Chapter 138: Breaking Free

Between the ground and the descending slab of rock stood a staff, resembling the stem of a white lotus. It was, in fact, a Lotus Staff, a high-level magical artifact. But at this moment, the staff was buckling under the weight of the descending rock, its emitted magical glow distorting and twisting.

In this desperate situation, Hu Xiaoyu could not help but break into a cold sweat. If the rock were to crush down completely, she would likely end up as nothing more than another pile of bone fragments.

*Crack.*

Suddenly, fissures began to appear on the Lotus Staff, which had been bent to nearly ninety degrees.

*Crack, crack... snap.*

Within seconds, the Lotus Staff split further, then shattered with a sharp snap. The massive rock instantly accelerated, bearing down on Hu Xiaoyu.

Gritting her teeth, Hu Xiaoyu let out a sharp cry. A white lotus bloomed in her hand, and with a surge of magical power, she thrust upward, while a protective white light barrier manifested around her body. The weight of the falling boulder was immense—far exceeding ten thousand pounds. Hu Xiaoyu’s internal energy fluctuated violently as she barely managed to hold it back.

"Xiaoyu, do you need a hand?" A voice suddenly echoed in her ears.

As Hu Xiaoyu struggled against the pressure, the sound of my voice caused her to lose focus. The massive rock dipped lower, forcing her knees to buckle as her entire body began to tremble. Just then, I appeared out of thin air in the confined space, arms crossed, watching her with a smile.

Hu Xiaoyu stared at me, unsure if I was real, a hallucination, or perhaps some ghost.

"Hu Xiaoyu, don't want my help? Then I’m off," I said with a chuckle.

She glared at me, gritting her teeth. "Well, don't just stand there—help me!"

"Call me husband, and I’ll take you out of here," I teased.

"In your dreams! I’d rather die than call you that. Get out if you’re going to get out!" Hu Xiaoyu snapped, furious at my audacity.

She wasn't foolish; she sensed something was off. She was almost certain that the person before her was truly me, and she trusted that I would never stand idly by while she was in such danger—even if I did enjoy taunting her. This implied that the situation, which threatened to end her life at any moment, was not truly a danger in my eyes. Furthermore, this was a sealed space, yet I had appeared out of thin air. Then again, she hadn't arrived here through conventional means either. This space must have an exit.

"Alright, if you insist, I’ll be going then." I shrugged with a smile, turned around, and passed directly through the solid wall, vanishing from the space.

"Hey..." Hu Xiaoyu felt a surge of frustration. This jerk was clearly just waiting to watch her make a fool of herself.

*Not a chance!*

Her bent knees suddenly straightened. A strange power surged from within her, and two cold, star-like points flickered in the center of her pupils.

Suddenly, her magical power erupted, and a phantom image began to condense above her head.

*Boom!*

With a sharp cry, Hu Xiaoyu unleashed a terrifying burst of magical power, forcefully shoving the descending boulder back. She seized the opportunity to rush toward the direction where I had vanished, but her hand met only the hard surface of a wall. Meanwhile, the boulder she had pushed back began to descend once more.

"Damn it, where is the exit?" she cursed internally. She tried several times to break free but failed. Seeing the rock crushing down again, she had no choice but to brace herself.

This time, however, Hu Xiaoyu felt the weight of the rock double. Even with her White Lotus secret technique, she could no longer sustain the pressure. She let out a muffled groan, feeling her internal organs spasm under the strain.

"Jerk," she cursed silently. In that moment, she desperately wanted me to appear, but the thought of me hiding somewhere watching her struggle kept her from crying out.

Just then, the pressure from the boulder suddenly lightened. She turned her head and saw me standing behind her, supporting the rock with a single finger, my expression as relaxed as if I were holding a feather.

*How is this possible?* Hu Xiaoyu was incredulous. But she quickly realized that since I could come and go from this sealed room at will, I must possess secrets she knew nothing about.

"Fine. Even though you are heartless, I, Qin Feng, cannot be unrighteous," I sighed with a look of feigned melancholy, suppressing a laugh.

Watching my theatrical performance, Hu Xiaoyu wanted to spit in my face. Who was the heartless one, anyway?

"I don't have time for your nonsense. How do we get out?" she asked.

"Come here, face me, and wrap your arms around my waist," I instructed.

Hu Xiaoyu stared at me suspiciously, likely wondering if I was trying to take advantage of her.

"If you're going to be that suspicious, I'm leaving," I said with a shrug.

She glared at me, hesitated, then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"I told you to hold me, not grope me. Are you trying to take advantage of me?" I teased.

Hu Xiaoyu gritted her teeth, took two more steps forward, and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, pressing her body fully against mine. She rested her head on my shoulder, her face flushed and her heart racing. The human body has memory; we had been intimate before, and the moment she held me, her body instinctively adjusted to the most comfortable position.

"Are you... not going yet?" Hu Xiaoyu asked when I didn't move for a long time.

"I need to channel my energy," I said, laughing and lying through my teeth.

"How come you didn't need to channel it before?" she retorted softly.

"Before, it was just me. Now I have to bring you along. Don't talk, you'll break my concentration and I'll have to start over," I said with a smile.

We stood there in a quiet embrace. After a while, Hu Xiaoyu completely relaxed. How wonderful it would be if the feelings between two people were as simple as an embrace. Her eyes grew inexplicably red, and her small hands, wrapped around my waist, tightened as if she wanted to merge her very being into mine.

I recalled the past and sighed. I looked up at the massive rock, held Hu Xiaoyu close, and with a flash, we appeared in the cold seawater.

Hu Xiaoyu stiffened, then abruptly pushed me away. The softness in her heart was shielded once more; she didn't want to be hurt again. In the deep-sea rift, the Ghost Tower continued to emit a faint, eerie green light. I moved closer to Hu Xiaoyu and activated a Water-Repelling Talisman, enclosing us both in a bubble.

"What is going on here?" she asked.

"The seal array of this Ghost Tower was damaged, but a secondary, self-activating defensive array is still running. You were trapped within the defensive array," I explained.

"But how did I not see that this was an array?" she asked.

"Because you're too slow," I shrugged. In truth, I had encountered this type of array in the *Great Nether Yin-Yang Arts*; it was unlike standard formations.

Hu Xiaoyu was frustrated but had no rebuttal.

"The source of the hauntings in Pearl Town must be this Ghost Tower, right?" she asked.

"The tower is the source of the hauntings, but it isn't the true source of the events in Pearl Town," I replied.

"What do you mean?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I circled the tower and said, "Let’s seal this place first. It’s fortunate that it’s only a small breach. If it were larger, we wouldn't need the Nether beings to attack; all of Nansu would turn into a dead land."

"If it’s so evil, shouldn't it be destroyed?" she asked.

"Destroyed? What’s appearing now are just vengeful spirits and ghosts, but there might be Ghost Kings or Ghost Emperors trapped inside. Can you imagine the consequences? Besides, even if we wanted to destroy it, the seal is layered. The outer layer is for defense and concealment, while the inner layer is a true, terrifying attack array. Unless one has the strength of a Grandmaster, one shouldn't even touch it." I spoke in a low, grave tone. In reality, I was drooling over the potential of the tower, but after testing it earlier, I had dismissed the thought. I had no desire to court death.

I began to re-fortify the breach in the tower, though in truth, I was only performing minor repairs. While doing so, I surreptitiously meddled with the formation. I had no idea when this tower was built, but I certainly planned to explore it if the opportunity arose.

After sealing the breach, I glanced at some of the stone pillars nearby. My gaze faltered, and I beckoned to Hu Xiaoyu.