Everyone else in the group also seemed surprised, although none of their responses seemed to be as exaggerated as Narcha’s. The figure finished taking shape, revealing itself to be an old man, sporting a short beard and long white hair reaching to his knees. He was wearing a black robe that covered the entirety of his body, and was actually floating a few meters up in the air.

The old man smiled at them. “I wouldn’t call myself a ghost, fellow cultivator. I am simply a soul that hasn’t been allowed to move on to the afterlife.”

The elder’s voice seemed almost magical, and he spoke with such serenity that the group felt more at ease in mere moments. However, it wasn’t enough for them to drop their guards.

‘I can’t feel his fluctuation.’

Red took note of that fact, although he wasn’t too sure what it implied yet.

Eiwin was the first one to regain her composure. “Might I ask what this esteemed elder is doing in this place?”

The old man shook his head with a sad smile. “Must you ask questions that you already know the answer to? I have been imprisoned in this place by the creator of this mausoleum.”

“Don’t talk to him, Eiwin!” Narcha put her hand on her companion’s shoulder, as if regaining her courage. “He’s a ghost! He’ll try to trick you with his words!”

“I understand why you would think so, but I can guarantee you I am not a ghost.” the elder said. “Ghosts are creatures corrupted by undead forces and they have both their appearance and personality distorted during their transformation.”

The woman gritted her teeth. “Bullshit! Even if that’s the case, there are plenty of intelligent ghosts that can change their appearance!”

The old man continued to smile. “You’re from the barbarian tribes, aren’t you? They have always been superstitious when it came to matters of the soul.”

His words seemed to upset Narcha even more. “What do you mean by that?!”

“It’s a simple difference. Once a cultivator reaches a certain level, their soul can remain in the mortal world for long periods of time without a body, unlike a mortal whose soul dissipates mere moments after their death. Of course, a disembodied soul can do little without a body, and it will eventually also dissipate and enter the Netherworld, but it may still be kept alive by some special means...”

Eiwin frowned. “And you’re saying this is what has kept you alive here?”

“Correct,” he nodded. “I’m imprisoned in a formation that was especially designed to keep my soul from dissipating and to torture me. It’s the only reason why I’m still alive.”

“You don’t look like you’re being tortured.” Reinhart said with a skeptical tone.

The old man smiled. “I’m only putting on a brave face in front of my juniors. In truth, every moment spent inside this prison is a living hell…”

Although the elder said that, it was still hard to associate his grim words with his calm and composed appearance.

“Why are you imprisoned here?” Red asked, examining the rest of the chamber.

The smile disappeared from the old man’s face as he looked at his surroundings with a sad expression. “I was killed by the man who built this place. He was a demonic cultivator who killed my countrymen and sect members and imprisoned me in the middle of their graves as a punishment for my failure…” He trailed off, looking over at seemingly each and every grave. “… Every single moment I’m inside this formation, my soul is tortured by invisible flames of this formation and by the monument of my defeat in the form of their graves.”

Reinhart laughed. “Weren’t you smiling a minute ago? Doesn’t seem like someone who is saddened by the death of all their friends.”

The old man looked over at him and smiled again. “I had a long time to mourn them. I am saddened by their deaths, but I know they died fighting for everything they believed in. In the end, we all knew this was the most likely outcome when we decided to fight against that fiend.”

While the old man was occupied talking, Red moved up to some of the nameplates so he could read them.

‘Ealdwulf Thane - 45 - a husband, a father, and a son. Died by being burned alive.’

‘Annel Evet - 37 - a wife, a mother, and a daughter. Died by being burned alive.’

‘Gylew Alard - 7 - a son. Died by being burned alive.’

The boy soon noticed a common theme between all these nameplates, and it didn’t seem to change even after he read it by the dozens.

“Might I ask what sect you are from, elder?” Eiwin asked.

“I’m from the Hidden Flame Sect.” the old man said. “My name is Loran, but they called me Purifying Flame.”

These words piqued Red’s attention as he continued to read the nameplates.

The woman frowned. “I have never heard of these names.”

The elder shook his head. “That doesn’t surprise me. I’m certain that fiend destroyed any traces of me or our sect after my death.”

“Who’s this fiend you are talking about?” Reinhart asked.

“They called him the Dread Viper. He was a demonic cultivator that shook the world and made every sect cower in fear.”

“Dread Viper?” Narcha scoffed, still untrusting of his words. “If this guy was such a big deal, why have we never heard about him?”

It was the old man’s turn to be surprised. “You’ve never heard of the name?”

Eiwin shook her head. “Neither your sect nor this so-called Dread Viper seems to ever come up in any history books I’ve read.”

He sighed. “This can only mean the other sects must have directly interfered to wipe any mention of this fiend from history.”

The younger woman frowned. “When exactly did this happen?”

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you.” the old man shook his head. “I have lost any notion of time since I’ve been imprisoned here. It might have been hundreds of years ago, or maybe even a thousand. It’s hard to tell.”

He seemed to speak such outrageous numbers with a very nonchalant attitude. For Red and the others, though, they could barely wrap their heads around such long lengths of time.

Reinhart coughed to get the other’s attention. “This is all very interesting, but you still have not told us what you want.”

“I don’t know why we’re even listening to him still!” Narcha said. “Ghost or not, it’s still too dangerous to even interact with him!”

The elder laughed. “I assume we are in a trial for an inheritance ground, correct?”

No one responded, but their silence must have been enough confirmation for the man.

“Demonic cultivators have always had a habit of putting these types of challenges for their inheritances.” the old man sighed. “Since that is the case, I’ll go straight to the point - I want your help in freeing my soul from this formation.”

“No way!” Narcha shot him down.

“Please, listen to my offer before-”

“I said no!” the woman interjected again. “This is what ghosts do! They lie and trick you!”

“Please, Miss Valt.” it was Eiwin’s turn to hold her back. “Let’s hear him.”

Narcha’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you insane, Eiwin?!”

“Miss Valt.” Eiwin held her gaze. “Please, trust me.”

Something in the younger woman’s eyes seemed to inspire a change of attitude in Narcha. She gritted her teeth in anger., but still fell silent.

After getting her companion’s approval, Eiwin looked back at the old man. “I happen to also know one way for a disembodied soul to come back to life is to possess another body, isn’t that right, elder?

The old man smiled at her. “You are very smart. That is indeed the case, but it’s hardly a solution. One’s soul is made for one’s body, and the chance to find another body compatible with it is very low. Even if a lost soul can possess anyone, there would be a myriad of problems to deal with that would eventually lead to their death in the future.”

“But it would still be better than the situation you find yourself in, wouldn’t it?”

He nodded. “You’re correct. However, my soul has long since passed its time. As long as the formation is destroyed, the forces keeping me together will cease to be and I will be allowed to pass on to the afterlife.”

“And what do we gain from that?” Reinhart asked.

“I could inform you of the location of my sect’s hidden treasury.” the old man said.

“Hidden treasury?” the knight frowned. “Who knows how long it has been since your sect was destroyed? What makes you think it’s still there?”

“The location of our hidden treasury was only ever known to two people - our Sect Master and the Grand Elder. Both of which happened to be killed at once by that fiend, and one of which is right in front of you.” the elder said. “It was kept in a pocket dimension that only we knew how to access, so even if anyone else was aware of its existence, they simply wouldn’t be able to reach it. The treasury contains the most valuable items our sect accumulated over hundreds of years, and they are worth more than any inheritance this fiend could ever offer you.”

“Those sure are some fancy words.” Reinhart didn’t seem convinced. “Still, you’re just giving us an empty promise. Seems hardly worth much for your soul’s salvation.”

The old man smiled. “I also have my knowledge to offer. I was the Grand Elder of our sect, and one of its most powerful members. The techniques and secrets I know are invaluable to cultivators like you. Even if they are not of any use to you right now, merely selling some of this knowledge could provide you with enough riches to propel your cultivation forward for decades to come. Breaking into the Spirit Core Realm would be just a matter of time, and even the Spiritual Awakening Realm wouldn’t be too far off.”

Red had never heard the second term before, but he assumed this must have been the fourth realm of cultivation. Judging by his companion’s expressions, they also seemed to be hearing it for the first time.

Those words finally seemed to catch Reinhart’s attention. “Go ahead then, tell us some of that knowledge.”

The elder laughed. “Do you think me stupid, child? First, you need to agree to help me.”

“Sure, sure.” the knight nodded. “Whatever you say - we’ll help you!”

Narcha seemed to be about to protest, but Eiwin held her back again.

The old man shook his head. “Only your word won’t do.”

Reinhart frowned. “What else do you want then?”

“I need you to sign a contract.”

At those words, hesitation showed in the knight’s expression. “What kind of contract?”

“A blood contract.” the old man said. “It’s a type of technique cultivators use to make sure there is no treachery of any sort in their business dealings.”

Reinhart didn’t respond, falling into silence with a thoughtful expression.

The elder continued to smile. “You need not worry about any treachery on my part. I’ll make sure the terms are clear enough so as to leave no room for doubt. I trust that won’t be of any issue to you, right?”

The knight still didn’t respond.

The old man frowned at his silence and looked over at the others. “I understand your distrust, but I can assure you that I-”

“Why do all the nameplates of these graves say they died by being burned alive?” Red interjected.

Narcha and Eiwin, who hadn’t been able to read the nameplates due to the darkness, looked at the boy in surprise. They had obviously suspected the old man already, but this new information seemed to imply at something else.

Reinhart, though, just smiled in response, all pretenses of an internal struggle disappearing from his expression.

The elder looked over at Red with a sad smile. “This is the way that fiend found to taunt me even after death - by burning all of our sect members to death.”

Red frowned. “This seems strange, though. I thought cultivators at your level lived up to hundreds of years, but none of the ages in these nameplates seem to be older than a hundred years.”

The smile on the old man’s face started to disappear. “There are hundreds of my compatriots buried here. Few of them would be over that age, of course.”

Reinhart laughed. “So I suppose if we search long enough, we will eventually find some of those dinosaurs’ graves, will we?”

The elder frowned, falling into silence. The air surrounding him changed, and a few seconds later Red and the others felt like they were staring at an entirely different person. He emanated a dangerous pressure that pushed against them, rivaling that of the colossal serpent from earlier.

“You insects should consider your next few words very carefully.” the old man said. “Just because I’m in this formation doesn’t mean you are safe from me.”