"The world of the dead!"
Hearing this voice, the faces of everyone who had entered this city to explore and seek treasures blanched in fright.
It was only then that everyone suddenly remembered that this was the inside of the Samsara Passage, and the legend said that the Samsara Passage was the path taken by the souls of the deceased after death, the final destination for all deceased souls in the world.
Upon stepping onto the Samsara Passage, a soul would undergo the cycle of rebirth and then could reincarnate, opening its next life.
"Look! So many ghosts have suddenly appeared!"
Right at this moment, many people exclaimed in shock.
Sure enough, on every street of the city, an eerie wind began to blow and spectral mists billowed to the heavens. Then many ghosts appeared, lining up in orderly queues as they walked forward step by step down the streets.
These ghosts moved very slowly, seeming somewhat stiff and numb.
Queue after queue of ghosts walked along the city streets in a numb and bewildered manner, as if they were puppets without any consciousness.
Every person who had entered this city to explore and seek treasures was a cultivator; even the weakest among them was at the Golden Immortal realm. Naturally, they wouldn't be afraid of mere ghosts, because ghosts were essentially Soul Bodies—or, to be more precise, ghosts were incomplete, fragmented Soul Bodies, a lower existence than proper Soul Bodies.
However, these suddenly appearing ghosts were emitting a chilling aura that affected everyone. Even Ye Yunfei felt an icy wind against his face and cold creeping through his body. A strange, frigid energy invaded his Soul Sea, affecting his Soul Body and making him feel unsettled.
Moreover, with the appearance of these ghosts, everyone seemed to see terrifying visions of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. In those visions, countless living beings were continuously dying. Faintly, mysterious creatures could be heard singing eerie ballads in the void—ballads filled with the aura of death that caused everyone's Soul Bodies to sway as if under some spell.
"Everyone, be careful! This seems like the legendary Undead Song! The Undead Song is a very ancient ballad, said to possess terrifying death power, powerful enough even to fell Deities. Everyone, protect your Soul Seas and Soul Bodies! Block out the Undead Song!"
An old man suddenly seemed to remember something, his face filled with terror as he shouted loudly.
The Undead Song!
Hearing the old man's words, everyone's faces turned pale with fear.
An ancient ballad capable of felling even Deities—that was far too terrifying!
Thus, everyone immediately mobilized all their Soul Power energy to protect their Soul Seas and Soul Bodies, simultaneously activating various Soul Power type magic treasures to resist the Undead Song.
"Be careful. This place is filled with dense Death Law," Huang Shang reminded everyone.
"Could it be that you are afraid of these ghosts too? You're a ghost cultivator!" Hu Miao couldn't help but ask.
"The path I cultivate is that of ghostly arts, but these ghosts seem to contain terrifying death energy and Death Law. Ghostly energy and death energy are two different kinds of energies," Huang Shang explained.
"Death energy, Death Law…" Ye Yunfei watched the ghosts moving stiffly and slowly down the streets, somewhat surprised.
Indeed, Ye Yunfei had encountered death energy and Death Law before, but it had always been very low-level and weak. Yet, the death energy and Death Law emanating from these ghosts before him seemed extremely potent, making even Ye Yunfei feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Watch out! Those ghosts are coming towards us!"
Right at this moment, someone screamed from a nearby street.
In that street, over a dozen people stood by the roadside, watching queue after queue of ghosts pass by. Suddenly, a few ghosts seemed to stray from their line and began walking towards this group. Waves of cold dread washed over them, making someone cry out in alarm.
Wherever these ghosts passed, an eerie wind gusted, carrying thick Death Law. Moreover, the Undead Song, ever-present in the void, now grew louder and clearer around them.
"Get away from me, you ghosts! I could wipe you out any time I wish!" someone shouted.
Yet, those ghosts continued to take step after step towards them.
BOOM!
Finally, someone lost patience and attacked, throwing out a black pagoda. It bloomed with torrential magic treasure energy as it pressed down towards those few ghosts.
Under normal circumstances, the energy of a ghost was not very strong, and this magic treasure would be more than sufficient to deal with ordinary ghosts. However, to everyone's astonishment, as soon as the black pagoda was thrown out, a gusting eerie wind swept forth, caught it, and then hurled it away to crash onto the street ground in the distance. That same surging eerie wind then engulfed the person who had thrown the treasure.
"Ahhh…"
That person immediately let out a shriek, seemingly enduring immense agony. Those nearby saw the flesh and blood of his body rapidly rotting, shrinking, withering away. In the blink of an eye, his flesh turned into a foul-smelling, bloody liquid that splashed onto the ground. In less than two breaths, all his flesh, including even his hair, had melted into bloody water, leaving behind a stark white skeleton.
"This is too horrifying!"
Seeing this, everyone felt chilled to the bone. It suddenly dawned on them why there were so many stark white skeletons lying on the streets of this city.
"That fellow's life was stripped away by an invasion of death energy and Death Law," Huang Shang spoke.
"This place is too terrifying! Let's get out of here quickly!"
Many began to panic, wanting to flee the city. After all, although they had some gains from entering, those gains weren't much.
Most treasures within this city had long since turned to dust due to the passage of time. Only a small number, protected by Formations or taboos, had been preserved—but their numbers were few.
With few treasures and now these terrifying ghosts appearing, the danger was immense. Staying to explore further no longer seemed worth it.
Thus, many turned and began making their way towards the city's exit.
But at this moment, the streets were densely packed with ghosts. Evading them to leave the city wasn't easy, because flight was impossible within the city; one could only walk out via the ground.
"Not good! We're surrounded by ghosts!"
Suddenly, someone screamed.
Within a certain street, seven or eight people found themselves completely encircled by a large group of ghosts. A terrifyingly icy wind howled around them, making their entire bodies cold and their faces pale.
"Let's fight our way out!" one of them gritted his teeth. He brandished a longsword, then slashed it outward. The sword erupted with surging sword radiance, blanketing the surrounding ghosts in its light.
However, to everyone's surprise, those ghosts seemed utterly ethereal. The sharp sword radiance passed directly through their bodies without any effect, as if striking nothing but air.
In a panic-fueled rage, the swordsman swung several more times. Each strike unleashed formidable waves of sword radiance, but they still had no effect whatsoever. Every attack passed clean through the ghosts' bodies, causing them no harm.
"This is the world of the dead. Those who enter must accept death."
Just as this swordsman prepared to attack again, a cold, sinister voice suddenly echoed from the end of the street. Then, a figure shrouded entirely in white robes appeared.
This figure wore a tall, pointed white hat and carried a peculiar, black-white rod in his hand. He moved with an unnerving glide, his feet never touching the ground.
He occasionally waved the black-white rod in his hand at the ghosts in the street, as if maintaining order. Those ghosts seemed to fear the rod. Seeing it, the previously disorderly lines quickly straightened back out.
"Who is he?"
Looking at this figure clad in white robes, everyone felt a chill crawl up their spines. The Yin aura emanating from him was too thick, too terrifying.
"What are you all waiting for?! Let's fight our way out now! Otherwise, we'll all become skeletons!" the swordsman who had attacked earlier suddenly yelled.
"Alright! Let's attack together and force our way out!"
The others nodded.
BOOM!
The seven or eight people in that street all attacked simultaneously, unleashing torrents of energy. One magical treasure after another, wave after wave of energy attacks roared out, blasting towards the surrounding ghosts. At the same time, they surged towards the opposite end of the street.
The ghosts themselves were already frightening enough, but with this sudden appearance of the white-robed figure, the scene grew even more sinister and horrifying. Everyone wished only to escape here at once.
Right at this moment, the white-robed figure suddenly lifted his black-white rod and pointed it at the seven or eight individuals. A rolling tide of sinister wind howled towards them, instantly drowning them all.
"Aghhh…"
Those seven or eight individuals all began to scream in unison. The flesh and hair on their bodies started to rapidly dissolve, turning into bloody liquid. Moments later, they had all perished, transformed into white skeletons.
Even more terrifyingly, at this moment, a white-robed figure wielding a black-white rod appeared in every single street of this city, driving onward the densely packed hosts of ghosts.
"Everyone, be careful! This might be the legendary Heibai Wuchang! It is said that the Heibai Wuchang often roam the world, capturing the souls of the dead everywhere and bringing them onto the reincarnation path. They govern the death of the world, specifically managing these deceased souls! Furthermore, the Heibai Wuchang are masters of death energy and Death Law. Those people earlier were killed by him using death energy and Death Law. Death energy and Death Law are a relatively rare and eerie type of energy, belonging to the Yin category. Yin and Yang counteract each other—we need to use Yang-affinity energy, laws, and techniques for any hope of effect!"
An old man suddenly yelled.
Hearing him, everyone immediately unleashed all the Yang-affinity energy, laws, and cultivation techniques they knew.
For a moment, brilliant light and intense heat blossomed throughout the city. Flames leaped to the heavens, blazing torrents everywhere, raising the temperature of the entire city considerably.
"It's effective after all!"
They discovered that the earlier sensation of freezing stiff when facing the ghosts had diminished significantly. Delight spread among them.
"Everyone, use your Yang-type techniques together! Let's fight our way out now! This city is not a good place to linger!" someone shouted.
"We should leave too. This place really is bizarre," Ye Yunfei said, glancing at the dense masses of ghosts in the street and the white-robed figure following behind them in the distance.
"So you're here, kid!"
Right at this moment, a voice suddenly rang out in the distance.
Ye Yunfei looked over and saw it was the Heaven God Hall's Elder Fang he'd encountered earlier. His expression darkened.
It seemed this Elder Fang had already set his sights on him and was brimming with killing intent.
"Since I've run into you here, I'll take care of you along the way," Elder Fang said, striding towards Ye Yunfei with undisguised murderous intent.
This Elder Fang was a Perfected Demigod and hailed from the Heaven God Hall. His strength was formidable. While others feared the ghosts, he did not. As he walked, he executed a Yang-affinity technique. His body radiated a rolling divine light, blazing waves of heat that illuminated his surroundings as he advanced right through the throngs of ghosts.
"This bastard wants to attack you right here!" Hun Lao said angrily.
"The world of the dead does not tolerate you outside beings acting wildly!"
Just then, the white-robed figure standing at the other end of the street uttered cold, sinister words. Raising his black-white rod, he pointed it straight at Elder Fang. Immediately, a furious tide of sinister wind whipped up within the street, and the echoing notes of the Undead Song grew even louder there.
Those members of the Heaven God Hall following Elder Fang began to feel dizzy, disoriented—as if heaven shook and earth tilted.
"Protect your Soul Seas and Soul Bodies!"
Elder Fang roared, his voice like spring thunder, dispelling some of the Undead Song's lingering influence.
The Heaven God Hall members shook inwardly, recovering some clarity. Hastily, they mobilized Soul Power energy to protect their Soul Seas and Soul Bodies. Also, one Soul Power magic treasure after another hovered within their Soul Seas, releasing rolling Soul Power energies that formed protective barriers.
"Be careful! That fellow is launching an attack. Let's get some distance from here and let them fight," Hun Lao transmitted to Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei nodded, then quietly began retreating.
"Pretending to invoke ghosts and deities," Elder Fang from the Heaven God Hall glanced coldly at the figure swathed in white robes.
Although the surrounding ghosts and that white-clad figure appeared bizarre and terrifying, Elder Fang was, after all, a Perfected Demigod. The saying went: With high skill comes boldness—he wasn't afraid at all.
BOOM!
Elder Fang extended an energy hand that rapidly grew larger, overshadowing everything, instantly filling the entire street as it pressed down towards the white-robed figure.
"Mortals interfering with spirits is a heinous crime!"
The white-robed figure uttered sinister words.
Then he lifted the black-white rod in his hand. It, too, rapidly grew in size and advanced to block, immediately causing a howling gale of Yin wind to rage through the entire street, blowing ghosts helter-skelter and toppling large numbers of them.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
Suddenly, numerous white iron chains stretched out from the void. Each chain exuded a frigid, chilling aura that instantly plunged the temperature of the street precipitously.
Both the streets and surrounding shops began to freeze over. Chunks of dark profound ice manifested on the ground and floated in the air.
"Be careful! Those white chains are formed from concentrated death energy and Death Law. Once they touch you, they'll corrode a living being's life force, stripping away its vitality," Hun Lao cautioned Ye Yunfei.
Hun Lao, after all, possessed the bloodline and racial memories of the Chaos World Tree and knew much that Ye Yunfei did not.
"Moreover, this fellow's aura seems integrated with the entire city. I suspect the white-robed figures in each street of this city are actually part of the same entity—nothing more than his avatars using a cloning technique. So while this old fart from the Heaven God Hall is powerful, defeating that white-robed figure won't be easy for him. Let's take advantage of this opportunity to leave," Hun Lao added.
His perception of everything in the surrounding space was remarkably acute. He'd sensed that the white-robed figures on every street seemed to originate from a single source.
"Alright, let's hurry and leave this city. This place is strange through and through—not somewhere we should linger," Ye Yunfei nodded.