A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 258 The Land of Ghostly Grievances

The novel "A Mortal's Beginning: The Spirit Beast Mountain" is full of classic quotes, so come and find resonance.

Seeing that most of the cultivators had already entered the hall, Luo Ming no longer hesitated. He took one last look around the hall, which was teeming with hidden turmoil, took a deep breath, and stepped into the milky-white teleportation array that emitted stable spatial fluctuations.

A sudden burst of light engulfed his figure. The next moment, light and shadow shifted, space changed, and Luo Ming felt a lightness all over his body. He had already left the oppressive entrance hall and stepped into the unpredictable path ahead of the Void Heaven Palace.

Before the dizzying sensation of the shifting lights and shadows had completely dissipated, my feet were already on the solid but cold ground.

Thankfully, I wasn't teleported with those old guys.

Luo Ming steadied himself and looked around.

All around was an endless expanse of gray, the sky was a depressing leaden gray, there was no sun, moon or stars, only a hazy, dim, seemingly unchanging gray fog shrouding the earth.

Beneath their feet lay cracked, grayish-black earth, barren of any vegetation. In the distance, a few twisted, grotesque, withered trees could be vaguely seen, their shadows like menacing ghosts. A bone-chilling cold permeated the air, not merely a low temperature, but a chilling aura that could seep into magical shields and penetrate directly to the very soul.

"Is this the first trial of the outer hall, the Land of Ghostly Grievances?" Luo Ming thought to himself, not surprised. He had long heard of the rumors about the three trials of the outer hall of the Void Heaven Palace: the Land of Ghostly Grievances, the Path of Ice and Fire, and the Extremely Wonderful Illusionary Realm. These were the three major tests for selecting cultivators, each more dangerous and bizarre than the last.

In the distance, the thick, grayish-white fog rolled slowly like a living thing, stretching as far as the eye could see. From the depths of the fog, faint, indistinct sounds of sobbing, weeping, and shrieking could be heard, overlapping and piercing the eardrums, disturbing the mind and causing one to feel irritable, depressed, and even a little sad and afraid.

The wailing sound was clearly formed from the resentment and evil spirits that permeated this place, capable of corrupting the minds of cultivators.

However, Luo Ming's face showed no sign of difficulty; on the contrary, a hint of excitement was revealed. He had many methods specifically designed to suppress ghosts and spirits.

Take his body-refining technique, "The Blood of Ten Thousand Spirits," for example. It is a top-level body-refining technique based on qi and blood, and integrates the characteristics of the essence blood of many demonic beasts. It is extremely yang and strong, and its qi and blood are like a furnace, naturally having a strong restraining effect on yin spirits and ghosts.

Not to mention his magic weapon, the Thousand Demon Banner, and his spirit beast, the Fat Sun Bird. If the Wind Fox Beast could successfully awaken its Netherworld Bloodline, it would be perfectly at home here.

As he was observing his surroundings and pondering which way to go, the gray fog rippled to his side, and a black figure silently approached.

The newcomer was completely shrouded in a large black robe, with even his head and face deeply concealed by the hood, making his features impossible to discern. Dark red, eerie spiritual patterns flowed faintly across the robe, emanating a subtle, unsettling demonic aura, clearly possessing the ability to obscure divine sense and isolate the area from the corrosive influence of the surrounding yin energy.

Luo Ming's heart skipped a beat. Could this person be a demonic cultivator? Judging from his concealed aura and cautious movements, he must be a lone wolf.

The man in black robes immediately noticed Luo Ming, his figure visibly froze, and two sharp eyes seemed to be cast from under his hood, filled with scrutiny and vigilance.

Clearly, Luo Ming is quite well-known right now, especially after the bearded man publicly "recognized" him as a disciple. Anyone in the Void Heaven Palace who sees him will probably have to think twice before doing so.

The man in black robes quickly scanned his surroundings and, after confirming that there were no other threats, did not rush to leave. Instead, he lightly flicked his sleeve.

"squeak--"

A slightly sharp screech rang out, and a green shadow darted out from his sleeve and landed on the ground.

It was a small monkey, only a foot tall, with a body as green as jade. Its eyes were blood red, its nose was flat and its nostrils were turned up. Its appearance was ugly and ferocious, but its green fur was shiny and smooth, and it faintly shone with a spiritual light.

As soon as the little monkey appeared, it bared its teeth at the surrounding gray mist, appearing restless, but in its crimson eyes, it revealed a kind of longing for something that existed deep within the gray mist?

"The Soul-Crying Beast?" Luo Ming's pupils constricted, almost blurting out the words. How could he not know the name of this beast? It was a rare species born with the ability to absorb souls and devour ghosts, possessing an incredible and miraculous effect in suppressing yin spirits and ghosts, making it an excellent ally in dangerous places like the Ghostly Land.

Since this beast is in this person's hands, then the identity of this man in black robes...

A name flashed through Luo Ming's mind like lightning, and his gaze involuntarily focused on the man in black robes once again.

He stared intently at the man. Although the man's black robe was loose, deliberately altering his physique, and he might even have stuffed something inside to conceal his figure, certain subtle details were still difficult to completely hide—such as the rhythm of his gait, the astonishing curves outlined when the robe occasionally clung to his body, and especially the remarkably high breasts that, even under the loose robe, were difficult to completely conceal, rising and falling slightly with his breath…

"So it was her..." Luo Ming understood immediately; it was pretty much confirmed. He never expected to encounter this female cultivator, who was quite significant in the original story, here and in this way.

The black-robed female cultivator clearly heard Luo Ming utter the words "crying soul," and her face under the hood seemed to lift slightly, casting a surprised glance at Luo Ming.

Clearly, Luo Ming's ability to recognize this rare spirit beast at a glance surprised her. However, in the next instant, she keenly noticed that Luo Ming's gaze seemed to linger on her chest for a moment.

"Hmph! It seems this man is just as lecherous as the young master of Qingyang Sect, he actually knows so much about women!" Under the black robe, Yuan Yao felt both ashamed and angry, her cheeks burning slightly.

She thought her disguise was quite thorough; even a Nascent Soul cultivator would have difficulty seeing through it without special investigation. Could this person have such sharp eyes, or... did he harbor ill intentions from the start? The label of "pervert" on Luo Ming was instantly and firmly attached to her mind.

Luo Ming had no idea that his subconscious glance to confirm something would lead to such a label being attached to him. He noticed the other person seemed to glare at him; although he couldn't see clearly through the hood, he could sense the sudden chill in the gaze.

He then ignored him, bent down and hugged the emerald green monkey—the Soul-Crying Beast—into his arms, patted it gently, whispered a few words of comfort, and then turned and walked quickly into the depths of the gray fog. His figure was soon swallowed up by the rolling gray fog.

"She walked fast." Luo Ming stroked his chin, unconcerned about Yuan Yao's "glare," and instead looked in the direction she disappeared, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

"The essence blood of the Crying Soul Beast... If I could obtain it and integrate it into the Wind Fox's body, I wonder if it could unleash its potential or even produce some kind of benign mutation?" Luo Ming had come all the way through the path of beast taming, and he no longer looked down on ordinary spirit beasts, but the Crying Soul Beast's innate supernatural abilities were truly tempting to him.

However, this matter cannot be rushed; the priority right now is to get through this haunted place.

Without further hesitation, Luo Ming's blood and qi surged slightly, and a layer of pale red blood energy flowed faintly beneath his skin, slightly isolating him from the chilling aura and disturbing ghostly wails that were encroaching from all around. He took a step forward, also heading into the boundless, ghostly, and wails-filled depths of the gray mist.

As Luo Ming stepped into the gray fog, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

The thick, hazy fog was so dense it seemed to envelop everything, like a viscous liquid. Visibility shrank dramatically to less than ten feet, beyond which lay only a churning expanse of gray-white, and from it came a constant, teeth-grinding wail and shriek.

At first, the drifting, almost transparent low-level Yin spirits on the periphery were forced back by a naturally generated scorching Yang Qi as soon as they approached within three feet of Luo Ming. That layer of pale red blood aura was like an invisible flame; the moment the Yin spirits touched it, it would hiss softly like spring snow meeting the sun, emitting wisps of blue smoke before instantly dissipating.

This is just the passive effect brought about by the automatic operation of the "Myriad Spirits Blood Technique".

However, as he ventured deeper, the ghostly spirits within the mist grew noticeably more powerful. They were no longer weak phantoms, but gradually solidified, taking on twisted, tormented human or beastly forms, their eye sockets flickering with eerie green flames, emitting even more shrill and venomous howls, relentlessly assaulting Luo Ming's protective aura. Although they still couldn't break through, the force and chilling power of the impact caused the aura to tremble slightly.

In the distance, deep within the thick fog, even more terrifying roars and howls echoed intermittently, faintly mixed with violent energy fluctuations, clearly indicating the presence of even more powerful ghosts. At the same time, a series of slightly sharp yet intimidating monkey howls also came intermittently, seemingly chasing and devouring something.

"They ran fast." Luo Ming glanced in the direction from which the monkey's roar came, thinking to himself that he was pretty sure the black-robed female cultivator was Yuan Yao. It seemed she was afraid of getting entangled with him, and couldn't wait to go deeper in as soon as she came in. He shook his head and focused his attention back on what was in front of him.

Looking at the ever-growing number of malevolent spirits and ghosts surrounding him, who were baring their fangs and claws but were powerless against him, Luo Ming smiled slightly.

To others, this place is a dangerous place to be avoided at all costs, but to him, it may not be a bad place.

He reached down and patted the storage pouch at his waist. A flash of black light appeared, and a small banner appeared in his hand. The banner was only about a foot long, completely black as ink, as if it could absorb all light. The banner surface was neither cloth nor silk, but had countless fine, twisted dark patterns flowing within it, faintly emitting a low, mournful sound. It was the Thousand Demon Banner!

As soon as the Thousand Demon Banner appeared, it seemed to sense the dense resentment of the surrounding spirits. Without Luo Ming's prompting, it spontaneously emitted a faint dark light, and the banner moved without wind, swaying gently.

Even more strangely, the thick, impenetrable gray mist around them seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, and began to gather wisps of it visibly toward the black banner, where it was slowly absorbed!

"Just as I thought!" A glint of light flashed in Luo Ming's eyes, revealing a look of joy. The Thousand Demon Banner was originally a demonic treasure refined with Yin spirits and demon souls as its foundation, and it most liked to devour Yin and evil soul power to strengthen itself.

"Hehe, kid, you're in luck." The laughter of Tianjing Sanren echoed in his mind, carrying a hint of mockery and anticipation. "This godforsaken place has nothing but countless wandering ghosts! It's rumored that the depths have even given birth to a 'Ghost King' whose supernatural powers are no less than those of a Nascent Soul cultivator!"