dorm room 304? That she died from abuse?” Lu Yao asked.
Ye Huohuo shook her head. “I didn’t know, and she definitely didn’t die from abuse.”
“Then how did she die?”