Chapter 236

227. Chapter 227: The Sealed Building

The sealed building stood in the bustling heart of Dazhuang City, where crowds surged and vehicles streamed, teeming with life.

Yet for such a place to harbor a sealed zone was highly abnormal—especially with armed guards patrolling the perimeter around the clock. This unusual situation made their cross-dimensional squad sense something amiss, which is why Zhang Xun ordered everyone to investigate.

The purpose of the investigation was to determine the world's level of danger, understand its power structure, and decide on subsequent actions.

Li Yi now stood at one corner of the blockade, where a gun-wielding guard patrolled ahead, eyes sharp, scanning constantly; anyone attempting to approach was turned away—but for him, breaching the line in front of an ordinary person was effortless.

Ordinary humans had weak dynamic vision and slow reflexes; as long as his speed was fast enough, even brushing past them would go unnoticed.

Just as Li Yi was about to move.

Suddenly.

He felt something—a sensation—and turned to look in a certain direction behind him.

It was a street, crowded with people, yet amid the throng he sensed a pair of eyes watching him.

An illusion?

Li Yi stared hard—but saw nothing.

He thought he must be too sensitive. After all, this world had no cultivators; everyone on the street was ordinary. If someone could evade an Evolved One's spiritual sense to spy on him, that person's power would be terrifying—and no one with such power could possibly exist in this world.

A place without a cultivation system, where cosmic energy was only one-tenth of Earth's—raising a top-tier powerhouse here would be immensely difficult.

Thinking this, Li Yi fell silent, then coiled his legs, stirred his blood qi, and condensed a layer of Gangqi.

The next instant.

Boom!

A faint explosion sounded, and his entire body blurred into a streak of afterimage, vanishing from his original spot.

The armed guard, hearing the noise, spun around instantly—only to see cracked concrete where the sound had come from. He snapped on his flashlight, sweeping the area, but found nothing. No one nearby. He frowned in confusion.

Unbeknownst to him, Li Yi had already crossed the blockade and entered the building.

His eyes glowed; night posed no obstacle to him—it was an advantage. Under its cover, his exposure risk was minimal.

But when Li Yi stepped into the building's first-floor lobby, he saw Captain Zhang Xun and several other squad members already there—he had arrived relatively late.

"Everyone here? Then I'll briefly state our objective."

Zhang Xun's figure was hidden in darkness, but his eyes opened, brilliant and piercing: "Simple. Find the so-called ghost in this building, engage it, determine its power. If you can kill it, better. If not, retreat immediately. But I doubt the latter will happen."

"In our world, all of you have dealt with vengeful ghosts. Though stubborn and hard to kill, their power is nothing special. I suspect this world is similar—only here, since everyone is ordinary, they overreact to minor threats."

"Still, for safety, avoid splitting up. Search floor by floor from the first upward, ensuring no corner is missed."

Qin Bing said: "Captain, could the ghost rumors here be fake? Is it really worth such caution?"

"Crossing dimensions isn't easy. It's our first day on this mission. Caution never hurts. Besides, the ghost rumors don't seem fake—if they were, there'd be no cordon, no armed guards." Zhang Xun said seriously: "As captain, I bear full responsibility for this cross-dimensional operation. You all just follow orders."

"I have a question: Why don't we just reveal our strength and contact this world's authorities? That way, we could learn about this world faster and directly, exchange culture and technology—after all, we carry many cultivation artifacts, enough evidence to convince their leadership." Zhang Jing said.

"When Evolved Ones enter an unknown world, the first priority is to determine your place in the food chain. Cooperation and mutual benefit? Of course—but only if you have sufficient capital and power to speak to this world's elite. Otherwise, you invite disaster. Don't assume our strength is overwhelming. Even without supernatural forces, this world's reliance on technology alone makes us outmatched."

Zhang Xun bluntly crushed their illusions.

Though cultivators felt superior to ordinary people, they were minuscule compared to an entire world.

But none here were fools—they understood instantly, agreeing the words made sense.

Their squad numbered only six. Exposing themselves outright was no different from suicide. The only viable path was to blend in, become part of the masses, and wait for the right moment to reveal themselves gradually.

Any reckless action could bring total annihilation.

"Alright, begin. This floor is small—we'll clear it quickly. If we confirm no danger, or only minor danger, you may operate freely afterward." Zhang Xun said.

After all, entering a new world naturally stirred personal desires and thoughts—he wouldn't restrain them for long.

Soon.

Everyone moved.

Inside the dark building, each pair of eyes glowed, seeing clearly through darkness—no lights needed. As long as they made no loud disturbances, they'd remain undetected by the guards outside.

The six split up; the first floor was quickly surveyed.

"All clear."

"Same here."

"No issues."

Zhang Xun nodded immediately: "Move to the second floor."

Everyone methodically checked each floor, searching for the building's so-called ghost.

They were fearless—unafraid of such things. As Zhang Xun said, in their world, all had killed vengeful ghosts before. With the right methods, they were far easier to eliminate than supernatural creatures.

"If I'd known this world only had ghosts, I should've brought the Hanging Spear." Li Yi thought inwardly.

He now regretted leaving that spirit artifact at home.

Soon.

? O

As each floor was searched, they found nothing—not even a corpse. Only personal belongings and the scene suggested the former inhabitants fled in haste, leaving behind valuables.

"I feel scammed by this urban legend. There's nothing here. Our spiritual senses haven't warned us, and the whole building is utterly silent." Qin Bing shook his head, bored—he was nearly asleep.

"Maybe the ghost's power is too weak to threaten us, so our spiritual senses didn't trigger." Zhang Jing said.

Xu Qiu didn't speak. Her gaze mostly rested on Li Yi—she had to watch for any sudden attack from him. Whether the building held a ghost or danger, she didn't care.

Before a Soul Realm powerhouse like Zhang Xun, any threat could be handled. If Zhang Xun couldn't deal with it, there was no point in her worrying.

"Li Yi, let's settle our grudge after we return. Right now, after crossing dimensions, fighting here isn't worth it." Xu Qiu's eyes flickered, unable to hold back her words.

"You won't even kneel and beg for forgiveness—why should I trust you?" Li Yi said.

He'd spent the journey searching for an opening to strike—but Xu Qiu deliberately stayed close to Captain Zhang Xun, denying him any chance.

Xu Qiu drew a deep breath, anger rising: "You're arrogant. A mere Sensation Realm cultivator wants me to kneel and bow? Fine. You want a fight? After this mission, I'll give you one. Let's see who wins."

"Perfect. Our grudge can only be settled through combat." Li Yi stared at her: "I won't use underhanded tricks to ambush you. Don't worry—I'll crush you face-to-face, so you'll know how foolish it was to challenge me before."

Xu Qiu said nothing, but slowly exhaled. At least he wouldn't ambush her in this building—her pressure eased. But she knew: once they left, a fight with Li Yi was inevitable.

The others took no part in or comment on their feud.

Everyone knew: it was Xu Qiu's fault. She'd tried to defeat Li Yi and steal his cross-dimensional slot. Now being targeted was only natural.

"This floor has a problem."

Suddenly, as they reached the 21st floor, Captain Zhang Xun frowned and spoke:

Everyone tensed, sensing carefully.

But they felt nothing. The floor was identical to the others—no difference.

They turned to Zhang Xun, puzzled.

"You're only Sensation Realm—you sense only surface-level imminent danger. I've condensed my soul; my soul perceives subtle things—like emotion. This floor is saturated with fear—the residue left by the dead."

Zhang Xun said calmly: "If I'm not mistaken, the ghost is on this floor."

"Search carefully. Don't spread out too far. Once you find it, alert everyone immediately. This is our first encounter with a supernatural entity in this world—we need to gather intelligence. Don't rush to kill the ghost. Finding one like this isn't easy."

"Don't worry, Captain. We've got it under control." Zhang Jing said.

The others nodded in understanding.

Zhang Xun said no more, instead focusing on the floor's strange aura, tracing it toward a specific direction.