Chapter 28: The Mysterious Ghost Realm

  With his long sword at the ready, Lu Yun cautiously gazed at the malevolent Wraith Lord, entering a state of high alert. After a moment's contemplation, Lu Yun asked in a low voice, "Wraith Lord, what is this 'Threshold of Life and Death'? Why have I never heard of such a thing existing in the Ghost Domain? What's going on here? And why are you here? Why don't you leave?"

  The flames danced lightly, and the evil spirit lord's laughter echoed: "It seems you're not familiar with the Ghost Domain, you don't even know how many rooms it has. Hehe, today I'm in a good mood, so I'll tell you some things about the Ghost Domain. Anyway, you can't leave this place. Now, what do you want to ask? Ask away. After you're done asking, we'll play a very interesting game... hehe, it's been thousands of years, I almost forgot that kind of fun."

  Lu Yun's eyes sank slightly, and the uneasy feeling in his heart grew thicker. His mind stirred, and Lu Yun released a mental wave to carefully investigate the strange flame. While probing the Soul Emperor's secrets, Lu Yun asked, "Since Your Majesty is so generous, I'll ask a few simple questions, hoping you won't disappoint me. Firstly, how many realms are there in the Ghost Domain? Besides the Black River, Yin Corpse, and No Soul Realms, what other realms exist?"

  The Lord of the Spirits chuckled and said, "This question is simple. There are five realms in total, excluding the three most ordinary ones you mentioned. The remaining two are my Realm of Life and Death and another realm called the Realm of Ghosts. By the way, I'll tell you that the Realm of Ghosts is located in the middle of the Ghost Sea, drifting aimlessly, and it's the most mysterious region in the Spirit World. And my Realm of Life and Death is the most dangerous region in the Spirit World."

  "So that's how it is. I'd like to ask, what's the difference between life and death in this place? And why have you been staying here all along without leaving? Is there something outside that has sealed you in here?"

  A fierce flame flashed, and the Wraith Lord's body flickered with an eerie dark red glow. In a cold, stern tone, he said: "Between life and death, there is a distinction. Although the path of life is fraught with unparalleled danger, there is still a glimmer of hope. However, this path of death is certain doom, without exception. The realm between life and death is the smallest of the five realms in the Ghost Domain, yet no one, including ghosts and gods, has ever been able to pass through it. As for why I remain here, that is heavenly fate, not because something has sealed me away. Nothing in this world can seal me away. The mysterious darkness will not be broken, and the Wraith will not be extinguished!"

  Looking at the Wuling Zun, Lu Yun's eyes changed slightly. The frequency of his spiritual wave had already increased to 243,600 times per breath, but unfortunately, he still couldn't detect any information about this flame. This was the first time in history that Lu Yun had used such a high-frequency spiritual wave, yet he hadn't obtained any results. How could this not make Lu Yun feel shocked? Looking at the jumping flames, Lu Yun thought to himself while asking, "Since you don't want to answer this question, I'll ask the next one. Among the five realms of Guiyuan, the realm of ghosts is above the sea, and the realm of life and death is underground. So, I'd like to know what mysterious places are in the remaining three realms? And where is the Huanhun Pool, one of the three most forbidden lands in Guiyuan?"

  The dark red eyes glanced at Lu Yun, and the gloomy voice of the Wraith Lord said: "You really have a lot of questions, just like the spells you're carrying on your body, at least five or more. However, no matter what, you are destined to never leave this place. Now I will answer your question, and soon you will die with satisfaction. In the three Ghost Domains, there aren't many mysterious places, but each one has its own. The Soul-Locking Well in Heihe Domain, the Sealed King Platform in Yīnshī Domain, and the Blood Pool in Wúhún Domain are all very mysterious places. As for the Soul-Transforming Pool you asked about, it is not within these three Ghost Kings' Cities, but rather in the Shura Forest where the three domains intersect."

  Lu Yun's face changed upon hearing this, and only then did he realize that they had been deceived by the Ghost King of the Netherworld and had become his tools. Thinking about the three mysterious places mentioned by the Spirit Master, Lu Yun found that he had encountered all of them, which was truly eerie to the extreme. At the same time, regarding the Spirit Master's discovery of the multiple techniques within him, although Lu Yun appeared calm on the surface, he was actually extremely shocked and couldn't see through it.

  The Spirit Master looked at Lu Yun's shocked expression, and smiled complacently: "Don't you think you've hidden well enough, but didn't expect to be seen through by me? Hehe, if I don't even have this skill, how can I boast about it? Now, is there anything else you want to ask? If not, let's start that interesting game. You're a strange person, cultivating multiple techniques at the same time, it must be fun to play with, haha!"

  Lu Yun had withdrawn his spiritual energy and concentrated all his strength to the highest point, carefully defending himself. Looking at the triumphant evil smile of the Wraith Lord, Lu Yun suddenly asked: "You're so powerful, I wonder if you were to encounter the Blood Reaper Yanluo, who would be stronger? I'm afraid that by then you won't be able to laugh anymore, will you?"

  With a slight withdrawal of his smile, the Lord of the Underworld spoke in a slightly cold tone: "You said that Xue Blood Yan Luo has come back to life. When did this happen?"

  "What's wrong, are you afraid of it? You're so surprised. It was just a short while ago, less than a day, right in the Black River area. I think you're probably not its match, huh?" The words were laced with sarcasm, and Lu Yun intended to provoke it.

  "Hmph, the Undying Lord said disdainfully: 'I'm not afraid of it. Although it's powerful, it's still sealed within the Yama's Edict, whereas I have no one who can seal me. This alone is enough to show that it's far inferior to me. Moreover, another difference between us is that although its soul is indestructible, its body isn't. But my body and soul are forever indestructible; there's nothing in this world that can destroy me.'"

  "Is that so, then I'll give it a try." Taking advantage of the moment when it was slightly excited, Lu Yun's figure flashed and his divine sword continuously swung out 396 swords. These over 300 swords formed a dense sword net around the jumping flames, quickly shrinking. Amidst the sword shadows, blood light burst forth, and Long Huan's figure rose into the air under Lu Yun's full force drive. Only to see Long Huan's body surrounded by fluttering flames, his bloody mouth wide open, as scorching dragon flames rolled towards that Wandering Soul Master like a whirlwind.

  A hint of mockery flashed in the small, blood-colored eyes, and the Lord of the Dead Spirits chuckled lightly. With a gentle wave of his hands, he slapped out to both sides. His left palm shot out a cluster of eerie flames, which instantly transformed into a six-foot-diameter rotating blood lotus. At the center of the blood lotus, three thin threads of red energy converged into a three-inch-diameter ball of blood, violently sucking in the dense sword shadows surrounding Lu Yun. The five fingers on his right hand formed claws, and five dark red streams of energy jumped about in his palm, forming a blood net that flew towards the dragon soul hovering in mid-air.

  Lu Yun's body shook violently as an incredibly powerful suction force wildly pulled him towards the Death God's left hand. The countless sword silhouettes in the sky were all torn apart by that strong suction force as they approached the Death God. At the same time, Long Heng let out a shocked cry and his body suddenly sprang open, rapidly dodging the blood net that was swelling up against the wind. Lu Yun's body twisted with great effort to break free from the suction force, and he retreated in shock for over ten feet, warily staring at the jumping flames.

  "What's wrong, are you surprised? Hehe, taking advantage of the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, your mind is not weak. Unfortunately, in front of me, no matter what tricks you use, you can't hurt me at all." The undead lord withdrew his hands and looked at Lu Yun with a pleased expression, his eyes flashing with an unusual light.

  Taking a deep breath, Lu Yun forced himself to remain calm and said: "Indeed worthy of being the master of the undead, you're formidable. You weren't going to play a game? How do we play, tell me and let's hear it?" On one hand, he was recovering from his excitement, on the other hand, he was probing for its true intentions in order to find a more advantageous way to deal with it.

  Evil laughter, the master of the Netherworld said: "Games, of course, the most exciting are the cruel games. Now let's play a game of cat and mouse, how about it? If you're interested, we can play Iron Blood Kill later. It's simple, just try your best to avoid my attacks or launch a counterattack against me. Of course, whoever lasts until the end will be the winner."

  Lu Yun nodded slightly and said, "So it's just this simple game. Alright, let's make a bet on who will be the final winner." After finishing speaking, Lu Yun's figure suddenly advanced, his divine sword moving at an extremely fast speed as he launched the "Blazing Heavenly Sword Slash", using a rapid attacking method to launch a fierce attack on the Undead Overlord.

  With a faint smile, the Wraith Lord, who had been standing upright above the light sphere, suddenly transformed into eight figures. Eight figures emerged from small to large, rapidly appearing around Lu Yun. In the passage, countless figures intersected with each other, and the residual shadow of Lu Yun's flying fog was filled with the red glow of the divine sword, surrounding the Wraith Lord who was constantly flashing and launching a fierce attack.

  At this moment, the entire passage is filled with colorful clouds and shadows, countless figures with dazzling light, forming a five-color landscape in mid-air, very beautiful. In mid-air, Lu Yun's cold and stern shout, and the deceased spirit master's proud and sinister smile, formed a sharp contrast. The powerful sword energy, emitted a dense thunderous sound in the passage, making the entire passage filled with mysterious and dangerous atmosphere.

  The red light paused, and Lu Yun retreated two feet, lightly standing on the head of that terrifying stone statue. Looking at the soul master whose body was expanding in mid-air, Lu Yun's eyes widened slightly as he said: "I didn't expect your body could change at will, what is your true form after all? Why can't I see it at all?"

  "The Wraith Lord sneered: 'I am nothing, what is there to annihilate? Your speed is quite good, and your senses are very sharp, you actually dodged all my counterattacks. Heh heh, interesting, let's continue.' The red shadow shot forward, the Wraith Lord's figure suddenly changed direction in mid-air, turning left, then flew out one zhang before again turning right. Repeating this nine times, Lu Yun was already surrounded by the Wraith Lord's figures."

  Feeling the strange movements of the Wraith Lord, Lu Yun's mind was on high alert, his spiritual energy rapidly rotating as he carefully analyzed its attack. With a swift movement, Lu Yun's body spun rapidly within three feet, his sword tracing a bizarre trajectory as it swung, forming a five-colored light shield around him that tightly protected himself. After casting the protective light shield, Lu Yun's eyes suddenly burst forth with a cold gleam, and his entire body emitted an aura of powerful dominance, bursting forth in an instant. A dark blue-green light flashed from Lu Yun's body, the Daoist "Tai Xuan Lie Tian Dao" accompanied by a strong and fierce aura, charging towards the Wraith Lord.

  Heh, with a smile, the Undead Overlord didn't dodge or evade, his right hand ablaze with flames directly took on Lu Yun's full-force strike. The two palms clashed, and the two different columns of air fiercely countered each other, immediately transforming into a violent explosive force that sent out a brilliant light, simultaneously sending both parties flying back. The Undead Overlord let out a faintly surprised cry, his body drifting back two zhang. As for Lu Yun, his face was deathly pale, his body violently trembling in mid-air, retreating three zhang before finally stabilizing himself.

  Looking at the Wuling Zun, Lu Yun's heart began to feel heavy. Since he started his journey, this was the most formidable opponent he had encountered, even more so than that Blood Yanluo in Lu Yun's impression. The long sword loosened, and the divine sword automatically flew into the air, hovering above Lu Yun's head. Coldly, Lu Yun said: "Since I started my journey, you are the strongest enemy I have met. Today, since we must determine life and death, let us go all out in this battle! Now, come and try my 'Xin Chan Bu Mie Jue' again, be careful!"

  "For so many years, although you are the only one who has come to me, I must praise you, your cultivation is indeed very strong. With your cultivation, in the mortal world, you should have a great reputation. But there is one thing I want to tell you, even if your cultivation is stronger, relying on the technique you just used, today you are absolutely unable to leave alive. This place, is the boundary between life and death, the ghost domain, the absolute land of immortals, Buddhas, gods, and demons, those who come here do not leave!" The Wraith Lord said with a gloomy gaze at Lu Yun, his voice full of killing intent.

  Lu Yun sneered, "Is that so? Although the immortals and demons can't leave, I'm human, and if I want to leave, I can. Now take this, Heart Sword Wuyin!" As soon as he finished speaking, a golden light burst out from Lu Yun's body, and the divine sword on his head suddenly trembled violently, its body transforming into countless sword shadows that filled the entire space. The sound of the sword pierced through the air, and with a dazzling flash of light, it shot towards the Wuling Zun Master in the distance. In mid-air, Lu Yun sat cross-legged, his hands clasped together, his appearance solemn and majestic like a Buddha, his entire body radiating dazzling golden light.

  Countless sword tips, accompanied by the terrifying aura of the Buddhist Mahayana True Power, shot from all directions. The Wraith Lord's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise as his body suddenly conjured up hundreds of illusory shadows. In the cave, the scarlet sword tips danced and converged into a heavenly net under the dazzling golden light, rapidly shrinking inward. Within the net, the Wraith Lord's body moved as swiftly as flowing light, flashing hundreds of times in an instant, rendering his figure completely invisible.

  When the sword aura shrank to a size of one zhang, the angry roar of the Wraith Lord echoed from within the light net. At the same time, the sword aura could no longer shrink, clearly having been counterattacked by the Wraith Lord. In mid-air, Lu Yun's eyes which had been slightly closed suddenly snapped open, and a flash of golden light appeared in his eyes as two beams of golden light shot straight at the light net. As the golden light entered the light net, the golden light on the light net surged greatly, and the Buddhist Demon-Subduing Vajra Technique's power suddenly erupted. At the same time, the light net violently shrank, instantly enveloping the Wraith Lord within it.

  Looking at the Wraith Lord in the light net, Lu Yun's eyes were heavy, and his hands fully mobilized the divine sword to release the Heart Sword Without a Trace. Suddenly, countless sword tips converged into a golden light flashing sword, aiming at the Wraith Lord's chest and shooting out. The golden light flashed, and the sword pierced through the Wraith Lord's body, instantly followed by a loud roar, as the flame-like body suddenly exploded and shattered.

  He let out a gentle sigh, and Lu Yun put away his divine sword, slowly descending to the ground. His gaze swept around him, and Lu Yun's eyes held a hint of excitement - he had finally managed to get rid of this formidable Wraith King. The Buddhist sect's most supreme 'Heart Sword Without A Trace' was truly mysterious, making it impossible for anyone to defend against it. If not for that, he probably wouldn't have been able to trap this Phantom Wraith King either.

  Turning around, Lu Yun decided to leave this evil place, lest something unexpected happen again. One step, two steps, the third step, suddenly Lu Yun's body shook violently, quickly turning around, looking at the empty space above the blood pool. Above the blood pool, the Blood Lotus was still there, and the mysterious blood ball was still shining with a faint light. Above, a six-inch flame, a human figure lightly jumped up and down.

  Looking at that mysterious and eerie smile, Lu Yun exclaimed in shock: "How is this possible? You were clearly eliminated by me just now, why have you appeared again?"

  A red light flashed, and the body of the Wuling Zun suddenly grew larger, gently floating down in front of Lu Yun. With an eerie smile, he said: "I am originally nothing, how can I be annihilated? Have you forgotten this point? Didn't I just say that I am forever indestructible, whether it's my body or soul? As for your sword earlier, it was indeed very overbearing, destroying my body. What a pity! But I have an indestructible body, even if you destroy my body a thousand times, I will not be annihilated. Now, let's continue the game, I'm more and more eager to see how many secrets are hidden on your body, heh heh!"

  Red light flashed, the figure vanished, and the Wraith Lord easily transformed into a hundred shadows, surrounding Lu Yun in a whirlwind of attacks. The powerful Blood Slaughter aura suddenly burst forth at this moment, forming a blood-colored sphere that trapped Lu Yun's body within. At this moment, the Wraith Lord finally launched a fierce counterattack, apparently wanting to regain some interest from their previous battle.

  A powerful oppressive force, like a wolf and tiger, came so fiercely that Lu Yun was caught off guard. When he felt trapped, Lu Yun thought it was too late to dodge, and could only resist with all his might. At this time, Lu Yun concentrated his true yuan, performed the Mo Sect's "Heart Desire No Trace" technique, forming a black light shield outside his body, firmly resisting the invasion of that bloody evil energy.

  Time passed in the midst of their confrontation. At this point, the Ghost Master had forcibly contracted his blood vessels thirteen times in a row, trying to destroy Lu Yun's physical body and primordial spirit, but each time was repelled by Lu Yun. However, the thirteen consecutive attacks, although unable to break through Lu Yun's defenses, caused Lu Yun's true yuan to be greatly consumed, and his body suffered severe internal injuries. In the blood sphere, Lu Yun's eyes were dim, his lips tightly pursed, and a unyielding will was supporting him. Having grown up under the accompaniment of illness, his will was ten times more resolute than that of ordinary people.

  With great effort, Lu Yun resisted the attack of the Wraith Lord, a faint smile appearing in his eyes, full of mystery. His left hand stood upright on his chest, palm facing outwards, slowly gathering a thin layer of silver light. His right hand stood horizontally on his chest, palm inward, slowly extending forward. His right hand stretched straight, palm pressing against the blood-colored light shield, suddenly unleashing the fifth level of "Tian Di Wu Ji" - "Wan Yuan Gui Yi". Lu Yun's right palm flashed with a seven-colored glow, and a powerful attractive force drew the light shield into his body, attempting to break through this evil attack.

  The undead overlord let out a cold laugh, his rapidly spinning body coming to an abrupt halt outside Lu Yun's body. His right hand stirred up a crimson aura that slowly imprinted itself onto the light orb. The red glow intensified, and the evil devouring energy surged threefold, fiercely corroding Lu Yun's body. As his eyes flashed with anger, Lu Yun's handsome face revealed a hint of fury. His bright eyes suddenly shot out an extremely eerie gaze, gloomily staring at the undead overlord outside the light orb.

  His heart skipped a beat, and the Wraith Lord suddenly sensed an ominous omen. Before he could even think about what it was, Lu Yun's left hand shot out at lightning speed, slapping a palm onto the light sphere. A silver glow flashed, and the Soul-Calming Seal appeared, releasing a powerful and sacred aura that instantly shattered the light sphere. The Wraith Lord's heart jolted in surprise as he tried to dodge, but his body was firmly grasped by Lu Yun's right hand, leaving him completely unable to escape.

  A loud roar, a fierce struggle of terror and anger, wanting to escape the Soul-Calming Seal on Lu Yun's left hand. Unfortunately, at this moment, Lu Yun would not give it a chance, and his palm was printed on its body. Only the silver words "Soul-Calming" flickered with strange light, slowly imprinting into its body. The silver light flashed, the red light burst, a sound of unwilling anger, accompanied by a loud roar, disappeared in mid-air.

  Powerless, Lu Yun fell to the ground. At this time, his true yuan was severely depleted, and he had suffered severe injuries, leaving him with no defensive capabilities. Heaving heavily, Lu Yun's gaze remained fixed on the changes in the blood pool, lest the Wraith Lord revive once more. Having encountered this unkillable monster, Lu Yun could not help but be extremely vigilant.

  Time slowly passed, and after a while, Lu Yun saw that the blood pool had not changed, so he relaxed his vigilance and began to slowly absorb the energy around him, replenishing the consumed true yuan. However, just after Lu Yun closed his eyes to meditate, the red light above the blood pool flashed again, and a weak flame reappeared on the surface of the light ball, absorbing the energy transmitted by the light ball. As time passed, the flame absorbed a large amount of energy, and the light's radiance grew stronger once more.

  The red light grew stronger, and the figure of the Wraith Lord slowly appeared in mid-air. With a gloomy gaze, he stared at Lu Yun, who had his eyes closed. In the Wraith Lord's blood-red eyes, anger and killing intent flickered. He let out a stern laugh, and a ball of bloody shadow shot towards Lu Yun, suddenly enveloping him in a layer of bloody shadow.

  Just as the Blood Shadow was about to envelop him, Lu Yun's eyes suddenly snapped open, and a fierce, wild gaze of anger stared at the incoming Wraith Lord. Amidst the flashing red light, Lu Yun roared: "You detestable, undead thing! I will definitely destroy you!" The sound of his furious roar contained the Devouring Blood Calamity's aura, which immediately engulfed Lu Yun's body.

  A fiendish aura of blood evil filled the air, and Lu Yun hastily activated his defensive technique to protect himself. However, strangely enough, this time his true energy only lasted for less than a moment before being devoured by the blood evil aura, forcing him to constantly change his techniques. After changing techniques five times in a row, Lu Yun realized something - the attack launched by the Wandering Soul Master was extremely bizarre and impossible to defend against.

  "You detestable little brat, you've ruined my body and soul twice in a row, causing me to suffer greatly. This time, I won't let you off the hook, so prepare to experience the ferocity of my Soul Annihilation Technique! This technique can destroy gods and immortals, and once you're trapped in it, any counterattack will be useless. Hahaha, this time I'll see how you manage to stay alive!" Amidst maniacal laughter, the Wraith Lord continuously poured his energy into the attack, intent on sending Lu Yun and Wan Jie to their doom.

  Feeling the true yuan in his body rapidly draining away, his skin had already begun to crack and shatter, with fresh blood constantly seeping out. Lu Yun's heart was filled with rage and urgency. Hatred, at this moment, flooded Lu Yun's heart, madness rising up from the depths of his soul without cease. Hearing the triumphant laughter of the Wraith Lord outside, a thread of red light slowly emerged in Lu Yun's eyes, as an evil aura emanated from within his body.

  With both hands pressed against the ground, Lu Yun let out a fierce roar and sprang up into the air. Standing still in mid-air, Lu Yun's hands were wide open, his entire body seeming to be driven mad, as he emitted a ghostly wail from his mouth. All around him, a layer of rolling blood mist was frantically devouring his body, trying to destroy him as quickly as possible. The pain caused Lu Yun to sink into an ocean of suffering, his entire body trembling non-stop, and evil slowly began to stir within him, unnoticed.

  In the bloody mist, a pair of eyes flashing with blood-red pupils burst forth with an eerie, icy glow that made one's heart tremble. At this moment, Lu Yun's entire body flashed red for an instant, and a dark red, ghostly armor radiating an evil aura appeared on him. On the ground, the Ruyi divine sword lying flat let out a sword cry, automatically flying to Lu Yun's head, rapidly spinning around.

  Red light flickered, the two mysterious Bagua on Lu Yun's chest and back shot out countless blood-colored incantations, forming two rotating blood-colored Bagua outside his body, constantly devouring the Blood Calamity aura of the Wandering Soul Master. At the same time, a five-color light flashed by, the mysterious Ruyi Observation Mirror surrounded Lu Yun's body, rapidly rotating to form a layer of faint five-color light, slowly isolating the Wandering Soul Master. On his head, the Ruyi Sword flickered with an evil aura, the Thousand Shadow Blood Demon constantly appearing on the sword, as if wanting to devour living spirits.

  "Who are you, little one?" the vengeful spirit lord thundered. "Why do you wear this strange Ghost King Battle Armor? A true Ghost King Battle Armor would not have these two opposing yin-yang eight trigrams on it. Why does yours? Furthermore, how did that Thousand Shadow Blood Demon get into your sword? And what is this bizarre mirror of yours? What kind of thing is it, and why does it emit such a terrifying aura?"

  Gazing coldly at the blood shadow before him, Lu Yun's entire body flickered with an evil aura. In a gloomy tone, he said: "Wang Ling, you're not fond of playing games? Now, let's play this final game together. As for this battle armor on me, it was formed after an anomaly occurred in the Soul Locking Well back then. And as for the Thousand Shadow Blood Demon within the divine sword, I naturally subdued it there too. You probably can't imagine that I've experienced everything you mentioned - the Soul Locking Well, the Sealing Emperor Platform, and the Blood Pool. Remember, my name is Lu Yun. Now, watch how I annihilate you."

  In mid-air, Lu Yun's true yuan rapidly circulated throughout his body. The powerful Blood Evil energy, accompanied by the incessant flashing of the Bagua, fiercely attacked the Wraith Lord that shrouded him. All around, countless blood-colored glows enveloped his body. In the space filled with dense Blood Evil energy, as Lu Yun exerted himself to the limit in "Heaven and Earth Without Bounds", it rapidly surged into his body, replenishing his physique.