Let you make a game, what the hell is Pokemon?.

Chapter 276 An Unreachable Destination, The Missing Realm Lord?

This is the depths of the spirit world, a place where even the air is filled with danger. It's not some kindergarten backyard that anyone can go to!

Tie Yan snapped out of his daze, his face turning extremely pale. He waved his hands frantically, his voice rising several octaves:
"No! Brother, this is absolutely not allowed!"

He took a deep breath and hurriedly explained, "Even the strongest among us in the Spirit Realm wouldn't dare to venture into that area easily. There are just too many Mad Ghost Pokémon there, their density is beyond imagination. Let alone an Elite Four member, even a Champion-level powerhouse would be badly injured if surrounded by thousands upon thousands of Mad Ghosts, and might even perish inside."

"Moreover, the environment there is extremely harsh, with spatial rifts everywhere and energy turbulence capable of tearing people apart. It's not a place that can be forcibly entered by strength alone!"

"Besides, it's during the Spirit Realm Tide right now. If you go in at this time... you'll definitely die!"

Ling Feng frowned upon hearing Tie Yan's explanation, and a headache began to creep into his head.

This is indeed a big problem.

Normally, if he encounters such difficult terrain or enemies, he can simply have Gengar hide him in its shadow and carry him across.

This is a special ability that Gengar demonstrated last time; theoretically, it can blend into the shadows to move long distances.

However, this is the depths of the spirit world, where Ghost-type Pokémon roam freely.

Everyone here plays with shadows and relies on mental power. While Gengar's hiding place can fool the naked eye, it's hard to fool wild Ghost-type Pokémon with their keen sense of smell and sharp perception.

As a Ghost-type Pokémon, Gengar moving in the shadows with a large, living person inside is like lighting a lamp in the dark, and there's a high chance it will be spotted by those crazy Pokémon.

Once discovered, being surrounded in such a narrow or unfamiliar environment would mean certain death.

There was no way to force my way in; after all, one man can't fight four men. Even with Chandelure and Gengar, it was impossible to defeat all the ghosts inside.

Moreover, the Phoenix King's feathers are now depleted.

Ling Feng pondered for a while. He knew that forcing his way in was definitely not an option; doing so would probably be suicide.

How about we take a look around the perimeter first?

Anyway, this is already the border between the two areas, and it's not too far from the core area.

Perhaps we can find some clues on the edge, or discover the pattern of how that red dot affects the outside world, which would allow us to formulate a more prudent plan.

Just as Ling Feng made up his mind to not rush into going deeper, but instead to conduct some reconnaissance in the surrounding area.

On the other side of the spirit world, in a magnificent yet eerie core building, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

This is a massive fortress built entirely of black rock, its walls covered with ancient runes that faintly emit a purple glow.

In the conference hall atop the fortress, a group of people dressed in black robes were gathered.

At the far end of the long table in the center of the hall sat two people with extremely terrifying auras, a man and a woman.

Even if they just sit there quietly, the oppressive aura emanating from them is enough to suffocate ordinary people.

These are the two realm lords of the Spirit Realm lineage, the rulers who hold the highest power in the Spirit Realm, aside from the strongest one, Will.

At this moment, the long table was filled with commanders and senior Night Watchmen in charge of various defense zones.

Their faces were etched with exhaustion and anxiety, and each of them was discussing the recent spiritual tide in hushed tones.

Bad news kept coming in, the spiritual tides became more and more intense, the frequency of outbreaks increased, and the intensity grew stronger.

Many defense zones are on the verge of collapse, with casualties rising and supplies being consumed at an alarming rate.

If this continues, it's only a matter of time before the defenses collapse.

One of the men, a burly man wearing sunglasses, spoke in a deep voice, breaking the noise in the hall.

"Everyone, listen to me."

He looked around at everyone, his tone heavy: "The Alliance has learned of the situation here and has sent reinforcements. Although they don't usually interfere in the affairs of the Spirit Realm, this matter has escalated too much. If the Spirit Realm is completely out of control, the real world will also be greatly affected. The Alliance cannot sit idly by."

Upon hearing that the alliance had sent reinforcements, the people below breathed a slight sigh of relief, but were soon plunged into deeper worry.

"While the alliance's support can alleviate some of our pressure, can it really solve this problem?"

"Yes, this spirit world tide is too strange, completely different from before."

Just then, the slender female world lord sitting on the other side, with a sinister look in her eyes, suddenly spoke up.

He ignored the matter of alliance support and instead asked a question that made everyone's hearts tighten.

Where did Will go? Does anyone know?

The moment the question was raised, the hall, which had been filled with whispers, fell into an instant, deathly silence.

Everyone avoided eye contact, and no one dared to speak.

Will is the strongest being in the Spirit Realm, their spiritual pillar, and a key force in dealing with the Spirit Realm tide.

But ever since the spiritual tide began to intensify, Will has vanished as if he had evaporated from the face of the earth; no one has seen a trace of him.

The gaunt world lord's eyes swept around like those of a venomous snake.

"Nobody knows where Will went?"

At such a crucial moment, it's highly unusual that Will, the strongest realm master, is not present.

The commanders sitting below looked at each other, and finally could only shake their heads helplessly, all indicating that they did not know.

After a long while, an older commander finally spoke, his voice trembling, and he muttered in a low voice:

"Lord of the Realm... Lord Will last appeared a few days ago. He said he was going to investigate something in the deepest part of the Spirit Realm, and then he never sent back any news..."

This statement made the atmosphere in the hall even more somber.

The strongest realm lord has gone missing, the spirit realm tide is out of control, and the alliance's support is still on its way. These events, one after another, weighed heavily on everyone present, making them feel an unprecedented chill.

……

Ling Feng took one last look at the chaotic battlefield behind him, and at the worry and disappointment that Tie Yan couldn't hide on his face.

He understood what the other side was thinking; this defensive line needed reinforcements, especially someone like him who could clear the area instantly.

But he still slowly shook his head, his gaze passing over the weary yet still upright figures, and landing on the area deep in the canyon where ominous gray mist and wisps of eerie black energy surged.

"Then I'll go first."

Without further hesitation, he took Gengar and Chandelure and stepped into the area where the energy was even more violent and the roars seemed to be right next to his ears.

Tie Yan watched his disappearing figure, sighed heavily, and the scars on his face seemed even deeper.

The pressure on the defense line is immense, leaving him no time to think. He can only immediately turn around and devote himself to the work of reorganizing the team.

The gazes cast by the Night Watchers and Alliance trainers around him were complex, containing admiration, confusion, and above all, a sense of worry as they watched the warrior head towards the unknown abyss—hoping he wouldn't actually run into the depths of the spirit world.

With one step, he crossed that distorted spatial boundary, and the clamor behind him seemed to be intercepted.

The world before my eyes was instantly filled with a gray fog, and the air was chillingly cold.

The ground beneath our feet was uneven and riddled with scorched and frosty marks left by the energy explosion.

He looked up and found that there was still no concept of sky here, only purplish-black rock walls that seemed to be about to collapse at any moment, and twisted and shimmering spatial cracks between the rock walls.

The number of berserk ghosts was significantly greater than on the front lines. Haunter, Night Patrol, Misdreavus… they swarmed around like headless flies, their crimson eyes scanning the surroundings, emitting unintelligible shrieks, and even tearing at each other without warning. Their condition remained highly abnormal, but their strength was not as formidable as those on the front lines. Gengar hovered nervously beside Ling Feng, its crimson eyes warily scanning the surroundings, its body instinctively moving closer to Ling Feng.

He's starting to regret bringing Ling Feng back with him.

The crystal chandelier spirit hovered quietly, its pale blue flame burning steadily, dispelling the chill of the surrounding area and causing the berserk individuals to instinctively steer clear of it.

"Have either of you encountered this situation before when you were in the spirit world?"

Ling Feng seemed to remember something and turned to ask his two native inhabitants of the spirit world.

"Hey."

"Waaah—"

Both Pokémon nodded in affirmation, but Gengar shook its head.

—It has happened before, but never to this extent.

"I understand."

Ling Feng seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.

He didn't rush to go deeper; he found a relatively secluded corner and sat down.

The crystal chandelier floated over, and the candlelight flickered slightly. The wisps of black mist that surrounded the area seemed to have met their nemesis, emitting a soft hissing sound as they quickly melted and dissipated, clearing out a small, clean space.

Ling Feng planned to observe the fog; he needed to confirm the anomaly he had just discovered at the front lines.

He gestured.

Gengar and Chandelure immediately understood what he meant.

Gengar deliberately drifted out of the edge of Chandelure's purification range, exposing itself to the slowly flowing Soul-Eating Mist.

Almost simultaneously, the black mist, which resembled living things, suddenly "came to life"!

They were no longer interested only in the berserk wild ghosts as they were on the front lines. Instead, like sharks that had smelled blood, they wriggled excitedly and coiled around Gengar!

Some even tried to burrow into Gengar's body.

Gengar immediately groaned uncomfortably, its body surging with shadow energy, scattering and dispelling the black mist as if brushing off dust.

The scattered black mist lingered unwillingly, seemingly looking for another opportunity.

Ling Feng's eyes narrowed, and he felt certain of what was going on.

really.

When the spirit world tide erupts and fierce battles rage on the front lines, this soul-corroding mist only approaches those berserk primordial ghosts that surge from the depths of the spirit world, enhancing their strength.

But when it got to the area further back, where the shockwave of the spirit world was weaker, or rather, during the non-core period of the outbreak, this thing started to attack indiscriminately, attempting to erode all Ghost-type Pokémon!
This further confirms that the activity of these Soul-Eating Mist is closely related to the fluctuations in the core area.

Just as he had sorted out his thoughts and was preparing to move forward, a gaze peeked out from the shadows behind him.

Ling Feng's body tensed instantly, but he did not immediately adopt an attack stance.

The crystal chandelier's eerie blue candlelight rose an inch silently, radiating an even colder, more menacing aura.

Gengar quietly blended into the shadow beneath Lingfeng's feet, leaving only a pair of scarlet eyes watching that direction warily.

A figure emerged silently, as if peeled off from the rock itself.

The newcomer was emaciated, with sunken eyes and a face etched with the marks of hardship and weariness, even bearing a hint of barely perceptible madness eroded by the long-term effects of his environment.

He was wearing an extremely worn-out, old-fashioned Night Watch uniform that looked like it had been salvaged from a museum, but it had no markings on it.

The most eye-catching thing was the Pokémon beside him—Willow.

It was even larger than the ones encountered on the battlefield before, with a dark purple wooden body that shone with a metallic luster. Two stable and cold red lights burned in its empty eye sockets, and the ghost-type energy fluctuations it emitted were thick and solid, at least at the mid-level of the Heavenly King level.

Its massive tree claws rested gently on the ground, silently.

"An unfamiliar face?"

The withered man spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping.

"You've got some nerve, daring to sneak into this godforsaken place all by yourself. Trying to give those lunatics some extra food?"

Ling Feng turned around and calmly met the other person's murky gaze.

"I've come to find the source of the spirit world tide. Do you have any suggestions, senior?"

He was concise and to the point.

"source?"

The withered man chuckled.

"That hellhole is deadly. Countless people stronger than you have tried to go in and died. Who do you think you are?"

His cloudy eyes were fixed on Ling Feng, as if trying to find fear on his face.

Ling Feng's heart stirred.

The other person's tone revealed a familiarity with the core area.

He was not affected by the other party's mockery and directly asked the key question.

"Do you have a way to get in?"

The withered man's cloudy eyes darted around, sweeping over the powerful Chandelure spirit beside Ling Feng, and then glancing at the obviously unusual shadow at Ling Feng's feet—he had clearly sensed Gengar's presence.

"way?"

He dragged out the tone.

"Yes. There is an old road, a patrol route used by the Realm Lords in their early years. Most of it has collapsed, and the Soul-Eating Mist has thinned out. It can bypass the craziest group of Pokémon and lead to the core area."

He extended a finger that looked like a withered twig, with black mud under its fingernails, pointing towards the direction where the energy distortion was most intense in the depths of the canyon.

"But there are conditions."

Ling Feng was not surprised and said directly:

"money?"

The emaciated man grinned as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, revealing a few yellowed and blackened teeth.

"What would I do with that thing? What use is it in the depths of the spirit world?"

He patted the hard trunk of the decaying wood spirit beside him, his voice hoarse.

"I need... something that can feed it."

He stared intently at Ling Feng, especially at the crystal chandelier spirit and the shadowy area.

"Your will-o'-the-wisp lamps and shadow ghosts look quite good. You must have some good stuff on hand. Are they some rare resources? ...Or do you have a secret recipe for cultivating them?"

(End of this chapter)