Bone-Eating Black Mist

Finally found a place connected to the map, yet Qin Yang felt no joy in his heart...

This sprawling complex exuded a grim aura; just approaching it made his blood and qi feel as if they were freezing. A quick sweep revealed sentry posts everywhere, and at the four corners stood massive ghostly beings ten zhang tall, burly and radiating overwhelming Ghost Qi. Their eyes, like giant lanterns, swept the area in constant patrol...

Qin Yang's heart suddenly turned cold...

He abruptly realized that his plan to snatch a chestnut from the fire and fish in troubled waters seemed to have a flaw...

He had forgotten his own strength—merely at Qi Nourishing...

"What are you spacing out for? Move it." The ghost soldier escorting him from behind wore a look of disdain on his face, though his expression was full of arrogance, clearly satisfied with Qin Yang's stunned reaction.

Qin Yang said nothing and followed along, but he glanced back and muttered to himself, My Cheap Junior Brother, you'd better give it your all and screw me over royally—don't hold back...

Under the ghost soldier's escort, they entered a corner of this Ghost City. There stood a stone building that looked no different from the others, except it had no visible gates—only a layer of black mist shrouding it.

When Qin Yang was brought there, the black mist split open, and a ghost soldier in a Clerk Uniform emerged from within.

"This one?"

"He's here to sell information."

The clerk's face showed a flicker of understanding. He looked Qin Yang up and down, said nothing more, and led him toward the black mist. Only when they reached it did the clerk activate the token in his hand, causing the black mist to split open, allowing passage.

Once inside, the clerk saw Qin Yang staring at his token and sneered: "This black mist is Soul-Eating Bone-Corroding, filled with countless tiny, invisible poisonous insects. Only by combining the token with a secret technique can it be repelled. Entering this Black Prison, escape is utterly impossible. And even if you did escape, you'd die even faster outside."

Qin Yang nodded, well aware that if he appeared alone in the Ghost City now, he would die a miserable death...

When he entered the Black Prison, Qin Yang's expression darkened...

The prison was spacious, with no bars or pillars. Each individual cell was separated by a thin layer of black mist.

Most of the cells were empty. Among those with prisoners, the majority were living cultivators; only two were ghostly prisoners, their Ghost Bodies so illusory that even their deathly appearances couldn't be hidden, looking half-dead...

"Heh, just stay put. These are all here to sell information." The Warden's smile was eerie as he ushered Qin Yang into one of the cells...

At that moment, Qin Yang finally understood why the two ghost soldiers' handover had been so brief—there had already been audacious bastards before him who came to sell fake information...

"Ah..."

Suddenly, a scream echoed through the prison.

Qin Yang looked up and saw a cultivator in one cell thrust his hand through the thin black mist...

But that hand visibly decayed into bone at a rapid pace. The thin black mist clung to it, and the bone itself shattered and dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

The cultivator pulled back his hand, but the thin black mist on the wound surged upward rapidly. In just one or two breaths, half his forearm had vanished.

Suddenly, gritting his teeth, the cultivator drew a long blade and chopped at his own shoulder, severing the arm cleanly.

The severed arm hit the ground and dissolved even faster. In two or three breaths, it vanished without a trace. The blood spraying from his wound onto the thin mist also disappeared instantly.

The Warden, who had just reached the door in the distance, glanced back, snorted, and walked away, utterly indifferent.

In the cells, everyone was frozen in terror, their hairs standing on end, faces filled with horror.

Qin Yang stood in his cell, staring at the walls of black mist, his heart pounding uncontrollably. This wasn't Soul-Eating Bone-Corroding—it was devouring everything clean...

No wonder there wasn't a single Warden inside the prison, and the prisoners weren't searched or shackled...

With this black mist, there was no need for all that trouble.

Without the expected prison bars, there were naturally no locks. To escape, he would have to find another way.

Qin Yang touched his pouch and muttered to himself, hoping that what he had heard was true.

A day passed...

At noon the next day, when the sun was at its peak, a large group from Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce charged into the Mass Burial Ground, heading straight for the Nether Acacia Ghost Tomb.

Dozens of cultivators stormed into the tomb, confronting the ghostly guards at the entrance.

"Little Fatty, where's your senior brother?" Steward Qiu's face was dark, his eyes blazing with murderous intent as he stared at Zhang Zhengyi.

"He might... be delayed by something..." Little Fatty wiped cold sweat from his temples, a bad feeling rising in his heart. Could that Cheap Senior Brother have known I was setting him up? Just then, the ghostly crowd parted, and the Tusked Ghost Soldier strode forward. His tiger-like eyes swept the area, exuding a fierce Sha Qi. When he spotted Little Fatty behind Steward Qiu, he fixed his gaze on him.

"You are Zhang Zhengyi?"

"Huh?" Little Fatty responded, his unease growing. How does this guy know me? And what's with that look? Disdain? Before Little Fatty could react, the Tusked Ghost Soldier clasped his hands toward Steward Qiu. "Steward Qiu keeps his word. Since you've brought the person the young lady wants, the Ghost King, true to his promise, will give you a reply after I take this man to confirm with the young lady."

Steward Qiu paused, then glanced at the nervous Little Fatty, who looked ready to bolt. Rage flared in his heart. So this is the one—the Heartless Man. No wonder he knew so much and came to us willingly! Crying thief!

"There's a misunderstanding!" Little Fatty stepped back, his mouth bitter. As he pieced it together, he realized that his Cheap Senior Brother had turned the tables and framed him instead! By now, Steward Qiu had no patience for explanations. He reached out, grabbed Little Fatty by the scruff, and with a surge of True Essence, Little Fatty went limp like a boneless sack.

Whether or not he was the right person no longer mattered—the other side had specifically demanded Little Fatty.

Without further ado, Steward Qiu tossed him to the Tusked Ghost Soldier.

After the soldier left with Little Fatty, Steward Qiu turned to the middle-aged man beside him, his face dark. "Has Boundless Dao Academy arrived yet?"

"They should be soon. According to the plan, we can't delay any longer today. Even if Dole Ghost King tries to stop us, Boundless Dao Academy will send experts to hold him off. We'll risk an open confrontation if necessary."