Chapter 121: Bone Corpse

"Senior Li, may I ask, with so many disciples in your Four Great Sects, you still can't clear out all these ghosts? And what if we run out of Yang-Dispelling Pills? We can't stay in the Ghost Abyss indefinitely, can we?"

A middle-aged Confucian scholar, dressed as a scholar, stepped forward and asked.

"The Ghost Abyss has too many entrances, and too many ghosts. For this operation, cultivators from the cultivation worlds of both our Song and Chu nations have joined forces to eradicate as many ghosts as possible. I must warn you: two cultivation family strongholds near an entrance have suffered heavy casualties. If we allow the ghosts to proliferate unchecked, more and more entrances could appear, and no one knows where the next one might be.

Before you enter the Ghost Abyss, each team will receive a map. This map covers only a portion of the Ghost Abyss, and I advise you to stick to your assigned routes. Once you reach your designated location, I will send someone to resupply your Yang-Dispelling Pills. A word of caution: you have only half a month. If you fail to reach the designated location within that time, you'll be on your own. The same applies if you get lost; we've only explored most of the area, and there are Ghost Kings present in the Ghost Abyss."

Li Yang spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone unhurried.

"What? Ghost Kings? Those are equivalent to Core Formation cultivators! What do we do if we encounter one?"

The cultivators present blanched. Ghost Kings are equivalent to Core Formation cultivators, capable of instantly killing them. If they encountered a Ghost King, they would face certain death.

Li Yang's eyes hardened. "If you encounter a Ghost King," he said, "then you can only blame your bad luck."

He seemed to recall something, and his tone softened. He continued, "Of course, the number of Ghost Kings won't be excessive. So far, we haven't encountered any Ghost Infants. When you slay ghosts, you'll be rewarded with two to two hundred contribution points, depending on the size of the Yin Bead and the quality of the Spirit Bone. The team with the best performance will not only receive a Foundation Establishment Pill but also an Immortal Ascent Token. A cultivator possessing an Immortal Ascent Token, regardless of age, gender, or aptitude, may use it to join one of our Four Great Sects. However, one Immortal Ascent Token allows only one cultivator to join one sect."

This announcement caused a stir among the crowd.

Joining a cultivation sect would benefit both individuals and their families.

"What exactly are Yin Beads and Spirit Bones? And how do we identify them?"

Li Yang nodded to the young man in green. The youth then produced two black, spherical beads and two bones, about a foot long, each enveloped in a layer of white spiritual light.

"Yin Beads are unique to ghosts, equivalent to the inner cores of demonic beasts. Unlike demonic beasts, even Qi Refining stage ghosts possess Yin Beads, and the higher a ghost's cultivation realm, the larger its Yin Bead. Bones, when nourished by Yin energy, transform into Spirit Bones, which can then evolve into Bone Corpses. A single Bone Corpse will have at least one Spirit Bone, sometimes several, and these can be used for artifact refining. The contribution points earned from Yin Beads and Spirit Bones can be exchanged for spiritual treasures. I must warn you: do not fly with artifacts within the Ghost Abyss. The Abyss is teeming with ghosts, and flying makes you an easy target. Although you have Yang-Dispelling Pills and Fiery Charms to ward off Yin energy, the most formidable threat in the Ghost Abyss comes from the ubiquitous ghosts themselves. Do not underestimate them; some particularly powerful ones can rival cultivators at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment."

A tall, thin man with a shrewd expression stepped forward, cupped his hands, and asked, "What if someone decides to harm others within the Ghost Abyss? After all, the supply of Fiery Pills is limited, and it's not impossible for ill intentions to arise."

Li Yang smiled faintly. "Your objective for this expedition is to eliminate ghosts, not to engage in internal strife," he said. "If anyone is caught fighting amongst themselves, they will be severely punished."

His words were ambiguous. On the surface, he was prohibiting infighting, but the underlying message was clear: if an act was carried out discreetly and no one witnessed it, there would naturally be no punishment.

Li Yang's statement caused a ripple of unease among some cultivators, particularly those cultivation families who had intended to simply go through the motions. They had brought little in terms of supplies, their cultivation levels were not high, and most of their accompanying members were only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. They realized that if they encountered a powerful cultivation family, they could easily become targets for predation.

"Oh, and if you encounter cultivators from the Chu nation's cultivation world, be wary of them. All right, if there are no more questions, let's depart immediately. Martial Nephew Chen, please distribute the Yang-Dispelling Pills and Fiery Charms."

"Yes, Martial Uncle Li."

The young man in green then distributed the pills and jade pendants to each cultivator. Foundation Establishment cultivators received an additional bottle of Yang-Dispelling Pills, each bottle containing ten pills, along with a jade slip.

Li Yang explained some further guidelines to the group, then led them to the bank of the White Dragon River.

He produced a shimmering white command flag and, with a flick, unleashed a swathe of white spiritual light towards the void above the White Dragon River. Immediately, a black gate, several zhang in size, materialized, from which a torrent of Yin energy surged forth.

Hundreds of hideous ghosts surged out of the black gate, jostling to be first, and lunged towards Wang Changsheng and the others.

Most of these ghosts were Ghost Soldiers, though there were also a few Ghost Generals. Ghost Soldiers are equivalent to Qi Refining stage cultivators, while Ghost Generals correspond to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Before they even got close, an extremely mournful ghostly wail filled the air.

Cultivators with lower cultivation levels appeared dazed, their eyes glazed over.

Wang Changsheng, whose divine sense was relatively strong, remained unaffected.

Li Yang sneered, and with a sudden flick of the green whisk in his hand, a loud "shhh" sound resonated. Countless fine green threads shot forth, piercing through the ghosts' bodies. Dozens of black, spherical beads of varying sizes dropped to the ground, with some falling into the river.

Ghosts continuously streamed out of the black gate, but Li Yang effortlessly eradicated them all.

In less than fifteen minutes, Li Yang had eradicated hundreds of ghosts, including over a dozen Ghost Generals.

While marveling at the formidable power of Core Formation cultivators, Wang Changsheng and the other cultivators gained a deeper understanding of ghosts.

"All right, the ghosts have mostly been cleared. Each cultivation family will form a small team and enter the Ghost Abyss in succession. Do not take the Yang-Dispelling Pills immediately; wait until you encounter areas with dense Yin energy."

Under Li Yang's command, hundreds of cultivators, organized into teams of eleven—with each team's captain and members belonging to the same cultivation family—began entering the Ghost Abyss in succession.

Wang Changsheng activated his Cloud Soaring Mist Riding Art, carrying ten clan members, and flew into the black gate. He felt a brief disorientation, then suddenly found himself in a dark, murky world.

The air was filled with a chilling energy, which was clearly Yin energy, while spiritual energy was extremely scarce.

The area was dim, barely allowing them to discern their surroundings.

They found themselves on a desolate, seemingly endless plain. The sky above was a dark, oppressive black, and the air carried a pungent odor. A few hundred feet away, several cultivators were already besieging a few humanoid skeletons.

The skeletons had two green flames flickering in their eye sockets and were devoid of flesh, yet they moved freely. These were Bone Corpses.

Bone Corpses employed simple attack methods, but their bodies were incredibly tough. Even a mid-grade spiritual artifact would leave only faint white marks on them; only magic artifacts could effectively deal with them.

Each team's captain consulted their map, and then they all set off on their separate ways.

The Ghost Abyss was heavy with Yin energy and swarmed with ghosts. While acting together would logically be safer, their supply of Yang-Dispelling Pills was limited. They had to reach their designated locations before their pills ran out, where they would cooperate with Core Formation cultivators to encircle and suppress the Ghost Kings.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Mingzhan formed one group, while the remaining nine were split into three groups of three. The eleven individuals advanced in a diamond formation, each enveloped in a red light shield that emanated a warmth, dispelling the chill carried by the Yin energy.