Chapter 1: The Journey to Fongto (Part 1)
In the west of Shu, Qin River has been known for its steep mountains and deep valleys since ancient times, hiding countless mysteries. Fengdu, located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, is a place with rugged terrain, where the yin energy is the heaviest in the southwest. Since ancient times, numerous legends have been circulating here, and stories about gods, spirits, and ghosts are very popular.
Fengdu has a mysterious ghost temple, which is said to be built specifically for the worship of ghosts and gods, praying for peace. No one can clearly say when this ancient strange cave stone temple was built by whom. In short, in people's impression, it has always stood there, with someone guarding it. Naturally, these guardians are only outstanding disciples of Yiyuan. For safety, since the establishment of Yiyuan, people have been stationed here at all times.
The sky was gloomy, filled with dark clouds. A faint black aura gathered above Fengdu, and from a distance, it looked like a black mushroom, extremely ominous. In the distance, dozens of rays of light flickered in and out of the cloud layer, appearing very mysterious. In mid-air, Xuan Yu True Person glanced around at everyone and shouted loudly: "We're almost there, be careful, the yin energy ahead is extremely heavy, it's best for everyone to circulate their qi to protect themselves." As soon as he finished speaking, a green light flashed around his body, and a shield of energy enveloped him.
Everyone present added a layer of true energy mask outside their bodies to prevent danger. As a result, the crowd advancing at high speed suddenly produced an ear-piercing howl with the fast-moving air flow due to the addition of the masks, and it spread across the fields in an instant.
On the ground, at the entrance of the Ghost Gate, the disciples of Yi Garden heard an unusual whistle from the sky and looked up one after another. In the gloomy sky, sixteen dazzling lights were flying towards them at a stunning speed. Among these lights, the most striking ones were a five-colored light and a crimson red flame, followed by two purple and yellow lights. Due to their high speed, those people instantly appeared above Fengdu Ghost Gate.
Suddenly, a disciple at the gate shouted with excitement: "It's Master Shi and his party who have arrived, quickly inform Master and Master Shu, hurry up!" As soon as the words fell, the ground suddenly shook with people rushing about, many disciples excitedly rushed into the cave to report the news.
In front of the Ghost Mansion entrance, a flash of light appeared, and sixteen figures emerged before everyone's eyes. This group of people was naturally the seven from Yi Garden, plus three from Feng Huang Academy, three from Ru Garden, and three from Tian Jian Academy, totaling sixteen people. Xuan Yu True Person looked at the many disciples under his gate and said softly, "Everyone has worked hard. This time, because of our Yi Garden's matter, Feng Huang Academy, Ru Garden, and Tian Jian Academy have all sent high-ranking experts to assist us. I believe that as long as we work together, we can definitely drive away those ghostly creatures. Now, let me introduce you to the high-ranking experts from these three academies beside me. If they need anything in the future, everyone must fully cooperate." After finishing speaking, he slowly introduced the people beside him.
Just in time, Qianyuan Zhenren and Xuanyin Zhenren had arrived upon hearing the news. As soon as they met, both sides were shocked. Xuanyu Zhenren saw that his two junior brothers were spiritless and pale-faced, and understood that they had exhausted all their strength. Qianyuan and Xuanyin were also shocked to see the arrival of the other three institutes' experts, seemingly somewhat unexpected. Li Hongfei and Lin Yunfeng couldn't help but rush to their masters' side upon seeing their appearance, looking at them with concern.
Lin Yunfeng pulled his master's hand, pouring all his true yuan into his body to make up for the master's excessive consumption of yuan energy. Xuan Yin Zhenren looked at him with a hint of concern in his eyes and asked, "Little ghost, did you go out and embarrass me this time? You've suddenly become so much better."
Lin Yunfeng's face changed slightly, and he muttered: "Master, I've actually tried my best too, it's just that my cultivation is still shallow, so I lost in the second round. But I'll work hard from now on, don't worry. I have some good news to tell you, this time, Lu Yun won first place for our Yi Garden! From now on, we are already the top of the six gardens! Master, do you know? I'm so excited!" As he spoke, his whole person became very agitated.
Xuan Yin Zhenren's face changed upon hearing the words, and he grabbed Yun Feng's hand, asking urgently: "What? Are you telling the truth? You're not deceiving me, have we really become the first of the six institutes?" Beside him, Qian Yuan Zhenren's face also changed greatly, with a look of excitement and surprise. Zi Yang Zhenren looked at the two of them, his face filled with excited emotions, walked to their side, grabbed their hands, and trembled as he said: "Yun Feng's words are not false. Lu Yun cultivated the 'Five Thunder Heavenly Secret' that no one in our Yi Garden has ever successfully cultivated since ancient times, and thus took first place for Yi Garden among the six institutes."
The three men's hands were tightly clasped together, their eyes filled with unspoken joy and astonishment. Xuan Yin Zhenren glanced at Lu Yun a few feet away, excitedly saying to Zi Yang: "Congratulations, the Yang Institute has finally produced an outstanding talent who will shake the world." Qian Yuan Zhenren also looked at Lu Yun, his eyes revealing a hint of surprise. He seemed to have never thought that Lu Yun would return with first place for Yi Garden. After glancing at Zi Yang, Qian Yuan Zhenren was about to speak when he was interrupted by Xuan Yu Zhenren's words.
Xuan Yu Zhen Ren looked at the two excited disciples and said softly, "Alright, you two disciples, I'll tell you about this matter in detail when I have time. For now, let's go see the honored guest of the Third Institute. The most pressing matter is how to block the exit of the Ghost Domain, that's what's important. Time is urgent, we need to discuss how to handle this matter immediately."
Ziyang Zhenren let go of the two, and together with them, they paid their respects to the crowd. After everyone exchanged a few pleasantries, Xuan Yu Zhenren asked: "What's the situation inside now? How much longer can you hold on?"
Qianyuan Zhenren looked at everyone with a worried expression: "In the past few days, many ghosts have entered the mortal world from this exit. Since we can't split up for the time being, we can't take care of those ghost spirits that have entered the mortal world either. Fortunately, there aren't any particularly powerful ghosts, so we don't need to worry about it for now. As for inside, after the soul-sealing charm was thrown away, the entire exit is constantly expanding. Xuan Yin Shidi's full-force deployment of 'Easy Heaven Shocking Soul Technique' has also formed a seal that can no longer hold up, and at most by tonight, it will be broken through by those frantically surging ghosts. Once the seal is broken, I'm afraid we won't be able to resist either."
