Chapter 265 - 264: Lost...

Chapter 265: Chapter 264: Lost...

After Gu Qingyin cleared out the ghosts on her side, she started dealing with the ones pouring down from upstairs while making her way to the stairwell. She looked up and saw Huo Yunjing approaching.

She tsked, displeased. "Let’s call this floor a draw. The competition continues on the next level."

Huo Yunjing smiled and nodded. "Alright."

This abandoned building was only five stories tall. With no railings on the stairs, their progress clearing their way up was a bit slow. Ghosts were constantly passing through the walls, and while none of them could put up a fight, their sheer numbers were a real headache.

"This is a real hassle." Gu Qingyin sighed, feeling drained.

Huo Yunjing raised an eyebrow. "Giving up already?"

Gu Qingyin jutted out her chin. "No way."

She roused her spirits, her hands moving even faster. ’I have to win tonight’s competition!’

But after they passed the third floor and were about to reach the fifth, the two were still neck and neck in their speed of clearing out ghosts. However, the closer they got to the top floor, the grimmer Huo Yunjing’s expression became.

"Getting tired?" Gu Qingyin said with a grin. "It’s fine, you can give up. I can handle the rest of these ghosts myself."

Huo Yunjing didn’t respond to her teasing. He looked upstairs, his expression turning grave. "I sense a rather unsettling presence."

Gu Qingyin’s playful mood vanished. "What is it?" she asked.

Huo Yunjing shook his head but said nothing. He had a suspicion, but it seemed too improbable. ’I have to go up and see for myself.’

The two exchanged no more words after that, but their pace of dispatching ghosts only quickened.

Master Huo followed behind them, his expression complex. He had gone from initial shock to admiration, and now, he was simply numb to it all.

’I really underestimated them,’ he thought. ’With their level of strength, as long as they’re willing, there isn’t a single haunted place they can’t handle.’

As time passed, the number of ghosts in the building dwindled significantly. Gu Qingyin and Huo Yunjing smoothly reached the fifth floor.

The moment they set foot on the floor, they saw a pitch-black rift in the corner. The sinister ghost energy seeping from it was even denser than in the Ghost Market. One after another, Evil Ghosts clawed their way out of the fissure, descending upon the mortal realm in grotesque and fearsome forms.

"What is that thing?" Gu Qingyin’s expression was grim.

Seeing it, however, Huo Yunjing’s expression relaxed slightly. ’Thank goodness. It’s not as bad as I thought.’

"A rift to Hell," Huo Yunjing said. "It’s not too big. Easy to patch up."

Master Huo’s brows were also furrowed. "You’ve seen one before?"

Huo Yunjing hummed in affirmation. "Once."

No ghost liked to get close to a place like Hell. He himself had only gone to see it once out of curiosity and had never wanted to return.

Master Huo narrowed his eyes, studying him. ’What kind of person gets to see Hell? And comes back completely unscathed?’

Hearing Huo Yunjing say it was easy to fix, Gu Qingyin’s worried expression softened. "How do we fix it?"

"I’ll take care of it. I will, however, need my wife to protect me."

Huo Yunjing smiled and took a few steps forward to stand before the rift. Without any perceptible movement from him, the ghosts that had been desperately squeezing out just a moment before recoiled as if they’d seen their natural predator. WHOOSH—they all scrambled back inside.

Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow. Effortlessly multitasking, she began drawing talismans with both hands, creating a tight-knit shield around Huo Yunjing.

"I’ll handle the rest of this area." Master Huo turned and walked deeper into the floor.

Gu Qingyin was still thinking about the outcome of their competition, but she knew it wasn’t the right time to bring it up. She had no choice but to drop it, much to her regret.

With his back covered, Huo Yunjing began to mend the rift. Dense Soul Power surged from his body, weaving into a large net that shifted with his hand gestures. He cast it over the rift, and the net latched on, pulling the opening and forcing it to gradually contract.

At a glance, it looked like he was patching a hole in a piece of clothing.

It might have looked easy, but every step of the process was draining and time-consuming.

With the source of the ghosts cut off, Gu Qingyin and Master Huo had dealt with most of the remaining ones in the Ghost Building. When no more appeared for some time, they went to stand behind Huo Yunjing and watch him seal the rift.

The rift, which had originally been the height of a man, gradually contracted under the pull of the Soul Power net. It had already shrunk by more than half and was on the verge of closing completely.

Just then, a tremor emanated from within the rift. A blast of ghost energy carrying immense power slammed against the opening, nearly tearing the Soul Power net apart.

Huo Yunjing’s gaze turned icy. He funneled another portion of his Soul Power into the net. Instantly, the strands of Soul Power making up the net thickened from the width of hemp ropes to that of a person’s pinky finger.

When the ghost energy from the rift slammed against it again, the net didn’t even tremble. It was rock steady.

Huo Yunjing stared down at the rift, his expression one of utter disdain.

Gu Qingyin’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at his back, cheering internally. ’My husband is so damn cool!’

Master Huo was also watching Huo Yunjing, utterly and genuinely shocked. ’Such terrifying Soul Power! What kind of miraculous opportunity must he have had to undergo such a fundamental transformation?’

Ten-odd minutes later, the Soul Power net pulled the rift completely closed. The moment it shut, the surroundings instantly grew much warmer.

"To think such a small rift could have such a huge effect." This was also Gu Qingyin’s first time seeing a rift to Hell. "If we had just left it alone, would it have continued to expand?"

"Yes." A flicker of exhaustion passed through Huo Yunjing’s eyes. "As ghosts push and pull their way through, the rift would just get bigger and bigger."

Gu Qingyin sucked in a breath and turned to Master Huo. "Good thing we got here when we did. Helping the Heavenly Master Association find and resolve such a major crisis early... that should count as a great service, right?"

Master Huo took the hint and immediately nodded in assurance. "I will report this just as it happened. The Association should be willing to increase your opportunities to enter the Book Collection Pavilion accordingly."

Gu Qingyin smiled, satisfied. "Thank you for your trouble, Master Huo."

For the first time, Huo Yunjing felt it was actually good to have someone like Master Huo tagging along. ’At least we won’t be doing this for free,’ he thought.

On the way downstairs, Gu Qingyin casually tossed out a few Gathering Yin Talismans to absorb the excess Yin Qi and ghost energy.

"The Association will send other Heavenly Masters to handle the cleanup," Master Huo said. "There’s no need for you to trouble yourself with such minor details."

Gu Qingyin waved a hand dismissively. "Just say I’m obsessive about it." ’I just can’t stand seeing so much Yin Qi lying around. It drives me crazy if I don’t soak it up.’

As they emerged from the building, Zhang Qiuyan, who had been waiting outside, rushed up to greet them, her face alight with joy. "You really took care of it, and it didn’t even take that long! You guys are incredible."

Gu Qingyin smiled modestly. "It’s mainly that Huo Yunjing’s abilities were particularly suited for this problem. Most of the credit goes to him."

Huo Yunjing, showing no such modesty, said, "So, does this mean I won our bet?"

Gu Qingyin looked at him, astonished. "I thought we called it off?" ℯ𝕝.

Huo Yunjing protested, "Who said we called it off? I may not have participated in the final cleanup, but I’m the one who dealt with the source. It’s not unreasonable to say I won, is it?"

Gu Qingyin searched her conscience. "...It’s not unreasonable."

Huo Yunjing smiled. "Ready to pay up?"

A wary look appeared in Gu Qingyin’s eyes. "Don’t ask for too much!"

Huo Yunjing’s smile widened. "Of course it won’t be."

’How could a little fun between husband and wife ever be considered ’too much’?’