Chapter 491: The Eerie Nature of the Black Broken Blade

As the outer barrier of the Ghost Realm's forbidden zone, the Ghost Yin Wood Forest likely harbors the laws of heavenly and earthly order, much like Ghost Mother Mountain and Ghost Infant River.

Having experienced heavenly punishment after splitting Ghost Mother Mountain with her sword and burning Ghost Infant River with fire, Hua Changxi approached the Ghost Yin Wood Forest with utmost vigilance.

Unable to wield the Floating Light Sword or unleash Karmic Fire, her offensive and defensive capabilities were severely restricted; thus, traversing this eerie and unpredictable forest undoubtedly multiplied the danger.

Yet, no matter how perilous, she had to pass through.

Hua Changxi dared not be arrogant; she concealed her aura to the extreme and cautiously approached the woodland.

The moment she stepped onto the forest's edge, the surrounding temperature plummeted instantly to freezing point.

She pressed deeper.

At first, nothing happened; the Ghost Yin Wood Forest seemed unaware of this intruder's presence.

However, after she ventured a thousand meters deep, countless branches on the originally gray-white trunks suddenly turned toward her without warning, as if死死 'staring' at this uninvited guest.

Simultaneously, the mist ahead began to churn violently, and faintly, a strange sound emerged—resembling an infant's wail mixed with an old man's cough—which sounded particularly grating in the dead silence of the woods.

Immediately afterward, the ground began to tremble; dozens of thick Ghost Yin Wood roots burst from the earth, transforming into massive black pythons that rushed toward her with unstoppable force to strangle her.

These roots moved with incredible speed, surrounding her from all directions and sealing off every escape route in the blink of an eye.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"

The instant the attack arrived, Hua Changxi swiftly plucked the fifth-grade Soul Hairpin from her hair.

A sharp sound of breaking air suddenly erupted.

In that刹那, eighty-one soul needles, fine as ox hairs, shot out; their bodies carried not her own spiritual power but drew upon soul force, coated with ghost fire, and precisely pierced those stirring Ghost Yin Wood roots.

She deliberately suppressed her surrounding spiritual power and dared not summon any spiritual flames.

This infiltration into the Ghost Realm's forbidden zone was primarily to investigate the cause of the broken blade's vibration; if possible, she did not wish to create too much disturbance.

Her previous entry into the forbidden zone had left Ghost Mother Mountain and Ghost Infant River desolate and barren; if she burned down the Ghost Yin Wood Forest this time, aside from whether heavenly punishment would strike, the powerful experts of the Ghost Race would surely attack her en masse.

"Boom!"

Perhaps sensing the presence of ghost fire, those previously frenzied Ghost Yin Woods hesitated for a moment, their assault slowing slightly.

Seizing this opportunity, Hua Changxi immediately manipulated the soul needles to weave back and forth through the forest.

Pierce, withdraw, pierce again!

Leveraging this brief gap, she forcibly cleared a path through the impenetrable encirclement of roots.

However, the Ghost Yin Wood's pause lasted only an instant.

Accompanied by a teeth-gritting grinding sound, more roots surged forward like black pythons to strangle her once more.

Relying solely on soul needles and ghost fire for defense ultimately proved somewhat insufficient.

Just as the soul needles failed to return in time for defense, a thick Ghost Yin Wood branch descended from above, striking fiercely at Hua Changxi.

In this critical moment, Hua Changxi instinctively swung the black broken blade in her hand to block.

"Crack!"

A crisp explosion suddenly rang out.

The Ghost Yin Wood, originally so hard that even ghost fire could barely scorch it, proved as fragile as an eggshell hitting a boulder the moment it touched the broken blade, shattering instantly.

Even more chilling was that the severed branch did not fall to the ground; instead, it seemed gripped tightly by an invisible suction, pressing flat against the blade's surface.

In the next moment, the hard, broken piece of Ghost Yin Wood melted rapidly like snow meeting boiling soup, turning into black liquid that was greedily and urgently devoured entirely by the black broken blade.

In the span of a breath, the blade's surface, originally covered in rust and crisscrossed with cracks, faintly emanated a deep and eerie black glow that captivated the soul.

"Hmm?"

Hua Changxi paused slightly, her eyes filled with disbelief; she never expected that even damaged to such an extent, this broken blade remained so sharp!

What surprised her even more was that the broken blade could actually 'absorb' the Ghost Yin Wood.

Due to the broken blade, those Ghost Yin Wood roots that had been疯狂 attacking from all sides halted their assault once again.

This pause lasted far longer than the previous one, as if the entire forest had spawned consciousness and now harbored deep fear toward this black blade.

When the Ghost Yin Wood attacked again, the reckless intent to annihilate had vanished, replaced by cautious, probing strikes.

Now knowing that this broken blade cut through Ghost Yin Wood like slicing tofu, Hua Changxi held no further reservations; gripping the blade, she charged directly to meet the attacking roots.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

Crisp sounds of snapping rose one after another, like a harvest symphony being played.

In merely a few breaths, large swathes of roots lay severed on the ground.

However, soon Hua Changxi found herself in a situation where there was 'nothing left to cut'—all the Ghost Yin Wood roots attacking from every direction had completely retreated, not a single one remaining in sight.

Not only that, but the originally impenetrable Ghost Yin Wood Forest actively parted to both sides, forcibly clearing a pathway, as if urging her—Hurry and leave!

Witnessing this scene, Hua Changxi first stared in blank surprise, then her gaze fell upon the black broken blade that was疯狂 'devouring' the Ghost Yin Wood roots, and understanding dawned in her heart.

How could this be merely a weapon?

This was clearly the nemesis of Ghost Yin Wood, an overwhelming supreme tool!

As the last wisp of root was completely devoured, the thick layer of rust on the black blade's surface peeled away largely, revealing the deep, ink-black metal beneath, faintly circulating with a soul-captivating luster.

Hua Changxi felt a mix of surprise and joy in her heart; her gaze became intense and focused as she happily examined the broken blade in her hand.

However, the moment she stared at the blade's surface, a sudden change occurred.

Her originally joyful and gentle eyes unknowingly became tinged with a layer of deep ink color; deep within her pupils, a vortex seemed to rotate slowly, causing her mind to sway as if about to be sucked into that pitch-black blade.

"Hiss~"

A sharp pain shot through the back of her hand, like ice water poured over her head, instantly jolting Hua Changxi awake.

She snapped back to reality, cold sweat soaking her back.

Especially upon feeling that the black flame above her Nascent Soul, originally stable, showed signs of losing control and swelling violently, Hua Changxi's expression immediately turned extremely grave.

Yet, situated within the Ghost Yin Wood Forest where dangers lurked everywhere, she could not investigate further; she forcibly suppressed the stirring in her heart, avoided staring directly at the blade, and merely gripped the hilt tightly, composing her mind to cautiously traverse this Ghost Yin Wood Forest that had cleared a path for her, holding this black blade that was both alluring and dangerous.

With the Ghost Yin Wood no longer blocking her path, Hua Changxi sped forward and soon emerged from the forest.

The moment she stepped out of the woods, a towering and eerie giant castle appeared on the horizon at the far edge of her vision.

The castle stretched endlessly; within it, halls overlapped hall upon hall, with layered eaves and flying corners, seeming to have no end.

Countless green ghost lamps dotted the structure, their eerie green light flickering and dancing in the darkness, illuminating the colossal edifice like a ghostly palace, exuding a suffocating aura of solemnity and evil strangeness.

Hua Changxi glanced around; unable to determine her direction, she finally decided to head toward the castle.

Only after her figure had completely vanished into the darkness did several members of the Ghost Race emerge from the Ghost Yin Wood forest.

"Quick, report to the Ghost Realm Fortress: a Netherworld expert has left their mountain, breached the forbidden grounds, and felled a batch of Ghost Yin Wood to temper their magical artifacts."

The Ghost Yin Wood is not only the sacred tree of the Ghost Race but also, due to its ability to absorb and purify Netherworld energy, a highly coveted supreme tonic for all beings of the Nine Netherworlds; it can be used to cultivate and enhance one's power, to temper magical artifacts, or to irrigate nether plants and soul grasses.