Chapter 21: Gathering of Masters

  Dark winds howl, green flags flutter. In the eerie laughter, the ghostly commander wields his spectral troops, surrounding the Blood Legion with a bizarre formation.

  In the green world, countless dark auras floated in mid-air. The mournful cries and shrill howls intertwined into a death dirge within the Ghost King City, filled with terror. The headless Blood Fiend danced wildly with its hands, its pair of dark red eyes containing an aura of endless bloodlust. Countless shrill howls emanated from its body. The flying Blood Halberd was as powerful as a hurricane, easily tearing apart the souls of those ghostly soldiers, killing at an astonishing speed.

  Ghost together

  All around, the ghostly aura of hundreds of ghost soldiers merged into one, forming a dark and ominous halo that was compressing with all its might, trying to suppress the Blood Evil. Not far away, the Ghost General led a Ghost Fairy and nine Ghost Fiends, watching the Blood Evil with tension. At this moment, seeing that half of the ghost soldiers had already died, the Ghost General couldn't help but sigh, waving his hand to command the nine Ghost Fiends to attack. Black shadows flashed, the nine Ghost Fiends spread out around the Blood Evil, and in unison let out a fierce howl as their bodies rapidly spun around. Along with the spinning of the ghost fiends, a black whirlwind mixed with an evil power that devoured everything, rose straight up into the air.

  In the arena, a powerful destructive force slowly approached and intimidated, causing it to roar loudly, its rapidly flashing body gradually slowing down. A blood-red glow shot out from its eyes, a fierce and menacing roar, its two hands swiftly swung out two trails of blood, like a blood dragon soaring through the sky, charging forward. The powerful bloody aura collided with the gloomy ghostly energy, instantly producing a strong counterattack, which immediately turned into a deafening explosion. Only the sound of thunder shook the sky, countless screams echoed out as the black whirlwind shattered.

  A flash of blood, the fierce body shattered in the whirlwind at the same time, shot straight at the ghostly commander. All around, countless ghost soldiers were destroyed in the light and shadow, while nine ghostly apparitions had dark black auras dimming around their bodies, and terrified screams came from their mouths, showing that they had suffered extremely heavy damage.

  "Xue Li, what are you doing here? Don't you know this is the Black River Ghost King's City? You can still leave now, but if you wait any longer, it will be too late." The ghost commander gazed at Xue Li with a gloomy smile.

  "Hmph, you didn't think I'd come back to life, did you? Haha! The events of that year, I won't forget them. It's been a thousand years, and it was the six of you shameless bastards who joined forces to seal me away, but you couldn't kill me. Now that I'm back, I'll take revenge on the six of you. Today, I'll start by turning this Black River region upside down, then I'll kill you and the Ghost King, and after that, I'll go find the other four shameless bastards and eliminate them one by one. Heh heh, now it's time for your punishment!" As soon as the words fell, a blood-red figure pounced towards the Ghost Marshal.

  Looking at the bloodthirsty ghost, a hint of fear flashed in his enchanting eyes, but he tried to keep his tone calm and said: "For a thousand years, you're still so impulsive and reckless. Compared to Wu Jian Gui Sha and Wu Hun Yin Luo, you're much more foolish. You probably don't know that at this moment, Wu Jian Gui Sha is hiding in the ghost domain, watching everything here. And Wu Hun Yin Luo has rushed to the passage between the ghost domain and the human world, preparing to enter the human world and enjoy the delicious fresh blood of living humans. Only you, stupid, are here making trouble with all your might, wasting your energy."

  "Don't spout nonsense, if they were here, I would definitely be able to sense their presence. But now, there's no sign of them at all, you're just trying to deceive me. This time, if I don't kill the Ghost King, I won't let it go. You'd better take this attack!" In mid-air, a dazzling blood light burst forth from his body, spreading out like clouds and fog in all directions. Within the bloody mist, countless tiny blood-drinking ghouls opened their mouths as if to devour everything.

  The ghostly general swiftly moved his body, letting out a low whistle from his mouth, calling for the ghostly soldiers to retreat. He then led Bloodlust towards the city gate, flying away. After dodging Bloodlust's attacks three times in a row, the ghostly general sneered and said: "Looking at you like this, it seems that you haven't sucked on fresh human blood for too long. I'll take you to find some delicious food. Hehe, I guarantee that you'll drink your fill and be completely satisfied."

  The undead, bloodthirsty, dark red eyes glanced forward, suddenly sensing a familiar aura, and his body involuntarily came to a halt. He gazed at that direction with an odd expression, and the Bloodthirsty one coldly snorted: "Thinking I'd take your place in blocking the strong enemy? What a pipe dream! You deal with those guys yourself, I'm going to find the Ghost King and settle accounts first. As for you, whenever we meet again, that's when I'll take care of you!" He turned around and rapidly shot towards the central location of the Royal City.

  The demon general was shocked, not expecting that the Blood Lian had become so cunning and didn't fall for it. He glared at the front with hatred, let out a cold hum, and turned to chase after the Blood Lian. Just as the demon general left, the figures of Lu Yun, Ao Xue, and Cang Yue appeared in mid-air.

  Looking at the departing ghostly army, Lu Yun smiled and said: "It seems that this Blood Calamity is a huge threat to them. Otherwise, the Ghost King wouldn't have ignored us after detecting our presence. The Undying Body of the Blood Calamity will not be extinguished. This time, the Ghost King's City will likely pay a huge price. It's better this way, we can eliminate many strong enemies."

  Aoshuai said with some worry: "Although it's said that way, in the future if we face that Blood Calamity, I'm afraid we'll have to expend a great deal of energy. If we can recover the Soul-Sealing Symbol and seal away the Ghost Domain, then for us there won't be any problem. But if we can't find the Soul-Sealing Symbol, then sooner or later, we will inevitably encounter that Blood Calamity."

  "It's still uncertain for now, let's take the opportunity to find out what happened to the Soul Pool, time is running out." Changyu calmly changed the subject.

  "Cang Yue is right, who knows what will happen in the future? Let's focus on the present for now. Come on." With that, Lu Yun led the two women towards the city center.

  As the three approached the center of Gui Wang City, they felt a strong bloody aura filling the entire city. At the same time, another powerful breath emerged, carrying an evil and gloomy atmosphere. Feeling the strength of those two powers, Lu Yun said in a low voice: "It seems that Xue Li and Gui Wang are confronting each other. From this evenly matched momentum, it's likely that there won't be any clear outcome between them."

  Cang Yue looked at him and smiled faintly, "Isn't this what you wanted? After that, we can use the Blood Fiend to restrain the Ghost King, making it easier for us to act. For now, let's find a ghost creature and force it to reveal the location of the Soul Pool." Seeing the two nod in agreement, Cang Yue began to carefully search the surrounding area for any ghost creatures.

  Looking at Lu Yun, Ao Xue asked: "Do you remember the last time, it was you who drove away Blood Li. If you meet it again next time, do you have the confidence to destroy it?"

  She glanced at Ao Xue and smiled gently: "At least I won't let it harm you, is that a satisfactory answer? To be honest, I don't have the confidence to eliminate it in ten layers, but I do have seven layers of confidence. The reason why Blood Fury was not destroyed is because there is a mysterious golden piece in its body. Last time when you and Cang Yue, Yun Feng joined forces, I discovered that when its protective blood shield was destroyed, a golden piece appeared at the heart position. As long as we can think of a way to remove or destroy that golden piece, we can eliminate it."

  A faint smile, a hint of deep emotion in her eyes, she said softly: "So that's how it is, then we'll have a way to deal with it in the future. Cang Yue has found a ghostly object, let's go take a look." A snowy white figure floated gently down beside Cang Yue.

  Looking at the ghost trapped in his palm by Cang Yue, Lu Yun said: "Can you ask what? Looking at this ghost, its strength is weak and small, it's probably not sure."

  "After asking twice, the ghost's answer was indeed 'I don't know'. It only said that the Soul Pool is one of the three major forbidden lands in the Ghost Domain, and fewer than ten people in the entire domain knew its whereabouts. It seems that it will be very difficult for us to get results from these ghosts as well. In this case, it will consume even more of our time." He lightly shook his head, looking at Lu Yun with a calm expression.

  After a moment of contemplation, Lu Yun spoke in a soft voice: "This outcome was actually within our expectations. Before entering the Ghost Domain, we should have anticipated it; now it's just been confirmed. Among the several possibilities we envisioned earlier, we've encountered the worst one." He finished speaking and looked at the two women, his eyes revealing a hint of calmness.

  Suddenly, Lu Yun's expression changed and he looked up at the sky. Above them, a faint phantom appeared silently above the three people's heads, it was the ghostly handsome Guī Shuài Huàn Mèi. Sensing Lu Yun's abnormality, the two women also raised their heads simultaneously, looking at the ghostly handsome Guī Shuài Huàn Mèi in shock.

  "Haha, I didn't think you'd still be so stubborn. You've come to deliver yourselves to death once again. This time, it's likely that you won't be leaving." The gloomy voice emerged from the Ghost General's mouth, sounding incredibly terrifying. Both Ao Xue and Cang Yue's faces changed slightly, filled with extreme caution towards the Ghost General. After all, they had almost died at its hands before, and felt an immense threat from the black hood in its hand.

  Lu Yun's expression turned slightly cold as he said, "You're not busy taking care of that undead Blood Fiend, but you have the time to come here and bother us. It seems like you still have some spare time on your hands. Well, this is good timing for us too. We were just thinking of looking for you, first to settle some old scores, and second to ask you a few questions."

  The demon king sneered and chuckled a few times, looking at the three of them and saying: "Is that so? You people have intruded into my Ghost King City, killed the ghost soldiers in my city, and now you still say you want to find me to settle accounts. You cultivators from the mortal realm are truly upside down, spouting nonsense. As for what you want to ask about, is it perhaps something about the Soul Transformation Pool? On this point, I might consider telling you a bit, or maybe not."

  Lu Yun said coldly, "You want to delay us here, are you afraid that we will rush into the city and affect the Ghost King's dealing with Xue Li? This Xue Li is an indestructible body, if the Ghost King could kill it, he would not have just sealed it back then, it's that simple."

  "How did you know? Have you seen the Blood Oath before? This is impossible! What's going on here?" The Ghost General let out a loud roar, looking very surprised.

  Lu Yun smiled indifferently and said, "Want to know? It's simple. You use the secret of the Soul Pool to exchange with me, and I'll tell you. How about that? This way, we both get what we need, and no one loses out. Otherwise, you'll never know that bloody secret."

  The gloomy gaze fell upon the three, and the ghostly commander sank into deep thought. On the ground, Ao Xue and Cang Yue both looked at Lu Yun, never expecting him to think of exchanging conditions with the ghostly commander, truly beyond their expectations. Didn't he understand that the ghostly commander's words were untrustworthy?

  Green light flashed, and the ghost general said in a low voice: "Alright, I can tell you, but whether what I say is true or not, you may find it hard to distinguish. Have you thought of that?"

  A faint smile, Lu Yun calmly said: "This point I naturally understand, and what I say is true or not, can you distinguish? We are all each other, what do you think?" The two women were stunned by his words, but immediately showed beautiful smiles. Unexpectedly, Lu Yun's words were so sharp, not losing to Gui Shuai at all.

  With a cold hum, Gui Shuai said: "You treacherous humans, not one of you is trustworthy. Alright, you go first, tell me what you have to say and I'll tell you about the Soul Transformation Pool."

  "It seems you're not sincere. You were the one who asked to know about that bloody matter, so it's only right that you should speak first. If you don't want to know, then we can cancel this transaction. What do you say, General Gui?" His expression calm, Lu Yun seemed confident and composed at this moment.

  Enraged, the Ghost General hummed twice, seemingly not expecting to be seen through by Lu Yun. Glaring at Lu Yun, the Ghost General was about to bring up that matter when a very strong aura suddenly arrived. Letting out a fierce roar, the Ghost General's expression turned shocked and furious, his gaze fixed on the city. From afar, one could see a five-colored radiance bursting forth, an extremely powerful sacred aura spreading across the entire royal city, causing all ghostly creatures to cower in terror. Amidst that powerful sacred aura, five divine dragons of different colors soared through the air, wildly dancing and swirling about.

  Aoyuki and Cangyue exchanged a glance, exclaiming in surprise: "It's the Tianling Divine Sword! I didn't expect Jian Wuchen to arrive so quickly!" Cangyue nodded slightly, about to respond, when suddenly another powerful aura emerged.

  Darkness contains a hint of evil charm, cold and fierce with a hint of chill. This powerful aura rose strongly after Jian Wucheng's sword, instantly spreading through the air. However, right behind this evil charm, another aura emerged, an evil aura mixed with bloodthirstiness, its momentum not weaker than before.

  In mid-air, the ghostly commander's face was unseen, but from its mouth came a series of fierce roars that made it clear how enraged it was. A terrifying screech emerged from its mouth, and immediately the ghostly commander's body shone with a brilliant light, and in an instant it vanished before Lu Yun and the others' eyes. However, just as the ghostly commander disappeared, another powerful aura arrived. An aura filled with boundless dark energy, accompanied by an overwhelming momentum, rose up within the city.

  With a cold gaze at the city, Lu Yun's face revealed a hint of solemnity. Glancing at the two startled women, Lu Yun said softly, "Let's go take a look and see how many powerful experts have gathered in this Ghost King City this time. What kind of characters are they, and why do they have such an overwhelming aura."

  Cang Yue regained her composure from the shock and said softly, "If we go there, won't we get trapped inside? That would hinder our search for the Soul Pool."

  Lu Yun's eyes were sharp and piercing, fixed intently on the city. He said solemnly, "Our current method of searching is like looking for a needle in a haystack, it's not helpful at all. Let's go inside to gather some information, which will also help us find the Soul Pool. When we enter, remember to suppress our true energy frequency to its lowest level, so that we can hide our aura." With that, he rose into the air and flew towards the city with a gentle whoosh.

  Looking at Lu Yun's figure, it seemed a bit cold and quiet for a moment, as if there was some subtle change, but the two women couldn't quite put their finger on what was different. They exchanged a glance, both of them with a hint of surprise in their expressions, but neither of them spoke up, and instead followed Lu Yun as he rode off into the wind.

  In the octagonal plaza, countless masters had gathered at this moment. In the center of the field, Heihe River Ghost King and Ghost General Huanmie stood together, with a ghost fairy and sixteen ghostly apparitions lined up behind them. At this time, only to see that the Ghost King's entire body was surrounded by a layer of black ghost energy, his eyes flashing red and black light, staring at the surroundings, his expression extremely solemn.

  The Demon King, who was facing him, also stopped his attack and glanced at Jian Wucheng and the others on his left before looking up at the sky. His eyes flashed with a bloody aura. In the air, a dark cloud seemed to be hiding an evil presence that was extremely powerful but couldn't be seen clearly. On the right side of the cloud, a figure filled with eerie energy and a strong smell of blood was suspended in mid-air. Opposite this figure, four ghostly shadows were hidden in the rolling black fog, divided into two groups. If one looked closely, they would discover that these four ghostly shadows belonged to two different high-level experts, but their auras were surprisingly similar.

  They arrived silently at the edge of the square, and Lu Yun and his two companions stopped ten zhang away in a corner, watching from afar the six powerful forces on the scene. At this moment, Jian Wucheng was standing in the middle of Liu Xinghun, Leng Jiaohao, Bi Tian, and Du Li, with the Tianling Divine Sword spinning rapidly above his head, five divine dragons coiling around it, constantly devouring the ghostly creatures that approached. On the ground, Liu Xingshen and three others were displaying the Four Elephant Sword Formation, strictly defending and carefully observing the movements on the scene.

  His gaze lingered on Jian Wucheng for a moment, and Lu Yun's eyes revealed a hint of strangeness, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if he had sensed something. After a moment of contemplation, Lu Yun gently shifted his gaze away from Jian Wucheng and began to examine the other ghostly objects. As his gaze swept over the black cloud, a familiar feeling rose in his heart. In just an instant, Lu Yun understood what was hidden within the black cloud. And when he saw the evil figure with bloodstains, Lu Yun's eyes turned cold and fierce, revealing a hint of cruelty. When Lu Yun's gaze moved to the last four ghostly shadows, a mysterious smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes flashed with clarity.

  "Lu Yun, you can sense that these several auras are very similar. Except for Jian Wucheng and his group, the others all have a hint of eerie and ghostly energy, clearly not here with good intentions." Ao Xue said calmly as she gazed at the scene before her.

  Cang Yue looked at Ao Xue with a glance, and said in a low voice: "I think that among the people here, except for Jian Wu Chen and others, the figure with the bloody aura is likely to be an evil master from the human world. Because I feel that he has a strong human aura on his body, which is different from these ghostly objects."

  "Cang Yue said it's not bad, that is indeed a person, and a notorious evil person in the mortal world. One of the five great evil demons in the Nai Xiu Zhen Jing realm, I'm not sure what his name is. But if Ao Xue has a good memory, he should still remember that at the time of Xiao Yue Tian Lang's ascension in the Absolute Yin Valley, among the two evil figures who suddenly appeared, there was this one."

  "Is it him? I really didn't expect it. How did he end up here, could there be some ulterior motive?" Astonished, Ao Xue stared at Lu Yun with a few threads of shock in her eyes.

  Looking coldly at the figure, Lu Yun said in a deep voice: "He appeared here at this time, naturally with a purpose. Otherwise, what would he come to the Ghost Domain for? The only thing I don't understand is where he entered the Ghost Domain from. It's said that the passage is now guarded by the strong men of our Yi Garden, and he absolutely didn't enter from there. Could it be that there's still a secret passage in the Ghost Domain that connects to the human world? If so, how can we guard that passage?"

  Cang Yue said: "This point is still unclear for now, let's focus on other things first. Besides him, does Lu Yun know any other ghosts?"

  Her gaze swept across the scene, and Lu Yun's voice was slightly subdued as she said: "Apart from this person, the ghostly creature hidden in that black cloud is also someone that Bao Xue has seen - it's the Wu Jian Gui Sha, infamous for being on par with the Undying Blood Evil. I didn't think it would arrive so quickly, and yet it managed to get here before us. As for those four remaining ghostly shadows, I'm guessing they're probably the Ghost Generals and Ghost Sages from the Yin Corpse Interval and Wu Soul Interval's Ghost King Cities, because although their auras are slightly different from the Ghost Kings and Ghost Generals here, they're extremely similar." The two women let out soft gasps, their faces shocked, with thoughtful expressions in their eyes. Just what was the reason for so many powerful individuals gathering at this place?

  "In the midst, the ghostly commander spoke up: 'Everyone suddenly arrived at this city, I don't know what brought you here. The two ghost commanders from the Yin Corpse Realm and the Soulless Realm, bringing their ghostly subordinates to our city, it doesn't seem like a casual visit? And that hidden black cloud's Wu Jian Ghost Slayer, appearing now, could it be just to watch the excitement? As for this last one, the famous Soul Summoning Ghost Patriarch from the Mortal Realm, I wonder if there's any evidence to investigate why he ran to our Ghost King City?'"

  He smiled slyly and beckoned to the ghost, who chuckled and said: "I'm just here to make up the numbers and take a look around. It's been many years since I've been to the Ghost Domain, I wonder if there have been any changes? Now that I take a look, it seems there are quite a few changes. Heh heh, it's getting interesting."

  In the dark clouds, there was no echo from the evil spirits of the underworld, and they seemed indifferent. The four ghostly creatures between the yin corpse and the soulless realm only smiled faintly, but did not speak. Ghost Commander Huan Mei spoke again: "Yin Li, Wu Bo, you two realms have always stood in a triangular formation with us, mutually non-interfering. This time you've come here, it's best to state your purpose clearly, otherwise don't blame me for taking advantage of the situation and dealing with you later."

  "You're not even safe yourself, yet you dare to boast. I think you should first deal with this Blood Evil and the top masters of the Mortal Realm. Let's talk about other things later. I don't have time to chat with you now, I still need to settle accounts with that Soul Summoning Ghost. We'll each go our separate ways." Yin Lian said, his gaze lingering on the Soul Summoning Ghost, his eyes cold and piercing.

  The Demon King let out a low hum, and the Demon General immediately understood its meaning. He ordered his five ghostly minions to lead the demon soldiers in an attack on Jian Wucheng and the others. At the same time, the Demon General's phantom clone commanded another six ghostly minions to launch a preemptive strike against the Demon General Wu Yue from the Soulless Realm and another ghostly general. As for himself, he led the remaining five ghostly minions, keeping watch over the situation on the battlefield, ready to provide support at any moment.

  Dark winds suddenly rose, and Yin Lian and his ghostly subordinates appeared silently beside Zhao Huan. They launched a powerful attack without warning. Two black air currents, accompanied by an eerie aura that corroded everything, formed a barrier around Zhao Huan, enveloping him within. Zhao Huan's eyes changed, as he had been severely weakened since Lu Yun destroyed his Soul-Calling Flag with the "Five Thunder Heavenly Seal". He was furious and cautious now, seeing two of the Ghost Domain's most powerful experts attacking him. With swift movements, Zhao Huan employed his roaming battle tactics to maintain his strength.

  On this side, the five ghostly apparitions clashed with Swordless Dust's group of five, and it was a magnificent sight. The five ghostly apparitions' auras merged into one entity, countless ghostly shadows rapidly swirling around the five people, forming a dense, black-colored light shield. As the rotation accelerated non-stop, an intense power began to compress inward with all its might, its wild power already forcing the five people inside to breathe hastily.

  In the circle, Liu Xinghun and four others used the Four Symbol Formation to defend tightly, using the formation's power to forcibly repel that strong ghostly energy. In the formation, Jian Wucheng's eyes were sharp, his hands controlling the divine sword, bursting out a powerful sacred light in mid-air, suppressing the dark ghostly energy, making it difficult for them to gather into shape. With a cold shout, a purple light flashed at the bottom of Jian Wucheng's eyes, and the Tianling Divine Sword shook violently, producing a heaven-shaking loud noise, accompanied by an extremely strong aura that filled the entire sky above the royal city. In mid-air, five divine dragons were seen chanting in unison, their five different lights forming a rotating and dancing five-colored light shield outside the formation of the five people, instantly repelling the five ghostly demons.

  "Ghost King, let's settle the old score between us now. It's been a thousand years, it's time to end this. This time you absolutely can't escape, Ghost Slasher is above, it has promised me to guard the four directions for me. Come on, bring out your skills, let's have a thousand-year-old conclusion." With a furious howl, Wu Lian's body transformed into hundreds of blood shadows, simultaneously pouncing towards Heihe Ghost King.

  He glanced at Xue Lie indifferently, and the Ghost King's eyes looked up at the sky in surprise, unsure if the ghost would make a move. This was very important for the Ghost King now, as it could analyze the enemy's situation and make corresponding decisions. With a burst of energy, the Ghost King's eyes flashed, and its body instantly disappeared. When it reappeared, it was already above Xue Lie and the others. Its right palm struck out fiercely, and its body immediately bounced back. As soon as the Ghost King's body flashed away, Xue Lie's body appeared. This way, Jian Wucheng's powerful counterattack hit Xue Lie right on target.

  With a loud roar, the bloodthirsty eyes revealed a bloody red light, and he suddenly struck Swordless Dust with one blow. A bloody light like a blood-colored whip, accompanied by an overwhelming bloody aura, swept across the five people. The powerful aura collided violently with the sacred aura of the Heavenly Spirit Sword, instantly triggering a fierce explosion. Only a deafening thunderclap was heard, as Bloodthirsty was blown back several meters, while the Four Symbol Formation formed by Liu Xingyun and the others also shook violently, their faces suddenly turning much darker.