186: Chapter 186 Obsession, Encounter

"Immortal Ancestor above, please bless me!"

Deng Tianhao held the glazed white jade tablet before his chest, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a grave expression as he moved.

He could feel something watching him from the shadows.

That gaze was naked and predatory, like venomous snakes lurking in the darkness, watching their prey and waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a fatal strike.

Fortunately, the glazed white jade tablet in his hand was a celestial artifact passed down from the Immortal Ancestor, capable of protecting him from the various strange and bizarre dangers within the Duantian Forbidden Land.

This included the Immortal-Falling Mist, which even Golden Core True Monarchs had to avoid, and the Bone-Dissolving Wind, which could blow even a Five Laws Great Zhenren to death.

The name 'Forbidden Ground' was not just for show.

Without a special Opportunity, even a Golden Core True Monarch would have to leave something behind to escape the Duantian Forbidden Land.

"The position where the light pillar appeared earlier is deep within the Duantian Forbidden Land, a place I never dared to step into even after obtaining the jade tablet."

"Now that the Forbidden Ground is changing, perhaps the Immortal Ancestor is issuing a warning. Regardless, I must go deep into the Forbidden Ground to see exactly what has happened."

Deng Tianhao muttered to himself.

He stood still and took a deep breath to calm his somewhat flustered mind.

The glazed white jade tablet held before his chest was currently emitting a shimmering white light, as if it were providing guidance.

"It's the Immortal Ancestor! The Immortal Ancestor must have heard my words and is showing me the way!"

Deng Tianhao first bowed respectfully three times toward the white jade tablet, then his gaze became resolute as he stepped into the previously unexplored area with steady and forceful strides.

An elderly figure could be seen walking toward the depths of the Duantian Forbidden Land.

Among the ruins behind him, figures shrouded in black mist with crimson eyes stared at him until he completely entered the depths of the Forbidden Ground, after which they dispersed in all directions.

On the other side.

Chen Xianting and the other three originally intended to wait and see, remaining still if the enemy didn't move and acting only if the enemy did.

Who would have thought that after standing for a long time, they wouldn't see even a single ghostly shadow.

Instead, the crying sounds grew closer and louder, becoming sharp and ear-piercing.

It sounded as if thousands upon thousands of people were weeping. A sorrowful atmosphere permeated the area, as if even the heavens were mourning and the sun and moon were shedding tears.

Even the four of them, despite their grave expressions, felt an urge to weep and wail out loud.

"Crap, what kind of hellhole have we been teleported to?"

Ming Changzhi grumbled with dissatisfaction.

"If the power that governed the Chongming Trial had not yet been destroyed, we would surely have enjoyed the highest level of treatment upon being teleported here."

"But now, we won't be enjoying any such treatment; instead, we have to face... some bizarre things born after that power's destruction."

Above Chen Xianling's head floated a Jade Tripod glowing with red light. A heart-penetrating fragrance diffused from it, making one's blood feel as if it were burning and boiling.

"When Mortals die, they can turn into ghosts due to strong resentment or lingering obsessions, preferring Yin and harming Yang."

"When some high-level Cultivators die, their obsessions can turn into a very special kind of existence, thousands of times more terrifying than ghosts. All their actions are solely to fulfill or dispel that obsession!"

Hao Wujiu spoke in a deep voice.

He had once seen a classic text in the Haoyang Sect's library where ancient experts discussed the Nine Serene Netherworld and the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

It mentioned that there are Nine Heavens above and Nine Serenes below.

After a living being dies, their soul does not dissipate but enters the Nine Serene Netherworld.

They pass through the Ghost Gate Pass, walk across the Bridge of Helplessness, cross the Yellow Springs River, and then drink the soup that wipes away memories of the past before finally entering the Six Paths of Reincarnation to be reborn.

Some experts refuted this.

They possessed the power to pluck the stars and seize the moon, ascending to the Nine Heavens and descending to the Nine Serenes.

Even after death, their Primordial Spirit could endure within the world, not entering the Nine Serene Netherworld nor falling into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Not just themselves—if their friends or family died, they could use great Divine Abilities and mighty magic to storm the Netherworld and pluck out the souls of the deceased, allowing them to live another life.

For such beings, what difference was there between the Nine Serene Netherworld and nothingness?

To powerful Cultivators, the Six Paths of Reincarnation were mere decorations.

So, what was the meaning of its existence?

One expert answered: "This is required for a complete world. Without the Nine Serene Netherworld and the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the Yin and Yang of the world would be unbalanced, leading to instability and the birth of various disasters."

As for the act of plucking the souls of deceased loved ones from the Nine Serene Netherworld, in this expert's view, it was a Heaven-Defying act that went against the natural laws of the world's operation, bringing harm rather than benefit to the world.

"According to what Young Master Wujiu said, the owner of this crying sound is an obsession that has endured in the world, and everything it does is to fulfill that obsession?"

The light from the Jade Tripod above Chen Xianling's head intensified, and a surging,熾盛 blood-Qi rose up like a Dragon, dispersing the thick black clouds in the sky and allowing the clear moonlight to spill down.

"Correct."

Hao Wujiu nodded, and a blazing sun burning with Solar True Fire rose behind him. Like a great sun bathing in the Eastern Sea, it was full of vitality, its crimson radiance seemingly capable of incinerating everything.

The cold, gloomy aura of this place instantly vanished.

The crying sounds coming from all directions stopped abruptly, vanishing without a trace in an instant, like mice encountering a cat.

"Then let's go over there and take a look."

Chen Xianting brandished the halberd in her hand, the tip pointing toward a dilapidated palace not far away.

"Agreed."

The other three had no objections.

Thus, the four of them walked toward the ruined palace, which was mostly collapsed but still barely recognizable.

Bang!

Supreme Fire surged around Chen Xianting like a wrathful flame deity. She kicked the rotting door flying, and as the Supreme Fire covered it, it was reduced to ashes in less than a moment.

"Let this Saintess see exactly what kind of thing is playing these ghostly tricks!"

After kicking the door away, she rushed inside like a gust of wind.

Rumble!

For a moment, the ground shook, and the domineering sounds of Supreme Fire echoed incessantly.

The already dilapidated palace could no longer hold up and completely collapsed into a pile of ruins.

"Pah, pah!"

Chen Xianting waved her hand to disperse the dust around her, swung her halberd to break open a large hole, and jumped out.

The mouths of Chen Xianling and the other two twitched slightly.

Too savage. One could only say that as expected of a Supreme Fire Cultivator, her temperament was incredibly fiery.

"Tingting, did you find anything?"

Chen Xianling inquired.

"There's nothing inside."

Chen Xianting shook her head, leaving the three of them slightly disappointed.

"However, I found this inside."

As she spoke, Chen Xianting extended her right hand from behind her back, revealing a piece of jade the size of a pebble that glowed brilliantly under the moonlight.

"What is this?"

Ming Changzhi was puzzled; what was so special about a piece of jade?

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a Recording Stone."

Hao Wujiu stared at the jade for a long while before slowly stating his guess.

"You're much better than your Senior Brother."

Chen Xianting tossed the jade to Hao Wujiu.

"Miss Xianting, what are you doing?"

The latter was a bit at a loss.

"You are a Cultivator of the Solar Path, and you inherently counter all things evil and bizarre. Therefore, you are the best person to activate the jade stone."

Chen Xianting said with a serious face.

"I see."

For some reason, a faint sense of disappointment rose within Hao Wujiu.

Buzz!

As Hao Wujiu infused mana into the jade, the originally ordinary stone began to tremble, and patterns began to emerge.

A brilliant and dazzling beam of light shot out, forming a projection as intermittent sounds were heard.

"The Palace Master... is dead. The Grand Elders... are also dead. We... have lost. We failed to protect... Chongming..."

"They... have come. The Senior Brothers and sisters... are all dead. Only... I am left."

"Descendants... remember... the Immortal Ancestor is... not... an Evil Demon."

Crack!

The crisp sound was particularly ear-piercing in this empty and lonely ruin.

Hao Wujiu hurriedly threw away the jade stone in his hand. Solar mana flowed through every corner of his body, missing not a single spot, for fear that he had been marked by some unknown entity.

"Whoa!"

Chen Xianting's eyes widened.

The jade stone that had fallen to the ground cracked with several fissures, and a bright red liquid flowed out from within, as if it were weeping, which was enough to send shivers down one's spine.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

At that moment, a cold wind suddenly blew through the ruins. The mournful howling of the wind echoed in the ears of the four, sounding as if millions of beings were weeping blood and recounting tales of blood and tears.

The four of them felt their scalps tingle and their skin crawl with goosebumps.

"Swish!"

Hao Wujiu decided immediately. The blazing sun behind him rose into the air, transforming into a great sun that illuminated all directions. Its fierce radiance barely managed to disperse the cold wind within a three-zhang radius.

"Let's go, quickly!"

The four of them didn't hesitate, chose a direction, and ran off.

Gradually, a mist began to rise, and visibility became extremely low.

Hao Wujiu had already put away his blazing sun and instead activated a jade talisman containing the Divine Ability of a Purple Mansion Elder from his sect.

A golden-yellow barrier, which looked thin and not very reliable, protected the four of them. It wavered unceasingly under the blowing of the cold wind, looking as if it could shatter at any moment.

Chen Xianting pulled Chen Xianling with one hand and held her halberd in the other, leading the way.

Hao Wujiu was in the middle, and Ming Changzhi brought up the rear.

The atmosphere was now tense to the extreme; even the slightest movement would trigger a frantic attack from the four of them.

However, their Foundation Establishment Divine Senses were suppressed to a radius of one zhang, making it impossible to detect any movement further away.

Figures clad in tattered ancient robes with incomplete bodies were faintly visible in the thick mist, trailing far behind the four of them like rows of scarecrows dancing in the wind. The rustling sounds they made were terrifying.

"Sister Lingling, should I summon Ancestor Yuan and have him lead us out?"

Chen Xianting sent a small voice transmission.

"No, this place is too strange. Rashly summoning Ancestor Yuan might cause unpredictable things to happen. Don't do it unless it's absolutely necessary."

Chen Xianling refused.

She had a very strong premonition.

If Ancestor Yuan were summoned here, terrifying changes would surely occur. For the four of them, it would not be a good thing and they might very well be wiped out.

Time passed quickly.

The four of them walked through the thick mist for an hour.

As for why they didn't fly by transforming into rainbow light?

They didn't dare to and couldn't, as there were restrictions everywhere here.

"Wait."

At this point, Chen Xianting, who was walking in front, paused and raised her hand to signal.

"What's wrong?"

Hao Wujiu asked in a low voice.

"In front... it seems someone is coming!"

Chen Xianting looked solemnly at the gray mist as thick as leaden clouds before her. She swung her halberd, and Supreme Fire mana surged, a terrifying fluctuation diffusing from it.

The other three also looked forward with grave expressions, each accumulating mana and preparing to launch a powerful strike.

They're here!

As the footsteps drew closer, Supreme Fire flashed in Chen Xianting's eyes. Surging mana, like angry waves crashing against the shore, swept out as she slashed down in a rage with the boundless power to cleave through ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers.

The Jade Tripod above Chen Xianting's head glowed with intense blood-light, growing to the size of a mountain. A Jade-Blood Great Dragon charged out from the mouth of the tripod, vigorous and powerful, crushing through the sky as it pounced forward.

Hao Wujiu and his Senior Brother joined forces to deliver a strike. Their Solar mana was like a turbulent sea, manifesting an ancient mirror engraved with nine suns. The mirror was aimed forward, and as endless radiance diffused, a beam of light that pierced through heaven and earth shot out instantly.

Sixth-Grade Solar Spell: Nine Suns Shining Mirror!

Rumble!

The attacks of the four arrived almost at the same time.

A terrifying explosion of energy, like millions of tons of explosives going off at once, brutally tore open the thick mist, causing the ruins to shake violently and break open with long, deep chasms.

The aftershocks raged like a wild tide, tearing apart everything in their path. Many ruins were hit by the impact and could no longer maintain their form, instantly turning into dust and dispersing into the air.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

"Quickly stop, quickly stop!"

"This old man is a human, a living, breathing human, not one of those dead things wandering within the Duantian Forbidden Land!"