In Chu Zheng's perception, the Yin Qi around them suddenly surged, even suppressing the surrounding Yang Qi at high noon.
His gaze fixed tightly on the mine tunnel entrance. A black cloud suddenly shot out, wrapping around a figure. Faintly visible within it was Han Mingdan, whom he had seen not long ago.
A blinding divine light followed from the mine tunnel entrance. Han Yuliang held a Precious Pagoda in his palm and caught up to the black mist ahead in two or three strides. The pagoda rose into the air, spilling down Immortal Light that suppressed the black mist beneath it.
Under the Immortal Light, the black mist shrouding Han Mingdan's body rushed headlong into her seven apertures. The next instant, Han Mingdan's tightly shut eyes flew open. Her eye sockets were black as ink, with no pupils left to be seen.
Immediately afterward, she formed a hand seal with her fingertips. Her blood Qi churned around her body, and her lips parted slightly as she spat out a Blood Sword. It instantly tore through the Immortal Light cast down by the Precious Pagoda, and she began fleeing once more.
Chu Zheng saw it all clearly from the side and quickly understood the situation.
Han Mingdan was a woman to begin with, and her physique was somewhat special, with heavier Yin Qi. Thus, after the evil spirit entered her body, the Yin and Yang within her instantly fell out of balance, causing her mind to lose control and her body to be occupied by the evil spirit.
Under such circumstances, driving out the evil spirit was not particularly troublesome. One only needed to inject a great amount of Yang Qi and awaken Han Mingdan's consciousness once more. The prerequisite, however, was catching her first.
As Chu Zheng pondered, Han Yuliang, standing high in the air, wore a cold expression. Light flashed between his brows, and a blurry human figure stepped out.
Chu Zheng's eyes narrowed. Just as he was about to look more closely, the blurry figure crossed several hundred zhang in an instant and walked directly into Han Mingdan's body.
Han Mingdan's body stiffened, and she fell from midair. A few breaths later, dense black mist poured from her mouth, only to be directly drawn away by the Precious Pagoda above.
Only after the black mist had completely dispersed did the blurry figure emerge from Han Mingdan's body and return to Han Yuliang's brow.
He raised a hand and retrieved the Precious Pagoda, then descended to Han Mingdan's side and fed her a Spirit Pill. After examining her, he finally let out a breath of relief.
A moment later, Han Mingdan slowly opened her eyes, her expression bewildered as she struggled to understand what had happened. "Fourth Uncle... what happened to me just now?"
She only felt weak in all four limbs, as though she had suffered a grave illness. She could not summon even a shred of strength.
Han Yuliang helped her up and said slowly, "An evil spirit entered your body. It is nothing serious. Go back and recuperate in peace for a while. This time, it was Fourth Uncle's oversight."
That Blood Sword had nearly condensed all of Han Mingdan's essence and vitality. After unleashing it, the blood Qi in her body had been greatly depleted, and she would inevitably need time to recover.
"Soul Condensation... so this is Soul Condensation."
In the distance, Chu Zheng could not hide the admiration in his eyes. Strengthening the divine soul to the point of even making it tangible was nothing short of a miracle. This was the first time he had seen a cultivator of such a level make a move.
Compared with the Immortal Dao, Qi Cultivators placed greater emphasis on the physical body. After Spiritual Transformation, they used Yin and Yang Qi to temper their bodies, cultivating Golden Muscles and Jade Bones, after which came forging the Dao Embryo.
The Dao Embryo was preparation for the Golden Core. Once a Golden Core was condensed, a Qi Cultivator's Divine Abilities would greatly increase, and only then would they possess power close to moving mountains and overturning seas. As for Thought Manifestation, that was a realm even further beyond.
Many Martial Masters witnessed this disturbance. For a time, they were all somewhat unsettled, and as they looked at the dark mine pit, traces of fear arose in their hearts.
They had all spent a long time scraping by in Phantom Spirit City. The more they knew, the more afraid they became. They were merely mortals. No matter how great their strength, they had no means of defending themselves against such sinister ghostly creatures.
"Rest easy. For the coming period, I will remain here to oversee matters. The evil spirits inside have all been swept clean by me. There will be no further trouble."
Han Yuliang's words did not have much effect. A verbal guarantee without proof was simply too vague and insubstantial.
These Martial Masters all knew their own worth. Their lives were far less valuable than Han Mingdan's, and Han Yuliang might not be willing to expend the effort to save them.
Sensing the subtle change in the atmosphere, Han Yuliang immediately said, "Everyone's compensation will be doubled from what was previously agreed upon. Those still unwilling to remain may return on the flying boat."
This finally drew some response. Most of the Martial Masters visibly relaxed, their expressions easing considerably. This attitude alone was enough to set their minds at rest.
Chu Zheng found this handling somewhat surprising. He had thought Han Yuliang would not care whether these people lived or died.
Fu Quanliang walked to Chu Zheng's side. Seeing the surprise in his expression, he knew what Chu Zheng was thinking and immediately transmitted his voice:
"In the end, some face must be preserved. Quite a few among these people have ties to the Phantom Spirit Sect."
Only then did Chu Zheng realize that these Martial Masters in Phantom Spirit City were ultimately different from ordinary mortals outside. Counting back eight generations, some of them might even have been Han Yuliang's peers. Things could not be made too ugly.
As the saying went, the Immortal Sect was also tangled with complicated connections. Humans were social creatures in the end, and social needs could not be avoided.
Chu Zheng gathered his wandering thoughts and transmitted his voice to ask, "How did your inquiries go? When can we enter the mine tunnel?"
"You still want to go in? Aren't you afraid of dying?" Fu Quanliang's eyes widened slightly. He had thought this unexpected incident would make Chu Zheng change his mind.
Chu Zheng shook his head. This sudden situation had instead put him more at ease. To him, this sort of evil spirit did not count as a danger at all.
What he had previously feared were evil spirits formed from corpses and bones—zombies nurtured in places of extreme Yin. Those were the real trouble.
Yet Han Yuliang had made such a huge commotion inside, and only this kind of evil spirit had been disturbed. That was already enough to prove this place was safe, allowing him to relax considerably.
Seeing that Chu Zheng had already made up his mind, Fu Quanliang sighed softly. "You can go down into the mine tomorrow."
"At that time, it will not be convenient for me to enter. I can only wait for you outside. Be extra careful. If anything feels wrong, immediately transmit your voice to me. I will find a way to ask Han Yuliang to go in and save you."
The aura within the mine tunnel was mixed and chaotic, detrimental to cultivation. No normal cultivator would be willing to go down there.
Fu Quanliang had only recently joined the Han Family's faction. If he acted too unusually, it would easily make others suspicious.
If something went wrong, all he could do was try his best to call for help for Chu Zheng.
"Thank you." Chu Zheng nodded. "Help me get a map of the mine tunnels."
"I have already prepared one."
Fu Quanliang slowly moved closer and, without drawing attention, slipped a folded sheet of paper into Chu Zheng's hand.
"Take care of yourself. I will wait for you to return."
The next morning.
Before the mine tunnel, over three hundred Martial Masters held iron pickaxes, ready to descend into the mine.
Even with Han Yuliang's assurance, more than sixty people still chose to return on the flying boat.
A disciple of the Phantom Spirit Sect stood before the mine entrance, handing every Martial Master a Detoxification Pill and a headband inlaid with a Luminous Pearl.
The mine tunnels ran deep underground, where some Turbid Qi inevitably lingered. It might not matter to cultivators, but it was still quite harmful to mortal bodies.
Inhaling too much of this Turbid Qi could easily numb one's hands and feet and leave the body limp and weak. Most importantly, it affected mining work.
Chu Zheng followed the crowd and slowly walked into the pitch-dark mine tunnel.
Fu Quanliang watched him enter from the side. In the blink of an eye, only the scattered starlight of Luminous Pearls remained in his field of vision.
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