Forgotten Photo Studio

Chapter 164 Chen Zhiwei's Anger

When that black light, which embodied the world's ultimate malice, appeared.

It was like a red-hot curse nail being driven deep into Xu Yan's brow.

"Ugh—!"

A pained roar, inhuman in sound, was squeezed out from deep within Xu Yan's throat.

It wasn't the sharp pain of flesh being pierced, but rather the forced tearing apart of something more essential and terrifying.

It was his soul that was forcibly torn open by an extremely ruthless external force.

“Look…I see it…how young…how vibrant the dwelling place of souls…”

A cacophony of countless venomous whispers, seemingly emanating from the deepest recesses of the underworld, resounded directly in the depths of his consciousness, carrying with it a nauseating greed and ecstasy.

In an instant, the world was spinning.

The scene of the secret room "before his eyes" disintegrated like shattered glass, replaced by an endless, churning, dark swamp.

There is no light, no sound, only absolute silence and coldness that could drive any living being to the brink of insanity.

"Give up... merge into eternal peace..."

That viscous, icy malice was no longer an ethereal aura, but transformed into billions of cold, barbed needles that pierced his "body" formed from every possible angle.

Each needle precisely injects the venom of decay, despair, and madness, frantically polluting every wisp of his clear mind, attempting to completely corrupt his self.

"Struggling... is futile... become a part of me..."

He could "see" that tiny glimmer of light representing the origin of his self-awareness, amidst the absolute darkness.

Like the last broken oil lamp in a raging storm, its light flickered and swayed violently, its brightness uncertain.

It seemed as if the light would be completely extinguished at any moment. With each passing second the light dimmed, his understanding of who he was and why he was there became increasingly blurred.

"Forget it, forget it! Forgetting it will free you. Your memories... your emotions... will all be my sustenance..."

The black tide, composed of pure resentment and malice, is like a greedy beast with life, relentlessly devouring the boundaries of his consciousness.

Those vivid images in his memory: Chen Zhiwei's smile, the morning light in the photo studio, and even the blurred warmth from much earlier times.

They were like pages thrown into a fire of nothingness, their edges quickly curling and turning black, eventually turning into cold ashes and dissipating into the darkness.

"No...this is mine..."

Xu Yan's consciousness let out a silent cry, but it was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

A vast, ancient will, filled with endless resentment and greed, like a descending demon, is ruthlessly and insidiously covering everything with unparalleled power.

It wanted to crush Xu Yan's resistance, erase all his unique mental imprints, and completely possess this body full of potential, along with all the secrets it contained.

He could clearly "feel" that "himself" was being stripped away, covered up, and swallowed up... like a traveler sinking into a bottomless swamp, the more he struggled, the faster he sank.

The cold darkness spread from limbs to the core, consciousness seemed to fall into an ice cave, the ability to think was being stripped away, and even the emotion of "fear" gradually became unfamiliar and distant.

The countdown to destruction seemed to have come to an end.

"Senior brother—!!"

Chen Zhiwei's shrill cries echoed and reverberated in the enclosed space, but seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to truly reach the ears of the soul being devoured.

She staggered and lunged at Xu Yan's stiff body. The moment her fingertips touched his cheek, the icy temperature of his body made her blood almost freeze.

Inside the sealed room, the once flowing data light strip had long been replaced by twisted, eerie green flames, casting flickering, menacing shadows on the cold gray alloy walls.

The air was thick with the smell of ozone and a deeper, more pungent odor, like the decay of a rotting flesh.

Xu Yan stood there, his eyes completely filled with an ominous darkness, as empty as two deep wells, unable to reflect any light.

All the lifelessness on his face vanished, his muscles stiffened, like a sculpture whose soul had been instantly ripped away.

Only beneath his skin, the bluish-black patterns belonging to "Abyss" were fiercely clashing with the invading black resentment, like two venomous snakes locked in a life-or-death struggle within him, causing his limbs and torso to twitch uncontrollably and his joints to emit a slight, teeth-grinding cracking sound.

"Wake up! Senior brother, look at me! Wake up!"

Chen Zhiwei cupped his face in her trembling hands, the icy touch tearing at her heart.

Hot tears welled up instantly, sliding down his pale cheeks and dripping onto his unresponsive clothes, leaving dark stains.

"No...please don't leave me...you can't..."

She seemed to have gone mad, shaking the Soul-Suppressing Bell even more frantically with one hand; the clear and melodious sound of the bell now sounded so pale and powerless.

With her other hand, she frantically grabbed a handful of calming and tranquilizing talismans from her talisman bag and slapped them onto his forehead, chest, and other vital areas without any regard for the consequences.

However, the talismans containing tranquil power emitted a soft hissing sound the moment they came into contact with his body, which was shrouded in dense resentment. The spiritual light on the talismans was like snowflakes thrown into a raging fire, failing to even stir a ripple before being completely swallowed and annihilated by the deeper, thicker darkness.

Once, twice... countless futile attempts.

Her movements, which started out anxious and swift, gradually became chaotic and frantic, until finally all that remained was desperate and powerless pounding.

Finally, as if she had exhausted all her strength, her hands slipped limply to the ground, leaving her only able to clutch the fabric of his shirt tightly. Her knuckles turned white from the excessive force, and her sharp nails almost pierced the fabric and dug into her palms.

She pressed her forehead against his cold chest, her thin shoulders trembling violently from uncontrollable sobs, emitting broken, animal-like whimpers.

The dim light of the secret room enveloped the two figures, one struggling and sinking in a silent abyss, the other heartbroken in the hell of reality.

Xu Yan's consciousness struggled desperately in the dark waves.

He mustered his will and built line after line of defense, but they crumbled like sandcastles before the immense power of the evil spirit.

Last time, he used the Mirror of Shared Life to possess the Drill Arm and watched helplessly as "Abyss" tried to take over his body; at that time, he was more like a bystander.

This time, he was a firsthand witness, clearly experiencing the terrifying process of his "self" being peeled away, covered, and submerged inch by inch.

Thinking becomes sluggish, the chain of memory begins to break, and even the most basic cognition of "I am Xu Yan" is shaken and blurred.

An endless sense of exhaustion washed over him like a tide, tempting him to give up the fight and sink into eternal darkness.

He tried to grasp something, but couldn't grasp anything. The light of his consciousness was rapidly shrinking, like the last bubble sinking into the deep sea.

Just as that glimmer of consciousness representing "Xu Yan's" existence flickered like a candle in the wind, about to be completely swallowed and annihilated by endless darkness.

A tiny, yet incredibly warm light, like the first ray of dawn piercing through thick clouds, stubbornly shone in the deepest part of his consciousness, in that desolate wasteland invaded by malice.

The sunlight... golden and warm, bringing tears to my eyes, generously filled the entire space through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of my memory, making even the dust particles floating in the air clearly visible.

The studio... The familiar smell of turpentine and paint wafted into my nostrils, carrying the scent of youth and tranquility.

On the easel, there is an unfinished oil painting depicting the back of a girl. The brushstrokes are immature yet full of emotion. She is wearing a light blue dress with small flowers adorning the hem.

Then, the halo converged, and he "saw" the girl.

She seemed to have just stepped out of a painting, radiating sunshine, and turned around with a beaming smile.

Her face was still shrouded in a warm, soft halo, making it difficult to see clearly, but her radiant, sunny smile was imprinted vividly and realistically in his perception.

"Xu Yan—"

She called his name in a clear, crisp voice, her voice carrying the unique charm and vitality of a young girl, as if it could dispel all gloom.

"Wake up! Stop sleeping! If you keep sleeping, you won't get the time I promised to tutor you today!"

She stomped her foot as if she was angry, then twirled lightly in front of him, her white skirt billowing like a blooming flower, carrying the clean scent of soap and the smell of sunshine.

Silvery laughter echoed in the studio, filled with carefree joy.

“Shen…Mengyao…”

This name finally broke through the layers of memory, emerging from the depths of his soon-to-be-dormant consciousness with an indescribable bitterness and familiarity.

So... Zhiwei wasn't lying to me.

It turns out that there really was a girl named Shen Mengyao in this world, who existed so vividly in his life and occupied an important part of his time.

The nimble figure spinning before my eyes is a wonderful overlap and fusion with the image of Zhiwei twirling shyly and joyfully when she tried on that moon-white dress at Yunshang Pavilion.

A complex and indescribable emotion welled up in my heart: the relief of memories awakening, the longing for the past that cannot be retrieved, and even more so, the deep regret and guilt for that forgotten time.

However, this warm illusion, like a bubble, began to become unstable.

The girl's figure and the brightly lit art studio around her, like an image with a poor signal, began to flicker and fade.

In the final moments before her figure completely vanished, her smiling, fading voice clearly reached the deepest recesses of his consciousness, carrying a hint of barely perceptible melancholy and a profound longing:

"I'm glad I'm still deep within your consciousness... Xu Yan..."

"But... forget about me... live the life you're supposed to live... wake up."

Her voice faded away, along with the last rays of sunlight, the atmosphere of the studio, and her figure, all returning to the void of darkness.

When Shen Mengyao's smiling words of advice were extinguished like a spark in the depths of her consciousness, the last warmth was completely swallowed up by the boundless darkness.

There was no light, no sound, no temperature, and even the concept of "self" was rapidly dissolving.

Xu Yan's consciousness was like dust floating at the end of the universe, being assimilated by eternal silence and coldness.

The evil spirit's will, like ink dripping into clear water, has already permeated most of its territory. It only needs the last embers to extinguish before it can completely take over.

Right at this critical point, when all is silent and existence itself is about to be erased.

Something older and more fundamental was thoroughly enraged by this foreign, malicious attempt to usurp its place.

At first, it was just an extremely subtle tremor, originating from the deepest part of the soul, as if some enormous creature that had been sleeping for billions of years was awakened by the gnawing of ants.

Immediately afterwards, the tremor transformed into a tangible wave, like a heartbeat, thumping powerfully.

The dark space of consciousness then distorted and vibrated!
Then--

"roll!!!"

A roar, not heard, but delivered directly as a rule, as a decree, descended with overwhelming force.

The sound was beyond description, even a fraction of it, in human language.

It seems to come from the chaos at the beginning of creation, containing the roar of the birth and destruction of stars, carrying the violence of crushing countless worlds and an absolute majesty that transcends all things.

It was like billions of thunderbolts exploding simultaneously in the depths of the soul, or like the silent roar of an entire galaxy collapsing.

The very existence of this sound carries an absolute sense of superiority.

That was the originally triumphant will of the evil spirit, which had almost completed its takeover.

The moment that roar rang out, even the scream failed to utter a complete syllable. Like ice and snow thrown into the fires of purgatory, its very existence began to tremble violently and uncontrollably, disintegrating.

Its pervasive, filthy darkness appeared so small, filthy, and vulnerable under the impact of this roar.

This roar did not belong to Xu Yan.

That was the raging declaration of the being called "Abyss," which he had sealed deep within his right arm, a being he himself could not fully comprehend.

It does not allow any other inferior filth to defile its "nest".

The evil spirit's will, which had been smug and had almost completely taken over Xu Yan's consciousness, let out an unprecedented, terrifying shriek the moment the roar rang out.

It felt as if it were not invading a mortal, but offending a sleeping, unspeakable ancient deity.

The level of power and the imposing presence conveyed by that "get lost" were far beyond my comprehension.

Its condensed black shadow seemed to have encountered its nemesis, and began to tremble and disintegrate violently.

"No—! What is this?! What is inside your body?!"

Driven by the undeniable and terrifying will of "Abyss," the evil spirit, like snow being doused with boiling water, was forced out little by little, with extreme reluctance, from the deepest part of Xu Yan's consciousness.

The black shadow dissipated from between his brows again, faster than when it had invaded, and with a sense of disarray and panic, it re-condensed into a blurry, violently fluctuating mass of resentment in the secret chamber.

As the evil spirit withdrew, Xu Yan's almost extinguished flame of consciousness was as if it had been re-injected with oxygen, and although weak, it stubbornly began to flicker again.

The dense, impenetrable black shadow, as if gripped by an invisible force, was suddenly "pulled" out from between Xu Yan's eyebrows, emitting a terrified and unwilling hiss, before quickly retracting and burrowing back into the body of the "old dog" lying on the ground.

Chen Zhiwei's cries stopped abruptly. She stared wide-eyed at the scene that had been turned upside down in disbelief.

Just a second ago, Xu Yan was like a puppet whose soul had been hollowed out, his life force almost completely cut off.

The next second, the deadly black aura fled in a sorry state.

The overwhelming shock of joy and sorrow left her momentarily stunned, until she saw Xu Yan's stiff body suddenly tremble, and a long, painful gasp, like a drowning person regaining their breath, escape from his throat. The darkness in his pupils receded like the tide, revealing once again that familiar, weak yet vibrant gaze.

At the same time, the corpse of "Old Dog" on the ground twitched violently a few times, and ghostly green flames rekindled in its empty eyes, but they were filled with unprecedented shock and horror.

He sat up abruptly, staring intently at Xu Yan, his voice distorted with extreme surprise and doubt:
"Kid! What...what exactly is hidden inside you?!"

As if considering the most terrifying possibility, its voice became shrill: "Could it be that you've already been possessed by some D-level, or even C-level ghost?!"

But as soon as it finished speaking, it immediately contradicted itself: "No! If you were possessed by an existence of that level, there's absolutely no way you could still retain your own consciousness! Could it be... symbiotic parasitism? No, that's not right either! Only weak wandering souls need to coexist with a host to survive..."

Its speech was extremely fast, as if it were frantically calculating and reasoning.

Finally, an even more astonishing, more logical, yet more absurd thought surfaced in its mind, causing the two will-o'-the-wisps in its pupils to suddenly shrink to the size of pinpoints. With an incredulous tone, it almost uttered each word in a hoarse voice:
"Could it be... could it be a seal?! A powerful ghost is sealed within you?!"

This conclusion sent a chill down its spine. Sealing a powerful ghost within a living person—what an insane and extraordinary feat that required such extraordinary means!

When that roar originating from the "Abyss" was like a thunderclap that split the heavens and the earth, it violently shattered the darkness and evil thoughts that were eroding Xu Yan's consciousness, and the absolute nothingness and coldness began to recede like the tide.

The first thing to recover was the blurry hearing.

"...Senior Brother...Xu Yan..."

A familiar yet anxious voice, tinged with tears, seemed to pierce through the thick layer of water, faintly and intermittently entering his almost stagnant thoughts.

The voice was like a thin yet strong thread, trying to pull him back from the bottomless abyss.

Immediately afterwards, a faint glimmer of light pierced through the eternal darkness.

The outline of a face slowly coalesced in his blurred "vision".

At first, it was just a hazy light and shadow, carrying a comforting sense of familiarity.

In that chaotic moment before his consciousness was fully awake, this blurry face, streaked with tears and filled with worry, miraculously and briefly overlapped with the image of the girl named Shen Mengyao that he had last seen before his consciousness faded.

The same clear concern, the same silhouette that touched his heartstrings...

But this illusion lasted only a moment.

As perception returned, the blurry outline quickly became clear and concrete—it was Chen Zhiwei!
It was Chen Zhiwei, who was holding him tightly at that moment, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling slightly with fear.

Her eyebrows, her eyes, every tiny line on her face were imprinted on his retina with unparalleled realism, replacing the phantom that existed in the dim light of his memory.

"Ho...ho...!"

Like a drowning person finally breaking through the water, Xu Yan gasped for breath several times, his chest heaving violently as a large amount of oxygen rushed into his almost stagnant lungs, bringing a burning sensation of life.

His forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat, which slid down his temples.

He felt as if his soul had been forcibly torn apart and then roughly stitched back together; every thought was accompanied by a sharp pain and a feeling of sluggishness, like rusty gears rubbing together.

Before he could even sort out the chaotic fragments in his mind, or respond to the horrified question from the "old dog" not far away, that soft and trembling body, with resolute strength, suddenly lunged into his arms and hugged him tightly with all its might.

Chen Zhiwei buried her face deep in the crook of his neck, and hot tears welled up instantly, soaking his cold clothes without reservation.

She could clearly feel the strong heartbeat that had resumed beneath his chest. This real presence suddenly relaxed her tense nerves, followed by an even stronger sense of lingering fear.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, and suppressed sobs escaped from her tightly clenched lips, broken and heartbreaking.

Xu Yan felt a pang of pain in her heart, and endless pity welled up inside her.

He caught his breath, raised his slightly trembling hand, and gently patted her back. His voice was hoarse, but it carried a reassuring strength.
"Alright, alright... silly girl, I'm... perfectly fine, aren't I? Don't cry, you won't be pretty if you keep crying."

Chen Zhiwei looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears, and punched his chest hard, cursing in a tearful voice:

"You scared me to death! I thought... I thought you..."

She couldn't continue speaking; she just hugged him even tighter, as if afraid he would disappear if she let go.

After a while, Xu Yan felt he had regained some strength and slowly stood up with Chen Zhiwei's help. He looked at the old dog, whose eyes were still filled with doubt and who had also just "recovered," and a cold, mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips:
"How about that? I gave you a chance, but you didn't seize it."

The old dog's facial muscles twitched as it stared intently at Xu Yan, as if trying to see right through him.

"What exactly is sealed inside your body?!" This question haunted it like a nightmare.

However, before Xu Yan could answer, Chen Zhiwei suddenly raised her head.

The fear, worry, and lingering dread she felt before all transformed into a raging inferno. It was this very demon before her who had almost caused her to lose Xu Yan forever!
She gently pushed away Xu Yan's supporting hand and walked forward step by step.

Her eyes were no longer their usual coldness or gentleness, but instead burned with an icy flame capable of incinerating everything.

The fierce aura emanating from her made even Xu Yan feel a sense of unfamiliarity and trepidation; he had never seen Chen Zhiwei so angry before.

"You...you...dead...ghost—" Her voice seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, filled with deep-seated hatred, "How dare you...steal...my...senior...brother?!"

Before she finished speaking, she slammed the old wooden box she always carried with her to the ground and opened it quickly.

Inside was not an item, but a neatly folded dark gold cloth bag. She untied the drawstring and unfolded the bag with a rustling sound.

Inside were dozens of talismans, densely packed and categorized.

The cinnabar was crimson, the ink was deep black, and the silver patterns flowed. Each talisman radiated a unique yet powerful spiritual energy fluctuation. Many of the talismans had yellowed edges, indicating their antiquity and containing the painstaking effort and power of an elder.

That was her grandfather's most treasured possession, a trump card she would never easily use!
At this moment, she was giving her all for Xu Yan!
Chen Zhiwei's eyes locked onto "Old Dog," and his hands moved rapidly like butterflies flitting among flowers. Several talismans of different colors and patterns were already between his fingers, and the air in the entire secret room began to distort due to the powerful spiritual energy that burst forth in an instant.

The battle is about to break out!
This time, it is Chen Zhiwei's revenge war, which she will fight at all costs!

Chen Zhiwei took a step forward, and his aura changed drastically.

The usually calm and gentle woman seemed to be covered by a layer of cold frost, her eyes filled with only icy determination and raging fury.

What she held in her hand was no longer a simple talisman for exorcising evil spirits, but the starting point for a complete combat system.

With a flick of her left hand, three earthen-yellow "ground-binding talismans" shot out in a triangular formation, not towards the old dog, but rather disappearing into the ground around him.

In a flash of inspiration, the alloy ground beneath Old Dog's feet instantly turned into a viscous swamp, a powerful suction force locking his feet in place and causing his movements to suddenly slow down.

"Little tricks!"

The old dog snorted coldly, its body churning with black energy as it tried to break free.

But Chen Zhiwei's right hand moved almost simultaneously.

Five "lightning-attracting talismans" flashing with pale blue electricity floated in front of her. She traced a line with her fingertips, and the spiritual energy between the talismans connected, instantly forming a simple lightning field.

"Crack!"

Several thin blue electric snakes appeared out of thin air, attracted by the intense resentment emanating from the old dog, and struck down fiercely.

Although not fatal, the blow disrupted its protective aura of resentment, interrupting its attempt to break free.

Xu Yan's eyes flashed with surprise: she was not attacking blindly, but using control and harassment tactics to limit her opponent and create opportunities.

The old dog roared, and several black tentacles suddenly pierced the ground, wrapping around Chen Zhiwei.

Without dodging or avoiding, she had already switched to three talismans with different attributes between her fingers—a crimson "Wildfire Talisman," a verdant "Vitality Talisman," and a dark yellow "Thick Earth Talisman."

The crimson talisman ignited with fierce flames, not to burn the tentacles, but to instantly evaporate the moisture and yin energy contained within them;
A flash of light appeared on the talisman, and a twisted, illogical "life force" was injected into the tentacles, causing their internal structure to grow wildly and collapse on its own.
The last ray of yellow talisman light entered the ground, and the alloy ground was temporarily endowed with the property of "annihilation," quietly dissolving the roots of the tentacles it touched.

The Five Elements' generating and restraining relationships are readily available to me!
The combination of these three talismans was exquisite, instantly neutralizing the old dog's counterattack.

Xu Yan was even more surprised; her understanding and application of the essence of energy far exceeded his imagination.

This cannot be achieved by simply memorizing talismans; it requires extremely high talent and comprehension.

The old dog finally realized how troublesome the woman in front of it was. It let out a shriek, its eyes blazing with ghostly fire, and an invisible mental shockwave crashed down on Chen Zhiwei like a tsunami.

This is a method that directly attacks the soul, and ordinary defensive talismans cannot withstand it.

Chen Zhiwei's face turned pale, but her eyes remained sharp.

She didn't use any physical talismans, but instead formed a complex and ancient hand seal in front of her chest, and parted her cherry lips slightly to utter a strange syllable.

"silent!"

An invisible barrier, made of pure spiritual power, instantly rose up in front of her.

The mental impact struck the barrier like waves crashing against rocks, scattering in all directions with a deafening roar.

Heart Talisman!

She was able to draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth directly with her own mental will without relying on any external objects, thus creating defensive talismans.

This is an extremely profound realm of talisman mastery!
Xu Yan was completely moved.

He had always known that Chen Zhiwei was exceptionally skilled in talismans, but he never imagined that he had reached such a level of mastery!

This temperament and talent are enough to make countless so-called geniuses pale in comparison.

At this moment, he finally understood why his master had left all these treasures to Zhiwei.

After suffering repeated setbacks, the old dog went completely mad. It didn't hesitate to burn its own essence, and its entire body swelled up. The dense resentment almost burst the secret room, preparing to launch a devastating attack.

Chen Zhiwei's eyes narrowed, knowing that the decisive moment had arrived.

She took a deep breath and carefully took out three dark-colored talismans from the deepest part of the bag, which seemed to bear the weight of time.

One is jet black, like an abyss; one is pure white, like the first snow; one is gray, like chaos.

"The Three Powers Seal the Demon!"

She threw three talismans into the air at the same time, her hands forming hand seals with lightning speed.

The three talismans did not attack directly, but instead hovered above the old dog's head, in front of his chest, and beneath his feet, forming a perfect triangle.

The dark talismans hung down in streaks of black light, like chains, binding and restraining his body;

The pure white talisman cast a gentle glow, purifying and dissolving its violent resentment, and suppressing its aura;
The gray talisman emitted a strange suction force, not to absorb energy, but to forcibly strip away and soothe the chaotic and frenzied god!

The three symbols work together, targeting the body, qi, and spirit, forming a near-perfect sealing force field.

This is a true suppression technique targeting the very essence of "ghosts".

The old dog let out a terrified howl, feeling its power, consciousness, and even its connection with this body being forcibly stripped away and sealed.

It struggled frantically, but the three-colored light curtain was indestructible and was slowly shrinking.

"No! This is impossible! This is... the long-lost Spiritual Pivot Sealing Technique?! Who exactly are you?!"

The old dog's voice was filled with despair and disbelief.

Chen Zhiwei's face was as pale as paper, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Maintaining the Three Talents Demon-Sealing Talisman was a huge burden for her.

But her eyes remained firm as she gritted her teeth and kept the rune array running.

Xu Yan stood behind her, watching the stunning talisman dance before him, and looking at Chen Zhiwei's slender yet upright back, his heart filled with indescribable emotions.

It was pride, it was heartache, and it was also a profound shock. For the first time, he realized so clearly just how dazzling the light and power of the woman beside him, who seemed to need his protection, truly was.

The battle was not yet over, but the balance of power had already been completely tilted by Chen Zhiwei's complete, well-organized, and strategically powerful attack.

Under the suppression of the three-colored light curtain formed by the Three Talents Demon-Sealing Talisman, the old dog's struggles became weaker and weaker. His body was like a trapped beast bound by invisible shackles, letting out unwilling roars, but he could not break free from the sealing power originating from the ancient inheritance.

Chen Zhiwei's face was pale, and her breathing was slightly rapid due to the large consumption of spiritual energy, but her eyes remained as cold as ice and snow, firmly locked on the sealed old dog.

She took a step forward, her voice cold and carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"Tell me! Where is the 'Soul-Suppressing Iron'?"

The evil spirit within the old dog's body fluctuated violently, filled with resentment and unwillingness.
But under the oppressive force of the ever-shrinking tri-colored light curtain, it finally managed to raise a trembling hand and point to an inconspicuous metal niche on one side of the secret chamber wall.

"In...in that box inside..."

Its voice was hoarse, as if every word had been uttered with exhaustion.

"If you dare to lie, I will make sure your soul is instantly annihilated and you are never to be reincarnated!"

Chen Zhiwei warned sternly, a cold glint flashing in her beautiful eyes.

She maintained the sealing spell, carefully diverting a wisp of her mind to cautiously approach the niche.

Xu Yan watched nervously from the side, his spiritual energy circulating silently within him, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

Inside the niche sat a simple, unassuming wooden box.

Chen Zhiwei took a deep breath and gently opened the box.

puff!
With a slight click of a mechanism, a colorless and odorless smoke, yet possessing a powerful hypnotic effect, instantly spewed out from the box, heading straight for Chen Zhiwei's face.

It happened so suddenly, and we were too close!
Although Chen Zhiwei remained vigilant, he never expected that the box contained such a treacherous trap.

She felt a strange fragrance enter her nostrils, and her head instantly felt extremely dizzy. The scenery before her eyes began to blur and spin, and the spiritual energy circulating in her body suddenly stopped, like a river that had been cut off.

"Uh……"

She let out a muffled groan, her delicate body swayed, and the magic seal in her hands could no longer be maintained. The three-colored light screen that was suppressing the old dog flickered violently a few times, and then disintegrated and vanished inch by inch like shattered glass.

"Knowing the subtle!"

Xu Yan's heart stopped, and he cried out in alarm, about to rush forward.

"Hehe...hahaha..."

The old dog, who had been suppressed to the point of near death, now let out a low, triumphant laugh, which grew louder and louder, filled with sarcasm.

"The methods are good, and the inheritance is impressive... It's a pity that her brain isn't quite up to par, little girl..."

As the seal was broken, the old dog's body convulsed violently, and a dense, solid black ghostly shadow, composed of pure resentment and malice, slowly emerged from the top of the old dog's head, like a venomous snake shedding its skin.

The ghostly figure was blurry, with only a pair of eerie green eyes filled with greed and cunning visible.

It hovered in mid-air, looking down at Chen Zhiwei, who had staggered to the ground and was in a daze, and Xu Yan, who was rushing over anxiously, and made a mocking sound:

"This body is tattered and unusable. I... shall take my leave now!"

Before the words were finished, the black ghostly figure transformed into a streak of light and shot off at an extremely fast speed toward the only hatch in the secret chamber.

It's trying to escape!

However, just as the black streak was about to touch the hatch...

A figure, like a ghost, had already calmly blocked the doorway without anyone noticing.

It is Xu Yan.

His face showed no panic, only extreme calmness and focus.

His right arm was held steadily outstretched, and the dark silver old-fashioned camera in his hand, with its deep lens like a one-eyed behemoth, was already silently aimed at the incoming target.

His left hand had somehow become connected to that silver-gray external flash!
There was no warning, no buildup.

Just as the black light formed by the evil spirit instinctively paused due to his sudden appearance and felt the fatal suction force emanating from the camera lens.

Xu Yan pressed the shutter button with a steady and firm index finger.

Click!

A crisp, clear sound, as if it could freeze time, rang out in the secret room!
At the same time, a purifying flash erupted from the left-hand flashlight, which was not a purely physical light.

The light, like a tangible silver-white wave, instantly engulfed the black ghostly figure!

"No—!!! This is impossible..."

The evil spirit let out its most mournful and desperate shriek since it existed!
The voice was filled with unbelievable terror, because it sensed that its very essence was being forcibly stripped, compressed, and encapsulated by an incomprehensible, irresistible force originating from some supreme level of rules.

It twisted and struggled wildly, its resentment surging like boiling black mist, trying to resist the terrifying suction from the camera lens and the burning of the purifying flash.

However, faced with the absolute power of the combined forces, all its resistance was futile, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Its form shrank and deformed rapidly in the dazzling light, visible to the naked eye, until it was completely removed from reality and transformed into an extremely distorted, constantly pulsating black stream of light, which was mercilessly swallowed into the deep, cosmic abyss-like lens.

Click.

The soft click of the shutter closing seemed to bring this plunder of the soul to a close.

Almost at the same instant the evil spirit was completely sucked into the camera, Xu Yan's body swayed violently, and his face turned deathly pale.

A sense of detachment and emptiness, far stronger than ever before when he used the camera, suddenly gripped him.

This time, it wasn't just a vague feeling, but clear fragments of memory that were being erased as if by an invisible eraser.

Some fragments of memory that were forcibly removed did not completely disappear into nothingness.

Xu Yan could clearly "feel" that they had transformed into an invisible "nourishment" flowing into the dormant "abyss" deep within his right arm.

A cold, satisfied, and even slightly mocking thought emanated from the "abyss," as if it were enjoying the "sacrifice" that had been forced upon it.

cost!

This is the cruel price that must be paid for using this camera, especially when using the flash to seal away powerful beings.

The more powerful the sealed ghost, the stronger the power of the rules that needs to be broken, and the greater the price that needs to be paid!
This time, sealing away an E+ level evil spirit that had almost materialized came at a far heavier price than ever before.

He leaned against the wall, panting heavily, trying to grasp those fleeting memories, but only managed to scoop up an empty echo, and the "abyss" within him that seemed even deeper and more uncontrollable because it had been "nourished".

The sealed room fell into dead silence.

A few seconds later, a faint mechanical sound came from the printing port at the bottom of the camera.

A slightly warm photographic sheet was slowly expelled.

Xu Yan reached out and took it.

The photographic paper was no longer blank gray, but instead presented a clear, yet chilling image.

A dense, impenetrable darkness was tightly bound and sealed in the center by countless fine silver rays, like a silkworm cocoon.

You can still vaguely see two unwilling eerie green lights in the center of the darkness, which is the final form of the evil spirit before it was permanently frozen!
The ancient evil spirit that had been causing chaos and attempting to possess Xu Yan was thus sealed within a small piece of photographic paper.

Xu Yan looked at the photograph in his hand that sealed the evil spirit, feeling the coldness and deathly stillness emanating from it. However, he did not feel much joy of victory, but only a kind of exhaustion from surviving a catastrophe.

He quickly put away the photograph, walked briskly to Chen Zhiwei's side, knelt on one knee, and helped her up as she was still swaying slightly.

"Zhiwei, how are you feeling?"

His voice carried an undisguised concern.

Chen Zhiwei rubbed her still throbbing temples and shook her head, trying to dispel the lingering, dizzying effects of the medicine.

"It's alright... I'm just a little weak, and my psionic energy is a bit sluggish." She looked at Xu Yan with guilt in her eyes, "It was my carelessness. I didn't expect it to set such a trap before it died."

"It's not your fault, it's just that this evil spirit is too cunning." Xu Yan gently patted her shoulder, his tone gentle but firm. "We're all still alive, that's the best outcome."

Chen Zhiwei nodded, her gaze shifting to the limp, lifeless, and rapidly decaying body of the "old dog," before turning to Xu Yan: "It... was sealed?"

"Hmm." Xu Yan gestured with the photos he had put away. "It's temporarily resolved."

He didn't elaborate on the details of using the camera and flash, and Chen Zhiwei didn't ask any further questions; there was an unspoken understanding between the two.

After a short rest, the two mustered their strength and began to carefully search the secret room.

Although the evil spirit has been sealed away, the whereabouts of the "Soul-Suppressing Iron" remains a mystery. The box that emitted the venomous smoke was, of course, empty; it was merely a vicious trap.

Xu Yan's gaze returned to the niche. He approached, carefully using his psionic senses to perceive every detail.

Finally, in an extremely hidden corner inside the niche, his fingertips touched a barely perceptible fluctuation of spiritual energy.

It was a cleverly designed psionic mechanism that he would have almost never noticed had his senses not been sharp.

He tried to inject a wisp of spiritual energy at a specific frequency.

"Click."

With a soft click, a metal plate inside the niche slid open silently, revealing a deeper hidden compartment.

The hidden compartment was small, containing only a palm-sized, completely black, and dull metal fragment.

It looked unremarkable, even a bit rough, but when Xu Yan's gaze fell on it, he felt an indescribable sense of heaviness and stability, as if it could suppress all the restless energy around it.

Even the "Abyss" within his right arm, which had been slightly calmed by the sealing of the evil spirit, showed a clear sense of apprehension and restraint upon sensing the aura of this piece of broken iron.

Xu Yan carefully placed the dark fragment of Soul-Suppressing Iron in his palm. The icy touch and the unusually heavy weight made him feel a sense of security he had never felt before.

Recalling the despair of his consciousness being corrupted by the evil spirit and almost completely sinking into despair, the terror of his self being erased bit by bit and even the trace of his existence disappearing still haunts him.

He absolutely does not want to go through that again.

(End of this chapter)