Chapter 192: SOUND

"Woo... hoo..." The sound emanating from the speaker was very strange, somewhat like the sound of wind passing through a narrow mountain cave, and somewhat like a mournful woman crying and complaining about her miserable plight.

This sound was very low and melodious, making one feel agitated and oppressed upon hearing it.

"Thump!" Amidst that low sound, a sudden thumping noise occurred, somewhat like someone beating a sheepskin drum, or perhaps the muffled sound of some gargantuan creature taking a step and stomping on the ground.

"Huh!" Meng Yifan was stunned. The very instant that drum sound rang out, he was astonished to discover that his heartbeat had actually synchronized with the rhythm of the drum.

The drum sounded, the heart beat; this gave Meng Yifan a great shock. That this eerie drum sound could actually control one's heartbeat was simply incredible.

It was not just Meng Yifan who discovered this eerie phenomenon; the other few people present also noticed the abnormality.

The Ghost Fire deep within the eyes of Shawang Suxi flickered incessantly as he pondered a method to break it.

Abe Seimei also had a grave expression and furrowed brows; he too had not figured out how this eerie sound could silently control a person's heartbeat. Could this be some other kind of miraculous technique?

"Hailong, quickly plug your ears," Meng Yifan said.

Jiang Hailong felt a jolt in his heart and hurriedly tore two strips of cloth from his clothes, balled them up, and plugged his ears.

The two Muay Thai experts and Oyama Masutatsu followed suit, eager to use the cloth strips to block out this eerie sound.

"Thump! Thump!" That sound, resembling the beating of a drum, was interspersed within the low, wailing cries, ringing out continuously.

At first, the drum beats were slow, but after a while, the rhythm began to quicken, as if a stirring war song were being struck up.

"Yifan, the clothes can't block it; my heartbeat is still following the rhythm of the drum," Jiang Hailong's expression changed drastically. That eerie drum sound felt as if it were being transmitted directly into his mind; even if he plugged his ears tight, he could still hear it clearly and unmistakably.

As the drum beats quickened, the hearts of Jiang Hailong and the others also beat rapidly—thump, thump, thump—the frequency of their heartbeats becoming faster and faster.

The heart is like a blood pump; through constant contraction and relaxation, it transports blood and energy to every part of the body.

The rapid beating of their hearts also caused Jiang Hailong and the others to become short of breath, their faces flushed red, as if they were in the middle of a marathon.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" The drum-beating sound accelerated once more, as if a piece of music were about to enter its climax.

In everyone's minds, images involuntarily emerged of an ancient battlefield where soldiers from both warring sides, following the sound of these war drums, forgot their fear, forgot themselves, rode their warhorses, and shouted as they fought bravely, thrusting the weapons in their hands fiercely into the chests of their enemies.

Jiang Hailong's eyes rapidly congested, turning blood-red. He clenched his fists tightly, looking at Oyama Masutatsu, Shawang Suxi, and the others as if he were seeing irreconcilable enemies; he longed to peel their skin, eat their flesh, and drink their blood.

Oyama Masutatsu also gritted his teeth. His inner fighting spirit was ignited; his True Qi billowed, his hair stood on end, and his clothes fluttered without wind. Looking at Jiang Hailong, Meng Yifan, and Shawang Suxi, it was as if he were looking at the enemy who killed his father, ready at any moment to tear them all to pieces.

The two Muay Thai experts also became red-faced and thick-necked. They seemed to have turned into hungry wild beasts in the jungle, their vicious gazes fixed on Jiang Hailong, Meng Yifan, Shawang Suxi, and the others, ready at any moment to leap up and kill madly.

Shawang Suxi sensed that something was wrong. The two clusters of Ghost Fire in his eyes expanded and enveloped his body. With the obstruction of the Ghost Fire, that eerie sound finally stopped interfering with his heartbeat.

Shawang Suxi extended his two withered palms and pressed them onto the shoulders of the two Muay Thai experts respectively.

From his palms, a cluster of emerald-green Ghost Fire emerged from each. Within that Ghost Fire, some Yin Souls constantly shifted shape, finally turning into two light membranes that, using the bodies of the Yin Souls, enveloped the two Muay Thai experts. The two people who had previously resembled wild beasts slowly calmed down.

After the two Muay Thai experts regained their senses, they were both so frightened they broke out in a cold sweat. Just moments ago, under the influence of the drum sound, they had been on the verge of losing their minds, wanting only to completely release the killing intent deep within their hearts and fight to the death, regardless of the consequences.

"Thank you, Master." The two Muay Thai experts pressed their palms together and respectfully thanked Shawang Suxi for saving them.

Shawang Suxi nodded and looked toward Meng Yifan and Abe Seimei; he was very curious to know how these two miraculous fellows would break such an eerie drum sound.

Abe Seimei extended his index finger and pressed it against the center of Oyama Masutatsu's brow. At the same time, another Divine Soul hidden within his body made the same movement as him; a finger invisible to the naked eye also simultaneously pressed against the center of Oyama Masutatsu's brow.

A surge of cold, Yin energy was transmitted over. Oyama Masutatsu felt as if he had fallen into an ice hole; his body felt a bone-chilling cold from the inside out. He couldn't help but shiver, and he also woke up from that fanatical fighting spirit.

"Thank you, Lord." Oyama Masutatsu bowed to Abe Seimei. Thinking of the frantic heartbeat from just a moment ago, he was also filled with lingering fear.

Shawang Suxi and Oyama Masutatsu had both made their moves, and Meng Yifan was not idle either. He had already figured out that this eerie sound acted directly upon the Divine Soul; it counted as a type of Divine Soul attack.

Meng Yifan was already a Third-Grade Immortal Cultivator. He took four jade pendants out of his pocket and placed one around each side of Jiang Hailong. Then, Meng Yifan formed a seal with his right hand, channeled Spirit Power to his fingertips, and pointed at each of the four jade pendants in turn.

"Hum! Hum!" The Runes on the four jade pendants were activated, flashing with a pitch-black light. A faint black barrier expanded outward and enveloped Jiang Hailong.

That eerie sound was actually isolated outside and could no longer cause any interference to Jiang Hailong.

"Creating a space, isolating the inside from the outside—what a powerful technique," Shawang Suxi's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in admiration.

"Coming here this time, I have actually seen the mysterious and unfathomable spells of an Immortal Cultivator again; this trip was truly worth it." Abe Seimei was also secretly shocked.

Ever since the arrival of the End of Dharma Era, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had withered, and the cultivation of Immortal Cultivators had become difficult at every step; they could only hide in deep mountains and old forests where human footprints were rare, lingering on in a desperate struggle.

During the modern wars, the Japanese Invaders relied on advanced weaponry and equipment, mobilized the power of their entire nation, and launched a large-scale war of aggression against China, boasting that they would destroy China in three months.

Many people do not know that, besides the front lines where countless martyrs shed their blood and sacrificed their lives in stubborn resistance, in places invisible to ordinary people, China's Immortal Cultivators and Martial Artists also joined the war, engaging in brutal slaughter against Dongying Ninjas and Onmyoji.

In the end, both sides suffered heavy losses, and the few remaining Immortal Cultivators and Martial Artists of China also suffered massive casualties; many had their lineages severed. It is precisely because of this that, in the modern era, it is almost impossible for ordinary people to see true Immortal Cultivators and Martial Artists anymore.

"Woo... woo..." The woman's weeping sound was incessant, making one shed tears upon hearing it. One could feel from the wailing the longing for loved ones, the resentment toward a lover, the helplessness toward fate, and the reluctance to part with life.

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!" The sound of the war drums grew louder and more urgent, as if on the battlefield, the critical moment to decide victory or defeat had arrived, and the soldiers needed to launch their final charge.

The sound, which acted directly upon the Divine Soul, enveloped everyone present. Meng Yifan, Shawang Suxi, and Abe Seimei each had their own means of protection and could remain unaffected by this sound, but Jiang Hailong, the two Muay Thai experts, and Oyama Masutatsu were helpless when facing this sound that affected the mind and spirit.

Seeing that the two Muay Thai experts were about to lose control again, Shawang Suxi continuously channeled the power of his Ghost Fire to envelop their bodies, causing their bodies to emit an emerald-green light, thereby guarding their minds and resisting the eerie sound.

Abe Seimei reached out and pressed his hand onto Oyama Masutatsu's head. The mysterious existence within his body followed suit, and a surge of cold, Yin energy enveloped Oyama Masutatsu's Divine Soul, blocking the influence of the sound.

Jiang Hailong was fine on his side. Although that eerie sound caused the black barrier to ripple like the surface of water, it still could not affect Jiang Hailong behind the barrier.

The Array that Meng Yifan had set up, although it only used jade stones from Earth as the base, had very average defensive power, but it was enough to block this level of Divine Soul attack.

Compared to Shawang Suxi and Abe Seimei, who were constantly channeling energy, Meng Yifan appeared calm and composed. This caused both Shawang Suxi and Abe Seimei to feel wary, knowing that Meng Yifan's methods were clearly superior to theirs. It seemed that in this exploration of the Ancient Tomb, they absolutely must not provoke Meng Yifan.