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

Chapter 278 The Shadow in the Passage, the Lord of the Spirit Realm!

Ling Feng almost instinctively turned around abruptly, and Chandelure and Gengar reacted instantly. The flames on Chandelure's body suddenly surged higher, while Gengar emerged directly from the shadows, baring its fangs and claws, blocking Ling Feng's path and letting out a threatening growl towards the darkness behind it.

However, when he saw who it was, Ling Feng breathed a slight sigh of relief, but he did not completely let his guard down.

Standing not far from there was a man wearing a gray trench coat.

He looked to be in his thirties, with somewhat disheveled hair and a tired look on his face typical of someone who had been staying up late for a long time. But his eyes were unusually bright, as deep as a still pond, as if they could see into the deepest part of a person's heart.

There were no signs of energy fluctuations on this person; he was just like an ordinary person.

But Ling Feng knew that anyone who could appear silently behind him in the depths of the spirit realm as if strolling through their own backyard was definitely not an ordinary person.

"Don't be nervous." The man looked at Ling Feng's tense expression and smiled slightly. "If I wanted to attack you, you would have already fallen when you turned around."

Ling Feng frowned, but didn't say anything; he just looked at him quietly.

He was waiting for the other person to speak first.

“I am Will.” The man didn’t seem to mind Ling Feng’s silence and introduced himself. “The guardian of this place, or you outsiders are more used to calling me—the Lord of the Realm.”

Realm Lord Will?

Ling Feng's heart stirred.

He had heard of this title before. In a chaotic place like the Spirit Realm, the so-called Realm Lord was definitely a figure standing at the very top of the pyramid. It was said that although the Spirit Realm was nominally not under the jurisdiction of the Alliance, it actually had its own internal order, and the Realm Lords maintained this order.

"My name is Ling Feng," Ling Feng replied calmly. "I just want to go and take a look at the core area. I mean no harm."

He didn't hide his intentions. Lying to such a powerful person is pointless and would only provoke their resentment.

Moreover, since the other party is in control here, they must know the situation in the core area very well, and we might be able to get some useful information out of them.

"The core area?" Will raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Quite a few people want to go there lately. But young man, I advise you to go back. It's not a good place to go now."

“I know it’s dangerous,” Ling Feng nodded.

"But I really need to go."

Will gave Ling Feng a deep look, seemingly assessing the weight of his words. After a few seconds, he suddenly chuckled.

"Interesting, stubborn."

Will shook his head, his hands in his trench coat pockets, gazing at the deep passage ahead. "To be honest, I also want to go to the core area and see what's going on. The spirit realm hasn't been peaceful lately; the commotion coming from the core area is getting bigger and bigger, and I'm a little worried. Unfortunately..."

He sighed and pointed ahead, "This road is blocked."

Is it blocked?

Ling Feng was stunned. The passage was clearly right here, and there were no signs of collapse or blockage, so why was it impassable?

"What do you mean?" he couldn't help but ask.

"It means there's someone or something blocking the way," Will shrugged. "And it's not the kind of blockage with stones or clods of earth, it's the kind of blockage that makes it impossible to get through."

Without waiting for Ling Feng's reaction, Will strode past him and headed deeper into the passage.

"Come with me, I'll show you something."

Ling Feng hesitated for a moment, but still followed.

Since the other party dared to take him to see it, it meant that at least for the time being, they had no ill intentions. Moreover, he was also very curious about what it was that could stop this realm lord.

The two walked one after the other in the passage for about several dozen meters when they came to a corner. Will stopped at the corner, but instead of turning around immediately, he stood there and waved to Ling Feng.

"Okay."

As soon as he finished speaking, Will's aura suddenly changed.

The previous lazy and casual aura vanished instantly, replaced by a heavy, mountain-like pressure.

This oppressive aura wasn't directed at Ling Feng, but even a tiny bit of it made him feel as if a large rock was pressing on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Although this feeling vanished instantly due to Ling Feng's experience, it did indeed last for a moment.

Ling Feng immediately made a judgment in his mind.

Champion-level trainer!

Anyone who can possess this kind of aura is definitely a champion-level trainer!

As Will's aura erupted, a purplish-black figure appeared beside him without warning.

That was also a Gengar.

But this Gengar is completely different from Lingfeng's.

Its body was much larger, and the purplish-black light on its body was so thick that it resembled ink that could not be dissolved. The red light in its eyes was no longer playful, but a chilling coldness.

As soon as it appeared, the surrounding temperature dropped several degrees, and the air seemed to be filled with a chilling laughter.

Champion!

Ling Feng subconsciously glanced at his Gengar, who was cowering behind him, trembling with fear. They were simply not in the same league.

The opponent's Gengar, just by standing there, exudes a sense of mental pressure that would render an ordinary Elite Four-level Pokémon unable to battle. Therefore, it is probably a Champion-level Pokémon.

"Go."

Will gave a casual instruction.

The champion Gengar made no move, its red eyes suddenly fixed on a shadowy spot around the corner. The next moment, it vanished from the spot in a flash.

boom!
A terrifying energy surge erupted from around the corner.

Dark purple orbs rained down like a storm, slamming forward. At the same time, countless black tentacles emerged from the shadows, tearing apart everything in their path.

However, something surprising happened.

Despite such a fierce attack, the shadowy area around the corner remained completely still!

That wasn't an ordinary shadow, but rather a black wall. No matter how fierce the Champion Gengar's attacks were, hitting that shadow was like throwing mud into the sea, without even causing a ripple.

The shadow stood there silently, like a black hole, constantly devouring everything.

Will frowned.

"Shadow Sphere? Dark Pulse?"

He muttered the names of several moves, clearly testing the limits of his opponent's defense.

But no matter what move he uses, the result is the same.

The champion-level Gengar seemed to be getting impatient, letting out a sharp roar as its entire body transformed into a purple streak of light, directly ramming into the shadow.

This was its strongest attack, however.
boom!
A muffled thud.

Champion Gengar was violently thrown back, sliding several meters on the ground before regaining its balance. The shadow, however, remained unchanged.

Will sighed and waved for Gengar to retreat.

"See that?" He turned to look at Ling Feng beside him. "I've been trying here for almost ten minutes. I just can't get through. This shadow is incredibly hard, it's so strange." Ling Feng swallowed hard, looking at the shadow with disbelief.

What level of existence must a Gengar, a champion-level creature, be to suffer a defeat?

“Besides, this thing… is alive.” Will’s expression turned a little strange. “I can sense that it’s not some kind of mechanism or trap, but a living Pokémon, and its strength is probably above mine.”

Ling Feng understood perfectly. He had just realized that if even Will found it troublesome, then it must be a legendary or even divine beast-level existence.

He casually opened the panel map, wanting to see if he could find anything.

Sure enough, on the map, a conspicuous little red dot was clearly visible ahead of that corner.

The red dot was flashing, exuding an eerie aura.

Ling Feng stared at the red dot, his brain working at lightning speed.

If you can't even beat a champion-level Pokémon, it means your opponent is at least at the peak of champion level, or a legendary or mythical Pokémon.

And considering the characteristics of this shadow—the ability to manipulate shadows at will, the body being like an illusion, making it difficult for physical and energy attacks to be effective.

Pokémon related to shadows...

Several names flashed through Ling Feng's mind.

Suddenly, a name popped into his mind.

That makes sense, if it were him.

Whether it is or not, let's give it a try.

Ling Feng took a deep breath and made a decision.

"Um, could I try it?"

He looked at Will and said.

Will looked at him with some surprise, as if wondering if he had gone mad.

"You? Your two little ones will be the same if they go up there."

“We don’t necessarily have to fight,” Ling Feng shook his head. “Since it’s a living being, we should be able to communicate with it. I want to give it a try.”

Will was silent for a moment, then nodded and stepped aside to make way. "Okay, you can try. There's no other way anyway. But be careful, this thing seems to have a bad temper."

Ling Feng nodded, straightened his clothes, and strode towards the shadow.

As he approached, the shadow seemed to react. Its once calm surface began to ripple slightly, as if it were observing the approaching intruder.

Ling Feng could feel a cold gaze fixed on him, but he did not back down. He walked until he was only a few meters away from the shadow before stopping.

"Um... hello?" Ling Feng tentatively greeted him.

The shadow paused for a moment.

Clearly, it hadn't expected this human to communicate with it in this way. Its fluctuations became more intense, and then it suddenly "stood up" from the ground.

That's right, he stood up.

The shadow quickly coalesced, transforming into a humanoid creature. It wore a green hat, a red scarf, and had a tail-like appendage on its back. Its body remained dark purple, but the ethereal quality had diminished, replaced by a playful and lively quality.

Masado!
It really was it!

Ling Feng felt a surge of excitement; his guess was correct.

Marshadow, a mythical Pokémon, lives in the shadows and can infiltrate anyone's shadow, possessing the ability to manipulate shadows.

Moreover, it is extremely powerful, even capable of fighting against ordinary legendary Pokémon, making it one of the less auspicious creatures among mythical Pokémon.

Most importantly, its appearance is just like a shadow, which perfectly matches the characteristics of the shadow in front of us.

And if it really is Marshall, then everything makes sense.

No wonder Will's Gengar couldn't damage it, because Marshadow can move freely in the shadows and even assimilate its own body, so ordinary attacks simply cannot hit its physical form.

Will, standing nearby, was clearly also taken aback by the scene, staring wide-eyed at the strange Pokémon that had suddenly appeared.

"What is this thing? I've never seen a Pokémon like this before..."

Marcia ignored Will, her attention completely focused on Ling Feng.

It circled Lingfeng several times, sniffing incessantly, as if trying to detect some scent.

"Strange...so strange..."

A youthful yet somewhat weathered voice rang out in Ling Feng's mind.

Marshall did not speak, but conveyed his meaning through telepathy.

"How come you... have that person's aura on you?"

That sir?

Ling Feng was stunned for a moment.

Who is the "great one" that Marshall speaks of?
The next moment, he instantly realized what was happening.

Ho-Oh!

Marshadow and Ho-Oh have some connection; to put it more sophisticatedly, it regards Ho-Oh as a kind of faith or mentor.

To put it bluntly, he's a huge fan of Ho-Oh.
Ling Feng's heart stirred, and he immediately took out the feather that had been used last time and hadn't been taken out since, the feather that emitted a faint rainbow light.

—The Feather of the Phoenix King!
The moment the feather appeared, Marshall's reaction became intense.

It abruptly stopped circling, staring intently at the feather. Its previously playful eyes instantly transformed into intense excitement and awe. Its body trembled slightly, like a believer who had encountered a deity.

"This...this is..."

Marshall's voice trembled, "That lord's... feathers?!"

It wanted to reach out and take it, but dared not. It just got very close and carefully felt the sacred aura emanating from the feathers.

"You...do you know that person?" Marshado suddenly raised her head, staring intently into Ling Feng's eyes. "Where is he? Why did he give you this feather? Have you seen him? How is he now?"

It bombarded him with a barrage of questions, and four "anxious" marks were already tattooed on its forehead.

Ling Feng shook his head.

“I don’t know Ho-Oh,” he said truthfully.

"I obtained this feather by accident. I don't know Ho-Oh's current situation, nor do I know where he is. I'm sorry."

"An accident...?" Marshall was stunned, the light in his eyes dimming instantly, revealing utter disappointment. "How could this be... I thought..."

It floated there dejectedly, like a deflated balloon.

However, it quickly raised its head again, looking at Ling Feng with a somewhat complicated expression.

(End of this chapter)