However, when Zhou Hong reached the mountaintop, the woman in red was nowhere to be found.
Zhou Hong was filled with rage.
He searched the mountain again, but saw no sign of the woman in red, nor did he hear any sounds.
"Damn it," a surge of anger welled up in Zhou Hong. His most urgent task was to retrieve Liu Zhen Feixu's soul. If her soul remained separated from her body for too long, she would truly be dead.
Unbeknownst to Zhou Hong, in a dark corner, a white-bearded old man watched him in astonishment.
This old man was Daoist Tian Hong. At first, he mistook Zhou Hong for a spirit from the Yin dimension and nearly fled. It wasn't that he was cowardly, but rather that if a spirit from the Yin dimension could roam freely in the Yang dimension like a human, it indicated an incredibly powerful and formidable being, one he could never hope to defeat.
After a while, he realized that Zhou Hong was not a spirit from the Yin dimension, but a human from the Yang dimension.
Daoist Tian Hong wiped a cold sweat from his brow, wondering, "Weren't we told no one was on the mountain? How can a young human be here?" Daoist Tian Hong had ascended the mountain with extreme caution, wearing his Taoist robes and carrying his artifact, never letting his guard down.
Yet, this young man, without any artifact, was now charging around the mountaintop. He doubted his own eyes. How many years of cultivation would it take to be so fearless, to roam here as if no ghosts existed?
In his haste, Zhou Hong did not notice Daoist Tian Hong.
Zhou Hong told himself to remain calm. It seemed the ghost on this mountain was extremely powerful, having spirited away Liu Zhen Feixu's soul without anyone noticing. No wonder even the experts from the Six Doors had lost their minds.
"Mani mani miluo...!" Zhou Hong chanted a mantra, and in the next second, he cast a spell.
"Out!" Zhou Hong roared. Instantly, a golden light shot from his hand, spreading outwards like a tide, centered on his body.
This spell allowed Zhou Hong to see things from the Yin dimension more clearly.
Indeed, under the illumination of the golden light, Zhou Hong saw a forest path in the ravine ahead. On this path, four pallbearers were carrying a sedan chair, clearly adorned as a bridal sedan. Moreover, the four pallbearers were dressed in modern attire, resembling the tourists who had died at the resort, as reported in the news.
"Zhou Hong, save me! I don't want to marry the Ghost King! I don't!" Liu Zhen Feixu's cries came from within the sedan chair. The next moment, a woman attempted to escape from it. Zhou Hong saw immediately that the person trying to escape was Liu Zhen Feixu, now adorned with a phoenix coronet and veil, dressed as a bride, as if being taken away for a wedding.
"Stop!" Zhou Hong immediately gave chase towards the ravine.
Alas, when Zhou Hong reached the ravine, there was nothing there. It was empty.
"It seems there's only one way. Otherwise, if they get too far, it will be difficult to catch up," Zhou Hong thought to himself.
Thus, Zhou Hong rushed back to the room where he was staying.
Liu Zhen Feixu's corpse grew paler, and her body became progressively colder.
If someone came after daybreak, they would only find a corpse. And Zhou Hong, if he had weaker mental fortitude, would also have lost his mind by morning.
This was the fate of those who had died here before, and those who had gone insane.
"Hoo!" Zhou Hong exhaled deeply, unable to comprehend at what moment Liu Zhen Feixu's soul had been stolen.
But there was no time to dwell on it. He had to retrieve Liu Zhen Feixu's soul.
For an ordinary person, this would be an impossible dream.
But Zhou Hong had once been a cultivator. As long as he could retrieve her soul, he could undoubtedly save Liu Zhen Feixu.
However, he first needed to preserve Liu Zhen Feixu's body with a spell. Otherwise, even if he recovered her soul, it would be in vain.
Zhou Hong consumed a spiritual pill he had obtained on Mount Kunlun earlier, and then directed a palm strike into Liu Zhen Feixu's body.
In the next second, Liu Zhen Feixu's body began to warm up, her complexion regained its color, and she looked as if she were merely asleep.
However, Zhou Hong's spell could not last indefinitely. If he did not retrieve Liu Zhen Feixu's soul before dawn, the spell would dissipate, and her body would revert to its corpse-like state.
Having done all this, Zhou Hong sat down in his original spot. He then cast a spell on himself and collapsed, lying down beside Liu Zhen Feixu.
A few seconds later, Zhou Hong stood up from the ground. However, it was not his physical body that stood, but Zhou Hong's soul.
That's right. To pursue Liu Zhen Feixu's soul, Zhou Hong could not use his physical body. He had to project his own soul and enter the Yin dimension. Only then could he see the other party.
However, Zhou Hong was now merely a mortal. Even if he used a spell to force his soul out, it would not last long. If his soul did not return to his body before dawn, he would truly die.
Fortunately, before lying down, Zhou Hong had swallowed all the spiritual pills he had previously obtained. This gave his soul considerable power, far greater than that of an ordinary soul, and coupled with Zhou Hong's mental strength, which was also much stronger than that of ordinary people.
Wasting no more time, Zhou Hong transformed into a wisp of smoke and shot out of the room. The walls of the room were like nothing to him, offering no obstruction.
Soon, Zhou Hong reached the ravine again. Indeed, there was a faint path in the ravine. Previously, he had needed a spell to see it, but now he no longer did.
Zhou Hong followed the path forward.
He ran and ran, for I don't know how long, until finally, Zhou Hong saw four shadowy figures ahead, carrying a sedan chair. Sudan Novel Network.
Crying could still be heard from within the sedan chair.
"Stop!" Zhou Hong shouted.
The sedan chair halted. A figure from the welcoming party in front of the sedan chair quickly dismounted from his shadowy steed and looked at Zhou Hong with surprise, saying, "How dare you! A person from the Yang dimension dares to be in the Yin dimension. I see you have some skill, so please return the way you came immediately, or do not blame me for being impolite. Anyone who dares to obstruct the Ghost King's wedding will be killed."
"The Ghost King's wedding? I'd like to see how he intends to marry with me here," Zhou Hong sneered. He, Zhou Hong, was not to be trifled with. Although this might sound like a tall tale to people on Earth, as a former cultivator, he had encountered all sorts of demons and monsters. He was still too inexperienced to show off in front of him. Zhou Hong would soon slay this so-called Ghost King and make him vanish into oblivion.