Chapter 193: Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Four

Shi Ran's discovery was more concrete: "Near an old-goods stall on the west side of the market, I sensed a trace of extremely faint, but very uncomfortable, cold and gloomy Qi, similar to demonic Qi yet a bit different — more 'filthy'. The stall owner was an old loose cultivator at the Qi Refining stage. I pretended to take a fancy to an old magic tool and chatted with him. He mentioned that about ten days ago, a cultivator wrapped entirely in a black robe, his face indiscernible, had lingered at his stall and bought a few useless old compasses and broken jade pieces. That person gave off that 'hair-raising' feeling. He also said the direction the black-robed man left in seemed to be toward Ghost Weeping Forest."

"Black-robed man, Ghost Weeping Forest, moving shadows, black mist, rotting wounds, unstable souls..." Gu Yusheng strung these clues together. "It sounds somewhat similar to the 'Shadow Miasma' of the Lin Family Fort, but seems more violent, carrying a toxicity or curse that directly harms flesh and soul. The black-robed man is worth noting."

"Should we go directly to Ghost Weeping Forest to investigate?" Mei Ruoxue asked.

Gu Yusheng thought for a moment. "Ghost Weeping Forest covers a large area; blind searching would be inefficient. Since we have the clue of the black-robed man, perhaps we can start from the 'old compasses and broken jade pieces' the stall owner mentioned. Unless one is an antique enthusiast or an array master, ordinary people wouldn't buy such things. The black-robed man purchasing them suggests he might be setting up something, or searching for something. We can inquire whether there are any ancient ruins, special spirit vein nodes, or recent abnormal celestial phenomena or earth movements near Ghost Weeping Forest."

The three split up again, this time focusing on inquiring about Ghost Weeping Forest's geography and historical rumors. Effort pays off; the next day, Gu Yusheng learned an important piece of information from a Foundation Establishment old loose cultivator who had led teams in the Falling Cloud River year-round: Deep in Ghost Weeping Forest, it was said an ancient battlefield ruin lay buried, a small-scale engagement site from the Great Righteous-Demonic War a thousand years ago. After the battle, baleful Qi condensed, forming the present Ghost Weeping Forest. The ruin's specific location had long been lost, but every few decades, when the forest's poisonous miasma and Yin Qi periodically erupted, ancient damaged magic tools or fragments would occasionally be flushed to the surface. The old loose cultivator also mentioned that about two months ago, a slight earth movement had occurred deep in Ghost Weeping Forest, after which the mist in the forest seemed to have become denser and more cold and gloomy.

"Ancient battlefield ruin, earth movement, Yin Qi eruption, black-robed man collecting old compasses and broken jade..." Gu Yusheng summarized the information. "The black-robed man is very likely searching for that ruin! The earth movement may have exposed parts of the ruin, or affected the seals and arrays there. The old compasses he bought might be used to locate the ruin or probe the spirit veins; the broken jade pieces might be related to the ruin's own restrictions."

"If that ruin truly is an ancient battlefield, the lingering baleful Qi, death Qi, broken demonic magic tools, or corpses, after a thousand years of evolution, are already prone to giving birth to evil things. If they are further artificially stimulated or utilized..." Shi Ran thought of the evil array in Yunmeng Marsh and the Yin vein anomaly at the Lin Family Fort. "It could very well produce something even more dangerous than the Shadow Miasma."

"We must enter Ghost Weeping Forest as soon as possible, find the black-robed man, or at least ascertain the ruin's situation." Mei Ruoxue said decisively.

The three delayed no longer. After slight preparation, they left Xiaqi Market and set off toward Ghost Weeping Forest to the northwest.

Ghost Weeping Forest lay within a range of low mountain ridges. The trees were mostly dark-leaved conifers, tall and dense. The forest interior was indeed filled with thick gray-white mist, visibility extremely low. A faint rotting odor and an inexplicable sense of oppression drifted in the air. Faintly, there truly seemed to be weeping, sobbing wind sounds shuttling through the forest — no wonder it was named "Ghost Weeping".

Upon entering the forest, the Xuntian Token transmitted a clear warning, indicating the Yin baleful resentful Qi concentration here far exceeded the ordinary. Shi Ran spread her perception, vigilant for the possible appearance of "moving shadows" or "black mist".

After penetrating about ten li, the surrounding mist began to carry a trace of ominous pale gray. Scattered white bones began to appear on the ground — some human, some demon beast — all weathered and damaged.

"There are traces of a fight." Mei Ruoxue suddenly pointed toward a disordered thicket on the left. There were clear traces of spell bombardment and sharp weapon hacking there; several shrubs showed an abnormal charred and withered state, and there were already blackened bloodstains in the mud. Beside the bloodstains lay a few scraps of torn clothing and a damaged low-grade magic tool flying dagger.

Gu Yusheng stepped forward to examine: "In the bloodstains and withered traces, there remains a weak corrosive energy and soul resentment, matching the symptoms of rotting wounds and unstable souls rumored in the market. The battle occurred no more than five days ago."

"It seems we've found the right direction." Shi Ran sensed the increasingly obvious, discomforting cold and gloomy Qi in the air. "Ahead, the baleful Qi is heavier, and... there are faint array fluctuations."

The three proceeded with even greater caution, following the direction of the baleful Qi and array fluctuations. The mist grew denser, its color deepening, gradually turning a gloomy gray-black. The weeping sounds in the forest also became clearer, as if countless wronged souls were whispering in their ears, attempting to disturb their minds. The three each circulated their cultivation to protect their souls, unmoved.

After advancing several more li, a relatively open forest clearing suddenly appeared before them. In the center of the clearing stood several incomplete ancient stone pillars, covered in moss and cracks. Blurred rune carvings could still be seen on the pillars. Within the area enclosed by the pillars, the ground was uneven, strewn with more bones and rusted weapon fragments. Heavy baleful Qi had almost condensed into substantial black-red mist, slowly flowing within.

And at the edge of the stone pillar area, a figure in a black robe, back facing them, was crouching on the ground, seemingly setting up something. Beside him on the ground were stuck several ancient compasses; the compass needles were trembling slightly, pointing toward the stone pillar center. Some shattered jade pieces were arranged in a specific pattern around them, emitting faint spiritual light, resonating with the occasional flashes of rune light on the stone pillars.

It was precisely the black-robed man the old-goods stall owner had described!

As if sensing someone approaching, the black-robed man abruptly stood up and turned around. In the shadow under his hood, two points of bloody red light lit up, full of malice and wariness.

"Xuntian Division's running dogs? Or meddling sect disciples?" A hoarse, unpleasant voice came from under the black robe, carrying a metallic grinding texture. "This is not a place you should come. Retreat quickly, and you may be spared death!"

Gu Yusheng stepped forward, voice deep: "What is Your Excellency setting up here, stirring the ancient battlefield's baleful Qi? What is your intention? Are the recent disappearances of cultivators related to you?"

"Hmph, courting death!" The black-robed man wasted no more words. He flung his sleeve, and several strands of black-red baleful Qi condensed into arrows, carrying shrill ghost wails, shooting rapidly at the three! Simultaneously, he stepped out a bizarre footwork beneath his feet, hands forming seals. Those shattered jade pieces placed on the ground suddenly lit up with a dim green glow, resonating with the stone pillars' runes. The baleful mist in the center of the clearing violently churned, a low roar faintly transmitting from within.

Battle, on the verge of breaking out!

Gu Yusheng waved his sword finger; Bright Moon Sword Qi turned into a light curtain, blocking the baleful Qi arrows. Sword Qi and baleful Qi collided, emitting sizzling sounds, mutually eroding. Frigid Qi erupted around Mei Ruoxue; the ground instantly condensed frost, slowing the black-robed man's steps and the array's activation speed. Shi Ran held high the Xuntian Token; gentle golden light dispersed the approaching baleful mist, and she attempted to interfere with the dim green light of those jade pieces.

The black-robed man's cultivation was not weak — at least late Foundation Establishment — and his technique was bizarre; he could control the dense baleful Qi here for his own use. His movement technique was elusive, like a ghost. While dueling Gu Yusheng, he continuously urged the array. The baleful Qi in the stone pillar area grew increasingly violent, gradually condensing into several vague baleful spirit phantoms holding broken weapons, shrieking as they pounced at the three.

"We can't let him complete the array!" Gu Yusheng shouted. His sword momentum changed, transforming into a dense sword net that enveloped the black-robed man. At the same time, he sent a voice transmission to Mei Ruoxue: "Ruoxue, freeze those jade pieces and compasses!"

Mei Ruoxue understood. Profound Ice Qi condensed into several threads fine as hair, precisely shooting at the jade pieces and compasses on the ground. The black-robed man roared in anger, diverting attention to control baleful Qi to block, but the ice threads were extremely condensed, their penetrating power extremely strong. Several jade pieces were still struck by the ice threads; their spiritual light instantly dimmed.

Shi Ran, meanwhile, poured full power into the Xuntian Token. Golden light cascaded like a waterfall, scouring the pouncing baleful spirit phantoms and the churning baleful mist. The golden light's purification effect on baleful Qi was significant; the baleful spirit phantoms continuously twisted and faded in the golden light, emitting pained howls. But she also had to resist the mental impact from the array and the wronged souls' wails growing louder by her ears; the pressure was not small.

Seeing the array interfered with and the baleful spirits restrained, the black-robed man seemed somewhat impatient. He abruptly bit his tongue tip, spraying a mouthful of essence blood onto a pitch-black bone tablet in his hand. The bone tablet blazed with blood light; an even deeper, more evil aura spread out. The ground at the center of the stone pillars suddenly split open a crack. Thick, ink-like black demonic Qi mixed with sticky blood light surged out!

"Bad! He's forcibly drawing out the demonic blood and battlefield ferocious souls sealed deep in the ruin!" Shi Ran exclaimed. The Xuntian Token violently trembled, transmitting a strong crisis warning.

Within the demonic Qi and blood light, an even more solid, thirty-zhang-tall ferocious soul, clad in broken armor and wielding a giant axe, slowly condensed. Its eyes burned with blood flames, emitting a terrifying pressure comparable to a False Core cultivator! The black-robed man's own Qi, however, withered away — clearly the cost of activating this art was not small — yet his eyes flashed with madness and excitement.

"Hahaha! Done! Thousand-Year Blood Baleful Battle Soul, tear them to shreds for me!" The black-robed man laughed wildly.

The Blood Baleful Battle Soul roared silently to the sky. Its giant axe, carrying a tearing shriek, fiercely chopped down! The target pointed straight at Shi Ran, who was maintaining the golden light and had the strongest restraint on baleful Qi!

Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue's faces changed greatly; they simultaneously rushed forward.

"Sword Array — Moon Guard Star Ring!" Gu Yusheng pushed the sword array to its limit. Layer upon layer of moonlight sword rings encircled the three, attempting to block the giant axe.

"Profound Ice Wall Barrier!" Mei Ruoxue's jade hands waved continuously. Thick ice walls instantly condensed in front.

However, the Blood Baleful Battle Soul's power exceeded imagination. The giant axe's momentum was irresistible; layer upon layer of sword rings shattered, ice walls exploded one after another! The axe blade's residual force undiminished, it fell straight down!

At this critical moment, a trace of determination flashed in Shi Ran's eyes. She no longer simply channeled golden light to purify, but poured all her mind and spiritual power, along with her comprehension of "Order", into the Xuntian Token, a clear rebuke leaving her mouth:

"Xuntian's Command, Suppress Evil and Cleanse Demons! Fix!"

The Xuntian Token erupted with unprecedented brilliant light. No longer spreading golden light, it condensed into an incomparably solid golden pillar, seemingly composed of countless tiny runes, soaring into the sky, meeting that falling blood-colored giant axe head-on!

The light pillar and giant axe collided with a boom!

There was no loud sound, only a strange humming as if space itself trembled. Gold and blood crazily intertwined, annihilating each other. The blood-colored giant axe melted inch by inch in the golden light. The Blood Baleful Battle Soul emitted a pained wail; its huge body violently shook, its color rapidly fading.

Shi Ran's face instantly turned paper-white. Blood overflowed from her mouth and nose. Her body swayed on the verge of collapse, yet she gritted her teeth and persisted, pouring the last of her strength into the light pillar.

Seizing this opportunity, a cold light flashed in Gu Yusheng's eyes. His natal flying sword turned into a stream of moonlight condensed to the extreme, bypassing the battle soul, shooting straight at the black-robed man's chest! Mei Ruoxue, meanwhile, condensed all her frigid Qi into a crystalline, transparent Profound Ice Spear that seemed capable of freezing souls. Striking later but arriving first, it sealed off all the black-robed man's dodging space!

The black-robed man, his mind severely shaken by the battle soul's injury, was caught off guard by the two fatal attacks. He only managed to barely twist his body and sacrifice a black shield.

"Puchi!" "Kacha!"

The moonlight sword Qi pierced through the black shield. Though weakened by more than half, it still opened a deep bloody gash under his ribs. The Profound Ice Spear shattered the black shield; its remaining force froze and pierced through his right shoulder!

The black-robed man let out a miserable cry, staggering back. The bone tablet in his hand nearly slipped from his grasp. The connection between him and the Blood Baleful Battle Soul also stalled because of this.

Seeing this, Shi Ran rallied her last remaining strength. The golden light pillar suddenly surged, completely scattering the already largely weakened Blood Baleful Battle Soul! Most of the demonic Qi and blood light were also purified by the golden light; only a small remainder shrank back into the ground crack.

With the battle soul broken, the black-robed man suffered severe backlash. He sprayed another mouthful of fresh blood; his aura plummeted to rock bottom. He glared hatefully at the three, especially the nearly exhausted Shi Ran. He abruptly crushed a blood-colored talisman in his hand.

"Blood Escape!" A blood light wrapped him, instantly vanishing from the spot. Speed incomparably fast. The direction: deeper into Ghost Weeping Forest.

Gu Yusheng wanted to pursue, but seeing Shi Ran unable to hold on and collapsing, and Mei Ruoxue also having over-expended spiritual power, he had to stop. He quickly fed Shi Ran a healing pill, helping her stabilize her injuries.

"This place is not suitable for staying long." Gu Yusheng decided promptly. Carrying Shi Ran on his back, he and Mei Ruoxue quickly withdrew from the stone pillar area. Only after distancing themselves from the baleful Qi core did they find a relatively concealed spot, set up a simple defensive array, and rest.

Shi Ran's injuries were not light — mainly mental exhaustion and spiritual power backlash — requiring time to recuperate. Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue also each took pills to recover.

"That black-robed man is definitely a participant in the 'Earth Erosion' incident!" Gu Yusheng analyzed while regulating his breath. "He can draw out the demonic blood and ferocious souls from deep in the ancient battlefield. The techniques and implements he uses all belong to the demonic path, and he knows this place quite well. The direction he fled in..."

"Deeper into Ghost Weeping Forest. Perhaps his lair is there, or... the ruin's true core." Mei Ruoxue said coldly. "He is heavily injured; short-term recovery should be difficult. Once Junior Sister Shi Ran's injuries stabilize, we can track him following the residual aura of the Blood Escape."

Three days later, Shi Ran's injuries stabilized under the care of pills and her own cultivation regulation. Though not fully healed, she was out of danger; her face was just still somewhat pale. Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue had also recovered seven or eight parts of their spiritual power.

They carefully returned to the stone pillar area once more. The faint residual aura of the black-robed man's Blood Escape had not yet completely dissipated. Under the auxiliary perception of Shi Ran's Xuntian Token, the direction could still be vaguely discerned. The three followed the trail deeper in.

The deeper into Ghost Weeping Forest, the more twisted and bizarre the trees became. The mist also presented an ominous dark red color. Along the way, more man-made traces began to appear: toppled steles, damaged array bases, tunnel entrances covered by vines... This place was indeed the periphery of that ancient battlefield ruin.

After tracking them for nearly two hours, they discovered a cave entrance cleverly concealed by an illusionary formation at the bottom of a mountain hollow filled with jagged rocks. Part of the formation had been destroyed, revealing a dark, downward-extending passage. Near the entrance, there were fresh bloodstains and chaotic footprints, clearly left by the black-robed figures in their hurried escape.

"He really is hiding in here." Gu Yusheng examined the entrance carefully. "The formation is expertly laid, but it's ancient and its power has faded to less than one-tenth, and it's been forcibly breached in part... The inside might be one of the core areas of the ruins, or perhaps his temporary stronghold."

"Go in?" Meiruoxue looked at Gu Yusheng.

Gu Yusheng looked at Shiran. Shiran took a deep breath and nodded: "I can do it. The Heaven-Patrolling Order reacts strongly to the aura inside, so we must go in to investigate."

"Alright, stay vigilant, maintain formation." Gu Yusheng stepped into the passage first, Meiruoxue followed closely, and Shiran stayed in the center to provide support.

The passage was narrow and damp, the stone walls covered in slippery green moss and dried dark stains, like old bloodstains. The air was cold and filled with dust and a faint musty smell, but deeper inside, a stronger scent of blood and demonic energy faintly drifted.

The passage twisted downward, and after walking about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, light appeared ahead. The three proceeded cautiously out of the passage and found themselves in a massive underground cavern.

The cavern was tens of zhang high and hundreds of zhang in diameter. On the walls and floor, traces of fierce battle were everywhere: deep scars from blades and axes, blackened pits from magical explosions, scattered white bones, and shattered armor and weapons. In the center of the cavern stood a blood pool about ten zhang square! The liquid in the pool was not ordinary blood, but a thick, syrup-like dark red fluid that constantly bubbled, emitting a nauseating sweet-blood stench, strong demonic energy, and resentment. Around the pool, intricate and evil formation runes were carved, somewhat similar in style to those of the Yunmze evil formation, but older and more damaged, as if they had been remodeled from an existing formation foundation in the ruins.

At that moment, the liquid in the blood pool slowly rotated, forming a vortex at the center, from which threads of black-red energy rose from the bottom and merged into the killing-qi mist above the cavern. The black-robed figure sat cross-legged on a protruding rock beside the pool, seemingly using the pool's energy to heal his wounds. The wounds on his ribs and shoulders had stopped bleeding, but his aura remained weak, clearly indicating severe injuries.

Sensing the three's entrance, the black-robed figure snapped his eyes open, his scarlet gaze filled with hatred and despair.

"You... actually tracked me here!" he hissed, trying to stand, but the movement tugged at his wound, causing him to sway.

"I see now." Gu Yusheng scanned the blood pool and formation. "You didn't find this place by chance. You've long known about this ancient battlefield ruin's core blood pool and tried to use it, combining the 'Earth Pulse Diverting Technique' or similar methods, to merge the killing energy of Guigui Forest with this pool's demonic energy, to create stronger evil entities or cultivate demonic arts? The missing cultivators—were they seized by you for blood sacrifice?"

"So what if I did!" The black-robed figure, knowing escape was impossible, laughed bitterly. "This blood pool is the essence of a demon general's blood that fell here a thousand years ago, containing infinite power! I only regret obtaining the ruin's map too late, and being delayed by that damned sect mission... I had planned to develop this slowly, but you lot ruined it! But you won't get off easy either!"

He suddenly formed a strange hand seal and slammed it hard into a depression in the rock beneath him!

"With my broken body, I summon the demon general's lingering will—explode!"

The blood pool suddenly boiled! The formation runes flared wildly, the entire cavern shook violently, and countless stones rained down from the ceiling. From the pool coalesced a blurred, horned, armor-clad giant demonic shadow, though incomplete, it radiated a soul-shaking terror far surpassing the previous blood-slaughter battle spirits!

"Not good! He's trying to detonate the blood pool, summon the demon general's lingering will to perish together!" Shiran exclaimed.

"Retreat!" Gu Yusheng made a swift decision, grabbed Shiran, and he and Meiruoxue hurried back toward the passage.

But the demon shadow had already raised a massive palm, bringing the force of total destruction, and swung it at them! Though the wind of the palm had not yet reached them, its terrifying pressure already made the three's blood surge.