Chapter 339: I’m About to Give Birth Again

Ghost Mother’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment, but she forced a smile and continued, “That’s fine. I’m about to give birth again.”

Ye Wenxin got the hint and chatted a bit more before quickly leaving the dungeon. Even as she walked far away, she could still hear Ghost Mother’s cries. It was hard to tell if they were from pain or pleasure, but as she recalled Ghost Mother’s expression at the time, Ye Wenxin didn’t dare stay any longer and soon emerged from the dungeon.

It was nighttime outside. The family of four Yin Fetuses was still sitting there, continuing their mechanical movements, and it was a complete mystery what their purpose was. Ye Wenxin walked up to the eerie painting and took down the seven flags.

The dungeon was closed off, and the pond once again became a habitat for the Yin Fetuses. Ye Wenxin scanned her surroundings once more, looking for anything else she might find.

The villa appeared even weirder at night, especially with the Yin Fetuses that seemed to mimic human behaviors. They would engage in wrestling, and once it ended, the stronger one would devour the weaker one.

These Yin Fetuses underwent even more changes, becoming increasingly human-like in appearance, though they still lacked human cognition. Perhaps Ghost Mother, being so bored, had deliberately created such unique Yin Fetuses. Ye Wenxin didn’t dwell on it and continued forward. As she relied on her memory of the Wind and Moon Palace, she quickly found the location of the treasury.

When Ye Wenxin reached the hidden room, however, she found it had been converted into a memorial hall that enshrined over three hundred people. Each of them bore the surname Zhong, seemingly part of a large family. Yet, upon closer inspection, the descriptions indicated they were more like neighbors or friends.

Ye Wenxin recalled Ghost Mother mentioning she had killed many people, and it seemed likely that these three hundred were the villagers she had slain. Thus, Celestial Master Zhong had subdued Ghost Mother, trapping her in an enclosed space. Since he couldn’t take more things with him before his ascension, he had no choice but to set up a dungeon to imprison Ghost Mother.

As for the world on the surface, Liu Churan had likely built it. Perhaps she had even plundered the treasures within the secret realm to create a paradise for the Yin Fetuses.

Though these Yin Fetuses lacked cognition, their combat abilities were more than sufficient. Ye Wenxin was deep in thought when she noticed some movement behind her. Turning around, she saw a Yin Fetus dressed in what appeared to be women’s clothing emerge. The Yin Fetus ignored Ye Wenxin’s presence and instead knelt on a mat, burning incense and chanting sutras.

To Ye Wenxin’s surprise, she had heard this sutra outside the secret realm before. Intrigued, she sat there observing the Yin Fetus, hoping to spot anything peculiar.

The Yin Fetus continued chanting, and Ye Wenxin found herself growing drowsy. Compared to admiring the beautiful Ghost Mother, watching the Yin Fetus chant sutras felt quite odd. As Ye Wenxin was about to fall asleep leaning against the wall, the Yin Fetus suddenly let out a cry. Startled, Ye Wenxin turned to see the Yin Fetus beginning to burn.

The Yin Fetus kept burning, and perished in the flames.

“……”

Perhaps the sutras had purified the Yin Fetus. However, the very act of a Yin Fetus chanting sutras was already strange. What was the purpose behind it? Or was everything here a reflection of someone’s inner world?

Was it Celestial Master Zhong’s inner world, or the ghost mother’s? Ye Wenxin pondered, but she did not leave the shrine. After a while, an identical Yin Fetus appeared and began repeating the previous Yin Fetus’s actions.

The cycle continued, seemingly endless.

“Could everything here be another illusion?” Ye Wenxin couldn’t help but mutter. Watching the Yin Fetus continue its chanting, and noticing the empty mat beside it, she decided to mimic the Yin Fetus. She knelt on the mat, and began to chant sutras just like the Yin Fetus.

As Ye Wenxin chanted, the voice of the Yin Fetus beside her suddenly ceased. It revealed a strange smile, seemingly pleased with her recitation. Ye Wenxin was even more puzzled by the situation until she saw the memorial tablet in front of her begin to shake and a new path extend from its center.

It seemed that both the chanting and the Yin Fetus’s strange behavior were guiding her to act like the Yin Fetus.

“This feels like a puzzle game. I hope I don’t end up facing any actual codes or passwords, or I’ll really go mad,” Ye Wenxin muttered to bolster her courage. As she walked through the newly opened path, she found herself in a small, solitary room.

The room appeared to be set up like an ordinary living space, but was strangely located behind a memorial hall. The room was sparsely furnished, containing only a painting, an umbrella, and a bed.

Besides that, there were no extra items. Not understanding what it all meant, Ye Wenxin approached the umbrella first. It was exquisitely crafted, resembling a traditional parasol that noble ladies used.

Ye Wenxin picked up the umbrella and felt its weight. When she opened it, she saw runes inscribed on the umbrella’s surface, glowing with a golden light.

Thinking that Celestial Master Zhong’s weapon was apparently an umbrella, Ye Wenxin was about to make a joke. However, when she touched the umbrella’s handle, a sword emerged.

Clearly, this was not a simple umbrella, but an umbrella sword.

The sword had a completely different structure from the umbrella, and exuded a chilling aura of murderous intent just from being held. Ye Wenxin focused her mind, and noticed that the sword was imbued with a substantial amount of golden aura.

However, when the sword was combined with the umbrella, the colored aura was completely obscured, making it appear as just an ordinary umbrella, with no apparent oddities.

Though it might not be a divine weapon, the umbrella sword was certainly top-tier. Unfortunately, Ye Wenxin wasn’t skilled with weapons, so she placed the sword into the sword loop on her back to serve as a decorative piece.

She then stood in front of the painting. It depicted a man and a woman, both with elegant features, with the man gazing deeply at the woman in the distance.

The woman’s face resembled Ghost Mother’s quite a bit, which meant that the deeply affectionate man was likely Celestial Master Zhong.

Based on these items, Ye Wenxin began to piece together the story. Even after Celestial Master Zhong’s entire family was killed, he couldn’t bring himself to harm his beloved, and chose to keep Ghost Mother hidden. Up until his ascension, he didn’t kill her but instead hid her in the secret realm, providing her with the best of everything.

If Celestial Master Zhong knew that the secret realm he prepared for Ghost Mother was being used in this way, he might be furious enough to descend from the divine realm, and strike down Liu Churan.

Ye Wenxin glanced at the painting in silence, contemplating whether she should take it down and find an opportune moment to give it to Ghost Mother. Perhaps it would help her uncover her true origins and find a way to break the array.

However, the painting was immovable. When Ye Wenxin attempted to forcibly remove it, she felt a powerful coercive pressure engulfing her. Reflexively, she released the seal on her cultivation, but the overwhelming force still pushed her back. Then, she heard a deep, ancient voice say, “This painting must not be moved.”

Ye Wenxin complied and turned her attention to the remaining items in the room.