Chapter 605: Evil Ghost Path

Rippling blue light shimmered and swayed within the tunnel. Looking up, they saw dark blue lake water overhead, like a shimmering curtain within reach. It was then they realized they were beneath the small lake, and the tunnel was hidden at its bottom.

"Let's go!"

Once inside the tunnel, Dongyang Bo cast aside his concerns. He took Qin Sang and the others, activated his movement technique, and sped forward.

The tunnel was incredibly long. Although winding, it was completely clear with no obstructing barriers. Dongyang Bo led them at top speed for a full fifteen minutes, yet they still hadn't reached the end. Qin Sang silently calculated their bearings. If they were to judge by the position of the lake outside, they should have already delved deep into the mountain. However, the strange glow emanating from the tunnel walls clearly indicated the presence of formations, suggesting that their current direction might not correspond to the outside world. Otherwise, at Dongyang Bo's speed, they could have circled Tian Mountain countless times in fifteen minutes.

After nearly another fifteen minutes, the tunnel ahead suddenly opened up.

Standing at the tunnel exit, Qin Sang and the others were all dumbfounded, staring ahead with shocked expressions. Chen Yan also seemed somewhat dazed.

Before them lay an exceptionally wide corridor, towering more than ten zhang high, its end shrouded in darkness. The walls, floor, and ceiling of the corridor were covered in a layer of smooth, glaze-like material. What shocked everyone was that this glazed surface was covered with countless ferocious evil spirits!

Malevolent souls, skeletons, pale eyeballs, scarlet tongues, stark white bones, and dismembered flesh and blood were depicted. Innumerable grotesque evil spirits covered the entire corridor; any image of an evil spirit one could imagine could be found here, depicted so lifelike that they seemed truly present. They were sealed beneath the glaze, seemingly ready to break free at any moment to devour souls and feast on blood!

This was unmistakably a Demonic Path! If it weren't for the absence of the legendary Yellow Springs Road, they would have thought they had arrived in hell.

A chill ran down Qin Sang's spine. The moment he stood there, he had the unsettling illusion that countless ferocious gazes were fixed on him, coveting his vitality and flesh. This feeling originated from the nearby evil spirits. Sealed beneath the glaze, they hadn't moved, yet their eyes seemed to be truly watching him.

In fact, it wasn't just Qin Sang; Qiu Mubo and the others had similar feelings. Locked onto by myriad evil spirits, their bodies stiffened, their spirits and blood feeling as if they were solidifying. They dared not move an inch.

Dongyang Bo pointed to the Demonic Path ahead and spoke to Chen Yan.

"The reason we went to such great lengths to bring these five in, instead of having Core Formation stage disciples operate the Five Elements Beast Seals, is precisely because of this Demonic Path. I don't know if it's due to the unique nature of this area's formations or if evil spirits were truly sealed here. Stepping onto the Demonic Path will immediately awaken them. When the evil spirits awaken, we will be surrounded by myriad spirits, making it impossible to move a single step, and we'll have to fight our way through. Although their individual strength isn't exceptionally high, their numbers are vast. Even powerful Nascent Soul cultivators can only manage to protect themselves and would have little energy left to protect others.

"However, this Demonic Path has one peculiar characteristic: it only reacts to those with a certain level of vigorous life force, and there's no way to block this reaction. These five are only at the Foundation Establishment stage and haven't undergone the spiritual energy infusion during Core Formation. Therefore, they can deceive these evil spirits and pass through safely. Che Yutao and the others, however, cannot. Let them go first, then the two of us will charge through."

Upon hearing this, Qin Sang and the others were all very surprised that such a strange place existed in the world. Not having to fight the evil spirits finally eased their long-held anxieties. However, the thought of walking that path alone still left them apprehensive and extremely worried, fearing any mishap might lead to them being devoured by myriad spirits.

"Grandmaster, are these evil spirits alive? Were they sealed here by ancient cultivators after hunting them?" Qiu Mubo, emboldened by Dongyang Bo's regard, dared to ask.

Dongyang Bo shook his head. "They are not living creatures; only ghostly projections emerge. As for whether they are formed by formations or are truly remnants of evil spirits that perished here, it's hard to say. All right, you may proceed. Walk boldly forward, don't be afraid. They won't even deign to look at your flesh and blood."

To be scorned by evil spirits was an unexpected feeling. Qin Sang and the others had mixed feelings but dared not disobey Dongyang Bo's command.

The five exchanged glances and gathered around Qiu Mubo. Ji Qing led the way, tentatively stepping onto the corridor, one foot landing precisely on a ghost's face. Ji Qing felt a chill run up from the sole of his foot. He took two more steps, and seeing no change in the corridor, only then did he boldly walk forward.

With long strides, they ventured deeper into the Demonic Path, finding themselves in a hellish scene. At this point, they could no longer see Dongyang Bo and Chen Yan behind them. If anything unexpected happened, no one would be able to save them. Their hearts grew cold, and they started to run wildly.

'Thump, thump, thump...'

As they stepped on the glazed floor, their footsteps echoed through the corridor like a haunting death knell, chasing after them. Time had never seemed to pass so slowly. The corridor felt endless, with only infinite darkness ahead.

"Finally, we're out!"

Qiu Mubo let out a soft sigh; they had finally reached the end. This Demonic Path was too terrifying; even someone as composed as him broke out in a cold sweat. Qin Sang let out a long breath. In reality, he was the one most worried about an accident. Although he hadn't undergone spiritual energy infusion, he had a flying yaksha in his corpse puppet bag that was currently undergoing transformation, making it comparable to a true Core Formation master. Qin Sang was afraid that the flying yaksha's aura would alarm the evil spirits. Fortunately, nothing happened, likely because the flying yaksha, being an inanimate object, had a very weak life force.

Ahead of the Demonic Path stood two enormous stone doors. Qiu Mubo stepped forward and pushed open the stone doors. The others filed in, discovering a grand hall beyond with further paths leading off from it. They dared not wander recklessly in such a place and dutifully hid behind the stone doors, waiting for Dongyang Bo and Chen Yan.

At first, there was no sound. Suddenly, the ground violently shook, and even the heavy stone doors couldn't block out the terrifying wails of ghosts. On the other side of the stone doors, myriad evil spirits had appeared!

Their ears were assaulted by endless ghostly cries—wailing, laughing, and all sorts of incredibly eerie sounds—which managed to affect their minds even through the stone doors. Qiu Mubo and the other four's faces paled slightly, their minds wavering, shaken by the ghostly wails. Finding it hard to compose themselves, they hastily entered a meditative state to calm their minds. Qin Sang, naturally, wasn't afraid of these sounds, but he also pretended to be overwhelmed and sat cross-legged on the ground.

This chaotic disturbance continued, and there was no sound from Dongyang Bo and Chen Yan. Not long after, the stone doors suddenly creaked open, pushed by Dongyang Bo. At the same time, the ghostly wails abruptly ceased, and all the evil spirits vanished instantly. Dongyang Bo and Chen Yan walked in one after another, their spiritual energy visibly unstable, indicating that traversing the Demonic Path had indeed been difficult. However, they were not injured. After taking a spiritual pill and a brief period of recovery, they were back to normal.