Rippling blue light shimmered within the tunnel, swaying back and forth.
Looking up, they saw deep blue lake water overhead, resembling a watery curtain within arm's reach. They had evidently reached the area beneath the small lake; this tunnel was hidden beneath the lake bed.
"Let's go!"
Once inside the tunnel, Dongyang Bo cast aside his reservations. Taking Qin Sang and the others with him, he deployed his movement technique and swept forward along the passage.
The tunnel was exceedingly long. Though winding and twisting, it was unobstructed, devoid of any blocking restrictions. Dongyang Bo sped through it with them for a full quarter of an hour, yet they had still not reached the end.
Qin Sang calculated their direction in his mind. Going by the position of the lake above, they should have already penetrated deep into the mountain's heart. But a strange luster shimmered on the tunnel walls, clearly indicating the presence of restrictions within; it likely did not correspond to the directions outside.
Otherwise, given Dongyang Bo's speed, a quarter of an hour would have been enough to circle Heavenly Mountain countless times.
After nearly another quarter of an hour, the tunnel ahead suddenly opened up.
Standing at the exit of the tunnel, Qin Sang and the others were utterly dumbfounded, staring ahead in shock.
Even Chenyan seemed somewhat dazed.
Before them lay an exceptionally broad passageway over ten zhang high, terminating in pitch-black darkness. A smooth, glasslike glaze covered both walls, the floor, and the vaulted ceiling.
What shocked everyone was that beneath this glaze, countless ferociously evil ghosts were painted!
Vicious spirits, human skulls, pale eyeballs, scarlet tongues, grim white bones, flying gore and severed flesh...
Countless evil ghosts in hideous, gruesome forms covered the entire corridor. Every terrifying apparition one could imagine was depicted here, rendered so lifelike that they seemed almost real.
Sealed beneath the glaze, they appeared ready to break free at any moment to devour souls and drink blood!
This was unmistakably an Evil Ghost Path!
Were it not for the absence of the legendary Yellow Springs Road, they would have thought they had descended into the underworld.
Qin Sang felt a chill run down his spine. The moment he set foot here, he had an illusion that countless savage gazes were fixed upon him, hungering for the vitality and flesh on his body.
This feeling stemmed from the evil ghosts closest to him. Though trapped motionless beneath the glaze, their eyes genuinely seemed to be watching him.
In truth, not only Qin Sang, but Qiu Mubai and the others felt the same way.
Locked onto by myriad ghosts, their entire bodies grew stiff, their origin souls and blood feeling as if they were about to freeze, not daring to make the slightest move.
Pointing at the Evil Ghost Path ahead, Dongyang Bo said to Chenyan:
"The reason I went to such lengths to bring the five of them in instead of having Core Formation disciples wield the Five Elements Beast Seals was precisely because of this Evil Ghost Path.
"Whether it is due to a peculiar restriction here or because evil ghosts were truly sealed within, it is hard to say.
"Stepping onto the Evil Ghost Path will alert them immediately.
"Once the evil ghosts awaken, we will be surrounded by myriad ghosts, unable to advance an inch, and forced to fight our way through. While their individual strength is not exceptionally high, their numbers are vast. Even someone as powerful as a Nascent Soul cultivator can only manage self-preservation; having the spare strength to protect others would be difficult.
"However, this Evil Ghost Path possesses a peculiarity: it only reacts to those whose vitality has reached a certain threshold, and there is no way to shield it.
"The five of them only possess Foundation Establishment cultivations and have not undergone the infusion of spiritual power that comes with Core Formation. Consequently, they can slip past these evil ghosts and walk through unscathed, whereas Che Yutao and the others could not.
"Let them cross first, and the two of us will charge through afterward."
Hearing this, Qin Sang and the others felt intensely astonished that such an odd place existed in the world.
Spared from having to battle the evil ghosts, the anxiety weighing on their hearts finally lifted, yet the thought of walking down this path alone still left them apprehensive and deeply worried, terrified that some mishap might occur and cause them to be devoured by the myriad ghosts.
"Patriarch, are these evil ghosts alive? Could it be that ancient cultivators hunted them down and sealed them here?" Qiu Mubai ventured to ask, relying on the favor Dongyang Bo showed him.
Dongyang Bo shook his head. "They are not living beings; those that leap out are merely ghost apparitions. As for whether they are formed by restrictions or are remnants left behind after real evil ghosts were destroyed, it is hard to tell. All right, cross over now. Walk forward boldly, do not be afraid; they look down on your flesh and blood anyway."
To be despised even by evil ghosts.
Qin Sang and the others felt complex emotions, yet none dared disobey Dongyang Bo's command.
The five exchanged glances and gathered together, centering around Qiu Mubai. Ji Qing blazed the trail in front, tentatively stepping onto the corridor, one foot landing squarely on a ghost face.
Ji Qing felt a blast of chill shoot up from the sole of his foot. He took two more steps, and seeing no change whatsoever in the corridor, he gathered his courage to stride forward.
Striding ahead, they entered deep into the Evil Ghost Path, as if walking into hell.
By now, Dongyang Bo and Chenyan were no longer visible behind them. Should anything go wrong, there would be no one to save them. Crept over by dread, they broke into a sprint.
*Thud, thud, thud...*
Treading on the glazed floor, their footsteps echoed through the corridor like a death knell chasing behind them.
Time had never passed so slowly. The corridor seemed endless, with only fathomless darkness ahead.
"We're finally out!"
Qiu Mubai let out a soft exclamation as they at last reached the end.
This Evil Ghost Path was truly terrifying; composed as he was, he had broken into a cold sweat.
Qin Sang exhaled a long breath. In truth, he had been the one most worried about an accident.
Although he had not undergone the infusion of spiritual power, he had a Flying Yaksha in his corpse puppet pouch—one currently undergoing a metamorphosis, comparable to an actual Core Formation expert.
Qin Sang had dreaded that the Flying Yaksha's aura might alert the evil ghosts. Fortunately, nothing had happened, likely because the Flying Yaksha was also an inanimate, dead entity with negligible vitality.
In front of the Evil Ghost Path stood two massive stone doors.
Qiu Mubai stepped forward and pushed open the stone doors. The group filed inside and found a grand hall beyond, with further paths leading deeper. They dared not wander recklessly in such a place, obediently taking cover behind the stone doors to await Dongyang Bo and Chenyan.
At first, there was no sound.
Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Even the heavy stone doors could not block the terrifying shrieks of ghosts.
Beyond the stone doors, myriad ghosts manifested!
Their ears were filled with endless ghostly wails, weeping, laughter—all manner of eerie sounds—so potent that they could affect their state of mind right through the stone doors.
Qiu Mubai and the other three turned slightly pale, their minds unsettled and shaken by the ghostly cries. Struggling to maintain composure, they hurriedly entered meditation to steady their minds.
Qin Sang naturally had no fear of this, but he sat cross-legged on the ground as well, pretending to be overwhelmed.
The turmoil persisted without letup; no sound could be heard from Dongyang Bo and Chenyan.
Before long, the stone doors suddenly creaked open as Dongyang Bo pushed them inward. At that exact moment, the ghostly shrieks ceased abruptly, and all the evil ghosts vanished in an instant.
Dongyang Bo and Chenyan walked in one after the other. Both of their auras were unsettled, showing that forcing their way through the Evil Ghost Path had indeed been no simple task. However, they were not injured; after swallowing a spirit pill and meditating briefly to regulate their breath, they were restored to their normal state.
Chapter 604