Although the Yin Soldiers crossing the sea had occurred and ominous signs had appeared, all those who had come were ultimately Quasi-Monarchs, each a peerless figure. Skilled and bold, they quickly regained their composure.
The group began to venture deeper along this Mysterious Ancient Path. Soon, they discovered numerous corpses ahead, appearing one after another. From the weakest Transformation Divinity cultivators to Quasi-Monarchs, all were mere skeletons of skin and bone, devoid of flesh and blood, a truly terrifying sight.
With the slightest touch, they turned to dust, ceasing to exist.
This caused everyone to draw a sharp, cold breath.
The more powerful one's cultivation, the stronger one's physical body.
Even after death, it contains divinity and is difficult to decay.
For instance, the corpses of Great Powers and Divine Kings can remain preserved for half an era. How much more so for Quasi-Monarchs? Yet now, with just a light touch, they decayed. Clearly, all the divine essence within their bodies had been completely drained.
Suddenly, a ghostly shadow appeared behind the group, soundlessly grabbing the neck of an Early Stage Quasi-Monarch.
"No—"
The Early Stage Quasi-Monarch let out a miserable scream, immediately activating his strongest defenses. But it was useless against the ghostly shadow. In just a brief moment, all his flesh and blood essence was absorbed into the shadow's body, leaving behind only skin and bones. Even his divine soul was gone, meeting a tragic end here.
"Hehehe—"
A sinister, death-like chuckle echoed through the area.
"Seeking death!"
Xu Chengzi erupted in fury, unleashing the power of a Great Perfection Quasi-Monarch, striking out as swift as thunder.
But the ghostly shadow abruptly vanished, and Xu Chengzi's attack caused it no harm whatsoever.
Whoosh—
The ghostly shadow appeared once more, hunting a second Quasi-Monarch, also an Early Stage Quasi-Monarch. Clearly, it knew the Early Stage Quasi-Monarchs were the weakest and easiest to deal with.
"Go to hell!"
Flame God roared in anger, charging forward. The Flame God Hammer appeared as he attacked with nearly full force, shattering and annihilating the void as he struck at the terrifying, wraith-like ghostly shadow.
"Hehehe—"
The mysterious ghostly shadow retreated like lightning, evading Flame God's strike, but abruptly appeared beside another Early Stage Quasi-Monarch, grabbing his neck.
Another miserable scream rang out as that Early Stage Quasi-Monarch also met a tragic end on the spot.
"Damn it."
Flame God was furious but helpless, for this mysterious ghostly shadow's evasion speed was incredibly swift and eerie, and it was formless and traceless. Even someone as powerful as him, who felt no fear, found it difficult to kill it quickly.
In the blink of an eye, two Quasi-Monarchs had fallen. Although they were only Early Stage Quasi-Monarchs, it still caused many to panic.
What kind of figures were Quasi-Monarchs? Even Early Stage ones were true supreme experts. Yet here, they seemed as fragile as chicks, with three Quasi-Monarchs having their flesh, blood, and divine souls easily taken, causing everyone's expressions to change.
"What exactly is this?"
Many Quasi-Monarchs paled. Such a fearsome ghostly shadow demanded vigilance.
"Hehehe—"
The ghostly shadow appeared again, once more grabbing an Early Stage Quasi-Monarch, about to drain his flesh and blood.
Whoosh—
Ye Chen soundlessly appeared behind it, a pale hand grasping its neck.
The ghostly shadow tried to evade, ethereal as it was, but that hand seemed to grasp a solid entity. No matter how the shadow struggled, it was useless.
"A mere illusory thing dares to cause trouble."
Ye Chen said coldly. His palm emanated a layer of chaotic light, directly imprisoning the ghostly shadow within it, making it impossible to break free. It let out a truly ear-piercing shriek.
"He really caught it?"
"As expected of Lord Dou Zhan Sheng Wang, truly formidable!"
Many Quasi-Monarchs were both shocked and delighted—shocked by Ye Chen's means, that a ghostly shadow even Flame God found somewhat troublesome was caught with a single grab; delighted that the ghostly shadow was finally captured, and they were safe for now.
Ye Chen frowned. The ghostly shadow he had imprisoned was actually very strong, comparable to the Great Perfection Quasi-Monarch level.
This was somewhat beyond Ye Chen's expectations.
He hadn't expected to encounter such a terrifying ghostly shadow so soon after entering this Mysterious Ancient Path.
"Let me see what you are." Just as Ye Chen was about to investigate the ghostly shadow, suddenly, numerous ghostly shadows soundlessly appeared all around.
In a short time, over a hundred had emerged.
This filled everyone with terror.
A single ghostly shadow had caused two Quasi-Monarchs to be devoured, flesh, blood, and divine soul. How could they deal with so many now?
Xu Chengzi's expression changed drastically.
Flame God and Gu Liu also looked grave.
Ye Chen's expression remained calm as he sneered, "Mere illusory things dare to cause trouble. Today, I'll collect them all."
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Ye Chen made his move. The Ten Heavens divine nature halo, rarely seen, manifested and rapidly expanded, enveloping this entire stretch of heaven and earth.
Instantly, without exception, all hundred-plus black shadows were enveloped within.
"Seal!"
Ye Chen shouted. All the black shadows were suppressed and sealed within. No matter how they roared or shrieked so miserably, it had no effect. They were all suppressed within the Ten Heavens halo.
"This—"
Everyone looked at Ye Chen in astonishment, even more shocked by his means. In such a short time, he had actually suppressed so many fearsome ghostly shadows.
Even Xu Chengzi and others who initially didn't acknowledge Ye Chen's strength had to admit his capability.
Watching as the numerous ghostly shadows were shrunk within the fist-sized Ten Heavens divine nature halo, Flame God said, "Brother Ye's capability is indeed extraordinary, worthy of being the number one Quasi-Monarch."
Gu Liu also cupped his fists in deep admiration.
Perhaps they could have done it too, because they sensed that although these ghostly shadows could soundlessly devour Quasi-Monarch flesh and blood, only the strongest few could do so, and their power was at most at the Great Perfection Quasi-Monarch level. The others were merely at the Divine King level, and some even at the Great Power level.
But it definitely wouldn't have been as effortless as Ye Chen made it seem.
After all, these ghostly shadows were truly eerie enough; dealing with them was far from simple.
Ye Chen smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.
Flame God asked, "Brother Ye, what exactly are these ghostly shadows?"
Other Quasi-Monarchs were also puzzled, as these ghostly shadows clearly had no physical form.
Ye Chen said, "The so-called ghostly shadows are actually Supreme Emperor Resentment."
"Supreme Emperor Resentment?" Everyone was surprised.
"Yes, Supreme Emperor Resentment," Ye Chen said. "But Supreme Emperor Resentment also varies in strength. For instance, the Supreme Emperor Resentment drifting between heaven and earth is considered thin. As for ghostly shadows, they are formed when large amounts of Supreme Emperor Resentment coalesce into one, thus giving birth to these formless existences."
"Moreover, by devouring flesh and blood essence and divine souls, they grow even stronger, comparable to powerful cultivators. Like the first ghostly shadow I imprisoned, it was no weaker than a Great Perfection Quasi-Monarch. Combined with the special environment of this Mysterious Ancient Path, filled with vast amounts of Supreme Emperor Resentment, even a heaven-defying Quasi-Monarch would find it difficult to deal with."
"Of course, no matter how powerful the Supreme Emperor Resentment is, it's ultimately just resentment energy. As long as some special means are employed, anyone can easily capture it."