Evil Entity

After disembarking from the flying boat, all Chu Zheng saw was a sprawling encampment stretching for several miles.

The instant he entered the camp, Yin Qi surged upward. The aura throughout Chu Zheng's body abruptly tightened, and Spiritual Light immediately flickered in his eyes as he employed the Qi Observation Method.

The Heaven and Earth around him immediately changed in his vision. Beneath his feet lay a dense mass of Yin Qi visible to the naked eye, nearly condensed into liquid.

Chu Zheng's expression grew somewhat grave. With Yin Qi this dense, no fewer than a million people had likely died in this region.

Where Yin Qi gathered, there was bound to be a Great Tomb. Yet the Yin Qi here could no longer be described as a tomb—it was a burial pit.

Women could not remain in such a place for long. Men could rely on the Yang Qi within their bodies to withstand it for a time, but prolonged exposure would still affect their lifespan.

For Qi Cultivators, however, this place could be called a rare blessed land. If one possessed a Supreme Yang Treasure to balance the Yin Qi, the cultivation speed here would be no worse than in a heavenly grotto or blessed land.

Chu Zheng did not have a Supreme Yang Treasure, but he happened to possess a Yang-aspected artifact.

Phoenix Blood was originally something of ultimate hardness and extreme Yang. The Spirit Wood watered by it had absorbed Great Sun Essence, further stimulating its Yang Qi until its nature became supremely Yang.

However, before this sword was initially restored, Chu Zheng needed to spend more time in the sun, lest Yin-Yang Imbalance set in.

Compared with the environment, what troubled Chu Zheng even more was that in a place where Yin Qi gathered like this, if corpses were piled high, it would likely breed quite a few Evil Creatures.

Chu Zheng looked around for a while, then moved with the crowd toward Fu Quanliang.

There were only a little over four hundred people in total, so the assignments were quickly finished. Chu Zheng was smoothly placed under Fu Quanliang's command as well.

Fu Quanliang's cultivation was not particularly strong, and there were not many people assigned to him—fewer than twenty altogether.

Only after the many laborers had more or less settled in did several more people disembark from the flying boat.

The middle-aged man they had seen earlier was among them. Behind him followed several young men and women, all dressed alike in blue and white robes, with three Twin Green Lotuses embroidered upon their chests.

Standing beside Fu Quanliang, Chu Zheng sent a voice transmission. "Who is the strongest among them?"

"Inner Sect Elder Han Yuliang. Mid-grade Immortal Bone, peak Soul Condensation, not far from Divine Infant. He is highly likely to become the next generation's leading figure of the Han Family, and he enjoys an excellent reputation within the sect."

Fu Quanliang glanced over and began listing details as if reciting treasures from his own home:

"Those following him are all core members of the Han Family's younger generation. Especially the youngest one, Han Mingdan—fifteen years old, early Spiritual Spring Realm, Mid-grade Immortal Bone, and she also possesses a special spiritual body. Her future is boundless. She likes wearing green skirts, enjoys Yellow Origin Fruit, bamboo shoot cake..."

"Stop."

Chu Zheng cut off his endless stream of words. "If you put such thoughts into cultivation, you should be far beyond your current level."

Chu Zheng had little interest in Han Mingdan. If they were discussing what color clothes her Grand Ancestor, who had died thousands of years ago, had worn at burial, or what Grave Goods had been buried with him, then perhaps Chu Zheng would be more interested.

"If I cultivated step by step on my own, I would never reach Soul Condensation in this lifetime."

Fu Quanliang was utterly unmoved by Chu Zheng's assessment and held firm to his own view. "There are ten million paths on the great road of cultivation. The shortcut is the fastest."

At this point, Fu Quanliang abruptly changed the subject and sent another voice transmission. "Oh, right. Han Mingdan used to be quite close with Song Lingqing, but... in all the days since I returned to the sect, I haven't heard of them having any contact."

Hearing this, Chu Zheng lowered his gaze and remained silent. Even within an Immortal Sect, there was no shortage of warmth and coldness in human relationships.

Not far away, Han Mingdan, who had just disembarked from the flying boat, seemed to sense something and frowned slightly.

"Fourth Uncle, why does this place feel so strange? The moment I got here, I felt uncomfortable all over."

Han Yuliang explained casually, "The Killing Intent here is too heavy. Staying long will not benefit cultivation. You possess the Spiritually Connected Profound Body and are extremely sensitive to changes in Spiritual Energy between Heaven and Earth, so discomfort is only natural."

"Then why did you bring us here?" Han Mingdan was somewhat puzzled.

"I brought you here to see whether we can draw out an Ancient Spirit Weapon."

Han Yuliang's expression was somewhat grave. "Judging by the traces of slaughter, a Great Power Above Divine Infant once fell here. There is a very high chance that Spirit Treasures remain behind."

"When a Spirit Treasure loses its master, it will usually conceal its edge and hide its brilliance, waiting for one destined for it. If any of you have such fortune and can draw forth a Spirit Treasure to choose you as its master, the road ahead will be easier."

Spirit Treasures...

At the mention of those words, excitement spilled across Han Mingdan and the others' faces.

Spirit Treasures had already developed Spiritual Intelligence and could almost be considered Alien Lifeforms. Even if damaged, they could absorb the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth to slowly repair themselves. Their value surpassed even Top-grade Divine Weapons.

The entire Phantom Spirit Sect possessed only a handful of Spirit Treasures in total. They were usually kept as the Sect Foundation and could not be used at all. None of them had even seen one before.

"Do not be so quick to celebrate. This place is inauspicious, so we cannot venture too deeply. A brief attempt will suffice."

Seeing their excited expressions, Han Yuliang poured a basin of cold water over them.

"It is naturally a good thing if a Spirit Treasure chooses a master, but you must not force it too much. On the road of cultivation, one must still rely on oneself. Spirit Treasures are merely external objects."

"Understood, Fourth Uncle. Hurry and take us in to have a look." Han Mingdan was already eager to try.

Han Yuliang said no more and took the lead toward the mine tunnel, with the Han Family group close behind him.

"Here." Fu Quanliang raised his hand and tossed over an iron pickaxe.

"You really think I came here to mine?" Chu Zheng sent secretly, lifting his eyes without reaching out to take it.

Fu Quanliang was rather speechless. "How would I know what you came here for? You rushed over to suffer on your own."

He had grown somewhat accustomed to Chu Zheng's peculiarities and could not be bothered to waste thought guessing the purpose behind Chu Zheng's actions.

There was no point guessing anyway. He would rather Chu Zheng settle down and cause less trouble.

Chu Zheng glanced at Han Yuliang and the others in the distance, and his eyes shifted at once. "They are heading to that Ancient Battlefield."

Fu Quanliang quickly noticed the group's movements as well, unable to hide his surprise. "Could this place really have some unspeakable secret?"

Ancient Battlefields like this had generally been picked clean by those who came before. Even if anything remained, its spiritual energy should have dissipated after the long passage of time. At most, there would be scraps of broken copper and rotten iron left.

Chu Zheng bent down and picked up the iron pickaxe, sending a voice transmission as he asked, "When can we enter the mine pit?"

"Wait here."

Fu Quanliang's curiosity had also been stirred. He turned and went to gather information.

Wuu—

A moment later, before Fu Quanliang could return, a piercing shriek suddenly rang out from the distant mine tunnel. It was icy and violent, making their limbs faintly shiver with cold.

"Evil creature!"

The shout of rage followed the shriek at once, followed by a tremor that shook the earth and mountains.

After the violent shaking subsided, black mist poured from the mine tunnel, spreading across the ground like thick ink. Though it was high noon beneath the blazing sun, gusts of Yin wind suddenly rose, darkening the sky and dimming the earth as bone-piercing cold swept through the air.