Chapter 305: She-Jia

In a secluded spot far from Hua City, amidst a forest that had long been silent, lay a cave the size of a well.

From a distance, a fair-skinned man approached, stepping over frost-bitten, withered shrubs, and stopped before the cave. Slowly, he removed his shirt, revealing a tattoo of a black solar totem on his back.

The cold mountain wind brushed against his back, and the tattoo, with its eerie aura, glowed faintly blue. As if sensing something, the cave entrance before him began to warp with light and shadow.

As the outermost layer of the spell formation disguise shattered, the vast underground world of this secret Eclipse Society outpost was finally revealed.

Beyond the massive cave entrance, the earth and stone of the mountain seemed hollowed out, forming a vast depression.

Deeper within, molten lava flowed slowly, casting reflections on the metallic surfaces of various complex instruments, creating a shimmering glow.

Countless winding walkways crisscrossed the edges of the abyss-like depression, weaving a network akin to an anthill built atop a furnace-a complex and vast underground space.

Numerous Eclipse Society members, clad in special protective gear, hurriedly traversed the damp, dark walkways like worker ants, holding silver candlesticks.

They would occasionally enter chambers carved into the rock walls, from which soon emerged wild fantasies, chilling screams, or angry roars.

This was Eclipse Society’s outpost number 4, the second most secretive location accessible to Shu E, where his Spirit Pattern was completed.

Of course, the numbering of Eclipse Society outposts wasn’t based on size but on importance. For instance, the number 2 outpost-Gray Forest Cottage, where Shu E often listened to the teachings of the Council of Elders-was merely a wooden cabin occupying less than fifty square meters, seemingly ready to collapse with a gust of wind.

Upon entering the outpost through the cave entrance, the briefly opened spell formation disguise re-sealed, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

Shu E dressed again, skillfully picked up a candlestick from the stone table beside the entrance, and lit the candle.

In fact, the walkways had lighting equipment, and even without them, the lava deep within the cave provided sufficient illumination.

The silver candlesticks served to repel hauntings lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.

The Eclipse Society had conducted various ritual research and Alchemy experiments here for years, resulting in numerous deaths and spawning many evil spirit type hauntings that roamed about.

Though these hauntings were often used as experimental materials, raised by the Eclipse Society members here.

However, if a shepherd were to be attacked by his own flock due to negligence, the consequences would be severe.

Moreover, the unique geographical structure of outpost number 4 resembled a special raising a gu jar, and the existence of these hauntings might hold deeper significance.

Holding the candlestick, Shu E proceeded along one of the winding walkways.

Today marked the end of Ms. Rabbit’s first experimental ritual, and he was here to escort her away or personally handle her remains.

Descending the spiral walkway, the light grew dimmer, and the sulfuric smell in the air became more pungent.

It was reminiscent of the legendary abyss where demons resided.

Until the path was blocked by a massive metal door resembling a vault door, the surroundings were devoid of any lighting equipment, leaving only the faint candlelight flickering, illuminating Shu E’s face.

He methodically unlocked the door, then turned the mechanism. With a teeth-grinding metallic screech, the heavy door opened, revealing a vast natural cavern.

In the cavern, the corpse of a gigantic creature lay in the center, emitting a foul smell mixed with sulfur and blood from the cracks in the ground.

The lifeless black blood seeped from its remains, pooling in the cracks and forming foul-smelling streams, breeding numerous foul-smelling maggots, with swarms of flies buzzing around.

Yet amidst this eerie and sinister environment, the sound of poetic chanting emerged, tranquil and serene, yet maddening.

In a corner of the cavern, a hunched, four-armed, wrinkled white-haired elder wore a gas mask covering half his face and a dirty lab coat, focused on brewing something in a stone cauldron, occasionally sketching on the drafts on the table.

“How is she doing?”

The elder didn’t respond to Shu E, continuing to stir the thick soup in the cauldron, from which wafted a peculiar smell, sometimes foul, sometimes fragrant.

“Excuse me, how is she doing?”

Shu E repeated his question. The elder furrowed his brow slightly but didn’t look up, impatiently responding, “Can’t you see for yourself? She’s almost dead, barely hanging on.”

“Is there no hope?” Shu E asked, already mentally prepared to fulfill his promise to handle Ms. Rabbit’s remains.

“Almost none. If I add this last ingredient and it still doesn’t work, you can take her away.” The elder shrugged.

As he spoke, he suddenly pushed the cauldron, and with a dull thud, the boiling potion spilled onto the ground.

The viscous liquid, resembling tar, spread and filled the cracks in the ground, merging with the accumulated black blood to form a dark “lake.”

With the addition of materials like neon amber, bodhi, and brilliant gold, the Alchemical potion poured out, causing the lake to boil. Amidst this eerie environment, a light appeared on the nearly completely decayed corpse, pure and radiant.

Then, Ms. Rabbit’s seemingly lifeless psychic energy fluctuation suddenly boiled along with the lake, countless bubbles bursting, weaving a gray mist in the cavern’s air.

Within the mist, a pair of exquisite eyes slowly opened, followed by a violent tremor and the shattering of the giant corpse, as a white shadow rose from the shallow lake.

The elder watched the scene before him, his three cloudy eyes wide with amazement, clicking his tongue in wonder, “No wonder, no wonder, so that’s the path chosen?”

“Quite daring! I almost thought she was beyond saving.”

Shu E frowned at the elder, “You mean she successfully advanced from Mr. Rabbit to the King-Slaying Rabbit Yuan Fu?”

“Fool! Idiot! Is that what Yuan Fu looks like?” The elder glared at Shu E, speaking with undisguised contempt, “Feel the psychic energy fluctuation carefully; this is clearly She-Jia!”

“She-Jia? What’s that?” Shu E asked, puzzled by the unfamiliar term, as his memory had issues, making it hard to recall obscure hauntings.

“The Buddhist tale of the Rabbit King, sacrificing itself in the fire,” the elder explained. “The scripture says: The Rabbit King thought. The Taoist favored me. Thus, silently. Then lifted its body. Threw into the fire. The fire blazed fiercely. Just fell into the fire…”

The elder continued, “I wasn’t obligated to tell you this; training experimental products is the Council of Elders’ responsibility.”

“I’m telling you because I’m curious. This ritual’s uncertainty was high, and she could have chosen a safer advancement path with a higher success rate, yet she chose this path of risking death to survive…”

“But why? You brought her here, and you’ve spent the most time with her; you should know something, right?”

The elder was eager to understand why Ms. Rabbit chose a more dangerous path during the experimental ritual, as it was crucial experimental data for him.

“She…” Shu E recalled the thief who stole Ms. Rabbit’s The Witch’s Egg and gained strong fire control abilities, realizing, “It might be due to some personal vendetta that led her to make such a choice.”

Ms. Rabbit, petty and vengeful!

“A personal vendetta? That must be quite significant!” The elder frowned, his three exposed eyes almost shrinking into a ball, “So it’s psychological influence?”

“That’s a factor we hadn’t considered in previous experiments. Perhaps next time, we could try inducing the experimental subject psychologically?”

“But psychological induction is beyond me! I’m good at breaking wills, crushing psychological defenses. Should I hire an assistant? But who could resist experimenting on the assistant? Difficult, too difficult!”

Shu E, “…”

He knew the elder had assistants before, but they mysteriously disappeared.

When found, one was in the high-pressure reactor, another in the drainage system of outpost number 4, and one… in everyone’s digestive system.

Since then, no one wanted to be his assistant.

As the elder muttered to himself, the white shadow born from the black blood and thick Alchemical potion gradually condensed into a striking woman.

Her golden hair swayed, revealing a pair of snow-white rabbit ears, her skin as white as snow, like jade, her chest firm and mature, her enticing flat stomach tempting even the most upright gentleman to steal a glance.

Even Shu E, with his mental issues, couldn’t help but look a few more times, then noticed her body limp like mud, falling toward the boiling, filthy liquid below.

Startled, Shu E leaped forward, catching Ms. Rabbit in his arms, one hand around her shoulder, the other cradling her long legs, then lightly tapped the protruding rock below with his toe, landing steadily back in place.

Feeling the hard, cold embrace like bones, the dazed Ms. Rabbit’s eyelashes fluttered, slowly opened her eyes, and glanced up at him, her breath weak, her voice soft, “Did I succeed?”

“Yes,” Shu E nodded.

“Then, do I now have the innate ability to be immune to flames?” Ms. Rabbit asked.

“This…” Shu E hesitated, unsure how to answer, and turned to the elder watching the scene, seeking guidance.

“Firstly, I personally don’t recommend Eclipse Society members have office romances. If it’s just for reproduction, you can go to the Black Sun Brotherhood; they like that stuff.” The elder rolled his eyes, “Secondly…”

The elder looked at Ms. Rabbit, smirking, “While I admire your courage to seek life in death, you haven’t completely succeeded.”

Ms. Rabbit recalled her near-collapse experiences during the experiment, agitated, “Why?! I clearly…”

Having paid a significant price, nearly dying, yet not receiving the expected reward was hard for her to accept.

If it was just about enhancing power, the other two relatively safe advancement paths could achieve that.

“Nonsense!” The elder snapped, “She-Jia is about sacrificing oneself in the fire, fulfilling a grand wish as a mythical type haunting. I ask you, did you sacrifice yourself? Did you throw yourself into the fire? Did you fulfill others?”

Ms. Rabbit, “…” Do I look like the kind of haunting that would do such things? Or, among those in the Eclipse Society outposts, how could such a person exist?

The elder scrutinized Ms. Rabbit, “None of that, right? Then you’re already doing well to survive and steal part of She-Jia’s power.”

“…” Ms. Rabbit bit her lip, asking, “So now, my resistance to fire attribute…”

“It’s naturally high, thanks to part of She-Jia’s power,” the elder confirmed. “As for how high, I can’t be sure. But outside is the volcano; you could jump in and test it. Maybe you’ll achieve the symbolic meaning of ‘sacrificing oneself in the fire’ and further enhance your abilities?”

Ms. Rabbit, “…”

She remained silent, not daring to respond to the elder, knowing he was serious and she dared not try.

Having finally gained such powerful abilities, her main goal was to return to Hua City, hunt the Dusk Maiden, and that thief.

As Ms. Rabbit pondered, the elder suddenly began to shoo them away, “Alright, if there’s nothing else, get lost!”

“Damn, who told you to change the advancement path on your own? Three-phase experimental design, two phases scrapped, all need to be redone! Trying to work me to death?”

“You better pray you survive the next ritual experiment; otherwise, I’ll sell the little things I extract from you to the most perverted buyers, letting your remaining soul fragments continue to be tortured.”

Hearing this, Shu E frowned, whispering in Ms. Rabbit’s ear, “Hang in there, he’s serious.”

Hang in there… Ms. Rabbit twitched her mouth, “…”

You didn’t need to emphasize that; I can tell.

How could such a straightforward guy like you exist in this world?!