"Ahh...
Don't kill me!"
At that moment, another miserable scream echoed out from the entrance of that underground passage. Everyone watched as a terrified soul body rushed out, wailing piteously.
This soul body seemed to have a large chunk bitten off; it was incomplete and mutilated.
"Everyone be careful!"
Seeing one True God after another escaping from within, all ending up in a ghastly state, everyone nearby was on high alert.
In the next instant, a twisting, shifting mass of shadow slowly drifted out from the passage entrance. The temperature across a large area of space instantly plummeted drastically. Everyone in the city felt as if they had suddenly fallen into a ten-thousand-year-old ice cavern. Those with slightly weaker cultivation power shivered uncontrollably.
When that shadowy mass first emerged from the tunnel, it seemed to move very slowly. But then, somehow, it suddenly appeared beside a nearby True God, emitting an eerie, chilling laugh.
"How is that possible?"
This True God had been sensing the distant plaza, trying to discern what that shadowy mass was, when he suddenly felt icy cold all over, freezing him rigid on the spot. He was firmly suppressed by a bizarre sealing energy, unable to move an inch. Then, to his horror, he realized the shadowy mass from the plaza was now right in front of him.
"Ahh...
Save me!"
The True God screamed in terror.
The shadowy mass slowly crawled onto the True God's shoulder, then actually crawled into his Soul Sea and began gnawing on his soul body.
"Aarghh..."
That True God suffered excruciating pain and unimaginable horror, letting out miserable shrieks.
"We need to run! I heard Reincarnation Ghosts are extremely bizarre entities, not something ordinary people can deal with!"
Someone shouted fearfully, not daring to linger, and immediately turned and dashed out of the city.
"An ancient book passed down by my Chen Family records something: In ancient times, a major sect with terrifying power was actually annihilated by a single Reincarnation Ghost. A single ghost wiped out an entire sect! Ever since then, everyone in the Primal Void Sea turned pale at the mere mention of a Reincarnation Ghost. Who'd have thought they truly exist in this world, and we actually ran into one! Run!"
Another person screamed in terror.
"What?
A single ghost destroyed a sect?
That's too terrifying!
Let's mind our own business and save ourselves!"
The people around grew even more panicked upon hearing this, all increasing their speed to flee from this city.
Since everyone had already searched this city thoroughly, and nearly all structures had been examined, staying any longer probably wouldn't yield any more gains. So, they evacuated the city without hesitation.
"Let's go too."
Ye Yunfei, who had been remotely sensing that constantly twisting shadow, said softly.
Ye Yunfei had brought many True Gods from the Restorer Faction, but they were all cultivating inside the Phantom Tower. He would only summon them when needed, which was more convenient for his movements.
"Ah...
Save me..."
At that moment, the shadowy mass finished gnawing on one True God's soul body and then proceeded to suppress another True God's soul body in place, starting to bite into it.
That True God's physical body was sealed by a terrifying, sinister energy. He trembled all over, utterly powerless to resist.
Ye Yunfei flashed and exited the city, then headed forward.
"So terrifying. Never thought we'd encounter the legendary Reincarnation Ghost. Luckily we escaped quickly. If we'd stayed in that city any longer, we might have been eaten by that ghost."
After escaping, many people recalled their narrow escape with lingering fear, constantly discussing it.
"That Reincarnation Ghost's aura just now was indeed extremely bizarre. I kept trying to sense it, but couldn't perceive anything. The location of that shadowy mass seemed like empty air, with nothing there. In other words, you can only see that thing with your eyes; you can't detect it with Soul Power."
Hun Lao transmitted his voice to Ye Yunfei.
"I had the same feeling. That's why I didn't dare provoke it earlier. Forget it; there's no need for us to mess with such a weird entity."
Ye Yunfei replied.
Ye Yunfei continued advancing through the passage. It remained incredibly spacious ahead, and the areas he passed looked like parts of a colossal underground palace. Occasionally, he encountered some long-collapsed ancient structures, dilapidated and emitting waves of decay.
Swooshing, gurgling...
Not long after, the sound of flowing water suddenly came from ahead. Ye Yunfei then discovered that the space in front had abruptly changed.
It no longer seemed to be inside a passage. Instead, he seemed to have suddenly arrived in some unfamiliar region of the void.
Behind him was a dark entrance/exit, likely the passage he'd just come from. Ahead, a pitch-black river spanned the void, blocking the path. Its ink-black waters flowed sluggishly, appearing almost static.
However, the sound of flowing water coming from the river confirmed the water was indeed moving.
A rather ancient-looking stone bridge arched over the river. At the bridgehead stood a stone tablet inscribed with three characters: Naihe Bridge.
"It really is a Reincarnation Passage."
Seeing this river and bridge, Ye Yunfei was certain this was indeed a Reincarnation Passage. He had previously entered others which also contained such a river and bridge—a standard feature.
"Look! The river water seems to contain many incomplete soul bodies... Actually, they're not soul bodies; they should be called soul body fragments."
Many people were already standing by the riverbank, observing the inky-black water and the Naihe Bridge. Suddenly, someone pointed at the dark water and exclaimed in surprise.
Indeed, many soul body fragments existed within the dark river water. Occasionally, even one or two relatively intact soul bodies could be seen, bobbing up and down within the murky current as they flowed toward the river's distant reaches.
Both the fragments and the intact soul bodies continuously emitted agonized screams or cries for help. Though these sounds were faint, everyone could hear them clearly.
"How strange. Where does this river originate from?
And where does it flow to?
For what reason did those soul body fragments perish within this river?"
Quite a few people were entering a Reincarnation Passage for the first time. The sight of the dark river and the Naihe Bridge was astonishing, sparking numerous discussions.
However, others had either entered Reincarnation Passages before or heard many legends about them. They appeared relatively calm, knowing the existence of a Naihe Bridge and dark river was standard. Their stance was simply to cross them directly.
Many had already stepped onto the Naihe Bridge, preparing to cross the river. But right at that moment, a twisting, shifting mass of shadow suddenly shot up from the river, instantly latching onto the shoulder of a True God walking on the bridge.
This Intermediate True God had reached the middle of the Naihe Bridge. As he walked, he used his Soul Power energy to sense the bridge beneath his feet and the dark water below, proceeding with great caution.
But it wasn't until the shadowy mass had already settled on his shoulder that he abruptly noticed it. His face instantly paled. The energy within his body erupted like a volcano, crashing out mightily. Simultaneously, several magical artifacts activated. A huge energy hand instantly materialized behind him, reaching for the black shadow on his shoulder.
However, just as this Intermediate True God intended to deploy his means against the shadow, an icy and terrifying aura instantly suppressed him. His physical body and soul body both felt plunged into extreme cold. Then the Intermediate True God stood there rigid as a statue, eyes vacant, while the shadow extended into his Soul Sea, grasped his soul body, and began chewing on it.
"It's the Reincarnation Ghost! The same Reincarnation Ghost from before! Who would have thought it actually chased after us!"
Everyone stared at the bizarre shadow. Finally, someone screamed in terror.
"It's definitely the same ghost from before! Be careful. Reincarnation Ghosts are extremely bizarre beings. Supposedly, they are born only within Reincarnation Passages. A Reincarnation Ghost is formed when the residual soul energy from thousands upon thousands of ghosts, hurrying along the reincarnation path towards their next lives, conglomerates over vast stretches of time, gradually developing consciousness, and eventually evolves into a Reincarnation Ghost. In other words, a Reincarnation Ghost is a coalescence of energy left behind by countless souls."
Hun Lao explained to Ye Yunfei.
Originally, many people wanted to step onto the Naihe Bridge and proceed. But seeing that Reincarnation Ghost in the middle of the bridge chewing on a soul body, they all started backing away in fear, not daring to set foot on it again.
Those who had already crossed the bridge on the other side quickened their pace and fled, worried that moving slowly might allow the ghost to catch up.
Since Ye Yunfei hadn't crossed the bridge yet, his path was now blocked.
Soon, that Intermediate True God's soul body was completely devoured by the Reincarnation Ghost, leaving only a rigid corpse standing there.
"There's another theory about Reincarnation Ghosts. After they are born, they lie in wait along the Reincarnation Path, constantly ambushing ghosts preparing to traverse the path for reincarnation, growing stronger by devouring them. This particular Reincarnation Path has long been deserted, with no ghosts coming or going. So, this Reincarnation Ghost probably hasn't devoured any ghosts for a very long time. Now, with so many people suddenly barging in here, the ghost essentially received a large batch of cultivation resources. It certainly won't miss this opportunity. Therefore, it will definitely keep attacking everyone who enters here, chewing on soul bodies. For it, this is its method of cultivation."
Hun Lao added, explaining further to Ye Yunfei.
"Everyone be careful! That Reincarnation Ghost is looking for its next target!"
At that moment, someone suddenly screamed in alarm.
Indeed, the shadowy mass on the Naihe Bridge had left the shoulder of the Intermediate True God corpse and was drifting about, seemingly searching for its next victim.
Witnessing this, everyone couldn't help but quietly retreat, putting distance between themselves and the Reincarnation Bridge. No one wanted to be inexplicably targeted by this ghost.
The True God on the bridge earlier was a veteran Intermediate True God of considerable strength. Yet, once targeted by the Reincarnation Ghost, he was instantly immobilized, completely powerless to fight back. This demonstrated just how terrifying the ghost's power was.
Even the Advanced True Gods watching felt their scalps crawl.
As fear was palpable among everyone, the Reincarnation Ghost seemed to have found its next target. With a slight flicker, it instantly appeared not far in front of Ye Yunfei.