Ghost Immortal

It was darker inside the banana grove than outside.

The large banana leaves, layer upon layer, blocked the already faint moonlight, making it pitch black in the woods.

Qiu Sheng took a small lantern out of his pocket.

This was specially prepared by He Xiangu. The lantern shade was decorated with a demon-attracting talisman, and the light would attract the attention of the banana spirit.

He hung the lantern on the banana tree beside him, then found a relatively flat patch of grass and plopped down on it.

According to He Xiangu's instructions, he should lie down and pretend to be asleep.

But Qiu Sheng was really scared. He sat for a while before gritting his teeth, steeling his resolve, and lying down on his back.

The grass was wet, and dew soaked his back, a chill creeping up his spine.

He closed his eyes, clasped his hands over his chest, and tried to make his breathing even and long.

The candlelight inside the lantern flickered, and the orange light shone through the demon-summoning talisman on the lantern cover, casting an eerie shadow in the forest.

For the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after Qiu Sheng lay down, everything remained quiet and nothing happened.

His tense nerves gradually relaxed, and he wondered if the banana spirit would not come out tonight.

Just as he was about to turn over and find a more comfortable position, he suddenly heard a seductive laugh in his ear.

Laughter was like the wind blowing through flower petals, soft and languid, seeping into his ears, like a gentle tickle on the tip of his heart.

Qiu Sheng's body stiffened instantly.

He remembered He Xiangu's instructions: close your eyes and pretend to be asleep, and don't open your eyes no matter what you hear or see.

He closed his eyelids tightly, bit his lower lip, and tried his best to remain still.

Laughter rang out again, this time even closer, almost as if the breath was right next to his ear.

"My lord, why are you sleeping alone in this desolate place? With such muscular build, you mustn't catch a cold."

Her voice was soft and alluring, and Qiu Sheng felt her warm breath brush against his earlobe.

The rich floral scent filled his nostrils, making him dizzy.

He dared not open his eyes, clenched his teeth, and continued to pretend to be asleep.

"Husband?" the voice called again, with a hint of reproach in its tone.

"They're talking to you, why aren't you responding?"

Immediately afterwards, a soft hand touched his cheek.

The hand was cool to the touch and smooth to the touch, as if it were carved from jade.

My fingers slid slowly across his forehead, down his brow bone, bridge of his nose, and lips.

Finally, it stopped on his chin and gently lifted his face.

The woman chuckled, "What a handsome husband! How come such a good-looking man is here all alone? Why don't you come home with me? I'll cook you some dishes and warm a pot of wine, and we can have a good chat."

Qiu Sheng's eyelids twitched violently, and he could feel the hand sliding down his neck.

Her fingertips traced his Adam's apple and hooked the edge of his collar—it was downright lewd.

"Sizzle!"

The collar of his red robe was ripped open, and Qiu Sheng could no longer hold back, so he quickly opened his eyes.

What came into view was an extremely beautiful face.

The face was inches away, almost touching the tip of his nose.

The woman's features were exquisite.

She had willow-leaf eyebrows, phoenix eyes, a straight nose, and lips as red as blood.

Her skin was so fair it was almost translucent.

Under the lantern's glow, it shimmered with a faint light, as if it were carefully carved from jade.

She wore a long, bright red dress, with large peonies embroidered in gold thread on the hem, which seemed to be a perfect match for her red robe.

Her hair was jet black and flowed like a waterfall, loosely tied back.

She was held up by a single jade hairpin, with a few stray strands of hair hanging down beside her ears, swaying gently with her breath.

When the woman saw Qiu Sheng open his eyes, she was not surprised at all; instead, she smiled even more charmingly.

She stuck out the tip of her tongue and gently licked her lips, looking at Qiu Sheng with a dreamy gaze.

"My lord, you've finally opened your eyes to look at me."

Qiu Sheng's mind went blank, as if he had been given a jug of strong liquor, and he felt dizzy and disoriented.

He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't obey him; all his strength had been drained, and he couldn't even lift a finger.

The woman leaned down, bringing her face even closer.

Her lips almost touched Qiu Sheng's earlobe, her breath sweet as orchids: "Husband, you are so handsome. I have lived in this forest for decades and this is the first time I have ever seen such a beautiful person."

"Will you stay and keep me company? I'll be your wife, bear your children, and serve you for the rest of my life."

Her hands were restless again, her fingertips slowly tracing across Qiu Sheng's chest.

The fingers seem to have magic power; they send a tingling sensation through the skin when they touch it.

Qiu Sheng felt his consciousness becoming increasingly blurred, and the woman in front of him becoming more and more beautiful, so beautiful that he forgot who he was.

He couldn't remember where he was, or even why he came here.

Only one thought remained in his mind.

This woman is so kind; he wants to go with her.

Just then, a ghostly green flame suddenly shot into the sky from the depths of the banana grove.

The moment the flames appeared, the woman lying on top of Qiu Sheng immediately let out a piercing scream.

"ah!!!"

The screams were extremely piercing, like hundreds of birds being choked at the same time, making Qiu Sheng's eardrums buzz.

He groggily opened his eyes and saw the woman's face contorting and distorting.

Her once beautiful features were now flowing down like melted candle wax.

The tangled roots and dark red wood grain are exposed.

Her hands transformed into two bunches of banana leaves, and her originally fair fingers turned into withered yellow veins.

Strands of dark red sap, like fresh blood, still clung to the veins of the leaf.

"No!!!"

The woman let out a defiant roar, then with a "bang," she turned into a cloud of red smoke and dissipated in the night wind.

Qiu Sheng jolted awake, fully waking up.

He scrambled to his feet and looked down to see that his crimson robe had been torn to shreds.

All the buttons on her chest were undone, revealing the close-fitting gold armor underneath.

If it weren't for this golden armor, which was still dutifully emitting a faint golden light...

The banana spirit's finger probably pierced into his flesh just now.

"Junior brother!"

Still shaken, Qiu Sheng shouted towards the firelight, "Are you done over there? I'm almost dead!!!"

His answer was met with an even fiercer flame.

Ghostly green flames erupted from the banana grove.

The flames were over three zhang high, illuminating the entire banana grove as if it were daytime.

A huge banana tree could be vaguely seen in the flames, twisting wildly, with red veins on its trunk.

It shone brightly in the flames, like a red-hot branding iron.

The banana tree's roots emerged from the ground, the main root as thick as an arm, rolling and twitching on the ground.

With each turn, countless tiny roots are burned to ashes by the flames.

Seven silver bells are wrapped around the main root, and the bells are vibrating violently, making a rapid tinkling sound.

That was He Xiangu's demon-locking rope, desperately suppressing the banana spirit's final struggle.

Li Feng appeared at the edge of the sea of ​​fire, a ghostly green lotus-shaped flame floating in his right palm, and a demon-revealing mirror held in his left hand.

The light from the demon-revealing mirror locked onto the banana spirit's main root, exposing its true form.

"Netherworld Fire, Burn!"

Li Feng let out a low shout, and the lotus flame in his right hand exploded instantly.

It transformed into a pillar of fire that shot straight down and smashed into the main root of the banana spirit.

"boom!"

The entire old banana tree burst open from the inside out, splitting open the trunk, branches, leaves, and root system.

Everything was reduced to ashes by the scorching flames of the underworld.

The flames engulfed everything, including the dozen or so banana trees nearby.

The green leaves curled and charred in the flames, crackling and popping.

The banana spirit's screams echoed for the last few breaths in the sea of ​​fire before disappearing completely into the night wind.

Li Feng put away the demon-revealing mirror, extinguished the ghostly flames, and exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

In front of him, a charred crater over ten feet in diameter was left on the ground.

The soil in the pit was burned to a hardness as iron, and its surface was covered with a thin layer of glassy substance.

This is formed when soil melts and then re-condenses under the high temperature of ghost fire.

The old banana tree has completely disappeared, leaving not a single leaf or root behind.

The Demon-Sealing Rope lay unharmed at the edge of the scorched pit, its seven silver bells still trembling slightly, emitting a soft tinkling sound.

This magical artifact was unaffected by the lingering power of the ghostly flames, but due to its special material, it remained undamaged.

Li Feng bent down to pick up the Demon-Locking Rope, patted off the dust, and turned to walk out of the forest.

Qiu Sheng staggered out of the woods, his bright red robe tattered and his hair covered in dead leaves and dirt.

There were several red marks on his face from being scratched by banana leaves.

He ran up to Li Feng, collapsed onto the ground, and gasped for breath.

"Junior brother, that banana spirit just now, the woman it transformed into, was really beautiful!!"

"She's even prettier than the female zombie from the Zombie King! If she'd held out a little longer, I almost wouldn't have been able to control myself!" Qiu Sheng said, panting.

Li Feng rolled his eyes at him, annoyed: "Senior brother, you always say you almost couldn't control yourself. Last time in Tengteng Town when you were chased by the female zombie, you also said you almost couldn't control yourself. When are you ever going to be able to control yourself?"

Qiu Sheng blushed and awkwardly changed the subject: "Um, was the banana spirit's original form completely burned? It won't come back to life, will it?"

"It's burned to ashes, not even a trace remains." Li Feng put the Demon-Locking Rope into his sleeve.

"However, this banana grove cannot be left standing. The banana spirit has been entrenched in this grove for decades, and the soil is full of its remaining demonic energy and roots. If the grove is not burned down completely, new banana spirits will emerge in a few years."

As he spoke, he took out three Fiery Talismans from his sleeve, infused them with spiritual power, and flung them into the depths of the banana grove.

The Fiery Talisman burned in the air, turning into three fireballs the size of millstones, which crashed into the densest part of the banana grove.

The flames of ordinary Fiery Talismans are not as domineering as Netherworld Ghost Fire, but they are more than enough to deal with ordinary banana trees that are not protected by demonic power.

After the fireball landed, it quickly spread, turning the entire banana grove into a sea of ​​fire.

The firelight illuminated half the sky, and the temperature in the mountain valley suddenly rose, with waves of heat rolling in.

The banana trees crackled and popped in the flames, their broad leaves curled and charred, turning to ashes in the night wind.

Li Feng and Qiu Sheng stood on the hillside, watching the banana grove gradually turn to ashes in the raging fire.

Qiu Sheng straightened his tattered crimson robe and suddenly sighed, "Junior brother, this banana spirit is quite pitiful. It cultivated alone in this forest for decades, finally taking human form, only to be burned to ashes by us in a single fire."

Li Feng glanced at him, thinking that this guy was blinded by lust again, and said indifferently, "If it didn't harm people, we wouldn't have come to burn it. Those unconscious villagers, whose life force was sucked away by it, would need at least half a year to recover. If we had come a few days later, some of them might have been drained dry."

Qiu Sheng was taken aback for a moment, then sighed, "That's true. A demon is a demon after all. A demon that harms people should be eliminated."

After the fire had burned out and they were sure there was no demonic energy left in the banana grove, the two turned and headed towards Hejia Village.

It was late at night when we returned to the village, but the lights in the ancestral hall were still on.

He Xiangu and He Dashan were talking in the courtyard when they saw the two return. He Dashan quickly got up to greet them.

"The two Taoist priests are back! How did it go? Did they get rid of the banana spirit?"

Li Feng nodded: "It's been eliminated. The main body and the entire banana grove have been burned to the ground. No one will be harmed again."

He Dashan let out a long sigh of relief, his wrinkles smoothing out as he repeatedly clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you both, Taoist priests! Thank you both, Taoist priests! You two are great benefactors to our He Family Village!"

He Xiangu walked over, glanced at Li Feng and Qiu Sheng, her gaze lingering for a moment on Qiu Sheng's tattered red robe, and a slight smile appeared on her lips: "It seems the banana spirit quite likes you, she almost took advantage of you."

Qiu Sheng's face flushed red, and he muttered something as he turned and ran into the side room, shouting that he wanted to find Qiu Lan to get his Taoist robe back.