Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 395 Unexpected Discovery
After leaving the area, Song Xian found a patrol of ghostly figures in the city and followed them until they completed their patrol and returned to the inner part of the Green Barrier. He then followed them into the inner room.

He felt a surge of tension as he passed through the gap in the emerald barrier, fearing he might be discovered, but thankfully nothing unusual happened throughout the process.

And so he followed the group of ghostly figures until they arrived at a palace.

Ghostly figures guarded both inside and outside the main hall, suggesting it was an important location.

The leader of the ghostly figures had a few flashes of empty red light in his eyes, and the guards inside and outside the hall immediately withdrew, replaced by this group of ghostly figures.

Song Xian quietly entered the hall. Looking around, he saw a magic array in the center of the hall that looked like a ghostly talisman, with many bull-headed beastmen lying haphazardly inside.

A large amount of black gas surged out from within the magic circle, corroding the body of the bull-horned orc.

It was clear that some minotaurs had merged with the black gas, taking on the initial form of those ghostly figures, while others had not yet reached this stage. Part of their flesh had disappeared and been replaced by the black gas, while another part of their flesh remained, making them look very strange.

Song Xian then realized that these ghostly figures were actually the transformations of the minotaur. No wonder the minotaurs in the city both respected and feared these ghostly figures, their eyes filled with both worship and longing.

This must be their unique way of cultivation, just like how mortals become cultivators.

He had never witnessed the process of a cultivator transforming into a ghost cultivator before, nor did he know the mysteries and secrets involved.

But one thing is certain: a cultivator who transforms into a ghost cultivator is definitely different from these minotaur-like beastmen who turn into ghosts.

These ghostly figures, shrouded in billowing black energy, were all quite intelligent, organized, and disciplined, far superior to those ghost cultivators.

Even those ghost cultivators who reach the level of ghost generals are still confused and ignorant.

In comparison, these ghostly figures are far more powerful.

It's unclear whether it's due to differences in cultivation or the unique physique of the Minotaur.

Song Xian had no interest in delving into these matters. Seeing the ghostly figures changing shifts and guarding the place, he quietly withdrew.

After circling around inside the barrier, he quickly found the living quarters of the person in charge.

It was a black palace, with two groups of ghostly figures patrolling back and forth outside. He observed for a long time, and when one of the ghostly leaders entered, he quietly followed him inside.

After passing through layers of locked palace gates, the leader of the ghosts arrived at a spacious and bright hall.

Song Xian dared not enter, for he could see from afar a burly ghost general sitting inside the hall.

He was worried that the ghost general would notice him if he got too close, so he stopped. This was the other party's territory, and if he were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Just as he was considering whether to sneak into the palace where the ghost general lived to look for clues, a black shadow flashed out from the main hall, turned into a black whirlwind, and soared up, heading south.

Seeing the ghost general leave, Song Xian didn't think much of it and quickly followed.

The two left the barrier one after the other. After walking for a short while, they arrived at a valley outside the city, where they saw that many ghostly figures had already gathered.

After the ghost general's escape light descended, the ghostly figures stationed there all bowed to him.

Song Xian followed from a distance until the ghost general led the group of ghostly figures into the cave inside the valley.

After much deliberation, he finally decided to go inside and investigate.

This was no longer within that eerie green barrier; even if he were discovered, he was confident he could escape from these ghosts.

This was because among the group of ghosts, only the ghost general could make him wary; the remaining ghost shadows were only equivalent to Qi Refining cultivators in terms of cultivation level and strength, and posed no threat to him.

When he quietly entered the cave, he found that the ghostly figures inside were gathered together, worshipping a huge, grotesque pattern, as if they were performing a religious ritual.

Song Xian wanted to get closer to see more clearly, but he saw the ghost general suddenly turn around and stare at his location.

Oops, got caught.

Without a second thought, he immediately retreated. The ghost general let out a shriek and transformed into a black whirlwind to chase after him.

The ghostly figures, howling and wailing, followed the ghost general as he charged out.

As Song Xianfang left the cave, he suddenly felt a chill run through his body. Looking down, he saw that the ice was spreading beneath his feet.

His feet were covered in frost, which then spread along his body.

His spiritual energy surged wildly, and the frost on his feet quickly melted under the surge of spiritual energy, but the chill remained unabated, as if it were surging from the depths of his heart.

The ghost general chased after them out of the cave. With a roar, its body was covered in black armor and a black helmet. It was completely covered from head to toe, with only a pair of empty eyes revealing red flames. It looked extremely domineering.

As flames flickered between his eyes, he struck out with his palm, and a huge palm print shrouded in black mist appeared in mid-air.

When Song Xian's feet were covered by frost, his concealment disappeared. As he retreated, he clasped his hands together and cast the Fire Stream Shield.

The flames, like a giant overturned bowl, sheltered him inside.

The giant hand, wreathed in black mist, struck, but the fire shield remained unmoved. Instead, the black hand trembled violently before collapsing. A large amount of black mist adhered to the flames, like venomous snakes coiling around them. Under the scorching heat of the flames, the black mist was gradually dissipated.

Song Xian rose into the air and headed southeast. It wasn't that he was afraid of the ghost general, but he didn't want to cause any trouble. The reason he was following the ghost general was not to take his life. Killing the ghost general would not benefit him at all. He was looking for clues to return to the South China Sea. He was unwilling to risk his life against the ghost general for no reason.

But when the ghost general saw him retreat, he was relentless and transformed into a black whirlwind to follow closely behind.

As he flew away, the chill around him grew stronger and stronger, and a layer of frost had gathered under his feet.

This startled him. He had already circulated his spiritual energy, but the frost still silently covered him. This showed that it was a spell cast by the ghost general. As long as he didn't stray far from the ghost general, the chill would follow him like a shadow, requiring him to constantly circulate his spiritual energy to resist it.

The black whirlwind that the ghost general had transformed into followed closely behind, flames leaping in its eyes. In an instant, countless plumes of black smoke appeared around Song Xian.

In just a few breaths, the black smoke grew thicker and thicker, spreading out and instantly enveloping the entire area within a hundred feet, even obscuring the figure of the ghost general.

Black smoke filled the sky, obscuring the sun. From within, a beam of azure light, several meters in size, shot out and struck the fire shield. With a crisp bang, the fire shield trembled violently, followed by several more beams of azure light.

The fire shield slowly twisted and deformed under its attack.

Song Xian originally didn't want to get entangled with this ghost general, but now he had no choice.

The illusion of the billowing black smoke might be useful to others, but in his discerning eyes, the figure of the ghost general hidden in the black smoke was completely visible.

He clasped his hands together, and flames rose from his palms, transforming into huge fireballs that shot towards the ghost general.

Seeing the massive fireball approaching, the ghost general let out a shrill cry, instantly creating a deafening sound wave that surged towards the fireball like giant waves. Upon impact, however, there was no sound of collision; the sound waves dissipated under the fireball's attack.

From Song Xianzhen's perspective, the sonic attack power condensed by the ghost general was only 350 points, which was only slightly stronger than a normal mid-level second-grade spell.

However, his Flaming Meteor has an attack power of 1550 points, and the two are far apart in power.

This ghost general's strength is at most equivalent to a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, which is why he chose to sneak into that cave to search for clues.

Without the concern of that eerie green barrier, with his current cultivation level, dealing with ordinary mid-Foundation Establishment Ghost Generals would be a piece of cake.

Knowing that his form had been seen through, the ghost general stopped hiding and stepped out of the black smoke. Flames leaped in his eyes, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and icy energy surged from his body, turning into visible frost. In the blink of an eye, shields of icy solidification formed, blocking his path.

While the Ghost General was casting his ice spells, Song Xian was not idle either. He once again unleashed his Flame Meteor spell, sending fireballs crashing down on the Ghost General like meteors.

The situation immediately reversed, and the ghost general, who was originally in the pursuit, could only parry and had no power to fight back.

Faced with Song Xian's ever-growing fireballs, the Ghost General tried everything he could, but he still couldn't resist. He could only keep using ice-attribute spells to defend and resist, and the layers of ice shields enveloped him like a small mountain.

However, under the constant bombardment of the massive fireball, the mountain-sized ice shield visibly collapsed and melted.

The ghost general finally couldn't hold on any longer. After this exchange, he realized the gap between himself and his opponent. So he condensed a black light barrier around himself and fled backward while enduring the fireball attack.

But Song Xian had no intention of letting him go. Seeing him retreat, he clasped his hands together, and several flames appeared around him. Then the flames swelled up and transformed into a wall of flames. It was a mid-level second-grade spell, Blazing City.

After trapping the ghost general with this technique, he controlled many fireballs to strike the opponent. At the same time, the Xuanluo Yin Fire broke out of his body and condensed into the shape of a giant black snake.

He was certain that his opponent was at his last gasp and had no more tricks up his sleeve, so he felt relieved and unleashed the Xuanluo Yin Fire.

The densely packed, enormous fireballs were the first to shatter the ice shield defense that the ghost general had condensed, followed closely by the Xuanluo Yin Fire, which engulfed the black light curtain around him.

The ghost general let out a shrill scream, and the armor that had been formed on its body melted visibly under the black flames, with a large amount of black mist dissipating.

Seeing that the ghost general had already died, Song Xian used the Mysterious Heaven Fusion Fire Technique to withdraw the Mysterious Luo Yin Fire into his body.

Within the billowing black mist emanating from the ghost general's body, a round, shiny black bead floated, and in addition, a black object resembling a bracelet fell to the ground.

Song Xian flashed and grabbed the shiny black bead and black bracelet in his hand, examining them closely.

The black bead is undoubtedly the crystal core of the ghost. Holding it in your hand, you can feel the enormous yin energy contained within it, and it has a cold feeling, as if you are holding a block of ice.

The black bracelet, however, was of unknown origin.

He had fought the Ghost General twice, but had never seen the crystal core left behind after the Ghost General's death.

It's unclear whether the difference is due to different cultivation methods, but the ghost generals he encountered before, although not highly intelligent, could use their crystal cores to form a defensive black curtain to block attacks, and could also choose to self-destruct when in dire straits, unleashing a powerful shockwave attack in a way that would lead to mutual destruction.

Although this ghost general was more intelligent than those he had encountered before, it seemed to have lost this ability.

The specific use of this ghostly crystal core is unknown, but since it is the crystallization of a ghost general's cultivation, it should be considered a rare and valuable commodity.

Song Xian casually put the black crystal core and bracelet into his storage bag, intending to return to the cave to look for more clues.

Suddenly, a tremor came from the storage bag. He was slightly startled and quickly picked it up to check.

What he saw next startled him even more. Inside the storage bag, a shimmering, emerald-green crystal bead was emitting light, and the black crystal core he had just placed inside was right next to the bead, enveloped in its emerald glow.

It appears that the eerie green bead is absorbing the power within the black crystal core.

How is this going?

Song Xian was both shocked and puzzled.

He remembered that he obtained this emerald green crystal bead in the underground cave that sealed the ghost. Years ago, he received a report from his disciple that a secret treasure had been found in a cave in the desolate wilderness of Humen City.

After confirming the matter was true using the mind-controlling talisman, he immediately went to the location and discovered a strange ghost baby inside the cave.

This bead was originally embedded in the stone wall of the giant hole below the sealed ghost infant.

He immediately sensed that the bead was extraordinary, because the ghost infant's origins were unknown, its abilities were very strange, and there was an array set up outside.

The person who arranged all of this would not have embedded such a useless and conspicuous bead in the underground magic array that sealed the ghost shadow. He was certain that the bead must have some connection with the ghost infant, so he took it away and studied it carefully for a period of time, but found nothing unusual about it. It seemed to be just a simple decoration.

After that, he treated the bead like a collectible, placing it in his storage bag and not paying much attention to it.

Over the years, the bead had never shown any unusual or special effects, and he had almost forgotten about it.

Unexpectedly, after throwing the ghost crystal core in, it reacted with the bead.

Song Xian quickly took out the bead and the ghost crystal.

The intricate patterns on the surface of the crystal-clear, emerald-green bead seemed to come alive, like a fish swimming on its surface.

The bead emitted a ghostly green light from the inside out, enveloping the ghostly crystal core. He could feel the immense Yin energy contained within the black crystal core gradually weakening, as if it were being absorbed by the ghostly green bead.

I never expected this! I never expected this.

I had studied this bead for a long time but had not found anything unusual about it. Today, my unintentional act has unlocked the secret of this bead.

It turns out that it can absorb the power within the crystal core of ghosts. Although it was unexpected, upon closer reflection, it seemed to make sense.

This bead was originally placed together with that strange ghost baby, which clearly indicates that it has some kind of connection with the ghost.

It's unknown what changes will occur after it absorbs the ghost's crystal core.

Just as Song Xian was about to observe and study it carefully, he saw a group of ghostly figures chasing after him from afar. They were the ghosts from the cave.

These low-level ghosts cannot fly. Although they are much faster than mortals, they are still far inferior to Song Xian and the ghost general.

The two had finished their battle when they finally caught up.

Song Xian's mind was now focused on the bead, and he had no interest in these low-level ghosts. With a flash of light, he headed south, shaking off the ghosts' entanglement.

(End of this chapter)