Corpse-Filled Pits Stretch Across the Land; the Soul Bell Sounds and Startles the Ancestor

The Ten Thousand Mile Frontier, free from the smoke of war; the road winds through white grass and yellow sand for thousands of miles. Here, one can cultivate immortality and temper one's courage; there is no need to fear the Yin Ghost Mountain.

The Yin Ghost Mountain Range, with its towering peaks resembling sharp knives, pierces the sky.

Here, towering peaks rise abruptly, jagged rocks abound, cliffs are sheared as if cut, and mountains are crisscrossed. At times, Yin Wind sweep through the mountains like the howling of ghosts and wolves, as if an Old Devil is laughing and leaping about, sometimes raising a sharp, mournful cry that makes the forest rustle.

This place is truly deserted. Beneath the mountain peaks, the once-famous Yin Ghost Workshop has long since become ruins. Some low houses that have not yet collapsed were once Rogue Cultivator Gathering Place for rogue cultivators who were affiliated with the Yin Ghost Sect, but now they are deserted and filled with Yin Qi atmosphere.

The ground still bears the craters left by the ancient battle, as well as some white bones buried in the black soil.

"There are no signs of human activity here. It looks like the Yin Ghost Sect has been wiped out."

In mid-air, a spirit boat hovered, He Yingyu frowned as she looked down.

Chen Dengming shook his head and pondered, "The Yin Wind here is chilling, and there are so many bones buried underground. It seems that many people have died here. I wonder if any evil spirits might have been born here."

If the Yin Ghost Sect cultivators were still alive, they might indeed come out and move around in this place with its excellent Yin Qi. Could it be that they have been staying inside the mountain since they sealed it off?

After they finished speaking, they looked at each other and both saw the wariness in each other's eyes.

Something's not right here.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Dengming summoned the Heart-Illuminating Mirror of Shattering Delusions and the Soul Guiding Banner.

He glanced inside, a smile playing on his lips.

After devouring two little ghosts and their resentment, the brothers Zhu Xun have absorbed a considerable amount of Soul Power from Foundation Establishment Yin Souls. After more than half a month, they have finally broken through the final barrier.

Now it has entered the stage of Foundation Establishment of Fierce Ghost, and is capable of great use.

He waved the Soul Guiding Banner.

In an instant, the surrounding Yin Qi gathered, and a fierce roar suddenly came from the gathering yin Yin Qi.

A Fierce Ghost figure, half a person's height, emerged from the Yin Qi. It had a green face, fangs, and a face full of fleshy muscles. Its pale blue eyes were like copper bells, and it was extremely ferocious. When it saw He Yingyu next to Chen Dengming, it opened its mouth to let out a fierce roar.

"Bang!"

Chen Dengming gestured with his lips first, as if to say hello.

The Fierce Ghost Zhu Xun froze, his mouth, which was about to roar, instinctively clenched, and the roar turned into "Hehe!"

He Yingyu had been frowning as she looked at them. Any woman, even a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator, would instinctively find these ugly, dark creatures repulsive. But upon seeing them, she couldn't help but smile.

"Junior Brother, what does this mean?"

Chen Dengming laughed and said, "This is how I greet my brothers. Senior sister, you can try it too."

He Yingyu was stunned for a moment, then covered her mouth and pouted, "Hehe!"

The Fierce Ghost Zhu Xun's eyes darted around, and the ferocity on his face seemed to lessen somewhat. He began to mutter dog-like words incessantly.

He Yingyu said with great interest, "Junior Brother, I knew that one of your brothers was turned into a Yin spirit and was later saved by you. I didn't expect that he would be cultivated into Foundation Establishment spirit so quickly?"

Chen Dengming sighed, took out the Spirit Subduing Bottle, poured out some pure Soul Power to feed Zhu Xun, and said, "He is no longer a Yin spirit, but a Fierce Ghost, somewhere between a Yin spirit and an evil spirit. Because he has lost his former intelligence, he can only regain his former intelligence by following the path of Fierce Ghost and gradually becoming stronger. But if he is not careful, he may also turn into an evil spirit. Fortunately, I am here to watch over him."

He was born with the talent to become Fierce Ghost spirit, possessing the best aptitude in this path. I also shattered Foundation Establishment Yin Soul and fed it to him, along with some resentful energy from evil spirits. It's normal that he's reached this point."

He Yingyu in amazement upon hearing this, "Junior Brother, you're incredibly kind to this brother."

The Foundation Establishment Yin Soul was smashed and fed into its mouth, and evil resentment was also used to feed a Qi Refining Yin Soul that had lost its sentience.

If the cultivators of the Yin Ghost Sect heard this, they would definitely say it was a waste of resources.

"I am not a cultivator specializing in soul refinement, so Foundation Establishment Yin Soul is of no use to me."

Chen Dengming smiled, then propelled the spirit boat forward into the mountains ahead.

At the same time, he instructed Zhu Xun attention to where the Yin Qi was strongest in the mountains and forests, and where the yin spirits and ghosts lurked.

If the Yin Ghost Sect still exists, even if it's secluded in the mountains, Zhu Xun would still be able to sense it with his current abilities.

After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, Zhu Xun, who previously only had a head, now has half a body and arms, but still no legs.

This means you've reached the stage where you have hands.

If it truly becomes a healthy, fully-fledged ghost with hands and feet, perhaps its intelligence will have been almost completely restored.

After searching for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the group finally found the ruins of a building built against the mountainside in a remote, desolate forest.

Chen Dengming released the Little Array Spirit Soul House.

"Ling'er, is this the Yin Ghost Sect? Do you feel anything?"

After appearing, the Little Array Spirit looked around timidly and confusedly, and replied, "I... I'll look again and think about it."

The environment here is even more gloomy, with Yin Wind blowing from time to time, indicating that few people visit.

The ruins are covered with lush vegetation and overgrown with weeds, almost completely covered by nature.

You can see ruins scattered all around, with some ancient stones and architectural structures still stubbornly holding on.

A sense of time washes over you, as if this place has been deserted for a long time.

On the raised hill at the center of the ruins, traces can still be faintly seen indicating that this was once a magnificent building. The towering towers have collapsed, and the black wooden beams are exposed, ready to collapse at any moment.

"Junior Brother, it seems the Yin Ghost Sect has already been wiped out."

"Something's not right. Since the Yin Ghost Sect was wiped out long ago, how come there's no news from outside? Someone must have come here."

Chen Dengming frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

"Clang clang--"

Suddenly, the Fierce Ghost Zhu Xun uttered a few words and excitedly rushed into a pile of wreckage ahead.

Immediately afterwards, a surge of Soul Power emanated from it.

Chen Dengming immediately went to investigate.

Then he saw several skeletons beneath the wreckage, seemingly still retaining some kind of resentment, which Zhu Xun was greedily inhaling.

"There seems to be resentment at their deaths; these people don't appear to have died a natural death?"

Chen Dengming crouched down to examine the remains closely and found no signs of injury from swords or Technique Method.

Judging from the arrangement of the bodies, it doesn't appear to have been a fight.

"Junior Brother, look!"

He Yingyu greeted her.

Chen Dengming immediately looked ahead and saw the Little Array Spirit wandering outside a cluster of building ruins.

There was a deep courtyard wall that concealed the area, and the mottled gate had been eroded by countless winds and rains.

Some soil remained in the corners of the walls, and when the Yin Wind blew, the sound of the wind chimes on the walls seemed to vaguely resemble the laughter of children.

Upon seeing the intricately carved strange patterns and remaining designs on the mottled wall, Chen Dengming immediately recognized them as images of the hundred ghosts from the scroll painting "Hundred Ghosts Banquet Travel".

Just then, Zhu Xun suddenly roared a warning, and the Little Array Spirit that were lingering by the wall almost simultaneously retreated on alert.

But in the blink of an eye, the sound of bells suddenly rang out in the courtyard, and the mottled gate was flung open with a bang.

With a whoosh, a gust of wind whipped up sand and stones, its mournful sound like the howl of a wolf against the moon, while the clock inside the house ticked away.

The myriad orifices roared in fury, the heavens seemed to weep, and flying sand and stones indiscriminately injured people.

In an instant, Chen Dengming was surrounded by Yin Winds, as if he were in a gloomy and desolate world.

A sinister, dark gray aura, filled with a strong, chilling, and intimidating presence, surged like a large, dark cloud. With the help of a Yin Wind, it expanded rapidly like an explosion, rushing towards the retreating Little Array Spirit. Instantly, the wind chimes on the surrounding courtyard walls rang loudly.

"What kind of scoundrel dares to be so insolent!"

Chen Dengming shouted loudly, his eyes gleaming. The Heart-Illuminating Mirror of Shattering Delusions he had summoned before him shot out a dazzling blue-white beam of light, which landed in the churning black mist.

"Ah--"

The black mist writhed and twisted, torn apart by the mirror's light, seemingly emitting painful roars as it was sliced in half.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that these black mists were actually tiny, human-face-like souls drifting in agony.

Through the gaps in the mirror's light, a massive shadow flashed by, as if a pair of ferocious blood-red eyes were staring at Chen Dengming.

"Roar--"

At this moment, the Fierce Ghost Zhu Xun rushed forward, his sinister claws reaching out to scoop up large swaths of black mist and tearing them apart, stuffing them into his gaping maw full of fangs.

This immediately enraged the ghost in the black mist, who roared and was about to attack.

Zhu Xun paused in his eating, his pale blue-white Fierce Ghost pupils filled with resentment. An evil power instantly locked onto the ghost, and the countless tiny faces that made up the black mist around him seemed to be stunned, all freezing in mid-air.

Almost simultaneously, the Little Array Spirit let out a low shout, unleashing a Red Rhombus and using the Spirit Refining Art. The Red Rhombus seemed to transform into a fiery crimson snake, piercing into the black mist.

A startling, furious roar echoed through the ruins, its powerful, eerie aura shaking the very soul.

"How dare you act so insolently here!"

He Yingyu's eyebrows furrowed, and she summoned her Law Artifact comb, intending to help eliminate the monstrous creature, remaining calm in the face of danger.

The ghost that suddenly appeared looked ferocious, but in reality it was just a Yin spirit at around the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, at most it would be stronger with the help of the ghost mist.

Among the Five Immortals, the Ghost Immortal is the weakest. Similarly, among cultivators, the Ghost Cultivator is the weakest. Apart from evil spirits, this Foundation Establishment Late Stage Yin Soul, though seemingly powerful, is actually not taken seriously by He Yingyu.

"Senior sister, these spirits will suffice for me here."

Chen Dengming stopped He Yingyu's actions, gave her a wink, and raised his chin towards the courtyard with its gate wide open behind them.

He Yingyu immediately understood, exchanged a glance with Chen Dengming, and the two of them rushed into the courtyard at the same time.

"Roar--"

The ghostly creature in the black mist immediately became anxious, roaring furiously as it swirled the black mist to avoid Zhu Xun attack, its momentum terrifying!

"Go!"

Chen Dengming casually waved the Soul Guiding Banner, and a gust of Yin Wind swept out. The remaining Foundation Establishment Late Stage Yin Souls rushed out, not daring to disobey Chen Dengming's order. They roared and charged towards the ghosts in the black mist, joining the encirclement and attack.

"Junior Brother, you have quite a few ghostly minions."

Seeing this scene, He Yingyu couldn't help but shake her head and smile. How come her Junior Brother looked more like Yin Ghost Sect?

However, she also knew that these tactics were not Chen Dengming's main combat methods.

The two entered the courtyard at the same time, and the scene that came into view immediately made their faces turn ugly and their hair stand on end.

Even someone with extensive experience and knowledge felt a chill run down their spine.

Inside the courtyard was a deep pit filled with mummified corpses, their skin, flesh, and hair still intact, making them utterly repulsive to look at.

Some of the bodies were headless, while others had slits in their jaws.

Judging from the similar styles of clothing these people are wearing, they all seem to have once belonged to a powerful group.

"These people's souls were controlled by the Yin Ghost Sect after they died? No, these are all members of the Yin Ghost Sect."

Chen Dengming's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the chins of some of the corpses, then at some headless ones.

"Junior Brother, are you saying someone slaughtered all the cultivators of the Yin Ghost Sect?"

He Yingyu turned around and looked around, then turned her graceful back to Chen Dengming, her eyes showing wariness as she asked in surprise.

"Now it seems... perhaps it was one of the experts from the Yin Ghost Sect who committed this heinous act!"

Chen Dengming frowned, recalling a type of ghost in the "Hundred Ghosts Banquet Travel" scroll, and said, "It seems that someone from the Yin Ghost Sect once practiced black magic, and it might even be the Flying Head Sorcery."

This is also a type of ghost, but it is similar to a flying zombie. When creating it, it must stay next to the corpse and recite the incantation for forty-nine days without interruption.

On the forty-ninth day, the chin of the corpse was then burned with a type of candle.

The body was kept in a small, pre-prepared coffin until it was scalded to the point of being torn apart by fire, exposing the fat which melted and dripped down as body oil.

By igniting this fragrant oil refined from corpse oil, even cultivators will be affected, and it can control some cultivators to become Flying Head Sorcery or their souls."

Suddenly, a series of bell sounds came from inside the pit, like a summoning of spirits, which was terrifying.

At the same time.

Within the Lin family compound of Jingxiu Workshop, a bell suddenly rang out from a dark, secluded room at the very back.

Inside the house, in an ancient well filled with blood and the shriveled corpse of an infant, Lin He, the patriarch of the Lin family, suddenly felt a tremor in his heart. His expression changed slightly, and he shot out of the well in an instant. His cold gaze fell on the soul-summoning bell hanging at the entrance of the house, and he frowned.

"The Soul Bell has been triggered! What happened to the sect's grand formation?"

There are spirits guarding that place. Unless a False Core Cultivator went there, how could something have happened? Could it be Han Yongxu?

As I was pondering this, a sharp 'snap' suddenly rang out.

The Soul Bell on the opposite side was shattered, signifying that his last backup plan had been destroyed.

"Damn it!" Lin He's eyes flashed with anger. Suddenly, his robes billowed, and he exuded an astonishing Golden Core aura. His figure shot up like lightning and flew straight into the distance.

Some cultivators in the Lin family were alarmed, causing a commotion, but they didn't know why their ancestor had gone there.

Not far away, in the Mingyun Mountain Range, Han Yongxu, the head of the Wonderful Sound Sect, was floating in front of the entrance to the Southern Search, hesitating.

As the head of the Wonderful Sound Sect, he naturally knew about the entrance and exit to Nanxun long ago.

But he never set foot in Nanxun.

This is because the dangers of this Curse land have already been discovered by our predecessors.

When one enters the Southern Search Qi Refining Stage, their Spiritual Qi depletes very slowly, almost negligibly. As long as they don't frequently use Law Technique, they can survive in the Southern Search for a long time using only spirit crystals.

A hundred years ago, the five sects jointly sent many Qi Cultivation Cultivator into Nanxun, and relied on a large number of spirit crystals to sustain these disciples' survival.

However, if Foundation Establishment cultivator enters the Southern Search, not only will their strength be suppressed to be not much stronger than that of Qi Cultivation Cultivator, but their Spiritual Qi energy depletion will also be aggravated, making it quite dangerous.

The situation becomes even more dangerous for Golden Core Cultivator. Once they enter the Southern Seek Realm, they will feel intense suppression, as if the entire Mustard Seed Realm is rejecting them. This will cause instability in the Golden Core and loss of Core Power. The power of various third-tier Law Technique will also be greatly reduced, and their strength will be suppressed to the point where they are no different from those in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

As a result, since the unsuccessful large-scale probe a hundred years ago, no Foundation Establishment cultivators or Golden Core Cultivator from the five sects have set foot in the Southern Seeking Land.

No one's cultivation level comes for free, especially for Golden Core Cultivator. Wouldn't it be better to live a long and prosperous life as an ancestor for eight hundred years? Why risk one's life?

Therefore, even though Han Yongxu knew that Chen Dengming was in Nanxun, this was the best time to capture him. Even though the other party had the Longevity Token, it would be useless in Nanxun. However, Han Yongxu did not dare to act rashly.

"Why"

Han Yongxu sighed softly, abandoning the idea of putting himself in danger.

He suppressed his inner turmoil and was about to fly towards the location of the five sects' teleportation array when he suddenly froze, sensing a strong aura of a Golden Core cultivator flashing by from the direction of the Lin family in the distance.

"This Old Ghost Lin actually unleashed his Core Power? What could have made this old fellow so enraged?"

"Back when the Nascent Soul Ancestor the Yin Ghost Sect perished, this old ghost might not even be angry, right?"

Han Yongxu's heart stirred, and he felt that there might be a turning point in the matter of bribing this old ghost Han. He immediately followed and went to investigate.

The site of the Yin Ghost Sect's Mountain Gate.

Chen Dengming remained calm, looking down at the disheveled, withered head that had been severed and lay on the ground.

On He Yingyu's side, with two heads severed as well, she frowned, waved her sleeve to clear away the stench of rotting corpses, and turned to look at Chen Dengming.

"Junior Brother Chen, are these the Flying Head Sorcery? They are indeed very troublesome. My comb is already a high-level second-tier Law Artifact, yet it still took three or four strikes to kill them. On the surface, they didn't seem to be much damaged; they appeared to have been killed by the shockwave."

Chen Dengming nodded and said, "The Flying Head Sorcery is very difficult to cultivate. It is usually practiced by the sorcerer himself. But from what I see, these are all former disciples of the Yin Ghost Sect who have been trained into the Flying Head Sorcery others."

They were originally Qi Cultivation Cultivator. After mastering the Flying Head Sorcery, they became invulnerable to blades and spears. When they pounced on people, they could suck blood and bite them. Their eyes could also shoot out evil resentment. Once they came in groups, they were quite troublesome.

He paused, his expression turned serious, and he seemed somewhat uneasy.

These Flying Head Sorcery are no ordinary Flying Head Sorcery.

When Flying Head Sorcery, it is still attached to its digestive organs, such as the stomach and intestines, when it flies. The head and intestines cannot fly higher than three meters. It is easy to get caught on something, and if it is exposed to sunlight, it will die and turn into a pool of blood.

However, the Flying Head Sorcery they are encountering now have even their digestive systems cultivated to the point of being invisible. Even the light from the Mirror of Heart-Illuminating Mirror of Shattering Delusions can only cause minor damage. They are very troublesome, and even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would have great trouble encountering them.

"Senior sister, it seems there are still powerful figures in the Yin Ghost Sect. We originally came here only to pay a visit, but now it seems we've ruined that person's 'good deed'!"

Chen Dengming frowned in thought, and as he heard the howling of the ghosts outside gradually weakening, he made a decisive decision.

"Let's go! This place is no place to stay any longer! We must leave immediately!"

He Yingyu, equally solemn, nodded upon hearing this, "Alright!"

The two of them went outside the courtyard together.

However, the black mist had thinned considerably, and a strangely shaped ghost, seemingly composed of many faces pieced together, roared as it was forced to retreat by the attacks of Zhu Xun and the other Three Souls.

Chen Dengming suddenly unleashed a beam of light.

The ghost immediately let out a shrill scream, and some of its Soul Power was shattered.

Chen Dengming remained expressionless, and then unleashed several more beams of mirror light, until the ghostly Soul Body became increasingly faint.

He suddenly shook the Soul Guiding Banner, and a gust of Yin Wind blew. With a swirling force of the Zhu Xun and the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Yin Spirit, the ghost was forcibly pulled and kicked into the banner.

"Walk--"

Chen Dengming Blade Control, his Soul House enveloping the Little Array Spirit. Without any hesitation, with a flash of sword light, he and He Yingyu flew away from the Yin Ghost Mountain Range.

However, the two had only flown a few dozen miles.

An incredibly powerful and terrifying pressure swept in from afar, like a tidal wave, accompanied by a chilling roar that seemed to thunder a hundred thousand times.

"You think you can just leave after killing my ghost? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Regarding Lüo Bing, she will have a role, and we will give readers a satisfactory answer later. But it won't be immediately, and it can't be immediately; there are many foreshadowing elements intersecting. Then some readers are impatient; today, some even jumped up and down, continuing to curse and threaten me, saying they wouldn't subscribe if things didn't go well. Looking at that "intern" title, I fell into deep thought.

Then, not only did they jump around, but they actually accused me of being a cuckold and writing a cuckold story. I was completely baffled. This trainee brother really knows how to put on this big label. So first of all, has Luo ever established any relationship with the protagonist? Or has he ever expressed even the slightest hint of flirtation with the protagonist? No, right? How did they even get into this relationship? I have no idea.

Secondly, nothing actually happened between Luo Ye and Luo Ping; this is quite obvious. An author wouldn't deliberately create negative connotations in a book, especially one who's been around for many years.

In the end, Luo's character remained unchanged from beginning to end; he was a self-serving and profit-driven person. That's it. Of course, he will have a role to play later, and we will give an answer to some readers who are at least quietly supporting him and not mindlessly criticizing him.