Chapter 213: Chapter 214: Mysterious Youth

In the deathly silent, withered forest, a sinister wind howled. The stench of decay was mixed with the faint scent of blood, adding a chilling edge to the gloomy surroundings.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, only a group of Loose Cultivators remained where they stood.

They were covered in blood, standing in a daze as they stared at the corpses on the ground. Their lips trembled and their hands shook, a clear sign of their fear.

Of course, it wasn’t the act of killing that frightened them.

Everyone present had, to some extent, stained their hands with blood before. They weren’t afraid of killing, but of the power that was the Celestial Sword Sect.

Loose Cultivators generally didn’t dare to provoke Sects. They knew they were outnumbered. Their usual approach to arrogant Sect disciples was to endure what they could, and if they couldn’t, to hide.

But now, here they were, having personally slaughtered a group of disciples from a Major Influence—an act they themselves could scarcely imagine committing.

"Brother Xiang, are... are we going to be in trouble?"

A younger Loose Cultivator turned to ask Xiang Tianxiao. He had only acted because he’d been swept up by Ye Wushuang’s lead, doing it in the heat of the moment without thinking things through.

Xiang Tianxiao didn’t speak, instead turning to Ye Wushuang, who had already composed himself.

"Brother Xiang, what is it?" Ye Wushuang brushed a stray leaf from his sleeve and walked over with a faint smile. His expression was peaceful, his eyes bright and clear—a stark contrast to the ruthless killer he had just been.

The others couldn’t quite process the change. If they hadn’t witnessed Ye Wushuang’s methods firsthand, they would never have believed the person before them was so ruthless.

Xiang Tianxiao, however, just smiled calmly. He wasn’t as shocked as the others, a testament to his strong mental fortitude.

"Brother Ye, from now on, I’m afraid we’ve made an enemy of the Celestial Sword Sect," Xiang Tianxiao said, his tone philosophical. He didn’t try to pin the blame on anyone.

Ye Wushuang smiled. "Brother Xiang, even if we had let them go today, the Celestial Sword Sect still wouldn’t have spared us, would they?"

Hearing this, Xiang Tianxiao nodded. "Let’s not dwell on it. Since we’ve offended them, we might as well have offended them completely. All we can do now is work hard to increase our strength and prepare."

Even if they regretted it now, it was useless. The deed was done and couldn’t be undone. Besides, there was no guarantee the Celestial Sword Sect would even find out.

Everyone understood this logic, so they didn’t agonize over it any further.

Then, Xiang Tianxiao introduced the group to Ye Wushuang.

The young man in gray robes was Yut Tong, at the True Essence Seventh Layer. Among Loose Cultivators, his strength was already considered quite formidable.

Besides him, there was also a man named Sunx Fei, at the True Essence Sixth Layer.

The remaining Loose Cultivators had Cultivations between the True Essence Third and Fifth Layers, which amounted to a considerable force.

Once Ye Wushuang had met everyone, Xiang Tianxiao spoke again. "Since we’ve already set foot in the Land of Yin Spirit, let’s take this opportunity to look for the Yin Spirit Flower and increase our strength."

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

With that, Xiang Tianxiao led the group forward.

Walking beside Xiang Tianxiao, Ye Wushuang smiled. "Brother Xiang, you seem quite familiar with the Land of Yin Spirit?"

"You may not know this, Brother Ye, but it’s not that I’m familiar with it," Xiang Tianxiao said with a smile. "Rather, I previously obtained a map detailing the Land of Yin Spirit and the Undying Ghost Abyss. The Yin Spirit Flower grows near the Undying Ghost Abyss, so if we can find the abyss, we can find the flower."

"The Undying Ghost Abyss?"

Ye Wushuang’s brow furrowed. He felt there was something unusual about that name.

Seeing Ye Wushuang’s puzzled expression, Xiang Tianxiao continued, "The Undying Ghost Abyss is a famous Fierce Land in the Earth Palace, holding many secrets. However, no one dares to investigate it because powerful Undying Creatures live within. Only experts at the Yin Yang Realm or higher would dare to venture inside."

’So it’s the dwelling place of the Undying Creatures.’ Ye Wushuang’s understanding dawned. He had encountered Undying Creatures before, and their ability to regenerate and cheat death was indeed terrifying.

Xiang Tianxiao asked, "Brother Ye, you’ve seen Undying Creatures before?" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Ye Wushuang nodded. "I saw them once before. They are indeed terrifying!"

"I see!"

Xiang Tianxiao smiled. "Don’t worry, Brother Ye. The Yin Spirit Flower grows on the edge of the Undying Ghost Abyss, so we won’t be setting foot inside. Besides, people from the Demon Abyss and the Illusion Race are also here. They’re probably headed for the Undying Ghost Abyss, so I suspect the Undying Creatures won’t have time to bother with us."

"The Demon Abyss? What are they here for?"

Ye Wushuang was greatly puzzled.

"That, I’m not sure about." Xiang Tianxiao was also baffled.

"Perhaps it’s related to the recent disturbances?" Yut Tong interjected from the side, adding uncertainly, "There have been frequent strange occurrences in the Undying Ghost Abyss these past few days. I suspect it might have something to do with the Demon Abyss and the Illusion Race."

Hearing this, Ye Wushuang grew even more curious. ’Just a moment ago, it was said that the Undying Ghost Abyss is a Fierce Land that no one below the Yin Yang Realm dares to enter. What could possibly compel the people from the Demon Abyss and the Illusion Race to risk venturing inside?’

"Let’s not worry about them for now. Our goal is to find the Yin Spirit Flower. Once we have it, we leave," Xiang Tianxiao reminded the group, then turned to Ye Wushuang. "By the way, Brother Ye, if you encounter anyone from the Illusion Race in the future, you must be extra careful."

"Why is that?" Ye Wushuang asked, curious. He had never heard of this Illusion Race they mentioned.

Xiang Tianxiao explained, "The Illusion Race is a reclusive Ancient Race from the Endless Wilderness. They are born with the ability to use Illusion Techniques, allowing them to take on various human forms to confuse their enemies. What’s more terrifying is that they can possess human bodies, taking over another’s physical form and killing without a trace. They are extremely difficult to deal with."

’Illusion Race? Illusion Technique? Possessing human bodies?’

An alarm went off in Ye Wushuang’s mind. ’An open attack is easy to parry, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. If one of these Illusion Race members were to transform into someone familiar and approach him, he probably wouldn’t be able to detect them. The moment they decided to kill him, he would be doomed beyond redemption.’

’Illusion Technique!’

Muttering those two words to himself again, Ye Wushuang’s gaze flickered. He continued to follow beside Xiang Tianxiao, heading toward the edge of the Undying Ghost Abyss.

Half an hour later, thanks to the map in Xiang Tianxiao’s possession, the group easily arrived a few dozen miles from the edge of the Undying Ghost Abyss.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a violent tremor brought everyone to an abrupt halt, and they immediately went on guard.

Ye Wushuang also secretly extended his Divine Sense in the direction of the massive tremor.

BOOM! BOOM!

The violent commotion grew clearer and closer, and the ground beneath their feet felt as if it were churning.

A moment later, a massive shadow abruptly appeared within the range of Ye Wushuang’s Divine Sense.

Seeing this massive shadow, Ye Wushuang’s eyes narrowed.

A bizarre and horrifying scene appeared within Ye Wushuang’s field of vision. A Flood Dragon Corpse, dozens of yards long, was slithering across the ground as if it had been resurrected—a truly shocking sight.

A Flood Dragon was a being infinitely close to a True Dragon. Any living one possessed the strength of the Yin Yang Realm, and even its corpse would have the formidable power of the Spiritual Spring Realm.

’Wait!’

Suddenly, Ye Wushuang spotted a black-robed figure on the Flood Dragon’s head.

At the same time, the black-robed figure also seemed to sense something and turned its head to look in Ye Wushuang’s direction.

A deathly pale, expressionless face instantly filled Ye Wushuang’s vision. It was emaciated, with blood-red eyes, pupils as black as ink, and a dark, lifeless aura, like that of a zombie. Its sinister gaze sent a chill down Ye Wushuang’s spine.

All of a sudden, a corner of the young man’s stiff mouth twitched upward into a grotesque smile aimed right at Ye Wushuang!