The Ascension of Contracted Spirits

Chapter 697 - 291: The Tomb Cracks_3

"After enjoying for so long, shouldn’t you show some appreciation for the girl’s hard labor?"

From the depths of darkness, a great tomb suddenly split open.

A centipede, a kilometer long, poked its head out and circled the shivering Yu Ruoxin, leaving behind a severed leg when it left.

"This is one of my lost insect limbs, capable of piercing the scale armor of ordinary Shining World Fetuses. I find you quite pleasing to the eye, little girl, so I’m giving it to you."

"Thank you, senior..."

Yu Ruoxin’s face turned pale as she grasped a shovel, responding almost in tears to the departing figure of prominence.

Then, she looked up at the fearsome insect limb, several times bigger than her entire body, her limbs went weak, filled with a profound sense of unreality.

"Really, not knowing how to cherish a beauty, always giving such impractical gifts."

Whispers filled the air as a skeleton covered in green moss emerged from a grave somewhere.

She chewed on something, her snow-white teeth grinding together, and some indistinct meat was quickly swallowed into her belly.

After a succession of chestnut-cracking sounds, blood vessels appeared on the bones, and a seductive, sensual body materialized before Yu Ruoxin, sleek and bare.

"Little girl, let me give you a kiss~"

An old hag with a body smooth like a young girl’s, but a face riddled with wrinkles, lifted Yu Ruoxin’s chin with her finger, revealing a hint of playfulness and scrutiny in her murky black pupils.

Then, without much hesitation, she leaned down and planted a kiss on Yu Ruoxin’s forehead.

"Ah..."

Felt as if bugs were crawling all over her body, Yu Ruoxin, initially terrified, nearly passed out.

By the time her consciousness regathered, the terror-inducing old woman had drifted away like a ghost amidst the fragrant wind.

"A’flower, wake up, time to get to work."

"Gah-um!!"

A humongous man-eating flower burst through a wall, scattering pieces of bright amber secret crystals all over the place.

"Swish!"

Contract imprints flickered, and a life magnetic field more frightening than prehistoric creatures finally faded from perception.

"Little girl, this old man seems to have lost his head. Can you lend a hand and help this old man look for it?"

"Miss, sister here has something fun for you to see. Come have a look, and pick one to take with you."

"Hey, what a pretty human girl, such glowing, supple skin—really want to take a bite, to taste the flavor..."

...

Inside the Deep Black Wheel, the silent graveyards connected together, with constant torrents of blood rain and the stench of flesh.

Yu Ruoxin stood there, dumbfounded, terrified to move anywhere.

The jade pendant hanging around her neck had long begun emitting dazzling fluorescence, protecting her physical body like the sun itself.

Then... one after another, the shadows departed.

One after another, artifacts emanating terrible auras piled up in front of her, almost burying her underneath.

"Go, go, go, after sleeping for a thousand years, I should go have a drink of that strong liquor to warm myself."

"I’m not going! I have kids to look after, first thing is to see if my descendants are making me proud!"

"Ah ha, this old woman will go find grandpa then, maybe he’s become a Saint by now, which means I can cling to his powerful coattails!"

...

Human language, Demonic Language, devil’s tongue, Demon Dragon language, Witch language... all sorts of languages were present.

Yu Ruoxin, terrified, initially could count on her fingers how many "walking dead" there were.

Eventually, she became utterly confused, unable to distinguish which were humans and which were Fond Spirits, but she knew that any one of them could descend upon the Giant Frog Marsh and obliterate it entirely.

"Is this the Ye Clan’s heritage?"

"Master Han’s family is truly ancient. A feeble girl like me feels nothing but trepidation..."

"Hey, girl."

On her shoulder, out of nowhere, lay a golden beetle the size of a rice grain. Yu Ruoxin jumped in fright, barely making out its form with widened eyes.

"Who is Master Han? Is he an outstanding clan member from recent years?"

"Yes..."

Yu Ruoxin didn’t really understand these things and answered weakly:

"Senior, could you please not stand so close to me? I feel very insecure..."

"Don’t be afraid, with me here, no one can hurt you."

The mini golden beetle, small in size but not in spirit, said brashly:

"This is my 7899th generation descendant. My main body is still sleeping below, waiting for the Clock of the Era to truly toll before making an appearance. There’s still time."

"Chat with me for a while, I want to know about the Ye Clan’s recent state."

"Senior, are you not human?" Yu Ruoxin asked in a soft voice.

"Yes, my master once was one of the Ye Clan’s Saints, but he died in the Cosmic Era Calamity, and I was left all alone."

The mini golden beetle said with a tone of distress, unable to help pouring out its feelings:

"Guardian beasts like me are not few in number, after all, humans’ physiques certainly don’t match up to Fond Spirits if they want longevity, it’s not a simple matter."

"Even the relics that can prolong life have their limits. Many of these treasures cease to be effective after one or two uses, and you must look for even higher-grade ones. But often, you have to risk your life to get them..."

"Senior... didn’t you want to hear about the Ye Clan’s recent happenings? How did we get off-topic..."

Yu Ruoxin, having listened to longevity remedies for half an hour, couldn’t hold back and interrupted softly.

"Right, my old habit is kicking in again."

The mini golden beetle let out a cry, asking eagerly:

"Tell me, how many new Saints has the Ye Clan had in these years? Among the younger generation, who has surpassed all others by leaps and bounds?"

"Senior, I, an outsider by marriage, would not know about the level of Saints."

Yu Ruoxin held the jade pendant around her neck, took a deep breath, and strove to make her trembling voice sound firm:

"But within the younger generation, there is someone called Ye Hanjun whom you must pay attention to!"

"He is my master, and it seems that he has done some incredible things, leading to some clan members disliking him."

"But I am certain he can break through all barriers and ascend to even higher ranks, Senior, investing in him now would surely pay off!"

"Ye Hanjun, huh? I’ll remember that name. Any others?"

The mini golden beetle nodded earnestly, its short insect limbs moving back and forth as if writing on its carapace.

"I don’t know the others..."

Yu Ruoxin considered seriously, "If I have to mention someone, Master Han has a twin sister called Ye Liuying."

"She’s also amazing. Senior, you can invest in her too, it would be a profitable venture as well."

"Ye Liuying, Ye Hanjun, twin brother and sister, right?"

The mini golden beetle nodded its head, "Okay, I’ve got it all down."

"It seems you don’t know much. Well, we’re free anyway, how about we dig up some graves together?"

"Senior..."

Yu Ruoxin’s face turned pale, with resistance written all over her face.

"The truth is, at least thirty percent of the souls here have truly perished, with seals able to resist the ravages of time. It’s not so simple for them to survive through it."

"Let’s unearth their bones and then bury them in the true graveyard."

"Regardless of whether they were born in the Ye Clan, since their fate is intertwined with the Ye Clan, it’s always good for fallen leaves to return to their roots."

"I see..."

Yu Ruoxin, who was always afraid of graves, agreed despite her pale complexion upon hearing this reasoning:

"Senior, please protect me..."

"Any relic here, neither I nor my Contracted Fond Spirits could withstand..."

"Mm-hmm, let’s get started!"

The mini golden beetle nodded its head, a strand of golden light emanating from its body, wrapping around Yu Ruoxin like an armor.