After the old face ghost finished speaking, Gu Qianying and the others did not lower their guard. Instead, they retreated a few steps, their gazes deepening.
The old face ghost coughed, appearing extremely displeased.
His short wooden legs began to hop incessantly.
"I'm not going to do anything to you, so why are you being so impolite?"
Gu Qianying pouted. This was the Ninth Level of Hell; why be polite?
This fellow, called the old face ghost, was truly strange.
However, Gu Qianying could now confirm.
They might indeed be as they claimed, having no intention to kill them.
Gu Qianying hooked her lips and asked tentatively.
"If you're not going to fight us, not going to devour our souls, then what do you want?"
The old face ghost coughed, unable to hide his delight.
He stroked his non-existent beard and said with an air of seniority, "What else could I want? This is the road I opened, this is the tree I planted. If you want to pass, leave your toll."
The scene was truly bizarre, and Gu Qianying was amused to the point of bursting into laughter.
"How can you be so amusing? Are you even a ghost?"
Du Chun grumbled silently from the side, "In my opinion, this should be a greedy ghost. Why call him old face ghost? It doesn't fit at all."
The old face ghost clasped his hands together, thinking they were refusing to pay.
"What is the meaning of this? I'm asking you to pay, and you're not paying. Are you trying to look down on me?"
Gu Qianying and the others were several heads taller than the old face ghost.
At this moment, they looked down below, all smiling and shaking their heads.
Matters that could be resolved with money were minor matters.
Gu Qianying took out some silver from her money bag, weighed it carefully, and her expression immediately turned pained.
This money was likely a bit too little.
Everyone else also handed out their belongings. As cultivators, they didn't usually carry much silver. Pooling it all together, it was barely enough.
Gu Qianying tossed the items over. "I wonder if you are satisfied with this silver."
The old face ghost's eyes lit up upon seeing the money as if he had met his own father.
He was beaming with joy, his greed fully revealed.
He spat on his hand, happily counting the silver notes. After checking the amount, he looked at Gu Qianying with disdain.
"You are cultivators, yet you only have this little silver on you. Isn't that a bit too stingy!"
Gu Qianying silently raised her blade. If the old face ghost continued to be difficult, she wouldn't mind swinging her blade and teaching the old fellow a lesson.
After all, no matter how much they searched, they wouldn't be able to scrape together another cent.
Fortunately, the old face ghost wasn't overly greedy. As long as there was silver, he was quite content.
He put away the items and beckoned to Gu Qianying and the others.
"I'll let you off for now, but next time you come, bring me more money."
Gu Qianying finally breathed a sigh of relief and felt a sense of gratitude towards the old face ghost.
"Thank you so much!"
The five followed the old face ghost's pace to a dark doorway. Unlike other teleportation points, this doorway appeared particularly eerie.
The power emanating from above was enough to make one's jaw drop.
The old face ghost seemed to be afraid of something!
He glanced around quickly and then whispered a reminder to Gu Qianying and the others, "You must be careful. The ghosts in this level of hell are very powerful."
"They are not like me, content with just some money. You'd best be cautious, lest you truly be trapped here!"
After this warning, everyone's hearts began to feel uneasy, their gazes becoming complex.
Gu Qianying quickly thanked the old face ghost before her, her words laced with teasing.
"There's no need for money in the Nine Levels of Hell, so what use do you have for so much? Do you want to go back?"
The old face ghost's tone was very carefree as he walked backward, waving goodbye to Gu Qianying.
"Money is an external possession, but it brings a moment of joy, nothing more."
"Don't ask too many questions. Hurry to the Seventh Level. What awaits you there is ready for you."
Du Chun glanced back and felt a sense of admiration.
"This guy is much more carefree than I thought."
Gu Qianying murmured to herself, "If you like it here, you can stay."
Du Chun immediately flinched, startled. "What are you joking about?"
Meng Qinghua picked him up and tossed him aside.
"Stop talking and let's go! Didn't that guy tell us? What's waiting for us is on the Seventh Level."
Nangong Mo's eyes were deep. He quickly pulled Gu Qianying behind him.
"No matter what happens later, you must stay by my side and never leave."
He had already lost Gu Qianying once. This time, he absolutely could not lose her again, absolutely not.
Gu Qianying obediently stood behind him, tightly gripping Nangong Mo's sleeve.
"Okay."
The two, one in front and one behind, took a step at a time.
Gu Qianying felt a moment of daze, as if they had returned to their carefree days in the Eastern Continent.
Ouyang Qinglin also stood beside Gu Qianying. His eyes showed indifference; he said nothing, merely standing quietly by her side.
The stone door was ancient, as if it had existed for thousands of years. As their hands touched it, a palm print was immediately imprinted within.
The dust was as thick as half of their arms.
Du Chun tried to push and pull with all his might, but in the end, he was helpless. Moreover, he was injured, and was inexplicably repelled by the power of the stone door.
He cried out in pain, his body contorting and trapping him on the ground.
Meng Qinghua laughed heartily. "Truly pathetic."
Gu Qianying rolled up her sleeves, her eyes burning with determination. "I want to try."
Nangong Mo and Ouyang Qinglin both spoke, "No."
The atmosphere became strange again. Nangong Mo, with a blank expression, turned and walked forward, pushing with his palm.
"Let me do it! Most of you are injured, but my body has already recovered. This stone door should have some secret technique. I will use my bloodline power to dispel it, and it should have an effect."
He then offered his vital blood, merging it with his spiritual energy.
As the crimson palm print was pressed against it, the stone door finally yielded to the pressure and began to shake violently.
Nangong Mo quickly retreated, shielding everyone behind him.
He said coldly, "Everyone, be careful!"
The old face ghost had already warned them that the things in this place were extremely dangerous, so everyone dared not underestimate it.
The dust from the top of the stone door slowly drifted downwards, accumulating like a mountain. As all the dust settled, the stone door also opened.
The scene inside was extremely bizarre.
It was empty all around, with nothing present except for a painting on the wall.
This painting was indeed different.
The scenery in the painting was extraordinary, featuring several beautiful women. They had different expressions but were all incredibly stunning.
And behind them was a dark forest.
Above the forest, a palace floated, its form strange and exuding a chilling aura.
But what made it even more eerie.
The figures in the painting were lifelike. As everyone probed them, they suddenly realized that the expressions of these beautiful women seemed to have changed.
Their gazes were sharp, focusing on them as if they were staring at them.
Du Chun seemed to sense something, swallowed nervously, and retreated from behind. He waved his hand in front of him.
"These things are so strange. That woman just smiled at me."
Gu Qianying looked over and indeed.
The expression of the beautiful woman in the painting had changed since a moment ago, which was very strange.
Nangong Mo said, "Perhaps, the ghost of the Seventh Level is within this painting."