Chapter 369: Hunting Ghosts

The sounds of roaring and strange cries filled the air.

The group walked silently through the valley. Occasionally, they glanced up, where a chilling wind howled and ghostly figures lurked on the mountain. They suppressed the fluctuations of their protective artifacts with all their might, unable to use evasion techniques, and could only proceed on foot.

A river of blood flowed from within the mountain, its murmuring waters stained crimson by the blood mist.

The river undoubtedly contained toxins more potent than the blood mist. As they walked along its banks, stepping on uneven stones, they were cautious, fearing they might disturb any spirits, and made their difficult way forward.

"There's a secret passage leading into the mountain's core, with its exit directly opposite the ghost lair. Ghosts that have wandered into this passage are mostly solitary and not particularly strong. If we encounter any, we should attack together, finish them quickly, and not give them a chance to summon companions."

Kong Xin stood at the entrance to the mountain's core, observing for a moment. After transmitting a warning to the others, he waved his hand decisively and led the way in.

The others quickly followed.

Inside the mountain, the blood mist was only slightly less dense. Fortunately, none of them were ordinary people, and they could faintly discern the path ahead using only their eyesight.

The deeper they went, the narrower the passage became. The stone walls on either side were jagged, leaving barely any foothold. Without Kong Xin's command, they dared not rashly use their movement techniques to speed up, making their progress increasingly difficult.

Just as the group began to feel impatient, a fork appeared in the path ahead.

"This way!"

Kong Xin seemed very familiar with the area and changed direction without hesitation.

The group filed in and, upon seeing the environment ahead, immediately breathed a sigh of relief. This branch path had no subterranean river, and though winding and uneven, it was much easier to traverse than the outside.

Kong Xin led the way, with the elderly master and his young disciple in the middle, and Qin Sang and Yun Youzi bringing up the rear.

They had requested these positions themselves. Firstly, their combined efforts were the most coordinated, and secondly, it would provide a buffer if a crisis arose ahead.

Initially, the group was cautious, fearing ambushes from spirits, and moved slowly as if facing a formidable enemy.

However, as time passed, and according to Kong Xin, they were already nearing the middle of the secret passage. Yet, they had only encountered a few weak ghost soldiers, easily dispatching them.

Gradually, the group grew bolder and accelerated their pace.

Kong Xin transmitted, "Up ahead is the deepest part of the mountain's core, where there's a vast cavern. At least, I haven't been able to determine its full extent. It's likely home to many spirits, but fortunately, we only need to walk along its edge for a short distance to enter another secret passage, which we can then use to exit."

Before Kong Xin finished speaking, the path ahead suddenly vanished. Upon closer inspection, they realized the secret passage ended at a low cliff.

Below the cliff, shrouded in blood mist, the end was not visible. It was indeed a cavern, just as Kong Xin had described.

"Follow me!"

Kong Xin stepped onto the protruding stones on the cliff face and descended gracefully. The others followed closely behind.

Soon, they were on solid ground. After confirming no anomalies around them, they proceeded along the cliff wall.

"Watch out!"

Sun Xin suddenly stopped, letting out a low cry. With one hand gripping a vermilion pill, he pointed the other forward, and a nine-story pagoda-shaped artifact transformed into a streak of light, flying ahead.

The blood mist then surged, and the palm-sized nine-story pagoda grew to human height, hovering steadily in mid-air. A clear, radiant light poured from the pagoda, firmly locking down a malevolent spirit below.

This spirit had two horns on its head and a hideous appearance.

Suppressed by the pagoda, the malevolent spirit still struggled fiercely, roaring with an open mouth. Fortunately, the pagoda blocked its sound, preventing it from alerting more spirits.

Even with his artifact, Kong Xin couldn't easily subdue it. This malevolent spirit was only slightly weaker than a Foundation Establishment cultivator, making it the strongest opponent they had encountered since entering Boundless Valley.

*Whoosh!*

A speck of white light flickered.

The white light originated from a needle-shaped artifact, as fine as an ox hair.

Unexpectedly, this seemingly inconspicuous artifact pierced the malevolent spirit's body, working in conjunction with Kong Xin's nine-story pagoda to slay the spirit. Then, with a flash of light, it flew back into the red-clad woman's palm.

After its death, the malevolent spirit transformed into a wisp of bloody qi, merging into the blood mist.

Kong Xin retrieved his nine-story pagoda and cupped his hands to the red-clad woman, saying, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for your timely assistance."

The red-clad woman replied indifferently, "Even without me, Fellow Daoist Kong could have easily handled this fiend. I simply didn't want to waste too much time. The presence of such a powerful spirit shows that this secret passage isn't as safe as you claimed, Fellow Daoist. You should lead the way quickly to avoid any more surprises."

A hint of mockery appeared on the red-clad woman's face, clearly indicating her displeasure with Kong Xin's previous concealment.

Kong Xin said without changing his expression, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. The strongest spirits I've encountered on my previous visits were no more powerful than this. There won't be..."

As if to contradict Sun Xin, before he could finish, Yun Youzi, who had been at the rear, suddenly changed expression. He abruptly turned his head to stare behind them and uttered a low cry, "More!"

Qin Sang reacted incredibly fast. Trusting that Yun Youzi would never give a false alarm, he didn't hesitate upon receiving the warning. He waved his right palm, and a golden light shot out from his palm, plunging directly into the blood mist.

*Swish!*

The Soul-Binding Rope firmly ensnared a malevolent spirit.

This malevolent spirit was similar in strength to the previous one. Because Qin Sang was concealing his cultivation, he didn't exert his full strength, which meant the Soul-Binding Rope couldn't completely suppress the spirit.

Fortunately, Yun Youzi had also acted, and his flying sword slew the malevolent spirit.

Qin Sang, meanwhile, didn't even glance at the slain spirit. Another black light flew from his palm, revealing a square black stone. With thunderous might, it fiercely smashed towards the other side.

Only after the Black Dragon Stone had struck did the group realize that a wisp of bloody qi had flown out from beneath it, merging into the blood mist.

The malevolent spirit had been crushed to death by the Black Dragon Stone before it could even fully materialize.

After entering Boundless Valley, Qin Sang had already taken out Liang Yan's Black Dragon Stone and Soul-Binding Rope, preparing them for use.

The demons, devils, and spirits of Boundless Valley were all resistant to toxins, making the Heavenly Poison Gauze largely ineffective, and the Yin-Yang Compass had little offensive power. In contrast, Liang Yan's two artifacts were quite convenient to use.

Seeing Qin Sang consecutively produce two high-grade artifacts, both of which possessed considerable power, the others' gazes towards him shifted, tinged with a subtle apprehension.

Just then, ripples suddenly appeared deep within the blood mist, and several phantom figures rushed towards them.

More malevolent spirits had been alerted by the commotion of the fight.

There were more than a dozen of these malevolent spirits, varying in strength. Fortunately, even the strongest among them were only on par with the three they had just faced, not exceeding the group's capabilities.

The group employed their various techniques, slaying the malevolent spirits one after another. However, they didn't relax for a moment, knowing they couldn't stay there long. Otherwise, a chain reaction would occur, attracting more and more spirits.

Sun Xin quickly accelerated, and the group followed him, fighting as they retreated. Finally, they saw a man-width opening appear on the stone wall ahead.