Chapter 610: Harry
The little girl’s eyes instantly became moist. It was as though the enormous burden crushing her heart had finally disappeared.
She looked at Lana with sincere gratitude. "Sister... I’ll definitely repay your kindness someday."
Lana couldn’t help laughing. "Oh my God... You’re such a sweet child."
She gently pinched the girl’s cheek.
"But you don’t owe me anything. Right now, you should only focus on recovering."
With that, Lana personally escorted the little girl to her room before returning to Axel’s room.
The moment she entered, Axel looked toward her.
"Now that we’ve half accomplished everything we came here for, it’s time to leave."
Lana hesitated briefly. Then she slowly shook her head.
"What about that twenty-five-hundred-year-old ghost?"
Axel frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I heard its voice today."
The moment Lana finished speaking, Axel’s expression immediately became serious. "You actually heard it?"
Lana nodded. "Yes."
A deep frown appeared on Axel’s face.
"If that’s true, then we have even more reason to leave immediately."
He looked toward the dark window where the abandoned church stood somewhere beyond the village.
"We still don’t know how powerful that ghost truly is."
He slowly narrowed his eyes.
"The only thing we know comes from old rumours. They claim it’s a twenty-five-hundred-year-old ghost."
He remained silent for a moment before speaking in a grave voice.
"But... I have a feeling those rumors are wrong."
He clenched his fists.
"Whatever is hiding inside that church... It may very well be far stronger than anyone realizes."
Lana looked at Axel with a serious expression.
"Uncle... even though you’re at the Spirit Monarch Realm, are you saying you still can’t deal with a ten-thousand-year-old ghost?"
Axel slowly nodded. His usually calm expression had become unusually grim. "I can’t."
His voice was steady, yet it carried a trace of helplessness.
"As for the Forbidden Art... I already used it once earlier this year."
He lowered his gaze slightly before continuing. "I won’t be able to use it again for quite some time."
Lana’s eyes narrowed.
"You suspect that the ghost hiding here is nearly ten thousand years old?"
Axel took a deep breath before nodding once more.
"Before today, I wasn’t certain."
He looked toward the direction of the abandoned church, where the gloomy clouds seemed to grow darker with every passing second.
"But after witnessing everything we’ve encountered, I’ve finally understood one thing. This place is hiding something far more terrifying than we originally imagined."
Lana remained silent for several seconds.
She finally sighed. "If that’s the case, let’s call it a day."
Axel nodded without objection. Soon, both of them packed everything they had brought with them.
After making sure nothing had been left behind, they walked toward the little girl’s room. She was already waiting outside with her tiny bundle of belongings clutched tightly against her chest.
The moment she saw Lana, relief immediately appeared on her frightened face. All three of them checked out of the inn together.
However, the instant they stepped outside, the entire atmosphere changed.
Dark clouds rapidly gathered above the village, blotting out the afternoon sunlight within moments.
The once peaceful streets suddenly became deathly silent.
One after another, every villager slowly stopped whatever they were doing. Without speaking, they all turned toward Lana and Axel simultaneously.
Hundreds of lifeless eyes stared directly at them.
Their expressions were completely blank, making the entire scene unimaginably unsettling.
Axel immediately frowned. Without taking his eyes off the villagers, he quietly spoke, "Looks like we need to run."
Lana nodded.
Without wasting another second, both of them took out the defensive equipment and speed-enhancing artefacts they had prepared beforehand.
They had anticipated the possibility of something like this happening.
Knowing the village was filled with suspicious residents, Lana had prepared several Invisibility Talismans before entering.
She immediately slapped one onto her own body, and her figure instantly disappeared.
Axel did the same. His body vanished moments later.
Lana then scooped the frightened little girl into her arms before placing another Invisibility Talisman on her as well. "Stay quiet."
The little girl nodded nervously. All three of them immediately rushed toward the village entrance.
Unfortunately, before they could reach it... a ghostly figure suddenly materialised directly in front of the exit.
Dark mist surged from the ground as thousands of wandering ghosts gathered behind him like an endless army, completely blocking the only path out of the village.
Lana instantly stopped. Axel halted beside her. Although both of them remained invisible, the ghost slowly turned his head.
His crimson eyes landed precisely where Lana and Axel were standing.
Then, he smiled. "I never expected the two of you to exceed my expectations."
His deep voice echoed throughout the entire street. "You actually possess treasures capable of concealing your presence."
He chuckled softly. "Interesting. One of you must be a Talisman practitioner."
His smile widened. "I’ve always wanted someone capable of creating Ghost Talismans."
He casually folded his arms behind his back.
"So... Why don’t you stop resisting and come with me? If both of you behave properly... I promise I’ll let you die peacefully."
Lana silently glanced toward Axel. Axel had already closed his eyes. His spiritual sense rapidly spread outward as he carefully examined the ghost’s aura.
Several seconds later, he slowly opened his eyes.
"It’s a three-thousand-year-old ghost."
Lana secretly let out a sigh of relief. ’Only three thousand years...’
However, Axel suddenly smiled. "Since that’s the case, why don’t you use this opportunity to practise?"
Lana almost choked. She stared at him in disbelief.
"Uncle! Don’t you think you’re overestimating me a little?"
She pointed at herself.
"I’m only at the first level of the Celestial Core Realm. At most, I can confidently deal with ghosts around fifteen hundred years old. A three-thousand-year-old ghost is on a completely different..."
Before she could finish, Axel suddenly reached over. Snatch! The Invisibility Talisman attached to Lana disappeared from her body.
She instantly became visible. Lana froze. Then her face darkened.
"You..." She gritted her teeth. "...really threw me into this?"
Without another word, she tossed the little girl toward Axel.
Axel calmly caught her. The little girl blinked in confusion before tightly grabbing Axel’s clothes.