Chapter 7: Ghost Hunting 1 (Third Update Today, Please Bookmark)
Among Overlapping Peaks' many ghost-raising grounds, Lonely Soul Ridge stood at a relatively high elevation.
Generally speaking, ghostly creatures favored damp, cold, and shadowy places. The lower the terrain, the more suitable it was for raising ghosts. Even in the Soulbreak Mountains, where yin energy was dense and lingered year-round, this remained true.
However, although Lonely Soul Ridge stood higher, it was naturally a place where yin gathered. Due to the natural formations of several small hills within Lonely Soul Ridge, they faintly formed a small yin-gathering array. That was what ultimately made it a place suitable for raising Yin Souls and ghostly creatures.
Every ghost-raising ground registered under the Yin Soul Sect had a small outpost.
The main duty of these small outposts was to monitor the number of ghosts within the ghost-raising grounds and mediate conflicts among the disciples there, among other things.
Upon arriving outside Lonely Soul Ridge, Hu Donghan dismounted from his horse and entered the outpost first.
Lonely Soul Ridge was mainly suited for Late Qi Refining Realm cultivators to hunt ghosts. However, because Overlapping Peaks had issued a mission earlier, many ghosts had already been wiped out. Now, the number of disciples hunting ghosts here had sharply declined. There were only a dozen or so people in the entire Lonely Soul Ridge outpost. Of those dozen or so, five or six were selling goods—pills, tools, and other items needed for ghost hunting.
Since it was Hu Donghan's first time at Lonely Soul Ridge, he naturally had to pay a visit to the cultivators guarding its outpost.
After asking a Yin Soul Sect disciple at the side for directions, Hu Donghan quickly arrived where the outpost's guards were stationed.
Lonely Soul Ridge was not small, yet it was guarded by three Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators. Standing before them, Hu Donghan respectfully bowed to the three Foundation Establishment cultivators in the outpost. "Outer Sect disciple Hu Donghan of Overlapping Peaks greets the three Martial Uncles."
One of the three Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators opened his eyes and swept his gaze over Hu Donghan. He gave a surprised "Eh?" and said, "Only Qi Refining First Layer, yet you've come running to Lonely Soul Ridge? You've got some nerve!"
After speaking, the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator seemed to recall something. He nodded and said, "Right. Lonely Soul Ridge was just cleansed a few days ago, and all the Yin Souls and ghostly creatures with any real strength were cleared out. What remains are merely two or three stray kittens. The newly released ghosts have yet to mature. In that sense, this really is suitable for you to gain some experience. Am I right?"
Hu Donghan's expression remained respectful as he repeatedly nodded. "Martial Uncle speaks truly. That is indeed this junior's intention. This disciple has only recently advanced to Qi Refining First Layer. I came here this time to complete my entrance trial mission."
"An entrance trial mission? This place is indeed quite suitable now. Since that is the case, go and finish your mission quickly! However, with your current strength, you must still pay attention to your safety. Remember, you may only roam around the outskirts of Lonely Soul Ridge. Do not venture deep inside. If you encounter a lone Yin Soul, observe the strength of its Soul Body before deciding whether to hunt it. If you encounter a group of Yin Souls, avoid them if possible. Even if you cannot avoid them, do not provoke them, lest you be surrounded and killed by Yin Souls. Lonely Soul Ridge is currently in the season when Yin Souls and ghostly creatures multiply. In about half a month, both their numbers and strength will surge. Finish your mission and leave Lonely Soul Ridge within half a month if you can."
The Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator gave Hu Donghan several routine warnings, then tossed him a jade talisman. "This jade talisman is a distress talisman. If you encounter any danger, you can crush it, and one of the three of us will go to rescue you. But remember, rescue is not free. Each time we move, it costs five hundred Spirit Stones. If you do not have Spirit Stones, you will have to repay the debt with your future monthly stipends. Understand?"
Naturally, jade talisman rescues and the like were not rules of the Yin Soul Sect. These Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators were merely earning a little extra on the side.
However, the Yin Soul Sect did not prohibit this. Whether to crush the jade talisman was entirely up to the disciple. Five hundred Spirit Stones in exchange for a life was a willing bargain on both sides. If you were unwilling, you could simply throw the jade talisman away.
"I understand. This junior thanks Martial Uncle." Hu Donghan knew that, to some extent, this jade talisman could save his life, so he carefully placed it in his robes.
Which was more important, Spirit Stones or one's life? For Hu Donghan, who had already died once, the answer could not have been clearer.
If he truly encountered danger, then as long as he could survive, paying five hundred Spirit Stones was nothing.
After bidding farewell to the three Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, Hu Donghan mounted his bone horse again. Holding a map of Lonely Soul Ridge, he slowly headed deeper into the ridge.
The bone horse walked slowly while Hu Donghan studied the map of Lonely Soul Ridge. He examined it carefully for the time it took to burn an incense stick, only putting it away after the number of Wandering Souls around him began to increase.
"There are more Wandering Souls around now. I must have entered the outskirts of Lonely Soul Ridge. The outer regions of Lonely Soul Ridge contain a great number of Wandering Souls and a small number of weak Yin Souls."
"Yin Souls are evolved from Wandering Souls after they absorb sufficient yin energy. The difference between Wandering Souls and Yin Souls is like the difference between mortals and cultivators. These Wandering Souls pose virtually no threat to cultivators."
"The Yin Souls of Lonely Soul Ridge are distributed such that only a small number of lone Yin Souls can be found on the outskirts. They are scarce and the weakest among them; even at Qi Refining First Layer, I can handle them. Deeper within are the inner regions and the core of Lonely Soul Ridge. The closer one gets to the center, the stronger the Yin Souls and ghostly creatures become. As long as I stay active in the outskirts, there should not be any danger..."
As Hu Donghan pondered this, he rode his bone horse farther into Lonely Soul Ridge.
As he gradually ventured deeper, the number of Wandering Souls around him increased as well. Within a hundred-meter radius, there were already more than ten Wandering Souls! And within Hu Donghan's field of vision, Yin Souls finally appeared as well!
The difference between Yin Souls and Wandering Souls lay in whether they possessed sufficient yin energy within their bodies!
Wandering Souls were merely souls gathered with a wisp of yin energy, without any concrete shape. Because their yin energy was too thin, mortals could not see them at all. The yin energy of Yin Souls, however, was already visible to mortals and had begun to gradually take on a certain shape. Depending on the main portion of the soul, some Yin Souls were humanoid, some took animal forms, while others were so bizarrely shaped that it was impossible to tell what they resembled.
Now, within three hundred meters in front of Hu Donghan, there was a Yin Soul.
At a glance, this Yin Soul was the type that had only recently absorbed sufficient yin energy and had just formed.
The yin energy in its body was merely gathered together in a chaotic mass, as though a single careless touch would cause it to disperse. Its concentration of yin energy was only slightly stronger than that of a Wandering Soul.
(End of Chapter)
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