“Am I… am I dreaming…”

The Big-Headed Ghost was so frightened that he plopped down on the ground, looking up at Jian Chou with his mouth agape.

The Small-Headed Ghost stood rigidly in place, his hands and face still stained with the black ash from tending the fire earlier. Combined with his expression of “am I seeing a ghost,” there was an indescribable comedy to the scene.

“Crackle, crackle…”

That was the sound of firewood burning and splitting in the stove.

“Gurgle, gurgle…”

That was the sound of bubbles continuously rising from the boiling water tank.

In the entire crudely furnished kitchen, there was no third sound, the silence so complete it made one’s heart grow cold.

The atmosphere seemed even more awkward now.

Jian Chou sat motionless in the boiling water tank, her gaze falling upon these two men whose faces were quite different from ordinary people, and the layer of doubt in her heart grew heavier.

However, this wasn’t the time to explore such matters.

Seeing that the two hadn’t answered her question for a long time, she thought she might have said something wrong, so she lowered her voice even more, with a hint of caution: “Um… are you two alright?”

…

Alright?

Alright?!

Hearing this soft, gentle question, the Small-Headed Ghost felt like the entire back of his skull was about to be lifted off!

How could this possibly be called alright?!

The one they had tied up in the water tank – wasn’t this supposed to be a severely injured, dying person who was basically no different from a corpse? But now not only had she opened her eyes, she was talking to them as if nothing had happened!

How could this possibly be alright?!

The Small-Headed Ghost’s mind was in complete chaos. He felt countless thoughts rushing through his head, leaving behind only…

“Gurgle, gurgle…”

The sound of boiling water.

The Small-Headed Ghost’s gaze slowly, almost stupidly, moved to the water’s surface.

Below the stove, flames roared fiercely.

Deep red tongues of fire extended from the fire chamber, licking at the black water tank’s bottom, transferring that scorching temperature to the entire tank of water.

The water surface was lively indeed.

Bubbles continuously rose from the bottom of the tank, ascending to the surface where they burst with a “pop,” and countless wisps of white steam rose from the churning water.

The Small-Headed Ghost felt his three souls becoming unstable, his seven spirits about to leave his body.

This water…

It was clearly already boiling, but…

His gaze fell upon Jian Chou again.

This living person they had picked up from forty-eight li outside the gates of hell was shrouded in the rising steam, her features somewhat blurred.

But the steam condensed into droplets that slid down her cheeks, washing away streaks of uncleaned blood and revealing skin that was unnaturally snow-white.

She gazed at him unblinkingly, as if puzzled by why he hadn’t answered for so long.

Perhaps there was a hint of deeply hidden unease, but there was no anxiety, no discomfort, no pain whatsoever…

But that was a tank of boiling water!

How could a living person be cooked in boiling water and show no reaction?

The Small-Headed Ghost felt like he was about to suffocate.

Since dying once decades ago, he had never experienced such a feeling.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he tremblingly extended a finger: “You, you, you… why are you…”

Stammering and shaking uncontrollably.

The Small-Headed Ghost couldn’t even speak clearly, but Jian Chou cleverly understood.

She showed a look of comprehension and spoke somewhat embarrassedly: “Well… I’m actually not that easy to cook. But the water you’re boiling is quite suitable – the temperature is just right, quite comfortable.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, the Small-Headed Ghost’s heart was filled with a string of frantic, indecipherable symbols: &%#￥***&&&%￥##!!!

The temperature was just right…

Quite suitable…

Quite comfortable…

Ha!

Did she think she was here for a hot spring bath?!

He was about to faint from anger!

The Small-Headed Ghost’s short, small frame trembled uncontrollably, his chest rising and falling continuously, as if he might explode at any moment.

He was clearly overstimulated.

The always slow-to-react Big-Headed Ghost finally came to his senses and hurried forward, grabbing his arm: “Are you alright?”

“Let go!”

The Small-Headed Ghost was at the height of his anger, even somewhat embarrassed and furious. He immediately shook off the Big-Head’s hand and said angrily: “Nonsense, it’s all nonsense! This firewood was borrowed from the White-Haired Ghost – it’s locust wood that can burn living people to ash, how could it not cook you?! I don’t believe it!”

Eh?

Don’t believe it?

But the facts were right before their eyes.

Jian Chou frowned slightly, puzzled: What’s the use of you not believing it?

Soon, this question was answered.

The Small-Headed Ghost actually approached, taking those short legs of his and jumping hard once, leaping onto the stove and standing on the edge as he reached toward the water tank.

As he reached out, he muttered: “There must be something wrong with this water tank, it’s not hot at all… AHHHHH!”

Before he finished speaking, his hand was already directly in the water tank. But just as one fingertip entered, the Small-Headed Ghost began screaming with all his might and jerked his hand back.

Because the movement was too violent, he couldn’t keep his balance and fell backward with a “thud” onto the ground.

Jian Chou was completely stunned: She had seen naive people before, but never anyone this naive!

“So hot, hot, hot…”

The Small-Headed Ghost lay on the ground, seemingly without any awareness of his fall, only extending his scalded, red fingertip and wailing continuously.

“Don’t, don’t move!”

Seeing his brother in trouble, the Big-Headed Ghost immediately panicked and rushed over. At a glance, he saw the Small-Headed Ghost’s injured finger.

Fortunately, the Small-Headed Ghost had felt the heat as soon as his finger entered and immediately retracted it, so while it looked red from the burn, the injury wasn’t serious.

The Big-Headed Ghost quickly reached out and grasped his finger, pressing down hard: “Wait, wait…”

The Small-Headed Ghost was still wailing, but the Big-Headed Ghost’s fingertip was already glowing with a faint layer of dark black light, vaguely tinged with blue. As he pressed down hard, it flowed into the Small-Headed Ghost’s fingertip and disappeared.

The next moment, the red swelling from the burn almost immediately subsided.

“Eh?”

Seeing this, Jian Chou was greatly surprised.

She was a cultivator, and although she currently couldn’t access her spiritual power or spirit stones, she still had her discernment.

But the technique the Big-Headed Ghost had just used gave off an unfamiliar aura – somewhat cold, yet vaguely similar to spiritual energy.

At least, it should be a similar existence.

These two, Big-Headed Ghost and Small-Headed Ghost, Jian Chou still didn’t know their identities. She could only roughly tell that their cultivation levels weren’t very high and they didn’t have much ability, but everything else was completely unknown.

She didn’t even know where she was now.

For a moment, Jian Chou fell silent.

The Big-Headed Ghost, having healed the Small-Headed Ghost, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Small-Headed Ghost scrambled up from the ground in embarrassment, with a sense of having survived a disaster. He covered his now-healed finger and looked up at Jian Chou as if looking at a monster.

Everything in the Extreme Domain was no different from the human world.

Even though they were ghost spirits, they could still taste all flavors and feel temperature.

So when he had just put his hand in, he immediately knew just how terrifying the temperature inside was.

Yet this woman before him was sitting inside so calmly?

Simply incomprehensible!

The Small-Headed Ghost panted, still somewhat shaken.

His gaze flickered uncertainly, as if thinking about what to do now.

Jian Chou was rather indifferent about it.

A body that had reached the sixth level of “Human Vessel” was already strong to a degree that ordinary people couldn’t imagine. Looking at these two’s current situation, they obviously had no way to harm her.

It was just that she couldn’t access her spiritual consciousness and spiritual power, and she didn’t know what the reason was.

Therefore, Jian Chou was still somewhat wary of these two strange people.

Glancing at the clothes she was still wearing, stained with blood.

Jian Chou’s mouth twitched involuntarily, and she asked somewhat strangely: “When you cook people to eat, do you always cook them alive directly, without even washing them?”

The Small-Headed Ghost said nothing, seeming to still be in shock.

The Big-Headed Ghost, who had been silent on the side, looked at her and seemed somewhat afraid. He answered dumbly: “Everyone says this tastes the best. Don’t they say that you cultivators from Shijiu Zhou have clean bodies inside, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, so your bodies and minds are pure?”

Hmm?

The matter of being eaten alive was irrelevant. Jian Chou raised her eyebrows slightly and keenly noticed the Big-Headed Ghost’s word choice: “You cultivators from Shijiu Zhou?”

Her eyes flashed as she asked casually: “So it’s not like that on your side?”

“Right, in our Extreme Domain only powerful cultivators have physical bodies. You don’t look particularly formidable, but you have a physical body, so you must be a living person from outside…”

The Big-Headed Ghost answered honestly.

Jian Chou listened carefully, but finally couldn’t help herself. Her heart jumped and she showed some surprise: Extreme Domain?!

The Small-Headed Ghost looked up and suddenly realized something. Hearing that the Big-Headed Ghost was about to continue chattering, he unhesitatingly turned back and grabbed him: “Shut up quickly!”

“Living people are… ah?”

Before he finished speaking, he was scolded like this, and the Big-Headed Ghost was somewhat confused.

“Why, why?”

Everything was fine, why was he being told to shut up?

The Big-Headed Ghost even felt a bit wronged.

The Small-Headed Ghost was so angry he jumped up and down: “You fool, you were being interrogated and didn’t even know it!”

“Inter… interrogated?”

The Big-Headed Ghost was still confused, not understanding what the Small-Headed Ghost was talking about at all.

The Small-Headed Ghost was completely speechless and couldn’t explain to this fool.

Well, as long as he didn’t speak, everything would be fine.

Thinking this way, the Small-Headed Ghost turned back to look at Jian Chou with a heart full of wariness.

Jian Chou was also looking at the Small-Headed Ghost with an extremely interested gaze.

Her question just now actually had no obvious clues, and even sounded quite ordinary. Even if the Big-Headed Ghost had revealed something, it couldn’t change the fact that she was currently a “prisoner.”

Logically, the Small-Headed Ghost didn’t need to be so cautious.

But he still stopped the Small-Headed Ghost who was continuously leaking information, which meant this was a very cautious fellow.

Cautious, shrewd, completely different from putting his hand in boiling water earlier.

In her gaze, there was suddenly a hint of amusement.

Having her “interrogation” exposed, Jian Chou didn’t feel embarrassed at all.

But the Small-Headed Ghost, under such scrutiny from Jian Chou, suddenly felt a strange pressure.

From the earlier interrogation, this female cultivator clearly knew nothing about the Extreme Domain.

The Small-Headed Ghost even suspected she didn’t know how she got here.

Now that they had been bold enough to bring her home and were preparing to cook and eat her, there was already a grudge.

To minimize future troubles, the Small-Headed Ghost absolutely didn’t want Jian Chou to know any more information.

Having made up his mind, those red eyes staring at Jian Chou gradually showed some determination.

The Small-Headed Ghost unclenched his tightly bitten teeth and was about to speak.

“Pat, pat, pat.”

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came.

All three people in the room – whether it was the Small-Headed Ghost who was about to speak, Jian Chou who was staring at the Small-Headed Ghost while thinking of escape plans, or the Big-Headed Ghost who was still pondering what “interrogation” meant – were all startled!

Someone was coming!

The Small-Headed Ghost and Big-Headed Ghost almost simultaneously turned to look at Jian Chou the moment they heard that sound.

The Small-Headed Ghost quickly said to the Big-Headed Ghost: “You wait here. The Primordial Chaos Array is set up here, so logically no one should be able to discover us or hear our voices. I’ll go out and take a look.”

“Okay.”

The Big-Headed Ghost nodded quickly and stood by the stove.

Looking up at Jian Chou, his body was still trembling somewhat, as if he was afraid.

At this time, the Small-Headed Ghost had cautiously walked to the door, using his long fingernails to carefully pry open a gap between the wooden boards and look outside.

With just one look, he opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“What’s he doing here?”

“Who is it?”

The Big-Headed Ghost was obviously curious and couldn’t help asking.

But the Small-Headed Ghost clearly had no mind to deal with him now. Without answering, he directly lifted the horizontal door bolt and opened a narrow gap just wide enough for one person to pass through before walking out.

Throughout this entire process, Jian Chou was watching his every move.

Her gaze followed that opened door crack and immediately saw outside the enclosed small house: the dilapidated courtyard overgrown with weeds, and…

In the distance, that dim yellow sky completely different from Shijiu Zhou, and even farther away, those menacingly shaped black mountain ranges.

The entire world was a grayish-dark color, with a somewhat cold atmosphere.

The lines were rough, magnificent and heavy.

Just at the moment of seeing it, Jian Chou’s entire heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer – it was an indescribable shock!

This…

Was this the Extreme Domain?

“Creak.”

The dilapidated wooden door closed again.

Jian Chou’s view was once again locked back into this cramped little room.

She sat in the large water tank, frowning slightly, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, as if only this way could she calm the emotions that had suddenly surged up.

Withdrawing her gaze, Jian Chou was about to think about her current situation.

Unexpectedly, just as her gaze left the wooden door, a sword appeared in her peripheral vision.

It was a sword leaning diagonally against the wooden door.

The scabbard was black, plain and unremarkable, with no excessive patterns or decorations. Only on the sword handle, those ancient and crude cast patterns revealed a heart-stopping aura.

Like the tip of an iceberg…

The Human Emperor Sword!

At this moment, two small bags, one deep black and one deep blue, were casually hanging from the sword handle.

Jian Chou’s eyes widened completely: one was her Qiankun Bag, and the other was her Spirit Beast Bag…

The Human Emperor Sword was Xie Buchen’s magical artifact – how could it appear here?

In the final battle at the hidden realm Buddhist summit of Qingfeng Nunnery, everything had ended in complete chaos. Xie Buchen was defeated, and the Human Emperor Sword became masterless, very likely swept away by spatial turbulence and fallen into this realm together with herself.

From the two bags hanging on the sword handle, it was clear that this sword should have been “confiscated” from her by the Big-Headed Ghost and Small-Headed Ghost together.

Almost instinctively, Jian Chou couldn’t help but look inward to her ancestral aperture, wanting to summon the Ghost Axe.

But the ancestral aperture was completely empty – she didn’t know if the Ghost Axe was gone or was sleeping within and not responding.

Her heart suddenly sank.

“Pat, pat, pat…”

There were still footsteps outside the door.

Following this came a very enthusiastic but very false and deliberate greeting: “Oh my, who do I think it is? Old Zhang, how did you get here?”

“Judge Chu has ordered that these two volumes of ‘Heavenly Mandate Records’ be delivered to you two for processing.”

Then came a very cold, rigid voice that had no intention of responding to the Small-Headed Ghost’s enthusiasm.

Inside the room, Jian Chou suddenly awakened from her contemplation, becoming surprised and suspicious.

This voice sounded…

Why did it sound somewhat familiar?