Chapter 691: Wan Gui Sea Region

The Myriad Ghost Sea is a place perennially shrouded in ghostly mist, where the sounds of wailing ghosts and howling wolves are often heard.

According to incomplete statistics, the Myriad Ghost Sea contains over 20,000 islands of various sizes. It is a paradise for adventurers; some high-level cultivators, before their life force dissipates, come here to seek treasures. Though only a handful succeed, many cultivators still enter the Myriad Ghost Sea daily in search of fortune.

A blue streak of light appeared on the horizon, heading directly for the Myriad Ghost Sea.

Not long after, the blue streak of light stopped before a thick black mist. With a flash of spiritual light, Wang Changsheng and Ye Lin appeared.

The Myriad Ghost Sea is not far from the Scarlet Moon Sea, with a direct teleportation array linking it to a large market city on its outskirts.

Wang Changsheng released his spiritual sense and swept it towards the black ghostly mist ahead. After penetrating only a hundred zhang, his spiritual sense began to be affected.

He withdrew his spiritual sense, a thoughtful expression on his face. It was said that Nascent Soul stage Ghost Kings roamed the depths of the Myriad Ghost Sea, but operating in the outer regions was relatively safe.

"Proceed with caution, and don't overexert yourselves," Wang Changsheng advised. He then performed a hand seal, and the flying shuttle artifact beneath their feet carried them into the thick black mist ahead.

They were surrounded by a vast expanse of thick black mist, and visibility was very low.

The wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves grew louder. Chilling winds blew in gusts, sending shivers down their spines. The seawater itself was black and unsettling.

Ye Lin wore a shimmering red jade pendant, which emitted a reddish glow protecting his entire body.

Wang Changsheng, equipped with his spiritual treasure, the Golden Amber Jade Buddha Pendant, feared no attacks from demons or ghosts. His only concern was for Ye Lin.

According to ancient texts, the chances of encountering spatial rifts in the outer regions were relatively low. Even so, Wang Changsheng released a large swarm of Gold-Devouring Ants, letting them spread out to surround the two of them, ready to defend against any ghostly attacks.

Following the map provided by Cheng Zhenyu, they flew forward.

A short while later, an oval-shaped island appeared ahead.

There was not a single plant on the island, which appeared somewhat desolate.

Wang Changsheng performed a hand seal, and the blue flying shuttle beneath their feet flew towards the northwest.

As they delved deeper into the Myriad Ghost Sea, the wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves grew louder, the ghostly mist became thicker, and the interference with spiritual sense increased.

Not long after, Wang Changsheng suddenly stopped. He frowned and said, "Ghostly creatures are approaching. Be careful."

He flicked his wrist, and a golden light flew out from the spirit beast pearl on his hand. It was the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada.

Over a dozen enormous bone birds flew towards them. Their bodies were wreathed in black qi, emanating a sinister ghostly aura, and clusters of green flames flickered in their eye sockets. They were clearly skeletal corpses.

The Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada seemed to have caught the scent of food, flapping its wings as it darted towards the approaching bone birds.

Before it even got close, it sprayed a large swath of golden light, engulfing one of the bone birds.

A cluster of green light flew out from the bone bird, was engulfed by the golden light, and drawn into the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada's mouth, vanishing instantly.

The bone bird quickly plummeted from mid-air, falling into the seawater.

The Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada was incredibly fast; in less than ten breaths, it had dealt with all the bone birds. It flew back to Wang Changsheng's back, emitting excited chirps.

"A Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada!" Ye Lin exclaimed, a hint of surprise in his eyes, with a light chuckle. "You actually raised one. While this spiritual insect can enhance a cultivator's spiritual sense, its advancement is much more difficult than other spiritual insects. However, in a ghostly place like the Myriad Ghost Sea, it can certainly be useful."

"I've had it for many years," Wang Changsheng said with a smile, "but it's still only a high-grade second-tier. The spiritual sense it feeds back is too little. I wonder when it will be able to advance to the third-tier." The Myriad Ghost Sea, with its numerous ghostly creatures, might just be the place to help the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada advance to the third-tier.

They continued forward. Along the way, they didn't encounter many cultivators, but they frequently encountered ghostly creatures. These creatures were not high-tiered; most were at the Qi Refinement stage, with relatively few at the Foundation Establishment stage, and no Core Formation stage Ghost Kings whatsoever.

This was not surprising, as they were still in the outer regions.

After devouring a large number of ghostly creatures, the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada became lethargic. It no longer bothered to devour Qi Refinement stage ghostly creatures, but it would alert Wang Changsheng to Foundation Establishment stage ghostly creatures, as those were still of interest to it.

The troublesome part was that the Yin energy in the Myriad Ghost Sea was too dense. The Gold-Devouring Ants became very weak from absorbing too much Yin energy; their flight speed slowed drastically, and they swayed precariously, appearing as if they could fall from mid-air at any moment.

Wang Changsheng collected these Gold-Devouring Ants and replaced them with another batch. He had raised several thousand Gold-Devouring Ants, most of which were second-tier.

Over a month later, Wang Changsheng and Ye Lin appeared above a vast expanse of thick black mist. To be honest, if not for the topographical map provided by Cheng Zhenyu, Wang Changsheng would not have noticed the island here in the Myriad Ghost Sea.

According to Cheng Zhenyu's account, the island would only emerge from the sea after the tide receded. The Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Flame was located in an underground cave on the island, but it was guarded by a Ghost King. Cheng Zhenyu and Zheng Nan had nearly been killed by this Ghost King.

A dull buzzing sound heralded the arrival of a large swarm of black beetles. These black beetles had no trace of life force; they were clearly ghostly creatures.

What caught Wang Changsheng's attention was a black beetle two zhang in size. It had two pairs of white bone wings, some golden spots on its back, and a pair of black fangs protruding from its mouth. It looked exactly like a ladybug magnified countless times.

"A Golden Star Ladybug! What a pity it's already dead," Wang Changsheng murmured. A peculiar glint flashed in Wang Changsheng's eyes. The Golden Star Ladybug ranked sixty-first on the Heavenly and Earthly Extraordinary Insects List; it was adept at finding Heavenly and Earthly spiritual herbs and was immune to blades, spears, water, and fire.

A strange chirping sound rang out as the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada flapped its wings and pounced on the Golden Star Ladybug.

The Golden Star Ladybug was merely a Foundation Establishment stage ghostly creature. The golden light sprayed by the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada enveloped it, and a fist-sized cluster of green light immediately flew out from its body and into the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada's mouth. The Golden Star Ladybug's corpse rapidly plummeted towards the seawater. Before it even hit the water, it was subjected to a powerful suction force and flew into Wang Changsheng's hand.

He conjured a blue flying knife and fiercely hacked at the Golden Star Ladybug's back, but it only left a shallow white mark.

Wang Changsheng's eyes lit up, a joyous expression on his face. This Golden Star Ladybug must have been a third-tier spiritual insect when alive; its corpse would certainly be a great tonic for the Gold-Devouring Ants.

The Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada plunged into the swarm, continuously spraying golden light, enveloping one Golden Star Ladybug after another, and collecting the green light clusters.

Not long after, the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada transformed into a golden streak and flew back into the spirit beast pearl. It appeared somewhat drowsy, as if it had eaten too much.

Wang Changsheng collected all the Golden Star Ladybug corpses, and he and Ye Lin waited quietly.

Half a day passed quickly.

Ghostly creatures attacked intermittently, but Wang Changsheng conjured a black, shimmering command flag and collected all of them. It was the Thousand Soul Banner, a spiritual treasure from the Twin Fiends of Myriad Bones, specifically designed for collecting low-tier ghostly creatures.