Ghost Catching System

”Where to?” Chu Hao asked.

”There are Blood Lotus Flowers and other medicinal herbs, considered unparalleled treasures in the mundane world. Think about it carefully. If it’s not what you want, I’ll leave now,” the giant eagle replied.

Chu Hao stared intently at the toad and said, ”Dead toad, I still need the Blood Lotus Flower. Hand it over quickly.”

The toad muttered under his breath, still seemingly reluctant to part with the Black Crystal as if it belonged to him. This infuriated Chu Hao, and he resolved to keep a closer eye on the creature in the future to prevent any theft.

”Alright then.”

Clutching the Black Crystal in her beak, the giant eagle swallowed it in one gulp and said, ”Climb aboard. I don’t have much time.”

Turning to Ma Bozhen, Chu Hao said, ”Grandpa Ma, you head back first.”

Ma Bozhen, still in a daze, quickly responded, ”Oh, oh.”

He had truly been frightened; his entire worldview turned upside down, as if he had seen a ghost.

Especially Chu Hao—was this young man really just an ordinary person, or was he a divine being?

Zaxi and his grandson once again expressed their gratitude to the Divine Eagle.

The Divine Eagle, however, shook her head and said, ”Forget all this, and do not speak of my existence to anyone.”

Tears streaming down his face, Zaxi nodded emphatically and kowtowed on the ground.

Even as the giant eagle carried Chu Hao, Diao Chan, and the toad into the sky, Zaxi remained prostrate on the ground for a full ten minutes.

「...」

On the back of the giant eagle, a force enveloped her, blocking out any hint of the cold wind and offering a remarkably comfortable experience.

In the past, Chu Hao wouldn’t have believed in the existence of such massive eagles, but now, his perception of the world had completely changed.

Chu Hao asked, ”Are you the mount of the Great Brahma God? There’s no trace of Monster Qi on you.”

”I am the Divine Eagle that guards Tibet, preventing the invasion of demons,” the giant eagle replied.

Chu Hao hastily asked, ”What kind of demons?”

”It’s better for you not to know,” the giant eagle responded.

This giant eagle was truly shrouded in mystery. Despite the many legends about her, no one had ever seen her in person; she remained just that, a legend.

As they flew, Tibet seemed incredibly vast. It was unclear where the giant eagle would take them. Chu Hao felt that she bore no animosity towards humans; otherwise, she wouldn’t have saved Zaxi.

In flight, they crossed numerous mountains. Perched on the giant eagle’s back, they didn’t feel the speed. Yet, looking down, they could see the landscape—mountains, rivers, and streams—receding rapidly.

”Indeed, you have the bloodline of Kunpeng,” the toad muttered.

”I’ve never seen a toad of your kind before,” the giant eagle replied in her pleasant voice.

The toad, indignant, replied, ”I am not some toad; I am the Jade Dragon King!”

The giant eagle chuckled, ”Stop fooling yourself.”

Annoyed, the toad muttered, ”Damn curse.”

Though disgruntled, the toad still said, ”You are not a creature from this land; you come from a fissure deep within the earth! Your kind is nearly extinct.”

”You are not from this land either,” the giant eagle said.

Confused, Chu Hao asked, ”Do you both come from the Shanhai Secret Realm?”

”The Shanhai Secret Realm? That’s nothing, just a corner of the Human World. The real Human World is too vast. It’s a pity it’s so hard to return,” the toad retorted.

The giant eagle said, somewhat surprised, ”Is the fissure within the earth that vast?”

”Vast doesn’t even begin to cover it. You wouldn’t understand. It can only be described as infinitely large,” the toad explained.

”Although I am a creature from that place, I have never been there. I only have vague memories,” the giant eagle confessed.

”Of course. Your kind has long since lost its ancestral memories,” the toad remarked.

Chu Hao was surprised to learn that the toad was also a creature from beyond this world. He asked, ”What is the other world like?”

After speaking, he felt that this description wasn’t quite right.

The toad said, ”What do you mean by ’another world’? This was originally the Human World. It’s just that due to certain reasons, this place has been isolated from the outside.”

Chu Hao, overcome with curiosity, asked, ”Why is it isolated?”

”You wouldn’t understand even if I told you,” the toad said.

Chu Hao looked at him sideways and said, ”Actually, you don’t know either.”

The toad snorted coldly, seemingly unwilling to discuss these matters.

Diao Chan blinked and asked, ”Toad, what is the outside world like?”

The toad actually didn’t mind Diao Chan calling him ’toad’. He even seemed quite happy to say, ”It’s vast. There are many bizarre and diverse civilizations. Talking for three days and nights wouldn’t be enough to describe them all.”

Chu Hao knew he was just whetting their appetite, and said disdainfully, ”Then you might as well not say anything.”

The topic returned to the glowing mountain. Chu Hao asked, ”Divine Eagle, is that place you spoke of over there?”

The giant eagle nodded and said, ”That’s the place. I’ll take you there, but whether or not you find the opportunity inside depends on yourselves. I will wait for you outside for half a Shichen.”

Speaking of which, she added, ”Remember, if you feel dizzy, hurry back. Otherwise, you’ll be lost inside forever.”

Landing on the mountain and getting off the Divine Eagle’s back, they saw a black forest in the distance, with faint lights twinkling on the trees. At first glance, one might think they were fireflies, but where would fireflies come from in this weather?

In the sky, curtains of silver light descended, like draperies falling, enveloping the forest.

This was too strange. While snow swirled all around them, there wasn’t a single flake of snow inside the forest.

Suddenly, the toad yelled excitedly, ”Good heavens, no way!”

Chu Hao asked, ”What’s wrong?”

The toad said excitedly, ”This... this is a Divine Relic!”

Chu Hao said, ”No shit, I’m not blind.”

The toad rolled his eyes and said, ”What do you know, kid? A Divine Relic is a place where deities once lived. Divine Eagle, I’m right, aren’t I!”

The Divine Eagle nodded and said, ”This place was once inhabited by deities. You only have half a Shichen. Otherwise, this place will vanish, and you’ll never be able to get out.”

Do deities really exist in this world?

The toad, driven by excitement, rushed in first.

Chu Hao wasn’t about to waste time either, taking Diao Chan’s hand and stepping into this dreamlike forest.

This place was like a mirror. Passing through it felt like entering another layer of the world. Looking back out, the snowy mountains and the dark night were still visible, as if they were now in a dream world, separated from the outside by that mirror.

”Let’s go.”

Walking a bit farther, Chu Hao saw a vivid red ahead. The ground appeared to be stained with a layer of red snow. On this blood-colored snowfield, there was a flower.

”A Blood Lotus Flower?” Chu Hao’s eyes lit up with excitement as he ran over and picked the Blood Lotus Flower.

The System prompted: ”Blood Lotus Flower, redeemable for three thousand Pretentiousness Points. Redeem?”

This thing could be exchanged for three thousand Pretentiousness Points. Compared to the withered Blood Lotus Flower Elder Zaxi had, which could only be exchanged for one thousand points, the difference was vast.

Chu Hao pocketed the Blood Lotus Flower and then heard Diao Chan say, ”Brother Chu, there are more here.”

Indeed, in another area, there were more Blood Lotus Flowers.

These things were too miraculous. The ground was covered in snow that seemed tainted with blood, making it eerie to the extreme.

The giant eagle’s Blood Lotus Flowers must have also come from here.

Not wasting any time, they continued searching for more Blood Lotus Flowers. Alas, they found no others; there were only two in the vicinity.