573: Lu Xueqi (50)

But the old woman in front of them gave off an extremely ominous feeling.

Su Han stopped, looking warily at the old woman.

The Netherworld Mark sent a warning: this was not a true Meng Po deity, but more like a projection or… a trap formed by the netherworld Law of this place, combined with scattered Soul Power and resentment.

The old woman raised her hollow eyes and looked at the three, her voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing together: “Passersby… have a bowl of soup… forget your worries, forget your pain… the road ahead is long, have a bowl of soup, and be on your way…”

She stretched out her withered hand, scooped a bowl of turbid liquid from a wooden bucket, and offered it.

In that bowl of soup, countless shifting faces seemed to be reflected, filled with the power of temptation and delusion.

Su Han’s eyes turned cold, his spiritual Qi circulating as he said in a deep voice: “We are not wandering Souls; we will not drink this soup!”

The smile on the old woman’s face instantly vanished, turning ferocious: “No soup… no passage… stay… stay and keep this old woman company…”

Before her words finished, the broken bowl in her hand suddenly exploded, and the turbid soup transformed into countless ferocious ghostly faces, howling as they lunged at the three!

At the same time, the surrounding mist churned violently, and more ghostly figures emerged from the mist and the spider lily sea, emitting piercing wails as they swarmed forward!

“Be careful!” Lu Xueqi cried out, and the tianya sword suddenly unsheathed!

“Zheng—!”

A clear sword cry echoed through the netherworld, and a dazzling blue sword Qi, like Nine Heavens thunder, swept out!

Where the sword light passed, the lunging ghostly faces and approaching ghostly figures melted like ice and snow, emitting miserable screams and instantly disintegrating!

Bi Yao attacked simultaneously, her heartbreak flower glowing brightly with white light, its petal phantoms dancing in the sky, forming a barrier that blocked the pervasive mental attacks and resentment impacts.

Su Han did not use spiritual Qi to attack, but instead fully activated the Netherworld Mark in his Sea of Consciousness!

The mark glowed hot, and an invisible fluctuation, carrying the majesty of the underworld, spread out!

That fluctuation had an Innate suppressing effect on these ghostly beings derived from or attracted by the netherworld Law!

The ghostly figures that had been surging forward suddenly froze upon sensing this fluctuation, their faces showing instinctive fear, and they shrieked as they retreated, daring not to approach further.

Even the projection of the old woman with the ferocious face became blurry and distorted in the fluctuation, finally emitting an unwilling shriek before dissipating into the mist.

The attack abruptly ceased.

The mist calmed down somewhat, but the lurking gazes did not completely disappear.

“It seems that every step on this Yellow Springs Road is fraught with danger,” Lu Xueqi returned her sword to its sheath, her tone solemn. With that one strike, she had felt how troublesome these ghostly beings were; if not for the tianya divine sword’s extreme rigidity and Yang energy, which countered evil, it would have taken a lot more effort.

“These should only be peripheral disturbances,” Su Han looked at the spot where the old woman disappeared. “The real danger is probably after the Ghost Gate Pass. Keep moving forward, do not stop.”

The three set off again, even more cautiously.

During the subsequent journey, they encountered several similar attacks.

Sometimes it was illusions, stirring Heart Demons, making people wallow in past regrets or fears; sometimes it was stronger resentment collectives, lunging from the sea of flowers or mist; sometimes it was even changes in the Yellow Springs Road itself, where the ground suddenly became muddy and sticky, with countless ghostly hands reaching out to grab their ankles.

But with the three’s tacit cooperation, they passed through without major incident.

Lu Xueqi’s Nine Heavens spiritual Qi and the tianya divine sword were Sharp Weapons for breaking through evil; Bi Yao’s heartbreak flower excelled at defense and spiritual protection; and Su Han’s Netherworld Mark was like a “pass” and “deterrent charm” for this place, capable of largely avoiding or weakening Law-level dangers.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the mist ahead gradually thinned.

The towering Ghost Gate Pass finally appeared completely before their eyes!

Viewing it up close, one could feel its immense Aura and heavy oppressive force even more.

The dark giant stones seemed to absorb all light, covered with traces of time and some huge claw marks and sword scars, as if they had endured a fierce battle.

The massive bronze gate was tightly shut, and the ghostly reliefs on the gate were lifelike, as if they could come alive at any moment to devour people.

The Qi seeping from the gate crack was filled with extreme deathly stillness and chaos.

And upon reaching here, the burning sensation of the Netherworld Mark in Su Han’s Sea of Consciousness almost reached its Peak, clearly pointing to what lay beyond the gate!

The frantic fluctuations of the Soul Devouring Beast’s remnant Soul also pounded his perception like a drum.

At the same time, he also perceived more clearly that the Seal’s power was being violently impacted from within, and the source of the black Qi seeping from the cracks in the stone tablet was precisely beyond the gate!

Above the colossal bronze gate, where it was originally seamlessly closed, subtle cracks now appeared, from which more pure and terrifying black Qi continuously seeped out.

“The core of the Seal is behind the gate,” Su Han took a deep breath, his gaze solemn as he looked at Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao. “Get ready, the situation behind the gate is probably worse than we imagine.”

Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao nodded, each raising their state to their Peak.

Su Han walked to the gigantic bronze gate, stretched out his hand, and pressed it against the icy cold surface of the gate.

He activated his Divine Sense, drawing upon the Netherworld Mark in his Sea of Consciousness, and infused a pure Qi, imbued with the authority of the underworld, into the runes on the gate.

This was the method hinted at by the information contained within the mark—using the mark as a key to open the Ghost Gate Pass!

As the netherworld power was injected, the reliefs on the gate seemed to come alive, and the eyes of the ghostly figures lit up with an eerie glow.

Ancient runes lit up one by one, emitting a hazy radiance.

“Rumble—!”

A dull roar, like thunder from ancient times, sounded, and the gigantic bronze gate slowly opened a crack inward!

A surge of even denser, purer, and terrifying Qi, mixed with extreme Death Qi and the Soul Devouring Beast’s frenzied intent, poured out from the gate crack like a bursting dam!

In an instant, all three felt their breath catch, their Souls seemingly about to be frozen and torn apart!

Beyond the gate crack was a boundless, deep darkness, where a vast, desolate, and dilapidated courtyard was faintly visible, with the outlines of palaces in the distance, though most were already in ruins.

Death Qi permeated the area, and the Laws were incomplete, as if it were a forgotten ruin of the underworld.

And right in the center of that ruin, a colossal, twisted, indescribable entity composed of countless tormented faces and chaotic shadows was frantically assaulting a dim, cracked Seal of light!

Each impact made the entire space tremble, and the cracks on the Ghost Gate Pass widened slightly!

That was the sealed remnant Soul of the Soul Devouring Beast!

Its state was extremely frenzied; it seemed to have sensed the Qi of living beings and the power of the Netherworld Mark, becoming even more violent, and a terrifying devouring intent locked onto the newly opened Ghost Gate Pass!

“Roar—!”

A roar, not propagated through the air but directly affecting the Soul level, suddenly erupted from beyond the gate!

Su Han, Lu Xueqi, and Bi Yao’s expressions changed simultaneously! (End of Chapter)