Volume 2 Chapter 2 Entering the Ghost Realm for the First Time
The sky was getting darker, and the sky near Fengdu seemed particularly gloomy. Layers of black fog drifted in mid-air, as if hinting at something. Nighttime was the realm of ghosts. At this moment, the surrounding area was filled with eerie winds and faint, terrifying ghostly voices that startled people's souls, making the newcomers from the Four Institutes feel somewhat unnatural.
In front of the Ghostly Cave, Liu Xingyun and Zi Yang Zhenren were already prepared. The two groups of people stood on either side, quietly waiting for Xuan Yu Zhenren to give the order. Looking at the 11 people in each group, Xuan Yu Zhenren said: "This time, when we go to the Ghost Domain, it will be extremely perilous along the way. We will encounter countless ghostly creatures. I hope everyone will work together and help each other overcome the difficulties and complete the task successfully. Here, I wish you all a smooth journey and a triumphant return. Time is limited, so let's not say more. Let's set off now. The seal has already begun to break, and it will shatter soon. Everyone must remember that at the moment of its destruction, they must stabilize their bodies. When the ghostly creatures swarm out and are blocked by our array, their momentum will subside. At that time, everyone must seize the opportunity in that instant and charge into the Ghost Domain. As for what happens later, it's all up to you. Good luck! The safety of the Mortal Realm is now in your hands."
"Rest assured, we will do our best to complete the task," said Zi Yang Zhen Ren in a deep voice. Liu Xing Hun saw him speak up and also spoke up, "No matter how dangerous the road ahead is, we will all charge forward bravely and must retrieve the Soul-Sealing Symbol, completing the task smoothly."
Xuan Yu's eyes revealed a hint of worry as he looked at everyone and said in a low voice, "The journey ahead is perilous, take care. Let's depart!" After finishing speaking, he led the two groups into the Gui Fu Cave Heaven. Lu Yun walked behind Zi Yang, with Ao Xue and Cang Yue following closely behind, while Xu Jie and Yun Feng brought up the rear. On the opposite side, Liu Xing Hun led Jian Wu Chen, Leng Jia Hao, Bi Tian, and Du Li, walking in parallel with Lu Yun's group.
As they stepped deeper, everyone felt the gloomy wind howling, eerie atmosphere spreading, and a thread of terror lingering in the air. On both sides, the dark stone walls emitted a faint glow, making them look eerily mysterious. The biting cold wind blew on everyone's body, causing them to shiver and involuntarily circulate their inner energy to ward off the chill.
After a long distance, everyone finally appeared at the exit of the Ghost Domain. Upon closer inspection, countless Yi Yuan disciples were busy cleaning up and clearing away all the debris left behind by the array. The powerful individuals from the four institutes had all gathered here, carefully watching the movements at the exit of the Ghost Domain.
Lu Yun carefully examined the exit, only to see a Taiji diagram flashing with green and red light, forming a seal that was like a huge net covering the entire three-zhang-sized ghost domain exit. At this moment, the large net flashing with green and red light was violently fluctuating. Countless black ghostly shadows were emitting mournful wails and angry roars from the other side of the net, crazily colliding with it. All around, in some corners, rocks were reduced to powder, and the net had already begun to crack, a small amount of ghostly creatures having broken through the seal and escaped.
Xuanyu Zhenren's face was heavy, he looked around and shouted: "Now everyone get ready, immediately gather near the stone wall, one on the left and one on the right. Once the seal is broken, we must fix our position with all our might, then take advantage of the opportunity to rush in. The rest of you, retreat behind the first seal, pay attention to the situation around at any time. Action!" After finishing speaking, he led others to withdraw backwards.
"Everyone, be alert and enter combat state," Ziyang Zhenren said loudly. "Advance three zhang and wait for the opportunity." As he finished speaking, his long sword shone with dazzling red light, and his body landed three zhang ahead, close to Ao Xue and Cang Yue. "I'll take the lead, everyone remember to follow closely behind me," he said, then glanced at Liu Xinghun and others opposite them, finding that they were also having Jian Wucheng take the lead.
Lu Yun's entire body burst forth with a brilliant red glow, and the Divine Sword of Intent rapidly vibrated. A heaven-shaking sword hum resounded, accompanied by a dazzling display of red light that spread outward. Countless ghostly creatures sensed the terrifying aura emanating from Lu Yun and hastily retreated. Those that failed to dodge in time were instantly reduced to dust beneath this single sword strike. Seizing the opportunity, Lu Yun advanced several feet forward, his Divine Sword of Intent flashing with blinding red light as it danced across the sky, weaving a complex pattern that carved out a bloody path ahead. Behind him, the five individuals rapidly followed, their silhouettes slowly disappearing into the entrance as they trailed behind Lu Yun.
Time passed in the intense battle. It was unclear how long they had been fighting, but Lu Yun finally led the crowd to break out of the ghostly creature's encirclement. In the chaos, he randomly chose a direction and fled wildly. As a result, he didn't have time to consider the situation of Liu Xing Hun and the others, and naturally lost contact with them.
After fleeing for a while, Zi Yang Zhen Ren spoke up: "Alright, we've temporarily shaken off those crazy ghosts. Everyone take a rest. Since we just arrived here, let's pay attention to the surroundings and see what's different from the mortal realm." Only then did everyone carefully observe their surroundings. Earlier, because they were all focused on fighting for their lives, they hadn't had the chance to notice these things. Now that they took a look, they realized this place was vastly different from the mortal realm.
Lu Yun looked around and found that the place was desolate and barren, with ups and downs in the terrain. Unfortunately, not a single blade of grass or tree could be seen, only bare rocks everywhere. The surroundings were dark and gloomy, and one could vaguely see the scenery ten zhang away. The sky above was also a dull yellowish color, with a black sun hanging in mid-air, but no light could be seen. All around, the cold wind howled and whistled, with eerie and piercing sounds that could be heard at any time. On the desolate plain, the cold wind cut to the bone, and the chill seemed to be everywhere.
Lu Yun quietly sent out three waves of spiritual energy, instantly flying rapidly in all directions. Soon, he sensed countless ghostly objects floating around him. Lu Yun continued to search and soon detected a large batch of ghostly objects rushing towards him from that direction, with incredible speed. Moreover, based on Lu Yun's analysis of the results, there were no less than a thousand ghostly objects, and the leading ghostly object had an extremely heavy killing aura, looking like it was not a simple character.
"With a glance, Lu Yun looked at everyone and said: 'Everyone hurry up and rest, there are already large numbers of ghosts rushing towards us here, we must immediately change locations. In this ghost domain, the yin energy is extremely heavy, everyone must remember to cultivate their internal energy to protect themselves, otherwise if the ghost energy enters your body, it will be troublesome.'"
Ziyang Zhenren looked around, saw nothing and couldn't help but ask: "It seems like there's no movement at all. Lu Yun, how did you know that the ghost object was messing around like this? The chances are extremely slim. Most importantly, our time is limited, everyone should come up with a countermeasure."
Ziyang Zhenren said, "What Haosnow says is not wrong. It's likely to be very difficult for us to find our target this way. Although the legend of Guiyu is far smaller than that of the human world, it's still quite large. As soon as we approached the ghost general, we were immediately bounced back by two waves of true energy, one of which was instantly swallowed up by the black ghostly aura surrounding its body. Lu Yun's expression changed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "What is your name? You must have a very high status here in Guiyu."
The ghost general let out a few cold laughs, raised his long spear, and the ghost soldiers behind him let out a loud shout, launching the first round of attacks in an orderly manner. The shadows of the spears were countless, and the black ghostly energy formed wave-like auras that converged from all directions to strike at the center. Amidst the ear-piercing laughter, the ghost general coldly laughed and said: "Want to know who I am? You'll have to withstand three rounds of attacks under my command first. Let's see if you have what it takes."
Lu Yun gripped the divine sword tightly, his aura surging wildly. Without looking back, Lu Yun said, "Xu Jie, you guard Yun Feng's side, and everyone else guards a direction. Now let's see if the Ghost Domain's army has any outstanding aspects." As soon as he finished speaking, the Intent Heart Soul Sword burst out with dazzling light. Over a hundred swords converged in front of him, forming a swirling sword aura that contained soul-shaking power, charging towards the ghostly soldiers at full speed.
The other three, Ao Xue, Cang Yue and Zi Yang, also launched their attacks at the same time. Three sword lights of different colors, accompanied by strong power, swept across the three sides, starting the first real battle since entering the Ghost Domain.
