Delivering a Vengeful Ghost

This sheepskin scroll was indeed genuine.

After verifying it again and again, Lu Li carefully picked up the map from the ground and examined it closely.

When he finished reading, he was slightly stunned.

This Ten Thousand Ghost Cave actually spanned a full million square kilometers!

If one traveled on foot, it would probably take years to cross it all.

He looked at the reverse side.

An emblem of a Qing He immediately caught his eye.

Besides that, there were several small notes.

This Ten Thousand Ghost Cave was divided into three layers.

The outermost layer was inhabited by Qi Refinement-level ghosts. Further in were Foundation Establishment-level ghosts, and the centermost layer was where Ghost Kings lived and cultivated.

It was said that the centermost layer had already become a ghost city!

It was called Fengdu!

A Nascent Soul-level Ghost King ruled this terrifying ghost city.

Trespassers died!

Naturally, Lu Li would not be foolish enough to head straight into the center of Ten Thousand Ghost Cave.

However, he could not wander around carelessly either.

Even the outermost layer was divided into territories.

He could only move within a radius of five thousand li, absorbing ghost qi and capturing Spirit Ghosts.

So-called Spirit Ghosts were yin souls that had developed intelligence.

Most yin souls here were resentful souls and vicious ghosts. They had been reduced to nothing but pure killing intent, knowing only slaughter, making them extremely difficult to cultivate into Spirit Ghosts.

However, naturally born Spirit Ghosts were different.

Like spirit beasts, naturally born Spirit Ghosts could be captured, raised, and used in battle.

"Qing He can occupy a territory in Ten Thousand Ghost Cave. It seems she has some strength after all."

Lu Li silently thought as he put away the map.

Then, he began walking deeper into Ten Thousand Ghost Cave.

He needed to find an Extreme Yin Land and make his Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture cultivation regress.

He could also cultivate the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art while he was at it.

Before long, he found one.

Beside a withered tree, Lu Li discovered a black rock the size of a water vat, with wisps of black qi curling around it.

The temperature in the area was extremely cold.

Even the soil beneath the black rock was coated in a thin layer of black frost.

"Your Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture is deeply displeased by the surrounding yin qi. It becomes extremely agitated, accidentally goes berserk, and your cultivation regresses."

The system prompt immediately appeared.

Good!

Upon hearing this, Lu Li no longer hesitated and directly sat atop the black rock.

At the same time, he began silently reciting the Prajna Heart Sutra in his heart.

Yet his eyes remained open, filled with vigilance as he swept his gaze across the surroundings and the sky.

This was Ten Thousand Ghost Cave.

Quite a few Ghost Sect disciples had died here.

Moreover, many had not died at the hands of vicious ghosts, but at the hands of their fellow disciples!

Naturally, Lu Li had to be more cautious.

Three hours later.

There was one piece of bad news and one piece of good news.

The good news was that the progress of the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture had regressed to 36%.

In less than five days, this Flying Heaven Temple true transmission technique would completely regress to zero.

However, the bad news was... the cultivation progress of the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art had begun to slow:

"Your Indestructible Vajra Divine Art gains a slight insight after listening to a supreme Buddhist scripture."

"Progress increases by 1%."

Three hours had only increased it by 1%.

Cultivating for nine hours a day would only increase it by 3%.

Adding the 2% gained from the technique cultivating automatically while he slept, it only came to 5% in total.

At this rate, it would take half a month to break through to the fourth layer.

The speed had slowed down.

It was like a woman riding a roller coaster: when it was fast, she was delighted; the moment it slowed down, she was immediately dissatisfied.

Lu Li was dissatisfied as well.

Forget it. He would focus on cultivating for now.

When he had the chance in the future, he would find another Buddhist Sect technique to cultivate and increase his combat strength.

With the Prajna Heart Sutra, he did not need to fear slow cultivation speeds for Buddhist Sect techniques!

Having made up his mind, Lu Li settled down and cultivated the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art.

Time flew by in the blink of an eye.

Two more records had appeared in the System Log:

"Progress increases by 1%."

"Progress increases by 1%."

It was time to go back!

Lu Li's spirits lifted. He rose to his feet, preparing to return to his cave abode to sleep.

But at that very moment, the hairs on his body suddenly stood on end.

The temperature around him seemed to have dropped.

Danger!

Lu Li abruptly turned around and saw a millstone-sized mass of black qi shooting toward him from a hundred zhang away.

It was as fast as a flying arrow!

"This... is a vicious ghost! Hm? A ghost!"

Sensing the overwhelming resentment rushing out from within the black qi, Lu Li's pupils shrank, and his first instinct was to run.

But he instantly came to his senses. He was a cultivator now.

Why should he fear ghosts?

Ghosts should be afraid of him!

In that brief moment of hesitation, the mass of black qi had already pounced over. It abruptly stopped three zhang away, floating in the air as it began circling Lu Li.

Lu Li also saw the vicious ghost's true form clearly.

It was a Big-Headed Ghost Infant.

Its lower body, condensed from ghost qi, was pitch-black as ink and as small and thin as a cat, only the size of a palm.

But its head was as large as three winter melons.

Its two blood-red eyes were as large as fists, shooting out terrifying red light.

Its mouth gaped wide, revealing two rows of chillingly white, razor-sharp teeth, drool dripping from them.

A closer look showed that the nails on its hands had turned jet-black, sharp as blades.

"Woo woo woo... a living person... such sweet blood qi... kill..." The Big-Headed Ghost Infant slightly crouched as it circled Lu Li, releasing low, mournful howls from its mouth.

It looked utterly savage and horrifying.

This was a vicious ghost at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refinement.

Lu Li frowned slightly.

He had guessed it. His powerful blood qi had attracted this bloodthirsty Ghost Infant.

"This is a little troublesome."

Lu Li's face darkened slightly as he stared fixedly at the Big-Headed Ghost Infant.

His fists slowly clenched.

Hiss.

Suddenly, the Big-Headed Ghost Infant let out a sharp, ear-piercing shriek.

A visible ring of sound waves burst from its mouth, sweeping over like ripples rapidly spreading across a lake.

It struck Lu Li's body in an instant.

Buzz.

A stabbing pain shot through Lu Li's head, as though needles had pierced it.

This was a vicious ghost's spell attack!

By the time he came back to his senses, the Big-Headed Ghost Infant had already lunged before him, opening its blood-filled, saw-toothed maw and viciously biting down at Lu Li's head.

Chilling ghost qi rushed straight at his face.

If it bit him, ghost qi would enter his body, freezing all his blood qi and leaving him unable to move. Then he would be at the vicious ghost's mercy, like meat on the chopping block.

"Not good!"

Lu Li had no experience killing ghosts, and he froze for a moment.

Then, the Big-Headed Ghost Infant bit down on his head.

"Ah!"

Strangely enough, in the next moment, the Big-Headed Ghost Infant let out a shrill, agonized scream and shot backward even faster.

Lu Li was completely unharmed.

Looking again at the Big-Headed Ghost Infant, its enormous mouth seemed to have been drenched in aqua regia and sulfuric acid, melting away entirely.

A huge hole had melted directly into its face.

It looked even more terrifying, bizarre, and frightening.

It was blood qi!

Lu Li immediately realized.

Ordinary ghosts feared sunlight, Sha Qi, and vigorous yang blood qi!

His physical body possessed the strength of twenty-four thousand jin. His blood qi was powerful as a furnace, fierce and blazing with yang energy—the natural bane of yin souls.

Moreover, the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art he cultivated was a Buddhist Sect technique, which also restrained ghosts.

At this thought, Lu Li no longer felt the slightest fear. His gaze darkened as he began circulating his blood qi.

Crash, crash, crash, crash.

The blood qi throughout his body began to boil.

Then, he stepped forward like a fierce tiger bursting from its cage, leaping before the Big-Headed Ghost Infant and slamming down with his palm.

That step was the Spirit Ghost Phantom Step.

That palm was the White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm.

"Woo!"

Sensing the blazing yang blood qi, hot as the sun, the Big-Headed Ghost Infant launched another sound-wave attack. With a flash, it retreated ten zhang away and dodged the attack.

But...

"You are a Big-Headed Ghost Infant born from torment and suffering, your resentment soaring to the heavens. You should never have remained in this world. Returning to reincarnation is your true destiny. Go."

Lu Li's expression was icy as he followed in a single step and struck out with his palm.

Bang.

His palm flashed with faint golden light as it struck the Big-Headed Ghost Infant's huge head dead center and pierced straight through it.

"Ah..."

The Big-Headed Ghost Infant released an incomparably piercing shriek.

Then, with a bang, it exploded into a skyful of pitch-black ghost qi.

The next moment, the ghost qi in the sky automatically burrowed into Lu Li's body, vanishing without a trace.

At the same time, three system prompts rang out in his mind:

"Your Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture completely goes berserk because ghost qi enters your body, and your cultivation regresses."

"Your Spirit Ghost Phantom Step absorbs pure ghost qi, greatly invigorating its spirit. Cultivation efficiency increases by 50%."

"Your White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm is delighted because you killed an enemy. Cultivation efficiency increases by 50%."