txolops Chapter 376 Ghost King's Advancement
Chapter 376 Ghost King's Advancement
Two streaks of black light, like startled crows, rushed from the cave on the distant mountain peak at top speed, one after the other, and instantly hovered above the entrance of the valley where the yin energy was the densest and was now violently churning as if a pot had boiled over.
As the light faded, the figures of the two elders, Tong Gui and his companion, were revealed. Their expressions were filled with surprise and uncertainty, their bodies shrouded in ghostly energy, and their eyes were fixed on the vortex of yin energy below, which was bound by an array and churned like ink, constantly emitting low, hissing noises.
"What's going on? Why is this place of gathering yin energy suddenly erupting!" The tall, thin old ghost's voice was sharp and filled with shock and anger.
His powerful late-stage Core Formation divine sense swept across the valley below like a whirlwind, attempting to penetrate the dense Yin energy and see the internal situation.
However, as soon as his divine sense touched the churning Yin energy, he felt a violent aura, mixed with a hint of ferocity that made his heart tremble, and it was slightly repelled, unable to penetrate to the core.
His face grew even uglier. He abruptly turned his head, his gaze sharp as knives, shooting towards the entrance of the valley below, where a Foundation Establishment stage deacon was trembling with fear, his face deathly pale. He shouted sternly:
"Deacon Fang! This place is under your daily patrol and protection! Why has it become like this? Where is the surveillance array?"
The square-faced cultivator, dressed in the black robes of the Ghost Spirit Sect and with a square face that was now deathly pale, was startled by Old Ghost Tong's stern shout. He scrambled closer and stammered, "..."
"Elder Tong... Elder Tong, please calm down! I... I don't know either! Just half an hour ago, I checked the outer perimeter of the barrier as usual, and everything was normal, the Yin energy was stable. But... but just an incense stick's time ago, the Yin energy here suddenly began to surge without warning. Then, several sub-arrays monitoring the flow of Yin energy and the condition of the core pool sounded alarms one after another, and then... then they instantly lost contact, and the array plate... the array plate shattered!"
As he spoke, he hurriedly pulled a circular bronze array plate, covered in spiderweb-like cracks and completely dimmed of its spiritual light, from his storage bag, and presented it with trembling hands. This was one of the core array plates controlling the monitoring array, and now it was completely destroyed.
Iron Demon's triangular eyes flashed with a fierce light. He didn't look at the array plate, but instead stared intently at the churning Yin energy deep within the valley, where some enormous creature seemed to be stirring it. His nostrils twitched, as if he were sniffing something. After a moment, a look of surprise and uncertainty, mixed with a greedy suspicion, appeared on his face. He whispered to Old Ghost Tong:
"Old Tong, look at this commotion... The scale of this gathering Yin energy, and the aura emanating from it, doesn't it seem like... some powerful ghost is using the pure Yin energy here to break through the bottleneck of the Core Formation stage?"
The Ghost Spirit Sect excels at exorcising ghosts and refining souls; its disciples are extremely sensitive to the aura of ghosts and signs of breakthroughs. Upon hearing Iron Demon's words, Old Ghost Tong's heart stirred, and he quickly began to carefully sense again.
This Yin-gathering place covers a vast area, extending deep underground. Inside, it has been divided into more than a dozen "Yin-gathering pools" of varying sizes, like a honeycomb, for the efficient production of the "Mysterious Yin Qi" needed by the sect.
In order not to waste this natural yin land, and also to seek some personal gain, these resident elders would often secretly release some captured enemy primordial spirits that had not yet been fully refined, or some wild fierce souls and evil spirits, into the land for "free-range" breeding, allowing them to devour yin energy and fight each other to grow stronger.
Once a powerful ghost emerges from among them, one can secretly capture and refine it, making it one's own to enhance one's strength or exchange it for resources.
For ghost cultivators like them, the value of a ghost that has successfully broken through to the Core Formation stage far exceeds that of a demon core from a demon beast of the same level! Not only can it greatly enhance the power of supernatural abilities, but it can also assist in cultivation, and there is even a chance to refine it into a "ghost general" with considerable potential!
A barely suppressed gleam of joy flashed in Tong Laogui's eyes! If one of the ghosts they had "raised" was about to break through to the Core Formation stage by sheer chance, nourished by the rich Yin energy of this place, it would be like a windfall for them!
Once successfully captured and refined, the benefits gained would be equivalent to several years' worth of their sect salary!
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing undisguised greed and excitement in each other's eyes. If it truly was a Core Formation Ghost, according to convention, whoever discovered it first, or whoever contributed more, would have priority in dealing with it. Given their relationship and the special circumstances of this place, they would most likely join forces to capture it and then split the spoils equally.
"Ahem!" Old Ghost Tong suppressed his excitement, cleared his throat, and regained some of his elder's dignity. His gaze swept over the dozens of low-ranking disciples of the Ghost Spirit Sect who were gradually gathering at the edge of the valley entrance, also alerted by the commotion. He then gave a deep order:
"Deacon Fang, immediately take your men and activate the 'Mysterious Yin Myriad Ghosts Formation' around the branch altar, sealing off the entire area and strictly prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving! Elder Tie and I are going deep into the Yin Gathering Land to investigate the source of the anomaly. Before we emerge, no one is allowed to approach this place; anyone who disobeys will be treated as a traitor!"
"I will obey the elder's decree!"
The square-faced cultivator felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and quickly bowed to accept the order, secretly relieved.
Judging from the expressions of the two elders, it didn't seem like a bad thing. He might even get some credit for "reporting in time".
He quickly turned around and called out to the other disciples, who were busy activating the various array eyes and turning on the huge defensive array that covered the entire outer perimeter of the old site of Spirit Beast Mountain. "The Mortal's Beginning at Spirit Beast Mountain" is causing a reading frenzy on Cola Novels. Haven't you read it yet?
Seeing this, Tong Laogui no longer hesitated. He reached to his waist and slapped a token that was jet black, with a ferocious ghost head engraved on the front and complex runes on the back.
He activated his magic power, and the token shot out a condensed yellow light, which struck the thick gray-black light curtain at the entrance of the valley, formed by the combination of yin energy and array.
"Sizzle..."
The light barrier seemed to be corroded, cracking open a gap just wide enough for two people to pass side by side. Dense yin energy, as if finding an outlet, surged out of the gap, bringing with it a bone-chilling cold.
Tong Laogui and Tie Laomo dared not be negligent. Each of them erected a solid black ghost energy shield to protect their bodies. Then, their figures blurred, transforming into two black shadows, one in front of the other, instantly disappearing into the churning Yin energy gap. The gap then slowly closed.
Outside the valley entrance, the square-faced cultivator watched the light screen close again, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, secretly relieved, while at the same time unable to help but fantasize:
"Hehe, if the two elders really manage to catch a Core Formation stage ghost inside and achieve a great feat, they might be in such a good mood that a little soup leaking from between their fingers would be enough for me to enjoy for a long time..."
Without further thought, he turned around and worked even harder to direct his disciples to control the great formation, completely sealing off the area.
……
Inside the Yin-gathering land lies another world entirely.
The dark gray aura was so dense that it was almost impossible to dissipate, like a viscous liquid, filling every inch of space.
Light is completely swallowed up here, and one can only see by relying on divine sense or special spiritual eyes. The ground beneath one's feet is not ordinary soil, but a soft and cold "yin soil" formed by the condensation of yin energy, evil energy, and unknown substances.
All around, one could vaguely see thick, dark passages leading to unknown destinations, as well as the "Gathering Yin Pool" in the distance, which was as calm as a black mirror.
Enveloped in a black protective shield, Tong Laogui and Tie Laomo, like two strange fish swimming in an ink-black sea, cautiously advanced slowly towards the core area where the yin energy fluctuations and roars were strongest.
However, as they went deeper, their expressions gradually changed from initial excitement and greed to seriousness, then to suspicion, and finally... an undisguised fear!
They discovered that the low-level Yin spirits and fierce souls, which should have been scattered or quietly lurking in various Yin pools, were now fleeing towards the valley entrance like sheep encountering their natural enemy, emitting silent shrieks!
These ghosts came in various forms, most of them only at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment level. Normally, they would only feel fear when they saw their "masters," but at this moment they seemed to completely ignore them and only cared about escaping for their lives.
What chilled them even more was that the fluctuations of yin energy coming from ahead were becoming more and more intense and their range was expanding!
Their divine senses finally managed to capture that deep inside, an unimaginably huge gray-black vortex, which occupied almost half of the Yin-gathering space, was rapidly taking shape and expanding, spinning wildly and devouring all the Yin energy around it!
At the center of the vortex, a chilling, fierce, yet indescribably majestic aura emanated, causing their souls to ache and tremble!
"No! This...this is definitely wrong!" Old Demon Tie's voice trembled, the fat on his face shook, and his triangular eyes were filled with horror.
"Old Tong! We can't go any further! This...this whirlpool...there are probably unimaginable monsters inside! Quick! Get out of here! Immediately call for reinforcements from the main altar!"
Tong Laogui's face was ashen, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. He was a level above Tie Laomo in cultivation, and his divine sense was also clearer. He could vaguely "see" that deep within the vortex, an extremely large, blurry shadow was slowly gathering and awakening!
"Go! Go now!" Old Ghost Tong roared hoarsely, without the slightest hesitation, and turned to return the way he came.
"Hehe, you two, don't be in such a hurry to leave."
One A seductive, playful voice suddenly and abruptly rang in their ears! The voice was pleasant to hear, but in this deathly silent and eerie ghost realm, it sounded indescribably eerie and terrifying!
Tong Laogui and Tie Laomo froze, as if they were frozen in place! They looked in horror toward the sound.
Not far ahead, amidst the churning yin energy, a glimmer of silver light flashed. The next moment, a strange little banner, only a foot long, entirely black, its surface moving without wind, emanating a faint yin energy, appeared out of thin air and hovered in mid-air.
On the small banner, a small silver wolf phantom, no bigger than a palm, with shiny, smooth silver fur, an elegant posture, and a lively yet slightly mischievous look in its eyes, lazily lay on top of the banner. One of its front paws was supporting its cheek, as if it were looking at some interesting toy, observing them with great interest.