Chapter 122: Nox’s POV The Phantom Ghost

Moon still looked a bit dazed, but he nodded slowly.

He had already expected something like this. Lupine needed something in return.

There was no reason for this deity to hand everything over so generously without asking for anything back.

He couldn’t help wondering why the Stardust Lily Sanctuary spirit still hadn’t shown itself.

Leo, still in his giant wolf form, lowered his head and rested it on Moon’s thigh with a low, content rumble.

The aphrodisiac had clearly taken a toll on him.

Moon stroked the thick crimson fur between his ears once more, then looked at Axe.

"We should check on the others."

Axe nodded, still eyeing Xiao Hong with open distrust.

The phoenix girl only smiled sweetly and waved her fingers at him teasingly.

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Nox’s POV

At the same time – Middle Cave

Nox stepped into the middle cave alone.

Unlike the others, the moment he crossed the threshold, the air changed.

It was neither hot nor cold.

It was heavy, thick, and strangely empty.

Like walking into a place where sound itself had been swallowed. The walls were made of pale gray stone covered in faint, shifting patterns that moved with the air.

Right. The air!

This was an anomaly. There should not be this kind of airflow inside a cave. All they had faced so far was damp, heavy air. Not pure and fresh like this.

Every few steps, the air changed direction, and the floor under his boots became strangely hard, then soft again.

Nox’s eyes sharpened.

He raised one hand.

A thin thread of soul force drifted out from his fingertips and touched the nearest wall. The shifting patterns paused for a breath, then continued sliding, as if testing him.

He kept walking.

The deeper he went, the stronger the strange air current became.

Sometimes it pushed against his back.

Sometimes it tried to shove him sideways.

Once it even lifted a few loose pebbles and spun them in a small circle before dropping them again.

Nox frowned.

This place was alive in a different way from the cave he entered before.

After a while, the tunnel opened into a wide underground hall.

Pale green light came from veins of earth energy running through the stone floor.

Light blue air currents floated above them like lazy rivers.

In the center of the hall stood a single massive stone platform. The ground around it kept rising and sinking in slow waves, as if something huge was breathing underneath.

The moment Nox stepped inside, a thin, cold voice drifted from every direction at once.

"...A wolf cub who can feel the earth veins. Rare."

Nox stopped and looked around, but found no one.

"Who’s talking? Come out. Don’t just hide and talk big."

A translucent black figure slowly condensed above the stone platform.

It looked like a thin old man made of pale smoke.

His face was hidden under a long black cape. A loose robe hung from his shoulders, the edges dissolving into dust.

The phantom spirit tilted its head slightly, examining Nox with empty dark eyes.

"A wolf... yet the soul force is not completely useless. What is your name?"

"Nox."

The spirit repeated the name once, voice flat and distant.

"Nox? Stiff and uninteresting. I will call you Little Nini."

Nox’s eyebrow twitched hard. "Can you not call me that?" he asked softly.

"Isn’t it very nice?" the spirit scoffed.

"Not a bit," Nox grumbled in displeasure.

The phantom moved to the other side like flowing in the air. The dust around his body drifted with him.

Nox followed the phantom. He stretched his neck and asked hesitantly. "Um... What is your name? How? How do I take this place?"

The phantom figure paused. He turned around and came closer to Nox. Nox couldn’t see his face, but he could clearly see Nox.

"You want to take this place?"

Nox suddenly felt embarrassed. Isn’t it like walking into a house and asking the house owner how to claim the house? In a word, robbing.

He stood silent, feeling utterly devastated about what he should do or say.

After a while, the phantom spoke up.

"I am the Ancient Earth Spirit of this place. They once called me Ghost Master. I have been sealed here for a very long time, watching the earth veins and the restless air. Most who enter only know how to destroy. You at least stopped to feel. That is the only reason you are still standing."

Nox stood there listening seriously.

"So what is this place exactly? And what do I need to do to take it?"

Ghost Master floated a little higher. The ground under the platform sank deeper for a moment, then slowly rose again.

"Under this platform lies an Earth vein that has been sealed for ages. The air veins became restless because of the seal. If you can calm the restless earth and settle the air without causing a collapse, the vein will recognize you. If you fail... this entire hall will bury you."

Nox rubbed his chin in deep thought.

"Sounds troublesome. But if it’s that simple, why hasn’t anyone taken it before?"

Ghost Master’s voice remained cold and even.

"Because no one with the correct bloodline has entered for a very long time. And those who forced their way in are now part of the floor."

Nox’s eyes widened slightly. So people could come here after all. He needed to hurry.

He stepped onto the edge of the platform with forced confidence.

The ground under his boots immediately sank a little, then pushed back up like it was testing his weight.

Air currents started swirling faster around his legs.

In his mind, he was already calculating. He had to take this place. Otherwise Moon would think he was useless.

Ghost Master watched him in silence for a moment, then spoke again, voice low and hollow.

"Be careful, Little Nini. The earth here does not forgive arrogance. If you make a mistake... I will not stop it from swallowing you."

Nox took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He stopped trying to force anything.

Instead, he let his soul force sink downward, following the restless earth vein the same way he used to sense the ground when he was little.

At the same time, he breathed in slowly, matching the strange air currents that kept changing direction around him.

The dual affinity he had been born with—earth and the faint shadow of air—finally stirred.

The sinking ground under his feet gradually slowed.

The wild air currents that had been pushing him around started to circle him instead of fighting him.

Pale green light from the earth veins climbed up his legs, while the light blue air currents wrapped gently around his shoulders.

Sweat slid down Nox’s temple.

His legs trembled from the heavy pressure, but he didn’t back away.

Little by little, the rising and sinking of the platform calmed. The whole hall stopped feeling like it was about to collapse.

Ghost Master’s eyes flickered once under the cape. He murmured to himself.

"...Interesting."

Nox opened his eyes, breathing a little hard, and gave a tired but proud grin.

"So? Did I pass, Master?"