Chapter 632: Previous Life's Face

Within the bright world, a group of people raced across the razor-sharp mountain range.

The Captain led the way, followed by Xu Qing, Wu Jianwu, You Jing, Li Youfei, and finally, Ning Yan.

They were separated by dozens of feet, each enveloped in a thick black mist, unable to see or sense one another.

Xu Qing held a lit blue candle, walking through the black mist it emitted, his heart filled with vigilance.

The Captain's warning about the candle extinguishing was what truly put Xu Qing on edge, prompting him to recall past experiences.

Instinctively, his cultivation base began to circulate. At that moment, the agreement that forbade the use of his Red Moon Authority was automatically ignored by Xu Qing.

Not only did the Red Moon Authority surge through his body, but Xu Qing also unleashed his poisonous restraints, encircling himself with them.

Radiant morning light also flowed around him.

He was prepared for anything to happen at any moment.

Ling'er, nestled at his collar, stirred and cautiously poked her head out, gazing into the distance.

"Brother Xu Qing," Ling'er whispered, "this place is somewhat similar to the Ancient Spirit World. There are many departed souls here, but unlike the Ancient Spirit World where they are mostly individual entities, this place seems to have special laws that cause countless souls to merge together."

"I can vaguely hear them whispering, seemingly saying something, but I can't quite make it out. Still, I feel they are watching us."

Ling'er spoke softly.

Xu Qing nodded, quickening his pace along the mountain range. However, the mist from the candle obscured his vision, preventing him from seeing the Captain ahead.

Nor could he sense him.

Even his shadow was suppressed here, unable to spread.

Only Ling'er, with her innate talent as an ancient spirit, seemed capable of probing the outside world.

"Ling'er," Xu Qing communicated mentally, "I can't sense what's outside; I can only barely see the path beneath my feet. Can you perceive the surroundings?"

"Yes, I can," she replied, "though it's blurry, I can vaguely sense it. Brother Xu Qing, everything outside is normal. Everyone is moving forward within their respective mists. The direction is correct; the Captain is about a hundred feet ahead of you, and Wu Jianwu is behind."

Xu Qing nodded, speeding along the mountain range.

Thus, the six of them increased their speed, each remaining focused and highly alert. Even You Jing, despite his profound cultivation, dared not let his guard down in the slightest.

Indeed, within this peculiar world, besides the human skin lanterns floating in mid-air and the roars from the abysses on both sides, there were also gusts of mountain wind.

This wind was astonishing, carrying immense murderous intent that sent shivers down their spines.

As it swept across the mountain range and struck their mists, the misty shrouds twisted and swayed, instilling an endless chill in their hearts, as if countless long blades were whistling past their faces.

Each 'blade' carried an extreme malevolent energy that shook their minds, seemingly capable of bypassing cultivation and directly severing souls.

"The wind is picking up," the Captain's deep voice, carried on the wind, reached each misty shroud. "Hold onto your candles tightly, and unite your body and spirit."

"This wind will make the roars from the abysses on both sides of the mountain range increasingly clear. Once these sounds converge to a certain extent, they will transform into voices familiar to us."

"This place is concealed within memory. Therefore, the moment we entered, the instant we saw it, this place became a part of our memories."

"Similarly, our presence has been imprinted upon this world's memory."

"As such, our own memories have already merged with this place. So, the voices each of you hear will be different, representing your deepest obsessions."

"Remember, they are false. Do not believe them, do not dwell on them, and most importantly, do not look back!"

As he finished speaking, the Captain's voice wavered and grew increasingly faint. Meanwhile, the surrounding wind intensified, its howling laments becoming stronger.

Xu Qing looked up at the mist before him, pondering a question.

The Captain had warned them not to trust the voices carried by the wind. So... were the Captain's own words trustworthy?

If they were truly the Captain's words, why hadn't he said them earlier?

Furthermore, if these were indeed the Captain's words, was his timing truly just a reminder?

Xu Qing mused, about to speak, but in the next instant, he suppressed the impulse. Whether the voices were real or false, responding itself would create a karmic connection.

Moreover, their authenticity wasn't truly important. What mattered was having a clear direction and simply continuing along the path beneath his feet.

With these thoughts, Xu Qing's gaze remained calm as he continued forward along the long mountain range.

Soon, an incense stick's worth of time passed. As the group covered most of the journey, the phenomenon the Captain had warned them about earlier began to manifest.

Different sounds and calls echoed in each person's ears.

Xu Qing heard the voice of Captain Lei, as well as Master Bai, Seventh Master, Zixuan, and even the calls of his parents and Prince Ziqing. Xu Qing's expression remained calm. He didn't believe anyone would genuinely turn back in such circumstances, so he ignored the voices. As he continued forward, he also raised his right hand and gently pressed down on Ling'er at his neck, preventing her from being distracted.

You Jing heard something unknown, but his face remained impassive, and his pace did not slow in the slightest.

Li Youfei, at his age, had experienced much. Having been able to engage in mind games with Xu Qing during their first encounter, his resolve was naturally firm. He could suppress his inner fluctuations and ignore the sounds.

As for Wu Jianwu, he heard Yunxiazi's voice in the wind, seemingly from right behind him, calling out to him. This sudden occurrence startled Wu Jianwu, but remembering Yunxiazi's resolute departure in the past, he sneered and ignored it, instead quickening his pace.

Next, he heard a low, majestic voice, seemingly from ancient times, perfectly aligning with all his knowledge of Ancient Emperor Xuanyou.

"Nine clouds and the sky of night recall the past; ten abysses and their mists obscure both ancient and present!"

Wu Jianwu's mind trembled, instinctively wanting to turn and look. But the next instant, he felt something was off. He inwardly thought, 'This poem is wrong. It's nonsense, indistinguishable from mediocrity. It appears to possess stirring grandeur, but in reality, it's just empty rhetoric.'

He snorted again and stepped forward.

Finally, it was Ning Yan. He heard many things, until he heard the very last line.

"My imperial son..."

Ning Yan paused, then, recalling the Captain's words, he remained silent for a few breaths before continuing forward.

On the mountain range, the misty shrouds containing their figures moved swiftly, with no one experiencing any mishaps.

After learning all this from Ling'er, Xu Qing's vigilance deepened. He instinctively felt that the strangeness of this world wouldn't be so simple.

Maintaining a calm gaze, he walked, simultaneously judging the distance to the end based on the passage of time and his speed.

The candle in his hand was clearly burning faster here, now reduced to just a stub.

"Almost there," Xu Qing murmured to himself.

Xu Qing murmured to himself and continued walking, but just then, Ling'er's surprised voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Brother Xu Qing... I see our group's black mists, not six... but seven."

"One appeared in an instant. At the same time, the other mists seem to have subtly shifted out of place... I can't quite tell who is who anymore."

Xu Qing's gaze sharpened. He looked down at Ling'er, noting the fear in her eyes, and confirmed that it was indeed Ling'er's voice.

Her words did not surprise him.

The strangeness of this world was now continuously revealing itself, from the previous voices to Ling'er's report of an extra presence.

"Don't look," Xu Qing responded mentally, "keep moving forward."

The moment Xu Qing responded mentally, the Captain's voice also came again, reaching everyone's ears.

"We're almost at the end now; this trial is finally about to be overcome," the Captain's voice resonated. "But we cannot relax, because the candles are burning much faster here than in other areas, indicating that we have attracted attention."

"Therefore, we must move at full speed, racing forward to reach the place where this mountain range connects with the sky before our candles burn out."

"Now, everyone, sprint!"

The Captain's voice echoed, and on the mountain range, the seven misty figures, unable to see each other, harbored different thoughts.

Ning Yan was startled, and Wu Jianwu was also surprised. They had naturally noticed their candles were almost burnt out, but both distinctly remembered the Captain having made many candles. Logically, if one wasn't enough, he should have distributed two to each person earlier.

Li Youfei hesitated, unsure whether the voice was real or fake, and unable to see anyone else, he pondered whether he should believe it.

As for You Jing, he merely snorted, still moving slowly.

And the Captain, who was supposedly leading the way, remained utterly unresponsive!

Only Wu Jianwu, who was behind Xu Qing, for reasons unknown, suddenly accelerated and sprinted towards the end ahead.

He was now two thousand feet from the end.

In his rush, he swiftly passed the misty shrouds of Xu Qing and the Captain, steadily approaching the end.

The wind before him became incredibly strong at that moment, and the candle in his hand suddenly burned even faster.

Finally, when he was within about a hundred feet of the end, the candle in Wu Jianwu's hand completely burned out. The moment it extinguished, the surrounding mist instantly dispersed, revealing his figure, his eyes wide with terror.

Seeing there were still about a hundred feet left, Wu Jianwu panicked. Especially as he noticed the six black mists on the mountain range still moving slowly, realizing he was the only one dashing forward, an expression of shock and doubt appeared on his face.

He seemed to realize he had been tricked, but there was nothing he could do now but grit his teeth and sprint towards the end, about a hundred feet away.

But just then, the world's colors changed dramatically.

Blue lightning bolts roared across the sky. Countless human skin lanterns simultaneously turned their heads, and the moment they looked at Wu Jianwu, they rapidly rushed towards him, approaching with astonishing, near-instantaneous speed.

From the abysses on both sides of the mountain range, deafening, gigantic gasps echoed. Moreover, powerful figures were striking the rocks, seemingly climbing rapidly upwards.

Terrifying fluctuations spread, causing the entire mountain range to vibrate intensely. The world twisted, and all directions became blurred, as if deities resided within the abyss.

At the same time, among Xu Qing and the others on the mountain range, one of the misty shrouds suddenly shot out with astonishing speed, brimming with greed.

It headed straight for Wu Jianwu.

Its speed was so great that the obscuring mist around it instantly dispersed, revealing within... a human skin lantern!

And the face on this lantern bore a striking resemblance to the Captain's.

It approached in the blink of an eye, its expression wild. The moment Wu Jianwu was less than ten feet from the end, about to step onto it, the lantern charged directly in front of him.

It opened its gaping mouth, a hideous grimace, preparing to swallow him.

But just then, Wu Jianwu suddenly stopped moving forward. He raised his right hand, which glowed with a blue light, and grabbed the human skin lantern.

The lantern froze in surprise, attempting to dodge but it was too late. Once Wu Jianwu seized it, he swiftly retreated, landing on the altar at the end of the path.

At this moment, the countless human skin lanterns outside all paused simultaneously, seemingly losing their awareness. They became quiet as before, scattering and drifting around.

The low roars from the abysses also ceased, and the striking of rocks continued faintly.

Evidently, once the exposed traveler had passed the mountain range and reached the altar, they lost their target.

At this moment, Wu Jianwu, standing on the altar with the lantern in hand, was beaming with joy, laughing triumphantly.

"Finally, I've lured this thing out!"

As he laughed, Wu Jianwu's face and figure shifted. Large amounts of liquid flowed from his body, revealing the Captain's true appearance!

He had, in fact, been disguised as the Captain.