"It seems you have quite a bit of skill in Soul Guide Array," Mu Ye said with a smile. He was increasingly satisfied with his disciple.
"So, Master, what's sealed down here?" Lin Xingyu asked curiously.
"Go down and take a look, you'll see. Come with me!"
Mu Ye kept everyone in suspense for a moment, then stepped forward and carefully deactivated the Soul Guide Array in front of the door. Looking around, he realized that the place hadn't been opened for a long time.
As Lin Xingyu stepped into the main hall, he immediately felt a chilling aura coming towards him. One particular aura made Lin Xingyu's eyebrows twitch – such a strong sense of resentment!
Looking around, the empty hall gave off a gloomy and oppressive feeling.
The pillars around them were engraved with Soul Guide Patterns, and the floor under their feet was made of bluestone. The dust on the floor was thick, indicating that no one had been here for a very long time. With each step Lin Xingyu took with Mu Ye, a small cloud of dust would rise.
This place felt more like a ruin to Lin Xingyu than a building deep within a sect.
Without saying a word, Mu Ye led Lin Xingyu down slowly. Mu Ye went up to the table not far away and touched it. With a click, a hole slowly appeared in the ground.
A cold wind blew up from below, and the thick resentment here made Lin Xingyu feel a little frightened. How many lives were going to die here!
Without saying a word, Mu Ye took out a Soul Tool, turned it on and emitted light, then slowly walked down into the cave.
Lin Xingyu followed curiously down the passage. The passage had obvious signs of being carved. The two slowly walked down, and the dark and quiet environment made Lin Xingyu feel as if he was slowly walking into a large cemetery.
The two were not moving at a fast pace. After more than ten minutes, they reached the end of the passage. In front of Lin Xingyu was a spacious underground plaza, behind which were caves.
The underground plaza was covered with white bones. Lin Xingyu examined them carefully and found that all the bones were those of Soul Beast, and they were from different eras.
Mu Ye continued walking forward, while Lin Xingyu, his eyes gleaming with curiosity, slowly extended his fingertip and gently touched the bone. In an instant, the bone seemed to be gnawed by the sharp teeth of time, turning into ashes with a "poof." Fine dust rushed towards him, and he instinctively closed his eyes tightly and took a sharp step back.
Lin Xingyu followed Mu Ye forward. The surroundings were eerily quiet, and the dim light seemed to be veiled by a thin gauze. He felt as if he were walking on the unknown with every step, as if he were walking in the underworld.
"Roar!"
In an instant, a low, guttural roar suddenly echoed around them. Immediately afterward, several ghostly figures appeared out of thin air. They were extremely emaciated, practically skeletons, their withered skin clinging tightly to their bones, devoid of any color. The shadowy figures' blood-red eyes were filled with ferocity, locking onto Lin Xingyu with a vicious gaze.
His fierce gaze seemed to want to devour Lin Xingyu alive.
These are one after another Wraith Soul Beast! The shadowy figures hover silently in mid-air, surrounded by misty fog. The thin mist seems to emanate from the deepest hell, making their figures appear and disappear, creating an ethereal atmosphere.
The next Wraith at the very front pounced on Lin Xingyu. As if its movement had given a signal, all the Wraith around it rushed towards Lin Xingyu.
Upon seeing these Wraith, Lin Xingyu immediately Martial Soul Possession, his entire body enveloped in Crimson Gold light.
As Lin Xingyu watched the approaching Demon Soul Great White Shark Phantom, his Bloodline Power surged, and he slashed out with his longsword, accurately hitting the leader of the Demon Soul Great White Shark.
In an instant, the purest Bloodline Power on Lin Xingyu's sword collided with the demonic soul, the Demon Soul Great White Shark Phantom. Wraith Wraith seemed to be corroded by the sword, like oil falling into boiling water. It emitted a piercing shriek, and its form dimmed considerably.
Before the Wraith could react, Lin Xingyu unleashed several more sword strikes, all of which accurately struck Wraith Wraith's body, causing its form to dissipate instantly.
To Lin Xingyu's surprise, these Wraith left behind a purple light after they died. This light was not Soul Ring, but it was somewhat similar to Soul Ring.
At this moment, as Lin Xingyu unleashed his full Bloodline Power, shining like a small sun in all directions, the surrounding Wraith, upon seeing this, scattered and fled one after another with shrieks.
Seeing this, Lin Xingyu didn't bother to pursue and walked forward to continue following Mu Ye's steps.
Mu Ye nodded in satisfaction with Lin Xingyu's performance; his qi Vitality were strong enough!
Suddenly, Mu Ye spoke up, saying, "You must be wondering where this place is."
Lin Xingyu asked with some curiosity, "Indeed, what were those Wraith just now, Teacher?"
Mu Ye said Youyou, "This used to be the location of the Body Sect's Ring Ascension Secret Method."
"In ancient times, before the existence of Soul Spirit, spirit masters relied on hunting Soul Beast to absorb Soul Ring to improve themselves."
"However, due to their physical and mental limitations, there is a limit to the number of Soul Ring a spirit master can absorb."
"Later, I don't know which generation of ancestors dug out some strange things from which ruins. Within the range of that thing, there was a high probability that the creatures that died here would directly become ghost-like beings."
"There is an upper limit to the number of Soul Ring that a spirit master can absorb. In order to increase this limit, the ancestors of the Body Sect in ancient times captured a lot of Soul Beast and killed them here. With the Wraith formed after the death of these Soul Beast, plus some secret techniques they created, if the Soul Beast are of the same race, it is possible to directly replace the lower-age Soul Ring with higher-age Soul Ring in the later stages."
"Therefore, our ancestors committed many sins here."
Upon hearing Mu Ye's words, Lin Xingyu fell silent. Here, a Soul Master must kill Soul Beast to improve.
In ancient times, the Body Sect ran rampant without restraint, so naturally they didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
This is truly a twisted world; to become powerful, one must kill. Otherwise, one must accept that their cultivation will never advance.
Abyss there aren't such cruel rules even in the abyss? Surely there's no place where you can't improve without killing?
At this point, Mu Ye continued, "Even though the situation has lessened somewhat after Spirit Ice Douluo created the Soul Spirit Method, it hasn't stopped; he's just shifted his focus to Sea Soul Beast."
"After all, while the Soul Spirit Method is excellent—directly hunting Soul Beast and absorbing their Soul Ring can significantly improve one's physical attributes and Soul Power, and there's also a considerable chance of obtaining Soul Bone. After all, the resentment of the Soul Beast that died here is incredibly strong!"
"Aside from those legendary Immortal Grade Heavenly Treasures, Soul Bone are the only ones that can significantly improve a person's aptitude."
"The chances of Soul Beast that dies here dropping Soul Bone are much higher than in the outside world."
"In addition, our exploration of the ocean at that time far surpassed that of other forces. Sea Soul Beast rarely came ashore, and their strength was somewhat inferior to that of land Soul Beast. The ocean was vast and boundless, with many high-level Soul Beast, but top-level Soul Beast were very difficult to encounter, which made it the first choice for people at that time."
"Therefore, most of the creatures here are Sea Soul Beast. This behavior only gradually stopped a few thousand years ago, when everyone had generally accepted the existence of Soul Spirit."
"It's rare to directly hunt Soul Beast to obtain Soul Ring, so this place has gradually become abandoned."
"Since we first came into contact with Soul Guide Array ten thousand years ago, our ancestors have gradually filled this place with various Soul Guide Array."
Upon hearing Mu Ye's explanation, Lin Xingyu immediately understood why he could sense that intense resentment from above.
Even if we take a longer timeframe, the Body Sect has been using this place for several thousand years. In such a long time, who knows how many Soul Beast have been slaughtered here.
"Let's go, let's not disturb the souls here anymore, let them slowly pass away in their slumber!"
Our destination is the next level.
Lin Xingyu looked at the bones scattered on the ground and said nothing more. He simply collected some weapons that ancient soul masters used to kill Soul Beast along the way.
After looking at these dilapidated weapons that exuded a strong murderous aura, Lin Xingyu carefully put these fragile weapons into his Storage Soul Device.
They were afraid that they might be wiped out in an instant if they weren't careful.
Following Makino carefully through the Mu Ye, the two passed through the dark passage again and arrived at the second level.
To Lin Xingyu's surprise, this place was no longer a mass grave filled with bones.
The second layer, on the contrary, consisted of neatly arranged tombs.
Mu Ye Mu Ye led Lin Xingyu forward, and finally stopped with Lin Xingyu at a tomb entrance.
"Come, give a deep bow!"
After Mu Ye finished speaking, he immediately knelt down and bowed deeply in front of the tomb entrance.
Having arrived here, Lin Xingyu probably already knew what gift Mu Ye had prepared for him.
Lin Xingyu followed suit and performed a full kneeling bow.
After the two finished their greetings, Mu Ye stepped forward and gently pushed open the heavy tomb door.
The door creaked open, revealing a magnificent coffin placed in the center of the room.
Lin Xingyu was speechless. So it turned out that the two of them really did come here to dig up graves.
"Let's get started and take the contents out of the coffin," Mu Ye said softly to Lin Xingyu.
"Is it okay for us to do this?" Lin Xingyu asked softly.
Mu Ye waved his hand dismissively and said, "No problem, it's nothing. These are ancestors from who-knows-how-many generations ago. They even buried them with such precious things as Soul Bone. Do they really think their descendants won't dig up their graves?"
"In this situation, people usually don't touch his things for a few generations, or at most a dozen generations."
"As time goes by, who will remember him? He didn't have any great achievements that will be remembered in the world. The person below is thousands of years old. He would be willing to make one last contribution to the younger generation."
"Besides, the Inheritance Soul Bone of the Body Sect are all taken from the bodies of the sect leaders of previous generations! I didn't say anything, and it's already more than enough that I let him guard the Soul Bone for thousands of years."
" The Inheritance Soul Bone has already been given to A Ruheng. The Soul Bone of the next person is also very good and quite suitable for you."
"Furthermore, in the years since the decline of the Body Sect, the Soul Bone here have been almost completely taken. I'm not the first to do this."
"Although there weren't many Soul Bone here to begin with."
Lin Xingyu understood what Mu Ye was saying. Soul Bone are something that a soul master usually passes on to his descendants before he dies.
Those who are able to be buried with their Soul Bone are an extremely rare minority. Not to mention sects, even within families, very few people do this.
It's not uncommon for people to take their own Soul Bone before they die and leave them to their descendants in the Douluo Continent.
Lin Xingyu stepped forward and slowly opened the heavy coffin. After the coffin was opened, Lin Xingyu looked down.
The coffin contained only a skeleton and a set of clothes; nothing else.
Inside the coffin were two crystal-clear, jade-like Soul Bone. Even after such a long time, they remained unblemished, their luster shimmering and emanating a hazy aura, as if they were floating within the coffin.
These were two leg bones, one on the left and one on the right. Both bones were perfectly intact without any damage. Lin Xingyu carefully sensed the aura emanating from the Soul Bone and discovered that not only were the auras of the two Soul Bone identical, but they were also intertwined. The two Soul Bone should have originated from the same type of Soul Beast, and might even be from the same Soul Beast.
I'm so sorry for offending you!
Lin Xingyu apologized to the senior in the coffin while carefully taking out the two Soul Bone.
"Let's pack up and go back to absorb the Soul Bone first," Mu Ye said.
Lin Xingyu nodded and carefully tidied up the place.
After finishing packing, the two returned the way they came, led by Mu Ye.
Looking at the numerous tombs around them, Lin Xingyu asked Mu Ye with some curiosity, "Master, the place upstairs is where you kill Soul Beast to upgrade your Soul Ring. Why did all the seniors build their tombs here?"
Logically speaking, the area above is a slaughterhouse for Soul Beast, and the area below is one's own grave. Who would build their own grave in such a godforsaken place? They must be afraid of not being able to rest in peace even after death.
Hearing Lin Xingyu's words, Mu Ye sighed and said, "There's nothing I can't tell you. I told you before that Senior Youwei obtained something from an ancient ruin. People who die around this thing are more likely to form Wraith."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xingyu was terrified.
"These are people who are old but don't want to die so easily. So they thought about whether they could transform themselves into Wraith after death, at least to live on in an alternative way. So they built their tombs here. Although only a portion of people do this, over the years, although not many people have done it, there are still quite a few."
"Has anyone succeeded?" Lin Xingyu asked in a low voice. Having just taken the senior's things, and now hearing Mu Ye's words, Lin Xingyu felt as if there were Wraith all around him staring at him, and these were Wraith with top-level cultivation in their previous lives! Anyone who could do this in their previous life must have been at least Titled Douluo!
Just then, a cold wind blew by, and the Soul Tool in Mu Ye's hand went dark, instantly shrouding the surroundings in a quiet darkness.
Lin Xingyu felt a hand gently resting on his shoulder, and a cool breeze quietly blew past his ear.