Chapter 1231
Ghostly Mist Blocks the Way, Taoist Jin Chen
The so-called "Land of Yin Spirits" is a place where yin energy is abundant, and it is also the place where many ghost cultivators in the cultivation world like to reside.
The yin energy in this sea area is no less than that near the "Falling Star Sea" immortal mansion that Chen Qingxuan took Song Qingming and others to back then.
As expected, there will definitely be many powerful ghosts dwelling there, and even ghost cultivators at the Nascent Soul level may appear.
Although the lifespan of "ghost cultivators" far exceeds that of normal human cultivators, they are almost always in a daze before reaching the Golden Core stage and cannot develop intelligence.
Their cultivation speed is even slower than that of ordinary demon cultivators, and very few high-level ghost cultivators can achieve enlightenment.
The treasure ship moved forward quickly, and as the eerie winds around it grew stronger, some green light soon began to swirl around it and approach.
Faced with these low-level ghosts hiding in the yin wind, the Golden Core cultivators sitting on the top of the treasure ship immediately cast spells to activate the magic weapons in their hands, releasing bursts of spiritual light.
"Ah!"
Within moments, dozens of attacking ghosts let out mournful screams and perished in the spiritual light.
Although they easily dealt with the ghosts blocking their way, the people on the treasure ship did not relax at all, their eyes fixed on the sea ahead.
Be wary of enemies who could appear at any moment.
Braving the eerie winds and ghostly creatures, the treasure ship continued for several hours before finally entering a cluster of scattered islands.
At that moment, the surrounding chilling winds suddenly subsided considerably.
These islands range in size from a few dozen feet in length and width, seemingly on the verge of being swallowed up by the rising waves, to a few hundred feet in circumference.
It is completely incomparable to those large islands in the inland seas, which often cover tens or hundreds of miles in area.
Just as the treasure ship passed a small island, a strange black mist suddenly appeared in the air ahead.
The black mist moved incredibly fast, crossing more than ten miles of sea in the blink of an eye, and approached the treasure ship.
"Hahaha."
A sinister and terrifying laugh pierced the sea and entered the treasure ship, instantly causing the low-level cultivators who were controlling the ship to feel dizzy and fall to the ground.
"Be careful, this is a high-level ghost! Quickly cover your ears and calm your mind, don't be afraid!"
Upon seeing this situation, the Golden Core cultivators on the treasure ship hurriedly activated their magic treasures while directing the lower-level cultivators on board to help themselves.
As soon as the three flew out of the treasure ship, more than a dozen golden lights immediately flew towards the black mist in front.
But the golden light was blocked by a powerful force as soon as it shone on the black mist, and it failed to harm the other party in the slightest.
"This...how is this possible!"
"It can actually block the Three Yang Divine Light, could this guy be a Nascent Soul ghost?!"
"Oh no, retreat now!"
The supernatural power that the three of them had just activated was a magical artifact they brought specifically to counter ghosts; it could even kill ghosts in the late Golden Core stage.
The ghost before them had blocked this supernatural power with just its protective yin energy, clearly indicating that it had already exceeded the scope of a Golden Core ghost cultivator.
If I'm not mistaken, it should be a ghost at the Nascent Soul level.
Knowing they were no match for the enemy, the three Golden Core cultivators from the "Four Seas Merchant Alliance" hurriedly cast spells to try and quickly retreat to their treasure ship.
Just as they were about to act, a chilling, eerie laugh suddenly rang out again from the black mist ahead, causing the three of them to involuntarily stop their spellcasting in mid-air.
Before they could react, the black mist had already reached them.
A pair of large black hands emerged from the ghostly mist, instantly grasping two mid-stage Golden Core cultivators with lower cultivation levels tightly in their hands.
Seeing another ghostly hand approaching from the black mist to block them, the remaining late-stage Golden Core elder immediately cast a spell to release a golden talisman.
The talisman instantly transformed into a golden dragon several dozen feet long, which flew towards its opponent.
The "golden talisman" that the old man threw out was a rare, low-grade fourth-level talisman.
Even a Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stages would be threatened if hit head-on.
But the next moment, the "golden dragon" had just touched the ghostly hand in mid-air when it was grabbed and torn off.
It transformed into golden light and dissipated in mid-air.
Seeing his trump card, which he had treasured for many years, so easily countered by the ghostly hand before him, the old man in the late stage of the Golden Core realm was filled with disbelief.
Before he could escape back to the treasure ship, a powerful, oppressive aura, accompanied by a chilling wind, had already reached him from behind.
Just as the old man in the late stage of Golden Core showed a hint of despair, a flash of white light suddenly appeared beside him, and then a golden bronze mirror appeared out of thin air in front of him.
It stopped a black, ghostly hand that had already reached behind it in mid-air.
With a deafening roar, the ghostly hand, which was dozens of feet tall, failed to budge its opponent even slightly despite its powerful strike.
It was then repelled head-on by the white light emanating from the golden bronze mirror and retreated back into the ghostly mist.
The next moment, a flash of light appeared, and a man in a green robe appeared in mid-air, surrounded by five identical "golden bronze mirrors".
Beside the old man in the late stage of the Golden Core realm, two more graceful figures appeared in a flash of inspiration.
"This ghost has reached the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage; you can't handle it. Leave this to me!"
"Thank you so much for saving my life, senior!"
Upon seeing Long Ziyun suddenly appear before him, the Golden Core elder, who had narrowly escaped death, breathed a sigh of relief, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to retreat back to the treasure ship at the rear.
After the other party left, looking at the Nascent Soul ghost cultivator who was already locked in combat with Song Qingming in mid-air, Long Ziyun spoke to Xia Mo, who was watching the battle from the side:
"I'd like to trouble Fellow Daoist Xia to keep an eye on things for a while, while I go help Fellow Daoist Song."
"Sister Long, this ghost's cultivation is only at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. It is no match for Fellow Daoist Song. You can rest assured."
"Hmm! I'm not worried about Fellow Daoist Song, but those two juniors are still in the enemy's hands, and they might be in some danger."
Upon hearing Xia Mo's words, Long Ziyun hesitated for a moment but still chose not to stand by and watch with her. Instead, she cast a spell and arrived at the front of the battlefield.
Although the Ghost Path cultivators have strange and insidious techniques, as long as they have a way to restrain their opponents, they are generally difficult to defeat righteous cultivators of similar strength.
This mid-stage Nascent Soul peak ghost cultivator had just been acting arrogantly and fiercely, like an invincible god, in front of several Golden Core cultivators from the "Four Seas Merchant Alliance".
However, when facing Song Qingming, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, he was forced to retreat repeatedly, clearly indicating that his strength was inferior to his opponent's.
After fighting for only a dozen rounds, the Nascent Soul ghost cultivator, realizing he was no match for the other two, immediately abandoned the two Golden Core cultivators he had just captured and used the ghost mist to escape into the depths of the sea.
Seeing this, Song Qingming had no intention of letting the other party go. He used his magic to activate "Nine Palaces Meteor Escape" and caught up with the other party in the blink of an eye.
The "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror" split into five, and more than a dozen golden chains flew out, shooting directly into the ghostly mist.
The next moment, a flash of lightning appeared above the golden chains, and a shrill scream instantly came from within the black ghostly mist.
"what."
"Red Sun Divine Thunder" is the most yang divine thunder of heaven and earth, which is extremely effective against yin and cold ghosts.
Under the bombardment of divine lightning controlled by Song Qingming, the black ghost mist suddenly dissipated, revealing a woman in black robes bound by golden chains.
The woman had a bewitching face and a pair of captivating eyes. She stared intently at Song Qingming before her and suddenly let out a slightly sorrowful cry.
"Fellow Daoist, I am a person with a tragic fate. In my previous life, I was murdered and died, which forced me to turn to the path of ghosts."
"I beg you, fellow Daoist, to have pity on this woman's difficult cultivation journey and spare my life."
"From now on, I am willing to serve you as a slave or maidservant for the rest of my life."
".
"Hmph! You dare to show your true colors in front of me with such petty tricks?"
Faced with the black-clad woman's pitiful and heart-stirring pleas for mercy, Song Qingming remained unmoved and coldly snorted at her.
Immediately afterwards, the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," which had already been surrounding the opponent, once again shot out white flames, enveloping him within it.
"what."
Under the combined attack of the two great divine powers, "Mysterious Yang Blazing Flames" and "Crimson Yang Divine Thunder," the woman in black was instantly overwhelmed by the flames and could not lift her head, screaming incessantly once again.
"I already know I was wrong, fellow Daoist, why must you be so ruthless!"
"If you spare my life, I'm willing to compensate you with several high-level spiritual items, how about that?"
"Fellow Daoist, I am the beloved concubine of the Netherworld Ancestor. If you kill me, he will not let you off!"
".
No matter how the woman in black begged for mercy or threatened him, Song Qingming ignored her completely, continuously channeling his magical power into his natal magic weapon.
After struggling for a quarter of an hour, the woman in black ultimately succumbed to her insufficient cultivation, and her protective aura was devoured and penetrated by the raging flames.
Before long, this incredibly fierce Nascent Soul expert from the Ghost Path, who was known for his ferocity at sea, was completely defeated by Song Qingming, leaving only a wisp of black ghost mist in mid-air.
Using his magic to shoot into the ghostly mist, Song Qingming quickly found a black ghost pill and a "storage artifact" that resembled a jade pendant.
Having already rescued her two companions, Long Ziyun stepped forward and congratulated them with a cupped-hand salute.
"Thank you for your help, Fellow Daoist Song. Otherwise, if I had faced this ghost cultivator alone, I'm afraid we might not have been able to escape safely today."
"There's no need to thank me for such a small thing, Fellow Daoist Long, you're too kind."
After waving goodbye to Long Ziyun, Song Qingming put away the few spoils of war he had just acquired.
Long Ziyun was about to step forward to help, but in just over ten rounds, Song Qingming easily trapped his opponent, preventing her from finding any opportunity to join the fight.
You can only stand by and watch, in case the other party suddenly escapes.
Since Song Qingming had taken down the opponent single-handedly and taken all the spoils, Long Ziyun, who was congratulating him, naturally had no objection.
Xia Mo, who had been watching the battle from afar, turned around and returned to the treasure ship before the battle ended.
They also paid no attention to what treasures he had obtained.
After greeting Long Ziyun, the two quickly returned to their cabin.
After dealing with this powerful Nascent Soul ghost cultivator, the treasure ship set sail again, heading rapidly into the depths of the archipelago ahead.
".
In a dark hall tens of thousands of miles away from the treasure ship, a green light suddenly appeared, followed by similar light clusters appearing all around.
There were hundreds of eerie green lights flashing in the main hall.
Directly in front of all the green orbs of light, a black figure sat cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes, and showed a look of surprise.
"Who...who killed her?!"
The black-clad figure roared, causing the entire hall to tremble violently. His face was filled with rage, as if he had lost something precious. "Ancestor, please calm your anger!"
".
Several days later, on a sea shrouded in mist.
After passing through the clouds ahead, the treasure ship quickly came to a stop, and then three figures flew out from it.
Looking at the sea that was still shrouded in mist, Long Ziyun raised her hand and cast a spell to summon a jade tablet of emerald green. A circular talisman quickly appeared above her head.
"go with!"
As the talisman above descended, the previously calm sea below suddenly began to ripple with waves.
Immediately afterwards, a huge whirlpool, over a thousand feet in diameter, appeared out of thin air on the sea surface, revealing a semi-transparent circular shield.
"Fellow Daoists, please go first!"
Long ago, Song Qingming had already witnessed the "Four Seas Business Alliance" setting up a similar magic array.
Seeing that this "Land of the Dead" was actually hidden deep in the sea, he wasn't too surprised. He nodded slightly and flew into the formation first.
The three of them walked one after the other through the transparent shield below, and the scenery changed accordingly.
The once bottomless seawater had long been isolated by the magic array, and a circular platform hundreds of feet high had appeared below it.
Before the three of them could land, a beam of light appeared on the platform to greet them.
"Junior Sister Long, fellow Daoists, you've arrived!"
"Fellow Daoist Wang!"
The thin-faced old man who came to pick them up was someone Song Qingming had seen before.
The other party was Wang Quan'an, the leader who was in charge of setting up the "intercontinental teleportation array" back then, and also a late-stage Nascent Soul elder in the "Four Seas Merchant Alliance".
Two hundred years ago, Wang Quan'an's cultivation had already reached the ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm, and he was also a fourth-level high-grade array master with profound array skills.
When Song Qingming went to help set up the teleportation array back then, he also asked her some questions about array formations and benefited greatly from it.
Now, nearly two hundred years have passed, and Song Qingming's cultivation has also risen to the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage, while Wang Quan'an is still stuck in the same place and has not successfully stepped into the half-step Divine Transformation realm.
Upon meeting again, looking at the younger generation who had caught up with him, Wang Quan'an couldn't help but show a hint of envy on his face.
"It's been many years since we last met. Fellow Daoist Song and Fellow Daoist Xia, your cultivation levels are almost surpassing mine. You are truly promising young people!"
"Fellow Daoist Wang, you are too kind. We have only just managed to catch up with you. It would be too early to say that we have surpassed you."
Moreover, fellow Daoist has accumulated so much over the years, you must already be able to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, which is something that we who have just advanced to the next realm cannot compare to.
"Having come to help, if there's time, I'd like to ask you for some more guidance!"
"Haha! Fellow Daoist Song is still so modest."
".
"Alright! Please follow me, everyone. Let's not keep the other fellow cultivators waiting!"
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Quan'an waved to the group and then led them to the platform below.
Seven Nascent Soul cultivators were already waiting on the open ground.
Among the seven, a middle-aged man with a round face had the highest cultivation level, having reached the half-step Nascent Soul realm.
With just a glance, Song Qingming sensed an extremely powerful aura emanating from the other person.
If nothing unexpected happens, this person has been at the half-step Nascent Soul stage for quite some time, far surpassing cultivators like Qi Guangchun and the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" who have been at the half-step Nascent Soul stage for a hundred or two hundred years.
On the way here, Song Qingming had already inquired with Long Ziyun about the fact that the elder of the "Four Seas Business Alliance" who was attempting to break through to the next realm had already reached the half-step Nascent Soul realm for many years.
If nothing unexpected happens, it must be the person in front of me.
Of the other six, three had reached the late Nascent Soul stage, and without exception, all were at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm.
The remaining three were at a similar cultivation level to Long Ziyun, all at the mid-Nascent Soul stage.
Qi Rong, who had previously dealt with Song Qingming, was also among them.
Qi Rong reached the Nascent Soul stage a hundred years earlier than Long Ziyun, and his cultivation has now broken through to the sixth level of the Nascent Soul realm. His cultivation speed is also quite fast.
With the addition of Song Qingming and his group of four who had just arrived, eleven Nascent Soul stage experts had gathered on the platform.
“Master, these two are Fellow Daoist Song and Fellow Daoist Xia, whom I mentioned before. I have already spoken with them about their help this time.”
"Master?"
"Could this guy be Long Ziyun's master? I didn't expect that she had a master who was half a step into the Nascent Soul realm. No wonder the Four Seas Merchant Alliance was able to support her in forming a Nascent Soul."
Seeing Long Ziyun address the man surnamed Jin as her master, both Song Qingming and Xia Mo beside him were somewhat surprised.
It wasn't that I found it too strange that the other party had such a powerful master.
However, throughout the journey, Long Ziyun referred to this person as an elder surnamed Jin from the "Four Seas Business Alliance," without revealing a single word to them.
Song Qingming could understand why Xia Mo hadn't been informed beforehand.
This time, he felt that the other party was being a bit too cautious. Long Ziyun didn't seem to really trust him and Xia Mo, and was still somewhat wary.
"Thank you for your hard work, Ziyun!"
The middle-aged man with a round face surnamed Jin smiled and nodded to Long Ziyun, then stepped forward and raised his hand to Song Qingming and Xia Mo.
"Fellow Daoists, please don't be offended. This matter concerns my path to cultivation. I intentionally instructed Ziyun not to leak the news, which is why I didn't inform you beforehand."
"I, Jin, would like to first apologize to Fellow Daoists Song and Xia!"
Seemingly having already sensed the doubts in Song Qingming and his companion's hearts, Long Ziyun's master quickly apologized and explained to them.
In response, Song Qingming and Xia Mo exchanged a glance and both raised their hands in return.
"Fellow Daoist Jin, you flatter me. This concerns your personal path of cultivation, so it is normal for you to be cautious. We should understand that."
Besides, Fellow Daoist Xia and I were only here to help out of a request, so there's no need to fuss over these things.
Please instruct me on what to do next!
"In that case, I'll leave it to you two fellow Daoists!"
Seeing that Song Qingming didn't seem to care, Master Long Ziyun immediately used magic to take out two jade slips from her person and sent them to Song Qingming and Xia Mo.
"Now that you two fellow Daoists have arrived here, you should know what needs to be done next, so I won't explain it to you any further."
This contains the diagram of the Earthly Swamp Grand Array that I have already set up, and it also provides detailed instructions on how to activate the array.
Fellow Daoists, please take a look first. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.
If there are no problems, the grand formation can be activated in three days.
"Fellow Daoist Jin, rest assured, I understand."
".
Upon receiving the jade slip from the other party, Song Qingming immediately placed it on his forehead, and a large-scale recording array immediately appeared in front of his divine sense.
Although it is his own "array technique", it has advanced to the fourth level of superior grade.
But after just one glance at the densely packed ancient runes, Song Qingming immediately sensed the profoundness of the formation, and his heart couldn't help but tremble slightly.
A restriction that can help cultivators break through to the Nascent Soul realm is truly incomparable to ordinary magic arrays.
The text alone records dozens of methods for activating the seals, as well as various techniques for jointly operating the seals with others.
Master Long Ziyun is truly remarkable for being able to set up such a profound magic array.
If it weren't for finding other powerful helpers, this person's array formation level would probably be close to level five.
Otherwise, even an ordinary fourth-level high-grade array master like Song Qingming, even if he spent decades researching it, might not be able to set it up.
Like Song Qingming, Xia Mo's array formation skills were also quite high, having reached the mid-level of the fourth grade.
After examining the jade slip in his hand, a hint of solemnity appeared in his originally calm gaze, clearly showing his surprise at the profoundness of the formation.
Not only Song Qingming and Xia Mo, but also Wang Quan'an, the elder of the "Four Seas Business Alliance" whom we met before.
The six late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators who were next to activate the formation were all quite skilled in formation techniques, all at least at the mid-level of the fourth rank.
The fact that Long Ziyun specially invited Song Qingming and his companion to help must be because she valued this quality in them.
Time flies, and three days later it was already time to go.
After careful examination and consulting with the man surnamed Jin and others beside him, Song Qingming and Xia Mo gained a certain understanding of the array diagram within the jade slip in their hands.
Although it is impossible to have a deep understanding of formations in a short period of time.
However, simply helping to activate the magic array is something that can be easily done.
Moreover, with several array masters like Wang Quan'an nearby who could offer guidance at any time, Song Qingming and his companion wouldn't have any major problems as long as they followed the example.
Seeing that everything was ready, the middle-aged man surnamed Jin stood up and said:
"Ziyun, I'm leaving the outside to you!"
"Master, rest assured, we will definitely guard the great formation well."
As Long Ziyun and Qi Yun left the platform, the man surnamed Jin immediately turned around and bowed to Song Qingming and the other six.
"I have cultivated for a thousand years. Whether I can achieve enlightenment in this lifetime depends entirely on the great kindness of you fellow Daoists!"
"Jin Chen, I'm entrusting this to you all!"
"We will do our utmost!"
After nodding slightly, Jin Chen stepped into the void and flashed to the top of the array platform, where he sat down cross-legged with his eyes closed.
"Everyone, form the battle formation!"
At Wang Quan'an's command, Song Qingming and the other six activated their battle flags.
Six beams of spiritual light shot out from around the array platform, forming a circular array above Jin Chen's head.
Wang Quan'an changed the array flags in his hand again, and the magic array in mid-air immediately began to rotate continuously.
The next moment, the temperature dropped again below the array platform, and countless powerful Yin spirits were directly attracted into the air by the array.
It then landed on Jin Chen Daoist, who was casting a spell, emitting a ball of gray spiritual light. (End of Chapter)