The crypt was dim and damp.
The candle flame flickered slightly on the wall.
The chopsticks were held between the ashen fingers, and the flesh-reishi, now fully in human form, began to walk with unsteady steps.
Although it looked extremely human on the outside, its movements were still very clumsy.
It was clearly moving towards the cabinet.
Its eerie smile, under the dim light, gave an indescribable sense of horror.
"Boss, did that thing spot us?" Tiger's hair stood on end as he spoke.
"It seems so."
Lu Fei walked out from behind the cabinet directly.
"What does it mean by holding the chopsticks? Is it hungry or something?" Tiger swallowed hard, drawing out his large ghost-head saber.
"When it comes over, we can just ask it and find out."
With a thunderstruck jujube wood stick slung behind his back, Lu Fei remained calm and composed.
The humanoid flesh lingzhi swayed, drawing closer, its hollow eyes fixed intently on Lu Fei with a gaping mouth almost split to its ears.
Two long chopsticks pointed straight at Lu Fei, thrusting towards him.
"Boss, be careful!" Hu Zi exclaimed in alarm.
It wasn't that the thing was particularly powerful, but its appearance was terrifying.
He swung his large knife, directly batting the chopsticks away.
The flesh lingzhi, unable to stop, lunged at them with its gaping, dark mouth.
The two of them dodged easily, sidestepping out of the way.
Lu Fei channeled his spiritual power, striking the flesh lingzhi with his lightning-imbued jujube wood staff.
Blue arcs of electricity flashed, and the flesh lingzhi convulsed violently, its flesh flowing like a clay figure, continuously melting downwards.
Soon, it lost its human shape, turning into a grayish-white mass of flesh writhing on the damp ground.
As it writhed, fleshy tendrils similar to hands extended out, as if trying to grab something.
"It's not dead yet!"
Lu Fei raised his hand, channeling his magical power, and struck again with the stick.
Electric arcs flashed, and the ashen gray flesh mass spasmed violently. The skin became somewhat transparent, but it could still move, struggling to crawl towards the pool.
"It can't be killed... Hmm? There seems to be something inside it."
Lu Fei narrowed his eyes and shone the flashlight on the abomination.
To his surprise, he found that in the middle of the creature's body, there was a dark red organ similar to a heart.
The organ appeared to have blood flowing through it, albeit faintly.
"It seems this is the vital point."
"Hu Zi, did you see that red lump inside? Cut this thing open with a knife!"
"Understood!"
Huzi picked up the large knife and aimed it at the dough-like Reishi mushroom, slicing it down.
He did not expect that this thing's flesh was quite tough, like meaty tendons. Even though Huzi had pressed it very thin, he still couldn't cut through it.
The red organ in the middle could move, avoiding the pressure of the ghosthead knife.
"Damn it, so hard to cut, how did that demon Taoist manage to slice and sell this thing?" Huzi gritted his teeth, putting all his strength into it.
Lu Fei was getting anxious.
They had at most an hour, and continuing like this was not a solution.
Every additional minute of delay meant an extra minute of danger for the young Taoists.
They were betting their fate on them.
Lu Fei frowned, staring at the lump of flesh and thought for a moment before asking, "Huzi, do you have a lighter?"
"I brought it."
"Heat the blade with a lighter, then try again."
"Okay!"
Huzi immediately did as instructed, using the lighter to heat the broad blade of the ghost-head knife until it was scorching, and then he tried cutting the flesh-like fungus again.
As soon as the blade approached, the grayish-white mass made a sizzling sound and split apart like jelly, making it effortless for Huzi to cut through it.
"Great, it turns out this thing is afraid of heat!"
Huzi's eyes lit up, and he pressed the knife down swiftly.
The red organ in the center of the fleshy mass panicked and moved from side to side, almost being completely touched by the knife's edge.
Lu Fei held the lightning-struck jujube wood stick, ready to deliver the fatal blow.
The entire Lingyun Temple was silent.
Dark clouds obscured the moonlight.
Three young Taoist priests crouched outside the main hall, using a long corridor to conceal their forms, glancing up at the roof from time to.time.
Their master's back remained motionless, vague and gloomy in the night, making him unfathomable.
"How long have they been gone? Do you think something happened to them?"
"No, I think they're pretty strong."
"We just need to keep an eye on the master! They haven't eaten Lingzhi, so the master won't be able to detect it..."
The days dragged on like years.
The three young Taoist priests couldn't help but whisper to each other, offering mutual encouragement.
But when they looked up again, their master was gone, and the roof was empty.
"What happened?"
The three young Taoist priests were greatly alarmed.
"Does Master know?"
"I didn't see Master come down!"
"It's over! It's all over! Master must know now, we're really done for!"
"Quick! Notify those two brothers..."
The young Taoist priests were so frightened that their legs were weak, and they struggled to move, running towards the meditation room.
The one called Xiao Liu was lagging behind, watching his senior brothers' heads, with a flash of cold light in his eyes.
He quietly pulled out a hammer from his robe and struck each of his senior brothers on the head with two thuds.
The two young Taoist priests fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry, Senior Brothers, I didn't want to..."
Little Sixth stood in the night, his voice low and his face hidden in the shadows.
"You did well." A tall figure quietly emerged behind him.
"Master!"
Little Sixth hurriedly knelt down.
"Don't let them die. There aren't many people left in the observatory, and the newcomers' bodies are still not up to the standard."
"Yes, I understand, Master."
"I will soon complete my cultivation. When that time comes, I will lift the restrictions on you. You can choose to continue following me or take the money and leave for good."
The master of Lingyun Observatory looked down at his disciple, his two eyes cold and chilling.
"Master has raised me with kindness, I swear to follow you to the death!"
Little Sixth lay on the ground, earnestly expressing his loyalty.
"Very well."
Master Lingyun smiled faintly and strode towards the meditation room.
His figure was elusive, like a ghost.
In the blink of an eye, he had arrived at the meditation room, looking at the portrait of the ancestor hanging above the entrance to the haunted house with a hint of disdain on his face.
"I will show you how I achieve immortality and defy fate!"
With that, he snorted coldly, and his tall figure disappeared into the stairs.
Inside the haunted house.
Hu Zi forcefully pressed down the demon head knife, taking advantage of the heat of the blade to cut through the entire flesh reishi, exposing the heart in the middle.
Lu Fei squatted beside him, holding a flashlight, staring intently without blinking.
The blade was less than half a centimeter away from the heart.
"Woof woof woof!"
At that moment, the black puppy suddenly let out a startled bark and dashed toward Lu Fei.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Fei was instantly alarmed and looked toward the stairway.
Before he could make out anything, the candles in the haunted house suddenly went out.
The surroundings fell into darkness.
Immediately, there was a splash of water.
Lu Fei shone his flashlight back and felt a sinking feeling in his heart.
The flesh lingzhi had actually slipped away from under the ghosthead knife!
Hu Zi was full of astonishment; when the light dimmed just now, he hadn't seen how the flesh lingzhi had managed to escape.