Chapter 435: Chapter 394: Sudden Upheaval (Yue Monthly Ticket 3500 Bonus Chapter)

"Yuebai, come over to Grandpa."

Tao Fengnian smiled kindly, and Jiang Yuebai stared at him, slowly walking over.

As she approached, Tao Fengnian reached out to touch Jiang Yuebai’s head.

"Let Grandpa see how much you’ve grown over the years."

Jiang Yuebai’s confused gaze suddenly turned sharp, drawing the White Bone Blade and slashing down with it.

"Whose Grandpa?! I’m your Grandpa!"

Jiang Yuebai forcefully stomped on the ghostly shadow on the ground. Long before setting out, she had warned herself that if she were to be tainted by Blood Evil, the most likely figures she’d encounter would be Grandpa, her parents, and her brother. She would kill them without mercy upon seeing them!

"Little Bai!"

Lu Nanzhi placed a hand on her shoulder, and Jiang Yuebai suddenly snapped back to reality, seeing the flattened dry grass under her feet, she awkwardly touched her face.

"It’s my first time dealing with Blood Evil, I lack experience."

Lu Nanzhi said, "The human body has three lamps that can ward off ghosts, on both shoulders and the center of the brow. Visualize these three spots and keep your mind steady, then you won’t be confused by the Blood Evil’s illusions."

Jiang Yuebai nodded, and after visualizing, her mind became clear. But as the surrounding Blood Evil Qi gradually grew denser, she began to feel a bone-scraping pain.

The Blood Evil Qi was like countless fine needles continuously invading her body from all sides, requiring her full strength to resist.

Lu Nanzhi remained unaffected, showing no protective techniques, allowing the Blood Evil to wash over her body without even a furrowed brow.

Noticing Jiang Yuebai’s gaze, Lu Nanzhi looked at the rapidly dropping water level of the Blood Sea, "I’m used to it. I’ve been using it to refine my body all these years, just like you taught me."

Jiang Yuebai was provoked. She wanted to retract her Protective Gang Qi and start body refining too, but she wasn’t a Demon Cultivator, the Blood Evil Qi held no benefit for her. She quickly suppressed her competitive urge.

"The entrance to the secret passage has appeared." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Miaoyin pointed at the Blood Sea. Jiang Yuebai saw, on the edge of the cliff-like shore, a zigzagging staircase descending, revealing a sealed stone door in the cliff as the water level dropped.

Miaoyin took the lead, her ghostly form phasing through the stone door. Moments later, half of her body emerged.

"No one inside, but how will you get in? The stone door is a hundred thousand Jins and a foot thick. Forcing your way in would make too much noise."

Upon hearing this, Lu Nanzhi sheathed her half-drawn sword, and Miaoyin looked at Jiang Yuebai.

Jiang Yuebai’s fingers twitched; how could Miaoyin know she had a way? She neither looked towards nor asked Lu Nanzhi but directly gazed at herself.

"I’ll handle it." Jiang Yuebai grabbed Lu Nanzhi’s arm, "Don’t resist."

With a swirl of black ghostly smoke rising from Jiang Yuebai’s feet, within three breaths, it enveloped the two of them. A tremendous pulling force dragged them more than ten Zhang forward, directly phasing through the stone door into the passage beyond.

Previously, it took around ten breaths to activate the Five Ghosts Shifting Technique. After changing to High-Level Ghosts, it now only took three breaths, and Jiang Yuebai could freely control the distance.

Unlike the Smoke Escape, the Five Ghosts Shifting Technique couldn’t ignore obstacles.

The passage was deep and dark, filled with a faint red mist. Both sides were decorated with ferocious Evil Ghost sculptures, glaring menacingly at those walking through the corridor, giving a sinister and terrifying impression.

Lu Nanzhi carefully assessed, "With this level of Blood Evil, as long as we don’t engage in combat, resisting for an hour shouldn’t be a problem."

"Time is of the essence, let’s hurry." urged Miaoyin, leading the way.

The mechanisms in the passage had long been cleared by treasure-hunting Ghost Cultivators, occasionally encountering Wandering Souls, which Miaoyin casually dealt with.

Continuing downward, the branches were numerous, each leading to different parts of the city. Jiang Yuebai walked while comparing it with the map Miaoyin had provided.

They were headed for the underground Blood Prison of Blood Sea City, located in the deepest part of the city, starting their investigation from there.

Lu Nanzhi focused entirely on resisting the Blood Evil Qi, using it to temper and refine her body, remaining silent throughout.

Not wanting to disturb her, Jiang Yuebai approached Miaoyin and said, "Senior Sister Miaoyin, although Sword Lord Guanhan isn’t good with words, he’s not old-fashioned either. You actually don’t need to fear seeing him, he would be delighted to know you’re alive."

Miaoyin visibly flinched, "Maybe it’s been too long, I don’t know what to say upon meeting him."

Jiang Yuebai probed, "Do you have other concerns?"

Miaoyin’s hand clenched by her side, "I’ve spent almost four hundred years in the Asura Domain, my hands are already stained with blood. Surviving the Golden Core Tribulation was by luck. I might not make it through the Nascent Soul Tribulation, why give him false hope? Yuan Xin said he’s been doing well all these years, knowing that is enough."

"What about your own obsession? If you didn’t have feelings for him that turned into an obsession, how did you survive?"

Miaoyin’s expression was complicated, "Actually, the reason I became a Ghost Cultivator isn’t because of obsession. Even I find the true reason puzzling. Back then, I was the one who told Guanghan to abandon me, and escape with Cang Huo. I willingly went to my death, where’s the obsession in that?"

"Senior Sister Miaoyin, have we met before?"

Miaoyin was taken aback, stopping to look at Jiang Yuebai, "How could we have met before? Why do you ask?"

Jiang Yuebai smiled, "I don’t know, most of the time I feel this is our first meeting, but sometimes your gaze feels like you know me well."

At a fork, Miaoyin checked left and right to discern the path before entering one, "Yuan Xin often mentions you these years, so I’m not entirely ignorant about you."

"But I remember she once told Xie Jingshan, ’Speak less of what’s known to all, absolutely not what only oneself knows,’ she shouldn’t have also told you about my proficiency in the Five Ghosts Shifting Technique, could she?"

Miaoyin suddenly halted, staring ahead. A black figure stood in the blood mist, engulfed in black flames, exuding a murderous aura.

Lu Nanzhi rushed to the front of the two, wielding the Ice Soul Sword, fully alert.

"Who?"

Jiang Yuebai advanced to Lu Nanzhi’s side, squinting to get a better look. The figure had disheveled hair, a White Bone Mask on their face, and their tattered black clothing revealed decaying, exposed, and necrotic green-black flesh beneath, resembling anything but a living being.

They held two White Bone Swords, exuding an intimidating aura with black fire that burned even the surrounding Blood Evil to ashes.

Standing silently like a statue, they remained motionless, only the tattered clothes and wild hair fluttered in the black flames.

Lu Nanzhi and Jiang Yuebai exchanged a look, with Lu Nanzhi moving to test the waters, Jiang Yuebai pulled her back, making a gesture, and stepped forward herself.

The end of this path was their destination, the Blood Prison, and the only way to reach it.

"Ah!"

A shriek came from behind, Jiang Yuebai turned instantly but saw only a hand emerge from the wall, violently pulling Miaoyin fully inside.

"Senior Sister Miaoyin!"

Lu Nanzhi slashed powerfully with her sword, causing the whole wall to freeze and shatter instantly, revealing only rocky mountains with no sign of anyone.

"Watch out!"

A fierce wind attacked with the speed of thunder, Jiang Yuebai pushed Lu Nanzhi out of its path and took the brunt herself. Her body was cut through by the White Bone Sword engulfed in black flames, the black fire consuming her completely, reducing the White Vine Avatar to ashes in an instant.

Lu Nanzhi gaped in astonishment at the figure resembling a Corpse Cultivator, whose attack speed was like teleportation, almost impossible to defend against.

Jiang Yuebai’s true form emerged from the dark, her White Dragon Spear like a Rapid Dragon Emerges from the Sea, attacking the figure from behind. Lu Nanzhi, seizing the moment, drew her sword and advanced, the two of them encircling the figure from front and back.