With time running short, Lu Xiaotian raised a palm and struck at the empty air. A wisp of mana drifted out and, upon touching the blue barrier, began forcing it wider until it formed a doorway.
From within the doorway came a continuous chorus of wails and howls.
Lu Xiaotian flashed through the opening.
"This is the Profound Soul Pool. Ghosts drift everywhere here. I'm not worried they'll trick you, Daoist, but if you kill too many, it could cause a huge disturbance. In that case, slipping past everyone's notice won't be realistic," Mingqi warned.
Lu Xiaotian nodded and took a cloak radiating ghostly energy from his Sumeru Ring. Even an item of the ghostly path like this would be less effective when worn by him, but it was still much better than nothing.
Beyond the blue barrier lay the Profound Soul Pool. Even under the ghostly cloak, Lu Xiaotian remained an outsider there; he simply no longer stood out as much as before.
The wandering Profound Souls lunged at him one after another. They were far more resilient than ordinary ghosts, and their screeching carried a drowsy lethargy that made one's eyelids grow heavy.
To avoid causing too great a disturbance, Lu Xiaotian let the Profound Souls nearby burrow into his body. The moment they entered, they were exhilarated by the surging blood and vitality before them—but then a Buddhist light flashed, grinding each one to dust.
After killing tens of thousands of Profound Souls along the way, he saw dozens of red-skinned, black-winged ghost-faced yakshas darting back and forth through the darkness ahead.
"Flying Blood Yakshas!" Lu Xiaotian narrowed his eyes and asked Mingqi, "You said we hadn't reached their territory yet. One of the Flying Blood Yakshas in that group was already at the Integrated Body stage."