txolops Chapter 263 The Ghost King's Trail
Chapter 263 The Ghost King's Trail
He glanced at Luo Ming, who was intently manipulating the demon banner with a cold expression, and raised the threat level of this person in his mind by one level.
This person cultivates both physical and magical powers, possesses a solid foundation, and has such a powerful demon banner and a spirit bird that specifically counters evil spirits, making him indeed difficult to deal with. However... the more powerful he is, the more "correct" the plan seems to be in leading him to the Ghost King, using him as a tool to kill or causing mutual destruction.
With the two joining forces, their combat power increased exponentially. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, more than a dozen ferocious yakshas were wiped out. Their remaining bodies turned to ashes in the embers of the Fat Sun Bird's true fire, leaving only a few broken bone forks and a few wisps of exceptionally pure yin energy, which were mercilessly swept away and devoured by the Thousand Demon Banner.
The demonic souls inside the banner had a hearty meal, and their auras became even more solid and ferocious, especially the dozen or so main souls, whose blood-red light almost pierced through the banner.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the barely concealed scrutiny and wariness in each other's eyes. Although they hadn't used their full strength in their previous collaboration, the methods they had displayed were enough to instill a sense of dread in the other.
"Fellow Daoist Luo's methods are truly remarkable; I admire them." Xuan Gu broke the silence first, his face once again displaying that warm smile, as if the many schemes that had just flashed through his mind had never existed.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao's expertise in ghosts has truly broadened my horizons," Luo Ming replied calmly, neither confirming nor denying. "Now that the obstacle has been removed, I wonder where the Ghost King is…?"
"Fellow Daoist, follow me." Xuan Gu said no more, his figure rising into the air, taking the lead and flying deeper into the canyon. Luo Ming put away the Zhi Yang Bird, ordering it to return to the Five Spirit Bracelet to rest and maintain its state, while controlling the Thousand Demon Banner, which had shrunk in size but whose demonic energy was becoming more restrained, to follow closely behind.
The two, one in front and one behind, concealed their presence using their respective methods, and stealthily traversed the increasingly dark and inky canyon for about two hours. The rock walls on both sides gradually rose, and the strange rock shapes became increasingly ferocious, resembling countless crawling ghosts.
Later, even the grayish-white mist seemed to be stained a dark, inky color by the extreme yin energy, becoming eerily silent, with only the faint sound of the wind stirred up by the Thousand Demon Banner as it turned, and the soft rustling of the two people's clothes.
Finally, the view ahead opened up, but then a sudden feeling of unease settled over them.
At the end of the canyon, a terrifying abyss, hundreds of feet wide and seemingly bottomless, appeared! Above the abyss, the inky black yin energy was no longer in the form of mist, but rather like a viscous liquid or heavy leaden clouds, slowly rolling and flowing, emitting a chilling aura that could freeze one's soul.
Standing on the edge of the abyss, looking down, there was only a darkness that swallowed everything. Divine sense could only penetrate a few dozen feet before it was like a mud ox entering the sea, eroded and assimilated by the pure and intense yin energy, and could no longer sense anything.
"This is the place." Xuan Gu stopped his escape a hundred feet from the abyss, pointing solemnly at the dark, churning wasteland ahead. "During my previous exploration, I accidentally disturbed a powerful Yin spirit dwelling here. After fighting it, I discovered that this creature had developed intelligence, possessed strange supernatural abilities, and could continuously absorb the almost inexhaustible Yin energy of this place. Its strength far surpasses that of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator! I knew I was no match for it and had to use a secret technique to escape. I never expected to meet Fellow Daoist Luo later. It must be fate that I need your help to eliminate this calamity and also to help you with your magical treasure."
Luo Ming hovered beside Xuan Gu, his brows furrowed, his gaze sharp as lightning, scanning the desolate and terrifying abyss ahead. The concentration of Yin energy here was more than ten times stronger than the surrounding area! The Yin energy was almost condensed into a liquid state, even faintly outlining distorted runes in the void. Only such an extremely Yin and desolate place could possibly give birth to a being like the Ghost King. Although he had sensed several places with dense Yin energy before, compared to this place, it was like comparing a small hill to Mount Tai; no wonder he had searched everywhere without success.
"The Yin energy here... is indeed astonishing," Luo Ming said in a deep voice, his mind racing. The Void Heaven Palace has a limited opening time. Although there is no clear time limit for each level, if he lingers here for too long, it will definitely affect his subsequent exploration. Originally, he had not held much hope of capturing the Ghost King, but unexpectedly, he received definite information from this old demon.
Xuan Gu carefully observed the flow of Yin energy in the abyss for a moment, then turned to Luo Ming and said, "Fellow Daoist Luo, I, Xiao, will take action later to lure out that Ghost King."
He then pointed to the Thousand Demon Banner above Luo Ming's head, "The moment the Ghost King appears and bursts out of the abyss, we will need to rely on the power of this Demon Banner! You must use the demonic domain within the banner to suppress it with all your might. Don't aim to injure it immediately; the primary goal is to sever its connection with the endless Yin energy of this place! Once its 'root' is severed, preventing it from continuously regenerating, you can then slowly wear down its power with your supernatural abilities. When its Yin energy is exhausted and its soul is weak, that will be the perfect opportunity for you to use your methods to absorb it into the banner and refine it into your main soul!"
He paused, his face showing encouragement and anticipation, as if he genuinely cared for Luo Ming: "Once we succeed, with this Ghost King as your master soul, the power of the Demon Banner will surely increase dramatically. When facing that extremely Yin old ghost, you'll have an extra trump card that can turn the tide of battle! At that time, if we join forces, what great thing can't we accomplish?"
The plan sounded clear and logical, taking into account both Luo Ming's Thousand Demon Banner's characteristics and the Ghost King's weaknesses. However, both of them were well aware of the dangers and uncertainties involved. Although the Demon Banner had a great suppressive power against ghosts, it wouldn't be an easy task.
Luo Ming glanced deeply at the churning, inky abyss, then at Xuan Gu beside him, who wore a "sincere" expression, and slowly nodded: "Alright! We'll follow Fellow Daoist Xiao's plan."
Xuan Gu said nothing more, nodded slightly to Luo Ming, and his figure transformed into a faint shadow, silently drifting towards the dark, churning abyss, hovering about several tens of feet above the abyss's mouth.
He stood atop the chillingly thick, yin energy, his expression solemn. He reached out and patted an inconspicuous gray storage bag at his waist. With a flash of dark light, something appeared in his palm.
It was a sphere about the size of a fist, with an ominous, pale white color, as if it had been polished from some kind of bone. The surface of the sphere was not smooth, but rather covered with natural wrinkles and pores. The most striking feature was the nine holes of different sizes, like nine eerie eyes. Deep within the two largest holes, two clusters of eerie green, phosphorescent flames burned silently!
Just as Xuan Gu took out the item, a surprised voice came from the depths of his sea of consciousness: "Brother Xiao! You actually have such a rare item as the 'Nine Apertures Yin Embryo'? This item is an unparalleled treasure for ghost cultivators, capable of temporarily stimulating potential and even purifying the soul! You're using it to lure that Ghost King, wouldn't that just cause its strength to increase dramatically, adding unpredictable variables? How should we deal with this?"
Xuan Gu sneered inwardly, but his face remained impassive. He responded swiftly and calmly in his mind, "Brother, don't be hasty. Would I aid the enemy? You only know one side of the story. This substance can indeed unleash a ghost's potential in a short time, greatly increasing its strength, even bringing it close to the edge of its next major realm… but precisely because of this, it places a tremendous burden on its soul! After one hour, at most one and a half hours, the medicinal effects will backfire, and this ghost will inevitably fall into an unprecedented period of weakness, its soul unstable, its yin energy dissipating. That will be the golden opportunity for us to capture it!"
He paused, a cold, calculating glint in his voice: "As for the time it takes for its potential to be unleashed and its strength to approach that of a Nascent Soul cultivator... heh, it's a perfect opportunity for that Fellow Daoist Luo and his precious demon banner to test their mettle. If he can withstand it, or even severely injure the Ghost King, that would be ideal; if he can't... hmph, by then the Ghost King will be exhausted, and we can clean up the mess much easier, wouldn't that be?"
Upon hearing this, the primordial spirit remained silent for a moment, then conveyed a sense of realization and admiration: "So that's how it is! By using the Ghost King to test and even weaken that Luo fellow, regardless of the outcome, we can reap the benefits! Brother Xiao, your foresight is truly admirable!"
"It's just a trivial skill. Watch me perform." Xuan Gu responded calmly in his sea of consciousness, then focused his mind on what was in front of him.
He held the pale "Nine-Aperture Yin Embryo" in his hands, chanting incantations. Obscure and ancient spells, like tangible black runes, flowed from his lips and slowly wrapped around the bone sphere in his hand. Activated by the spell, the nine orifices on the bone sphere, especially the two largest ones burning with green flames, suddenly lit up!
"Ugh—!"
A deep, long, mournful sound, as if from the ancient underworld, emanated from the bone sphere. It did not travel through the air, but resounded directly into the depths of the souls of all living beings within a radius of several miles!
With a flick of his wrist, Xuan Gu sent the "Nine Apertures Yin Embryo" flying out and hovering above the abyss. It began to rotate slowly on its own, emitting a mournful sound like a pebble thrown into a still lake, with invisible ripples spreading outwards into the unfathomable depths of the dark abyss.
Having done all this, Xuan Gu retreated slightly, while a rapid voice transmission sounded in Luo Ming's ear: "Fellow Daoist Luo, be extremely careful! That Ghost King is quite intelligent. If it senses a trap or uncontrollable danger, it might retreat to the bottom of the abyss and even use the terrain to launch a surprise attack! In this Yin-qi environment, our supernatural powers are limited, while it thrives. Capturing it again will be as difficult as ascending to heaven! We only have one chance!"
Luo Ming gazed at the "Nine Apertures Yin Embryo," which hovered and spun, emanating eerie fluctuations, from afar. He then glanced at Xuan Gu, whose expression was "solemn and focused," and replied telepathically, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, please prepare with confidence. As long as this fiend dares to show its face and leave this tortoise-shell-like abyss... I, Luo, will ensure it never returns!"
"roar--!!!"
A terrifying roar, a sound no living being could utter, a mixture of countless resentments, anger, and greed, suddenly erupted from the deepest part of the inky abyss! The next instant, an enormous shadow burst forth from the rift!
It was a hideous ghost ten feet tall! Its body was not a solid entity, but rather a product of the purest Netherworld Yin energy and countless twisted and tormented resentful souls compressed and condensed, presenting a bizarre state of being half-illusory and half-real.