Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 394 Ghost City in Another World
Song Xian stared blankly at the blood moon hanging high above his head. After a while, he seemed to finally come back to his senses, and his escape light rose up and headed south.

He was like a headless fly. He chose this direction because the deep-sea demon whale was also heading in that direction. Although the chance of encountering the demon whale again was slim, and even if he did, he couldn't let the demon whale take him back to his original world, at least he had something to look forward to.

He hoped to find some natives he could communicate with so he could know where he was and find a way back.

Even after the blood moon set, he still hadn't flown beyond the edge of this sea area.

In the east, a bright, round sun slowly rises from the sea.

This round sun was different from the round suns he usually saw. It did not emit a dazzling red light, nor was it as large as the round suns he usually saw. The light it emitted was faint, more like the full moon on the fifteenth day of the lunar month.

After traveling for a while, he saw a reef protruding from the sea. He then descended in a flash of light, took out a red and yellow pill the size of a steel ball, and swallowed it in one gulp.

This is the Bigu Pill, a second-grade low-level pill. One pill can keep a Foundation Establishment cultivator from hunger and cold for half a month.

When one's cultivation reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, although there is a significant improvement in all aspects compared to the Qi Refining stage, it is still not to the point where one can go without food or drink. Of course, the physical functions of a Foundation Establishment cultivator are incomparable to those of ordinary people, and it is perfectly fine for them to go without food or drink for several days without affecting their mobility.

However, it is still not possible to go without food and water for a long time. Only Golden Core cultivators can practice Bigu (abstaining from food and water) and completely cut off their need for food.

After swallowing the pill, Song Xian circulated his energy for a while to fully digest the spiritual power in the pill, and then once again rose into the light and headed south.

This sea area is of unknown size, and it's unclear how long it will take to reach its end.

If it were a sea like the boundless ocean, that would be deadly; even if he flew for his entire life, he might not be able to reach the end.

Song Xian traveled for nine days before finally seeing land.

How do we know it's the ninth day? We alternate between the blood moon and the clear moon for one day, and it happens nine times.

Although he didn't have a time marker on him, he was still aware of the passage of time.

After traveling for nine days, he finally saw a huge island. When he flew through the air, he could not see the whole island, only a small part of it.

When he spotted the island from afar, he was overjoyed, assuming that there must be people living on such a large island. However, when he arrived on the island, he discovered that things were not as simple as he had imagined.

The island is covered with lush, rolling forests, but there are no buildings.

He descended into the mountains and forests, and everywhere he looked, there were towering trees and vines that blocked out the sun. The surroundings were dark and gloomy.

Just then, a piercing scream, like a ghost howling, came from afar.

Upon hearing this sound, Song Xian frowned. It sounded exactly like the shriek of a ghost. He had fought with ghosts several times and was no stranger to their piercing shrieks.

Could it be that there are ghosts on this island?

Just in case, he took out a concealment talisman and patted it on his chest. As spiritual energy surged into it, the talisman shone brightly, and his body gradually became ethereal.

Seeing that the concealment talisman had taken effect, he rose into the air and headed towards the direction from which the ghostly wails were coming from.

After traveling for a short while, they came to a valley, where they saw several giant dogs shrouded in billowing black energy fighting against some figures also shrouded in black energy.

The two sides were clearly on opposing sides, with the giant dogs being fewer in number, numbering only a dozen or so.

There were more than thirty black figures.

Song Xian stared in disbelief at the scene below the valley.

Both sides in the fight were clearly ghosts; it was the first time he had ever seen two groups of ghosts fighting.

What the hell is this place? How come there are two groups of ghosts fighting?

He approached stealthily, observing from the shadows.

As the battle intensified, the Ghost Dog faction gradually lost ground.

Several ghost dogs turned into black smoke and disappeared, while the remaining ghost dogs fled in panic.

The figures shrouded in black mist did not give chase. The ghost that appeared to be the leader went into a cave in the distance, and Song Xian followed out of curiosity.

The cave didn't look very big, but it was actually quite spacious inside, with a maze of paths. The further you went in, the denser the yin energy became.

He followed the leading ghost, turning some side paths until they arrived at a lair. Inside, there were several stone coffins, surrounded by crystal-like spheres from which black gas continuously emerged and entered the coffins.

The leading ghostly figure lifted the stone coffin, revealing black gas swirling and coalescing inside, vaguely forming the shape of a ghostly dog.

The ghost showed no mercy, thrusting its spear, wreathed in black energy, directly at the still-forming ghost dog, followed by a shrill howl.

The billowing black mist inside the stone coffin immediately dissipated, revealing the skeleton of a dog.

Song Xian was startled. Could it be that ghost dogs are formed in this way?
The ghostly figure thrust down with its black spear, killing one by one the unformed ghost dogs shrouded in black mist inside the stone coffin. After the black mist dissipated, only the canine skeletons remained inside.

This place looks like a small incubation base for the Ghostly Black Dogs. I don't know where these ghostly figures came from or why they attacked this place.

Song Xian became increasingly curious. In his understanding, low-level ghosts were not very intelligent and only knew how to act on instinct. But the ghost's movements were orderly and completely different from the low-level ghosts he had seen.

After killing the black dog in the stone coffin, the ghostly figure shattered the surrounding crystal spheres that were translucent and emitted black energy.

The other ghostly figures were also searching every corner of the cave. Soon, they gathered together, and the empty red light between the eyes of the leading ghostly figure flickered a few times, as if conveying some signal.

As he expected, the dozens of ghostly figures split into two groups. One group stayed behind, while the other group followed the leading ghostly figure and left.

After a moment's thought, Song Xian decided to follow the group of ghostly figures that had gone out.

…………

At night, the moon is bright and the stars are few.

In a brightly lit room in Bianxi City, Tianshan, Zhang Yanqing and Huang Sheng sat upright.

Across from me sat a plump middle-aged man with a smiling face. His full cheeks almost filled his eyes, and when he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits.

His name is Zhang Fan. He is a disciple trained by the Hunyuan Sect since childhood. Later, he was appointed by Hu Xiaobao as the manager of the Tianshan Gambling House.

The two wanted to seek refuge with Hu Xiaobao, but since they had no prior dealings with him, they didn't want to visit him rashly. So they found Zhang Fan and asked him to act as an intermediary to introduce them. Of course, they also gave him a lot of benefits in return.

Zhang Fan chatted idly with the two men, but they were both distracted and only half-heartedly responded.

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside. Upon hearing the sound, Zhang Fan immediately stopped smiling and stood up.

Zhang Yanqing and Huang Sheng exchanged a glance, then realized what was happening and quickly stood up. Soon, a fair-skinned, handsome man walked in expressionlessly.

"Uncle-Master Hu," Zhang Fan greeted first.

The two bowed in greeting, saying, "Greetings, Uncle Hu."

Hu Xiaobao went straight to the head seat and sat down. His gaze swept over Zhang Fan, then swept over Zhang Yanqing and Huang Sheng. His voice was deep and authoritative: "What brings you here today?"

Before the two could reply, Zhang Fan, acting as the middleman, took the initiative to answer the question that was not easy for the parties involved to answer directly: "I heard that the sect intends to cancel the flagpole refining industry. This was originally a matter that Junior Brother Zhang and his group were in charge of. Junior Brother Zhang hopes that you can step in and help them save this industry."

Zhang Yanqing tactfully stated, "When we joined the sect, the sect leader personally promised that we would still be responsible for the businesses we previously owned. However, he has now gone back on his word. This is because some people in the sect are deliberately targeting us. We know that you are an upright and selfless person, so we have taken the liberty of visiting you to earnestly request your help. If you can save our businesses, we will follow your lead from now on. We will do anything you ask of us, even at the cost of our lives."

Hu Xiaobao remained expressionless, his tone as calm as still water: "I am not clear about the flagpole forging you mentioned. I will talk about it after I find out."

Zhang Yanqing opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but saw Zhang Fan beside him giving him a look, as if to stop him from speaking, so he shut his mouth.

"Then we won't disturb our uncle's rest any longer." Zhang Fan took the initiative to say goodbye, and the two had no choice but to follow suit.

The three left the mansion, and Zhang Yanqing looked worried: "Senior Brother Zhang, we finally got to see Uncle Hu, at least let us explain the whole story! Isn't this just a waste of an opportunity?"

Zhang Fan smiled slightly: "This matter should be left unsaid, otherwise it may backfire. Some things are better left unsaid, because saying them out loud will only make things more difficult."

“Senior Brother Zhang is right, we will follow Senior Brother Zhang’s instructions.” Huang Sheng, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.

Zhang Yanqing frowned slightly but didn't say anything more.

The three parted ways, and only after they left Tianshan did Zhang Yanqing look at Huang Sheng with a puzzled expression: "What did Zhang Fan mean by what he said just now?"

“He meant well. In any case, Hu Xiaobao and Lu Yuan are much closer than we are. Even if they are subtly opposed, it is only in secret. On the surface, they are all smiles. If we were to point out to our faces that Lu Yuan is targeting us, even if Hu Xiaobao wanted to get involved, he wouldn’t help. Because doing so would be tantamount to admitting that he has a conflict with Lu Yuan.”

"Besides, we are not Hu Xiaobao's confidants, and it is a big taboo to speak too frankly with someone we don't know well, so this matter cannot be brought up."

Zhang Yanqing nodded as if suddenly realizing something: "We finally managed to get a meeting with Hu Xiaobao, and it's over in just a few words? We don't even know Hu Xiaobao's attitude. Will this deal even work out?"

"This matter cannot be rushed; we must proceed slowly. The fact that he agreed to meet with us is at least a good start. After we return, we will prepare a generous gift and visit him again in a few days to test his attitude."

…………

Song Xian followed the group of ghostly figures over mountains and valleys until they arrived at a majestic city.

The city wall is about ten zhang high and is made of black boulders. There are several strange symbols on it.

On the city wall stood a group of orcs, whose figures were similar to those of cultivators, but whose heads were bull-shaped.

The group of ghostly figures seemed to be the rulers of the city, and when they entered the city, the minotaurs guarding it all knelt down on one knee in respect.

Song Xian also sneaked into the city. There were many rooms and houses inside, and minotaurs could be seen coming and going on the streets. It seemed that this was a city-state.

These minotaurs coming and going had no spiritual energy fluctuations around them, nor could one detect any cold, ghostly aura from them.

In addition to the minotaurs, there are also patrolling ghost teams within the city.

Ghost Shadow's status was clearly higher than that of ordinary minotaurs. Wherever they went, the minotaurs would give way and look at them sideways.

You can even see a sense of awe and longing in their eyes.

The team that went out to kill the Netherworld Hounds traveled all the way to the center of the city, where they saw a huge, dark green barrier unfold.

The eerie green barrier looked like a protective enclosure. Song Xian was worried that some powerful ghost might be guarding it, and that he would be sensed if he went in. Therefore, he dared not enter rashly.

Seeing the group of ghosts enter the eerie green barrier, he quietly left.

As the blood moon rose, the world gradually darkened.

In a desolate place in the east of the city, inside a dilapidated house, Song Xian quietly sneaked in. Inside, a minotaur was already asleep. He grabbed at it, enveloping it with his spiritual power.

The burly minotaur was lifted up by him as easily as a chick.

Under the pressure of spiritual energy, the orc's bones creaked and cracked.

When she awoke from her shock and pain, her eyes widened instantly upon seeing his figure, as if she had seen a ghost.

The orc opened his mouth wide, trying to shout, but no sound came out.

Song Xian put a finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture: "Nod if you understand what I'm saying."

The minotaur just stared at him with wide, terrified eyes.

Clearly, he didn't understand the meaning of that sentence.

Song Xian repeated it again in the Mukh Plains language, but the minotaur still looked bewildered.

He then withdrew the spiritual power that had been binding the orc. The orc, being a pragmatic man, immediately knelt down after regaining his freedom, muttering something incoherently and banging his head against the ground repeatedly, presumably begging for his life.

Song Xian couldn't understand what it was saying, so he took out his brush and ink, drew a picture of the deep-sea whale, and showed it to it.

The orc glanced at it, then continued kowtowing, seemingly unaware of the deep-sea demon whale.

Song Xianyuan was just trying his luck, hoping to find some clues about the deep-sea whale.

After all, its presence here means it is likely to be known by the local orcs.

If we could find out where the deep-sea whales roam, perhaps we could find a way back.

Seeing that the orc did not recognize the deep-sea demon whale and that the two could not communicate normally, so he could not get any useful information from it, he decisively killed it.

After much deliberation, Song Xian decided to risk entering the dark green barrier to look for clues. The minotaurs in the city were all ordinary people, and it would be too difficult to find information about the whereabouts of the deep-sea demon whale from them.

Those coming and going within the barrier are all ghosts, and they certainly possess more knowledge than these ordinary minotaurs.

Although there are certain risks involved, we have no choice but to take the risk in order to find clues to get back.

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(End of this chapter)